And a mouth was given to him. Revelation 13:5-10.

Without perspective, the world looks flat; well, it does.

Fortunately, we, through the scriptures, have a perspective that allows us to see narrow and broad views. We have also had adventurous explorers and astronauts who proved that the earth was NOT flat. Over the course of time, humanity has managed to launch crewed space vehicles, and those crews were able to look back at the ball-shaped world we live on, take pictures of it as it rotated, adding to the evidence that the earth is round. It was their perspective, or point of view, that allowed them to do that.

So, as we try to understand the Revelation, especially chapter 13:3-6, we must keep the context and

perspective in our thinking. I have mentioned, several times, through the last few posts, that the central focus of the Revelation (and hence, the perspective,) is the Middle East and the Mediterranean Ocean.

In God's perspective, the entire mystery, plan of redemption, and the millennial reign is centered around the land He promised Abraham. Perhaps it is about time we remembered, God has not and will never back away from that promise; and, He plans to set the New Jerusalem in that same area, which, by the way, is 1500 miles square; for you who use the metric system that is approximately 3885 kilometers squared.

At this point in time we have made it to Revelation 13:5-8. I will be surprised it gets beyond verse 8.

So what has been happening up to this point in chapter 13?

Then I (John, in this extremely vivid vision,)

stood on the sand of the sea (Both the sand and the sea are representative of the hordes of people that are descendants of Abraham, both from Ishmael and Isaac,)

and I saw a Beast rising out of the sea with ten horns and seven heads, ten diadems on his horns, and blasphemous titles on his heads. The Beast I saw resembled a leopard, his feet were like a bear's, and his mouth like a lion's (Pay attention here, as the beast is first the description of empires or kingdoms, and then, like a butterfly morphs into a man.)

To him the dragon gave his own power and his own throne and great authority (The dragon is Satan. Many, it would seem, have been given power and authority to perform atrocities.)

One of his heads looked as if it had been slain and killed, but the deadly wound was healed (There is NO man with multiple heads, but there are kingdoms. Try thinking in terms of a Caliphate and this might make more sense to you, as the Ottoman Caliphate, which was effectively killed in 1924 and yet resurrected in 1979 under the guise of the Islamic revolution fits this description well,)

and the whole earth went after him in wonder (If we attribute this description to Allah – a demonic entity which no one has seen, then this too makes more sense,)

worshiping the dragon for having given authority to the Beast, and worshiping the Beast with the cry, "Who is like the Beast? Who can fight with him?" (Since the so-called overthrow of Afghanistan, the Islamic world is crying out a similar message, who can fight against the Taliban, but the underlying motive for the Taliban is a strict reading and understanding of the Quran.)

(Revelation 13:1-4 Moffatt NT) [Italics are mine.]

Page one.

The information above is brief, and, it is information that I have covered in detail in my previous posts. (Read Daniel chapters 2:17-45; Chapter 7; 8:22-25; 9:26,27; 11:28-45; Chapter12)

We know who the first three of these beast/kings are: Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian empire, the Medo-Persian empire under the rule of Darius, and the Grecian empire under Alexander:s dominance. There is no immense gap in time as though we are awaiting the Roman empire to come along, as many would imply, for upon Alexander’s death four of his generals contended for power. Two victorious Grecian generals emerged, Seleucid in the North and Ptolemy in the South. It is those two empires and their integration with the Assyrian nations that still haunt us today.

Daniel expressly asks about the fourth beast. Daniel 7:19-23, and this is the answer he received.

“Then he said to me, “This fourth beast is the fourth world power that will rule the earth. It will be different from all the others. It will devour the whole world, trampling and crushing everything in its path.” (Daniel 7:23 NLT)

Is it possible that we are talking about the Roman empire?

Many Bible teachers would love to tell you that we are looking for the return of the Roman Empire as the beast that rises again, however, the bible itself tells us, in a variety of locations and ways, that it is NOT the Roman Empire. Read the description and try to tell me, that Roman empire is different from any other empire, as they have all been strong, devoured, and crushed their victims.

What if it is the Ottoman Caliphate, as I have pointed out, that took the provebial shot to the head, and, therefore, stood the greatest chance to comeback to life?

You should know that while the Ottoman empire is gone, many followers of Islam are pushing hard for the return to the rule of a Caliphate, and we may have seen the resurrection with the Islamic revolution of 1979.

What makes this empire different?

It is religiously driven. If you were paying attention one of the things the Taliban did after gaining control of Afghanistan, was to round up all the Christians and kill them. The Taliban leadership projected this slaughter to be complete by Friday, Sept 10, 2021. As a side note, they also went to the music academy in Kabul and destroyed all the musical instruments because the Quran does not allow for musical instruments either. We have never seen more vicious people that were religiously driven, and that makes them different.

How did I start this post?

By talking about having a perspective that is focused on the Middle East.

Is it possible that what we have seen happen in the Middle East can happen in America?

Absolutely, and because our government has masked and covered up what is going on, we have progressively been inundated with governmental decision-makers that hold to Sharia law. Many citizens of America refuse to see this. Here is a couple websites to enlighten you to the subtle changes happening to our governing bodies.

Summary of H.Res. 576: Recognizing Islam as "one of the great religions of the world.". https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/117/hres576/summary

I am told that Islam is an ideology and not a religion, but it does not matter.

Another website points out the Muslims elected in 2020.
https://deplorablekel.com/category/islam-in-the-u-s/muslim-candidates-2020/

The idea behind showing you this information is NOT to promote hatred, but you need to know that the Quran demands Jihad against those who do not follow Islam. The triggers for these attacks is often associated with hate messages from an Imam at a local Mosque.

Page two.

How long before this all turns against the citizens of this country, like it has in Britain?

The point here is, we are in the last days and America will fall; you have been watching it happen.

Why tell you any of this?

Because scripture starts off talking about a beast with four heads, which represents kingdoms, and then redirects our attention to a singular entity, and refers to that entity as him. As if you needed more puzzle pieces, the four-headed oddity and the man is both referred to as the beast.

Back to the verse at hand where we find a clue that might answer the question as to who or what we are looking at, and how we might expect this particular beast to act.

Revelation 13:5-6 NASB There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him. (6) And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven.

If I am looking at one of the heads of this four-headed beast, then according to Revelation 13:5, there has to be a spokesperson, “a mouth” that is assigned to speak on behalf of the beast.

Common sense tells you that this mouth should be a politically correct diplomat, because that is what kingdoms who want to survive in the global marketplace, do. But NOT this person and NOT this empire. (You may have noticed that I am trying to be socially correct and NOT refer to this “mouth” as a man, because several women have held positions as diplomats, like Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina. Try as I may, I am wasting my time because the Muslims will never accept a woman in leadership, nor will they accept an infidel.)

What if the mouth is NOT the spokesperson of an Islamic nation? 

Then this “mouth,” who you would think would be in opposition to a leadership mired in money lust, strangely speaks in admiration of the “kingdom.” The dynamics surrounding the antichrist - the mouthpiece then change, and none of this makes much sense.

Could I focus on a broader picture, like the Assyrians - an entity that is difficult to define and yet contains subsets of most Islamic groups?

This too opens the door to an Islamic spokesperson. We heard our, former American president, Barack Obama, on many occasions, speak longingly of the Islamic religion. Keep this in mind, Revelation 13:5 tells us he speaks arrogant words and blasphemies.

A collection of interesting words.

Arrogant is the Greek word megas and means great, numerous, large in size, and too much. It is becoming increasingly apparent that this guy talks too much.

Blasphemies - it seems that few truly knows what this means, as many Pastors will lead you to believe that your sins - a blasphemy of God, would prevent you from entering heaven.

An excellent definition came one day as Jesus cast the demons out of a possessed child, only to have the Pharisees and scribes accuse Him of casting out demons by the power of Satan (Beelzebub.) Jesus, responded angrily to them because they had crossed the line by attributing the things and power of God to Satan. Since there are NO other gods, then attributing the things of God and the power of God, to Allah – a god of Satan's creation, should be a blaphemy, don't you think?

Blasphemy is the Greek word blasphēmia and means to vilify or slander.

To vilify is to attempt to defame someone, while slander adds to the act of vilifying by attempting to injure by maliciously uttering a false report respecting another person. The two words are so similar.

Page three.

This “mouth” or spokesperson is attempting to defame and injure God, Jesus, and anyone who follows Him, by uttering a false report. Right now, in America, we are coming to the point of vilifying conservatives and Christian conservatives by saying that we are cause of Covid 19 spreading when in reality it is the globalist agenda and those who pursue that agenda, that have spread this lousy flu, so that they can shove their “vaccine” into you.

Even though this mouth only goes on for 42 months so many horrendous things will be happening, as none of this begins, in earnest, until the church is removed from the earth.

And watch what the next verse brings.

Revelation 13:7 NASB It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him.

This spokesperson is now making war with the saints, just as the Taliban made war with their bullets and short swords against the saints in Afghanistan and overcame them,.

These saints are some of the martyred that John saw in heaven. When the wrath of God begins, anyone who dies for following after Jesus becomes one of the martyred saints.

How is it possible that this spokesperson gains “authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation”?

Because he is part of the globalists plan for world domination, at least for 42 months, then, with the cooperation of Muslim nations warfare will erupt against anyone who is not a Muslim; and, there are Muslims in every nation.

Revelation 13:8 NASB All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.

If I can picture a Muslim antichrist, then I can understand better why “all” will worship him. It is definitely NOT all, but a vast number.

Worship is the Greek word proskyneō. We have seen this before in a previous post. It means to do reverence or homage by kissing the hand, to do reverence or homage by prostration, to pay divine homage.

If I go back to Revelation 13:4, we see “the whole earth” worshiping the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; and hence they gave reverence and allegiance to the beast. God's commandment about worshiping Him only can be seen in Deuteronomy 6:13,14. This is the passage from which Jesus constructed His response to Satan. So the "world's " worship of the beast must be especially annoying to God.

"You shall fear only the LORD your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name. "You shall not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who surround you,” 

(Deuteronomy 6:13-14 NASB)

Notice how Revelation 13:8 tells us that the only ones worshiping the antichrist, are those whose names ARE NOT written in the Lamb's book of life. Their names being written happened before the foundation of the world, and it is only God's projection of a future event, your coming to Him, that would prompt Him to write your name down. 

It is uncomfortable writing someting like this, as I am aware that I am projecting my humanity into the equation, and God does not have to respond to our frailties, although I have seen the evidence that He does.

Page four.

• "Everyone whose name is written in the Lamb's book of life,"

Even during the time of wrath, people are sealed, not as the 144,000 who are protected from the locusts with the scorpion like tails, and though sealed by the Holy Spirit of God they are still subject to death and the pains of the time period. 

Honestly, I am not sure I grasp this, but it is clear that we are dealing with the time of wrath. 

Many would tell you that only sinners go through the time of wrath, but it is becoming clear that this is not the case. 

In the paragraphs below I talk about the ten virgins. 

VIRGINS, how many implications can a person read into this word, and yet half of the number invited missed the call to come to the wedding. 

There is a correlation between this event and call for the church home to be with Jesus.

• If their names ARE written in the Lamb's book of Life, why then did they not go up in the rapture?

Even after the rapture, people still come into relationship with Jesus Christ, and it could be that this is a huge clue. Unfortunately, even this logic fails because God knew what they would do and therefore wrote their names in the book before the earth was made. So, I am still stuck with the question.

Consider the ten virgins of Matthew 25. 

All were virgins, and because of that one might think they all had their names in the Lamb's book of Life. 

They all got the same invitation, so none were judged for anything; and yet, 50% of them did not make it in. 

What did those 50% do differently?

We assume they all had the same opportunity to check their lamps. But then, seeing as they did not know the exact time or the hour when the bridegroom would call them to the wedding, perhaps it was one of those waiting until the last minute things. 

We assume they all had the knowledge and insight to trim their wicks, but to the 50% it was not that important. 

We assume they have oil, and if not had plenty of time to obtain more; but 50% of them did nothing to prepare.

When we read the story of the ten virgins, do we see any condemnation from the Father?

The answer is NO, but we assume there is, as the alternative to going into the wedding is to endure what you will be exposed to on the outside; in this case it is the wrath of God. I must think on this.

Why else would God have this story brought to our attention?

Maybe there is more to the story than we thought. 

Maybe their names were written in the book of life knowing that they would go through something that was not meant for God's children. How is that even possible, and yet is seems that many will go through the wrath.

Maybe God is more merciful than we have been led to believe.

Where then does this presumed condemnation come from?

From the reader. We impose all varieties of guilt and foolishness to the five who did not make into the wedding.

Have you ever asked, why didn't they merely follow those who had light?

I would have.

Page five.

Revelation 13:9 NASB If anyone has an ear, let him hear.

What a strange statement. We all have ears, but assuredly, we do not all hear.

The phrase “an ear' is the Greek word ous and means the obvious, but there is a catch as it can also apply to mental perception.

If you are not hearing from God or His Word, then you either have a veil over your eyes from the enemy, which in many cases has to do with some activity of your choosing that affronts God; or, you merely choose not to hear.

Here in California, at the time of this writing, we have one more day to vote to remove our Governor from office and put someone else in his place. A person close to the family is simply going to let the vote just slide by and, therefore, either eliminate the necessity of making an informed decision, or they are declining just so that they can throw their left leaning ideals in our faces. To do nothing, much like the agnostic, is making a choice for the opposition; this person has ears, but they refuse to face facts and consequences. (By the way, the majority voted to keep the man, who for a time, locked us out of our churches. The saddest part of this, is that the majority, giving into the propaganda, believed that the only one capable of displacing the Governor was going to kill us by taking away a mask mandate. He was not taking away your lousy mask, he was merely giving you the choice to wear one, and I believe we should all have a choice.)

Revelation 13:10 CJB "If anyone is meant for captivity, into captivity he goes! If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he is to be killed!" This is when God's holy people must persevere and trust!

Focus on the context and don't get lost in the words, as we are dealing with the time of wrath. So when something like this gets said, the words apply to events within the time period known as God's wrath (or the tribulation, for those who will not read their bibles.)

Could the possibility of being killed or captured apply to things outside of the “tribulation”?

Yes, but because humanity will continue to do depraved things to other people; this happens because the others are of a different religion, practice a religion, have a different skin color, or whatever suits the need for the day. What we see, on a daily basis, is groups like Boko Haran, or the Taliban (ISIS), killing Christians as they go to church,  meet in church, or identify as a Christian.

• “If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he is to be killed.”

What this says to me is that though many may think they can fight back, they will be killed in the manner they chose, most often by return fire. The Holy Spirit is giving you a heads up, though you may take out many of those you deem the enemy, you will die or go into captivity.

Take note: captivity is certainly going to happen during this time period. I wonder who will take the Christians captive? It is beginning to be quite obvious that the government will be a major player in taking us captive; it is happening already in Australia.

I used the Complete Jewish Bible for my translation of this verse. I appreciate how the verse ends; “This is when God's holy people must persevere and trust!”

Who are God's holy people?

The Jews. 

I can, by extension, apply these words to those who come to Jesus during the time of wrath as well, as they would be deemed to be grafted into the vine. No doubt there are some who upon reading this who will say, then why didn't God just rapture them up to heaven and bypass the horrors down here. Because, this is all happening after the catching away of the church, and the time of grace is up. It was almost as though we had a free ride for a while, now, you get to prove your love and affection for God with your life.

So God's admonition is, “This is when God's holy people must persevere and trust!”

Persevere, in it's simplest form, is to hold on.

Confidence is a reliance or resting the mind on the integrity of the Father.

I wrtite these things because I do not want you to have to go through the time of wrath. If you are a follower of Christ and actively waiting for His return for His bride, then you will escape the wrath. If not, then admit that you are a sinner and that you need His love and mercy for your life. Honestly give your life to Jesus, and you will be a Son of the Father.

If any of you lack faith. James 1:5-14.

When we last talked about James, we ended on this note.

For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. (James 1:3-4 NLT)

• • So, our faith gets tested.
  • Our endurance has a chance to grow.
  • And, because of that, our endurance becomes fully developed.

Developed is the same as “perfect result” in the NASB. It is a combination of two words:

1. teleios meaning brought to its end or finished, and wanting nothing necessary to completeness. And -
2. ergon meaning business, employment,  that in which anyone is occupied. And, that which one undertakes to do, enterprise, undertaking.

So we, as we walk through this life in Christ, are about an undertaking which will eventually come to an end; almost as if we were employed on a contractual basis.

If you want to think about it as work, then what is your payment?
For the believer, our reward is focused on the simple joys that we find in the Lord, not driving around in $100k vehicles; that and an eternity of peace with the Father.

This idea of a lifetime of tests and trials is definitely not a huge selling point when making a pitch for people to come to Jesus. Would you have signed up for this blessed life in Christ, if Pastor Greg Laurie had told you, it would be a life filled with trials, some of which, like the loss of your son due to reckless driving, will attempt to rip your heart out? Perhaps not.

We have been using terms like tests, trials, perseverance, endurance, and faith, but now it seems as if we are thrown a curveball, as James states:

James 1:5 NASB But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

I think I can comprehend how wisdom would play into the conversation, however, the statement about our lacking wisdom could imply that our inability to manage the trials, is completely on us. Now, that might be the case, and one of my previous pastors admonished the audience with, “if you are having problems in your life, you brought them on yourselves.” I don't think that assertion is entirely valid, simply because we have an enemy that is out to kill anything that looks like Jesus.

"Be sober, be watchful: your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour, whom withstand steadfast in your faith, knowing that the same sufferings are accomplished in your brethren who are in the world. And the God of all grace, who called you unto his eternal glory in Christ, after that ye have suffered a little while, shall himself perfect, establish, strengthen you." (1 Peter 5:8-10 ASV)

I included a few extra verses because the story doesn't merely end with the enemy in deadly pursuit, it ends with us, standing steadfast in our faith. What else does it say? It says we know that others are suffering in a similar manner. You see, you are not alone in this, we are all being attacked. Your purpose is not to wallow forever, it is to strengthen and establish others, as God, in Christ Jesus, has strengthened you.

Wisdom is the Greek word sophia and yes, it means wisdom, however, the Word Study Dictionary also conveys this: 1. Skill in the affairs of life, practical wisdom, wise management as shown in forming the best plans and selecting the best means, including the idea of sound judgment and good sense. 2. In a higher sense, wisdom, deep knowledge, natural and moral insight, learning, science, implying cultivation of mind, and enlightened understanding.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee helps to define wisdom by stating:

“You and I have troubles and trials and problems. How are you going to solve this problem? How are you going to meet this issue? How are you going to deal with this person? If you lack wisdom in regard to a problem, you need to go to God in prayer.”

So there you are, struggling, crying, and clamoring out to God in every manner possible. Are you asking in faith when you do this?

It seems like a laughably simple question doesn't it; but the obvious part of this, is that most of us do just what I described – we struggle, clamor, whimper, and cry, and there isn't, most of the time, a stitch of faith in any of it. Fortunately, we serve a God of Mercy, that and Jesus sits by the Father interceding for us, constantly.

Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. (Romans 8:33-34 NASB)

By the way, the one who is bringing a charge against you is Satan, and he has already been convicted.
Here is what Eugene Peterson has to say about James 1:5.

If you don't know what you're doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You'll get his help, and won't be condescended to when you ask for it. (James 1:5 MSG)

Sometimes the Message just pulls it all together.

James 1:6 NASB But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.

“he,” in this verse, is the one who is doing the asking, and they look a lot like you and I, even if it is not up to religious standards.

What is faith, or what does it look like?

I have had moments when my faith was rock solid. I knew that when I prayed God would come through, and in a few rare moments, He did. But then there were times it seemed as if God did nothing, and my words might as well have been swamp water. Don't get me wrong, fancy, well-spoken words have nothing to do with this. It is the motivation in your heart that gets the job done. And, most often you will not be able to explain where the faith to pray came from. In those times when you are struggling, you must learn to lean upon the Holy Spirit, because He will give you a prayer, that in some cases has sounded like nothing less than groaning, for I could not put words together, but I had to pray.

Alright, you prayed, but you whimpered your way through it, hoping that the God you have been avoiding would listen. There was no faith in that, and you doubted He would come through the moment you opened your mouth. James tells us, you are like the guy out in the surf, on a board, and you don't know what you are doing. Those waves are going to beat you up and drive you further out to sea. Who wants to be that guy? No one.

James 1:7 NIV  That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.

Ever?
Just wait, we will try to fix this.

James 1:8 NIrV  He can't make up his mind. He can never decide what to do.

Who is James talking about?
The one who doubts when they ask.

James 1:9 TLV  But let the brother in humble circumstances boast in his high position—

I will be honest here, many of the translations come across as though we should be praying for money; enough money so that we could snub our noses at others. That thought is so out of character for this conversation that James is having. I used to be involved in the “faith” movement, and the constant push for money and the associated greed made me sick. This TLV translation seems to say it best, however, it leaves you and me to guess as to what it means.

Look at what Dr. McGee says:

"You may say, "I'm just a poor individual. I don't have very much. I don't have any wealth." My friend, if you are a child of God you have a lot of wealth. You have treasure in heaven. And have you ever stopped to think what you have down here, what you have in Christ? We have everything in Him. Paul wrote, "Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours, And ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's"

Regardless of my circumstances, God sees me in the Son, and the Son, is doing quite well, thank you. Knowing this is no reason to get boastful with people, but you can certainly thank the Father for bringing you into His family.

A confession here. I am notorious for speaking about a subject while being unaware of what the following verses may bring. Such was the case here. Verses 10,11 speak as though this discussion was planned and intentionally integrated. When you do bible study, I suggest that you do a good read of the chapter, and that way you will have an overview, knowing that an obscure verse like 9, will be quickly answered. Fortunately, for me, the Holy Spirit, which leads us and guides us into all truth, has just done that, and so here is verse 10,11.

James 1:10-11 TLV  and the rich person in his humble position, because like the flower of the grass he will pass away.  (11)  For the sun arises with a scorching heat and withers the grass, and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed. So also the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will wither away.

None of this answers the question of why James touched on the subject of wealth in a conversation about prayer. Perhaps James brought it up because there is a prosperity theme that runs through the promises to God's people; and, it is a topic that God covers in His conversations with Abraham, and then the children of Israel - they thoroughly expect God to bless them, and since we have been grafted into the vine, then God should bless us as well. Ah, but what is a blessing? For some, it is the simplest of things. If your prayers are not being answered and your situation seems dire, then you might easily say, that your circumstances are humble.

Look up the word humble in your Strong's concordance and you will find this: tapeinós, meaning depressed or humiliated. Both of these effects are primarily motivated by what you think of how others perceive you. My recommendation, don't make money your focus. But in consideration of what James 1:11, we are looking at a brother in humiliating circumstances. Those circumstances could have come from a variety of means, and in our current quarantined world, in which the majority of people have lost their jobs because of a disease that has shut down the world. Even if it is NOT your fault, it is often humiliating to stand in a massive line just to get toilet paper, and now meat.

With that, we return to the subject of testing our faith.

James 1:12 NASB Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

Blessed is the person who perseveres under trial.
To persevere is to hang in there, persist, and carry on – as if the negativity doesn't matter.

I went through an intense test like this when it came time to get married for the first time. To start this story off appropriately, you must know that I found what I thought was the trophy wife; she was beautiful and well made. But there was a nasty flaw that I chose to ignore because like Samson, I wanted her. A little over six months before I married her, she broke up with me and started dating my younger brother. Because I had been involved in the “faith” movement, I knew all the right verses, such as "anything you ask the Father, in my name, believing, you shall receive.” Well, I guess my prayers worked, and I believe they worked because God is true to His word, and I was willing to fight like a Honey Badger to get what I wanted. Are you beginning to detect the selfish underlying motivations I was dealing with? For six months, while she was with my younger brother, I cried my eyes out, pounded the steering wheel of my car, and reminded God of what His word said. We are not married anymore and I am choosing to leave the dirt out, but there were two huge lessons that I learned through this fiasco.

• • God is faithful to His Word, and will “often” give you what you ask for.
  • Be careful what you ask for because it is not always the best thing for you. That woman almost destroyed me.

Take a look at James 1:12 through Eugene Peterson's eyes.

Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life. MSG 

A question we did not get to deal with, and always comes up, is this:
Is God doing the testing?

The answer is NO, regardless of what it looks like. Scripturally we know this:

James 1:13 MKJV  Let no one being tempted say, I am tempted from God. For God is not tempted by evils, and He tempts no one.

Jesus is God, and Satan tried to take Him on, on several occasions. When you read about this time, it seems as if they were mere minutes apart.

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit up into the wilderness, to be tempted by the Devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He was afterwards hungry. And when the tempter came to Him, he said, If You are the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But He answered and said, It is written, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:1-4 MKJV)

Note the cutting jab, “if You are the Son of God.” I can guarantee you that Satan knew exactly who He was. One of my faith teachers declared after the Holy Spirit lit upon Him and God declared that this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased, that there would have been no doubt in Satan's mind, but then, what do you do with the fact Mary and Joseph brought Jesus, on the 8th day of his human life, to the temple to have Him circumcised, according to the law. Both Simeon, the priest, and Anna, the prophetess, openly and verbally declared that they had witnessed God's salvation – the Messiah. You can look this up in Luke 2.

Let's take James 1:13 apart.

• • “when he is tempted” - “I am being tempted”
  • “For God is not tempted”
  • ^“by evil”

And the verse ends with this:

• • “And He Himself does not tempt”
  • “anyone”

It seems somewhat logical that God would test and try us, perhaps to find out if we are loyal to Him, but an excursion through these words has made something rather clear to me.
It will make more sense if I point something out.

• • Christ died for sins, plural – past, present, and future.
  • Because we are in Christ, we are made righteous.

So, God is no longer looking for a reason to judge us, because the judgment for sin was all put on Jesus Christ.
If God has no reason to judge us, then there is no need for such testing or a trial.

Now, I know that the religious will read this and scream that I am living in falsehood because I am not acknowledging sin. Oh, that is where you are wrong, for while we live in these bodies we are inundated with sin – a missing of the mark. Thankfully though, Jesus was submissive, and God never looks at those who are His as anything less than the Son.

What is my take away from this?

That the tests you and I go through come from only one other source. Yes, I am aware that these tests often look like people, but they are only a convenient tool for the enemy.

This idea of testing evokes a question, does God also use people to carry out, I cringe to say it, His wrath?

Absolutely, and a primary example was the Babylonian empire.


We will pick up at verse 15 of James chapter one next time. Until then, God bless and cause your needs to be met.