The Untold Consequences of Sin

As I was reading the book of Numbers chapter 22 awhile back, I came upon an instance that puzzled me. The verse in question is 28, where God causes a donkey to yell at his own rider, Balaam, after he had beaten his donkey three times.

The verse says that the LORD opened the donkey’s mouth. The key word for me here is “opened.” Before sin entered the world, I believe Adam, and eventually Eve, could talk to animals, which may be why a serpent talking didn’t surprise Eve when she was being tempted. When God opened the mouth of Balaam’s donkey, I believe He removed a barrier that allowed the donkey to speak.

I kept that instance in the back of my mind and have since found many more examples of animals speaking (or understanding words) to convince me that they once had the ability to talk. I also believe one more thing… When it says, “…every tongue confess Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:11), it means animals too.

Here are some videos I’ve found that enhances this belief (and for your amusement too):

Cat talking

Cat understands “feisty”

Cat understands words

Cat understands “Why are you doing this?”

Cat understands “cat toys”

Cat understands a question

Dog understands barking quieter

Dog understands words from TV

Dog understands math

Why Is A Man Saved?

Similar to my post on “Why Did Man Fall?” I will answer this question the best I can prophesied by Ken Peters back in January 2019.

What is the “why” part of this question? Since I am not asking the question here is my best interpretation of it… What gives someone the right to enter through Jesus into Heaven (John 14:6)?

To answer this question, I believe we must look at two passages: The first is John 9:1-38. The second is Luke 23:41-43. In the first passage, we find a man, born blind, whom Jesus heals. For the purposes of this blog post, verses 1-34 are only for context. After the man has been thrown out of the synagogue in verse 35, Jesus finds him and after brief questions Jesus tells the man the Messiah is speaking to him. The man tells Jesus he believes and goes onto worship Him.

The second passage in Luke is about one of two thieves on the cross traditionally on either side of Jesus. In the short three verses, we find a repentant thief next to Jesus not making excuses for his sins but acknowledging the two criminals deserve to be up there.

We also see that same criminal recognizing Jesus and probably recognizing the sign nailed above Him (see John 19:19-20), But, the criminal is also seeing a very different picture (perhaps from Jesus’ radical forgiveness on the cross) than the criminal the Romans and Jewish leaders wanted to make Him out to be.

Then that same criminal takes a leap of faith and says, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” to which He replies, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” In both these passages, neither men were baptized but simply believed, one even worshiped Him. I believe these examples of heart transformation are key to understanding what it means to be saved.

As you read this post, you may have questions about how the rest of the New Testament addresses and discusses belief, just as I did. The following is one of those instances: James 2:18-19, “18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe (emphasis mine) that—and shudder.”

Demons can “believe”, or rather acknowledge, Jesus as the Messiah, but I believe they cannot be saved by Jesus’ blood because His blood doesn’t apply to them, as they’re not human but rather fallen angels (Revelation 12:9) and thus salvation is impossible. I strongly believe this is because demons fell through a voluntary association with Satan before man was created whereas humans fell through deception. However, where demons can’t undergo a heart transformation, these two men acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah, underwent it, and were given everlasting life (John 3:16).

Money’s Corruptible Power

Not to sound like Captain Obvious, but money is very powerful. It can shape how we make decisions, how we see the world, the jobs we take, how we treat others, how we vote, even our identity. Are these facts good or bad? It depends how we use them. Let’s see what Scripture has to say about both sides.

Many people see money as evil. The Apostle Paul wrote, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” —1 Timothy 6:10 NIV

Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus for money: “Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, ‘What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?’ So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver.” —Matthew 26:14–15 NIV

We also see how money corrupted Israel leaders in the Old Testament, and the subsequent consequences:

“11 Her leaders judge for a bribe,
her priests teach for a price,
and her prophets tell fortunes for money.
Yet they look for the Lord’s support and say,
‘Is not the Lord among us?
No disaster will come upon us.
12 Therefore because of you,
Zion will be plowed like a field,
Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble,
the temple hill a mound overgrown with thickets.” —Micah 3:11–12 NIV

But money is not inherently bad. Whether it be one trillion dollars or simply one dollar, that money is still a tool. Money is a lot like power. In November of 2021, Pastor Ben Stuart of Passion City Church DC gave a great explanation of what power does to a person in a sermon titled, “Inconvenient Obedience.” In it, he says, “Power is an accelerator of what’s already there in you.”

The same is true when we acquire large amounts of money. That’s why the formation of character is so critical before acquiring money because if you don’t know how to control it, it will control you. A more modern example of this corruption is Donald Trump. This can clearly be seen in three different ways:

1) The title of his niece’s book about him, Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man by Mary L. Trump, Ph.D.;

2) The decor of his Florida estate Mar-a-Lago: ‘Gold, gold, gold’: A look inside Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate and $100 million New York City penthouse; and

3) Charging the Secret Service “exorbitant” hotel rates to protect the first family.

So, how can you make money good and pleasing to God? Live by some money principles God has already outlined in His word. Here are 7 Money Principles from the Bible. Also, be content with what you have so that if money or wealth is added to you, it won’t change how you live your life.

Morality

I want to start this post off with a true story that explains why I stress and talk about morality so much. Years ago, I volunteered for a California police department. During my time there, I rode in about 20 ride-alongs. One day in the briefing room, the officer I was going to ride with grabbed a dictionary for the word of the day.

They held it while I closed my eyes. I opened it and, still having my eyes closed, put my finger on the page. It landed straight on the word “moral.” Even before that instance, I remember watching “Walker, Texas Ranger” and being inspired to pursue justice, morality, and righteousness by the theme song. 

So why do I talk about it so much? Because I believe I’m called to talk about it. I truly believe the world in this day and age is sorely lacking in and starving for it. I also believe the church corporately and individually is failing miserably in preaching on the subject and living it out. Because of this, America and the world are suffering spiritually.

What Is Morality?

One definition of morality by Merriam-Webster is, “conformity to ideals of right human conduct.” Another definition by The Oxford English Dictionary is, “of or pertaining to the distinction between right and wrong, or good and evil, in relation to the actions, volitions, or character of responsible beings.” The Apostle Paul gives examples of these definitions in 1 Timothy 3.

While those are good definitions, the one I’ve always remembered (and have strived to live by) is The Golden Rule: “Treat others as you want to be treated,” which is also echoed by Jesus in Matthew 7:12: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you…”

What Morality Is Not.

Morality is not legalism. I once attended a Christian church for a few weeks to see what it was like and if I would be a good fit there. I agreed with most of their messages and all of their beliefs until I had one question. I went to the pastor and asked him if the church would ever talk about morality, to which he responded, “No, we will never talk about legalism.” With that, I knew that church wasn’t for me.

While that church did emphasize God’s grace, I can only guess what the pastor defined as morality. But if it’s at all like Merriam-Webster’s definition, they probably thought that “right human conduct” meant abandoning God’s grace for the Law of God only. But I see this as flawed reasoning. God’s grace gives us the power to adhere to His Law when we can’t on our own. He wants us to love Him and obey His commandments without forgetting His Throne of Grace lest we become legalists like the Pharisees.

In chapter four of his book, The Whole Christ: Legalism, Antinomianism, and Gospel Assurance—Why the Marrow Controversy Still Matters, Sinclair B. Ferguson cites Geerhardus Vos, author of The Self-Disclosure of Jesus and The Kingdom and the Church, who says, “Legalism is a peculiar kind of submission to God’s law, something that no longer feels the personal divine touch in the rule it submits to” (page 82). I think that exactly describes the Pharisees’ conduct (John 9:26–28, John 18:19–24), but what Jesus has freed us from!

It is truly a shame that the Church avoids talking about morality and its companion traits (e.g., character, integrity, honesty, etc.) because the key to understanding the Laws of the Old Testament and Messages of the Prophets (and much of the New Testament) is to first understand morality.

How is this the key? Because the latter part of that verse from Matthew above is, “…for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” And most of the laws of the Bible revolve around the morality of relationships (e.g., our relationship with God, husband/wife, family, workers, neighbors (Luke 10:25–37, Exodus 20:16–17), foreigners, etc.) and practicing the aforementioned companion traits.

Why Is Morality So Important?

It helps us understand the ways of God. What do I mean by that? God is moral. He defines in His Word morality, immorality, and their consequences. Moses saw God perform all kinds of miracles in Exodus but still didn’t know God, so He asked to know Him through His ways. Scripture, and thus God’s ways and thus God Himself, is actually easier for me to understand because I’m seeing His Word through the eyes of morality.

Fed Up with the Church for Supporting Trump!

I began writing this last year as I continued to see the American church on NBC News*, CBS News, and elsewhere supporting, and continuing to support, Trump despite his immorality. I have also struggled with completing this post because I’ve been trying to find the existential threat posed by the evil and vile man that is Trump. (Side note: As I typed that last sentence, the word “existential” jumped out at me. More on that below.)

In this post I’m basically asking one question… “Why should we care about Trump’s immorality?” After all, the Trump-supporting Church (the institution and its members), which is supposed to follow Jesus Christ and represent His highest standard of righteousness, is more concerned about political policies, their bank accounts, gun and religious rights, and nationalism, among other worldly things.

Well, I believe we should care deeply about Trump’s lack of character even more than his Presidential decisions because of the January 6th insurrection. THAT is the existential threat. Why? Because I believe that God values justice so highly that He’ll revoke the independence of the nation He blessed.  This will happen when it fails to serve justice (impeachment AND removal) to the leader of the free world for blatant high crimes and misdemeanors (incitement of insurrection). What the Lord gives, He can take away (Job 1:21).

I know these opinions (and previous posts) are not popular with many in the Church today, but I wholeheartedly stand by them.  I also wanted to write this because I can imagine there are many within the Church who love Christ dearly but are afraid to speak up against Trump, his lack of character, his detestable words, and his blatant immorality because they fear being ostracized and shunned.  I do fear that myself, but I also feel if I stand up for what is right, true, and just, the consequences are worth it. 

I can also imagine there are likely many people in the world who don’t want anything to do with the Church or God because of what they see His people supporting. There are even some evangelicals who are known for biblical ethics such as Wayne Grudem who acknowledge what is plain and clear of Trump’s lack of character and still said he was the “morally good choice” in 2016. In that article, Grudem calls candidate Trump a “flawed candidate,” but in my opinion, calling Trump a flawed candidate is the equivalent of Richard Nixon saying, “I made my mistakes” in his 1973 “I’m not a crook” speech. The words downplay and minimize their lack of character and crimes. 

Also around 2016, many supporters of Trump wanted him in office because they thought he’d “drain the swamp” in Washington, D.C., what they failed to realize was Trump is the swamp with an unsatisfying lust for power, money, and relevance.

One of the duties of every believer is to reflect God’s moral characteristics in everyday life, and to call out and stand against the extremely vile and evil people of the world such as Trump. “If you love good, then you must hate evil. To not hate evil is to show no compassion for those whom it hurts.”-Unnamed Pastor, Psalm 97:10, Romans 12:9

I believe this duty applies to Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:14 when He says, “You are the light of the world…” and also when John the Baptist called out Herod the tetrarch in Luke 3:19 for taking his brother’s wife, “…and for all the evil things that Herod had done.” We also see in the Old Testament prophets calling on the leaders and the people to repent when they were rebelling against Him (Jeremiah 7:1-11, visual).

Anyone who believes in Christ and follows Him should be hating evil and wickedness because that is exactly what the Scriptures say about Jesus: “But about the Son He [Father God] says, ‘…You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.’”—Hebrews 1:8-9, Psalm 45:7

Fast forward to a week after the insurrection, we can find Franklin Graham, son of the famous evangelist Billy Graham and President of Samaritan’s Purse, posting on Facebook January 14th twice shaming Republicans who voted to impeach Trump saying, “After all that he has done for our country, you would turn your back and betray him so quickly?” 

As if our representatives swear an oath to Donald Trump instead of the Constitution before taking office. Also in that post, Graham talks about a litany of things that are all about issues under the Sun, not what is more important… “seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”—Matthew 6:33 KJV

Those who believe in Jesus as their Savior are citizens of Heaven (Philippians 3:20), and thus we should be supporting those of godly and moral character.  Because without God, nations decay and eventually collapse (Jeremiah 6:15), and I believe America is seeing the consequences of its immorality and godlessness across its land.

*Pastor Ken Peters, seen in the NBC News link, is different than Prophet Ken Peters, who I frequently reference.

Why the COVID-19 Vaccine Cannot Be ‘The Mark of the Beast’

With millions of people gone from the world due to COVID-19 and the pandemic turning into an endemic, I wanted to write this post because even though it might not convince people to get vaccinated, it might drown out fears that they are taking The Mark of the Beast through the vaccine.

As the pandemic raged on in the spring of 2020, scientists were talking about vaccines being developed by different pharmaceutical giants like Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and more, so I began researching (through YouTube) how the vaccines worked and how mRNA works. It was remarkably simple to understand. Here is a four-minute video explaining the process.

Sadly, I believe much of the church has been deceived into thinking the vaccine is The Mark or a precursor to it, and subsequently, convinced countless people into thinking they will be taking The Mark (go to the 20-second mark) or that a microchip is being injected into them.

But Scripture can also back up science and reason. The origin of The Mark comes from Revelation 13:16-17, where people are told if we want to live in society, they must take The Mark. But there’s another mention of this Mark, one that I think many Christians are missing and one that disproves the vaccine being The Mark.

In Revelation 14:9-10, we read, “9 A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: ‘If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, 10 they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.”

God’s word explicitly says an angel will follow two other angels and gives a loud, clear warning not to take The Mark, as that is the point of no return. And no angels have appeared to humanity with their proclamations and warnings, much less this third Angel. No one who takes The Mark will be without excuse.

Finally, Revelation clearly states The Mark will be on the right hand or forehead, not the shoulder where the vaccines are administered (see Revelation 13 and 14 again). So please, get vaccinated and protect yourself, your loved ones, your friends, and your community.

Idolatry in Politics

Before I begin, I want to address a mistake I believe I made in my post titled “Making Sense of January 6th” about the Capitol insurrection. In it, I said that there was a spiritual reason for the assault on the Capitol (which I stand by), but I believe I put too much emphasis on abortion and not enough emphasis on idolatry.

Idolatry is a word one doesn’t hear very much outside of a religious institution.  Some of you may be wondering what idolatry has to do with modern, everyday politics. Maybe some of you are wondering why I’m writing about it in politics or what relevance it has today.

Well, a nation that is supposedly, “under God,” has the Ten Commandments on the highest judicial building in the land, and mentions faith in God in its founding document (e.g. “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence…”, final sentence of the Declaration of Independence), must also adhere to His law for His grace to be “shed on thee” (America the Beautiful).

For the purposes of this blog post, I will only focus on the two US Presidents where I’ve seen the most idolatry: Barack Obama and Donald Trump.  When Obama was running for office and eventually elected back in 2008, many believed he would end racism simply because he had black skin.  Some even believed he was “the next Messiah.”  School kids sang songs about sunshine and rainbows under his presidency while others wanted him to be king.

On the other side, when Trump was running for office, many Republicans made him into the person they wanted him to be: an anointed “leader,” who Franklin Graham believes was chosen by God, wise super-patriot — not the despicable, vile, serial liar, adulterer, misogynistic pig he truly is.

The worship of Donald Trump and his policies is eerily similar to a scene from “Animal Farm” (1999), which strikes a prescient chord when viewed in the context of Trump’s appetite for power and control. Even post-presidency, people made a literal golden statue of Trump, a modern-day golden calf (Exodus 32).

Even those not in the mainstream media can see that many Republicans are deifying Donald Trump. Here’s Brian Tyler Cohen calling out a Newsmax anchor for cutting off a military veteran who shed a negative light on Trump.

So how is idolatry connected to the January 6th insurrection? Because an idol is someone or something that replaces the only infallible God YHWH as first in one’s heart, not just some statue someone bows down to worship or gives offerings to. The idolater will view their god as infallible and will also believe and act on anything that god says is true, even if it’s a blatant lie and crime. The insurrectionists placed Trump’s claims above God’s law (Romans 13:1-7) and stormed the Capitol like soldiers given an order (“Trump sent us”).

If presidents are viewed in any higher regard than public servants, they are being viewed in the light of idolatry. And a severe consequence of this idolatry, along with consistent and widespread lies of what Trump claims is a stolen and fraudulent election, resulted in a very dark January day that shocked the world.

Never Underestimate Your Opponent

God opposes the proud. This is not only taught many times in Scripture (Matthew 23:12 (visual), Proverbs 3:34, 1 Peter 5:5), but is also seen countless times in recent years.

Anytime I’m in or watching competition, I always try to have this mindset because I know no win is guaranteed and I have seen far too many instances to think otherwise. But here are three:

Example 1: The 1980 USA Hockey “Miracle” Team. A very well-known movie to the North American hockey world is the 2004 Disney film “Miracle” about the buildup to and game against the then-Soviet National team. ESPN Films “30-for-30” did a documentary in 2015 called “Of Miracles and Men” interviewing many players from the Soviet team for their perspective on the game. The following is a brief transcript describing their mindset prior to the game starting at 47 minutes 49 seconds of the episode:

Player 1: “We came out onto the ice thinking even in the deepest recess of our souls, we’d beat them no matter what.”
Player 2: “We thought playing the Americans would be like a walk in the park.”
Player 1: “Second of all, everybody was saying – the committee and spectators alike – ‘Oh! You’re going to crush the Americans!’ ‘We should give you your medals right away!’”

Example 2: John Oliver guest hosting “The Daily Show” on Comedy Central underestimating Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign bid in 2013 and a Chicago Cubs World Series title in 2008.
Here is a clip.

Example 3: David vs. Goliath. This is one of the most well-known stories of the Bible. In 1 Samuel 17, young David, a shepherd boy, stands against a literal giant wearing a bronze helmet, “coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels (~125lbs).” Bronze shin guards and bronze javelin on his back. A “spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels (~15lbs) (cite: Goliath’s Spear).”) Moving forward through the chapter Goliath must have taken off his helmet because verse 49 says, “Reaching into [David’s] bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.” Goliath ended up losing his head by his own sword from David (verse 51).
Visual: David vs. Goliath

Why Did Man Fall [in the Garden of Eden]?

The inspiration for this post (and “Why Is A Man Saved?” to follow) comes from the Prophet Ken Peters, who gave these prophetic questions from the Lord Jesus in January 2019.

The story of the Fall of humanity in paradise described in Genesis 3 is one of the most widely known stories in human history.  We often reference it when trying to explain to others how and why the world we live in has all the suffering, pain, death, evil, and shame in it.  But unraveling the story and gaining an understanding of the craftiness of the Devil/Satan, aka the serpent (Genesis 3:1, Revelation 20:2), and how he would distort the character and words of God, is a bit more complex.

The command the Lord gave Adam was, “And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.'” (Genesis 2:16-17, NIV)  

The serpent’s deviousness comes in chapter 3 verse 1, when it twists God’s command and makes it a question.  Compare the command: “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden…” to the question:  “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”  

The woman does remember God’s commands in verses 2 and 3, but the serpent first lies in verse 4, and then “assault[s]… God’s generosity and His integrity”, as Sinclair B. Ferguson writes in “The Whole Christ” (page 68).  The serpent was then saying God was “restrictive” (also page 68), implying that “being like God, knowing good and evil” was a good thing for her.  

This deception also created a kind of tunnel vision where she focused on the fruit of the tree instead of God’s commands and the rest of the trees in the garden.  She forgot she didn’t need to be like God, only with God.  Jesus demonstrated this during His Earthly life because He was Emmanuel (“God with [man]”) and “who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,…”.

Another critical point I believe can be missed is that God’s Word means what it says.  We cannot interpret it to fit our own understanding or desires, and we certainly cannot dismiss it as if it’ll never happen.  God will do what He says, including save those who believe He came to die for all of their sins, and rose again from the grave to bring them back into life with Him.  I hope you’ll believe that truth and come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Was the 2020 Election Stolen? Did Trump Win in a ‘Landslide’?

As the social media joke goes, here’s my opinion that no one asked for.

If you have been reading my blog for any amount of time now, you know that I despise Trump.  I despise everything vile (Psalm 15:4) — and while you may think I can’t make an honest or objective assessment of the 2020 election, I believe I can because I’m always pursuing the truth.

So, was the election stolen and did Trump win in a “landslide”? In my opinion, no.

Here’s why:

The whole notion that the election was stolen started with then-President Donald Trump being asked the question about whether he would concede if he wasn’t victorious.  I believe when he refused to concede after Biden was CNN’s projected winner, Republicans who feared him backed his stolen election lie, leading to dozens of election lawsuits. After nearly all of those cases were dismissed (evidence below), Trump and these Republicans continued to spout lies and, ultimately, the insurrection of January 6th happened.

Many Republicans and entities like Fox News are utter hypocrites for their reactions to the 2016 and 2020 election results.  Democrats have at least acknowledged their 2016 loss, but it’s only when Trump loses or doesn’t like an outcome that he whines and calls out “fraud.” Watch the differences here.

Christopher Krebs, the former Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, called the election the “most secure in U.S. history” on 60 Minutes and in TheHill.  On the evidentiary side, Trump’s legal team lost at least 40 lawsuits, with one U.S. judge likening their arguments to “Frankenstein’s Monster”.  The only reason these claims of election fraud keep resurfacing is Trump’s supporters continue to give him a platform, audience, and affirmations of his lie.

I also wholeheartedly believe his refusal to concede stems from his hatred and fear of losing, as his niece Mary L. Trump, Ph.D. told Christiane Amanpour here.  In addition, Tony Schwartz, Trump’s ghostwriter for The Art of the Deal, said back in November 2020 that Trump will “never concede” “because to concede for him is to accept that he is a failure and that is an intolerable thing for him, Mr. Schwartz told BBC World News.”

Ironically, by constantly calling the 2020 election fraudulent and constantly trying to find votes, Trump is trying to take the presidency away from the winner, Joe Biden. While the election was relatively close in a few key battleground states, Trump legitimately lost and encountered embarrassment he couldn’t face — and he has been denying that reality ever since.