What Does The Bible Say About Drinking Alcohol?
There are some individuals who LIKE their booze…and who correspondingly argue that there is nothing wrong with them drinking their booze. To support their stance, they gloatingly pronounce that in the Bible, Jesus turned water into wine…and the Apostle Paul told his protege Timothy to take some wine for his stomach problems. Interestingly, these individuals can rarely quote any other significant verses or scriptures in the Bible…but they KNOW these verses…because they want to justify their affinity for alcohol. But, does the Bible really justify or condone drinking alcohol? Well, the Bible directs us that we are to live by the composite of God’s Word (Deuteronomy 8:3, Matthew 4:4, Luke 4:4). So, let’s have a look at what the ENTIRE Bible has to say about consuming alcohol… “Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.” – Proverbs 23:29-32 So in short: If yes, then partake of alcohol and you will surely gain all of these effects that ALWAYS go along with alcohol consumption. Now, in the event you need another setting of scripture to confirm that woe and alcohol go together… “Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them! … Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink” – Isaiah 5:11,22 “Of course it would be wrong to drink all day long“, you say? Well, let’s keep going… “They also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment. For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean.” – Isaiah 28:7-8 Here are some questions for you: The answer of course is alcohol. “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.” – Proverbs 20:1 Here are some more questions for you: If yes, then alcohol is your ticket into all of these things. Now, let’s consider this… “…thou shalt call his name John…For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost” – Luke 1:13,15 Here, we see the pattern that is pronounced in the lives of all great people who are filled with the Holy Ghost…they do not drink any kind of alcoholic drink. What about this one… “Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit” – Ephesians 5:18 Here, the Bible gives two plain directives: Now, those who like their booze will argue that it is okay to have a few drinks of alcohol as long as they do not get drunk. But, has there ever been an alcohol drinker who has NEVER been drunk? Well, it is possible…but such a person would certainly be one in several million and definitely NOT the norm. But, it is a possibility, so let’s extend the question… Have you ever seen an alcohol drinker…who has NEVER gotten drunk…and who is genuinely and authentically filled with God’s Spirit? The answer of course is, “No, you haven’t!” and that is because alcohol and God’s Spirit do NOT coexist. That is, God’s Spirit does NOT dwell in the places where alcohol is consumed. “While they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry.” – Nahum 1:10 Fire will flash across dry grass with such an intensity and ferocity that it is both amazing and scary. Sadly, alcohol usually affects people in the same way. If you have ever watched someone who began imbibing in alcohol…then more often than not, you were both amazed and saddened at how quickly and how fiercely alcohol devoured and ruined their life. “Strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it.” – Isaiah 24:9 It is a fact that the person who consumes alcohol will soon enough find that alcohol has brought bitterness into their life. So, if you enjoy bitterness in your life, then alcohol can get you all the bitterness you want. But if you do not enjoy bitterness in your life, then abstaining from all forms of alcohol is the right choice for you. Now, what about so-called Christian religions that incorporate wine into their religious ceremonies? Well, let’s have a look at that too… “And the LORD spake unto Aaron, saying, Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations: And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean” – Leviticus 10:8-10 First, notice that God classifies drinking any form of alcohol as unholy and unclean. Second, notice that God was SO AGAINST any drinking alcohol in His church…and the example that it set…that He promised death to any of the priests who did it. If we pause right here…and acknowledge the scriptures covered thus far…it is plain that alcohol consumption is NOT good. Let’s now turn to those scriptures that allegedly condone the consumption of alcohol. “It…is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted. Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of
A Prophecy About Modern-Day Christianity
The chief danger of the twentieth century will be: — William Booth, Founder of the Salvation Army (1829 – 1912)
Is God Just A God Of Love?
The Bible tells us in 1 John 4:8 that “God is love”. The interesting thing is, the less right people are with God, the more they like to assert this phrase…and its cousin phrase, “Judge not” found in Matthew 7:1. But, notice that the verse does NOT say, “God is ONLY love”. The fact is, God is not just a God of love. As we are going to see from the Bible itself, He is far more than that! For instance, it is worth noting that the exact phrase, “God is love”, can only be found twice in the entire Bible. The reality is that the Bible describes God in austere terms as much or more than it describes Him in loving terms. But, too many people want to put God into a single dimension as ONLY a loving God…so that they have a license to live at a lesser level…so that they can do whatever they want and justify it with a wave of the hand and a flippant assertion that “God is love and He loves me just as I am.” So, let’s have a Biblical look at what God is…and let’s find out whether this flippant mindset and attitude will fly with God on Judgment Day. THE BIBLE TELLS US THAT THE LORD IS A MAN OF WAR Exodus 15:3The Lord is a man of war: the Lord is his name. Revelation 19:11And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. THE BIBLE TELLS US THAT THE LORD IS TERRIBLE Deuteronomy 10:17For the Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward. Psalm 47:2For the Lord most high is terrible; he is a great King over all the earth. Psalm 66:5Come and see the works of God: he is terrible in his doing toward the children of men. THE BIBLE TELLS US THAT THE LORD IS A PUNISHER Isaiah 13:11And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. Leviticus 26:21 And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me; I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins.23 And if ye will not be reformed by me by these things, but will walk contrary unto me;24 Then will I also walk contrary unto you, and will punish you yet seven times for your sins. Now, some might say, “Wait a minute…that’s in Leviticus…that is the Old Testament.“ Well, I know that some people want to dismiss the Old Testament as irrelevant and not applicable to us. But, the Bible absolutely does NOT support that. There are MANY verses in the New Testament that let us know that other than a few changes…such as changes in what we can eat…and the doing away of the ceremonial sacrifices…we are fully required to follow the Old Testament every bit as much as the New Testament. Similarly, some people claim that the Old Testament law only applied to the people of Israel…but, that is not true either. The entire Bible is a warning to ALL OF HUMANITY that IF we commit sins, we WILL be destroyed for those sins. In the first 5 books of the Bible, we find that the REASON God destroyed multiple nations and gave them to Israel was because of the sins being committed in those nations. And, God VERY PLAINLY told the Children of Israel that IF they committed ANY of those same sins, then He would destroy them too. From reading the Bible, we know that many of the Children of Israel did in fact commit some of the same sins…and God, true to His promise…destroyed sinful Israelites. And, what the New Testament makes clear to us in multiple verses is that IF we commit sin, we TOO will be destroyed…just like the sinful nations were…and just like the Children of Israel subsequently were. The point is, the standard that God requires of ANYONE is the same standard that God requires of EVERYONE! THE BIBLE TELLS US THAT THE LORD IS A DESTROYER Deuteronomy 4:24For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God. Hebrews 12:29For our God is a consuming fire. Deuteronomy 6:15(For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth. Ezra 8:22The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him. Psalm 34:16The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. 1 Corinthians 3:17If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. THE BIBLE TELLS US THAT THE LORD IS AN AVENGER Nahum 1:2God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies. Romans 1:18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness. Romans 12:19Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. THE BIBLE TELLS US THAT THE LORD IS A REWARDER Galatians 6:7Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man south, that shall he also reap. Romans 2:6[God] will render to every man according to his deeds Matthew 16:27For the son of man shall … reward every man according to his works. Job 34:11For the work of a man shall he render unto him, and cause every
A Message For Every Christian American Who Can Vote
How does a nation become great? How does a nation get to enjoy goodness, blessings, and prosperity? How does a nation get to enjoy peace, safety, and security? There is one simple answer: let all the leaders and the people of a given nation acknowledge, reverence, and honor God as Lord of all…let them live lives of truth, righteousness, justness, and humility…and that nation will infallibly end up being exalted as a great nation that enjoys goodness, blessing, prosperity, peace, safety, and security. The corollary here is that the less the leaders and the people of a given nation acknowledge, reverence, and honor God as Lord of all…and the less they walk in truth, righteousness, justness, and humility…the less that nation will be in every regard…and the less goodness, blessing, prosperity, peace, safety, and security they will get to enjoy. The only exception to this rule is that God has on occasion purposely raised up a Godless nation as a temporary financial power or military power in order to destroy another nation for its greater evilness and wickedness. Now, God-haters will frequently go nearly berserk when they encounter the message that God blesses a nation and its people when they acknowledge, reverence, and honor Him…and He curses a nation and its people when they do not. But, love the message or hate it…the truth remains the same. Continuing on…there are some God-haters who like to argue that certain Founding Fathers of the United States were not Christian men. Well, none of us can really know for sure until we move into eternity…because those men are long gone from this earth…and whether they were right with God or not has already been settled between them and God. But, what we can know for sure from their letters and other writings is that they DEFINITELY acknowledged God as sovereign ruler and providence over mankind. Moreover, the MAJORITY of American people also acknowledged God as sovereign ruler and providence over mankind. And, that acknowledgement, reverence, and respect for God resulted in a nation where more people have been able to enjoy a good life of personal freedom and prosperity than has ever existed in any other nation in the history of mankind. And yes, we have certainly had our share of problems and challenges as a nation and as a people. Yes, there have certainly been wicked and evil people throughout the course of American history. But still, the goodness that we have enjoyed on every level surpasses anything that has ever existed anywhere in all of history. In fact, the goodness that Americans have enjoyed is EXACTLY what the Bible tells us will happen for those people who acknowledge, honor, and reverence God. Let’s have a look for ourselves at just one of the many instances in the Bible where this truth is proclaimed… Psalm 85:7Shew us thy mercy, O Lord, and grant us thy salvation. Here we have the words of a King praying that God would show him and the people in his nation the mercy that would spare them from the destruction of sin. Moreover, he is praying that God would instill in himself and his people the desire to walk in the truth, righteousness, justness, humility, and Godliness that makes them right with God. Stated differently, these are the words of a King who WANTS himself and his people to be right with God. Continuing on… Psalm 85:8I will hear what God the Lord will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly. Here, the King is asserting that he WILL LISTEN to God…and he WILL LIVE IN GOD’S WAY…because he understands that the result of God’s way is peace…the kind of peace that encompasses all of the goodness, enjoyment, satisfaction, contentment, health, wealth, and relationships that we humans want. Next, the king then gives himself and his people a warning: do not turn back to sin, evilness, vileness, corruption, immorality, or any other from of wrong-being or wrong-doing…because people who turn to sin will surely suffer as a result of God taking away His peace from them…and they will correspondingly lose all the good that they desire. Continuing on… Psalm 85:9Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land. In these words, the King lays the truth out for all of us to see and understand: where there are people who acknowledge, reverence, honor, and respect God and His ways and truth…well, that is a land that will be glorious and wonderful. For the sake of completeness, the corollary here is that where people do not acknowledge, reverence, honor, or respect God and His ways and truth…well, that is a land and a people that will be filled with darkness, disgrace, shame, pain, and destruction. Continuing on… Psalm 85:10Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Here, the King lays out the “connection” between what we want…and having what we want: If we want mercy…that is, if we want to be spared from harm and destruction…then we must live in truth. If we want peace…that is, if we want goodness, enjoyment, satisfaction, contentment, health, wealth, and meaningful relationships…then we must live in righteousness. The “link” that we MUST recognize and understand is that IF we want mercy…and all the goodness that is encompassed in mercy…then we must live in truth. Likewise, IF we want peace…and all the goodness that is encompassed in peace…then we must live in righteousness. The relationship between goodness and God is a LAW that God holds as inviolate. Mankind will NEVER be able to live in sin, wickedness, evilness, perverseness, immorality, or rebelliousness and still get to enjoy mercy and peace. IT. WILL. NOT. HAPPEN. EVER! Continuing on… Psalm 85:12Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase. In these words, the King states the same truth in yet another
Christmas Prayer
by Robert Louis Stevenson Loving Father, Help us remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and the worship of the wise men. Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting. Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with clean hearts. May the Christmas morning make us happy to be Thy children, and the Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus’ sake, Amen!
We Never Imagined…
Today, my wife and I found ourselves in a church service we did not want to be in. It started three days ago. Around lunch time, my wife received a call that a relative had suffered a heart-attack and was in the hospital. So, my wife and I got around as quickly as we could and went to visit the relative. Upon arrival, we found the relative was in good spirits…and although he was a bit weak, he otherwise seemed completely fine. Moreover, doctors had completed their analysis and determined that everything was fine health-wise with the relative…and that most likely, it was a change in prescription that another doctor had prescribed a few days prior that triggered the heart-attack. And so, the doctors wanted to monitor the relative for a few more hours and then he would be released to go home. My wife and I had an enjoyable visit with the relative and the relative’s spouse…reminiscing about good memories and happy times in the past…talking about funny events that had happened with various people we know…laughing about the funny antics of the relative’s young grandchild…telling jokes…and so on. Then, the relative’s spouse made the comment that just the day before, they had been visiting a friend of theirs who was in a hospital…but they never dreamed that they themselves would be in the hospital the very next day in their own emergency. That opened the door for my wife and I to talk about the importance of being right with God through Jesus Christ…which led to my wife and I praying for the relative. We then enjoyed a bit more conversation with the relative…and believing that he was going to be fine…and would be going home later that afternoon, we said our goodbyes and left. We never dreamed that roughly two hours later, we would get another phone call and the message that the relative had passed away. Right after we had left, the relative was setting up in bed…having a meal…talking with their spouse…and then simply fell over…and was gone from this world in an instant. My wife and I could hardly believe it. The relative had seemed completely okay…the doctors had affirmed that the relative would be okay…but the reality was that time had come to an end for the relative. And so, three days later, my wife found ourselves at a funeral that we never imagined we would be at. Now, we have hope that the relative was right with God. We know that the relative had attended and been involved with a little country church for the last several years. But, had I known that this would be the last time for me to interact with the relative, I would have been more direct in confirming that the relative was right with God. The moral of this story is two-fold… One, life is more serious than we realize. Life is way more fragile than we like to think it is. So, it IS important for us to be right with God at all times. If you know within your heart that there are some things that need to be fixed between you and God, then have a look at this article: The Salvation Plan Two, it is important that we speak up for Christ and point people to Christ everywhere we go. Yes, my wife and I talked about Christ with the relative…and we prayed for the relative…but, we COULD have went deeper and been more specific…and we WOULD have went deeper and been more specific…had we just known. So, when we are interacting with people, we should keep in mind that the interaction we are having may well be the last interaction…and therefore that interaction is an important interaction that deserves a REAL discussion about Christ. I am reminded of Christ’s words… “For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that [Noah] entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away.” Matthew 24:38-39 Let’s NOT be one of those who “knew not”…let’s NOT be one of those who is so caught up in whatever we are doing that we are caught unawares by the seriousness of our soul and eternity…or the seriousness of someone else’s soul that we are interacting with.
Is God Real? Does God Exist?
There is the question of, “Does God care about me and my situation?” There is the question of, “Why did God allow…or why is God allowing…some certain thing to happen in my life?” But in this article, let’s address the even more fundamental question of, “Is God real? Does God exist?” This fundamental question is one that every human who has ever existed has wondered about at different times in their life. It is a question that every human who will ever exist will wonder about. And, this is a question that has been argued and debated from many different angles and perspectives. But, there is only one sure way for YOU to find out… This way is a personal way… Here is the way… Make a PREEMINENT place in your thoughts and in your life for God and you WILL find out that He IS VERY real. The Bible tells us in Exodus 25:8, “And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.“ This scripture confirms the point just made…and reveals the “formula” for finding God and bringing Him into your life; make a preeminent place for God in your thoughts and life and you will find that He IS real because His presence will begin to manifest in your mind, understanding, and awareness…and His blessings will begin to manifest in your life. But, to be able to make a preeminent place for God…to be able to experience God’s presence, spirit, peace, and reality, a person must make a faith-based decision that God is real, that He does exist, and that he wants to be an integral part of their life. The Bible tells us in Hebrews 11:6, “he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.“ Herein is the “stumbling block” or “tripping point” for many people. They do not want to take that leap of faith. They want some kind of scientific proof. Even though God is a spirit (John 4:24), they want non-spiritual evidence of His existence. They want God to prove Himself to them personally before they will acknowledge or accept Him. If you think about it, this refusal to believe in God is rather odd considering the amazing leaps of faith that people will make in EVERY other area of their life and belief systems. For example, humanistic evolutionists make TREMENDOUS speculations and suppositions…i.e. leaps of faith…as they try to figure out how living things came into existence. In explaining their evolutionary hypotheses, they will take information that can be observed…such as differences in fossils at different levels of rock strata…homologous and vestigial structures…the 13 different species of finches on the Galapagos Islands…and so on…and combine this with HUGE faith-based theories…such as the endosymbiosis or invagination theories on how eukaryotic cells came into existence…and combine these things with the workings of “nature”…in the sense that “nature” is a living, designing force…but yet they refuse to believe that this “nature” force is God. By “faith”, they accept the inexplicable force, acts, and creations of “nature”…but they refuse to have the “faith” to believe there is a God because they cannot see Him physically. These people LOVE to talk about how EVERYTHING is evolving and changing…but by “faith” they “believe” that their carbon dating methods…the rate at which radioactive material decays…has always been constant and unchanging. I could go on and on but the obvious point is that the depth of “faith” that is required to believe in a non-God-created world is simply mind-boggling. For that matter, the amount of faith that is required just to go through normal, mundane, everyday living is quite substantial. But, in the “time and space” of each person’s life, they are free to choose whatever faith or non-faith perspectives they want. The good news is that someone else’s non-faith in God in no way hinders or minimizes God’s reality and goodness in a Believer’s life. So, here is the conclusion; to the person who has made no place for God in their life…God will mostly seem non-existent, not-real, or at least not-available to them. I say “mostly” because in EVERY person’s life there has been…or will be…a few unexplainable, supernatural, miraculous happenings, situations, or circumstances that are “moment of truth” events. These “moment of truth” events are nothing more than God letting each person know that He is real, that he does exist, and that He does want to be an integral part of their life. We know this because it happens in EVERY person’s life. We also know this because the Bible tells us in Titus 2:11-14, “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to ALL men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” Similarly, in Romans 10:20, “I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me.“ But, outside of these few exceptional instances, God will not seem real to these unbelieving people…God will seem non-existent to them…God will seem unavailable to them…because they have CHOSEN not to believe in Him to the degree that they will MAKE a preeminent place for Him in their thoughts and life. Consequently, God mostly does not manifest Himself in their life. It is up to you. You can know God if you want to…as evidenced by this scripture: “But if any man love God, the same is known of him.” 1 Corinthians 8:3 Honestly, genuinely and authentically make the determination that you want to know God…start reading the Bible…tell God daily that you want to know Him and His truth…and you will find that God’s presence