King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Wednesday, July 10, 2024
Chapters: Amos Chapters 5-9
Message: Satan’s Religion
Hello My Friend,
Well, today is the tenth of July so the month is basically over as it just seems to fly by as soon as we get to double digits. Something was brought to my attention yesterday that I think I need to address, I read this from an article from Fox News, [Satanists are ready to volunteer in Florida’s schools in response to Governor Ron DeSantis’s push to integrate more religion into the state’s public school system under a volunteer school chaplain program that went into effect last week.]
What happened was, Governor DeSantis, passed a law, which went into effect July 1st that allows ministers to offer spiritual counseling in public schools. Of course, the wicked are going to take advantage of this and use it for evil as they always do. This reminds me that Jesus said.
[Matthew 24:7-13 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. 9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.]
I was not going to go on their website, but I prayed about it and did take a glance at what they believe. They have creeds and beliefs just like any religion, but claim that they do not worship Satan and that he is not even real, but metaphoric. Seriously, I do not know, but perhaps the devil might be kind of offended by that. It is like Jesus said, [Luke 11:17-19 But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth. 18 If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub. 19 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges.]
The honest truth is that it is so easy for Satan to deceive the world because he goes after their hearts and fears. The difference between the saved and unsaved is clear, the saved will not face the final judgment because they have been saved by grace having trusted Christ as their Saviour. The unsaved do have the opportunity to escape the final judgment, but they must receive Christ before they take their last breath on earth. You see, in order to find Christ we must first acknowledge that we are sinners and that hell is the place for sinners. As we come to the end of the reading of Amos, we learn of God’s call for Israel to repent.
[Amos 5:1-6 Hear ye this word which I take up against you, even a lamentation, O house of Israel. 2 The virgin of Israel is fallen; she shall no more rise: she is forsaken upon her land; there is none to raise her up. 3 For thus saith the Lord GOD; The city that went out by a thousand shall leave an hundred, and that which went forth by an hundred shall leave ten, to the house of Israel. 4 For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live: 5 But seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beersheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nought. 6 Seek the LORD, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, and there be none to quench it in Bethel.]
[Seek the LORD, and ye shall live;] Most people do not get saved without facing some kind of affliction first. First comes the warning of judgment, then comes the call for repentance. God, goes on to encourage them to repent, but also has a warning for those who make light of His judgments.
[Amos 5:7-8,12-15 Ye who turn judgment to wormwood, and leave off righteousness in the earth, 8 Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The LORD is his name: 12 For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins: they afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the gate from their right. 13 Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in that time; for it is an evil time. 14 Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken. 15 Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.]
[it may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.] God, does not leave anyone out. There is not one soul that God does not give the opportunity to be saved and even if Satan himself would repent God would save him as well. However, Satan as well as those who follow his wicked, arrogant, and prideful ways are reprobates, meaning they are beyond the hope of salvation. All reprobates will more than end up in hell, they will be cast into the lake of fire, which is called the second death, [Revelation 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.]
I found it interesting that Satanists claim they do not practice evil, but promote unity, even though they are building abortion clinics and pretty much believe that it is every man for themselves. Well, since we are all sinners we have our own crosses to bear, but what is important is that we know that we have sinned and only Jesus can save us, regardless of our sin. Believe it or not, God does not want to see the world end and to those long for the day, He has something to say about that, along with some rebuke as well.
[Amos 5:18-23,26 Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light. 19 As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him. 20 Shall not the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it? 21 I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies. 22 Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts. 23 Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols. 26 But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves.]
[to what end is it for you?] Think about it, there are millions of people in worship services singing praises to God, giving tithes and offerings, helping the poor and needy, and doing all these things to feel good about their conscience. They are even anticipating Christ’s return and yet all of them are headed straight for hell. Now, this is Satan’s biggest work of deception, he does not care if they believe in Christ as long as they are not believing the truth, [Matthew 24:23-24 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. 24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.]
[the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves.] Women conceiving babies in their lusts, then aborting them. People turning to drugs or alcohol to fix their problems, of the same sex getting married to each other, using drugs and cosmetic surgery to alter their gender. These are all sins of the flesh that the people are so at ease about, and they wonder why all the earth is being destroyed. Now, this does have Satan’s name written all over it, [2 Thessalonians 2:7-9 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,]
So, we have the ones who cannot wait for Christ to return to see the destruction of the world and then you have the ones who are lax about is as though it will never happen in their lifetime. The judgments that God placed on Israel were to show us that He is not messing around, what He allowed to happen then He will allow to happen to any nation that refuses to heed His warnings. Through Amos, God continues to warn Israel of the judgment coming to them, He also stresses His anger toward those who are not concerned at all about the judgment that was coming.
[Amos 6:1,3–6,12 Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came! 3 Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near; 4 That lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall; 5 That chant to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of musick, like David; 6 That drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph. 12 Shall horses run upon the rock? will one plow there with oxen? for ye have turned judgment into gall, and the fruit of righteousness into hemlock:]
[ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria,] The more I have to work out in the world the more I see how lax people are about sin. I watched three boys no older than eight years old swearing like you would not believe and yet it did not phase them one bit. They are content to live their lives as though there is no consequence, trusting in their helps from the government and those who want to feel good in their conscience to feed their lusts without any thought to the judgments that are here already and yet to come. Most of Israel prided themselves on what they had made out of the kingdom, including their false gods.
[Amos 7:1-3,8 Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed unto me; and, behold, he formed grasshoppers in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth; and, lo, it was the latter growth after the king’s mowings. 2 And it came to pass, that when they had made an end of eating the grass of the land, then I said, O Lord GOD, forgive, I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small. 3 The LORD repented for this: It shall not be, saith the LORD. 8 And the LORD said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumbline. Then said the Lord, Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel: I will not again pass by them any more:]
[Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel:] A plumb line is a symbol of judgment according to ones righteousness. God, was about to measure the ten tribes, pass by them one last time, and with the line drawn there will be no crossing over. In other words, God, the time will come, when His mercy will be no more those who, have been spared often, shall be spared no longer. All that Amos was saying to them was not new news, they had this warning several times, but this was the last straw.
[Amos 7:12-15 Also Amaziah said unto Amos, O thou seer, go, flee thee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there: 13 But prophesy not again any more at Bethel: for it is the king’s chapel, and it is the king’s court. 14 Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit: 15 And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.]
[the LORD took me as I followed the flock,] God, sends His faithful out there to warn them of the judgment so they the knowledge to escape and yet the religious are the first to ignore Him. Saved or not, nothing is stopping God’s judgment of the world, and sadly there will be more souls in hell than there will be heaven because the devil is not only a liar, but a deceiver. Perhaps, this is actually God’s way of sending judgment on these people as it is not uncommon for God to allow delusion to those who refuse to accept the truth, [2 Thessalonians 2:11-12 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.]
The world, and quite frankly, many churches try to ignore the fact that God will judge any nation that turns His back on Him. The wicked do not want to hear they are sinners and will die and end up in hell while the saved do not want to hear that God is going to judge them well before Jesus gets here. Count it a great blessing that we are in the midst of a nation that still knows of God, there will come a time when people are going to be so desperate to seek Him, but He will not be found. Through Amos, God speaks of a famine like not other, a time when people will wander the world in search of His Word, but not be able to find it.
[Amos 8:1-3,7-8,11 Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed unto me: and behold a basket of summer fruit. 2 And he said, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A basket of summer fruit. Then said the LORD unto me, The end is come upon my people of Israel; I will not again pass by them any more. 3 And the songs of the temple shall be howlings in that day, saith the Lord GOD: there shall be many dead bodies in every place; they shall cast them forth with silence. 7 The LORD hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob, Surely I will never forget any of their works. 8 Shall not the land tremble for this, and every one mourn that dwelleth therein? and it shall rise up wholly as a flood; and it shall be cast out and drowned, as by the flood of Egypt. 11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:]
[I will send a famine in the land…of hearing the words of the LORD:] This actually did happen once already, Malachi, was the last prophet to speak the words of God until John the Baptist, which was about four hundred years later. How sad it must have been during that time, a time where they had no communication with God whatsoever. However, there were faithful men and women who like us today lived by their faith in what they had learned from the Scriptures, [Romans 16:25-26 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, 26 But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:]
There will come a day when people will be in so much pain and oppression that they will seek death and not even receive that. And this is not something that they never knew about before Christ came here in the flesh. Through Amos, God speaks of this very day.
[Amos 9:1-2,6,8 I saw the Lord standing upon the altar: and he said, Smite the lintel of the door, that the posts may shake: and cut them in the head, all of them; and I will slay the last of them with the sword: he that fleeth of them shall not flee away, and he that escapeth of them shall not be delivered. 2 Though they dig into hell, thence shall mine hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down: 6 It is he that buildeth his stories in the heaven, and hath founded his troop in the earth; he that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The LORD is his name. 8 Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the LORD.]
[saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob,] Do you see the hope and why Jesus has not returned yet? There will come a day when Israel will acknowledge that Christ is not only the Messiah they had been waiting for, but will accept Him as their Lord and Saviour as well.
[Amos 9:11-15 In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old: 12 That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doeth this. 13 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt. 14 And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. 15 And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God.]
[and of all the heathen, which are called by my name,] One of the most astounding things about God is that He acknowledges that while we were all heathens at one point, we who are called by His name are His people. Jesus, did not come here to save those who think they can save themselves, who deny Him, or who refuse to hear the truth, He died for the sinner who acknowledges that they need Him to save their soul, [Luke 5:31-32 And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. 32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.]
Jesus Christ Revealed/Magnified: [Amos 5:8 Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The LORD is his name:]
Today’s Prayer: Jesus, Thank You, for making a way for our soul to be saved from hell. It was Your sinless sacrifice on the cross that saved me, and I will forever proclaim that I have trusted You as my Saviour and are the one who saved me. There will come a time, and You even warned us of this, that we will not be able to preach the Gospel, and may even lose our lives for doing so. While the world remains silent on Your judging them soon, we cannot remain silent to the lost who are seeking You right now. Lord, Give us Your mercy, grace, Holy Spirit power, and the boldness to preach the Gospel, even if they try to stop us. Put Your hedge of protection around us and shield us from Satan, who is constantly seeking to hinder us and destroy our faith in You. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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