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IS IT WRONG TO WORSHIP MARY?

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worship mary

Why Worship Mary?

By Ken Blue

“19 What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing? 20 But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.”1 Corinthians 10:19-20.

From where my house is located, I am surrounded on all sides by a variety of trees. I love the seclusion. But, as I look at the trees, I wonder what, other than a devil, could induce a man to cut one down, carved it into the image of a man, bird, or beast? Thereafter, paint it to look lifelike, and then to bow down and worship the works of their hands. Additionally, I have witnessed people bringing fruits, animals, money, and flowers as an offering. I have even seen some shed tears of devotion when presenting their offerings.  Not even the brute beast is so ludicrous.

Idols are made of wood, some of gold, of silver, and of plaster. These cold, lifeless pieces of man’s artwork are as blind, deaf, dead and devoid of any semblance of spiritual life as those who worship them.

Paul says a devil is behind every Idol. Ignorantly, those who worship through idols, are in reality worshiping devils. The end goal of these devils is to keep people in blind ignorance, and perverseness about the one true God, and His son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and to send their souls to hell. It matters not what the name is given to an idol. It is still a piece of blind, deaf, dead material. Also, the devil behind it doesn’t represent any saint, living or dead.

Witness the blindness and ignorance in the land of India, the Philippines, Mexico, China, and most of Asia. However, the Americas aren’t exempt.  Since all idolatry is Devil worship, even if done in ignorance, it cast a dark cloud over those countries. The more Idolatry invades a country, the less the one true God is acknowledged. The Scriptures are clear:

[pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]the only thing dumber than an idol, is the person who bows, and prays to them.[/pullquote]

  • “3 For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. 4 They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. 5 They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good. 6 Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O LORD; thou art great, and thy name is great in might.” Jeremiah 10:3-6.
  • “13 The carpenter stretcheth out his rule; he marketh it out with a line; he fitteth it with planes, and he marketh it out with the compass, and maketh it after the figure of a man, according to the beauty of a man; that it may remain in the house. 14 He heweth him down cedars, and taketh the cypress and the oak, which he strengtheneth for himself among the trees of the forest: he planteth an ash, and the rain doth nourish it. 15  Then shall it be for a man to burn: for he will take thereof, and warm himself; yea, he kindleth it, and baketh bread; yea, he maketh a god, and worshippeth it; he maketh it a graven image, and falleth down thereto. 16 He burneth part thereof in the fire; with part thereof he eateth flesh; he roasteth roast, and is satisfied: yea, he warmeth himself, and saith, Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire: 17 And the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his graven image: he falleth down unto it, and worshippeth it, and prayeth unto it, and saith, Deliver me; for thou art my god. 18 They have not known nor understood: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand. 19  And none considereth in his heart, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say, I have burned part of it in the fire; yea, also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof; I have roasted flesh, and eaten it: and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? shall I fall down to the stock of a tree? 20 He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?” Isaiah 44:13-20.
  • “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.” Psalm 9:17.

Notice what Paul calls them. “Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led.” 1 Corinthians 12:2. An idol is called “dumb.” Vines says, “voiceless, i.e. mute (by nature or choice); figurative unmeaning: – dumb, without signification.”

Finally, the only thing dumber than an idol, is the person who bows, and prays to them. How smart can you be, when you are told they are dumb, connected with devils, and you will go to hell, if you bow down to them, if you continue to do it?

THE FALLEN ROSE

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dead rose

 

 

 

 

 

 

Listen to the song:

By Ken Blue
At the garden many were constrained to pause.
By the path a flower grew, which was the cause.
Amid bright colors the garden did compose,
More beautiful than all, a blushing red Rose.

Gladdened each day, by the early morning’s dew.
Some observing my birth; watched me as I grew.
Others touched the petals, causing luster to fade.
Tarnishing the purpose for which I was made.

The luster that should increase, as each one grows,
Faded each day, the reason, I’d not disclose.
Loving attention, peddles fell one by one.
Before I knew, the bright hue, from me was gone.

Some ask, where’s the rose, the garden so adorned?
The trampled ground, shows only a crushed thorn. `
God made the roses, gardens to beautify.
But, when passed hand to hand, roses wilt and die.

THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT # 10

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lion and lambJESUS COME TO FULFIL THE LAW

“17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:17-20.

The reader today must be totally objective when reading the Sermon on the Mount, and the comments about the Law. There were those who accused Jesus of going against the Law of Moses, and the temple. So it is, when tradition “leavens” the Word of God. The Lord is teaching the true intent of the Law, and placing Himself in authority to give the correct meaning and application. This is seen in His words, “But I say unto you…” See verse 22ff. Jesus came to meet the demands of the Law.

He met all it demands at His first advent, and no one knew that is was no longer in force until revealed by Paul. The Law, even for the Jew, is of no effect in this dispensation. A Jew gets save today just like a Gentile. HOWEVER, the Law will be in force again in the Tribulation, and will be until the end of the Millennium when that dispensation ends.

It must be understood that Jesus never broke the Law. He obeyed it even unto death. If fact, death was the “fulfillment” of the Law. As we said, the Law has been discontinued during this dispensation. However, from the Tribulation, through the Millennium, the Law will be in force again, and the King will enforce it.

The following speaks of the time when the Kingdom of Heaven will be established, and Jesus will rule from Jerusalem. “The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. 2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain (Kingdom) of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. 3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.” Isaiah 2:1-4. “16  And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. 17 And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. 18 And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. 19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.” Zechariah 14:16-19.  You will notice in the above, that the Law will be taught through Jerusalem, and the feast of tabernacles must be kept. We see the judgment on nations that neglect it.

Much of Ezekiel is dedicated to the temple, the priest, and the sacrifices. “… two tables on that side, to slay thereon the burnt offering and the sin offering and the trespass offering… 41  Four tables were on this side, and four tables on that side, by the side of the gate; eight tables, whereupon they slew their sacrifices... whereupon also they laid the instruments wherewith they slew the burnt offering and the sacrifice. 43 And within were hooks, an hand broad, fastened round about: and upon the tables was the flesh of the offering… This chamber, whose prospect is toward the south, is for the priests, the keepers of the charge of the house. 46 And the chamber whose prospect is toward the north is for the priests, the keepers of the charge of the altar: these are the sons of Zadok among the sons of Levi, which come near to the LORD to minister unto him… sured each post of the porch, five cubits on this side, and five cubits on that side: and the breadth of the gate was three cubits on this side, and three cubits on that side.”  Ezekiel 40:39-49.

The reader can search the Scriptures himself, and see clearly that the Law was not fulfilled, it was only set aside at His death. Thus, with this in mind, it will be easier to understand the book of Matthew, which is under the confines of the Law. When Israel was set aside, the Law went with them. Once God jump-starts His program with Israel, the Law will be in force again. Jesus did not come to destroy it, He came to clarify, and fulfill its demands. He did! However, the fact HE “fulfilled” it, does not mean that it will no longer exist. Search the Scriptures, they testify to that fact.

It is noteworthy that those who teach contrary to the Law, in that time, will be called “least in the Kingdom of Heaven.” The Christian is already made perfect in Christ, and will not be called least in heaven. The body of Christ is not the subject of the Sermon on the Mount.

 

 

 

 

 

THE SERMON OF THE MOUNT # 8 & 9.

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 lion and lamb“Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.” Matthew 5:10-11.

We will combine the last two of the beatitudes, since both of them deal with the suffering the remnant will undergo in the Tribulation. The Lord had told them repeatedly that they would be hated by all nations because they represented Him.  

In verses 13 and 14, He tells them that they are the salt of the earth, and the light of the world. Since men hate light, and righteousness, it will be impossible for these messengers to avoid persecution. He assures them a place in the Kingdom of Heaven once it is established. This persecution began in the early Acts period, and will be taken up again once the Kingdom message is reoffered during the Tribulation period.

Not only are the Disciples the salt, and light, so the nation will be in the Millennial. Isaiah chapter 60 has 64 prophecies concerning Israel. Since we are discussing light, we will observe its use in the chapter. “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.” Isaiah 60:1. “And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.” Isaiah 60:3. All nations will come to Jerusalem with offerings, and to receive the LAW! “ And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.” Micah 4:2. The reader cannot help but see that the Law will still be in force in the Millennial Kingdom. If one keeps this in mind, the Sermon of the Mount will become clearer. It must be interpreted in the context of the Law.

In John’s Gospel Jesus tells the disciples that hatred and persecution awaited them. “18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. 19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. 20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. 21 But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me.” John 15:18-21.

In spite of the suffering and rejection they would receive, they are to maintain good works, and let their light shine. The shining light will be the message of the King and the Kingdom of Heaven which will be a reality shortly. There is nothing in these chapters about the church of this dispensation. 

THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT # 7

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“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Matthew 5:9.

lion and lambThis verse has nothing to do with the United Nations, or those who have received the Nobel Peace Prize (?). There is no reason to deviate from the context of the other beatitudes, and assume this one is speaking of “soul winners,” or any person in this dispensation. It is to Israel. These are addressed a remnant that will believe and repent in the Tribulation.

After the Second Advent of Christ, the first order of business will be to set up His government in Jerusalem, purge out the rebels, restore the Kingdom to Israel, and then send out his evangelistic ambassadors to all the world. This is when and how the “great commission” of Matthew 28 is jumpstarted. Those who go out will preach that Christ has set up His government in Jerusalem, and they will baptize nations that accept Christ as their King. These ambassadors will have power to perform all the wonders and miracles demonstrated in the Gospels and early Acts.

Nations that receive these messengers lay down their arms, and submit to the rulers set over their cities. “15 And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. 16 Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. 17 And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. 18 And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. 19 And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities.” Luke 19:15-19.

Nations under Christ’s rule will destroy all their weapons. “1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. 2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. 3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. 5 O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.” Isaiah 2:1-5. (See Joel 3:9-16).

Those set as rulers over the cities will rule with absolute power. “Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” Psalm 2:9. “And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: 27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.” Revelation 2:26-27.

These are the “peace makers.” They will have the Father’s message; the gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven, the power of all miracles, and will be the instruments of universal peace. They are called the “children of God,” in that they are obedient to the God of peace.