There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true. —Soren Kierkegaard. "…truth is true even if nobody believes it, and falsehood is false even if everybody believes it. That is why truth does not yield to opinion, fashion, numbers, office, or sincerity–it is simply true and that is the end of it" – Os Guinness, Time for Truth, pg.39. “He that takes truth for his guide, and duty for his end, may safely trust to God’s providence to lead him aright.” – Blaise Pascal. "There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily" – George Washington letter to Edmund Randolph — 1795. We live in a “post-truth” world. According to the dictionary, “post-truth” means, “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Simply put, we now live in a culture that seems to value experience and emotion more than truth. Truth will never go away no matter how hard one might wish. Going beyond the MSM idealogical opinion/bias and their low information tabloid reality show news with a distractional superficial focus on entertainment, sensationalism, emotionalism and activist reporting – this blogs goal is to, in some small way, put a plug in the broken dam of truth and save as many as possible from the consequences—temporal and eternal. "The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it." – George Orwell “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” ― Soren Kierkegaard
Jeremiah chapters 11- 13 highlight the consequences of covenant disobedience.
“This section provides an explanation for God’s judgment on His people: the Judahites broke the Mosaic Covenant. It also contains two laments that portray the tragedy of the situation and the Lord’s reluctance to send judgment. The final sub-section contains a symbolic action that pictures the horror of the people’s sin.” (Dr. Thomas Constable)
The Broken Covenant (11:1-17)
God had previously entered a covenant with Israel’s fathers at Mt. Sinai (Exodus 19-34)
The people of Judah had consistently broken that covenant resulting in their judgment as a nation
Breaking of the covenant had occurred during the reign of Josiah, possibly before the Book of the Lawwas found (roughly 621 B.C.; cf. 2 Chron. 34:8-33). In Jeremiah11:1-2, the LORD turns Jeremiah’s gaze back to the Mosaic Law as a reminder of how the people were supposed to live. In Jeremiah11:3-4, Yahweh announces a curse on all who ignore His Law. Because Israelites as a group/nation had entered into a covenant with Yahweh back at Mt. Sinai, the entire nation was now held accountable for their failure to continue following God’s Law.
Jeremiah11:5 – obedience to the Law was the means by which God promised to bless Israel and failure to obey brought about not just a lack of blessing, but judgment. This is similar to being a Christian today. We are to live according to His Word and Will. Though we do not fall under God’s wrath or judgment, a failure to live as He wants us to live will result in loss of blessing.
Jeremiah 11:6-7 highlights the importance of obedience and was again stressed by God to Jeremiah so that he could relate it to the people of Judah. In Jeremiah 11:8-9, however the Israelites continually failed to obey. In fact, God calls it a conspiracy when the people returned to the previous iniquities of their forefathers rather than by obedience, live lives that honored God.
In Jeremiah 11:11-12 we are told the result of continued disobedience would be disaster by forcing the people to rely on their idols, which would result in that idols’ silence and failure. When Christians are out of His will, we often turn to our own strengths/beliefs to get something done instead of relying on and trusting in Him. This simply makes matters worse because of our pride in refusing to submit to Him and wait for His victory over areas of our lives.
In Jeremiah 11:14 Yahweh again instructed Jeremiah to NOT pray for the Israelites because of their stiff necks. God warns that He would not answer that prayer if prayed. He was done. He had given the people of Judah as many chances as He felt they needed and to no avail.
Because of God’s determined mindset, in 11:15 we learn that the Judahites had no right to expect anything from God because of their continued sin and lack of repentance. Judgment was coming and the only thing that might prevent it was if those in Judah turned to God in true repentance and a determination to obey God in all things.
That of course, did not occur and in 11:16 God says He was going to burn up the chaff of the nation in coming judgment. They had left Him no choice in the matter. 11:17 tells us God would bring evil on Israel because of their constant worship of Baal. The people of Judah not only worshiped false gods like Baal, but also tried to cover their bases by worshiping Yahweh as well. This was an absolute affront to God and needless to say, their “worship” of Him was not received because their loyalties were divided. As Christians, we must ensure we place nothing before God or He will discipline us, out of love for us.
Though Romans 8 tells us we will never come under any condemnation by God because we are in Christ, this does not mean He will never bring discipline into our lives for our wrongdoing.
As a father pities his children, so the LORD pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame. He remembers that we are dust. (Psalm 103:13-14 NKJV)
Ultimately, God looks upon individual believers through the eyes of pity or compassion. He certainly understands our frame and remembers we are simply dust. At the same time, He will do what is needed in our life to bring us back to the narrow road that leads to life eternal when we fail to stay on that road. This is the difference between Israel and the Church. With Israel, God often dealt with those people as one nation. If the leaders were corrupt, He would bring judgment eventually onto the entire nation. Though some within that nation might be spared from the true harshness of His judgment because of their individual loyalty to God, ultimately, He was judging that nation. Where the Church is concerned, God deals with individual Christians within the Church who go astray or require judgment for sins undealt with that keep them from fellowship with God.
In Jeremiah 11:18-12:6 there is an attempt to kill the prophet Jeremiah. The people who wanted to kill him were from his own hometown of Anathoth. They didn’t like what Jeremiah was preaching and didn’t want to hear it. To force the issue, they threatened him with death if he continued preaching what they did not want to hear. God steps in and destroys those who threatened Jeremiah’s life (vv21-23).
Jeremiah’s Questions to God At one point, Jeremiah asks why the wicked prospered? Why are they seemingly happy? (12:1-4) It’s a good question and one we could ask today. But the answer is the same today as it was during Jeremiah’s day.
The Lord knew the righteousness of Jeremiah’s attitude and because Jeremiah was doing God’s will, God stepped into protect the prophet from death. Jeremiah then asks how long the coming judgment would last (v4).
The Lord Responds God asks Jeremiah how he thinks he will be able to continue to endure considering the coming persecution (v5). Further, God points out to him that if he could not stand in a relatively peaceful environment, how would he fair as things grew worse?
God grieves about His ruined inheritance 12:7-13
God was sad He had turned His people over to invaders, but Judah became a defiant lion against God. God was giving them up to be devoured (v9) and He would bring foreign enemies against Israel to devour them and destroy their vineyards (vv12-13).
Death or life for Israel’s neighbors 12:14-17 This oracle points ultimately to chapters 46-51 where God will bring judgment on the nations that destroy Israel. These included Egyptians, Assyrians, Edomites, Moabites, Ammonites, Arameans, and even the Babylonians. The LORD would ultimately have compassion on those who turned to Him.
The Linen Sash (13:1-11) In this section, the LORD told Jeremiah to wear a new sash without washing it first. He was then to hide it in a rock’s crevice. He was then told to retrieve it and saw that it was ruined, good for nothing (vv6-7). The object lesson is clear – God would destroy the pride of Judah (vv8-11) and He would so by bringing in other nation’s armies to do the job. They would leave nothing in their wake except destruction. Because Judah could not fight these armies off, their pride and trust in false idols would be shown for what it was and those remaining alive would turn to God.
The Parable of the Wine Jars (13:12-14) Another object lesson is given. Just as the people knew all the wine jars would be filled with wine, the Lord was going to fill them with the “wine” of His wrath. The people would be destroyed by their “drunkenness,” which was their “carousing” with false idols and dependence upon foreign nations instead of going to God.
Jeremiah offers a final plea to the people (13:15-17), which may have occurred during the deportation of Jehoiachin in 597 B.C. The start of the actual destruction began in 586 B.C. when Judah lost her independence.
Jerusalem’s incurable wickedness 13:20-27 God through Jeremiah tells the people to look NORTH. They would see judgment coming with Babylon’s armies. However, the people continued in denial (v22) – they thought they had done nothing wrong. They were blind to their own sin and hubris. However, the Lord would uncover their skirts (a euphemism fora sexual attack), v26. This would happen because of how Judah had lusted after foreign gods and acted as the whore continually.
Application for Believers – Call to Genuine Faithfulness to God We must ensure that we place nothing ahead of God. We must daily dedicate ourselves to firmly following God’s will, not out of any sort of legalistic attitude but because we love God and want to please and glorify Him. We can be sure that our sin nature will work overtime against us to keep us from accomplishing what God wants us to accomplish.
We must live in ways that please and glorify Him. Failing to do this, we will fall under His discipline, but not His condemnation. Being faithful to God occurs through practice. It is not something that occurs by accident!
“Since none can abide His wrath, it is the part of wisdom to avail oneself of [His] provision of mercy to sinners.”(Charles G. Feinberg, Commentary on Nahum)
No one – Christians included – can stand under God’s righteous wrath. Fortunately, we will never experience His wrath. Discipline when needed? Yes, but not His wrath. Because of this, it is best to throw ourselves on His mercy. Without Him we are nothing. We Him, we are everything.
We must learn to live as people who desperately want His approval. We need His mercy. We need to develop an attitude that helps us understand our constant need for Him and His strength. Unlike the people of Judah, we must approach God honestly, confessing our sin, appropriating His forgiveness and His help in overcoming areas of our lives that do not bring Him glory.
I must pray for the graces of contentment and patience, and a holy indifference to all the things of sense and time.
Lord, teach me in whatever situation I am to be content; let me know how to be brought low and how to abound; in any and every circumstance, let me learn the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. Philippians 4:11-12(ESV) And let godliness with contentment be great gain to me, 1 Timothy 6:6(ESV) and a little with the fear of the LORD and quietness, be better than great treasure and trouble with it. Proverbs 15:16(ESV)
Lord, grant that my life may be free from the love of money, and I may always be content with what I have, Hebrews 13:5(ESV) ever saying, “Let the will of the Lord be done.” Acts 21:14(ESV)
Enable me in my endurance to possess my own soul; Luke 21:19(KJV) and let steadfastness always have its full effect, that I may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:4(ESV)
Lord, give me grace to mourn as though I was not mourning, and to rejoice as though I was not rejoicing, and to buy as though I had no goods, and to deal with the world as though I had no dealings with it, because the appointed time has grown very short, and the present form of this world is passing away. 1 Corinthians 7:29-31(ESV)
Nehemiah 12:27-47 In this week’s study, we look at the dedication ceremony and note the great rejoicing by the people for all that the Lord had done for them.
Theme
A Cause for Celebration
The Christian life is hard work. There is no doubt about that. Even the Bible recognizes that it is hard work by describing it as a battle (“Fight the good fight of the faith,” 1 Tim. 6:12), a race (“I have finished the race,” 2 Tim. 4:7) and a sacrifice (“I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God which is your spiritual worship,” Rom. 12:1). Bible study is hard. Prayer is hard. Witnessing is hard. Living a holy life in the midst of the temptations of this world is extremely difficult. Because of these difficulties, perhaps we can be excused if, from time to time in our struggles, we tend to regard the Christian life as an example of what Winston Churchill promised England at the start of World War II, that is, a life of “blood, sweat and tears,” more than a joy and triumph.
The Christian life is a struggle, of course. Jesus promised His followers, not a comfortable life, but a cross. But it is not only that! After times of struggle there are also often pleasant times of sweet rest. After warfare there is victory. Along with the groans of spiritual exertion there are times of joyous celebration.
We come to one great example of celebration in Nehemiah 12, which tells of the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem. We do not know exactly when this dedication occurred, but it cannot have been long after the events of the previous chapters, since Nehemiah was a practical, hard-driving man who would not have delayed this climax to the achievements of the beginning of his governorship of Judah for more than a month at most. He had completed the wall within fifty-two days of his arrival in Jerusalem, on September 21, 444 B.C. He had delayed the wall’s dedication until the important festivals of the seventh month could be observed. But these were now behind him, the revival and rededication of the people had been achieved, and he called the people together for a celebration.
The narrative tells how Nehemiah brought the Levites, musicians and singers in from the outlying regions of the country, took the people up on the wall and staged a great procession or parade. It had two parts. One part was led by Nehemiah and proceeded in one direction around the wall while the other part was led by Ezra and proceeded in the other direction around the wall. Each group was led by musicians and choirs which sang praises to God and gave thanks to Him. Then, after the circumference of the wall had been navigated in this manner, the people converged at the temple, offered sacrifices and rejoiced so loudly that “the sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away” (v. 43).
Some people have wondered why the account of the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem has been held until now and not inserted at the end of chapter 6 where we were first told that the wall was finished. It could have been fitted in there, of course. But if it had been inserted there, it would not have been the fitting climax to the entire book it is, nor would the book have demonstrated such a meaningful unity.
We will consider this climax and unity in tomorrow’s study.
Study Questions
Why did Nehemiah delay the dedication of the wall?
Describe the people’s celebration.
Application
Reflection: In what ways do you find the Christian life to be both a struggle and a joyous celebration?
Key Point: The Christian life is a struggle, of course. Jesus promised His followers, not a comfortable life, but a cross. But it is not only that! After times of struggle there are also often pleasant times of sweet rest. After warfare there is victory. Along with the groans of spiritual exertion there are times of joyous celebration.
For Further Study: Download for free and listen to James Boice’s message, “Everybody, Praise the Lord.” (Discount will be applied at checkout.)
The Resurrection is the most important claim of Christianity, but how might a detective investigate this claim? What process of thinking might he or she employ? Can we ever be truly certain about the Resurrection?
To see more training videos with J. Warner Wallace, visit the YouTube playlist.
The prosperity gospel promises health and wealth but delivers only empty hope. Pastor Costi Hinn joins Truths That Transform to expose its dangers and remind us that false worship is nothing more than idolatry. Then, Dr. Rob Pacienza continues our Ten Commandments series with a powerful sermon on the Second Commandment, showing why God’s truth brings real freedom.
LTRP Note: The following is from Mike Oppenheimer’s 2019 booklet. For those who are trying to understand what terms like “dominionism,” “kingdom now,” “7-mountain mandate,” and more mean and where they came from, this booklet explains them along with the implications of going down those paths. Today, most Christians have a legitimate concern about the declining moral and spiritual condition of our world. Perhaps more than ever before, believers in Jesus Christ need clear direction from the Lord on how we are to live faithfully and pleasing to Him in such a world.
You may print this article or order a copy of it in booklet format to share with others.
“The church becoming a powerful force, taking over the world to establish the kingdom of God on Earth is not the way Jesus spoke it would take place in the last days.”
By Mike Oppenheimer
“To Rule the World”
In the mid-1980s, a British band called Tears for Fears came out with a song titled, “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.” While we can see this take place throughout man’s history, it is not a desire that should be found among believers in Christ. But in what is called Dominionism or Kingdom Now, that is exactly what followers are taught.
Dominionism came into Pentecostalism through certain teachings from the Latter Rain movement of the late 1940s. In a nutshell, Dominionism downplays and in most cases rejects the idea of an apocalyptic end-time tribulation but rather teaches that Christ will return after the church has established God’s kingdom on the earth by Christianizing the world. Dominionists believe this will be accomplished through signs, wonders, and miracles from “the manifest sons of God” who will take control and rule the world.
The main eschatological (end times) model in Dominionism today is “spiritual warfare” prayer used to remove demonic hindrances in the spiritual realm. This proposes that if we demolish the devil’s kingdom and atmosphere over homes, cities, and countries, our world will change. This is the first of several steps for the church to take dominion with this “warfare” prayer that is directed at things, principalities, and powers through declarations and decrees.
What’s more, today’s Latter Rain Dominionists believe a worldwide revival unlike any other in history will soon take place which will propel this kingdom into existence.1 At the National Men’s Shepherds Conference in 1975 in Kansas City, Missouri, Ern Baxter (who accompanied “the prophet” William Branham on many campaigns) expressed this desire to defeat Satan by a new breed of overcomers when he stated:
God’s people are going to start to exercise rule, and they’re going to take dominion over the Power of Satan. They’re going to bring diabolical princes down. . . . As the rod of His strength goes out of Zion, He’ll change legislation. He’ll chase the devil off the face of God’s earth, and God’s people together, doing the will of God, will bring about God’s purposes and God’s reign.2
In his 1966 book Subdue the Earth, Rule the Nations, Latter-Rain leader Franklin Hall said:
The man-child group of the sons of God will be required “to rule all nations with a rod of iron” (Revelation 12:5).3
We hear the teaching that Satan stole the “keys of dominion” when he deceived Adam and Eve; and when Christ gave the “keys of the kingdom” to Peter (Matthew 16:19), Dominionists say it means dominion had been returned to the church. Distorting Genesis 1:28, they teach it is a continued mandate for Christians to control the world and that the government has finally come into the church, promising more power and more anointing to establish the kingdom.
The late church-growth pioneer C. Peter Wagner (d. 2016) stated:
See, the problem is, is that Satan has had too much of his way in our society because he has a government! And the only way to overthrow a government is with a government.4
Wagner speaks of “apostles in the workplace”5 and says:
This gate will be opened when we understand about the church in the workplace, that the church has a government, that it takes a government to overthrow a government, and when we understand this, if we renew our minds, if we embrace this paradigm shift . . . the revival we’ve been praying for is just around the corner.6
Alice Bailey’s Kingdom Now
In order to gain a more clear understanding of Dominionism and Kingdom Now Theology, let’s take a look at some of the teachings of occultist Alice Bailey7 who received channeled messages from a demon she called Djwal Khul. One of those messages was:
This Church will be nurtured into activity by the Christ and His disciples when the outpouring of the Christ principle, the true second Coming, has been accomplished.8
In her book The Externalization of the Hierarchy, Bailey stated:
The church must show a wide tolerance, and teach no revolutionary doctrines or cling to any reactionary ideas. The church as a teaching factor should take the great basic doctrines and (shattering the old forms in which they are expressed and held) show their true and inner spiritual significance. The prime work of the church is to teach, and teach ceaselessly, preserving the outer appearance in order to reach the many who are accustomed to church usages. Teachers must be trained; Bible knowledge must be spread; the sacraments must be mystically interpreted, and the power of the church to heal must be demonstrated.9 (emphasis in original)
The esoteric interpretations of the New Age are used, and the undiscerning church attendee does not notice what is being taught. The goal is “preserving the outer appearance in order to reach the many who are accustomed to church usages.”
Below I have listed a few quotes by Alice Bailey, showing her views on “the kingdom.” These are significant because we hear the same viewpoint in the church by Dominionists:
But Christ founded a kingdom on earth.10
This world is the kingdom of God.11
Christ . . . came to found the kingdom of God on earth. . . . His mission has not failed. The kingdom is now organised upon earth.12
In contrast, when Jesus stood before Pilate, He made it clear His kingdom is not on Earth, “My kingdom is not of this world . . . but now is my kingdom not from hence” (John 18:36). Yet Alice Bailey taught:
It is time that the Church woke up to its true mission, which is to materialise the kingdom of God on earth, today, here and now. The time is past wherein we can emphasise a future and coming kingdom. People are no longer interested in a possible heavenly state or a probable hell. They need to learn that the kingdom is here, and must express itself on earth.13
[Referencing John 3:3] This is the second birth, and from that moment vision comes with increasing power. . . . The Christ is being born today in many a human being, and increasingly will the sons of God appear in their true nature, to take over the guidance of humanity in the New Age.14
The true Church is the kingdom of God on earth.15 [Comment: The true church is not biblical Christianity according to Bailey.]
. . . the long-awaited kingdom of God is simply the appearance of soul-controlled [i.e., demonized] men on earth in everyday life and at all stages of that control.16
. . . the bringing in of the Kingdom of God, the preparation for the coming of the Christ and salvaging of mankind . . .17
Bailey also stated when this “Kingdom of God” is “restored,” it would unify all faiths.”18 Again, in contrast, the Bible speaks of a mystery of iniquity coming to its zenith. “Mystery Babylon” is an amalgamation of all the religious systems of the world. It is a unity of all religions with one exception— real Christianity (i.e., biblical Christianity). In Hebrew, this pseudo-Kingdom of God is called Babel—after the judgment (Genesis 11:1-9) conveying confusion. Alice Bailey’s channeling demon did not speak of the Kingdom which is created by the Creator of the Universe.
Just as Babylon was built for mankind to unite without God and make a name for themselves, so will this end-times Babylon. The Bible has identified Mystery Babylon, which began after the flood when God sabotaged man’s attempt to unify, built around false religion. It will repeat again in the last days.
This is known in the New Age as “The Plan.” There is a difference between God’s plan in prophecy written in the Bible and man’s plan given by “new revelation,” dreams, visions, and interpretations from the perspective of other religious/spiritual teachings.
Bailey’s New Age teachings on the kingdom of God are eerily similar to those of the teachings of Dominionism.
Jesus said when he stood before Pilate, “[I]f my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight” (John 18:36). The early church did not take up the sword but instead laid down their lives. But it wasn’t many centuries later when a misled church that lost its focus desired to take over the world both religiously and politically, trying to bring the kingdom on Earth. The church that was once underground became a legal religion in Rome and eventually merged religion with politics. By doing this, the church forfeited being the church that Christ founded.
7 Mountains
A teaching that has ingrained itself in the church through the New Apostolic movement is called the 7M Mandate, referring to seven mountains identified in culture. In a chapter titled “Apostles in the Workplace” in Peter Wagner’s book The Church in the Workplace, he details the “strategy for war” for marketplace transformation and asks for leaders to “standardize our terminology” for the “7 spheres,” “7 mountains,” or “7 gates” of society that must be transformed (religion, family, education, government, media, arts and entertainment, and business). Wagner says in the book, “These segments of society should be seen as apostolic spheres.”19 The strategy for this takeover of these areas of society has been laid out in a document from the Wagner Leadership Institute titled Invading the Seven Mountains, which states:
[I]f the world is to be won, these are the mountains that mold the culture and the minds of men. Whoever controls these mountains controls the direction of the world and the harvest therein.20
In order to transform cities, regions and nations, we need to capture and rule the 7 mountains that shape each area’s culture.21
We are an association of people brought together for the glory of the Kingdom of God who gives us power to create wealth from the treasures of oil, gas and other resources of the earth to advance the purposes of God in the Earth Realm.22
The strategy of the 7 Mountains Mandate first came by a “revelation” to Loren Cunningham (founder of YWAM) who talks of this privilege along with Bill Bright (founder of Campus Crusade for Christ) who received the same idea (supposedly from God) at the same time. On the Generals International website (the website of Dominionist Cindy Jacobs), it states:
In 1975, Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade and Loren Cunningham, founder of Youth With a Mission (YWAM), developed a God-given, world-changing strategy. Their mandate: Bring Godly change to a nation by reaching its seven spheres, or mountains, of societal influence.23
Lance Wallnau, one of the main purveyors of the 7 Mountains teaching, says the kingdom comes gradually and through the efforts of the church taking these mountains and putting them under our control; accordingly, Christians will only reap a great world harvest if the church captures these “mountains” for Christ.
As Gentiles Exercising Control
And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. (Matthew 11:12)
And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him. And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God. The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it. And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail. (Luke 16:14-17; emphasis added)
What is highly esteemed? Places of position, power, and control. Jesus addressed this specifically when He stated:
Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: (Matthew 20:25-27)
He then gave Himself as the example.
Many well-known people are involved in promoting this Dominionist strategy such as Jim Garlow and Lou Engle (The Call/The Send). [LT note: In October 2025, Lou Engle was involved with an event in Washington, DC called Communion America.]
Another promoter of the 7 mountains system is Rick Joyner, who says that Lance Wallnau has supernatural strategies for engaging the darkness covering the Earth with the light of the kingdom of Heaven. His series, “The Seven Mountain Strategy” is on CD and in books and video.
Wallnau’s network is advertised on the Elijah List: “Take your place, help your nation fulfill her unfinished assignment. Join the 7M community network [cost is $7.77 a month] and transform your nation.”24
Cindy Jacobs, as a general in C. Peter Wagner’s apostolic/prophetic “army” speaks of herself and others as generals strategizing for the 7 Mountain takeover. Cindy Jacobs says of Isaiah 9:6, “We’re talking about establishing the government of God in the Earth.”25 When you compare such talk with Scripture, there is no mandate given to the body of Christ to form a government and have generals. [LT Note: Paula White (President Trump’s appointed spiritual advisor) is also a leading figure in the 7M movement.]
No Rapture or Tribulation
C. Peter Wagner did not believe in the rapture as can be seen in his radio interview with Terry Gross in speaking about the return of Jesus:
GROSS: What are you expecting? Like, what do you think will happen?
WAGNER: I think the world is going to get better and better, not worse and worse. And I think that. . . .
GROSS: So you don’t believe in the Rapture and the tribulations.
WAGNER: I used to.
GROSS: But now?
WAGNER: But I don’t—I don’t see how it fits now into what God is showing us. . . . no, I don’t believe in that.26
When Wagner says God is showing them, it means by new revelation (which happens to go contrary to what God has shown the true prophets that have written the Scripture).
Wagner has the church ruling over the world without a physical return of Christ. This is why they use spiritual warfare as step one to defeat Satan to capture the 7 mountains.
Johnny Enlow is the founder and former pastor of the 7 Mountain church, Daystar, in Atlanta. In his book, The Seven Mountain Prophecy, Enlow likens the army of the Lord to a “spiritual tsunami” called the “Elijah Revolution” which he says will “sweep through the church and recover that which is good while washing away that which is polluted.”27
Enlow says that “the Father says to the Son”:
Once You have purchased redemption for mankind, You will sit at My right hand. You will have done Your part on Earth “till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” You will remain up here as the Head, and Your body on Earth will crush Your enemies. The last generation will be the “foot” generation and will rule on Earth over Your enemies. Until they do so, You are not going back to rescue, rapture, save, or anything else. Your body, in fact, will not be a beautiful bride until she has accomplished this crushing of Satan.28
Enlow, describing his own interpretation, distorts the Scripture, saying:
This will change as the Elijah Revolution is released upon the nations. Sons and daughters of the King who understand the call to take the seven mountains will rise to the mountaintops.29
Enlow promises that “the Elijah Revolution will change the landscape of society; everyone will have to make at least some kind of adjustment.”30
This is not what the Bible teaches; rather, it says that we are to instruct the people in the teachings of Jesus Christ, not foundations of culture. It is the Gospel that transforms people by the new birth. What these 7 M “prophets” are espousing is not Christianity as taught in Scripture. I see no distinction between their goals and those of New Agers who want to produce what they believe to be a Utopian kingdom on Earth.
To gain a better understanding of how these prophets of culture plan to change the world, we can read the following by John Enlow written in 2015:
I believe that American Pharoah [a race horse] winning speaks prophetically of a place and role that America is about to more fully step into as it relates to world affairs and the world economy . . . I see the 37 years (time since last triple crown) as connecting to Genesis 37 when Joseph is first introduced to us and given the coat of many colors. In my book, The 7 Mountain Mantle: Receiving the Joseph Anointing to Reform Nations, I write much about this chapter telling of the coming Josephs who would arise in every mountain and be instrumental in the reforming of society. It’s also significant that Joseph was 37 years old when the famine started that ultimately impulsed Egypt to an even more lead nation status. Because of the Joseph solutions implemented by Pharaoh, it says that “all nations came to Joseph,” Egypt, and Pharaoh for their own survival (see Genesis 41:57).
I believe that the United States position in world economics is about to be greatly strengthened and that there will also be a corresponding weakening of many other nations’ economic positions—with the United States increasingly being in a place of dictating terms of economic rescue for many nations. Significant economic shakings are coming, but they will end up greatly strengthening the United States’ position in the world and not weakening it.
We will now see a significant acceleration of change in every area of culture, as great shining ones will arise as never before.31
Great shining ones? This sounds more like New Age or secret society rhetoric than anything the Bible describes. What’s more, whatever change is now occurring in America and in the rest of the world is not good.
Societies are becoming more sinful as Jesus Christ is left out of the equation just as the Bible predicted.
Those who believe this church triumphalism are walking into a strong delusion. But they don’t see this as they listen to the new prophets speak of power and authority for them.
Authority Given
The devil has authority and is able to give this authority to whom he pleases. He lifts people up quickly to positions they were not prepared to handle or offers a shortcut. He even tried this ploy on Jesus:
And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. (Luke 4:6-7)
Contrary to this, God spoke in Psalm 2:6-8:
Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
The devil offered Jesus the kingdoms of the world at the beginning of His ministry; God the Father had promised this to His Son when He was resurrected which He will commence in the millennium. Dominionists wrongly apply eschatological passages for Israel and the millennium to the church today. The devil’s purpose in offering it to Jesus was to give Him a shortcut, without the Cross; but Jesus refused. God has not given us (the church) the nations; that is promised to His only begotten Son. Jesus is “to rule all nations with a rod of iron” (Revelation 12:5).
How many people throughout history have succumbed to the devil’s temptation for authority to fulfill their own desired goals and aspirations? The devil gives individuals authority to rule over other people. This has been offered to man since the fall in the garden. Satan opposed God’s work by offering man authority and dominion over the Earth by having Eve believe man could be as God. Thousands of years later, he has not changed his overall strategy but has certainly increased the various ways to accomplish it.
Continuing in the Faith/Enduring to the End
After explaining and then showing the disciples an example of a servant (John 13:4-17), Jesus states:
Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (Luke 22:28-30)
In this life, there are many trials for the Christian believer. It is for us to continue in the faith through these trials. The kingdom of God, according to Jesus, is inherited by humility, not by taking things through force. The Scripture says, “When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed” (John 6:15). We cannot force God’s kingdom to be established on Earth.
The church becoming a powerful force, taking over the world to establish the kingdom of God on Earth is not the way Jesus spoke it would take place in the last days. Dominionists have taken biblical truths and distorted them to reinforce their justification for building the kingdom here now. This idea of a powerful ruling church taking over the world is a spiritual hoax.
Peter writes of what it will be like in the last days. They ask where is the promise of Jesus Christ’s coming (referring to His return to Earth, bringing in the kingdom):
That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour: Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished. (2 Peter 3:2-6)
When we think of mockers, we think of atheists or skeptics scoffing at the creation account, but this is not whom Peter is addressing. These are people familiar with the Scriptures—they believe in creation, they point to the fathers of the faith (patriarchs, saints) who are sleeping, which is the biblical word for the dead resting until the resurrection. They are the church! They lack the patience and perseverance required. They think they will change a world that God already said in His word He would judge; to put it bluntly, they do not believe the Word.
The Last Empire—A Counterfeit
The Lord told Daniel:
Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. (Daniel 12:10)
And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. (Daniel 11:32)
God’s wisdom is crucial for having skill for living in these last days. Our effectiveness in the end is linked to being faithful and having an understanding of what is actually written about the end.
Daniel sealed the vision, and he wrote some of the clearest prophecies about what it will be like when Jesus comes again. Consider the following:
And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. . . . the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter. (Daniel 2:40-45)
We know from Scripture that clay is a symbol of man (God is the potter, and we are the clay), yet Daniel states that it does not mix with iron. The iron is a symbol of strength and authority; this last kingdom made of iron is a counterfeit of Christ’s kingdom; mixed with clay, it has a false authority of man ruling. Speaking of Jesus, Revelation 12:5 says, “And she brought forth a man child [Jesus Christ], who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron.” And in Revelation 19:15, it says, “[H]e shall rule them with a rod of iron.” God the Father has given Christ the God/man to be the ruler of the kingdom (Psalm 2:8).
Daniel is speaking of a fourth kingdom with kings that will rule the earth unlike any other time. Considering the agenda of the globalists, the New Age movement, and Kingdom Now promoters inside the church, it is not that far-fetched to believe there will be some type of inclusion of the church with the governments of the world (Revelation13). Even now, a hybrid spirituality is being formed with the world and its religions.
Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. (Daniel 7:23)
Why would the fourth kingdom be so different from the others? For the Dragon (Satan) gives him, the beast, “his power, and his seat [throne], and great authority” (Revelation 13:2). He is the last Gentile ruler of the times of the Gentiles; he is called the Beast. At a certain point, his rule will combine spirituality with political might unlike that of any other government or religion in history. During the fourth kingdom’s rule, this leader will proclaim himself to be God and expect to be worshiped (Matthew 24:15). The ten kings of the world will give their allegiance to the beast, and the beast is worshiped (Daniel 7:24; Revelation 17:13,17).
This fourth kingdom is unlike any other; it takes the Ancient of Days to come and break his rule before the saints can possess the kingdom. The saints needed to be rescued; they were not ruling (Daniel 7:25).
I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. (Daniel 7:21-22)
And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. (Revelation 13:7)
There is no church government to rule triumphantly now nor will there be in the future prior to Christ coming back. The apostasy described in Scripture fits in perfectly with the “kingdom now” scenario. Can it be that it will be part of this fourth kingdom? Many Kingdom Now advocates believe the church will be given unparalleled power to convert the masses through miracles. Some go so far as to say we will be immune to disease and even death, transformed to immortality before Jesus comes back.
Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. (Psalm 2:1-3)
Here we have God’s perspective of these leaders united together without the Messiah, willfully resisting His rulership.
While the fourth kingdom constitutes iron mixed with clay, Christ instead will rule His kingdom with a rod of iron (meaning with unbreakable rules, absolutes; and disobedience will bring swift repercussions). Notice that those ruling the earthly kingdom when He comes will be broken like clay vessels. Why? Because they will not set up His kingdom but their own.
Dominion Given to the Saints When Jesus Returns
The Messiah returns and destroys both the last ruler and last kingdom of man. It is the stone cut out of the mountain without hands “which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces” (Daniel 2:34); speaking of the ruler at this time, “he shall be broken without hand” (Daniel 8:25), meaning not by the church or any other human institution.
When the real kingdom comes, Christ is present on earth and we serve Him:
And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. (Daniel 7:27)
There is no kingdom of God come to Earth without our King Jesus being physically present to rule. The only 7 mountains the Bible speaks of is in Revelation 17:9: “The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.” The description in this passage is about the “harlot” church.
The day of man’s government will come to an end when the God/man comes back as King. The church has never been given a mission to rule over the world and “Christianize it” but to rescue people (in a spiritual sense) out from it. It is done through the Gospel which transforms a person’s heart by a spiritual birth, not by Christianizing the culture that is already in the world system.
It is not God’s plan for the church to take over and implement dominion over this present evil world before He returns. We have too much confidence in ourselves and very little in God’s prophetic plan. We need to see it as it is written. The world is getting worse as man continues in his stubborn rebellion against the Creator and Savior, and no sanctified earthly spiritual government of man will turn it around no matter how good their intentions may be. If one eliminates this crucial understanding of the last days, he will have no defense against the coming deception that is to sweep the Earth and trap its inhabitants for God’s judgments in the Tribulation.
To order copies of Dominionism, Kingdom Now, and What Does the Bible Say? in booklet format,click here.
Ikenyirimba Udochukwu Marcon, The Final Dispensation (Lulu.com, 2015, quoting from the National Men’s Shepherds Conference in 1975 in Kansas City, Missouri).
Franklin Hall, Subdue the Earth, Rule the Nations (Phoenix, AZ: Franklin Hall Ministries, 1966,) p. 57; also watch Mike Oppenheimer’s lecture DVD on William Branham.
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (5:21)
It began with one of history’s earliest recorded instances of biological warfare. In 1347 a Mongol army besieging the Genoese trading post of Caffa in the Crimea (modern Ukraine) catapulted the bodies of bubonic plague victims over the town’s walls. The terrified defenders fled to Italy, carrying with them the deadly plague bacteria (and the rats and fleas that spread them). Over the next three years the plague spread throughout Europe in the massive epidemic now known as the Black Death. Before the epidemic ran its course an estimated twenty million people—approximately one-third to one-half of Europe’s population—perished. The coming centuries would see recurring outbreaks of the bubonic plague, which would remain a dangerous, unchecked killer until the development of antibiotics in the twentieth century. Though the Black Death is the most infamous epidemic in history, it was not the only one. The influenza epidemic of 1918–19 killed an estimated thirty to fifty million people, and several million more died at about that same time in an outbreak of typhus in eastern Europe. Other infectious diseases, such as malaria, yellow fever, and in more recent times AIDS, have also claimed uncounted millions of victims. But there is one plague that is more widespread and deadly than all others combined; it is, as the Puritan writer Ralph Venning called it, the “plague of plagues.” It affects every person who ever lived—and is 100 percent fatal. Unlike other plagues, which cause only physical death, this plague causes spiritual and eternal death as well. It is the plague of sin. Because Adam’s fall plunged the entire human race into sin (Rom. 5:12–21), all people are sinners from birth. “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,” lamented David, “and in sin my mother conceived me” (Ps. 51:5). In Psalm 58:3 he added, “The wicked are estranged from the womb; these who speak lies go astray from birth” (cf. Gen. 8:21; Isa. 48:8). Not only are all people sinners by nature, they are also sinners by action. To the Romans Paul wrote, “There is none righteous, not even one” (Rom. 3:10; cf. Pss. 14:1–3; 53:1–3). Later in that chapter he added, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23); consequently, “there is no man who does not sin” (1 Kings 8:46), and no one can say, “I have cleansed my heart, I am pure from my sin” (Prov. 20:9). The inevitable outcome for all those infected by the sin plague is death. Ezekiel 18:20 states plainly, “The person who sins will die” (cf. v. 4). Adam’s tragic epitaph, “and he died” (Gen. 5:5) will be written for all his descendants (cf. vv. 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 27, 31; 9:29). Nor is the prognosis any better in the spiritual realm. Sin produces two disastrous spiritual consequences: alienation from God in this life (Eph. 2:12; 4:18; Col. 1:21), and unrelenting punishment in hell in eternity (Matt. 25:41, 46; 2 Thess. 1:9; Rev. 14:9–11; 20:11–15). But the good news of the gospel is that there is a cure for the sinner infected by the deadly sin epidemic. God, in His mercy and love, provided a remedy for sin—the sacrifice of His Son. The Lord Jesus Christ “released us from our sins by His blood” (Rev. 1:5), “for by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified” (Heb. 10:14). Those who experience “redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of [their] trespasses, according to the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:7) are cured from sin’s deadly spiritual effects. As a result, they have “passed out of death into life” (John 5:24; 1 John 3:14), and “are no longer strangers and aliens, but … are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household” (Eph. 2:19). How God made the cure possible is the theme of verses 18–20. In those three verses, Paul described the glorious truth of reconciliation—that the sin-severed relationship between holy God and unregenerate sinners can be restored “through” and “in” Christ. But reconciliation raises some profound questions. How can an absolutely and infinitely holy God be reconciled to sinners? How can His just and holy law, which demands the condemnation and punishment of all who violate it, be satisfied? How can those who deserve no mercy receive it? How can God uphold true righteousness and give grace? How can the demands of both justice and love be met? How can God be both “just and the justifier” (Rom. 3:26) of sinners? As hard as those questions seem, one brief verse answers them all and resolves the seeming paradox of redemption. With a conciseness and brevity reflective of the Holy Spirit, this one brief sentence, only fifteen words in the Greek text, resolves the dilemma of reconciliation. This sentence reveals the essence of the atonement, expresses the heart of the gospel message, and articulates the most glorious truth in Scripture—how fallen man’s sin-sundered relationship to God can be restored. Verse 21 is like a cache of rare jewels, each deserving of a careful, reverential examination under the magnifying glass of Scripture. It yields truths about the benefactor, the substitute, the beneficiaries, and the benefit.
THE BENEFACTOR
He made (5:21a)
The end of verse 20 reveals the antecedent of He to be God the Father, as seen in the previous chapter of this volume. Reconciliation is His plan, and it could not occur unless He initiated and applied it. Sinners cannot devise their own religious approach to God, because they are “dead in [their] trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1). The damning lie of false religion is that man can reconcile himself to God by his own efforts, but all attempts to do so are futile. Sinners’ “righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; and all of [them] wither like a leaf, and [their] iniquities, like the wind, take [them] away” (Isa. 64:6). As a result, “There is none righteous, not even one” (Rom. 3:10). Not even the “Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh” (Rom. 9:4–5) could devise a way to reconcile themselves to God by their own efforts. Romans 10:1–3, expressing Paul’s deep concern for them, reflects that truth:
Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.
Despite their zeal for God, they had not achieved salvation, because they sought it through their own righteousness. The religion of human achievement, whether practiced by Jews or Gentiles, can never bring reconciliation with God. The only way reconciliation can take place is if God reached out to sinners; and He did by the sacrifice of His Son. Jesus therefore did not go to the cross because fickle people turned on Him, though they did. He did not go to the cross because demon-deceived false religious leaders plotted His death, though they did. He did not go to the cross because Judas betrayed Him, though he did. He did not die because an angry, unruly mob intimidated a Roman governor into sentencing Him to crucifixion, though they did. Jesus went to the cross as the outworking of God’s plan to reconcile sinners to Himself. In the first Christian sermon ever preached, Peter declared to the nation of Israel that Jesus was “delivered over [to death] by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God” (Acts 2:23; cf. 3:18; 13:27; Matt. 26:24; Luke 22:22; John 18:11; Heb. 10:5, 7). Only God could design an atonement for sin that would satisfy the demands of His justice, propitiate His wrath, and be consistent with His love, grace, and mercy. Only God could conceive the plan in which the second person of the Trinity would, “being found in appearance as a man, [humble] Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil. 2:8). Only God knew what it would take to rescue sinners “from the domain of darkness, and [transfer them] to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Col. 1:13), making them “qualified … to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light” (Col. 1:12). Only God knew how to make sinners deserving of hell acceptable in His sight and fit to spend eternity in His presence. Therefore, only God could author and execute the plan of redemption and reconcile sinners to Himself. That plan is so utterly beyond the comprehension of the unregenerate that it seems foolishness to them (1 Cor. 1:18, 23; 2:14). No religion of human design has anything like it. Reconciliation flows out of God’s love; it was because He “so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). “God demonstrates His own love toward us,” wrote Paul, that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8); though “we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son” (Rom. 5:10). Because “God [is] rich in mercy, [and] because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, [He] made us alive together with Christ (Eph. 2:4–5). It is this emphasis on a loving God reaching out to sinners that sets Christianity apart from the false religions of the world. The gods of those religions are sometimes depicted as cruel, angry, and hostile and hence to be feared and appeased—even by such appalling means as child sacrifice (cf. 2 Kings 16:3; 23:10; Jer. 32:35; Ezek. 16:21; 23:37). Others are viewed as apathetic and indifferent to the worshipers who grovel before them, like Baal, whose followers Elijah mockingly challenged, “Call out with a loud voice, for he is a god; either he is occupied or gone aside, or is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and needs to be awakened” (1 Kings 18:27). Their devotees are often driven to desperate measures to get their attention (cf. 1 Kings 18:28). But Christianity proclaims the glorious, liberating truth that God is neither hostile nor indifferent but a loving Savior by nature. He does not need to be appeased (and indeed cannot be by any human means). Instead, He Himself has provided His own appeasement for justice and the means for sinners to become His beloved children through the sacrifice of His Son (Rom. 8:32; 1 John 4:10, 14), which fully propitiated His wrath. As a result, those who come to Him through faith are “justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:24). Because Christ’s sacrifice perfectly satisified the demands of God’s righteousness and justice, God freely offers forgiveness and reconciliation: “Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost” (Isa. 55:1; cf. Rev. 22:17). Reconciliation required the death of God’s Son because “the wages of sin is death” (Rom 6:23) and therefore, “The person who sins will die” (Ezek. 18:20). The slaughter of countless millions of sacrificial animals under the Old Testament economy graphically illustrated that truth. Though unable to atone for sin, since “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Heb. 10:4), those sacrifices forcibly drove home the point that sin results in death, and death is required to satisfy the demands of God’s law when it is violated. They also made the people who incessantly offered them long for the final substitute to whom the sacrifices pointed (cf. Isa. 53). And when in accordance with the Father’s plan the final substitute came, He willingly laid down His life to bring the final satisfaction to God only pictured in the sacrificial ceremonies and ritual killings of animals (John 10:11, 18; Phil. 2:7–8).
THE SUBSTITUTE
Him who knew no sin to be sin (5:21b)
This designation points unmistakably to the only possible sacrifice for sin. It eliminates every human who ever lived, “for there is no man who does not sin” (1 Kings 8:46), since “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). Only one who knew no sin of his own could qualify to bear the full wrath of God against the sins of others. The perfect sacrifice for sin would have to be a human being, for only a man could die for other men. Yet he would also have to be God, for only God is sinless. That narrows the field to one, the God-man, Jesus Christ. In the design of God, the second person of the Trinity became a man (Gal. 4:4–5). The Bible makes it clear that though He had a human mother, the Lord Jesus Christ did not have a human father. Joseph is never referred to as His father, because He was conceived by the Holy Spirit (Matt. 1:18, 20; Luke 1:35). As the God-man, He was the perfect One to be the sacrifice for sin (John 1:29; 1 Peter 1:19), fulfilling the Old Testament picture of the unblemished sacrificial lamb (Ex. 12:5; Ezek 46:13). The impeccability (sinlessness) of Jesus Christ is universally affirmed in Scripture, by believers and unbelievers alike. In John 8:46 Jesus challenged His Jewish opponents, “Which one of you convicts Me of sin?” Before sentencing Him to death, Pilate repeatedly affirmed His innocence, declaring, “I find no guilt in this man” (Luke 23:4; cf. vv. 14, 22). The repentant thief on the cross said of Jesus, “This man has done nothing wrong” (Luke 23:41). Even the hardened, callous Roman centurion in charge of the execution detail admitted, “Certainly this man was innocent” (Luke 23:47). The apostles, those who most closely observed Jesus’ life during His earthly ministry, also testified to His sinlessness. Peter publicly proclaimed Him to be the “Holy and Righteous One” (Acts 3:14). In his first epistle he declared Jesus to be “unblemished and spotless” (1 Peter 1:19); one “who committed no sin” (2:22); and “just” (3:18). John also testified to His sinlessness, writing, “in Him there is no sin” (1 John 3:5). The inspired writer of Hebrews notes that “we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15), because He is “holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens” (7:26). But the most powerful testimony concerning Christ’s sinlessness comes from God the Father. On two occasions He said of Christ, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased” (Matt. 3:17; 17:5). Jesus’ unbroken fellowship with the Father also testifies to His sinlessness; in John 10:30 He said simply, “I and the Father are one” (cf. 14:9). After presenting Jesus as the absolutely holy substitute for sinners, the text makes the remarkable statement that God made Him to be sin. That important phrase requires a careful understanding. It does not mean that Christ became a sinner; the above-mentioned verses establishing His utter sinlessness unequivocally rule out that possibility. As God in human flesh, He could not possibly have committed any sin or in any way violated God’s law. It is equally unthinkable that God, whose “eyes are too pure to approve evil” (Hab. 1:13; cf. James 1:13), would make anyone a sinner, let alone His own Holy Son. He was the unblemished Lamb while on the cross, personally guilty of no evil. Isaiah 53:4–6 describes the only sense in which Jesus could have been made sin:
Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.
But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed.
All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all
To fall on Him.
Christ was not made a sinner, nor was He punished for any sin of His own. Instead, the Father treated him as if He were a sinner by charging to His account the sins of everyone who would ever believe. All those sins were charged against Him as if He had personally committed them, and He was punished with the penalty for them on the cross, experiencing the full fury of God’s wrath unleashed against them all. It was at that moment that “Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, … ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?’ ” (Matt. 27:46). It is crucial, therefore, to understand that the only sense in which Jesus was made sin was by imputation. He was personally pure, yet officially culpable; personally holy, yet forensically guilty. But in dying on the cross Christ did not become evil like we are, nor do redeemed sinners become inherently as holy as He is. God credits believers’ sin to Christ’s account, and His righteousness to theirs. In Galatians 3:10, 13 Paul further explained the necessity of believers’ sins being imputed to Christ. In verse 10 he wrote that “as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them.’ ” There is no way for sinners to reconcile themselves to God, because no one is able to “abide by all things written in the book of the law to perform them.” Violating even one precept of the Law warrants eternal punishment in hell. Thus, the entire human race is cursed and unable to do anything to lift that curse. Therefore, the only reason believers can be reconciled to God is because “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’ ” (v. 13). Were it not for the fact that “while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly” (Rom. 5:6), no one could be reconciled to God.
THE BENEFICIARIES
on our behalf, (5:21c)
The antecedent of our is the phrase “ambassadors for Christ” in verse 20; those to whom the “word of reconciliation” was committed (v. 19), who have been reconciled to God (v. 18), and are new creatures in Christ (v. 17). Christ’s substitutionary death was efficacious only for those who would believe (John 1:12; 3:16–18; Rom. 10:9–10); all those whom the Father gives Him and draws to Him (John 6:37, 65). (For further information on this point, see the discussion of verse 14 in chapter 14 of this volume.) That God raised Jesus from the dead is proof that He accepted His sacrifice on behalf of His people (Rom. 4:25).
THE BENEFIT
so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (5:21d)
The phrase so that reflects a purpose clause in the Greek text. The benefit of God’s imputing believers’ sins to Christ and His righteousness to them is that they become righteous before Him. They are “found in Him, not having a righteousness of [their] own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith” (Phil. 3:9). The very righteousness God requires before He can accept the sinner is the very righteousness He provides. Because Jesus paid the full penalty for believers’ sin, God no longer holds it against them. In Psalm 32:1 David wrote, “How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered!” In Psalm 130:3–4 the psalmist added, “If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared.” In metaphorical pictures of forgiveness, God is said to have removed believers’ sins as far from them as the east is from the west (Ps. 103:12); cast their sins behind His back (Isa. 38:17); promised never to remember them (Isa. 43:25); hidden them from His sight behind a thick cloud (Isa. 44:22); and cast them into the depths of the sea (Mic. 7:19). Believers experience the blessedness of forgiveness solely by faith in the complete redemption provided by Jesus Christ; “the righteousness of God [comes] through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe” (Rom. 3:22). They are “justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:24); therefore, God is “the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Rom. 3:26). In Romans 3:28 Paul stated definitively, “For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law” (cf. 4:5; 5:1; Gal. 2:16; 3:24). When repentant sinners acknowledge their sin (Ps. 32:5), affirm Jesus as Lord (Rom. 10:9), and trust solely in His completed work on their behalf (Acts 4:12; 16:31), God credits His righteousness to their account. On the cross God treated Jesus as if He had lived our lives with all our sin, so that God could then treat us as if we lived Christ’s life of pure holiness. Our iniquitous life was legally charged to Him on the cross, as if He had lived it, so that His righteous life could be credited to us, as if we lived it. That is the doctrine of justification by imputation—the high point of the gospel. That truth, expressed so concisely and powerfully in this text, is the only cure for the sin plague.
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2003). 2 Corinthians (pp. 209–217). Moody Publishers.
I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.John 14:18
He left us, and yet we are not left orphans. He is our comfort, and He is gone; but we are not comfortless. Our comfort is that He will come to us, and this is consolation enough to sustain us through His prolonged absence. Jesus is already on His way: He says, “I come quickly”: He rides posthaste toward us. He says, “I will come”: and none can prevent His coming, or put it back for a quarter of an hour. He specially says, “I will come to you”; and so He will. His coming is specially to and for His own people. This is meant to be their present comfort while they mourn that the Bridegroom doth not yet appear.
When we lose the joyful sense of His presence we mourn, but we may not sorrow as if there were no hope. Our Lord in a little wrath has hid Himself from us for a moment, but He will return in full favor. He leaves us in a sense, but only in a sense. When He withdraws, He leaves a pledge behind that He will return. O Lord, come quickly! There is no life in this earthly existence if Thou be gone. We sigh for the return of Thy sweet smile. When wilt Thou come unto us? We are sure Thou wilt appear; but be Thou like a roe, or a young hart. Make no tarrying, O our God!
He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?Romans 8:32
If this is not a promise in form, it is in fact. Indeed, it is more than one promise, it is a conglomerate of promises. It is a mass of rubies, and emeralds, and diamonds, with a nugget of gold for their setting. It is a question which can never be answered so as to cause us any anxiety of heart. What can the Lord deny us after giving us Jesus? If we need all things in heaven and earth, He will grant them to us: for if there had been a limit anywhere, He would have kept back His own Son.
What do I want today? I have only to ask for it. I may seek earnestly, but not as if I had to use pressure and extort an unwilling gift from the Lord’s hand; for He will give freely. Of His own He gave us His own Son. Certainly no one would have proposed such a gift to Him. No one would have ventured to ask for it. It would have been too presumptuous. He freely gave His Only-begotten, and, O my soul, canst thou not trust thy heavenly Father to give thee anything, to give thee everything? Thy poor prayer would have no force with Omnipotence if force were needed; but His love, like a spring, rises of itself and overflows for the supply of all thy needs.
“I hate you.” Just like that, I said it. My mother quickly and firmly addressed it. I can’t think of another time after that that I told my sister I hated her. I was a little kid, but I have a faint recollection of my nasty performance.
I cannot recount the number of insensitive, angry, spiteful, disgruntled, bitter, malicious, vile, vulgar, profane, blasphemous, deceitful, false, and hurtful words that I have said in my lifetime. I’m an excitable, expressive, and extroverted person who feels deeply about many things, and controlling my mouth is difficult for me. Perhaps you’re similar and feel my pain. Even if you’re introverted, you may feel my paint, because introverts can also have problems controlling their tongues.
Jesus once said, “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak” (Mt. 12:36). Maybe we should say less or at least be slower in saying what we think we should say. They say, “Look before you leap.” That’s good advice. We should also think before we speak.
Within its gratitude section, the Heidelberg Catechism helpfully explains what the 10 Commandments mean. All 10 Commandments connect in some way to our words, but here are a few connections. In reference to the third commandment, Heidelberg 99 advocates praising God “in all our words.” In reference to the sixth commandment, Heidelberg 105 says we are “not to dishonor, hate, injure, or kill [our] neighbor by . . . words.” Heidelberg 109 explains that in the seventh commandment God “forbids all unchaste . . . words.” The ninth commandment explicitly addresses words, and Heidelberg 112 explains it to mean that we “must not give false testimony against anyone . . . not gossip or slander, nor condemn or join in condemning anyone rashly and unheard . . . avoid all lying and deceit . . . [and] speak and confess [the truth] honestly.”
God clearly cares a lot about our words, and we struggle with them. However, the gospel is the power of God (Rom. 1:16), and through faith, the Holy Spirit is graciously sanctifying our mouths.
Here are seven points from the Proverbs to encourage you to ask the Lord for His grace and Spirit to help you speak good words, but to also thank the Lord that He is actively giving you the help you need to speak life.
Restraining yourself shows wisdom. Proverbs 10:19 says, “When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.” Not saying it, even if you really want to say it, showcases God’s wisdom at work in you. Practicing restraint is love for God and neighbor.
Your words can either kill or heal. Imagine someone thrusting a sword into your chest and piercing your heart. That’s a grisly image. Proverbs 12:18 says, “There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” Wouldn’t you rather soothe someone’s heart with your words than stab and wound it?
Being slow to speak gives you further hope in the righteousness of Christ. There is very little hope for a person who speaks recklessly. Proverbs 29:20 says, “Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.” I think this is why James said, “let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1:19-20). Being slow to speak doesn’t mean we don’t speak; it means we calculate before we speak. Proverbs 15:28 adds, “The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.”
When you lie to and flatter others, you are hating them. Think of a venomous snake striking its prey. That’s you when you lie and flatter! Proverbs 26:28 says, “A lying tongue hates its victims, and a flattering mouth works ruin.” Your honesty is a gift of love.
When you lie to others, you are pursuing your own misery. Proverbs 17:20 says, “A man of crooked heart does not discover good, and one with a dishonest tongue falls into calamity.” Imagine what an honest tongue does.
Gentle and good words give life. Don’t you love fruit trees? They give us beautiful and delectable gifts. Proverbs 15:4, “A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.” With the Spirit’s help, we don’t need to break the spirits of others; we can speak life. Matthew Henry once commented, “He that knows how to discourse will make the place he lives in a paradise.” [1]
God hates liars, so be sure you’re an honest person. You might not like the way I put that, but consider Proverbs 6:16-19. It explains things that the Lord hates, things that are an abomination to Him, and one of them is “a false witness who breathes out lies.” God doesn’t simply hate the lies but also the false witness who tells them. Thank the Lord that He has not left us in our sin, but by His grace and Spirit, He is making us honest men and women! Proverbs 24:26 says, “Whoever gives an honest answer kisses the lips.” I don’t want to kiss everyone on the lips, but I love kissing my wife on the lips, and telling the truth is kind of like that. It’s good, it’s loving, it displays affection for the other person.
Our comfort is that God has granted us His Holy Spirit so that we are heartily ready and willing from now on to use our words to serve and love God and others. We are not without help. If we confess the sins of our mouth, God is faithful and just to forgive us and to sanctify our hearts and mouths. Let us trust the Lord to produce good things in our hearts which will inevitably overflow from our mouths.
[1] Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1994), 987.
“So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”
The great preacher and author A. W. Tozer wrote, “When God made the human soul in His own image, He did so that we might act according to that Divine nature.” Only humans are created according to God’s own image. Neither angels nor animals can claim that distinction. Part of bearing God’s image means we have the sovereign ability to make choices.
In Deuteronomy 30:19-20, God spoke through Moses to the children of Israel, saying, “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days.”
We all have been given the agency and capacity to choose many different things in our lives. For instance, we can choose to either go to the mountains or the beach. We choose what we want for lunch, whether that be a hot dog or a hamburger. But we can also make moral choices that will lead to life or death, good or evil, blessing or cursing. Therefore, we are not preprogrammed or doomed to a particular fate because God has built us with the ability to make choices. Why is that important? Because God created us with personhood and personality so that we can relate to Him, and He to us, unlike anything else He created. That’s how precious we are in His sight.
So the question remains, what will you do with the ability to choose that God has placed inside you? I encourage you today to make God-honoring choices that lead to blessing and goodness. Choose life!
– Pastor Jack
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Published October 18, 2025MAGA Republicanism has descended further and further into madness.
The Democrats are responding today with massively successful “No Kings” rallies all across the United States.
But, the battle cry of the American revolution was not “No Kings.” It was “No King but Jesus.”
I am not among those who in any way approve of Donald Trump’s ongoing wicked bid to be a monarch, or, more accurately, a dictator. In fact, I’ve fought Trump every step of the way, with all my might. In that, I find myself in agreement with the Democrats.
But, I’m not a Democrat. It will ultimately accomplish nothing to leave Almighty God, and His moral law, completely out of the equation. It will do you no good to reject evil earthly kings if you refuse to recognize the sovereignty of our Creator, as our forefathers once did. Even though they were flawed men, just like you and I, they understood what was, and is, the only true basis for liberty.
Since then the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil; and might deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. (2:14–15)
Share is from the Greek koinōnia, meaning to have fellowship, communion, or partnership. It involves having something in common with others. All human beings have flesh and blood. In this we are all alike. It is our common nature. But partook is from a very different word, metechō, which has to do with taking hold of something that is not naturally one’s own kind. We by nature are flesh and blood; Christ was not. Yet He willingly took hold of something which did not naturally belong to Him. He added to Himself our nature in order that He might die in our place, and that we might take hold of the divine nature that did not belong to us (cf. 2 Pet. 1:4). Obviously Satan’s power over us had to be broken in order for us to be brought to God. Satan’s primary power over man and supreme weapon against him is death. Sin, of course, gives Satan his power over us; but the power itself is death. So in this regard, why did Christ become man? Why did He die? That through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil. The only way to destroy Satan was to rob him of his weapon, death—physical death, spiritual death, eternal death. Satan knew that God required death for us because of sin. Death had become the most certain fact of life. Satan knew that men, if they remained as they were, would die and go out of God’s presence into hell forever. Satan wants to hold onto men until they die, because once they are dead the opportunity for salvation is gone forever. Men cannot escape after death. So God had to wrest from Satan the power of death. And for just that purpose Jesus came. If you have a more powerful weapon than your enemy, his weapon becomes useless. You cannot fight against a machine gun with a bow and arrow. Satan’s weapon is extremely powerful. But God has a weapon even more powerful—eternal life—and with it Jesus destroyed death. The way to eternal life is through resurrection, but the way to resurrection is through death. So Jesus had to experience death before He could be resurrected and thereby give us life. Jesus’ dying destroyed death. How? He went into death, through death, and came out on the other side, thereby conquering it. Then He could say, “Because I live, you shall live also” (John 14:19). The resurrection of Jesus Christ provides the believer with eternal life. It is the only thing that could ever have done it. Death is the power of Satan’s dominion, and when Jesus shattered Satan’s power He also shattered his dominion.
And might deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. (2:15)
The thing that terrifies people more than anything else is death. It is a horrible fear, the king of terrors. But when we receive Jesus Christ, death holds no more fear. We have been released from bondage to the fear of death, and, instead, actually look forward to it. We say with Paul, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21) and “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Cor. 15:55). Death no longer holds any fear, for it simply releases us into the presence of our Lord. Why? Because we have placed our hands into the hands of the Conqueror of death, and He will lead us into one side of the grave and out the other. He never could have done it if He had not become for a little while lower than the angels.
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1983). Hebrews (pp. 69–70). Moody Press.
14–15 The author now develops the thought of community of nature. Jesus shared “blood and flesh” with the children. (This order is found only in Eph 6:12, NIV for some reason reverses the order of the Gr) He really came where they are. The word “humanity” is not in the Greek; it is “blood and flesh” that Christ shared with “the children.” He did this for the purpose of nullifying the power of the devil, who is described as the one “who holds the power of death.” This raises a problem because it is God alone who controls the issues of life and death (Job 2:6; Luke 12:5). But it was through Adam’s sin, brought about by the temptation of the devil, that death entered the world (Gen 2:17; 3:19; Rom 5:12). From this it is logical to assume that the devil exercises his power in the realm of death. But the death of Christ is the means of destroying the power of the devil. The author does not explain how Christ’s death does this but contents himself with the fact that it does. In doing so he stresses the note of victory that we find throughout the NT (e.g., 1 Cor 15:54–57). The defeat of the devil means the setting free of those he had held sway over, those who had been gripped by fear of death. Fear is an inhibiting and enslaving thing; and when people are gripped by the ultimate fear—the fear of death—they are in cruel bondage. In the first century this was very real. The philosophers urged people to be calm in the face of death, and some of them managed to do so. But to most people this brought no relief. Fear was widespread, as the hopeless tone of the inscriptions on tombs clearly illustrates. But one of the many wonderful things about the Christian gospel is that it delivers men and women from this fear (cf. Rev 1:18). They are saved with a sure hope of life eternal, a life whose best lies beyond the grave.
Morris, L. (1981). Hebrews. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews through Revelation (Vol. 12, pp. 28–29). Zondervan Publishing House.
14 The NIV, while correctly interpreting the sense, rather underplays the strength of our author’s emphasis on “sharing”: since the children “share in blood and flesh” (lit.; Hebrews reverses the traditional order; cf. Eph 6:12), so “he also in just the same way has taken his share [a different Greek word, in the aorist tense, to denote a deliberate act and/or a particular time] in the same things” (i.e., flesh and blood). This emphatic statement of the reality of the incarnation (cf. “became flesh,” Jn 1:14) paves the way for an equally striking statement of its purpose. Only by sharing our flesh and blood could Jesus die a real death, and it is through that death that he has set us free from the fear of death. The statement that the devil “holds the power of death” has no direct parallel in Scripture but is an extension of his role as the source of all evil. As the one who through his seduction of Eve first brought death into the world, and as the one who loves to destroy, the devil stands for death as God stands for life. But his “power of death” (like his designation as “ruler of this world” in Jn 12:31; 14:30; 16:11 NASB) is only temporary, until Christ’s victory over him (Mk 3:27; Lk 11:21–22). Now Christ’s own death has “broken his power” (TNIV rightly for “destroy” here; cf. Buchanan, “incapacitate,” and Montefiore, “depose”; there is no suggestion the devil has ceased to exist); cf. the idea of Christ’s triumphing over the principalities and powers through the cross (Col 2:14–15). So “death is swallowed up in victory” (1 Co 15:54).
France, R. T. (2006). Hebrews. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews–Revelation (Revised Edition) (Vol. 13, pp. 55–56). Zondervan.
14 Who are those “children” whom God has given to Christ? Men and women, creatures of flesh and blood. But if his solidarity with them is to be real, he also must be a true human being, a genuine partaker of flesh and blood. Moreover, he must partake of flesh and blood “in like manner” with them—that is to say, by the gateway of birth. No docetic or Apollinarian Christ will satisfy their need of a Savior or God’s determination to supply that need. And if they, entering this earthly life by birth, leave it in due course by death, it was divinely fitting that he too should die. Indeed, this is stated here as the purpose of his incarnation—that he should die, and in the very act of dying draw the sting of death. It calls for an exceptional effort of mind on our part to appreciate how paradoxical was the attitude of those early Christians to the death of Christ. If ever death had appeared to be triumphant, it was when Jesus of Nazareth, disowned by the leaders of his nation, abandoned by his disciples, executed by the might of imperial Rome, breathed his last on the cross. Why, some had actually recognized in his cry of pain and desolation the complaint that even God had forsaken him. His faithful followers had confidently expected him to be the destined liberator of Israel; but he had died—not, like Judas of Galilee or Judas Maccabaeus, in the forefront of the struggle against the Gentile oppressors of Israel, but in evident weakness and disgrace—and their hopes died with him. If ever a cause was lost, it was his; if ever the powers of evil were victorious, it was then. And yet—within a generation his followers were exultingly proclaiming the crucified Jesus to be the conqueror of death and asserting, like our author here, that by dying he had reduced the erstwhile lord of death to impotence. The keys of death and Hades were henceforth held firmly in Jesus’ powerful hand, for he, in the language of his own parable, had invaded the strong man’s fortress, disarmed him, bound him fast, and robbed him of his spoil (Luke 11:21f.). This is the unanimous witness of the New Testament writers; this was the assurance which nerved martyrs to face death boldly in his name. This sudden change from disillusionment to triumph can only be explained by the account which the apostles gave—that their Master rose from the dead and imparted to them the power of his risen life. The prince or angel of death is here identified with the devil—that is, Satan. It is not easy to parallel this outright identification, but it is not inconsonant with the general teaching of the New Testament. “The reason the Son of God appeared,” says another New Testament writer, “was to destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8), and while the particular work of the devil most prominent in that context is sin, the association between sin and death is close enough for the destruction of death to be included in the purpose of the Son of God’s appearance.79 Our author in all probability belonged to the circle from which the book of Wisdom came at an earlier date, and shared the sentiments on this subject which find expression there:
God did not make death, and he does not delight in the death of the living. For he created all things that they might exist, … and the dominion of Hades is not on earth. (Wisdom 1:13f.)
God created man for incorruption, and made him in the image of his own eternity, but through the devil’s envy death entered the world, and those who belong to his party experience it. (Wisdom 2:23f.)
These quotations do not amount to a statement that the devil “had the power of death,” but they come very near to it. Jesus broke the devil’s grip on his people when in death he became the death of death, when (in S. W. Gandy’s words)—
He hell in hell laid low,
Made sin, he sin o’erthrew,
Bowed to the grave, destroyed it so, And death, by dying, slew.
Bruce, F. F. (1990). The Epistle to the Hebrews (Rev. ed., pp. 84–86). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
2:14 / As the word brothers at the end of verse 11 anticipates its occurrence in the quotation in verse 12 (it occurs again in v. 17), so, similarly, the word children is obviously drawn from the preceding quotation. There is no new thought in the first half of this verse, but only a higher degree of specificity: as humans have flesh and blood, following KJV and practically all English translations (the order of the Greek is reversed by NIV) so he too shared in their humanity (lit., “partook of them,” i.e., of flesh and blood.) Again, as the aorist tense (in Greek, that tense which usually refers to completed action in the past) indicates, what is in view is a preexistent being who at a particular point in time took upon himself human nature. The second half of the verse consists of a purpose clause that again links the incarnation with its goal, his death. But whereas in the previous statements of this purpose the goal is stated positively as salvation or the purifying from sins, now it is expressed negatively, that he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil. Again it is necessary to distinguish between fulfillment and consummation. The devil has been defeated in principle in and through the ministry of Jesus (Luke 10:18) and especially through the cross (cf. John 10:31), and yet he is not destroyed, but continues to have real, if limited, power (cf. Eph. 4:27; 6:11; 1 Tim. 3:7; James 4:7; 1 Pet. 5:8). In a similar way, the NT can say that Christ “has destroyed death” (2 Tim. 1:10), and yet death continues to he a reality with which humanity must reckon. The devil and death are clearly overcome in Christ’s work, even if in this interim period between the cross and the return of Christ we do not see the full effects of Christ’s victory. The devil’s power of death is related to his role in introducing sin into the world, for death is the fruit of sin (cf. Rom. 5:21).
Hagner, D. A. (2011). Hebrews (pp. 52–53). Baker Books.
Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—15. and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. In an earlier verse (2:11) the author of Hebrews has demonstrated that Jesus and his people belong to the same family; the implication is that Jesus has assumed our human nature. Now the author indicates that the necessity of delivering his people from their enemies, death and Satan, meant that Jesus had to become man. He had to have a body of flesh and blood and had to be fully human in order to set his people free. Delivering his followers from the curse of sin and the clutches of the devil demanded nothing short of taking the place of those whom God had given him but who stood condemned because of their sin. Bearing shame and scoffing rude, In my place condemned He stood, Sealed my pardon with His blood; Hallelujah! What a Savior! —Philip P. Bliss
a. Because Jesus is divine, it would have been impossible for him to deliver us from sin unless he himself shared in our humanity. Jesus shared our human nature and, although he was sinless, lived a full life with its weaknesses, ills, desires, needs, and temptations (Heb. 4:15). Jesus became fully human in such a manner that he is related to us. He is our blood relative. In the original Greek the word order is reversed (“blood and flesh,” rather than “flesh and blood”); possibly this is an idiom. But the prominence of the word blood indicates that the ties that bind us are blood ties. We can say of Jesus that he is one of us. He is our brother. b. God the Father desired that Jesus be born of the Virgin Mary, ordained that he should suffer and die, and set him free from the bondage of death by raising him from the dead (Acts 2:23–24). Thus God expressed his love toward his people by delivering his own Son to die a shameful death. And the Son willingly suffered and died in humiliation on behalf of his brothers and sisters, the members of the household of God. c. The result of Christ’s death is twofold: he conquered Satan and set his people free from the fear of death. Satan desired the destruction of God’s creation in general and man in particular. After the fall Satan had the power of death over Adam and his descendants and used death as a weapon against us. He had the privilege of coming before God in heaven to accuse the believers (see Zech. 3:1–2), and stood ready to execute the verdict pronounced upon the guilty and to destroy man, who was condemned to death. He, the murderer from the beginning (John 8:44), desired man’s death in the fullest sense of the word: physical death and spiritual death (separation from God). He wanted to serve as the angel of death by wielding the power of death. However, not Satan but God pronounced the curse of death on the human race when Adam and Eve fell into sin. And Satan, who is an angel created by God, is a servant of God. Without permission from God, Satan is unable to do anything. Jesus, the Son of God, was present at creation, for through him God made the universe (Heb. 1:2). He alone would be able to destroy Satan, and he could do this by means of his death on the cross. That is, Jesus defeated Satan by using the weapon of death. Jesus paid the penalty of sin by giving his life and set us free from the curse of death. And by paying this penalty for us, Jesus took the weapon of death out of Satan’s hands. Jesus took away the fear of death. d. Of course, all men die, including believers, so that Satan still appears to rule supreme. However, the curse of God no longer rests upon the family of God, for Jesus removed it. All those who are his people no longer fear death, for they are free from the bondage of death. We know that nothing, not even death, can “separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:38–39). By contrast, all those who do not know Jesus as their Lord and Savior face eternal death and thus are eternally held in slavery. Only Jesus sets man free from this slavery. Since the death of Jesus on Calvary’s cross, death has lost its power and its effect. Through death the Christian enters not hell but heaven. And because Jesus’ human body was resurrected, the believer’s body also shall come forth from the grave in the last day. The believer knows the words of Jesus: “I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades” (Rev. 1:18).
Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of Hebrews (Vol. 15, pp. 74–76). Baker Book House.
“We are teaching the world the great truth that Governments do better without Kings & Nobles than with them. The merit will be doubled by the other lesson that Religion Flourishes in greater purity, without than with the aid of Government.” —James Madison (1822)
Breaking the ceasefire: Hamas does not want peace. Immediately after the ceasefire entered into effect, Hamas terrorists crawled out of their tunnels to start killing Gazans who worked with Israel or who too loudly expressed opinions hostile to Hamas. Mohammed Nazzal, a senior Hamas member speaking from the safety of Qatar, told the media that the executions of Gazans were “exceptional measures” taken in wartime. Hamas upped the ante further by killing two IDF soldiers and launching an anti-tank missile at IDF forces. Israel responded with airstrikes on Hamas, aiming to destroy tunnel shafts and military structures. Israel announced the ceasefire had been “renewed” Sunday afternoon following the airstrikes. U.S. Vice President JD Vance will visit the region from Tuesday to Thursday in an effort to keep the ceasefire deal on track.
Trump commutes Santos’s sentence: On Friday, President Donald Trump commuted the prison sentence of disgraced former Republican New York Rep. George Santos. After pleading guilty last year to wire fraud and identity theft in connection with his 2022 congressional seat victory, Santos was given a seven-year prison sentence, which he began serving in July. Santos appealed to Trump, arguing that it was “an over-the-top politically influenced sentence.” Trump apparently agreed, calling Santos “somewhat of a rogue,” then noting “there are many rogues throughout our country that aren’t forced to serve seven years in prison.” Trump’s action received a mixed response. NY Republican Rep. Nick LaLota contended that Santos “stole millions, defrauded an election, and his crimes (for which he pled guilty) warrant more than a three-month sentence.” Meanwhile, Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green supported Santos’s commutation, stating, “He was unfairly treated and put in solitary confinement, which is torture!!”
Jack Smith gets referred: It looks like the tables have turned on former special prosecutor Jack Smith, as the Justice Department received a referral from Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn demanding that he be investigated for misconduct over having “spied on duly elected members of Congress.” Blackburn was referencing the recent revelation that nine Republican lawmakers, including herself, had their phone records subpoenaed in 2023 in an effort by Smith to gain information surrounding their calls and locations between January 4 and January 7, 2021. Blackburn called Smith’s actions a “weaponized witch hunt,” and the other GOP lawmakers targeted by Smith also note that they “have yet to learn of any legal predicate for the Biden Department of Justice issuing subpoenas to obtain these cell phone records.”
“Louisiana Man” participated in October 7 terrorist attack: The Leftmedia is at it again, this time propagating the idea that a “Louisiana man” was one of the October 7 terrorists in Israel. Despite the implication that a “Louisiana man” would also be an American, Mahmoud Amin Ya’qub al-Muhtadi was born in Gaza in 1991 and lived there until March 2024. The FBI has provided copies of al-Muhtadi’s phone records on 10/7, during which he tells another man to “get ready,” “the borders are open.” Al-Muhtadi told men to “bring the rifles” and asked for a full magazine to be brought to him. Al-Muhtadi’s cellphone pinged on a tower in an Israeli kibbutz where 60 people, including Americans, were killed. In September 2024, Joe Biden’s Customs and Border Protection welcomed al-Muhtadi to the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, where he set about finding a job and buying a gun.
Hundreds of federal agents doxed in suspected cyberattack: A cybercrime community known as “The Com” is believed to be behind publishing the personal data of more than 1,000 U.S. federal employees. On the encrypted messaging app Telegram, some users seemed to claim responsibility for the leak, saying, “Mexican Cartels hmu we dropping all the doxes” and asking for “1m” for the data. “The Com” is comprised of member groups such as Scattered Spider, which was behind a large ransomware attack on MGM Resorts. Scattered Spider collaborated with the Russian ransomware group ALPHV/BlackCat for the attack on MGM. The leaked information included the full names, official addresses, and some personal addresses of 680 DHS officials, 190 DOJ staff, and 170 FBI employees.
Trump says he’s cutting aid to Colombia over drug trafficking: On Sunday, President Trump accused Colombian President Gustavo Petro of being an “illegal drug dealer,” saying that he had failed to follow through on combatting large-scale narcotics manufacturing in his country even while receiving “large scale payments and subsidies from the USA” to do so. “As of today, these payments, or any other form of payment, or subsidies, will no longer be made to Colombia,” Trump stated. Trump has ratcheted up his efforts to combat illicit drug trafficking into the U.S., particularly from Venezuela. Likewise, he warned Petro to “close up these killing fields immediately, or the United States will close them up for him, and it won’t be done nicely.”
Obama does ads for Dems: Republican candidates in the gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia are making sizable gains in recent polling, showing that they have effectively closed the gap, bringing themselves to within margin-of-error territory with their Democrat opponents. Thus, Barack Obama has yet again entered the political scene. He has recently been doing ads for NJ Dem candidate Mikie Sherrill, who holds a shrinking lead over Republican Jack Ciattarelli. On Friday, Obama did an ad endorsing VA Dem candidate Abigail Spanberger, who suddenly finds Republican candidate Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears nipping at her heels. Obama has done ads in support of California’s effort to redraw its redistricting maps with the express intent of favoring Democrats. It’s no surprise that he has continued his habit of throwing off past presidential norms by weighing in on politics.
WH joins Bluesky and immediately trolls lefties: The Trump administration is committed to trolling leftists. So committed, in fact, that Trump’s team took to the leftie “safe space” of Bluesky to drop a troll video. Bluesky is one of several Twitter clones that popped up around the time that Elon Musk purchased the company. The official White House account on Bluesky posted a video of Trump looking presidential, mixed with cutaways to the “President Autopen” portrait in the presidential photo gallery and the now infamous “sombrero memes” of Hakeem Jeffries. Lefties filled the comment section with retaliatory memes and spurious claims that they want the Epstein files released.
Anglican Church splits: The Anglican Church left the straight and narrow long ago, but the appointment of Sarah Mullaly as the first female Archbishop of Canterbury sealed the deal. She supports all the worst woke garbage, including teaching that God is a woman, countering all biblical teaching and history. This has pushed the conservative conference of the Anglican Church over the edge. Just as Martin Luther posted his 95 theses to the church door in 1517, the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) posted its eight theses to the door of its website, officially proclaiming, “We declare that the Anglican Communion will be reordered. … We cannot continue to have communion with those who advocate the revisionist agenda, which has abandoned the inerrant word of God as the final authority.” Channeling Luther, GAFCON nailed it with this line: “We have not left the Anglican Communion; we are the Anglican Communion.”
Headlines
Suspicious hunting stand found where Trump exits Air Force One at PBIA (Palm Beach Post)
John Bolton pleads not guilty to mishandling classified information (National Review)
Trump admin makes Supreme Court plea for National Guard in Chicago (Fox News)
Tariff costs to companies this year to hit $1.2 trillion, with consumers taking most of the hit (CNBC)
Prince Andrew to give up Duke of York title, honors amid Jeffrey Epstein developments (Just the News)
KJP writes she couldn’t “stomach” being a Democrat anymore after party’s treatment of Biden (Fox News)
This photo should end Zohran Mamdani’s campaign (PJ Media)
Humor: SUCCESS: After weekend of “No Kings” protests, America will now still not have any kings (Babylon Bee)
It’s hard to put a finger on a particular moment in time when the Democrat Party jumped the shark, when it began its slide into political irrelevance, but February 4, 2020, is as good a date as any.
You remember: There was President Donald Trump, amid a rousing ovation in the chamber of the House of Representatives, and there, behind him, was 79-year-old House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, having pre-sorted her printed copy of Trump’s State of the Union stemwinder into manageable sections, disgracefully tearing it up for dramatic effect.
But if the Democrats jumped the shark more than five years ago, what are we to make of this weekend’s pathetic “No Kings” event, whose apparent highlight was the frail and now-85-year-old Pelosi standing before a smallish audience of sycophants and tearing up some cheap facsimile of a king’s crown in order to protest the benevolent reign of Donald Trump?
“Now, the whole storyline was pretty far-fetched,” said Henry “The Fonz” Winkler of the original “Happy Days” shark-jumping scene, “but with a long-running sitcom, the writers have to try all kinds of things.”
Indeed, the Democrats are trying all kinds of things these days, including propping up an elderly white ex-speaker to energize a mostly elderly white crowd of “No Kings” protesters.
But setting aside the sheer stupidity of the metaphor — what exactly does it mean, anyway, to tear up a toy crown? — what are we to make of the Democrats’ priorities right now? This, after all, is the Party of Big Government, and their self-imposed Schumer Shutdown continues apace, like a tree that keeps falling in the forest without anyone noticing.
Our current House speaker, the far more youthful and vigorous Mike Johnson, was spot-on when he previewed Saturday’s nationwide Soros-funded event: “You’re gonna bring together the Marxists, the socialists, the Antifa advocates, the anarchists, and the pro-Hamas wing of the far left Democrat Party. That is the modern Democratic Party.”
Eighty-four-year-old Democrat Socialist Bernie Sanders, who was the headliner at the Washington, DC, version of the protest, pushed back on Johnson’s characterization, calling it “a love America rally.”
Whatever, dude. If I had to guess, I’d say the single largest demographic in attendance was retired public teachers and college professors. Why would I say such a thing? Because they couldn’t even spell their lame talking points correctly:
Trump, you’re kingdom must come down Trump, you’re kingdom must come down Oh I heard the voice of the people say, Trump, you’re kingdom must come down
Hatred, you’re kingdom must come down Racism, you’re kingdom must come down Poverty, you’re kingdom must come down Greed, you’re kingdom must come down
As if any further proof were needed, two of the nation’s biggest, most powerful, most hard-left unions — the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association — were helping to bankroll the event. The Daily Signal’s Tyler O’Neil gives us a sense of these unions’ real priorities:
According to federal records, between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023, the American Federation of Teachers spent only 27.4% of its funds on “representational activities,” such as negotiating for better salaries and benefits for member teachers. It spent 13.8% of its funds — $46.9 million — on political activities and another 2.1% on “contributions, gifts, and grants,” much of which went to left-leaning activist groups. Another 19.7% went to overhead, administration, and employee benefits.
Of course, it’s not like they have anything better to do. Like educating our children.
And what was Donald Trump doing this weekend — that is, when he wasn’t working to make our city streets safer and bringing peace to the rest of the world? Why, trolling those shark-jumping Democrats, of course.
And just think: There are still 1,188 days left in Trump’s term.
Nate Jackson: Trump’s Tomahawk Chop — The president is still working toward peace between Russia and Ukraine, and powerful American weaponry is a key part of the ongoing conversation.
Emmy Griffin: Exposing Margaret Sanger — A new documentary from The Daily Wire, “The 1916 Project,” gives historical context to the leftist culture of death that has a stranglehold on American culture.
Gregory Lyakhov: Why Students Want Trump to Abolish the Department of Education — It’s the beginning of what could be a much broader effort to finally abolish the Department, which has been ineffective and harmful to American education for decades.
Thomas Gallatin: Beijing’s Tech Threat — China’s image has been one of mass-producing cheap products with cheap or slave labor, but its innovation and manufacturing are now outpacing the U.S. and Europe.
Brent Ramsey: Manhattan Project for Ships — It’s high time that the United States Navy enhanced its strategy for shipbuilding, maintenance, and fleet reactivation.
Roger Helle: ‘Let My People Go!’ — Our enemies only respect us if we show we’re not afraid to use our strength to defeat them.
Thoughts on Gaza Ceasefire — Francis and Konstantin give their thoughts on the Gaza ceasefire and give a preview of their upcoming trip to America.
What’s Happening in Women’s Prisons in California? — Amie Ichokawa broke the law, got caught, and wound up doing time in a women’s prison in California. Except that the women’s prison she entered had expanded its definition of “women” to include men.
“The idea that politics would play a role in big cases like this — it’s absolutely ludicrous.” —former Special Counsel/anti-Trump inquisitor Jack Smith
Yellow Journalism
“In Tel Aviv, watching the sunset at the beach on Sunday, hours before the expected exchange of hostages between Israel and Hamas.” —a New York Times image caption asserting Israel had Palestinian “hostages,” not Islamic terrorists
Weird Flex
“[Andrew Cuomo] couldn’t name a single mosque at the last debate we had that he visited. And what Muslims want in this city is what every community wants and deserves. They want equality and they want respect. And it took me to get you to even see those Muslims as part of this city.” —New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani
Stranger Than Fiction
“Black people, brown people of all stripes, whether you’re an Indian American or a Mexican American or whoever you are, go out in your place where you live and get a gun legally. Get a license to carry legally. Because when you have people knocking on your door, and taking you away without due process as a citizen, isn’t that what the Second Amendment was written for?” —Don Lemon arguing for armed people to fight back against ICE
“The tables will turn someday. [Immigration agents] should recognize that maybe they’re not going to be prosecuted today, although we’re looking at doing that, but they may get prosecuted after the Trump administration … because the statute of limitations won’t have run.” —Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker wanting to prosecute enforcers of U.S. sovereignty
Spin Doctor
“House Republicans are nowhere to be found. Literally have been on vacation for three consecutive weeks, have canceled votes for three consecutive weeks. They are in the legislative witness protection program.” —House Democrat Leader Hakeem Jeffries, whose party shut down the government
Lack of Self-Awareness Award
“The notion … that the Democratic Party consists of terrorists, violent criminals, and undocumented immigrants just … makes no sense.” —Rep. Hakeem Jeffries
Re: The Left
“The Marxists, the socialists, the Antifa advocates, the anarchists, and the pro-Hamas wing of the far-left Democrat Party — that is the modern Democratic Party.” —House Speaker Mike Johnson
For the Record
“I have not lived with my wife since late March because of death threats against me. And now there are reporters out there trying to find the location of my family. There are reporters trying to identify who my sons are. I mean, this has gone beyond the pale.” —border czar Tom Homan
Exactly
“You cannot change your sex. That’s a lie. Selling children that lie harms thousands of American children and families forever.” —Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Harmeet Dhillon
“If AI is helping us find new cures for new diseases, that’s great. If it’s helping us come up with increasingly weird porn, that’s bad.” —JD Vance
Inquiring Minds Want to Know
“How interested am I supposed to be in the issue of climate change when even Greta Thunberg got bored with it?” —Jim Geraghty
Belly Laugh of the Day
“The only … part of Halloween I didn’t like was when you went to the trouble to trick-or-treat a house, and instead of real candy, by which I mean chocolate, they gave you some lame ‘treat’ such as raisins, which are practically a vegetable; or licorice, which tastes like insect repellent; or ‘Necco wafers,’ which are not candy at all but mislabeled sidewalk chalk; or ‘circus peanuts,’ which look like radioactive dog turds. But other than that, I loved Halloween.” —Dave Barry
ON THIS DAY in 1947, the House Un-American Activities Committee began hearings to address the perceived growth of communist influence in Hollywood. The committee was much-maligned, but there was and remains un-American communist influence in Hollywood.
Please join us in prayer for our nation — that righteous leaders would rise and prevail and we would be united as Americans. Pray for the protection of our uniformed Military Patriots, Veterans, First Responders, and their families. Lift up your Patriot Post team and our mission to support and defend our legacy of American Liberty and our Republic’s Founding Principles, in order that the fires of freedom would be ignited in the hearts and minds of our countrymen.
Israel resumes the ceasefire after launching strikes following deadly attacks in Gaza, which killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded three more; President Trump says the ceasefire is holding, but some believe it could be in danger of falling apart; Hamas is enforcing its rule in areas where Hamas has pulled back by executing its rivals and openly displaying its weapons; Hillel Neuer of UN Watch points out how those supported Palestinians during Israel’s war in Gaza are now silent on Hamas’s vigilante justice against Palestinians; Chris Mitchell talks about what would happen if Hamas won’t disarm, which is a condition of the peace plan, if Israel may have to go into areas of Gaza controlled by Hamas and take them out, if other countries in the Middle East will put pressure on Hamas to disarm and leave Gaza, the reaction in Israel to supporters of Palestinians saying nothing about Hamas executing people in Gaza, and what the Israeli government may do next; the impact of the rise in crime in a major American city- Minneapolis – as it’s driving down property values and sending businesses away from the city; and some good news: a fraternity house at a major university hosts a night of worship and praise, with college students coming to faith in Christ.
The Alliance of Indigenous Nations International Tribunal — recognized by Canada on a Nation-to-Nation basis — has issued a historic global Order intended to take immediate worldwide effect.
First reported by Dr. Joseph Sansone and Lisa Miron, in a stunning and historic move, the Alliance of Indigenous Nations International Tribunal has issued an ORDER and DECLARATION stating that “mRNA nanoparticle injections are in fact biological and technological weapons of mass destruction.“
“This Tribunal finds and hereby declares that the ‘COVID-19 nanoparticle injections’ or ‘mRNA nanoparticle injections’ or ‘COVID-19 injections’ meet the criteria of biological weapons and weapons of mass destruction according to the Biological Weapons Anti-Terrorism Act, of 1989 18 USC § 175; Weapons and Firearms § 790.166 Fla. Stat.(2023), Canada’s Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention Implementation Act, 2004, and the International Biological Weapons Convention. This Order and Declaration is intended to have immediate worldwide effect.”
This marks the first formal judicial declaration by any recognized international authority categorizing the COVID-19 mRNA products as biological weapons.
Here it’s important to note that in December 2024, Canada’s Ministry of Crown–Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs (CIRNAC) formally acknowledged the Alliance of Indigenous Nations, its Treaty, and its International Tribunal—a judicial body composed of judges from every continent.
Americans are split on the accuracy of the Bible, as the public remains divided about institutional trust in religion and the family, a new study finds.
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