A PERSONAL NOTE:

A personal note:

At 25, I set out to ‘find’ the Truth about Life…and now, at 62, I realize that the greatest lesson I’ve learned is this:

Life is not about SELF…it’s all about OTHERS!!!

Look at God’s ‘example’…God sacrificed His only begotton Son for OTHERS!!!

Look at the Son of God…He also sacrificed His life for OTHERS!!!

The main lesson Jesus taught the sinners He was sent to, was that, in the end…God is going to treat them exactly as they treated OTHERS!!!

Yet…in this world, from the time you were a child…you’ve been ‘trained’ that it’s all about SELF!!!

You need to think about it…if Life really is about OTHERS…and everybody born into this world is born under the Lie, because of Adam…and the Lie is the opposite of the Truth…then it’s only natural that this world would teach you that it’s all about SELF…when in Reality…in the end…it’ll all be about how you treated OTHERS!!!  (Matthew 25)

If Judgment Day was right now…TODAY…and God forgave you IF you forgave those who did you wrong…and God judged you AS you judged others…and God condemned you AS you condemned others…

Would your eternal home be HEAVEN…or…HELL???

I’m sure God is so tired of hearing the so-called Christians of this world proclaiming that God has forgiven them of THEIR sins…yet they spend their entire existence judging and condemning other sinners!!!

Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.

The servant therefore fell down, and worshiped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.

But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellow servants, which owed him a hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.  And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.

Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee? Matthew 18:23-33

Son of Forty

FACT…OR FICTION…???

FACT…OR FICTION…???

What if…for the next three days, you decide not to condemn anyone for anything, under any circumstances…

And what if…for the next three days, you decide not to judge anyone…for any reason…

And what if…for the next three days, you decide to truly forgive everyone who does you wrong…or ever have done you wrong…

At the end of those three days…do you think you’d be the same person you are now…would the world still look the same as it does now, to you?

Believe it or not…the ‘average’ person can’t do the three things above, for three days…because the average person can’t give up their will for three days…to do God’s will…and that’s exactly what you’d have to do to accomplish the above three tasks.

That’s right…the three things above can be done by anyone…all they have to do is choose to do it…nobody can force you to do it…but neither can anyone prevent you from doing it…if you choose!

But then, nowadays, everybody seems to think it’s all about what they ‘know’…not understanding that God could care less about what they know…God ONLY cares about what they DO, and they’re either doing what He said, or not!

I personally tried the above three things, for three days, many years ago…and after three days I had stepped out of darkness…into Light. And the funny thing about darkness is…everybody in this world is in darkness…but until you step into the Light…the darkness ‘seems’ like light! Therefore…unless a man finds the Light…he’ll forever spend his life walking in darkness, thinking the darkness is light!

You think this world isn’t ‘dark’? Consider this: 2000 years ago God sent His only begotten Son into this world to give men the Light (The Truth)…but only about 120 people in this world of millions…chose the Light…everybody else chose the ‘darkness’ that they thought was light!

The Son of God did things which only God could do…but still only 120, out of millions, chose the Light…and one of those was His own mother! And I think the world is at least 10 times worse now than it was during the days of Jesus…the people are, anyway…and I think it’s a lot darker now than then!

According to God, Jesus, and the Bible…if you’ll just DO the above three things…you and your life will change…in this world, and in the next! I know that to be a fact. Why don’t you choose to try it…that’s the only way you will ever know if it’s fact or fiction.

Son of Forty

IF THAT’S THE CASE…

IF THAT’S THE CASE…

If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever…

Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. John 14:15-17

According to Jesus…this world cannot receive, see, nor know…the Truth. And if Jesus is right…that means that everything you’ve ‘learned’ from this world is the Lie! You see, the lie seems to be the truth…just like the darkness seems to be the light…until you get the Truth and the Light!

So how did Jesus say He would get His followers, whom He was leaving in this world, the rest of the Truth which He didn’t tell them? He said that He would send them the Truth by a spirit which would live within them!!  That’s the NEW covenant which He brought, you know.

God had said back in the days of Jeremiah: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother…

I could really go off on a tangent here…but…

The purpose of this post is to ask you a question. If this world cannot receive, see, nor know the Truth…but the followers of Jesus will get the Truth from within themselves, from a Spirit…

Doesn’t that mean that those who receive Truth from a Spirit within themselves are the children of God…while those who receive their truth from outside of themselves…from the world, from books, from men, etc….are the children of the devil?

And the children of the devil whose truth comes from this world…isn’t that impossible, since this world cannot receive, see, nor know the Truth??? If that’s the case…how can this world ‘give’ anyone the Truth???

I guess that finally explains, to me at least, how billions of men have ‘studied’ the Bible for more than 2000 years…and few, if any…have HEARD the words spoken by Jesus!! Even the Bible is ‘outside’ of themselves…and God ordained that under the New Covenant which Jesus brought…man would receive the Truth from a Spirit within themselves!

You, nor anyone else, will ever get the Truth by studying anything…but according to Jesus…if you’ll keep His COMMANDMENTS…He’ll send a Spirit to live within you…and that Spirit will teach you ALL Truth…

Son of Forty

THE GOSPEL OF JESUS…TO SINNERS

THE GOSPEL OF JESUS…TO SINNERS

Judge not, that ye be not judged.

For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. Matthew 7:1,2

Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven… Luke 6:37

The message which Jesus ‘delivered’ in Luke 6:37 is the best news ANY sinner could ever hear from God!!!

God already knew you were a Sinner…God sent Jesus specifically to Sinners…and Jesus taught NOTHING else among the Sinners, than the Kingdom of Heaven…and WHAT Sinners must do to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven…

And Jesus NEVER told the Sinners they must become Saints in order to enter into God’s Kingdom…Jesus NEVER even used the word ‘saint’…

Instead Jesus taught the Sinners that God has decided to be FAIR with them…that God would forgive them IF they would forgive those who do them wrong…that God would judge them AS they judged others…and that God would condemn them AS they condemned others…

This was SO important to Sinners…that Jesus taught them to PRAY to God that it be done unto them AS they did unto others!!!

After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, AS we forgive our debtors… Matthew 6:9-11

Keep on believing that Jesus died in your place…and that you are a Saint…INSTEAD of believing what Jesus taught!!  Just keep on believing that Jesus is your LORD!!!

And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Luke 6:46

Son of Forty

JUST WONDERING…

JUST WONDERING…

Okay, here’s what I don’t understand…

The Bible says that God sent the Truth into this world by His only begotten Son…and the Son says that the reason He was born, and His purpose for coming to this world…was to bring us the Truth…

So I’m wondering…if God sent Jesus with the Truth…why would God send Paul after Jesus with a Truth that’s different from Jesus’ Truth???  Jesus taught keeping of commandments, to get to Heaven…Paul taught heaven by Grace…as a free gift!!!

Also, the Bible clearly says that God has spoken unto us by His only begotten Son…

And I’m wondering…If God has spoken unto us in these last days by Paul…why didn’t God say He has spoken unto us by His only begotten Son AND Paul???

I’m also wondering…if I’m going to be judged by the words that Jesus spoke, according to the Bible…what sense does it make for me to base my life on what Paul wrote???

Y’all better wake up, people!!!

Son of Forty

THIS WORLD…

THIS WORLD…

You know…I hear some people say they don’t believe there is a God…and I can understand that. I too, for the first 25 years of my life, did not believe there was a God.

And…I hear some people say they do believe there is a God…and I can understand that too, because for the past 37 years, I too have believed there is a God.

So which group is right?  Both!!!  God is…and God is not!!!

You see…it’s all about God making us in His image. To do so, He had to give us the Power to Choose…because God has the Power to Choose…but nothing else which God created or made has the Power to Choose…except Man!!!

When God gave Man the Power to Choose…then God had to give man Choices…therefore God simply created the opposite of Himself. God was Good…so He created the Devil who was Evil. God had a Son called the Truth…so He gave the Devil a son called the Lie…as Jesus called the Devil, the father of the Lie! God had a home called Heaven…so He gave the Devil a home called earth. God was Right…so He made the Devil Wrong. And since God was Light…He made the Devil darkness. God had Wisdom…so He gave the Devil, Intelligence. In everything, and in every way…God created the opposite of Himself…so that Man would have Choices upon which to exercise Man’s Power to Choose.

Now since God existed…He also had to create the opposite of that condition…which is God not existing…because God knew that some men would Choose to believe He exists…and some would Choose to believe that God does not exist.

God had to create both conditions…and He did…and provided plenty of proof that God does not exist…and He provided plenty of proof that God does exist!

Therefore some people have Chosen, for whatever reason…to believe that God does exists…and they have proof that God exists. And some people have Chosen, for whatever reason…to believe that God does not exist…and thanks to God…they too have proof that God does not exist!!!

That means that it’s not a question of whether or not God exists…it’s a question of which condition a person CHOOSES to believe…for whatever reason!!!   It’s a ‘choice’ thing…it’s not a ‘God exists or not’ thing!!

The man who Chooses to believe that God does not exist…could just as easily have Chosen to believe that God does exist…and the man who Chooses to believe that God does exist…could just as easily have Chosen to believe that God does not exist…but each one has his particular ‘reasons’…for making his particular CHOICE!!!

And…a side note…I’ve heard some people say that the Bible is a Lie…and I’ve heard some say that the Bible is the Truth. But I say that God made both the Truth AND the Lie.

Therefore if you say the Bible is a Lie…God made that Lie…or if you say the Bible is the Truth…God made that Truth…so whether you say EITHER…you’re ‘proving’ that God DOES exist!!!

But God gave YOU the Power to Choose whether or not He exists for YOU!!!

There is a ‘world’ where God does not exist…and there is a ‘world’ where God does exist…I’ve lived in both worlds…and found that both worlds are THIS world!!!

Son of Forty

AND ANOTHER THING…

AND ANOTHER THING…

Jesus taught that we should love our neighbors…that we should love one another…

But Jesus also taught that there are some people we should beware of…
Verb: beware bi-wehr
1. Be on one’s guard; be cautious or wary about; be alert to.

And then there are some people of whom Jesus said: Let them alone.

And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand:  Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.

Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?

But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.

Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.  Matthew 15:10-14

If someone comes to you…and it’s obvious God didn’t send them…LET THEM ALONE!!!

If someone comes to you…and they’re teaching something different than what Jesus taught…LET THEM ALONE!!!

If someone comes to you…speaking foul language…LET THEM ALONE!!!

And another thing…if someone isn’t hearing you…yet you keep talking to them…doesn’t that make YOU the fool???

Son of Forty

SO YOU, GO TO HELL…

SO YOU, GO TO HELL…

Here’s a little truth and reality…you, no matter who you are…know absolutely nothing about the world you were in before coming to this world. And, you know absolutely nothing about the world you’ll be going to after you leave this world. Those are facts…undeniable facts!!!

But…you do know that sooner or later…you will leave this world!!!

What the above indicates is that ALL of the knowledge you possess…has come from, and is of, THIS world!!! Unless…you have heard, believed, and obeyed Jesus! If you know nothing of the world before, or the world after…then all that you know has to have come from, and of, this world!!!

Now God sent the Truth about Life into this world by ONLY one man…JESUS !!! In fact, when Jesus spoke, it wasn’t really Jesus speaking…it was GOD speaking!!!

No matter what others may tell you…the Bible IS divine…it IS of God!!! But…the words of Jesus are distinguished from all other words in the Bible by this simple FACT…Jesus is the only man in the Bible who teaches us about that NEXT world we’ll be going to…when we leave THIS world!!!

Everything else written in the Bible is about THIS world…except the words of JESUS!!!  The only thing Jesus taught about this world is that it is EVIL…and it is TEMPORARY…and will someday be destroyed!!! And that which is temporary CANNOT possibly be the Truth…for Truth is ETERNAL.

Heaven and Hell ARE eternal…that’s why Jesus was sent to tell us about that next world!!! Almost every parent in this world warns their children NOT to play with fire. God, being the loving parent that He is, was ‘obligated’ to warn us about the FIRE which He knows exists in the next world…but which we are unaware of…because our knowledge is limited to THIS world only!!!

Somehow this world has taught everybody that they must accept what God says by FAITH…but that’s bullcrap!!!

My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.  If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. John 7:16,17

God created a way by which ANYONE can PROVE (without doubt) whether the teachings of Jesus are of GOD…or not!!! All anyone has to do is hear, believe, and obey Jesus…and they will KNOW whether or not what Jesus taught is true, and of God…or false, and of some other source. I’m a living witness to that FACT!!!

God did not make it possible for anyone to prove or disprove His existence to another…because God gave Man the choice of believing in Him, or not…and God cannot ‘contradict’ His work. To let anyone prove to another that He does or does not exist…would take away that person’s right to CHOOSE their own belief about whether God exists or not!!! That’s why God has ‘hidden’ Himself…but has provided a way, through Jesus, by which any man can prove to HIMSELF whether or not what Jesus taught is the TRUTH…from GOD!!!

But this world has taught everybody that only that which is ‘logical’ is the truth…therefore, the people of this world find it almost impossible to believe Jesus…because God is ‘illogical’…Jesus is ‘illogical’…and everything Jesus taught is ‘illogical’!!!

Oh, you’ll find plenty of people who read what Jesus said, who’ll discuss and debate what Jesus said…but how many in this world have you ran across who are doing what Jesus taught in Matthew 5,6,&7???

I’m sure there are lots of people who think they have ‘something’ for God, on Judgment Day…they think they’re going to be able to say: “Well God, why didn’t you give me a way to PROVE your existence, if you wanted me to believe in you?”

God will simply say: “I did send you a way to prove my existence…but to have heard it, you would have had to hear my only begotten Son…that’s why JESUS is the ONLY man in the Bible that I said I REQUIRE everybody to hear (Deut. 18:18,19)…but YOU chose to not hear Jesus…so you go to Hell…”

Just kidding…no such dialogue will ever happen…on Judgment Day it will be so quiet that you’ll be able to hear a pin drop…onto a pile of cotton!!! There will be NO need for words, that day…EVERYONE will have made their choice…while in THIS world!!!  Except those who died BEFORE Jesus came…but Jesus taught that they too would get their chance to hear Him, and make their choice…before Judgment Day arrives!

God has ORDAINED it to be so…and that’s the way it will be! But God has also ordained that YOU can believe whatsoever you CHOOSE to believe!!!

Son of Forty

GOD AND JESUS ARE…’ILLOGICAL’…!!!

GOD AND JESUS ARE…’ILLOGICAL’…!!!

“…for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.” Matthew  23:8

“Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.” Matthew 23:10

The word Master, as used by Jesus, means “guide” or “teacher”. And God ordained that there would only be ONE teacher of the Truth…and that teacher is Christ!!!

Therefore if ANY man come to you trying to teach you the ‘truth’…he is OF the Devil. A man can’t get the Truth from God and then ‘pass’ it on to other men…it just doesn’t work that way! It’s impossible!!!

There is only one source, in existence, whereby man can receive the Truth about Life…and that source is GOD, the creator of all that is created!!!  And God sent the Truth about Life into this world by His only begotten Son…JESUS!  But the Son was not here long enough to give us ALL the Truth about Life…so He said He would send the rest of the Truth about Life by the HOLY SPIRIT!!!

If ever you get the Truth about Life…you will get it from either Jesus…and/or the Holy spirit…Truth MUST be given by a Divine Being…and there is NO man that can give anyone the Truth about Life!!!

Any man who KNOWS the Truth about Life…will NOT try to teach YOU the Truth about Life…

Instead, he may try to convince you to…or tell you to…or beg you to…or pray that you…GO to Jesus, in the Bible…and HEAR, BELIEVE, and OBEY…JESUS!!!

That is the ONLY ‘way’ that anyone will ever receive the Truth about Life!!! And you’ll receive it from within…not from ‘without’!!!

But the average person’s PROBLEM is that they know ‘something’! And because they know ‘something’…it’s easy for them to fool themselves that what they know is TRUTH…that’s the heritage of the knowledge which we all received from Adam…it’s based on LOGIC…and makes a man BELIEVE that he knows what’s GOOD and what’s EVIL.

Everything you think you know…you’ve received it from this world…it’s OF this world…and it’s based on LOGIC…which is based on an ASSUMPTION…the assumption that if it’s logical it’s true…and if it’s illogical it’s false.

According to Jesus…this world is the world of the LIE, and the father of the LIE…and it can’t see, nor receive, the TRUTH about Life…therefore…it CAN’T give you the Truth about Life.  What it gives you is LOGIC…and logical conclusions!!! YOU assume that logical conclusions are TRUTH!!!

Take a good long look at GOD, JESUS, the HOLY SPIRIT, LIFE, REALITY, and TRUTH…and you’ll see clearly that NEITHER is ‘logical’! Instead…they are ALL…‘illogical’!!!

Son of Forty

WHEN YOU WANT TO KNOW…

WHEN YOU WANT TO KNOW…

Have you ever wondered, what’s the ‘value’ of your knowledge? How much is what you know…’worth’??? If you know more than the other person…shouldn’t your knowledge be ‘worth’ more than the person’s who knows less than you???

But before you answer those questions, consider this:

You are alive in this world…but you KNOW that soon, you will leave this world…to go…WHERE???  WHERE??????

For all that you DO know…you DON’T ‘know’ what lies beyond Death!!!

And guess what…Only the Creator…your Creator…can tell you what lies beyond Death. And…He has. It would be unthinkable of God that He would create you and give you Life…then NOT tell you the Truth about Life!

According to the Bible…God sent the Truth into this world by Jesus. God sent His Law into this world by Moses…God sent His Truth into this world by Jesus. Moses and Jesus are the ONLY two men God has ever used to give us…Commandments!!!

Here’s something you ought to really hear…Jesus was sent to give us the Truth about Life…and Jesus only taught about WHAT lies beyond Death!!!

In the book of Revelation…Jesus speaks to the 7 nations to whom He sent Paul…and all He taught, and described, was WHAT lies beyond Death!  In the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John…Jesus speaks to ALL the other nations of this world…and all He taught, and described, was WHAT lies beyond Death!!! So we conclude that the Truth which Jesus brought…is WHAT lies beyond DEATH!!!

And…Jesus wasn’t sent that we might believe the Truth…but that we might KNOW the Truth…that we might know WHAT lies beyond Death!!!  And yet…that’s the one thing you DON’T know…ain’t it???

Now…if Heaven and Hell are on the other side of Death…WHICH one do you think God would WARN you of???

Jesus never describes HOW we will feel in Heaven…but He goes into GREAT detail about HOW we will feel in Hell. He said that in Hell we will feel as if we’re being BURNED ALIVE in a lake of Fire…that never goes out!!!

Now in speaking of a lake of Fire…Jesus isn’t describing the place called Hell…there won’t be any Fire in Hell, because there is NO light whatsoever…in Hell.  He’s simply describing the FEELING that Hell ‘gives’…and the ‘never goes out’ part, simply describes how the ‘feeling’ will last for Eternity!!!

Anyway…the point is: no man in this world knows WHAT lies beyond Death…and every one of them KNOWS he is going to DIE…and go beyond Death…and the Truth about Life is ALL about what lies  beyond Death. This world is ‘temporary’, the next is ‘eternal’…it’s the eternal that is the Truth…the temporary is the Lie…the home of the Lie, and the father of the Lie!!!

And if we go back to the original question…what’s the ‘value’ of what you know…

It would seem to me that however much you may know…if you DON’T know what lies beyond Death…then all that you do know…has absolutely NO value…it is ‘useless’…EXCEPT…

What you know…DOES determine the ‘level’ of Life, to a certain extent, that you ‘live’ in THIS world!!!

When you get tired of ‘believing’ something is the Truth about Life…and want to KNOW the Truth about Life…the ‘formula’ is the same now…as two thousand years ago…go hear, believe, and obey Jesus…and you will KNOW the Truth about Life…and the Truth will MAKE you free!!! Let those who have ears to hear…hear!

Son of Forty