The Ungrateful Dead

     Psalm 6:5

For in death there is no remembrance of You;

     In the grave who will give You thanks?

    Unthankful. Ungrateful. Unknowing. Uncaring. Ungodly. 

    Death has a sting, and that sting is sin [1 Corinthians 15:55,56]. Sin corrupts. Sin destroys. Sin separates. Sin devours. Sin enslaves. Sin gives birth to death [James 1:15]. Death traps and ensnares the unwary soul, drawing it down into the grave where it no more has any hope of escape. Death is eternal separation from God and all the good things which God has in store for the soul that is in Christ.

    Galatians 5:19-21

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and sorcery; hatred, discord, jealousy, and rage; rivalries, divisions, factions, and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 

   

    Psalm 115:17

The dead praise not The LORD, neither any that go down into silence.

    Isaiah 38:18

For the grave cannot praise You, death can not celebrate You: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for Your Truth. 

    Neither the grave, nor death have a voice to praise God with. Nor can their inhabitants, those who have died without the salvation of God upon their souls. 

    And who will go down into the Pit? The decaying. The souls who die without the robe of righteousness covering them. Those without Eternal Life giving them life in life. Those who have no hope of the first resurrection. The pit is the grave, that shallow trench in the ground into which the casket is lowered. It is the urn of ashes, the memory pendants and the natural burials. 

    The Pit is dark and darklit for a false light casts no shadows but reveals darksome and loathsome darkness. It is a place of despair [Job 9:31]. It is the darkest of the depths [Psalm 88:6]. The Pit is the grave and it is death. It is a place of abandonment, forsakenness, aloneness. It is a place without Light, without Love, without Hope, without Peace, without Knowledge, and without God. 

    Ecclesiastes 9:5,6

For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.

Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.

    The dead without Christ remember nothing and know nothing. Though we have the parable Jesus tells us of The Rich Man and The Beggar [Luke 16:19-31], it is a warning to the living to believe the gospel message of salvation which The Teacher had been teaching to those who followed Him. 

    Our emotions and our thoughts are our souls. How we love and how we think cease when our soul dies. The soul that does not know Jesus in life will not know Jesus in death. They neither love nor hate nor envy anyone any more. They knew not the love of God in life and are now dead forever: twice. 

    Revelation 21:8

But to the cowardly (faithless) and unbelieving (untrustworthy) and abominable (detestable) and murderers (willful, intentional life-takers) and sexually immoral (all who habitually violate God’s moral order in matters of sexuality) and sorcerers (deliberate rebellion: an idolatrous attempt to secure power apart from the living God; magicians; [Isaiah 47:9-13; Micah 5:12]) and idolaters (pagan worship and misplaced trust [Ephesians 5:5]) and all liars (evidence of persistent unbelief, truth-twisters, speaking out of their own heart and not by The Spirit of God, charismatic and persuasive, yet not Spirit-filled nor Spirit-led [Jeremiah 23:16; Genesis 3:4; 1 Thessalonians 2:3,5]), their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.

    The ungrateful dead do not believe that Jesus Christ is Lord. And they never will. They refuse to see that their destination is their own fault. 

    John 3:18

"Whosoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whosoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in The Name of The Only Begotten Son of God."

    John 5:24

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My Word and believes in Him Who sent Me has everlasting Life, and shall not come into condemnation, but has passed from death into Life."

    Matthew 13:40-42

"As the weeds are collected and burned in the fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth."

    Some of these ungrateful dead will be in the church but not of it. They think themselves safe because they merely attend or are members of a church, but not every church is God's house. Nor are they sanctuaries in which to seek The Lord in, nor honor Him with their hearts, only their lips move but there is no love for God, no worship to and of God. 

    The ungrateful dead are weeds who were hidden in the wheat. Though these weeds will be gathered with the wheat, they will also be separated from the wheat, and thrown into the firepit. The weeds are the wolves which threaten the sanctity of the church. These wolves preach false doctrines that do not align with The Truth of God's Word. The darkness of their hearts spills out of their mouths vile deceit and wickedness in their attempts to lead God's sheep astray.

    With whom will you align yourself? With the ungrateful dead who deny God and His Christ? Or will you believe that Jesus Christ Is Lord and let Him save you from condemnation? Your choice. I can pray that you make the right decision, but I can't make your decision for you. 

    

    

Judgment Begins At The House of God

 

Habakkuk 2:19
Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Awake!’ or to silent stone, ‘Arise!’ Can it give guidance? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, yet there is no breath in it at all.”

Jeremiah 2:26, 27

26. As the thief is ashamed when he is caught, so the house of Israel is disgraced. They, their kings, their officials, their priests, and their prophets
27. Saying to a tree, ‘You are my father,’ And to a stone, ‘You gave birth to me.’ For they have turned their back to Me, and not their face. But in the time of their trouble They will say, ‘Arise and save us.’

Psalm 115:4-8
4. Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men.
5. They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see;
6. they have ears, but cannot hear; they have noses, but cannot smell;
7. they have hands, but cannot feel; they have feet, but cannot walk; they cannot even clear their throats.
8. Those who make them become like them, as do all who trust in them.

The Color of Worship - Black

 

Esther 1:6

…Where were white, green, and blue, hangings, fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rings and pillars of marble: the beds were of gold and silver, upon a pavement of red, and blue, and white, and black, marble. (KJV Bible)

…There were curtains (draperies) of fine white and violet linen fastened with cords of fine purple linen to silver rings and marble columns. The couches of gold and silver rested on a mosaic floor of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl, and precious colored stones. (Amplified Bible)

    Black is significant as a color background, highlighting all other colored stones and gems laid on it or in it. On this particular black marble were inlaid porphyry (red), mother-of-pearl (white) and turquoise (blue-green) stones, fit for a king’s palace. '

 
    Also in the Amplified Bible it states that there were ‘precious stones’ inlaid in the black marble flooring. These would have been to show off the kings’ wealth, his ability to trade well and his pride in his culture. Looking these precious stones up, we see that in addition to the porphyry, the turquoise and the pearls, we see that King Ahaseurus could have used emeralds, jasper, ruby, topaz, diamonds, beryl, lapis lazuli, sapphire, amethyst, carnelian and onyx.  
    Can you imagine how gorgeous that floor must have been? Most of these gemstones will be used to describe other colors of worship, but Black has its own use: to highlight the shining beauty of the more colorful stones. 
    In other verses of the Bible Black denotes industriousness and humility in the young bride [the church] (Song of Songs 1:5); vitality {Dictionary: the power giving continuance of life, present in all living things] and unwavering faithfulness [Christ] (Song of Songs 5:11).  

    Black also describes punishment and judgment (Micah 3:6; Jude 1:13; Zephaniah 1:15) and the presence of The Lord God (Deuteronomy 4:11; 5:22; Exodus 20:21;).  In Leviticus 13:37 Black is the evidence of cleanness, restored vitality (new life). Here it reinforces the God-anointed priestly roles of knowing when a person is really holy and healthy, not merely appearing to be so. 

    In Zechariah 6:2, 6 the second chariot is pulled by Black horses. They would patrol (verse 7) where they were sent that God's judgments would be fulfilled (Ezekiel 38:15; Jeremiah 4:6). In other passages the Black horse signifies famines and droughts (Revelation 6:5; Lamentations 5:10; Amos 8: 4-6; Ezekiel 4:10-17) and a marked increase in the cost of basic food and water. These are also judgments of God against the people who have rebelled against Him. 

    Since we know that the whole Word of God is to be applied to us, then we know that Black is significant in our worship.  Knowing this, we can also see that Black is the foundation upon which all other colors of worship are displayed. We must strive to avoid God's judgments for sin, rebellion, trespass, iniquity. But the only way we can do so is to believe on The Name of The Only Begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ, for our salvation out of judgment. He is our Foundation, the Living Cornerstone upon which all other living stones (the saints) are built [1 Peter 2:5, 6; Romans 4:25]. 

    Come, let us worship and bow down, kneeling before The Lord our God, our Maker.

[Isaiah 45:22, 23; Philippians 2:1-11; Romans 14:11].

*UPDATE: I was wrong about the definition of 'black' in Song of Songs, so had to update that part. And from there I realized I missed some Scripture references about the color black, which were necessary to this study, so I added those, too. 

  

Heart & Soul - - The Unbelieving Heart

 

John 12:40

"He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so that they cannot see with their eyes, and understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them."

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 

Hardened: petrify, render callous, to deaden, to make obtuse

From the Greek word ' póroó' (pronounced po-ro'-o): properly, made of stone; (figuratively) insensible; dull, unperceptive as a rock; calloused (hardened); i.e. unresponsive (dense), completely lacking sensitivity or spiritual perception. 

    This is a strong judgment against the ones who see Christ's miracles all day long and day after day yet still refuse to believe that He is Messiah, the fulfillment of prophecy as proclaimed by the prophets. For instance, here He references Isaiah 6:9, 10 "And He replied: “Go and tell this people, ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ Make the hearts of this people calloused; deafen their ears and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

    If you think this does not apply to us today, you are mistaken. God still does miracles today. We are given new days to turn and believe. We are given new opportunities to hear and believe. We are given chance upon chance to know that God is who He says He is and that Jesus Christ is His only begotten Son who died on the cross to save us from the punishment of our sins. 

    God makes the sun to rise and shine, the clouds to gather and rain to fall. God makes the moon to shine and calls the tides to ebb and flow. God makes the seeds to germinate, blossom and produce plantlife. God is still creating, His Word is still going forth and His light is still shining.

    To think otherwise is to be a fool. Fools neither see the Truth of God's Word, nor do they understand it. For God has said that He would use the foolish things of this world to confound the wise in this world (1 Corinthians 1:27-29). The wise in this world choose to believe anything but God. Whatever prophecy falls in their ears, they follow. It is why there is such a variety of 'churches' and doctrines. 

    God is still in the business of saving souls according to His wisdom. When the Word is preached, it falls not only in the hearing of the ones who hunger and thirst for it, but on itching ears, who hope to hear something that will justify their pride, their sins. And when they are convicted by the Spirit of God, they turn a deaf ear to Him, ignoring the Word. So God closes their eyes to seeing and hardens their hearts to believing.

    Don't be those people. This is where the Lost In Space robot would be waving his arms and shouting, "Warning! Warning! Warning! Danger to you!" This is where Darth Vader says (to the unbelieving heart), "Turn to the darkside." 

    But the Spirit and the church say, "Come. Come, you who are thirsty. Come drink the water of life." (Revelation 22:17). 

    Sinners who repent of their wicked ways and believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior are transformed by the Spirit of God into God's church, God's saints. As difficult as many find that hard to believe, it is only by faith that such a thing is possible. Even the Old Testament believers had to have faith in God; to believe not only that God Is, but that GOD IS WHO HE SAYS THAT HE IS (I AM THAT I AM [Exodus 3:14]). 

    The Spirit continues to transform and mold the believer's heart into the state of perfection to which God has called us to be. It is not a state we will reach in its entirety until we see Jesus face to face. We are moved from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18) by the Spirit of God until that perfect day arrives.

    Come, now is the time to give your hearts to Christ. Today is your day of salvation if you have not already believed. And if you have believed that Christ is your Lord and Savior, now is the time to humble ourselves, fall on our faces and fully commit to following His Word faithfully. Now is the time before time runs out. 

ALL WHO ARE THIRSTY by Kutless

RESTORE ME by Kutless

Judgment Begins Here

 1 Peter 4:17 "For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God?" 

 Luke 12:47 "That servant who knows his master’s will but does not get ready or follow his instructions will be beaten with many blows." 

James 4:17 "Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin." 

Stop gossiping about sin being judged in other churches and start praying about it,  about your own church, your own self. Seek forgiveness for our own sins against God. The time is coming and even now is here when we must prepare for the coming storm of fire and judgment against those who have heard the Word and done nothing with it: not believed it, not accepted Christ as Lord, not acted upon the hearing of the Word. Even in our churches. 

We, the believers, are responsible for what we believe. We are responsible for first living the gospel, then sharing the gospel with everyone we are led to. We are responsible for being faithful witnesses, ambassadors for Christ. 

We, the believers, are accountable for the words we speak. These words must be spoken in the love of Jesus Christ, with the power of the Holy Spirit leading us, guiding us. These words must be used to encourage and lift up those around us, even in rebuke, love must be present. Even in discipline, words of love must accompany the actions taken. 

We are accountable for the words we don't speak. There are times we must remain silent, even as our Lord and Savior remained silent before Pilate. He didn't bite his tongue, nor did He fight any urges to speak in His defense: He merely remained silent before him who was judging Him. 

We, the believers, will be judged by God for our lack and our sloth. Our lack of compassion for they who are lost in sin and dying without Christ when we could have spoken up but chose not to. Our sloth, our unwillingness to serve in the fields to which we have been sent to work, will be judged by God. 

We who believe had better fall to our knees and repent now before we are called to judgment and held accountable for our actions/inactions and words/silence. Even me.