Found something that you all might appreciate, plus it's a good example of what is and is not synchronicity so I figured I'd share.
I posted my experience a couple days ago, and I mentioned the connection between my "wake up" moment in December 2022 and this book series 'The Kingkiller Chronicle'. It's easiest if I just repeat parts of my experience.

Then, sometime in December 2022, I had a moment that many of you are familiar with. I was watching Letterkenny with my dog and my brain suddenly lit up "like a christmas tree" I said at the time, and I could see the center pieces of this book's story. But what stupified me wasn't the center, it was that everything else in the story was spread out in this massive web, everything connecting to everything else. It was and is one of the most beautiful things I've ever 'seen'.
Since December 2022, I have ravenously read pieces of Norse, Egyptian, and Greek mythology so that I could not only trace, but be able to explain what I saw. From there I started exploring folklore. I continued to write my story theories, trying to show the pieces of the web I had seen, and progressively I grew better at presenting my thought processes, at explaining how I was connected A to B.

Basically, I owe this book series for my mental awakening. Finding patterns between this book and the mythology that the author used as inspiration is a perfect example of what is not synchronicity. But as I've come to discover, the author laced these books with deep UFO lore references.

The Kingkiller Chronicle is from start to finish, about the Phenomenon. It's the story of a boy who sees 'Chandrian' with pale skin and large black eyes that he cannot forget.
Chandrayaan (/ˌtʃʌndrəˈjɑːn/ CHUN-drə-YAHN) (from Sanskrit: Chandra, "Moon" and yāna, "craft, vehicle")
He goes on to pursue the truth and find the Chandrian, but he finds no record of them anywhere. A suspicious lack of record, as if all evidence of them was being actively pruned from libraries, which he blames on a hidden Order. The only trace of them is found in folklore, and from oral tradition, from clues hidden inside of stories with jumbled up details lost to time. The depth to which that book connects to the Phenomenon will make your brain pop.

Which is still NOT synchronicity, because the references are too specific and consistent, they were intentionally woven into the story.
One of the first posts I made after my brain lit up was The Lackless box is a Perpetual Motion Machine, but I couldn't see everything.
It's an antigravity engine. I was goofing off and writing about it again this morning. Someone commented with a link about a "Radioisotope thermoelectric generator" and another person commented about the metals I chose (because those are the puzzle pieces the author included in his books). Mercury and iridium. I saw this "engine" in the book first.
Then three months ago I realized the author's references (and one novella) about the "Weight of Desire" was a reference to gravity / relativity, recognizing that my previous posts had been reaching for this.
I saw the 'Form' of this fucking thing back in 2022-2023, then again, and now I'm seeing it again after writing my other theories that involve entropy. When I pulled the thread of "why those particular metals?", I just found more "thematic material" with the book.

Thermoelectric sorting functions similarly to a thermocouple but involves an unknown material instead of an unknown temperature: a metallic probe of known composition is kept at a constant known temperature and held in contact with the unknown sample that is locally heated to the probe temperature, thereby providing an approximate measurement of the unknown Seebeck coefficient 𝑆. This can help distinguish between different metals and alloys.

The wikipedia page for that is missing, a "pruned" record missing. You can still read about thermoelectric sorting elsewhere, but odd nonetheless (I do think the antigrav answer is in that direction)
But that STILL isn't synchronicity, it just shows how much the author has researched this space. I also wrote about a connection I stumbled into regarding remote viewing, entropy, and Plato's theory of forms
What is synchronicity is how I'm talking about the way I inadvertently used these books to teach myself to "see" with Plato's Theory of Forms on Thursday, and now for the first time since Grusch went public I'm seeing posts on the UFOs subreddit about Plato
But again, the author obviously knew about some Plato connection to ufology that I didn't, so Plato isn't the synchronicity.
The synchronicity is that I would see that post about what insiders believe, now, right after writing about antigravity, again. So I fell inside myself today (meditation with music) to finally ask the right question and the answer was... problematic.
We haven't gotten disclosure because there's three problems with it that no one knows how to solve.
1) Antigravity technology / clean energy means the petro-dollar (oil economy) collapses. When it collapses, the entire world economy collapses with it. (I encourage you to fact check this for yourselves)
2) Antigravity technology is going to make it extremely fucking easy to destroy ourselves. This particular problem is intertwined with the third part.
3) Plato was right. A true meritocracy is how we avoid annihilating ourselves. The special access program dicks aren't right, because that's not a true meritocracy. They're hidden away, so the people experiencing synchronicity don't have access to the NHI. That is not a true meritocracy. These SAPs are a cancer, one piece of the whole that refuses to stop greedily taking at the expense of the rest of us.
No one is going to want to hear that. No one. Because it sounds like a "trust me bro, we can see, we need to be in charge of this stuff". But everyone can open their eyes, you'll hear the same in the remote viewing subreddit. Everyone is capable, just like I stumbled into it by trying to write book theories. There is equal opportunity for all of us to open our eyes, we're all capable, but we need equal opportunity to engage with the Phenomenon as well.
But not everyone will look up. They won't open their eyes, and they will never trust or accept what we're telling them, and this 'shadow government' will never allow the world economy to crash because they're the ones on top. So antigravity stays buried and hidden away because it's "too dangerous".
The only way we get disclosure is with an unsanctioned leak / antigravity breakthrough that garners public attention before the government can hide it. Which will inevitably lead to a moment, the moment, where our species will have to decide if we're going to make it past the Great Filter.

Sidenote: my native language is not English. Therefore this rant will be written in very bad English and I am aware of that. Be warned lol.
Anyone who has ever researched Egyptian mythology will have heard the claim that there are two different deities with the name Horus: Horus the Elder and Horus the Younger. One is said to be the son of Geb and Nut and the other of Osiris and Isis. This is a misconception that arose from the records of the Greek Plutarch, who wrote for his Greek audience and simplified some of the more complex concepts of Egyptian mythology. The reason why this misconception has persisted for so long is because the Egyptian language was indecipherable for a long time and let's face it, for a long time we had a very Eurocentric view of the world and gave more attention to the records of a Greek than to the actual sources. Plutarch even claimed that there were three different gods with the name Horus: Haroeris , Horus, and Harpocrates. The truth is that all these are aspects of the same god and a clear separation between Horus the Elder and Horus the Younger isn't possible because most aspects of the God Horus are neither one nor the other nor can they be thought independently of Horus. I will briefly summarize what Plutarch claimed about these three forms:
Arueris/Haroeris/Horus-WeHorus-Ur or “Horus the Elder”: The son of Cronus and Rhea (Geb and Nut) and brother of Osiris, Seth, Nephthys, and Isis. He is said to be the same god as Apollo. Plutarch mentions a tradition in which the five gods are only half-siblings: Osiris and Arueris were fathered by Re, Nephthys and Seth by “Cronus” (Geb), and Isis by “Hermes” (Thoth). He also mentions a tradition in which Arueris is the son of Isis and Osiris, who was conceived while still in the womb of Nut. The three brothers also had different skin colors: Seth red, Horus white and Osiris black. The birth of Apollo from Isis and Osiris, while these gods were still in the womb of Rhea, has the allegorical meaning that "before this world was made visible and its coarse material was fully formed by reason, it was put to the test by nature and brought forth the first creation imperfectly from itself. Therefore they say that this god was born in darkness as a cripple, and they call him the elder Horus; for at that time there was no world, but only an image and outline of a future world" ( direct quote of Plutarch)
Here we can already see that the separation between Horus the Elder as the son of Geb and Nut and Horus the Younger as the son of Isis and Osiris is more complicated. Plutarch himself often does not even differentiate between the two/three forms and uses the name Horus interchangeably without differentiating “which” Horus he is referring to
Horus “the Younger": According to Plutarch, son of Isis and Osiris, who was explicitly conceived before the dismemberment of Osiris's body. He is also the Horus who is said to have avenged the murder of Osiris by going to war against Seth. Osiris was the flood of the Nile and Isis was the earth and from this union, he was born and raised by Leto. "Horus,​ whom Isis brings forth, beholden of all, as the image of the perceptible world. Therefore it is said that he is brought to trial by Typhon on the charge of illegitimacy, as not being pure nor uncontaminated like his father, reason unalloyed and unaffected of itself, but contaminated in his substance because of the corporeal element. He prevails, however, and wins the case when Hermes,​ that is to say Reason, testifies and points out that Nature, by undergoing changes of form with reference to the perceptible, duly brings about the creation of the world. But this Horus is himself perfected and complete, but he has not done away completely with Typhon, but has taken away his activity and strength. Hence they say that at Kopto the statue of Horus holds in one hand the privy members of Typhon, and they relate a legend that Hermes cut out the sinews of Typhon, and used them as strings for his lyre, Dthereby instructing us that Reason adjusts the Universe and creates concord out of discordant elements, and that it does not destroy but only cripples the destructive force. Hence this is weak and inactive here, and combines with the susceptible and changeable elements and attaches itself to them, becoming the artificer of quakes and tremblings in the earth, and of droughts and tempestuous winds in the air, and of lightning-flashes and thunderbolts." (direct qute of Plutarch)
Hapocrates/Horus-pa-chered or Horus-the-child: According to Plutarch, he is the Horus who was conceived after Isis reassembled the pieces of the corpse of Osiris. He came into the world paralyzed . This is an interesting distinction: according to Plutarch, the Horus who was conceived after the death of Osiris and with whom Isis hid is not the same Horus who later fought against Seth.
Hapocrates and Haroeris are the Hellenistic names for two forms of Horus: Haroeris for Horus-Wer and Hapocrates for Horus-pa-chered. Some sources on the internet claim that Hor-Wer is the literal translation of Horus the Elder, although it translates more into Horus the Great or Eldar Horus. At the same time, many sites, including Wikipedia, claim that Horus-pa-chered means "Horus the Younger", which is incorrect. “Pa-chered” means “the child”. Apart from that, Horus-pa-chered is the Egyptian version of Hapocrates. A form of Horus, which Plutarch differentiates from Horus "the Younger", the enemy of Seth. Horus-Wer is a partial aspect of Horus that gained particular popularity in the New Kingdom and the Greek era, which is why Plutarch specifically mentions this form of Horus. Some Academic sources such as “Das ägyptische Wörterbuch” by Henning, “Das Reallexikon” by Bonnet and “Lexikon der ägyptischen Götter und ägyptische Götterbezeichnungen” claim this certain form of Horus did not exist until the middle kingdom and was made in order to deliberately distinguish the cult of Horus from the cult of Osiris. However, Federico Contardi claims that Haroeris may have been mentioned by name in the Pyramid Texts (116a). He questions whether the words Hr and Wr form one word (and thus the name Horus-Wer) or whether Wr is already part of the next sentence. This passage in question, however, is about the opening of the mouth ceremony that Horus performs on his father Osiris, which would mean that the form Haroeris was also occasionally merged with the Osiris cult and was not, as assumed, a form of Horus, separated from the Osiris cult.
It is important to understand that the deities Horus and Seth originated independently and only later merged with the cult of Osiris. They are pre-dynastic deities who became part of the Osiris myth during the early period of the Old Kingdom and became inseparably connected to it in the later half of the New kingdom, This is why some myths and traditions explicitly refer to the two gods as brothers and do not mention any relationship to Osiris, such as in the myth of Horus of Behutet and the winged disk. There were religious circles that worshipped Horus as their main god and creator of the universe even before Ra or Osiris. If we have a look at the first versions of the Osiris myth in the Pyramid Texts, we will find many similarities to the newer, more well-known versions: Osiris, Isis, Seth, and Nephthys are siblings, Osiris inherits the throne of the gods after Geb, Seth kills Osiris because he kicked him, Seth cuts the body of Osiris into pieces, Isis reassembles him, Isis begets Horus, Horus revives Osiris, Horus fights Seth, Horus and Seth have sex (yes, this is actually one of the oldest surviving episodes of the Osiris myth), Seth and Horus tear off body parts from each other and Horus becomes king. But there are also significant differences: In one passage Isis is mentioned to be the eldest of Nut's children, Thoth is also briefly mentioned as the brother of Osiris, Thoth and Seth kill Osiris together, Osiris is stabbed to death, Horus and Seth penetrate each other during sex, there is more focus on reconciling Horus and Seth, Isis and Nephthys play supporting roles and are barely mentioned, there is no tribunal of the gods and the entire childhood of Horus is skipped over. There were of course several reasons for this, such as the fact that Seth was not yet demonized to this extent, the Isis cult wasn't that important yet and Horus was not yet known as a child god. Especially in the new kingdom, the mother-father-child relationship between Osiris, Isis and Horus became more and more important. One of the reasons for this was that triads of gods gained in popularity. Especially the triad of Thebes consisting of Mut, Amun, and Khonsu. One of Khonsu's forms was Khonsu-pa-chered , which explicitly portrayed the deity as the patron of childhood.
As the Amunian cult merged with the Osirian, Horus, and Khonsu were increasingly identified with each other. The first written mentions of Harpocrates date from the XXI dynasty in the titulature of the priestesses who were assigned to the Theban triad, consisting of the god Amun, the goddess Mut and the son of the god Khonsu. his first known representation appears on a stele erected in Mendes during the reign of Sheshonq III (XXIIth Libyan dynasty) to commemorate a donation by the flutist Ankhhorpakhered. Originally, Harpocrates was elaborated as a duplicate of Khonsu-the-child (Khonsu-pa-khered). Unlike Horus, who until then had been seen primarily as an adult god, the nature of Khonsu, the lunar god, was characterized by his youth. Initially, the cults of Harpocrates and Khonsu combined in a sanctuary located within the walls of Mut at Karnak. This sanctuary, transformed into a Mammisi during the XXIth dynasty, celebrates the divine birth of the pharaoh in scenes where the motherhood of the queen mother is equated with those of Mut and Isis. The merging of Amonian and Osirian beliefs resulted into a double ancestry for Hapocrates/horus-pa-chered. As an example, the graffiti in the quarries of the Wadi Hammamat call him "Horus-the child(Hapocrates/Horus-pa-chered), son of Osiris and Isis, the Great, the Elder, the firstborn of Amun". The popularity of the Osirian religion made Harpocrates the paragon of the child-gods within the sole framework of the Osirian family
At the same time, more and more stories about Horus' childhood emerged, which always follow the same story pattern: Horus is a child and gets hidden by Isis from Seth, Seth tries to hurt Horus, and the other goddesses have to save him.
The infant Horus, hidden by Isis in the papyrus thickets of the Delta for fear of his uncle Seth, is the object of diverse attacks on his life, and hence spells used to ward off or to treat snakebites or scorpion stings, as well as diverse illnesses, or to secure one against other sorts of hazard, are frequently linked to this episode in the myth, often by taking the form of an appeal to Isis on behalf of Horus, with whom the patient is identified.
Harpocrates is not the only form of Horus as a child, however: other Horus-child-gods include Her-iunmutef, Her-sema-tawy, Hor-nechen-chered, Hor-renpi, Hor-sa-Usir, Harendotes, Hor-nedj-Hor-itef, Harachbit, Hor-em-nechenuef, Hor-hekenu, Hor-pa-chered-wer-tepi-en-Amun, Hor-pa-Re-pa-chered, Hor-pa-chered-en-Setech, Hor-sa-aset-en-Gebtiu, Hor-sa-aset-sa-Usir, Hor-sa-aset-Schenes, Hor-hun, Hor-wadj, Hor-achti-pa-chered, Hor-pa-chered-en-Bat, Hor-sa-aset-em-achbit, Hor-sa-aset-em-Behdet, Hor-sa-aset-em-Mehet, Hor-sa-aset-em-set-wenep, Harsiese-Min-Re, Harsiese-Osiris, Hor-Semataui-pa-chered, Hor-nechen, Hor-wedja-pa-chered (....)
Neither Hapocrates nor any other Horus-child-gods are necessarily associated with the Osiris cult. Hapocrates was not always the son of Osiris and Isis, but could also be the son of various other deities, depending on the cult centers in which he was worshipped. Some of these child deities even distanced themselves so far from the other Horus cults that they were sometimes treated as separate deities without being completely independent of Horus. Here are two examples: In Edfu, Harsomtus, a Horus-child-god, was worshipped as the son of Horus himself and Hathor. Or a particularly obscure version of the Osiris myth, where a female Horus has children with his/her father Osiris, all of whom are partial aspects of him/her: A hieratic papyrus, known as the Delta Mythological Manual, refers to a unique mythic cycle about "Horit". This Horit is the daughter of Osiris and mother, by him, of five sons, whom the text names as (1) Humehen; (2) the “Son of the Two Lords”, analogous to Thoth; (3) Horus of Medenu (Philadelpheia in the Fayum); (4) Horus of the Upper Royal Child Nome (Im-Khent or “Prince of the South”, the 18th nome or province of Lower Egypt); and (5), somewhat paradoxically, Horus-son-of-Isis.
Then there are many other manifestations of Horus who belong neither to Horus-wer nor to the Horus-child-deities: Like Heru-Behdeti,Her-em-akhet, Hor Merti, Horkhenti Irti, Herui, Harachte, Harmachis, Harpare (..)
Unfortunately, I still hear the claim of the existence of Horus the Elder und Younger online. This is a completely outdated interpretation of Egyptian mythology and not even Plutarch made this claim. As far as I could tell, Plutarch didn't even came up with the term “Horus the Younger”. So the whole Horus the Elder and the Younger thing is basically the modern misconception of a Greek misconception of Egyptian Mythology. Of the countless forms of Horus, Plutarch chose three that were particularly popular in his time and used them to show how complex and varied the worship of Horus was. It was also a perfect way for him to explain various origin stories of Horus and help his Greek audience to understand Egyptian beliefs.
The differentiation between Horus the Elder and Horus the Younger created by Plutarch is often assigned to the real mythological aspects of Horus such as Horus-Wer and Hapocrates. Firstly, to call Horus the Eldar and Horus the Younger the literal translation Hours-pa-chered and Horus-Wer is simply incorrect and secondly, the countless aspects of Horus do not fit into the two Horus-categories.

I have seen where Marika is sometimes interpreted as having attributes connected to Odin - trickster, hung on a tree and stabbed with a spear, dropped an eye (scarseal) down a well - but less often do I see identified Marika/Radagon's thematic ties to other Norse gods and especially Loki.
From review of the literature Radagon alone is something of an amalgamation of many myths and stories: Loki, Illmarinen/Kullervo, Orion, Xolotl, Gollum/Smeagol, the Rebis and/or a literal interpretation of man and woman becoming "one flesh" as described in Genesis in Christian bibles (and a handful of others). All under the combined names of sun god Ra and prosperity god Dagon. It may even be appropriate to think of him as a mimic on a meta level, given all of these inspirations pulled together.
And of all of those inspiration one stands out as especially synergistic with a mimic character - Loki the Trickster and shapeshifter. Specifically the version of Loki that appears in Wagner's Ring Cycle in the mid-1800's is red haired because Loki is conflated with the fire giant 'Logi' for that production. On the other hand it also makes some sense to associate Radagon with the explicitly red-haired Thor who wields a hammer as yet another persona (more on that later).
The main point is the characteristics of Loki that apply directly and indirectly around Radagon:

• Half giant heritage. Radagon hates his hair the colour of fire giants - this one is clear. .
  
• Shapeshifter who has had children in male and female form. Radagon has fathered children and Marika has been mother to children. The 8-legged horse Sleipnir does not make an appearance but perhaps a spiritual analogue does: the Royal Revenants are 8-limbed. Also Godwyn is described as "scion of the Golden Bough" and a scion is a limb taken from a tree, so perhaps it is meant to be that in the empty space of the narrative Marika was mother to 8 children of the Golden Lineage. This is just my speculation though - after all no depiction of a many-legged horse was going to top Bloodborne's Ludwig so I can understand why this myth in particular is more metaphorical. .
  
• Had three children with a giantess: Hela the queen of the underworld who is half dead and half alive (Ranni), Jormungandr the World Serpent (Rykard), and Fenris Wolf who has the most convoluted mythology of the 3 but is most known for having a voracious appetite (Radahn eats corpses and howls at the sky) and biting off the hand of the god Tyr when he was chained (Malenia's arm was already artificial, but the cinematic makes a point of Radahn knocking it off in their fight, and after the rot is unleashed Radahn is essentially neutralized and kept in a corner to wander mindlessly). The twist on the classic here is that none of the three were born into these roles and instead all grew into them. .
  
• Loki wagered his head in a bet with a craftsman who forged 3 treasures: a ring for Odin that generates 8 copies of itself every 9 days, a golden boar for Freyr, and Thor's hammer Mjolnir. Two of the treasures have parallels in the Elden Ring (not being pedantic about the exact number of rings in the Great Runes) and Marika's Hammer. The third is less obvious but there are indeed boars in the Lands Between. And now a man riding boar in the Shadow of the Erdtree trailer. When he lost the bet the craftsman had planned to behead him, but Loki pointed out that he had not wagered his neck, so instead the craftsman sewed his mouth shut. My main point is that the Preceptor's Mask associated with Radagon's journey to Liurnia has the mouth "sewn shut", and this is in contrast to the Glintstone Crowns having implications of beheading when made into schools of graven mages. .
  
• Was imprisoned for his role in tricking Hodr - the blind Norse god of darkness - into killing Baldr - Norse god of light. Parallel to the death of Godwyn. This has led to sometimes matching Ranni to Loki, which I think only makes sense if it is ignored that nothing about Ranni other than this single act and fondness for schemes links her to Loki. In terms of Tricksters, she may have more in common with Egyptian goddess Isis - the most high profile female trickster god who conducts her trickery through embodying the maiden, mother and crone. But sometimes traits/stories get split between characters. .
  
• Is credited in Snorri Sturlson's Prose Edda with inventing the fishing net (same pattern as Radagon's rune). This also connects to an incident just before Loki was caught where he takes the form of a salmon and the gods use his own net to help catch him (Radagon's rune blocking entry to the Erdtree). However, there is another connection to Ranni here as it is said in the more reliable Poetic Edda that Loki actually borrowed the net from Rán, goddess of the sea. .
  
• Obtained from craftsmen a wig of golden hair for Sif - wife of Thor - to replace the hair he cut off for a trick by shaving her bald. This one is not explicitly invoked - aside from the tendency for demigods to be shorn of their hair and have it included in their helms. It is more an exercise of extrapolation after identifying a pattern with other Loki stories, and also drawing upon that imagery of Radagon wielding Thor's hammer. Imagine Radagon divesting himself of his red hair and replacing it with golden hair as part of becoming Marika as a preferred identity. Sif also was known to wear a veil in the time before receiving new hair - and Marika wears a veil in her church statues. The statue of a bald monk appears to be symbolic of the beginning of Marika's Age of the Erdtree. I know that FromSoft knows who Sif is because they named a wolf after her in Dark Souls. .
  
• Lost the goddess Idunn and her apples of immortality and needed to fetch her back after borrowing Freya's cloak of raptor feathers, during which time the gods began to age rapidly. This one seems to be somewhat in progress based on all of the zombie-like Wandering Nobels throughout the land.
  

And to tie back to the beginning scholarship speculates that Loki originated as a disguise of Odin as Trickster God. FromSoft has stated explicitly who most embodies Odin: Gideon Ofnir. Ófnir is a name meaning "Inciter" and attributed as a moniker of Odin by Snorri. Gideon synergizes well as a Tarnished version of Radagon - representing a previous version of him from a certain point in time. If you like, consider Gideon to be a companion who joined Radagon on the campaign to Raya Lucaria - he had to have made an acquaintance of Seluvis at some point after all. Gideon claims to know that Marika wishes the Tarnished to struggle forever, which places him on the same line of thought as Radagon's eternal agonized hammering of the ring (and Gideon's weapon is a type of hammer as well). Radagon has been noted to use only incantations in his fight despite having spent time learning sorcery at Raya Lucaria. These traits of combining incantations and sorcery are instead displayed by Gideon who gives payoff to the characterization of Odin as wizard.
So rather in this case the plucking of eyes and hanging on a tree of Marika seems to be a consequence of regression to what would be expected from a Radagon-as-Loki-as-Odin offshoot: trying to solve a problem like an Odin would. And Marika nailed to a tree also likely pulls a reference to the death of Finduilas, also known as "Faelivrin" meaning "gleam of the sun on the water" or as I see it: the icon for Memory of Grace. But that's a tangent from Tolkein-based research about Gelmir, a character who also had his eyes blinded during a long imprisonment.

"I will restore to you the years the locust has eaten..." Joel 2:25
Not everything we learn is the truth. We may receive advice from selfish or misguided people. We can misperceive life's lessons due to age, or bias. False beliefs lock us into unhealthy patterns, negative emotions, and poor use of our resources. When our faulty logic causes us to sin against one another, God can't bless us the way He wants to.
This study will touch on three lies I no longer believe.
Lie 1. The devil rules the world.
Lie 2. Godliness is something we can only look forward to in heaven.
Lie 3. As Christians, we should keep the peace by always turning the other cheek.
Jesus said, "All power is given to me in heaven and on earth." (Luke 19:12-15) When someone tells you the devil rules this world, that's a mistake. The devil is a defeated foe. He lost his job in heaven in the days Jesus still walked the earth. (Luke 10:17-22) The devil is still among us, no doubt, but he no longer has any authority in heaven. (1 Peter 5:8) The first two humans offered the devil their obedience in the garden of Eden. We've been doing the same thing ever since. (John 8:44, Romans 3:23, Ecclesiastes 7:19-22) Out of love for us, Jesus purchased our debts to Justice with His blood. The Author has taken back His authority over everything. If we aren't moved by this, our rebellious and ignorant tendencies push us to give allegiance to our Creator's enemy. The devil only rules the part of the world that submits to him through sin.
The Bible shows us what the devil was created for. We see in the book of Job, how Satan deviated from his function as a Watcher over men, and became "the Accuser." God doesn't allow that kind of thing anymore. (Zechariah 3:1-2)
In Luke 19:12-14, we read about a nobleman who left his country to receive a kingdom.
Luke 19:12-14

12 Jesus said: "A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive a kingdom and to return. 13 "So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, 'Do business till I come.' 14 "But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We will not have this man to reign over us.'

This is what we see going on in the world today. God's servants are commissioned to invest in the Kingdom. The people saying, "We will not have this man rule over us", they're choosing to take their money and run. They're making a defeated foe their father. (John 8:44, Jeremiah 3:19, 1 Corinthians 10:14-24) I imagine that the devil thinks to turn us all against our coming King, and thereby proclaim victory. This is not going to help Satan one bit. God's mercy is not so great to keep him from enacting justice. (Luke 18:6-8) Jesus' torturous death is proof of how seriously God views sin. Jesus purchased the whole earth on the cross. His innocent blood was shed for every person who could not find atonement through the law of Moses. (Acts 13:39, Romans 8:3, Galatians 3:13, Jeremiah 31:31-34) Jesus' act of love causes us to rethink our sin. We can ask for, and receive the power of His Holy Spirit of truth. (John 14:12-18, Ephesians 1:13, Numbers 11:25) With the truth in our conscience, we're able to overcome demands of our flesh. All Jesus asks now, is that we live by the laws of His kingdom. When Jesus comes back, those who obey His laws will take their place in His kingdom. Those who continue to obey the laws of the devil will be counted as rebels.
Jesus bought the earth 2000 years ago. We've been given plenty of time to come to terms with this and make peace with Him. The reason life is so hard for Christians all over the world is because Satan's adherents refuse to surrender. The devil is perfectly happy to watch us destroy one another with sin. He won't give us the truth about anything. He has his people believing death is a natural part of life! Jesus gave up His life on earth to buy us out of slavery to sin and death.
To enforce His right to see godly people live in peace, there's going to be a war over the earth. That war will begin at what we call the second coming of Christ. (Isaiah 63:1, Mark 14:62, Matthew 24:30) We who have surrendered our lives to Jesus' law of love, will be taken off the battlefield, like Lot was taken out of Sodom. The people of Sodom didn't have a chance against God once Lot was gone. The people who don't love others as themselves will be destroyed in the same way. (Luke 13:1-5, Luke 19:27, Luke 17:20-37, Isaiah 66:24, Mark 9:47-48) Peter says, "What kind of people ought we to be, seeing that the world will be burnt up?" (2 Peter 3:9-13) He also says "If the righteous are scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?" (1 Peter 4:12-19)
What does it mean to be godly? Well, our lives are arranged in such a marvelous way as to teach us what godliness is. We are all born without the ability to meet our own needs. Even our first breath often comes after someone has given us a swift slap to get us going. Every single one of us that survives infancy knows he owes his life to those who valued helping the weak. This is the parable of the mustard seed. The first truth we come to understand is this; helping the weak is the path to life.
This birth of the conscience makes us thankful for help and resentful at unfairness. We eagerly await the day we can be like those who carried us through. If we suffered injustice, we hope to make up for the wrongs done. This is the beginning of godliness. The completion of it, is to selflessly and humbly relieve needs when we can, and to stop causing trouble. (Mark 4:32, Job 29:11-17) Do you remember how proud you were when you were first able to help your family? We're all a family, descended from a man and his rib, which was made into a woman. Adam and Eve were one, and so are we, if we will just choose it. Jesus said, "Love your enemies, that you may be children of your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:43-45) Whatever we do to love one another makes us like our God of love. That's godliness. We can be godly here and now.
Once we have a little power to do for ourselves, though, we forget to keep faith with our conscience. Don't let your lusts mislead you; acts that are neutral are not godly, and the unloving things we indulge are sin. Even our words, if they tear others down without helping to rebuild in a healthy way, they are sinful. (Luke 6:39-45) If our enemies aren't sorry for their sins against us, we can't support them. (Matthew 18:15-17) But if our enemies are sorry, we do have to help them if they're in need! Remember, your enemy is someone who doesn't have as much truth as you do. When we love our enemies, we show them how good the truth is. (Matthew 5:19, Psalm 34:6-8, Exodus 23:4-5)
Compare Jesus' payment for our sins to the parable of the Prodigal (wasteful) Son. (Luke 15:11-24) A thankless child grew up and demanded his father to give him his inheritance. The father gathered up a third of his living, handed it to his son and let him go. The father loved the son, but he was in rebellion. He couldn't have that behavior in his house or it could pollute everyone. Sin and love can't stay together, just like the body can't live with cancer. If your blood supply continues to feed cancer, you're going to lose your whole body. In 1 Corinthians 5:1-7, Paul talks about "handing people over to Satan." He explains that he is like a doctor who's done all he can to treat a cancer, and surgery is now the only option. (Matthew 5:30, Genesis 21:9-10)
Sometimes a person's behavior becomes toxic. This can cause healthy members of the body to become sick or worse. It's unwise to keep offering a turned cheek to someone who enjoys slapping you. It's unsafe to preserve toxic relationships as they are. It's also unwise to start them. (Proverbs 13:20, 1 Corinthians 15:33, 2 Corinthians 6:14) Speaking for myself, some of us are like a house pet with a volatile master. If you've ever had an angry housemate, and a little dog, you may have seen this. Your dog will try to warm up to that person, hoping they can overcome the negativity. The poor animal looks like a glutton for punishment. The problem is, he's sure it's his fault that the hot-head is behaving poorly, so he keeps trying to befriend the bully. Hopefully, your dog learns to hide from the person, when he realizes it's not his fault. Having been the scapegoat in my family of origin, it taught me things like this, which I've had to unlearn. I'm thankful for the talent this gave me, to be a peacemaker in emergencies. That's the only good that came from it, though. When I use this skill within its healthy boundaries, its a blessing. But if I tolerate injustice and hostility to keep peace, I've given the selfish bully a license to sin. (Luke 17:3)
My prayer for us today is that we will see the lines between loving our enemies and enabling them. I pray God will give us courage to make the hard decisions that will lead to lasting peace. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Scripture references:
Because of our sin, we suffer. God doesn't want to see us suffer. We are not safe to bless, though, until we agree to love one another in a way worthy of eternity.
Joel 2:25 NKJV

25 "So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you.

Luke 19:12-15 NKJV

12 Therefore He said: "A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. 13 "So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, 'Do business till I come.' 14 "But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We will not have this man to reign over us.' 15 "And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.

Our accuser, the devil, is defeated by the united force of truth and love. We are called to be prepared to live out the truth in love at all times. This is our greatest power over every enemy.
Luke 10:17-22 NKJV

17 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name." 18 And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 "Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 "Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven." 21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. 22 "All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."

1 Peter 5:8 NKJV

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

John 8:44 NKJV

44 "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

Our righteousness cannot save us, only the blood of Jesus can purchase us back from slavery to sin.
Romans 3:23 NKJV

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Ecclesiastes 7:19-22 NKJV

19 Wisdom strengthens the wise More than ten rulers of the city. 20 For there is not a just man on earth who does good And does not sin. 21 Also do not take to heart everything people say, Lest you hear your servant cursing you. 22 For many times, also, your own heart has known That even you have cursed others.

Zechariah 3:1-2 NKJV

1 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him. 2 And the LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?"

We have the free-will to choose our spiritual Father. Our choice determines whose authority we submit to.
Jeremiah 3:19 NKJV

19 "But I said: 'How can I put you among the children And give you a pleasant land, A beautiful heritage of the hosts of nations?' "And I said: 'You shall call Me, "My Father," And not turn away from Me.'

1 Corinthians 10:14-24 NKJV

14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to wise men; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 17 For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread. 18 Observe Israel after the flesh: Are not those who eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar? 19 What am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything? 20 Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord's table and of the table of demons. 22 Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He? 23 All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. 24 Let no one seek his own, but each one the other's well-being.

God's mercy is not foolish. Justice will be served, in order to protect those who choose truth, life, and love.
Luke 18:6-8 NKJV

6 Then the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge said. 7 "And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? 8 "I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"

Jesus' blood made us at one with God again. His torturous death ensured that even the most guilty sinner would have his debt to justice paid in full.
Acts 13:39 NKJV

39 "and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.

Romans 8:3 NKJV

3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,

Galatians 3:13 NKJV

13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"),

Jeremiah 31:31-34 NKJV

31 "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah-- 32 "not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. 33 "But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 "No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."

As Christians, we are united with God through Jesus' righteousness. This gives us the right to request God's Holy Spirit of Truth. His Spirit can purify our hearts and give us the desire and strength to overcome our urges to sin.
John 14:12-18 NKJV

12 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 "If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. 15 "If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever-- 17 "the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

Ephesians 1:13 NKJV

13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,

Numbers 11:25 NKJV

25 Then the LORD came down in the cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and placed the same upon the seventy elders; and it happened, when the Spirit rested upon them, that they prophesied, although they never did so again.

God's Spirit renews our minds. It makes us "born from above," or "born again." It is an "upgrade" to our conscience that can keep us on God's path. Our responsibility is to submit to it. This is how to be godly.
Isaiah 63:1 NKJV

1 Who is this who comes from Edom, With dyed garments from Bozrah, This One who is glorious in His apparel, Traveling in the greatness of His strength?--"I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save."

Mark 14:62 NKJV

62 Jesus said, "I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven."

Matthew 24:30 NKJV

30 "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Luke 13:1-5 NKJV

1 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? 3 "I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. 4 "Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? 5 "I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."

Luke 19:27 NKJV

27 'But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me.' "

Luke 17:20-37 NKJV

20 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21 "nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!' For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you." 22 Then He said to the disciples, "The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. 23 "And they will say to you, 'Look here!' or 'Look there!' Do not go after them or follow them. 24 "For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day. 25 "But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. 26 "And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: 27 "They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 "Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; 29 "but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 "Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. 31 "In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back. 32 "Remember Lot's wife. 33 "Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. 34 "I tell you, in that night there will be two men in one bed: the one will be taken and the other will be left. 35 "Two women will be grinding together: the one will be taken and the other left. 36 "Two men will be in the field: the one will be taken and the other left." 37 And they answered and said to Him, "Where, Lord?" So He said to them, "Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together."

Isaiah 66:24 NKJV 24 "And they shall go forth and look Upon the corpses of the men Who have transgressed against Me. For their worm does not die, And their fire is not quenched. They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh."
Mark 9:47-48 NKJV

47 "And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire-- 48 "where 'Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.'

2 Peter 3:9-13 NKJV

9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

Until our Lord returns for us, we fight the good fight against sin. We do this by being faithful to Him and trusting in His faithfulness. Being faithful to God, means to make things fair to the best of our ability.
1 Peter 4:12-19 NKJV

12 Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; 13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. 14 If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people's matters. 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter. 17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 Now "If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?" 19 Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.

Mark 4:32 NKJV

32 "but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade."

Job 29:11-17 NKJV

11 When the ear heard, then it blessed me, And when the eye saw, then it approved me; 12 Because I delivered the poor who cried out, The fatherless and the one who had no helper. 13 The blessing of a perishing man came upon me, And I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy. 14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; My justice was like a robe and a turban. 15 I was eyes to the blind, And I was feet to the lame. 16 I was a father to the poor, And I searched out the case that I did not know. 17 I broke the fangs of the wicked, And plucked the victim from his teeth.

Matthew 5:43-45 NKJV

43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 "that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

Luke 6:39-45 NKJV

39 And He spoke a parable to them: "Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch? 40 "A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher. 41 "And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye? 42 "Or how can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother's eye. 43 "For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 "For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. 45 "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Matthew 18:15-17 NKJV

15 "Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. 16 "But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that 'by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.' 17 "And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.

God's commandments (Exodus 20:1-17, Matthew 5, 6 and 7) show us what it takes to be right with God. When we live out these laws, Jesus' enemies can see why His logic is good.
Matthew 5:19 NKJV

19 "Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Psalm 34:6-8 NKJV 6 This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them. 8 Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
Exodus 23:4-5 NKJV

4 "If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again. 5 "If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden, and you would refrain from helping it, you shall surely help him with it.

We should turn the other cheek when there is an opportunity to overcome evil with good. Unrepentant people are not safe to bless, or to keep in our inner circle.
Luke 15:11-24 NKJV

11 Then He said: "A certain man had two sons. 12 "And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.' So he divided to them his livelihood. 13 "And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. 14 "But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. 15 "Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 "And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything. 17 "But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 'I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 "and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants." ' 20 "And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 21 "And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.' 22 "But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 23 'And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 24 'for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' And they began to be merry.

Matthew 5:30 NKJV

30 "And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

Genesis 21:9-10 NKJV

9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing. 10 Therefore she said to Abraham, "Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac."

Proverbs 13:20 NKJV

20 He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed.

1 Corinthians 15:33 NKJV

33 Do not be deceived: "Evil company corrupts good habits."

2 Corinthians 6:14 NKJV

14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?

Luke 17:3 NKJV

3 "Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.

May our Father grant us the strength to have healthy boundaries. Peace to you.

"I will restore to you the years the locust has eaten..." Joel 2:25
Not everything we learn is the truth. We may receive advice from selfish or misguided people. We can misperceive life's lessons due to age, or bias. False beliefs lock us into unhealthy patterns, negative emotions, and poor use of our resources. When our faulty logic causes us to sin against one another, God can't bless us the way He wants to.
This study will touch on three lies I no longer believe.
Lie 1. The devil rules the world.
Lie 2. Godliness is something we can only look forward to in heaven.
Lie 3. As Christians, we should keep the peace by always turning the other cheek.
Jesus said, "All power is given to me in heaven and on earth." (Luke 19:12-15) When someone tells you the devil rules this world, that's a mistake. The devil is a defeated foe. He lost his job in heaven in the days Jesus still walked the earth. (Luke 10:17-22) The devil is still among us, no doubt, but he no longer has any authority in heaven. (1 Peter 5:8) The first two humans offered the devil their obedience in the garden of Eden. We've been doing the same thing ever since. (John 8:44, Romans 3:23, Ecclesiastes 7:19-22) Out of love for us, Jesus purchased our debts to Justice with His blood. The Author has taken back His authority over everything. If we aren't moved by this, our rebellious and ignorant tendencies push us to give allegiance to our Creator's enemy. The devil only rules the part of the world that submits to him through sin.
The Bible shows us what the devil was created for. We see in the book of Job, how Satan deviated from his function as a Watcher over men, and became "the Accuser." God doesn't allow that kind of thing anymore. (Zechariah 3:1-2)
In Luke 19:12-14, we read about a nobleman who left his country to receive a kingdom.
Luke 19:12-14

12 Jesus said: "A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive a kingdom and to return. 13 "So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, 'Do business till I come.' 14 "But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We will not have this man to reign over us.'

This is what we see going on in the world today. God's servants are commissioned to invest in the Kingdom. The people saying, "We will not have this man rule over us", they're choosing to take their money and run. They're making a defeated foe their father. (John 8:44, Jeremiah 3:19, 1 Corinthians 10:14-24) I imagine that the devil thinks to turn us all against our coming King, and thereby proclaim victory. This is not going to help Satan one bit. God's mercy is not so great to keep him from enacting justice. (Luke 18:6-8) Jesus' torturous death is proof of how seriously God views sin. Jesus purchased the whole earth on the cross. His innocent blood was shed for every person who could not find atonement through the law of Moses. (Acts 13:39, Romans 8:3, Galatians 3:13, Jeremiah 31:31-34) Jesus' act of love causes us to rethink our sin. We can ask for, and receive the power of His Holy Spirit of truth. (John 14:12-18, Ephesians 1:13, Numbers 11:25) With the truth in our conscience, we're able to overcome demands of our flesh. All Jesus asks now, is that we live by the laws of His kingdom. When Jesus comes back, those who obey His laws will take their place in His kingdom. Those who continue to obey the laws of the devil will be counted as rebels.
Jesus bought the earth 2000 years ago. We've been given plenty of time to come to terms with this and make peace with Him. The reason life is so hard for Christians all over the world is because Satan's adherents refuse to surrender. The devil is perfectly happy to watch us destroy one another with sin. He won't give us the truth about anything. He has his people believing death is a natural part of life! Jesus gave up His life on earth to buy us out of slavery to sin and death.
To enforce His right to see godly people live in peace, there's going to be a war over the earth. That war will begin at what we call the second coming of Christ. (Isaiah 63:1, Mark 14:62, Matthew 24:30) We who have surrendered our lives to Jesus' law of love, will be taken off the battlefield, like Lot was taken out of Sodom. The people of Sodom didn't have a chance against God once Lot was gone. The people who don't love others as themselves will be destroyed in the same way. (Luke 13:1-5, Luke 19:27, Luke 17:20-37, Isaiah 66:24, Mark 9:47-48) Peter says, "What kind of people ought we to be, seeing that the world will be burnt up?" (2 Peter 3:9-13) He also says "If the righteous are scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?" (1 Peter 4:12-19)
What does it mean to be godly? Well, our lives are arranged in such a marvelous way as to teach us what godliness is. We are all born without the ability to meet our own needs. Even our first breath often comes after someone has given us a swift slap to get us going. Every single one of us that survives infancy knows he owes his life to those who valued helping the weak. This is the parable of the mustard seed. The first truth we come to understand is this; helping the weak is the path to life.
This birth of the conscience makes us thankful for help and resentful at unfairness. We eagerly await the day we can be like those who carried us through. If we suffered injustice, we hope to make up for the wrongs done. This is the beginning of godliness. The completion of it, is to selflessly and humbly relieve needs when we can, and to stop causing trouble. (Mark 4:32, Job 29:11-17) Do you remember how proud you were when you were first able to help your family? We're all a family, descended from a man and his rib, which was made into a woman. Adam and Eve were one, and so are we, if we will just choose it. Jesus said, "Love your enemies, that you may be children of your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:43-45) Whatever we do to love one another makes us like our God of love. That's godliness. We can be godly here and now.
Once we have a little power to do for ourselves, though, we forget to keep faith with our conscience. Don't let your lusts mislead you; acts that are neutral are not godly, and the unloving things we indulge are sin. Even our words, if they tear others down without helping to rebuild in a healthy way, they are sinful. (Luke 6:39-45) If our enemies aren't sorry for their sins against us, we can't support them. (Matthew 18:15-17) But if our enemies are sorry, we do have to help them if they're in need! Remember, your enemy is someone who doesn't have as much truth as you do. When we love our enemies, we show them how good the truth is. (Matthew 5:19, Psalm 34:6-8, Exodus 23:4-5)
Compare Jesus' payment for our sins to the parable of the Prodigal (wasteful) Son. (Luke 15:11-24) A thankless child grew up and demanded his father to give him his inheritance. The father gathered up a third of his living, handed it to his son and let him go. The father loved the son, but he was in rebellion. He couldn't have that behavior in his house or it could pollute everyone. Sin and love can't stay together, just like the body can't live with cancer. If your blood supply continues to feed cancer, you're going to lose your whole body. In 1 Corinthians 5:1-7, Paul talks about "handing people over to Satan." He explains that he is like a doctor who's done all he can to treat a cancer, and surgery is now the only option. (Matthew 5:30, Genesis 21:9-10)
Sometimes a person's behavior becomes toxic. This can cause healthy members of the body to become sick or worse. It's unwise to keep offering a turned cheek to someone who enjoys slapping you. It's unsafe to preserve toxic relationships as they are. It's also unwise to start them. (Proverbs 13:20, 1 Corinthians 15:33, 2 Corinthians 6:14) Speaking for myself, some of us are like a house pet with a volatile master. If you've ever had an angry housemate, and a little dog, you may have seen this. Your dog will try to warm up to that person, hoping they can overcome the negativity. The poor animal looks like a glutton for punishment. The problem is, he's sure it's his fault that the hot-head is behaving poorly, so he keeps trying to befriend the bully. Hopefully, your dog learns to hide from the person, when he realizes it's not his fault. Having been the scapegoat in my family of origin, it taught me things like this, which I've had to unlearn. I'm thankful for the talent this gave me, to be a peacemaker in emergencies. That's the only good that came from it, though. When I use this skill within its healthy boundaries, its a blessing. But if I tolerate injustice and hostility to keep peace, I've given the selfish bully a license to sin. (Luke 17:3)
My prayer for us today is that we will see the lines between loving our enemies and enabling them. I pray God will give us courage to make the hard decisions that will lead to lasting peace. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Scripture references:
Because of our sin, we suffer. God doesn't want to see us suffer. We are not safe to bless, though, until we agree to love one another in a way worthy of eternity.
Joel 2:25 NKJV

25 "So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you.

Luke 19:12-15 NKJV

12 Therefore He said: "A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. 13 "So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, 'Do business till I come.' 14 "But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We will not have this man to reign over us.' 15 "And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.

Our accuser, the devil, is defeated by the united force of truth and love. We are called to be prepared to live out the truth in love at all times. This is our greatest power over every enemy.
Luke 10:17-22 NKJV

17 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name." 18 And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 "Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 "Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven." 21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. 22 "All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."

1 Peter 5:8 NKJV

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

John 8:44 NKJV

44 "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

Our righteousness cannot save us, only the blood of Jesus can purchase us back from slavery to sin.
Romans 3:23 NKJV

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Ecclesiastes 7:19-22 NKJV

19 Wisdom strengthens the wise More than ten rulers of the city. 20 For there is not a just man on earth who does good And does not sin. 21 Also do not take to heart everything people say, Lest you hear your servant cursing you. 22 For many times, also, your own heart has known That even you have cursed others.

Zechariah 3:1-2 NKJV

1 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him. 2 And the LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?"

We have the free-will to choose our spiritual Father. Our choice determines whose authority we submit to.
Jeremiah 3:19 NKJV

19 "But I said: 'How can I put you among the children And give you a pleasant land, A beautiful heritage of the hosts of nations?' "And I said: 'You shall call Me, "My Father," And not turn away from Me.'

1 Corinthians 10:14-24 NKJV

14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to wise men; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 17 For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread. 18 Observe Israel after the flesh: Are not those who eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar? 19 What am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything? 20 Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord's table and of the table of demons. 22 Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He? 23 All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. 24 Let no one seek his own, but each one the other's well-being.

God's mercy is not foolish. Justice will be served, in order to protect those who choose truth, life, and love.
Luke 18:6-8 NKJV

6 Then the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge said. 7 "And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? 8 "I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"

Jesus' blood made us at one with God again. His torturous death ensured that even the most guilty sinner would have his debt to justice paid in full.
Acts 13:39 NKJV

39 "and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.

Romans 8:3 NKJV

3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,

Galatians 3:13 NKJV

13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"),

Jeremiah 31:31-34 NKJV

31 "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah-- 32 "not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. 33 "But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 "No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."

As Christians, we are united with God through Jesus' righteousness. This gives us the right to request God's Holy Spirit of Truth. His Spirit can purify our hearts and give us the desire and strength to overcome our urges to sin.
John 14:12-18 NKJV

12 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 "If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. 15 "If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever-- 17 "the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

Ephesians 1:13 NKJV

13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,

Numbers 11:25 NKJV

25 Then the LORD came down in the cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and placed the same upon the seventy elders; and it happened, when the Spirit rested upon them, that they prophesied, although they never did so again.

God's Spirit renews our minds. It makes us "born from above," or "born again." It is an "upgrade" to our conscience that can keep us on God's path. Our responsibility is to submit to it. This is how to be godly.
Isaiah 63:1 NKJV

1 Who is this who comes from Edom, With dyed garments from Bozrah, This One who is glorious in His apparel, Traveling in the greatness of His strength?--"I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save."

Mark 14:62 NKJV

62 Jesus said, "I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven."

Matthew 24:30 NKJV

30 "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Luke 13:1-5 NKJV

1 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? 3 "I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. 4 "Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? 5 "I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."

Luke 19:27 NKJV

27 'But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me.' "

Luke 17:20-37 NKJV

20 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21 "nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!' For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you." 22 Then He said to the disciples, "The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. 23 "And they will say to you, 'Look here!' or 'Look there!' Do not go after them or follow them. 24 "For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day. 25 "But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. 26 "And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: 27 "They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 "Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; 29 "but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 "Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. 31 "In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back. 32 "Remember Lot's wife. 33 "Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. 34 "I tell you, in that night there will be two men in one bed: the one will be taken and the other will be left. 35 "Two women will be grinding together: the one will be taken and the other left. 36 "Two men will be in the field: the one will be taken and the other left." 37 And they answered and said to Him, "Where, Lord?" So He said to them, "Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together."

Isaiah 66:24 NKJV 24 "And they shall go forth and look Upon the corpses of the men Who have transgressed against Me. For their worm does not die, And their fire is not quenched. They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh."
Mark 9:47-48 NKJV

47 "And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire-- 48 "where 'Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.'

2 Peter 3:9-13 NKJV

9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

Until our Lord returns for us, we fight the good fight against sin. We do this by being faithful to Him and trusting in His faithfulness. Being faithful to God, means to make things fair to the best of our ability.
1 Peter 4:12-19 NKJV

12 Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; 13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. 14 If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people's matters. 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter. 17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 Now "If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?" 19 Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.

Mark 4:32 NKJV

32 "but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade."

Job 29:11-17 NKJV

11 When the ear heard, then it blessed me, And when the eye saw, then it approved me; 12 Because I delivered the poor who cried out, The fatherless and the one who had no helper. 13 The blessing of a perishing man came upon me, And I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy. 14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; My justice was like a robe and a turban. 15 I was eyes to the blind, And I was feet to the lame. 16 I was a father to the poor, And I searched out the case that I did not know. 17 I broke the fangs of the wicked, And plucked the victim from his teeth.

Matthew 5:43-45 NKJV

43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 "that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

Luke 6:39-45 NKJV

39 And He spoke a parable to them: "Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch? 40 "A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher. 41 "And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye? 42 "Or how can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother's eye. 43 "For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 "For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. 45 "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Matthew 18:15-17 NKJV

15 "Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. 16 "But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that 'by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.' 17 "And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.

God's commandments (Exodus 20:1-17, Matthew 5, 6 and 7) show us what it takes to be right with God. When we live out these laws, Jesus' enemies can see why His logic is good.
Matthew 5:19 NKJV

19 "Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Psalm 34:6-8 NKJV 6 This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them. 8 Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
Exodus 23:4-5 NKJV

4 "If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again. 5 "If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden, and you would refrain from helping it, you shall surely help him with it.

We should turn the other cheek when there is an opportunity to overcome evil with good. Unrepentant people are not safe to bless, or to keep in our inner circle.
Luke 15:11-24 NKJV

11 Then He said: "A certain man had two sons. 12 "And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.' So he divided to them his livelihood. 13 "And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. 14 "But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. 15 "Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 "And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything. 17 "But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 'I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 "and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants." ' 20 "And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 21 "And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.' 22 "But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 23 'And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 24 'for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' And they began to be merry.

Matthew 5:30 NKJV

30 "And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

Genesis 21:9-10 NKJV

9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing. 10 Therefore she said to Abraham, "Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac."

Proverbs 13:20 NKJV

20 He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed.

1 Corinthians 15:33 NKJV

33 Do not be deceived: "Evil company corrupts good habits."

2 Corinthians 6:14 NKJV

14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?

Luke 17:3 NKJV

3 "Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.

May our Father grant us the strength to have healthy boundaries. Peace to you.

"I will restore to you the years the locust has eaten..." Joel 2:25
Not everything we learn is the truth. We may receive advice from selfish or misguided people. We can misperceive life's lessons due to age, or bias. False beliefs lock us into unhealthy patterns, negative emotions, and poor use of our resources. When our faulty logic causes us to sin against one another, God can't bless us the way He wants to.
This study will touch on three lies I no longer believe.
Lie 1. The devil rules the world.
Lie 2. Godliness is something we can only look forward to in heaven.
Lie 3. As Christians, we should keep the peace by always turning the other cheek.
Jesus said, "All power is given to me in heaven and on earth." (Luke 19:12-15) When someone tells you the devil rules this world, that's a mistake. The devil is a defeated foe. He lost his job in heaven in the days Jesus still walked the earth. (Luke 10:17-22) The devil is still among us, no doubt, but he no longer has any authority in heaven. (1 Peter 5:8) The first two humans offered the devil their obedience in the garden of Eden. We've been doing the same thing ever since. (John 8:44, Romans 3:23, Ecclesiastes 7:19-22) Out of love for us, Jesus purchased our debts to Justice with His blood. The Author has taken back His authority over everything. If we aren't moved by this, our rebellious and ignorant tendencies push us to give allegiance to our Creator's enemy. The devil only rules the part of the world that submits to him through sin.
The Bible shows us what the devil was created for. We see in the book of Job, how Satan deviated from his function as a Watcher over men, and became "the Accuser." God doesn't allow that kind of thing anymore. (Zechariah 3:1-2)
In Luke 19:12-14, we read about a nobleman who left his country to receive a kingdom.
Luke 19:12-14

12 Jesus said: "A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive a kingdom and to return. 13 "So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, 'Do business till I come.' 14 "But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We will not have this man to reign over us.'

This is what we see going on in the world today. God's servants are commissioned to invest in the Kingdom. The people saying, "We will not have this man rule over us", they're choosing to take their money and run. They're making a defeated foe their father. (John 8:44, Jeremiah 3:19, 1 Corinthians 10:14-24) I imagine that the devil thinks to turn us all against our coming King, and thereby proclaim victory. This is not going to help Satan one bit. God's mercy is not so great to keep him from enacting justice. (Luke 18:6-8) Jesus' torturous death is proof of how seriously God views sin. Jesus purchased the whole earth on the cross. His innocent blood was shed for every person who could not find atonement through the law of Moses. (Acts 13:39, Romans 8:3, Galatians 3:13, Jeremiah 31:31-34) Jesus' act of love causes us to rethink our sin. We can ask for, and receive the power of His Holy Spirit of truth. (John 14:12-18, Ephesians 1:13, Numbers 11:25) With the truth in our conscience, we're able to overcome demands of our flesh. All Jesus asks now, is that we live by the laws of His kingdom. When Jesus comes back, those who obey His laws will take their place in His kingdom. Those who continue to obey the laws of the devil will be counted as rebels.
Jesus bought the earth 2000 years ago. We've been given plenty of time to come to terms with this and make peace with Him. The reason life is so hard for Christians all over the world is because Satan's adherents refuse to surrender. The devil is perfectly happy to watch us destroy one another with sin. He won't give us the truth about anything. He has his people believing death is a natural part of life! Jesus gave up His life on earth to buy us out of slavery to sin and death.
To enforce His right to see godly people live in peace, there's going to be a war over the earth. That war will begin at what we call the second coming of Christ. (Isaiah 63:1, Mark 14:62, Matthew 24:30) We who have surrendered our lives to Jesus' law of love, will be taken off the battlefield, like Lot was taken out of Sodom. The people of Sodom didn't have a chance against God once Lot was gone. The people who don't love others as themselves will be destroyed in the same way. (Luke 13:1-5, Luke 19:27, Luke 17:20-37, Isaiah 66:24, Mark 9:47-48) Peter says, "What kind of people ought we to be, seeing that the world will be burnt up?" (2 Peter 3:9-13) He also says "If the righteous are scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?" (1 Peter 4:12-19)
What does it mean to be godly? Well, our lives are arranged in such a marvelous way as to teach us what godliness is. We are all born without the ability to meet our own needs. Even our first breath often comes after someone has given us a swift slap to get us going. Every single one of us that survives infancy knows he owes his life to those who valued helping the weak. This is the parable of the mustard seed. The first truth we come to understand is this; helping the weak is the path to life.
This birth of the conscience makes us thankful for help and resentful at unfairness. We eagerly await the day we can be like those who carried us through. If we suffered injustice, we hope to make up for the wrongs done. This is the beginning of godliness. The completion of it, is to selflessly and humbly relieve needs when we can, and to stop causing trouble. (Mark 4:32, Job 29:11-17) Do you remember how proud you were when you were first able to help your family? We're all a family, descended from a man and his rib, which was made into a woman. Adam and Eve were one, and so are we, if we will just choose it. Jesus said, "Love your enemies, that you may be children of your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:43-45) Whatever we do to love one another makes us like our God of love. That's godliness. We can be godly here and now.
Once we have a little power to do for ourselves, though, we forget to keep faith with our conscience. Don't let your lusts mislead you; acts that are neutral are not godly, and the unloving things we indulge are sin. Even our words, if they tear others down without helping to rebuild in a healthy way, they are sinful. (Luke 6:39-45) If our enemies aren't sorry for their sins against us, we can't support them. (Matthew 18:15-17) But if our enemies are sorry, we do have to help them if they're in need! Remember, your enemy is someone who doesn't have as much truth as you do. When we love our enemies, we show them how good the truth is. (Matthew 5:19, Psalm 34:6-8, Exodus 23:4-5)
Compare Jesus' payment for our sins to the parable of the Prodigal (wasteful) Son. (Luke 15:11-24) A thankless child grew up and demanded his father to give him his inheritance. The father gathered up a third of his living, handed it to his son and let him go. The father loved the son, but he was in rebellion. He couldn't have that behavior in his house or it could pollute everyone. Sin and love can't stay together, just like the body can't live with cancer. If your blood supply continues to feed cancer, you're going to lose your whole body. In 1 Corinthians 5:1-7, Paul talks about "handing people over to Satan." He explains that he is like a doctor who's done all he can to treat a cancer, and surgery is now the only option. (Matthew 5:30, Genesis 21:9-10)
Sometimes a person's behavior becomes toxic. This can cause healthy members of the body to become sick or worse. It's unwise to keep offering a turned cheek to someone who enjoys slapping you. It's unsafe to preserve toxic relationships as they are. It's also unwise to start them. (Proverbs 13:20, 1 Corinthians 15:33, 2 Corinthians 6:14) Speaking for myself, some of us are like a house pet with a volatile master. If you've ever had an angry housemate, and a little dog, you may have seen this. Your dog will try to warm up to that person, hoping they can overcome the negativity. The poor animal looks like a glutton for punishment. The problem is, he's sure it's his fault that the hot-head is behaving poorly, so he keeps trying to befriend the bully. Hopefully, your dog learns to hide from the person, when he realizes it's not his fault. Having been the scapegoat in my family of origin, it taught me things like this, which I've had to unlearn. I'm thankful for the talent this gave me, to be a peacemaker in emergencies. That's the only good that came from it, though. When I use this skill within its healthy boundaries, its a blessing. But if I tolerate injustice and hostility to keep peace, I've given the selfish bully a license to sin. (Luke 17:3)
My prayer for us today is that we will see the lines between loving our enemies and enabling them. I pray God will give us courage to make the hard decisions that will lead to lasting peace. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Scripture references:
Because of our sin, we suffer. God doesn't want to see us suffer. We are not safe to bless, though, until we agree to love one another in a way worthy of eternity.
Joel 2:25 NKJV

25 "So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you.

Luke 19:12-15 NKJV

12 Therefore He said: "A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. 13 "So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, 'Do business till I come.' 14 "But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We will not have this man to reign over us.' 15 "And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.

Our accuser, the devil, is defeated by the united force of truth and love. We are called to be prepared to live out the truth in love at all times. This is our greatest power over every enemy.
Luke 10:17-22 NKJV

17 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name." 18 And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 "Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 "Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven." 21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. 22 "All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."

1 Peter 5:8 NKJV

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

John 8:44 NKJV

44 "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

Our righteousness cannot save us, only the blood of Jesus can purchase us back from slavery to sin.
Romans 3:23 NKJV

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Ecclesiastes 7:19-22 NKJV

19 Wisdom strengthens the wise More than ten rulers of the city. 20 For there is not a just man on earth who does good And does not sin. 21 Also do not take to heart everything people say, Lest you hear your servant cursing you. 22 For many times, also, your own heart has known That even you have cursed others.

Zechariah 3:1-2 NKJV

1 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him. 2 And the LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?"

We have the free-will to choose our spiritual Father. Our choice determines whose authority we submit to.
Jeremiah 3:19 NKJV

19 "But I said: 'How can I put you among the children And give you a pleasant land, A beautiful heritage of the hosts of nations?' "And I said: 'You shall call Me, "My Father," And not turn away from Me.'

1 Corinthians 10:14-24 NKJV

14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to wise men; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 17 For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread. 18 Observe Israel after the flesh: Are not those who eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar? 19 What am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything? 20 Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord's table and of the table of demons. 22 Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He? 23 All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. 24 Let no one seek his own, but each one the other's well-being.

God's mercy is not foolish. Justice will be served, in order to protect those who choose truth, life, and love.
Luke 18:6-8 NKJV

6 Then the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge said. 7 "And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? 8 "I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"

Jesus' blood made us at one with God again. His torturous death ensured that even the most guilty sinner would have his debt to justice paid in full.
Acts 13:39 NKJV

39 "and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.

Romans 8:3 NKJV

3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,

Galatians 3:13 NKJV

13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"),

Jeremiah 31:31-34 NKJV

31 "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah-- 32 "not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. 33 "But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 "No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."

As Christians, we are united with God through Jesus' righteousness. This gives us the right to request God's Holy Spirit of Truth. His Spirit can purify our hearts and give us the desire and strength to overcome our urges to sin.
John 14:12-18 NKJV

12 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 "If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. 15 "If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever-- 17 "the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

Ephesians 1:13 NKJV

13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,

Numbers 11:25 NKJV

25 Then the LORD came down in the cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and placed the same upon the seventy elders; and it happened, when the Spirit rested upon them, that they prophesied, although they never did so again.

God's Spirit renews our minds. It makes us "born from above," or "born again." It is an "upgrade" to our conscience that can keep us on God's path. Our responsibility is to submit to it. This is how to be godly.
Isaiah 63:1 NKJV

1 Who is this who comes from Edom, With dyed garments from Bozrah, This One who is glorious in His apparel, Traveling in the greatness of His strength?--"I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save."

Mark 14:62 NKJV

62 Jesus said, "I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven."

Matthew 24:30 NKJV

30 "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Luke 13:1-5 NKJV

1 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? 3 "I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. 4 "Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? 5 "I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."

Luke 19:27 NKJV

27 'But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me.' "

Luke 17:20-37 NKJV

20 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21 "nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!' For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you." 22 Then He said to the disciples, "The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. 23 "And they will say to you, 'Look here!' or 'Look there!' Do not go after them or follow them. 24 "For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day. 25 "But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. 26 "And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: 27 "They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 "Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; 29 "but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 "Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. 31 "In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back. 32 "Remember Lot's wife. 33 "Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. 34 "I tell you, in that night there will be two men in one bed: the one will be taken and the other will be left. 35 "Two women will be grinding together: the one will be taken and the other left. 36 "Two men will be in the field: the one will be taken and the other left." 37 And they answered and said to Him, "Where, Lord?" So He said to them, "Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together."

Isaiah 66:24 NKJV 24 "And they shall go forth and look Upon the corpses of the men Who have transgressed against Me. For their worm does not die, And their fire is not quenched. They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh."
Mark 9:47-48 NKJV

47 "And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire-- 48 "where 'Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.'

2 Peter 3:9-13 NKJV

9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

Until our Lord returns for us, we fight the good fight against sin. We do this by being faithful to Him and trusting in His faithfulness. Being faithful to God, means to make things fair to the best of our ability.
1 Peter 4:12-19 NKJV

12 Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; 13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. 14 If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people's matters. 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter. 17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 Now "If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?" 19 Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.

Mark 4:32 NKJV

32 "but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade."

Job 29:11-17 NKJV

11 When the ear heard, then it blessed me, And when the eye saw, then it approved me; 12 Because I delivered the poor who cried out, The fatherless and the one who had no helper. 13 The blessing of a perishing man came upon me, And I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy. 14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; My justice was like a robe and a turban. 15 I was eyes to the blind, And I was feet to the lame. 16 I was a father to the poor, And I searched out the case that I did not know. 17 I broke the fangs of the wicked, And plucked the victim from his teeth.

Matthew 5:43-45 NKJV

43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 "that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

Luke 6:39-45 NKJV

39 And He spoke a parable to them: "Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch? 40 "A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher. 41 "And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye? 42 "Or how can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother's eye. 43 "For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 "For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. 45 "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Matthew 18:15-17 NKJV

15 "Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. 16 "But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that 'by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.' 17 "And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.

God's commandments (Exodus 20:1-17, Matthew 5, 6 and 7) show us what it takes to be right with God. When we live out these laws, Jesus' enemies can see why His logic is good.
Matthew 5:19 NKJV

19 "Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Psalm 34:6-8 NKJV 6 This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them. 8 Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
Exodus 23:4-5 NKJV

4 "If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again. 5 "If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden, and you would refrain from helping it, you shall surely help him with it.

We should turn the other cheek when there is an opportunity to overcome evil with good. Unrepentant people are not safe to bless, or to keep in our inner circle.
Luke 15:11-24 NKJV

11 Then He said: "A certain man had two sons. 12 "And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.' So he divided to them his livelihood. 13 "And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. 14 "But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. 15 "Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 "And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything. 17 "But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 'I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 "and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants." ' 20 "And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 21 "And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.' 22 "But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 23 'And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 24 'for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' And they began to be merry.

Matthew 5:30 NKJV

30 "And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

Genesis 21:9-10 NKJV

9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing. 10 Therefore she said to Abraham, "Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac."

Proverbs 13:20 NKJV

20 He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed.

1 Corinthians 15:33 NKJV

33 Do not be deceived: "Evil company corrupts good habits."

2 Corinthians 6:14 NKJV

14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?

Luke 17:3 NKJV

3 "Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.

May our Father grant us the strength to have healthy boundaries. Peace to you.

"I will restore to you the years the locust has eaten..." Joel 2:25
Not everything we learn is the truth. We may receive advice from selfish or misguided people. We can misperceive life's lessons due to age, or bias. False beliefs lock us into unhealthy patterns, negative emotions, and poor use of our resources. When our faulty logic causes us to sin against one another, God can't bless us the way He wants to.
This study will touch on three lies I no longer believe.
Lie 1. The devil rules the world.
Lie 2. Godliness is something we can only look forward to in heaven.
Lie 3. As Christians, we should keep the peace by always turning the other cheek.
Jesus said, "All power is given to me in heaven and on earth." (Luke 19:12-15) When someone tells you the devil rules this world, that's a mistake. The devil is a defeated foe. He lost his job in heaven in the days Jesus still walked the earth. (Luke 10:17-22) The devil is still among us, no doubt, but he no longer has any authority in heaven. (1 Peter 5:8) The first two humans offered the devil their obedience in the garden of Eden. We've been doing the same thing ever since. (John 8:44, Romans 3:23, Ecclesiastes 7:19-22) Out of love for us, Jesus purchased our debts to Justice with His blood. The Author has taken back His authority over everything. If we aren't moved by this, our rebellious and ignorant tendencies push us to give allegiance to our Creator's enemy. The devil only rules the part of the world that submits to him through sin.
The Bible shows us what the devil was created for. We see in the book of Job, how Satan deviated from his function as a Watcher over men, and became "the Accuser." God doesn't allow that kind of thing anymore. (Zechariah 3:1-2)
In Luke 19:12-14, we read about a nobleman who left his country to receive a kingdom.
Luke 19:12-14

12 Jesus said: "A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive a kingdom and to return. 13 "So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, 'Do business till I come.' 14 "But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We will not have this man to reign over us.'

This is what we see going on in the world today. God's servants are commissioned to invest in the Kingdom. The people saying, "We will not have this man rule over us", they're choosing to take their money and run. They're making a defeated foe their father. (John 8:44, Jeremiah 3:19, 1 Corinthians 10:14-24) I imagine that the devil thinks to turn us all against our coming King, and thereby proclaim victory. This is not going to help Satan one bit. God's mercy is not so great to keep him from enacting justice. (Luke 18:6-8) Jesus' torturous death is proof of how seriously God views sin. Jesus purchased the whole earth on the cross. His innocent blood was shed for every person who could not find atonement through the law of Moses. (Acts 13:39, Romans 8:3, Galatians 3:13, Jeremiah 31:31-34) Jesus' act of love causes us to rethink our sin. We can ask for, and receive the power of His Holy Spirit of truth. (John 14:12-18, Ephesians 1:13, Numbers 11:25) With the truth in our conscience, we're able to overcome demands of our flesh. All Jesus asks now, is that we live by the laws of His kingdom. When Jesus comes back, those who obey His laws will take their place in His kingdom. Those who continue to obey the laws of the devil will be counted as rebels.
Jesus bought the earth 2000 years ago. We've been given plenty of time to come to terms with this and make peace with Him. The reason life is so hard for Christians all over the world is because Satan's adherents refuse to surrender. The devil is perfectly happy to watch us destroy one another with sin. He won't give us the truth about anything. He has his people believing death is a natural part of life! Jesus gave up His life on earth to buy us out of slavery to sin and death.
To enforce His right to see godly people live in peace, there's going to be a war over the earth. That war will begin at what we call the second coming of Christ. (Isaiah 63:1, Mark 14:62, Matthew 24:30) We who have surrendered our lives to Jesus' law of love, will be taken off the battlefield, like Lot was taken out of Sodom. The people of Sodom didn't have a chance against God once Lot was gone. The people who don't love others as themselves will be destroyed in the same way. (Luke 13:1-5, Luke 19:27, Luke 17:20-37, Isaiah 66:24, Mark 9:47-48) Peter says, "What kind of people ought we to be, seeing that the world will be burnt up?" (2 Peter 3:9-13) He also says "If the righteous are scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?" (1 Peter 4:12-19)
What does it mean to be godly? Well, our lives are arranged in such a marvelous way as to teach us what godliness is. We are all born without the ability to meet our own needs. Even our first breath often comes after someone has given us a swift slap to get us going. Every single one of us that survives infancy knows he owes his life to those who valued helping the weak. This is the parable of the mustard seed. The first truth we come to understand is this; helping the weak is the path to life.
This birth of the conscience makes us thankful for help and resentful at unfairness. We eagerly await the day we can be like those who carried us through. If we suffered injustice, we hope to make up for the wrongs done. This is the beginning of godliness. The completion of it, is to selflessly and humbly relieve needs when we can, and to stop causing trouble. (Mark 4:32, Job 29:11-17) Do you remember how proud you were when you were first able to help your family? We're all a family, descended from a man and his rib, which was made into a woman. Adam and Eve were one, and so are we, if we will just choose it. Jesus said, "Love your enemies, that you may be children of your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:43-45) Whatever we do to love one another makes us like our God of love. That's godliness. We can be godly here and now.
Once we have a little power to do for ourselves, though, we forget to keep faith with our conscience. Don't let your lusts mislead you; acts that are neutral are not godly, and the unloving things we indulge are sin. Even our words, if they tear others down without helping to rebuild in a healthy way, they are sinful. (Luke 6:39-45) If our enemies aren't sorry for their sins against us, we can't support them. (Matthew 18:15-17) But if our enemies are sorry, we do have to help them if they're in need! Remember, your enemy is someone who doesn't have as much truth as you do. When we love our enemies, we show them how good the truth is. (Matthew 5:19, Psalm 34:6-8, Exodus 23:4-5)
Compare Jesus' payment for our sins to the parable of the Prodigal (wasteful) Son. (Luke 15:11-24) A thankless child grew up and demanded his father to give him his inheritance. The father gathered up a third of his living, handed it to his son and let him go. The father loved the son, but he was in rebellion. He couldn't have that behavior in his house or it could pollute everyone. Sin and love can't stay together, just like the body can't live with cancer. If your blood supply continues to feed cancer, you're going to lose your whole body. In 1 Corinthians 5:1-7, Paul talks about "handing people over to Satan." He explains that he is like a doctor who's done all he can to treat a cancer, and surgery is now the only option. (Matthew 5:30, Genesis 21:9-10)
Sometimes a person's behavior becomes toxic. This can cause healthy members of the body to become sick or worse. It's unwise to keep offering a turned cheek to someone who enjoys slapping you. It's unsafe to preserve toxic relationships as they are. It's also unwise to start them. (Proverbs 13:20, 1 Corinthians 15:33, 2 Corinthians 6:14) Speaking for myself, some of us are like a house pet with a volatile master. If you've ever had an angry housemate, and a little dog, you may have seen this. Your dog will try to warm up to that person, hoping they can overcome the negativity. The poor animal looks like a glutton for punishment. The problem is, he's sure it's his fault that the hot-head is behaving poorly, so he keeps trying to befriend the bully. Hopefully, your dog learns to hide from the person, when he realizes it's not his fault. Having been the scapegoat in my family of origin, it taught me things like this, which I've had to unlearn. I'm thankful for the talent this gave me, to be a peacemaker in emergencies. That's the only good that came from it, though. When I use this skill within its healthy boundaries, its a blessing. But if I tolerate injustice and hostility to keep peace, I've given the selfish bully a license to sin. (Luke 17:3)
My prayer for us today is that we will see the lines between loving our enemies and enabling them. I pray God will give us courage to make the hard decisions that will lead to lasting peace. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Scripture references:
Because of our sin, we suffer. God doesn't want to see us suffer. We are not safe to bless, though, until we agree to love one another in a way worthy of eternity.
Joel 2:25 NKJV

25 "So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you.

Luke 19:12-15 NKJV

12 Therefore He said: "A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. 13 "So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, 'Do business till I come.' 14 "But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We will not have this man to reign over us.' 15 "And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.

Our accuser, the devil, is defeated by the united force of truth and love. We are called to be prepared to live out the truth in love at all times. This is our greatest power over every enemy.
Luke 10:17-22 NKJV

17 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name." 18 And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 "Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 "Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven." 21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. 22 "All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."

1 Peter 5:8 NKJV

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

John 8:44 NKJV

44 "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

Our righteousness cannot save us, only the blood of Jesus can purchase us back from slavery to sin.
Romans 3:23 NKJV

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Ecclesiastes 7:19-22 NKJV

19 Wisdom strengthens the wise More than ten rulers of the city. 20 For there is not a just man on earth who does good And does not sin. 21 Also do not take to heart everything people say, Lest you hear your servant cursing you. 22 For many times, also, your own heart has known That even you have cursed others.

Zechariah 3:1-2 NKJV

1 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him. 2 And the LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?"

We have the free-will to choose our spiritual Father. Our choice determines whose authority we submit to.
Jeremiah 3:19 NKJV

19 "But I said: 'How can I put you among the children And give you a pleasant land, A beautiful heritage of the hosts of nations?' "And I said: 'You shall call Me, "My Father," And not turn away from Me.'

1 Corinthians 10:14-24 NKJV

14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to wise men; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 17 For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread. 18 Observe Israel after the flesh: Are not those who eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar? 19 What am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything? 20 Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord's table and of the table of demons. 22 Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He? 23 All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. 24 Let no one seek his own, but each one the other's well-being.

God's mercy is not foolish. Justice will be served, in order to protect those who choose truth, life, and love.
Luke 18:6-8 NKJV

6 Then the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge said. 7 "And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? 8 "I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"

Jesus' blood made us at one with God again. His torturous death ensured that even the most guilty sinner would have his debt to justice paid in full.
Acts 13:39 NKJV

39 "and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.

Romans 8:3 NKJV

3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,

Galatians 3:13 NKJV

13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"),

Jeremiah 31:31-34 NKJV

31 "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah-- 32 "not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. 33 "But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 "No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."

As Christians, we are united with God through Jesus' righteousness. This gives us the right to request God's Holy Spirit of Truth. His Spirit can purify our hearts and give us the desire and strength to overcome our urges to sin.
John 14:12-18 NKJV

12 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 "If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. 15 "If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever-- 17 "the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

Ephesians 1:13 NKJV

13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,

Numbers 11:25 NKJV

25 Then the LORD came down in the cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and placed the same upon the seventy elders; and it happened, when the Spirit rested upon them, that they prophesied, although they never did so again.

God's Spirit renews our minds. It makes us "born from above," or "born again." It is an "upgrade" to our conscience that can keep us on God's path. Our responsibility is to submit to it. This is how to be godly.
Isaiah 63:1 NKJV

1 Who is this who comes from Edom, With dyed garments from Bozrah, This One who is glorious in His apparel, Traveling in the greatness of His strength?--"I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save."

Mark 14:62 NKJV

62 Jesus said, "I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven."

Matthew 24:30 NKJV

30 "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Luke 13:1-5 NKJV

1 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? 3 "I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. 4 "Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? 5 "I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."

Luke 19:27 NKJV

27 'But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me.' "

Luke 17:20-37 NKJV

20 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21 "nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!' For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you." 22 Then He said to the disciples, "The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. 23 "And they will say to you, 'Look here!' or 'Look there!' Do not go after them or follow them. 24 "For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day. 25 "But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. 26 "And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: 27 "They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 "Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; 29 "but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 "Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. 31 "In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back. 32 "Remember Lot's wife. 33 "Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. 34 "I tell you, in that night there will be two men in one bed: the one will be taken and the other will be left. 35 "Two women will be grinding together: the one will be taken and the other left. 36 "Two men will be in the field: the one will be taken and the other left." 37 And they answered and said to Him, "Where, Lord?" So He said to them, "Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together."

Isaiah 66:24 NKJV 24 "And they shall go forth and look Upon the corpses of the men Who have transgressed against Me. For their worm does not die, And their fire is not quenched. They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh."
Mark 9:47-48 NKJV

47 "And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire-- 48 "where 'Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.'

2 Peter 3:9-13 NKJV

9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

Until our Lord returns for us, we fight the good fight against sin. We do this by being faithful to Him and trusting in His faithfulness. Being faithful to God, means to make things fair to the best of our ability.
1 Peter 4:12-19 NKJV

12 Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; 13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. 14 If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people's matters. 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter. 17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 Now "If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?" 19 Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.

Mark 4:32 NKJV

32 "but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade."

Job 29:11-17 NKJV

11 When the ear heard, then it blessed me, And when the eye saw, then it approved me; 12 Because I delivered the poor who cried out, The fatherless and the one who had no helper. 13 The blessing of a perishing man came upon me, And I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy. 14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; My justice was like a robe and a turban. 15 I was eyes to the blind, And I was feet to the lame. 16 I was a father to the poor, And I searched out the case that I did not know. 17 I broke the fangs of the wicked, And plucked the victim from his teeth.

Matthew 5:43-45 NKJV

43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 "that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

Luke 6:39-45 NKJV

39 And He spoke a parable to them: "Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch? 40 "A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher. 41 "And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye? 42 "Or how can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother's eye. 43 "For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 "For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. 45 "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Matthew 18:15-17 NKJV

15 "Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. 16 "But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that 'by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.' 17 "And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.

God's commandments (Exodus 20:1-17, Matthew 5, 6 and 7) show us what it takes to be right with God. When we live out these laws, Jesus' enemies can see why His logic is good.
Matthew 5:19 NKJV

19 "Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Psalm 34:6-8 NKJV 6 This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them. 8 Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
Exodus 23:4-5 NKJV

4 "If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again. 5 "If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden, and you would refrain from helping it, you shall surely help him with it.

We should turn the other cheek when there is an opportunity to overcome evil with good. Unrepentant people are not safe to bless, or to keep in our inner circle.
Luke 15:11-24 NKJV

11 Then He said: "A certain man had two sons. 12 "And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.' So he divided to them his livelihood. 13 "And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. 14 "But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. 15 "Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 "And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything. 17 "But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 'I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 "and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants." ' 20 "And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 21 "And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.' 22 "But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 23 'And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 24 'for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' And they began to be merry.

Matthew 5:30 NKJV

30 "And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

Genesis 21:9-10 NKJV

9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing. 10 Therefore she said to Abraham, "Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac."

Proverbs 13:20 NKJV

20 He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed.

1 Corinthians 15:33 NKJV

33 Do not be deceived: "Evil company corrupts good habits."

2 Corinthians 6:14 NKJV

14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?

Luke 17:3 NKJV

3 "Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.

May our Father grant us the strength to have healthy boundaries. Peace to you.

Many have sought to understand the natural laws that govern our universe. Some say there are 12, while others, like Hermes Trismegistus, say there are seven. Trismegistus explains the foundational laws of our reality in his seven hermetic principles. Here's what these principles are all about and how we can all use them as a source of inspiration and empowerment.
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What are the 7 hermetic principles, and where did they come from?

The seven principles are the foundation of Hermeticism, a branch of spiritual philosophy dating back as early as the first century A.D. They were outlined by famed author Hermes Trismegistus, who is believed to have written the Emerald Tablet and the Corpus Hermeticum (two highly influential, ancient teachings).
His work would go on to influence both ancient Greek and Egyptian cultures, with both adopting him as a god of wisdom. (In Greece he was called Hermes; in Egypt, Thoth.) He was known in his time as a great master of the universe and is said to have lived for thousands of years.
Over time, the seven hermetic principles were passed down by word-of-mouth from teacher to student, and eventually, one day in the early 20th century, the teachings were compiled into a book called The Kybalion, written by "The Three Initiates." Today, they remain an occult source of wisdom, separate from any real religion but powerful nonetheless.
And while the seven principles are just one way of understanding the universe, they aren't so constricting that they cannot be studied alongside other spiritual philosophies. Here's what each of the seven principles is all about:
1.

The principle of mentalism.

"The All is Mind; the Universe is Mental." —The Kybalion
The principle of mentalism states that the universe is akin to a mental projection. The is like manifestation 101, which is all about using your thoughts to shape your reality. For anything to be, a thought must precede it. Through this principle, it's believed that God is consciousness, or thought, and the universe is a manifestation of the mind of God. Using this law, we, too, can harness the power of our minds to create the life we want.

How to apply it:

Consider the initial thought that led you to be able to read this, on whatever device you're on. Or even the thought that is most influencing your mood right now.
When we recognize how much our thoughts manifest every day, whether internally as a physiological or emotional state, or externally, as the things we do or places we go, we see that when we can control our mind, we control our lives. We can get better at this through spiritual practices such as meditation, which help us train the mind.
2.

The principle of correspondence.

"As above, so below; as below, so above." —The Kybalion
We've all heard this quote before, but maybe you never knew it was Hermes who first coined it. It's closely related to the first principle of mentalism and states that what we hold in our thoughts and mind will become our reality. It explains the many planes of existence, including those of lower and higher vibrational frequencies and how they're connected.

How to apply it:

Applying this law is all about understanding your connection to the world around you and how you're showing up for yourself and the universe through your thoughts, and subsequently, your actions. When we have a firm grasp on how we're interacting with life and how it's affecting us, we can recognize and break patterns, live in alignment with our highest good, and feel harmonious with everything there is.
3.

The principle of vibration.

"Nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates." —The Kybalion
Yes, believe it or not, the idea of "vibes" has been around a long, long time. The principle of vibration states that all things, both physical matter and spiritual energy, hold a certain vibration. Basic science tells us atoms are in constant motion, as is the universe itself. Even our hearts, as they beat, give off different vibrations depending on our emotional state. And when we're "vibing high," we're able to avoid low-level frequencies that don't serve us.

How to apply it:

This will look different for everyone, but to apply this third principle, you want to not only do things but think thoughts that allow you to be in a state of ease, where your body is "vibrating" at a more positive level. Applying the first two principles can help you start to do this. (You might be noticing all of these principles are deeply interwoven.) With this principle, we acknowledge that we have the power to control our vibration rather than our vibration controlling us.
4.

The principle of polarity.

"Everything is dual; everything has poles; everything has its pair of opposites; like and unlike are the same; opposites are identical in nature but different in degree; extremes meet; all truths are but half-truths; all paradoxes may be reconciled." —The Kybalion
The principle of polarity explains that seemingly opposite things are actually one and the same at varying degrees. A simple example of this is hot and cold. Cold is just the absence of heat, and they're both one thing: temperature. Physical matter and spiritual energy are the same thing, with spiritual energy vibrating at a much higher level, such that it can't be perceived by our senses. Love and hate are two ways of experiencing the same thing, a relationship toward something. This is the foundation of alchemy, or the ability to "transmute" your experiences at will.

How to apply it:

Applying the principle of polarity takes a degree of mental stamina and involves shifting the way you look at something, potentially completely on its head. Take the hate you may feel for someone: Is there any way you can shift it to feelings of love, for example? Any time a lower vibrational emotion is bringing you down, can you recognize it, feel it, and transmute it to a more positive one?
5.

The principle of rhythm.

"Everything flows, out and in; everything has its tides; all things rise and fall; the pendulum-swing manifests in everything; the measure of the swing to the right is the measure of the swing to the left; rhythm compensates." —The Kybalion
Closely related to the principle of polarity, the fifth principle states that between the opposing poles, there exists an inherent rhythm. The tides move in and out. We inhale and exhale. Everything is in motion. Nature has its seasons and so, too, do we. Understanding this principle allows us to recognize our life's—and the universe's—natural rhythms, so we can actually work with them rather than having them working against us.

How to apply it:

Know that nothing lasts forever, and things are ever-changing. As you get deeper into working with this law, you'll be able to work with your own emotional states to avoid a dramatic pendulum swing of feelings. It's thought that eventually the master will be able to completely transcend duality, but if you're just getting started, try becoming more aware of your emotional state and using polarity (No. 4) and rhythm to start getting more comfortable with the natural fluxes of your life.
6.

The principle of cause and effect.

"Every cause has its effect; every effect has its cause; everything happens according to law; chance is but a name for law not recognized; there are many planes of causation, but nothing escapes the law." —The Kybalion
Everything is connected through the principle of cause and effect, for each cause of one thing is merely the effect of something else, going back to the very beginning.
Ask yourself, are you a cause? Or are you an effect? This principle is all about acknowledging the effects of our thoughts and behavior and how we may change them to bring about greater effects.

How to apply it:

When something doesn't go as planned or you find yourself unhappy, ask yourself, what was the cause? Many times, we find ourselves reacting to the world around us, trapped in a back-and-forth of reacting to our circumstances rather than forging our own path. When we take action to get the effect we want, we move from feeling like a victim to feeling empowered.
7.

The principle of gender.

"Gender is in everything; everything has its masculine and feminine principles; gender manifests on all planes." —The Kybalion
The seventh principle states that all things have masculine and feminine qualities. Yes, the two sexes can be thought of as a physical manifestation of this principle, but as we're all coming to understand, on an internal level, all of us hold both energies. (Think the left and right brain.)
Masculine and feminine energy exists in not only the physical plane but the mental and spiritual plane as well. The unity of these two energies is essential for creation, and when one has a balance of both, they're better able to apply all of the principles together for maximum benefit.

How to apply it:

Accept all the parts of yourself, and understand that balance in all is key for self-mastery. Buddha called this the middle way, and it's all about the balance of masculine and feminine; of heavenly and Earthbound; and of the mind, body, and spirit. When we can achieve this balance within ourselves, we're well equipped to harness all of these principles and use them in our lives for good.
If this all sounds like a lot—don't worry. These principles run very, very deep, and it can take a long time to fully understand and embody them. Each time you come back to them, you may understand them in a new way, or on a deeper level. And in time, these principles can help you master your own mind and your life as a whole.

This is difficult to present, and there is a lot to cover. I use Reddit Enhancement Suite and old.reddit because it turns text-heavy posts like this into an ebook format, it saves my eyes. I don't recommend vanilla reddit with posts like this.
I've wasted enough time debating on presentation so I'm just going to get this over with and start at the same place where I 'woke up'. The main problem with presenting this is the required background information necessary to appreciate some of the synchronicity, but luckily I have posts I can link to actually give you a glimpse at what I've been experiencing. I have to start this off kind of awkward, but bear with me, I promise I get to the point and that it will be worthwhile. I'll also add (not judging, only because it's relevant for those of us like me who crave more data) that I do not do drugs, and I drink alcohol maybe a few times a year now.
If you creep my profile you'll notice that almost all I do on reddit is post in a book subreddit for a fantasy series called 'The Kingkiller Chronicle'. I read some theories there and I was so impressed with the analysis that I decided I wanted to play as well.
My theories were reaching and terrible. Then, sometime in December 2022, I had a moment that many of you are familiar with. I was watching Letterkenny with my dog and my brain suddenly lit up "like a christmas tree" I said at the time, and I could see the center pieces of this book's story. But what stupified me wasn't the center, it was that everything else in the story was spread out in this massive web, everything connecting to everything else. It was and is one of the most beautiful things I've ever 'seen'.
Since December 2022, I have ravenously read pieces of Norse, Egyptian, and Greek mythology so that I could not only trace, but be able to explain what I saw. From there I started exploring folklore. I continued to write my story theories, trying to show the pieces of the web I had seen, and progressively I grew better at presenting my thought processes, at explaining how I was connected A to B.
But most of the users still didn't see the connections I would highlight, and there was a suspect amount of negativity that did not have a rational explanation. I would 'clap back' at first, then less, and now I don't turn on inbox replies on my posts at all. The pushback and the dialogue of the comments was so suspect that I was reminded of the manipulation of the behavioral psychology of Cambridge Analytica, how they used sophisticated botnets and social media in order to make people behave a certain way.
I eventually came to blame the negativity on an issue with the author's charity, it was a contentious point in the subreddit. I decided to investigate that as well, and was met with... some very curious "coincidences" that I won't get into. The only thing you really need to know is that when I first referred to it as fraud, I was attacked by dozens of profiles that were all essentially said "prove it, you can't prove it, you're not an expert, you have no proof, give up". (I did prove it about a week later)
After that I was done with the book and the author. I became bored, my infinite chew toy of mental exercise was gone. Then came David Grusch. Imbecile that I was, when the news broke I was part of the chorus that laughed at all of you and I said "prove it, you can't prove it, you have no proof". Users said that if I would just bother looking, I would see the proof.
So I did look, and to say I was humbled would be putting it lightly. I was fucking ashamed I'd ever scoffed in the first place. I was embarrassed that I've aspired to keep myself in a constant state of learning, and yet I had not only missed something so obvious, I had denied it was true without ever bothering to look.
I watched Grusch's hearing live. I watched the disinformation campaign that followed, the firms like Cambridge Analytica and Team Jorge still fresh on my mind because of what I had gone through for my charity fraud post. I made this to try and show people and warn them, I tried to present the web that I was seeing (go easy on me, first time I ever edited a video).
David Grusch and State Sponsored Disinformation Campaign
I also tried to show people another web of similarities I'd found regarding the 'biologics' after Grusch mentioned it in the hearing.
Nonhuman Biologics
This had become my new puzzle. I flat out rejected any possibility of woo. I would post reminding people to watch out of the disinformation campaign. I began to familiarize myself with the ufo history. I felt the frustration of trying to get other people to just look, and was blown away at how aggressively ignorant they insisted on being when it came to this topic.
Eventually I was recommended Jacques Vallée's Passport to Magonia. After that things ramped up. I'd heard mention of "simulation theory" because of Grusch's comments of projections from higher space, so I did what I always do. Looked it up on wikipedia and started learning. That thread led me to Plato's allegory of the cave, and that's when it hit me.
The Kingkiller Chronicle is from start to finish, about the Phenomenon. It's the story of a boy who sees 'Chandrian' with pale skin and large black eyes that he cannot forget.

Chandrayaan (/ˌtʃʌndrəˈjɑːn/ CHUN-drə-YAHN) (from Sanskrit: Chandra, "Moon" and yāna, "craft, vehicle")

He goes on to pursue the truth and find the Chandrian, but he finds no record of them anywhere. A suspicious lack of record, as if all evidence of them was being actively pruned from libraries, which he blames on a hidden Order. The only trace of them is found in folklore, and from oral tradition, from clues hidden inside of stories with jumbled up details lost to time. The depth to which that book connects to the Phenomenon will make your brain pop.
But the most important part was the allegory of the cave. A character pursues the moon across the world, always looking up at her with his spectacles. I began writing theories for these books, the web of connections, and I had inadvertantly began teaching myself Plato's Theory of Forms. Something that the author had referenced intentionally, through use of adjectives and color repetition. Repetition so clear that I had even gone so far as to create My Ever-Changing Eye, four days before Grusch's hearing.
The mental exercises I had been doing for these books, the bot harrassment I'd seen for months, it prepared me so that once Grusch came forward, I took the time to look. I left the cave, and now I see with more than my eyes. I see webs and patterns much, much easier than before. I don't think this is remote viewing either, I don't know what to call this. I don't actually see images. It feels like a muffled ring when I find what I'm looking for. I get pulled towards the answers that I want to know. Which is what happened with Stephen Hadley, and his reddit connection
I knew what would happen after those posts. Even if this hadn't been related to a special access program, I would have been investigated and surveilled. But shockingly, that was it. No one door knocked. Couple surveillance drive bys on my street, a LOT of "mysterious" tech issues, I even have the IP address they used to access my reddit profile. Searching the associated LLC revealed someone with a secret service contract, as well as an llc.army.mil address that wouldn't load for me.
Then I woke up to a hospital smell, and ammonia. I've been dealing with an ammonia smell all year, but not like that. I assumed my dog was sneaking off to mark, and I'd purchased pet stain remover, air filter, black light remover, even spraying bleach in the tub after each shower in case it was a bathroom odor due to poor ventilation. I had begun removing the bedsheets to check because of this ever-present ammonia smell, I thought it must be me. Every rational explanation I could think of.
But the stench I woke up to after this Hadley business was powerful. It lingered in my nostrils for a good minute after I woke up, this sterile hospital smell with ammonia. But I had already known that when it happened again it would be the full moon, the wind moon. I had been counting down for it.
After that visit was the third time I've had strep this year. I don't know if it was the SAP or the NHI that picked me up on easter sunday either. I have a memory there that I know is fake, and hiding something important. There is a face that I was inches away from, and I want to see it, but I can't. I started looking for hypnosis regression, and into remote viewing, and eventually wrote up some of what I'd found regarding the connection between entropy in consciousness and Plato's theory of forms. (read this, trust)
I have never seen anything. I have never seen a UFO with my eyes, no beings, no grays or reptiles or anything. But I'm not going to wait around for full moons anymore. I wanted to find a way to go to them. That desire led me here, to this subreddit, but specifically it led me to Oak_Draiocht. I would look at their name, and ring. Because of all my reading and all my theories and posts, when I look at Oak's name I see with more than my eyes. I see why I've been writing about lightning lately, because that's what oak is to me. It's lightning. and I don't know how I knew this, but to me, 'Draiocht' means Aes Sidhe. I even checked, that word 'Draiocht' isn't anywhere on any of the wikipedia pages I visited, or in the post I just linked from the UAP subreddit. But when I Oak's name, I 'saw' lightning and the Aes Sidhe.
Turns out Oak did have the answer I wanted. It came up in the AMA from a few days ago. I wanted to remote view the NHI who were visiting me, and I was led here to Oak, and Oak led me to Tom Matte. A remote viewer who goes to them, rather than waiting around for full moons.
There is... a lot more I could talk about, and I might at some point. There were sporadic things similar to these events throughout my life, but not this consistent. There is something building up, we all feel it. I've felt a pull to write all of this up and post this to /experiencers since last weekend, and I need to get it off my chest so I can move on to other things.
Thank you for reading.

I posted something similar in the exmormon sub before, but think it would be more interesting here.
Joseph claims to have translated (probably among other things): (1) The Book of Mormon, (2) the Book of Abraham, (3) the Kinderhook Plates, and (4) the Bible.
1. The Book of Mormon
"Either the Book of Mormon is what the Prophet Joseph said it is or this Church and its founder are false, fraudulent, a deception from the first instance onward." Jeffrey R. Holland, CES Symposium
Source material:

• Martin Harris recounts that Joseph used a seer stone he dug from a well to first locate the gold plates upon which the Book of Mormon was written (FAIR).
• JSH 1:34-42 gives the more well-known story of the angel Moroni, who Joseph initially called Nephi (Times and Seasons, Pearl of Great Price 1851, Lucy Mack Smith, and Millenial Star all used Nephi), who appeared to Joseph in vision in 1823, introduced the idea of the plates and interpreters, and told Joseph he would be destroyed if he showed them to anyone he was not commanded to show.
• When Joseph went to retrieve the plates from the Hill Cumorah, he was rebuked by the angel and denied access to the plates for having not kept the commandments of the Lord (Saints ch. 3). The angel told Joseph to return in a year with the "right person" who was Joseph's older brother, Alvin. (Joseph Knight reminisces). After Joseph relayed this prophecy to his family, Alvin died two months later from mercury poisoning.
• Joseph eventually retrieved the plates years later in September of 1827 and the "right person" changed to Emma Smith who--despite being necessary to retrieve the plates--waited by herself at the bottom of the hill while Joseph retrieved them (lds.org). Emma never saw the plates herself (lds.org).

Translation process:

• Joseph began translating the gold plates from "reformed Egyptian" to English in January 1828 primarily with Martin Harris (JSH 1:62). The process slowed or stopped when the first 116 pages of the manuscript were lost, but the copyright was prepared June 1829 after Oliver Cowdery began scribing, the printer's manual finished in November 1829, and the first book was sold March 1830. A little over two years from when Joseph said he began translating.
• For the most part, Joseph would place his seer stone in a hat while translating while pressing his face aginst the edges to block out the light while he gazed in. The plates would be somewhere near, but unseen due to being wrapped in a table cloth (gospel essays). In the hat, Joseph would see something similar to parchment pages appear on the seer stone with English words. He would read them out to his scribe and, if correctly written, the sentences would disappear, allowing them to move on (Stevenson, “One of the Three Witnesses,” 78–79, 86–87). They would not disappear if written incorrectly.

Issues:

• Why were the plates necessary if they were never physically used in the translation, but rather sat covered in Joseph's home while he read through a seer stone? This goes for the interpreters too as he already had several seer stones.
• How could Alvin be allowed to die if he was a necessary component to receiving the plates? Why did Emma not ascend the Hill Cumorah or see the plates if she was the "right person" spoken of?
• How could there be ANY errors in the Book of Mormon (there are almost 4,000 changes in the current edition with many grammatical fixes and a few substantial changes like "God" to "Son of God" and "Benjamin" to "Mosiah") if God approved each page as it was written?
• Why are there so many historical discrepancies surrounding the coming forth of the BoM, like the Nephi/Moroni mix-up with the angel and how Joseph initially learned of the plates? And the many anachronisms?
• Joseph's family gathered every evening following the initial visitation from Nephi/Moroni to listen to Joseph describe the dress, mode of travel, religious worship, warfare, and every particular of the ancient inhabitants of the Americas (Joseph Smith Papers, 87). How did Joseph have so much "knowledge" as to the inhabitants of the ancient americas multiple years before he ever had access to the gold plates? With that knowledge and the two years he had to translate the BoM, does it really seem impossible that the stories could not have been fabricated?
• The Book of Mormon quotes heavily from the Bible. In Isaiah alone, about 30% of the entire book has made its way into the BoM with over half of those verses quoted directly from the 1769 KJV of Isaiah that Joseph had access to. Without theorizing too much as to the authorship of Isaiah, how likely is it that the brass plates Nephi brought from Jerusalem in 600BC contained writings from the end of Isaiah, that were then included in the BoM even though those writings of Isaiah were likely written hundreds of years after Nephi left?
  
  • If you want a deeper dive, watch Dan McClellan, and lds bible scholar, talk about the history of the KJV. Why would God use KJV language directly in the BoM if it is inaccurate?
• Although FAIR claims the plates weighed 60lbs, I struggle to see how the 270,000 words of the BoM were inscribed onto around 400 pages of 0.012" thickness that would be required to match the dimensions and weight description given by Joseph and church leaders. When you also consider that two-thirds of the plates were still sealed, adding on likely another 500,000 words, I doubt Joseph would have been moving something of that size anywhere, even if he had superhuman strength.
  
• Outside of the translation process itself, the content of the BoM is often non corroborated. For example, the final battle on Hill Cumorah between the Nephites and Lamanites resulted in deaths of over 230,000 people (more deaths than d-day in WWII), and there is no archeological evidence of such a battle. Nor of a literate society (several instances of general populace reading in the BoM) of millions of people in the Americas. If you really want to stress credulity, the battles in Ether resulted in millions of casualties. Why are there no signs? I would expect to at least find remnant weapons or fragments of documents.
  

2. The Book of Abraham
Source material:

• In 1835, the church bought mummies and scrolls of papyrus from Michael Chandler, an Ireland-native who immigrated to the US and happened to buy the mummies and papyrus while in New York (BYU Archives).
• Upon review, "much to their joy," Joseph found that the papyrus contained the writings of Abraham and used it to translate the Book of Abraham that is now canon in the Pearl of Great Price (Gospel Essay).

Translation process:

• The process of translation was not given, but Joseph claimed to have translated both the papyrus and the facsimiles.
• Upon seeing Joseph's expertise, Michael Chandler--who had no background with Egypt nor claim to understanding other than having bought and transported the materials from New York--wrote Joseph a certificate of authenticity supporting the veracity of the translation.
• When the church members left Nauvoo, the papyrus and mummies were sold and thought to be lost or destroyed until 1967 when the NY Metropolitan Museum of Art transferred the papyrus fragments back to the church (Gospel Essay).
• The papyrus was then translated properly and showed that none of the characters on the papyrus fragments mentioned Abraham’s name or any of the events recorded in the book of Abraham. Instead, the papyrus was a record of a common pagan Egyptian funerary text for a man named Hor who died around the first century C.E, long after Abraham lived (Gospel Essay). Joseph's translation of the facsimiles was similarly incorrect.

Issues:

• Again, why did Joseph attempt to translate this? Why did he fabricate a story that has nothing to do with the actual text? Why is he unable to translate the actual text? And why did he rely on the certificate of approval of Michael Chandler for accreditation?

3. The Kinderhook Plates
Source material:

• In 1843, Wilbur Fugate, Robert Wiley, and a local blacksmith in Kinderhook, Illinois, forged 6 bell-shaped plates, inscribed ancient-looking writing on them, and placed them in a burial mound the night before they were discovered with intent to trick the mormon community and potentially show that Joseph was a fake prophet. (Gospel Essay)(BYU Religious Studies)
• Joseph took interest in the plates, which were found about 70 miles south of Nauvoo, and had them for at least 5 days.

Translation process:

• The process of translation was not given, but the History of the Church quoted Joseph as saying in regards to the plates "I have translated a portion of them, and find they contain the history of the person with whom they were found. He was a descendant of Ham, through the loins of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and that he received his kingdom from the Ruler of heaven and earth."

Issues:

• I believe the issues here are simple. The Kinderhook Plates were unquestionably fraudulent. Why did Joseph even attempt to translate them? Why did he say the writing on them said something so very different than what it actually was (gibberish)? How did he go about this translation?
• Why did he say it was Egyptian? Is it possible that Joseph, relying on his successful "translation" of the Book of Abraham, had a similar plan with these plates?

4. The Joseph Smith Bible Translation
Source material:

• Joseph claimed to have used the KJV of the Bible and his own musings as the source material for his Bible translation (Gospel Essay). The early translation resulted in longer passages such as the Book of Moses as he reviewed Genesis.

Translation process:

• Joseph translated by either dictating passages to scribes or marking areas in the Bible himself where his scribes inserted comments. The additions ranged from grammar changes to expansions of biblical stories (Gospel Essay).

Issues:

• My main issue with this is quite comprehensive; almost all the changes or additions (excepting longer passages like the Book of Moses) that Joseph made to the KJV came directly from Adam Clarke’s contemporary biblical commentary, Holy Bible, Containing the Old and New Testaments (BYU Journal). This was widely available in Joseph's region of the United States in the 1820s and 1830s. In the language this BYU Journal used, "...the number of direct parallels between Smith’s translation and Adam Clarke’s biblical commentary are simply too numerous and explicit to posit happenstance or coincidental overlap."
• Additionally, why were the "inspired changes" Joseph made to the KJV not changed in the KJV language that was directly quoted in the BoM? Why would the proper language not be used in the BoM when Joseph translated it "by the power of God"?

What I see in Joseph's translations are distinct patterns of behavior.
A pattern of Joseph making the source material inaccessible or unreadable for anyone besides himself. A pattern of incorporating contemporary ideas and his own vivid imagination through the lens of ancient scripture to create his own doctrine. And a pattern of lying.
Even if the translated materials were more convincing or were less-easily proven fraudulent, I would still hesitate to put faith a man stuck in patterns like these.

Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot: - Origin: Created by A.E. Waite and illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith in 1909, it's one of the most popular and influential tarot decks. - Key Features: Emphasizes symbolism and intuitive interpretation. The deck incorporates detailed illustrations in both the Major and Minor Arcana, making it accessible for beginners. - Major Arcana: The Rider-Waite-Smith Major Arcana features traditional archetypes with added symbolism, such as the Fool's journey and the scenic depictions of the cards. - Minor Arcana: The Minor Arcana cards display scenes that convey the card's meaning, contributing to a narrative structure within the suits.
Crowley's Thoth Tarot: - Origin: Developed by Aleister Crowley and illustrated by Lady Frieda Harris in the 1940s, reflecting Crowley's esoteric and mystical teachings. - Key Features: Emphasizes occult symbolism and the incorporation of Kabbalistic, astrological, and alchemical influences. Known for its detailed and intricate artwork. - Major Arcana: Thoth Major Arcana cards incorporate Egyptian, Greek, and Qabalistic symbolism, often with complex and abstract imagery, reflecting Crowley's magical and philosophical system. - Minor Arcana: The Thoth deck incorporates Crowley's unique perspectives on the Minor Arcana, with each suit reflecting one of the four alchemical elements.
Marseille Tarot: - Origin: Traces its roots to 18th-century France, with earlier versions appearing in the 16th century. Marseille decks often prioritize simplicity and direct symbolism. - Key Features: Recognized by its unique style of pips (numbered cards) and the absence of illustrated scenes in the Minor Arcana. Focuses on geometric patterns and essential symbols. - Major Arcana: Marseille Major Arcana cards feature traditional archetypes with distinct artistic styles. The imagery tends to be simpler compared to the Rider-Waite-Smith deck. - Minor Arcana: The Marseille deck uses pip cards, emphasizing the suit symbols and numbers without elaborate illustrations, encouraging readers to rely on their intuition and knowledge of numerology.
Comparative Aspects: - Artistic Style: Rider-Waite-Smith is characterized by detailed illustrations, Thoth by intricate and symbolic imagery, and Marseille by a more minimalistic and geometric approach. - Philosophical Influence: Rider-Waite-Smith draws on Hermetic and esoteric symbolism, Thoth incorporates Crowley's occult teachings, and Marseille has roots in traditional European mysticism. - Accessibility: Rider-Waite-Smith is often recommended for beginners due to its straightforward symbolism, while Thoth can be complex for newcomers. Marseille requires a blend of intuition and traditional knowledge. - Cultural Influence: Rider-Waite-Smith and Thoth have had a significant impact on Western esotericism, while Marseille reflects a more traditional European approach to tarot.
These tarot systems offer diverse perspectives, making each suitable for different practitioners based on their preferences, knowledge, and interpretative styles. Tarot de Marseille (TdM): - Cultural Influence: Rooted in European traditions, the Marseille Tarot has historical ties to playing cards and early tarot decks. It often retains a sense of the medieval and Renaissance eras. - Minor Arcana: TdM's Minor Arcana consists of numbered pips without detailed illustrations, relying on geometric arrangements of suit symbols. The emphasis is on numerology and symbolism. - Major Arcana: The Major Arcana cards follow traditional archetypes with distinct iconography. The Marseille style often includes unique elements, like the Pope being depicted as the "Papess" or the Tower featuring a crumbling building.
Comparative Aspects (Continued): - Symbolism: Rider-Waite-Smith uses detailed scenes and additional symbolism, Thoth incorporates esoteric and occult symbolism, while Marseille relies on core symbols and geometric patterns. - Reader's Intuition: Marseille encourages readers to rely on their intuitive understanding of symbols and numbers. Rider-Waite-Smith and Thoth, with their detailed imagery, may provide more visual cues for interpretation. - Astrology and Kabbalah: Thoth incorporates detailed connections to astrology and Kabbalah, influencing both Major and Minor Arcana. Rider-Waite-Smith includes astrological symbols, while Marseille may have subtle astrological associations.
Personal Preference: - Artistic Taste: Individuals often gravitate toward a specific tarot system based on artistic preferences. Some may appreciate the detailed scenes of Rider-Waite-Smith, while others prefer the abstract symbolism of Thoth or the simplicity of Marseille. - Philosophical Alignment: Practitioners with an interest in Hermeticism and Western esoteric traditions may favor Rider-Waite-Smith or Thoth, while those drawn to historical and traditional approaches may resonate with Marseille.
Final Thoughts: - Each tarot system offers a unique lens through which to explore the mystical and symbolic aspects of life. The choice between Rider-Waite-Smith, Thoth, or Marseille often depends on personal preferences, philosophical inclinations, and the level of complexity desired in readings. - Many practitioners engage with multiple tarot systems, finding value in the diverse perspectives each one brings. The rich history and cultural influences embedded in these tarot decks continue to captivate and inspire users on their spiritual journeys.
Evolution and Diversification: - Modern Interpretations: Over time, tarot systems have continued to evolve, leading to the creation of modern decks that draw inspiration from Rider-Waite-Smith, Thoth, Marseille, and other traditions. These decks often incorporate diverse cultural influences, artistic styles, and thematic variations. - Innovative Decks: Contemporary tarot artists produce decks that explore themes such as mythology, feminism, LGBTQ+ perspectives, and more. Decks like the Wild Unknown, the Modern Witch Tarot, or the Afro-Brazilian Tarot bring fresh interpretations to tarot symbolism.
Cultural and Global Impact: - Globalization: Tarot has become a global phenomenon, with practitioners and enthusiasts from various cultures embracing and adapting the practice to their own traditions. - Cultural Representation: Decks like the Ancestral Path Tarot or the IONA Tarot incorporate diverse cultural perspectives, offering a more inclusive representation of humanity's spiritual and cultural tapestry.
Practical Considerations: - Learning Curve: Rider-Waite-Smith is often recommended for beginners due to its accessibility, while Thoth may be better suited for those with a deeper understanding of occult symbolism. Marseille requires a blend of intuition and traditional knowledge. - Reading Style: Some readers prefer the narrative and visual clues provided by Rider-Waite-Smith, while others appreciate the esoteric depth of Thoth or the open-ended symbolism of Marseille.
Individual Exploration: - Personal Connection: The most effective tarot system often depends on an individual's personal connection and resonance with a particular deck. Exploring different decks and systems allows practitioners to discover which one aligns best with their intuitive and interpretative style.
Conclusion: In the vast and ever-expanding world of tarot, the Rider-Waite-Smith, Thoth, and Marseille systems serve as foundational pillars, each contributing a unique perspective to the art of divination. As tarot continues to evolve and diversify, practitioners are encouraged to explore, experiment, and find the decks that resonate most deeply with their spiritual journey and personal intuition.

Out of Nepal migration theory, which suggests that Nepal played a significant role in shaping human migration patterns and influencing the development of civilization. By examining various factors such as human evolution, continental clashes, Nepali civilization, religion, culture, and geography, this research presents a compelling argument for the influence of Nepal on the global population.

1. Introduction: The Nepali migration theory posits that the first humans originated in present-day Nepal and subsequently migrated in various directions, shaping the genetic characteristics and physical features of populations across different regions. This paper presents a collection of findings that support this theory, highlighting the impact of Nepal on human evolution and migration.
2. Human Evolution and Migration: One aspect of the Nepali migration theory suggests that early humans migrated from Nepal towards different directions, resulting in the similarity of facial features among populations in East Asia, Southeast Asia, Europe, and India. For instance, Indians share similarities with the Arya Nepali due to their shared ancestral heritage, while Europeans adapted to local climates and developed distinct physical traits. Similarly, the Mongoloid population traces its origins back to the earliest inhabitants of Nepal, while the resemblance between Somalis, Ethiopians, and Indians can be attributed to distant genetic connections. The theory also proposes that the first Aryans and Mongoloids emerged from Nepal.
3. Continental Clashes and Human Evolution: The collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates is considered a pivotal event in the evolutionary history of humans. It is widely acknowledged that life originated in the oceans, and evidence of ancient marine life can still be found in the Himalayas. The collision of continents facilitated the transition from oceanic to terrestrial lifeforms, leading to the emergence of the first humans in the Himalayan region over thousands of years.
4. Nepali Civilization: This theory asserts that Nepali civilization flourished thousands of years ago, spanning from the Indus River to the Ganga River. The Nepali people, known as the Harrapans or Indus people, were characterized as peaceful and highly civilized, prioritizing the pursuit of a harmonious life over conquest and warfare. However, due to the invasion of the Mughals, the Nepali civilization shifted to the Himalayan region, leaving behind a forgotten history.
5. Religion and Culture: Nepal is believed to have significantly influenced the development of ancient religions. Ved Vyas, the sage credited with writing the Vedas, is purported to have been born in Nepal, while Gautam Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, was also born within its borders. This theory proposes that Nepali Aryans migrated westward, spreading religions such as Greek, Zoroastrianism, and Egyptian religion.
6. Nepal's Geographic Influence: Nepal's geography is argued to have played a crucial role in establishing distinct racial differences. The inhabitants of flat regions are described as predominantly black, while hill people exhibit brown complexion, and mountain dwellers display Mongoloid features. The diverse geographical landscape of Nepal allowed its people to adapt to various climates, enabling migration to different parts of the world.

​
This is true. Truth always prevails.

NON, VIII. APRILIS. CERIALIA, HON. PROSERPINA LIBERA FILIA.

Well, if Ethnos has its limits so does Logos – right? It is interesting to correlate ‘crazy religion’ as being a response toward straight Logos (i.e. a full assessment of reality as it is) as being something that is considered to be politically insurmountable; as if the weaker mind begins to fathom material reality and simply goes insane – or rather that that is the perception that people with weaker minds have when considering demographic questions of “how shall we ever convince all these people” followed by a collapse into full-on absurdism where truth and reason is no longer even attempted.
The blurring or subsuming of Logos with the character of Jesus by the later Christians is something I have wanted to examine more closely in this context; again see: previous entries under this category as to fathom how the notion first arrived amongst the Jews that “Jesus was representative ‘of’ Logos (i.e. his actions resembled Logos vs Ethnos in a Patrician manner ‘talking sense to savages’)” as I think that is the most reasonable beginning for the idea or (not inaccurate) conflation in the first place, but if that is 100AD era Christianity comprised of Jews fleeing Judaism then that cannot be said to be the Christianity of the Gentiles as a political movement which had actually emerged by, say, 300AD and left the realms of idle feast table comedies (read: Lucien’s Peregrinus) and entered the realms of serious political concern (read: Maximinius and Diocletian) that could no longer be laughed off,

"may those [former-christians] who, after being freed from [the self-defeating errors of] those by-ways [which had led them to nothing but enmity toward their fellow-man], rejoice [at having been] snatched from a grave illness!"

Galerius Valerius Maximinus ‘Daza’, 308AD, from a defaced inscription

On the other hand we still ‘may’ be dealing with a Jewish revolutionary movement (i.e. led by Jews, majority Jewish membership) which had “beguiled old Women and beggars in the street – being ignored by anybody of sense”, as was always said of those Christians, - indeed we ‘may’ be but I do not need to make that case here as it is by 300AD that the thing can be said to be no longer Jewish: having soaked up enough non-Jews so as to by that point resemble that familiar mixture that we (and they at the time) observe of the Christians, that is: a bunch of half-cracked non-Jews who have turned away from all sense and who believe themselves to be the scions of the Ethnic Religion of the Jews, and who pray every day for the world to burn and who are greatly despised by the general population - and it must be said at that point in time despised for quite real reasons because they opposed things like public feasts, i.e. successful measures to feed the poor and keep communities in contact with widows and so on, which constitutes much of the social glue and this under the flimsy pretext that the meat was impure if it was donated by a Pagan as it always was, e.g. as that meat could not be said to be Kosher, which it never would be – and notice even there that that ‘decree’, which came from Paul and was said to the Jews who followed him, is obviously a Jewish custom and so it makes sense to a Jew and is actionable for a Jew living in a Jewish town but makes absolutely no sense and is completely inactionable for a Roman or an Egyptian, but that by 300AD that was the demographic composition of Christianity, i.e. the natural physical body of, say, a Gallo-Roman from Gaul and the alien programming of something completely incompatible knocking around in the head.
As I said I wished to explore the ‘absurdism’ of this in its political context, that is: the abandonment of Reason altogether, and this is quite difficult to reconstruct – not least of all because the Christian sources simply cannot be trusted (see: Atrocity Propaganda) and because in greater part ‘the masses’ did not appear to have liked Christianity or converted to it in any serious numbers except that the government itself had, by only as far forward as 370AD, been taken over by Christians so that Quintus Aurelius Symmachus ‘the Last Pagan Senator’ (Gov. Africa Proconsularis) was a lone figure in the courts of Theodosius, Stilicho and Honorius. There is however still a lot to be said for the accuracy of that claim “he was the Last Pagan Senator”, since we rely on Christian sources; and remembering also that Emperor Julian (of whose Life & Times I am coming dangerously close to beginning to write here) possessed whole Legions of tens of thousands of Pagans (i.e. the overwhelming majority of the Roman military; the overwhelming majority of the officer corps, etc.) only eight years earlier in 363AD which had itself followed from a purge of criminal bureaucrat Christians from the government (e.g., see: Paul Catena), but if we go with the Christians on this occasion; with the claim that Symmachus truly was the last Pagan Senator, then we find that republican democracy has vanished from the Roman Empire almost overnight, that is: the multitudes of peoples across the Empire cannot hold political office due to this ideological barrier imposed against them – even though they are still compelled to join the army which formerly would guarantee the rights of citizenship and political office – and so there is no representation; the head is severed from the body, i.e. government is severed from state, and so neither can function.
To my mind this is a curious and strangely little-discussed aspect of human political history which essentially can be described of various times and places when a ruling class seems to go crazy and isolate themselves from the state with some outlandish ideological absurdism; it has been my contention that such things, always being so crazy, are ‘intended’ to fill that role of disconnection to cut off the government from the people so that the government is no longer representing the state and the people and can be utilized for private interests in absence of a constitutional imperative, and that the ‘mindless platitudes’ which comprise the lip-service paid to the outlandish ideology are merely demonstrations of submission or subservience to the ruler which constitute the cauterization of the severance of the professor of absurdism (i mean, the person who professes nonsense) in that the first step is to cut the would-be political appointee off from the people and then seal the cut by performing a verbal action which makes the appointee look like a blithering moron in the eyes of anybody with a brain and thusly drives away whatever public support that appointee may otherwise have possessed so that the appointee is completely beholden to the ruler, is ridiculed and hated by the public and thenceforth becomes a well-greased instrument in the business of ill-rule, oppression and liquidation of public assets and all criminal activities directed ‘against’ rather than ‘in service to’ the people and the state.
Now, again, we are talking about the Christianity of the 300AD’s where these cases of ‘obvious’ criminals ‘feigning religion’ for personal political power can be demonstrated time and time again. Perhaps they did not visualize entirely the manner by which they were themselves operating, and indeed in criminal situations a highly stupid person will make a more reliable operative if they are too stupid to even understand how what they are doing is a crime, for instance. Certainly this is not the Christianity of the 100AD’s; which we can easily identify as being something else (i.e. Jews fleeing Judaism), but what I mean to highlight here is that with a foundation which is ‘out-of-sync’ to material reality; that every step undertaken under erroneous unfalsifiable belief will be a further step away from anything good or beneficial since each step is a step ‘away’ from reality where logical proofs can be weighted and into delusion in the human mind where no proofs can be applied; and the proof there is how readily such ‘ideology’ provided (and provides) a cloak to the worst criminal actors – even from the very beginning with Pauls own followers. I do not mean to suggest either that this is an exclusively Abramic pattern rather that Abramic ideology is an expression of this same pattern of ‘absurdism’, again: if not consciously in instruction then in form in practise it cannot be anything else (read: Voltaire’s absurdism in belief, atrocity in action).
I think, however, we touch at another proof of the hellish nature of this ‘absurdity cult’ in the fathoming of the Ecclesia ‘as’ the Church:
The reader may be familiar, through my own reading recommendations on Henry VIII if having arrived at it from nowhere else, with William Tyndale and his martyrdom at the hands of the Dutch for having translated the bible into legible English; something which the Catholics were eager to prevent. The first question then is ‘why’ were they willing to kill Men and Women for bringing the word of Jesus to the public in order that the public may begin to comprehend in an intelligible language the lessons and stories of the Religion that they claimed to believe and of which without knowing a damn thing about and hearing sermons in an unintelligible language obviously could know or believe nothing of; Greek Christianity or Islam did not gave this problem neither did the early Christians who were reading and writing in intelligible languages. Obviously I think Men such as Tyndale were sincere in their aims and truly believed in what they were doing, but the reality was that the Catholic Church already knew that translating the holy books so that ordinary people could read and hear and learn about the religion would bring to light many of the problems inherent in that religion and especially in the practice of the institutional Western so-called Roman so-called Catholic so-called Church.
Now I do not wish to delve here into a legal and historical account of “all of that” but it suffices, in the context of this text and subject, to identify two main points; one of which we have just made, 1) that an ideology of absurdism operates upon ignorance and the acquiesce or subservience of the ignorant to ‘concealed knowledge’ which takes the form of concealing knowledge in the first place so as to keep the public ignorant (e.g. in a court scenario: one cannot follow the law if the law is not known, therefore if one seeks to abuse the law as a tool of oppression then one will hide the law so that nobody can follow it and everybody can be declared a criminal as desired), and 2) of Tyndales translation directly, which cost him his life, that the original word for ‘Church’ was ‘Ecclesia’ which, to the Ancient Greeks and Romans was the word for ‘Town Hall’ or ‘Political Assembly; the place to vote, the place to bring matters to the government’, or Forum to the Romans of which both held certain legalities.
So, of the second point, when we identify the origin of the Church as being that municipal Ecclesia then we are forced to the conclusion that the despised minority of the Christians had in the very first instance of their writing begun to utilize and operate along the already established political framework of the Greeks and Romans; and this being as early as the 100AD’s – at least as early as the earliest possible dates for the writing of many books of the New Testament of Paul (e.g. Matthew, Titus, etc.).
Again: this is understandable in our 100AD context whereupon communities of Jewish expatriates who had turned away from their Synagogue or despised Judaism and wished to enshrine their reformations ‘of’ Judaism under a legal framework recognizable to the Roman authorities would have established an Ecclesia of their own, as like an Ethnarchy or a so-called ‘Quarter’ in a city.
However it is precisely there that we run into trouble in that very instance; plainly: if those Christian-Jews were Roman-friendly and sought to ban circumcision, as they did, so as to properly assimilate to the Res Publica like any Gaul or Celt or Thracian then they would not ‘need’ a unique ecclesia since like anybody else if they sought to address the government they would go to the forum and do so, as there would be no point standing around in a building waiting for Consul who was holding court somewhere else. What this means, I think most plainly, is that the desire to establish an Ecclesia reveals a conscious political intent (again: from the earliest possible date of those books in New Testament) to build a political powerbase comprised of Christian-Jews and non-Jewish supporters who would all eventually become The Christians, and perhaps the simplest and fairest way to describe this is that by creating its own Ecclesia it could then declare a political representative to have been ‘lawfully elected’ by that Ecclesia who would then ‘nominally’ (i.e. in name only) claim equal ranking with an elected Tribune or Consul who had ‘actually’ been lawfully elected and represented tens of thousands of people and commanded hundreds of industries rather than two or three guys and an Episkopos; lit. Overseer, i.e. a Bishop, who represented nothing.
I mean, this is kind of a joke – right? No Imperial Consul of Hadrians day would take them seriously, but between 100AD and 300AD this is precisely how Christianity is evidenced to have spread, eventually reaching the point where it displaced, subsumed or anyway rivaled the legitimate Ecclesiastics of one township or one province to the next; I mean that only Christians occupied Roman government by the middle-to-late 300AD’s so as to discern that the Forums of the Republic no longer operated and that Christians were advancing themselves into high office via this new Ecclesia of which they alone were the exclusive members. It is almost unfathomable how such a thing could have occurred and to even attempt to document how it did would be a Mammoth task which I have no time here to undertake, however, there is the beginning and two-hundred years later there is the end; we are not even reaching the point in time of Constantine and the Edict of Tolerance which formalized Christian admission into government office, as Constantine would not have bothered if there was not an already existing power base.
What we are dealing with here, I think, as to loop back to the title of this text, is that of the politics of full-on absurdism; that is: the manner by which the idle masses of a place are drawn to the most insane of ideologies in a state of desperation and poverty precisely as a mental escapism from the bother of dealing with reality; that is to desire to die in order to avoid really doing anything:
The Christian Rhetoric, as an expression of absurdism which retreats from reality as like a group exercise in verbal proclamation of ‘belief’ in ‘belief’, is entirely that as like a denialism of material reality and an affirmation of the ego delusion.
I do not mean here the weak sophistry of the likes of the apologists with philosophical or political pretensions (though of politics one ought always assume the worst by the nature of demagoguery alone), that is I mean instead: the political employ of the Rhetoric of Christianity to the ‘gentile’ masses to hook and manipulate them by their Pathos, to dissuade them from forward-thinking; to dissuade them from discerning true causes for their misery, to declare that every day is the end of the world with some new outrage, to declare that good actions do not matter; to dissuade them from discernment of what is good and what is evil, to bilk them of whatever small coin they may possess and ultimately to send them to their deaths to relish and bask in having created saintly martyrs for their political ideology.
Christianity claims victim status since the very beginning, and since the very beginning (at least anyway with Paul) it has always been the oppressor claiming to be a victim when the true victims catch up with them to “stuff a radish up their arse” in retribution. We in the West inherit this to an incredible extent whereupon atrocity propaganda and false claims of oppression or abuse are the heaviest currency that is sought out by the lowliest of actors. Insofar as we must examine Christianity when looking to document the full scope of absurdist ideology and atrocity propaganda we are, I must insist, looking at something which is not altogether ‘religious’ in origin (even if, for instance, they proclaim a God is telling them to do Evil things) nor is it, in origin, ‘political’ either; since politics follows the cultural caprices (i.e. the impulses and the weaknesses) of a peoples who are in turn subject to their own biochemisty as like wooden puppets, but is instead identifiable as a failing of the human intellectual faculty; the word ‘Pathos’ seems to be the best word for this failure when we take these dynamics out of a mythological or ideological context and realize that, again mythology aside, that this character or that character if they really existed must have been manic depressive or full-blown psychotic with this being lauded as some kind divine thing so as to decontextualize events after the facts.
And from there also, and I think: in no manner otherwise, we can begin to make sense of this ‘social impulse’ comprised of the Pathos of Men and Women which is called The Demos; something which, of course, the later Christians knew the language of very well and sought to make-pretend that they were in opposition toward; as if like eating a piece of fruit bestows the technical knowledge of how to build and maintain a ship as like to say that getting dunked in water cures a person of their inability to control the instability of their emotions, where in such examples ‘belief’ is shown to be of null-effect and where knowledge and the practice of self-command is shown to markedly superior.

NON, VIII. APRILIS. CERIALIA, HON. PROSERPINA LIBERA FILIA.

PREVIOUS: THOUGHTS ON THE 'UNDUE CONCRETENESS' WHICH WE PROJECT ONTO THE CULTURE IN THE WORLD AROUND US, OR ETHNOS VS THE CHILD IN FOSTERING A DISPOSITION ANTITHETICAL TO REALIZING THE LOGOS OF THE MATERIAL WORLD AND ATTUNING TO IT LOGOS VS ETHNOS (3)
ABSURDISM: ON ATELLAN FARCE AND MENIPPEAN SATIRE IN ANCIENT ROME AS A "MCLUHAN MEDIUM" SHAPING A CULTURE THE EXTRICATION FROM PATHOS
CRIMINALITY: ON INSENSIBILITY AND LOW INTELLIGENCE, OR ON INERTIA AND “ESCAPISM FROM THE SUPERFICIAL SELF” HAVELOCK ELLIS’S ‘THE CRIMINAL’ (1890)

I'm working on a project for my art history course in which we research a culture's or time period's art pieces, as well as historical/artistic context. I chose for my project to be on art throughout India -- I had originally, more specifically, wanted to do Hindu art, but I can't seem to find any specific pieces of artwork during British colonization, which I wanted to touch upon. Something I have noticed about a lot of the traditional pieces prior to colonization, though, is that many of the people are drawn in side profile as opposed to front facing. Of course, this isn't the case for everything I've found, just a big pattern I've noticed for a lot of them :) Is there any specific cultural reason for this? I've only been able to find some sort of reason with Egyptian art. Thanks in advance!!!

Joseph claims to have translated (probably among other things): (1) The Book of Mormon, (2) the Book of Abraham, (3) the Kinderhook Plates, and (4) the Bible.
1. The Book of Mormon
"Either the Book of Mormon is what the Prophet Joseph said it is or this Church and its founder are false, fraudulent, a deception from the first instance onward." Jeffrey R. Holland, CES Symposium
Source material:

• Martin Harris recounts that Joseph used a seer stone he dug from a well to first locate the gold plates upon which the Book of Mormon was written (FAIR).
• JSH 1:34-42 gives the more well-known story of the angel Moroni, who Joseph initially called Nephi (Times and Seasons, Pearl of Great Price 1851, Lucy Mack Smith, and Millenial Star all used Nephi), who appeared to Joseph in vision in 1823, introduced the idea of the plates and interpreters, and told Joseph he would be destroyed if he showed them to anyone he was not commanded to show.
• When Joseph went to retrieve the plates from the Hill Cumorah, he was rebuked by the angel and denied access to the plates for having not kept the commandments of the Lord (Saints ch. 3). The angel told Joseph to return in a year with the "right person" who was Joseph's older brother, Alvin. (Joseph Knight reminisces). After Joseph relayed this prophecy to his family, Alvin died two months later from mercury poisoning.
• Joseph eventually retrieved the plates years later in September of 1827 and the "right person" changed to Emma Smith who--despite being necessary to retrieve the plates--waited by herself at the bottom of the hill while Joseph retrieved them (lds.org). Emma never saw the plates herself (lds.org).

Translation process:

• Joseph began translating the gold plates from "reformed Egyptian" to English in January 1828 primarily with Martin Harris (JSH 1:62). The process slowed or stopped when the first 116 pages of the manuscript were lost, but the copyright was prepared June 1829 after Oliver Cowdery began scribing, the printer's manual finished in November 1829, and the first book was sold March 1830. A little over two years from when Joseph said he began translating.
• For the most part, Joseph would place his seer stone in a hat while translating while pressing his face aginst the edges to block out the light while he gazed in. The plates would be somewhere near, but unseen due to being wrapped in a table cloth (gospel essays). In the hat, Joseph would see something similar to parchment pages appear on the seer stone with English words. He would read them out to his scribe and, if correctly written, the sentences would disappear, allowing them to move on (Stevenson, “One of the Three Witnesses,” 78–79, 86–87). They would not disappear if written incorrectly.

Issues:

• Why were the plates necessary if they were never physically used in the translation, but rather sat covered in Joseph's home while he read through a seer stone? This goes for the interpreters too as he already had several seer stones.
• How could Alvin be allowed to die if he was a necessary component to receiving the plates? Why did Emma not ascend the Hill Cumorah or see the plates if she was the "right person" spoken of?
• How could there be ANY errors in the Book of Mormon (there are almost 4,000 changes in the current edition with many grammatical fixes and a few substantial changes like "God" to "Son of God" and "Benjamin" to "Mosiah") if God approved each page as it was written?
• Why are there so many historical discrepancies surrounding the coming forth of the BoM, like the Nephi/Moroni mix-up with the angel and how Joseph initially learned of the plates? And the many anachronisms?
• Joseph's family gathered every evening following the initial visitation from Nephi/Moroni to listen to Joseph describe the dress, mode of travel, religious worship, warfare, and every particular of the ancient inhabitants of the Americas (Joseph Smith Papers, 87). How did Joseph have so much "knowledge" as to the inhabitants of the ancient americas multiple years before he ever had access to the gold plates? With that knowledge and the two years he had to translate the BoM, does it really seem impossible that the stories could not have been fabricated?
• The Book of Mormon quotes heavily from the Bible. In Isaiah alone, about 30% of the entire book has made its way into the BoM with over half of those verses quoted directly from the 1769 KJV of Isaiah that Joseph had access to. Without theorizing too much as to the authorship of Isaiah, how likely is it that the brass plates Nephi brought from Jerusalem in 600BC contained writings from the end of Isaiah, that were then included in the BoM even though those writings of Isaiah were likely written hundreds of years after Nephi left?
  • If you want a deeper dive, watch Dan McClellan, and lds bible scholar, talk about the history of the KJV. Why would God use KJV language directly in the BoM if it is inaccurate?
• Although FAIR claims the plates weighed 60lbs, I struggle to see how the 270,000 words of the BoM were inscribed onto around 400 pages of 0.012" thickness that would be required to match the dimensions and weight description given by Joseph and church leaders. When you also consider that two-thirds of the plates were still sealed, adding on likely another 500,000 words, I doubt Joseph would have been moving something of that size anywhere, even if he had superhuman strength.
• Outside of the translation process itself, the content of the BoM is often non corroborated. For example, the final battle on Hill Cumorah between the Nephites and Lamanites resulted in deaths of over 230,000 people (more deaths than d-day in WWII), and there is no archeological evidence of such a battle. Nor of a literate society (several instances of general populace reading in the BoM) of millions of people in the Americas. If you really want to stress credulity, the battles in Ether resulted in millions of casualties. Why are there no signs? I would expect to at least find remnant weapons or fragments of documents.

2. The Book of Abraham
Source material:

• In 1835, the church bought mummies and scrolls of papyrus from Michael Chandler, an Ireland-native who immigrated to the US and happened to buy the mummies and papyrus while in New York (BYU Archives).
• Upon review, "much to their joy," Joseph found that the papyrus contained the writings of Abraham and used it to translate the Book of Abraham that is now canon in the Pearl of Great Price (Gospel Essay).

Translation process:

• The process of translation was not given, but Joseph claimed to have translated both the papyrus and the facsimiles.
• Upon seeing Joseph's expertise, Michael Chandler--who had no background with Egypt nor claim to understanding other than having bought and transported the materials from New York--wrote Joseph a certificate of authenticity supporting the veracity of the translation.
• When the church members left Nauvoo, the papyrus and mummies were sold and thought to be lost or destroyed until 1967 when the NY Metropolitan Museum of Art transferred the papyrus fragments back to the church (Gospel Essay).
• The papyrus was then translated properly and showed that none of the characters on the papyrus fragments mentioned Abraham’s name or any of the events recorded in the book of Abraham. Instead, the papyrus was a record of a common pagan Egyptian funerary text for a man named Hor who died around the first century C.E, long after Abraham lived (Gospel Essay). Joseph's translation of the facsimiles was similarly incorrect.

Issues:

• Again, why did Joseph attempt to translate this? Why did he fabricate a story that has nothing to do with the actual text? Why is he unable to translate the actual text? And why did he rely on the certificate of approval of Michael Chandler for accreditation?

3. The Kinderhook Plates
Source material:

• In 1843, Wilbur Fugate, Robert Wiley, and a local blacksmith in Kinderhook, Illinois, forged 6 bell-shaped plates, inscribed ancient-looking writing on them, and placed them in a burial mound the night before they were discovered with intent to trick the mormon community and potentially show that Joseph was a fake prophet. (Gospel Essay)(BYU Religious Studies)
• Joseph took interest in the plates, which were found about 70 miles south of Nauvoo, and had them for at least 5 days.

Translation process:

• The process of translation was not given, but the History of the Church quoted Joseph as saying in regards to the plates "I have translated a portion of them, and find they contain the history of the person with whom they were found. He was a descendant of Ham, through the loins of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and that he received his kingdom from the Ruler of heaven and earth."

Issues:

• I believe the issues here are simple. The Kinderhook Plates were unquestionably fraudulent. Why did Joseph even attempt to translate them? Why did he say the writing on them said something so very different than what it actually was (gibberish)? How did he go about this translation?
• Why did he say it was Egyptian? Is it possible that Joseph, relying on his successful "translation" of the Book of Abraham, had a similar plan with these plates?

4. The Joseph Smith Bible Translation
Source material:

• Joseph claimed to have used the KJV of the Bible and his own musings as the source material for his Bible translation (Gospel Essay). The early translation resulted in longer passages such as the Book of Moses as he reviewed Genesis.

Translation process:

• Joseph translated by either dictating passages to scribes or marking areas in the Bible himself where his scribes inserted comments. The additions ranged from grammar changes to expansions of biblical stories (Gospel Essay).

Issues:

• My main issue with this is quite comprehensive; almost all the changes or additions (excepting longer passages like the Book of Moses) that Joseph made to the KJV came directly from Adam Clarke’s contemporary biblical commentary, Holy Bible, Containing the Old and New Testaments (BYU Journal). This was widely available in Joseph's region of the United States in the 1820s and 1830s. In the language this BYU Journal used, "...the number of direct parallels between Smith’s translation and Adam Clarke’s biblical commentary are simply too numerous and explicit to posit happenstance or coincidental overlap."
• Additionally, why were the "inspired changes" Joseph made to the KJV not changed in the KJV language that was directly quoted in the BoM? Why would the proper language not be used in the BoM when Joseph translated it "by the power of God"?

What I see in Joseph's translations are distinct patterns of behavior.
A pattern of Joseph making the source material inaccessible or unreadable for anyone besides himself. A pattern of incorporating contemporary ideas and his own vivid imagination through the lens of ancient scripture to create his own doctrine. And a pattern of lying.
Even if the translated materials were more convincing or were less-easily proven fraudulent, I would still hesitate to put faith a man stuck in patterns like these.
Faith at its core is believing in something you can't see, not ignoring what you can.
(feel free to add your own thoughts or sources and correct any mistakes if I made them. Just looking to share and learn)