Emergent Church Wolves on Annihilation

Paula White Exposed [video]

THAT’s My King! Pastor Lockridge [video]

Powerful Prayers from Children-This Will Shake You [video]

The Fear of the LORD is to Hate Evil: Pride, and Arrogancy #shorts [video]

More Deceit and Heresy from the Antichrist Emergent Church Wolves

Beware of these emergent church beguilers who seek to cheat millions out of their eternity with Christ by robbing from their hearts the fear of the LORD! They do this by telling lies and promoting false doctrine regarding the “eternal damnation” promised to all who die in rebellion (Mark 3:29).

These are one of the newest breeds of slick talking snakes who have come to cast doubt upon, diminish from, minimize, break down, and undo the clear meaning of God’s Word as given to the English speaking world in the King James Bible. God was anything but silent on the nature and length of suffering to be experienced and endured by all rebels. By the way, if you don’t have a King James Bible, get one immediately and trash your new version.

These wolves in sheep’s clothing, and those who espouse their heretical teachers, are under divine judgment and being turned over to “strong delusion” so that they will ultimately be “damned.” (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12; Revelation 22:18-19) One thing we can observe about the LORD is that if someone is “not valiant for the truth,” God takes it personally and will help them be “deceived” and ultimately “damned.” Check this out:

“Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish (going to eternal hell); BECAUSE they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12

Anti means against or in place of. With this in mind, it’s clear to see that these men are operating under “the spirit of antichrist” and that is clear in that they are changing or replacing the meaning of Christ’s teachings (1 John 4:1-6).

Brian McLaren is the premier emergent church wolf. His most popular book is titled A New Kind of Christianity. It took defiance and audacity to name his book this way. His title clearly reveals what he is trying to do – change things. McLaren has espoused the age old deceits of the arch-enemy of mankind and seeks to undo the timeless truths of a Holy God, the very Judge of our eternal souls. What he is promoting is nothing more than a scam to sell books folks. Don’t be so gullible and ignorant. There’s nothing new about Brian McLaren’s lies. They are age old, yet packaged to deceived unlearned souls, ushering them into the fires of eternal damnation.

God and His Word cannot be separated. His Word is eternally perfect and therefore unchanging.

“For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.” Psalms 119:89

“My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.” Psalms 89:34

“For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” Malachi 3:6

“Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.” Mark 13:31

After reading the above Bible Scriptures, there should be absolutely no doubt concerning the eternal perfection and the unchanging, non-negotiable nature of God’s Word.

What McLaren and his fellow emergent scammers are doing is nothing new because God’s Word tells us that “there is NO new thing under the sun” and “There hath NO temptation taken you but such as is common to man.” (Ecclesiastes 1:9; 1 Corinthians 10:13) Satan started this same doubt-casting manipulation in the Garden of Creation when interacting with the first man and woman (Genesis 3). He cast doubt on God’s Word by creating doubt in the mind of the first woman. The enemy of your soul has not changed. He’s still got the exact bag of tricks, doubt-casting being one of his more successful. Beware! Believe God at His Word! Stand on God’s Word and refuse to be moved! When God says something, it’s an unchanging, non-negotiable truth – “Let God be true and every man a liar.” (Romans 3:4)

Classic Perversion of Truth

You will notice that when people don’t like what the Bible plainly says (in our language – English/KJV), they then search for an alternative meaning. Their hearts are in rebellion and so they don’t mind making up a god in their own image and likeness instead of humbly conforming to the Word of the one true God (2 Timothy 3:15-17). They have a mere “form of godliness” but are not submitted to Christ and will therefore search and find others who will not take God at His Word. They then minimize, make null, and distort the clear meaning of God’s Word by searching the many commentaries of God-less theologians, many who are already in hell.

Doctrinal Example: Is hell and the lake of fire literal and eternal?

Well, what did Jesus teach about hell, the suffering of those who die in sin, and the lake of fire? We will look at what Christ taught in just a moment.

In the emergent church’s predictably incestuous “conspiracy” of wolves, they endorse one another’s lies because they are all telling the same lies, just as the false prophets of old did (Jeremiah 23). Is this not exactly what the wolves of Ezekiel’s day did? (Ezekiel 22:25-27)

In the emergent church’s predictably incestuous “conspiracy” of wolves, they endorse one anothers lies because they are all telling the same lies just as the false prophets of old did (Jeremiah 23). Is this not exactly what the wolves of Ezekiel’s day did? (Ezekiel 22:25-27)

In a book written by emergent church false teacher Sharon L. Baker and endorsed by mega emergent wolf Brian McLaren, concerning the lake of fire, Baker writes:

“Unfortunately, diverse interpretations of ‘the lake of fire’ make it more difficult for us to propose its precise meaning. We can’t know for certain what it is or what reality it metaphorically refers to. Based upon the historical and cultural context, however, we can speculate. Revelation 20:10 refers to it as a ‘lake of fire and brimstone.’ Another translation from the Greek for the word ‘brimstone’ is the word ‘sulfur.’ (NRSV) From historical studies, we know that in those days, the sulfur fire burned hotter than any other fire, so hot that it completely disintegrated any substance that came close to it.” Sharon L. Baker, Razing Hell, p. 142

First, Baker says we just can’t possibly understand God’s Word. In other words, God gave us a message He is not able to help us understand. That’s clearly the unbelief of an apostate, God-less heart. So, she a type of a neo-agnostic or better yet, Sharon L. Baker is Christ-defying, a flat out unbeliever. Sharon L. Baker is telling us here in her book – that she wrote so that people could understand her heresies – the God Almighty gave mankind mountains of verses in His Word/message to us about hell and the lake of fire, but we just can’t understand them and He didn’t intend us to understand them. Yet, this wolf, Sharon L. Baker, fully expects that those who read her book can understand her false teaching. How convenient! She fully believes that “we can speculate” as to the meaning of God’s Word on this subject of the lake of fire.

Baker then does abuses Daniel 3 to attempt to justify her regurgitated annihilation heresy. This female agent of Satan continues with this diabolical assumption:

“When theologians talk about hell as annihilation, they mean that those thrown into the lake’s sulfur fire suffer complete destruction of annihilation. They do not suffer eternal torment in hell but cease to exist completely. So the lake-of-fire imagery suggests a fire that completely consumes whatever is thrown into it rather than eternal torment…” Sharon L. Baker, Razing Hell, p. 142

Baker reduces God’s Word to mere imagery while indignantly choosing to ignore the obvious eternal suffering Jesus taught (Mark 9:43-49).

Also, did you notice how Sharon L. Baker here assumes that all theologians are ungodly false teachers like her? Did you see how she, like her father Satan, deceptively slipped that assumption in her statement so as to deceive the unlearned? Notice she never speaks of God’s Word as being the self-interpretive, divinely-inspired masterpiece that it is, but rather she relies on sinful so-called theologians. That’s pure rebellion, disdain for the Almighty and brazen, damnable unbelief!

“But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily (deceptively; secretly) shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. 3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.” 2 Peter 2:1-3

In utter contradiction to God’s clear revelation, every single cult does away with the eternal, conscious nature of divine retribution upon the wicked. This is a clear, earmark doctrine of all antichrist cults. You see, Satan wants us to believe that there is going to be no eternal consequence for dying in rebellion to our Maker, the very Judge of our eternal soul.

This is classic annihilation teaching, a doctrine of devils espoused by every cult known to mankind.

Are Hell and the Lake of Fire Eternal or Temporal?

“And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, ⁸In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: ⁹Who shall be punished with EVERLASTING destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; ¹⁰When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.” 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10

What did Jesus teach about eternal punishment?

“And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that NEVER shall be quenched: 44 Where their worm (consciousness) dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that NEVER shall be quenched: 46 Where their worm (conscious feelings) dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: 48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 49 For every one shall be salted with fire (preserved in suffering), and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.” Mark 9:43-49

There will be salt in hell. Notice how these cultists are amateurishly obvious in their selective, seductive theology as they seek to do away with the plainly stated divine retribution that is coming on all wicked souls. Is salt not an obvious preservative? Well, is Jesus not confirming the rest of what He is saying here with the obvious truth that all sacrifices in hell will be salted to preserve them from being annihilated so they can be tormented consciously as a just reward for rejecting the very precious blood of Jesus? They also ignore the simple idiom Jesus uses here in saying that “their worm dieth NOT.” This refers to their consciousness which also just plain makes sense.

This passage begs the question of Why O Why would the Son of God give such a severe warning if the penalty for violating it weren’t so severe and eternal? That is, if those who die without Christ are just going to be annihilated? After all, Jesus tells us here that it would be better, that is more profitable, to literally cut off out hand, to cut off our foot, and to even pluck out our eye if these members cause us to violate the holiness of God.

“ETERNAL judgment” is one of the six foundational truths of Christ according to Hebrews 6:2. We see the LORD Jesus using the term “ETERNAL damnation” as recorded in Mark 3:29.

According to Revelation 20, at the Great White Throne Judgment of the wicked, death and hell shall be cast into the lake of fire.

“And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. ¹²And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. ¹³And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. ¹⁴And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. ¹⁵And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:10-15

In Revelation 20:10 here, the Bible assures that those tormented in hell, “shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”

Of all who take the mark of the beast, sealing their eternal doom with all other unrepentant souls, the Bible states:

“The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: ¹¹And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. ¹²Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. ¹³And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.” Revelation 14:10-13

The Bible never hints that hell and the lake of fire (which it will be cast into) are temporary. Throughout Scripture they are revealed to be eternal in their duration.

Like her fellow wolves across the globe, Sharon L. Baker simply explains away the complete and crystal clear meaning from God’s Word concerning the conscience, everlasting torment that awaits all who leave this earth outside of a born again, abiding relationship with the one Redeemer, Jesus Christ. She is taking away from God’s Word which, by itself, brings the plagues of Revelation; including the lake of fire (Revelation 20:11-15). This Baker does as she is led by her father the devil who did the same thing to the first man and woman. This Satan did by adding one 3-letter word to the Word of God. God told the man that if he sinned, “Thou shalt surely die.” (Genesis 2:17) Satan then told the woman “And the serpent said unto the woman, “Ye shall not surely die.” (Genesis 3:4) In other words, the enemy of our souls told the woman that she would not suffer consequences for sinning against God. Yet, the LORD kept His Word and forced the man and woman out of His presence and pronounced many curses on them. Satan still seeks to diminish the severity of the divine warning of coming judgment. Look at this sample of what the Bible says lies just ahead for all who die outside of Christ – in sin:

In light of the fact that Christ-denying rebels seek to soften the blow and thereby lower the defense against sin, let’s look at a menu of the eternal consequences for dying in sin:

A place of complete consciousness (all feelings)………..…Luke 16:25
Torment with fire and brimstone……………………….……Rev. 14:10
Weeping and gnashing of teeth…………………….………..Matt. 8:12
A place of eternal remorse (devastating regret)……….……Luke 16:25
A place of torments………………………………………….Luke 16:23
No rest day or night forever (eternal misery)……….……….Rev. 14:11
A furnace of fire with wailing………………….………..….Matt. 13:42
A place of everlasting burnings………………..…………..Isaiah 33:14
A lake (ocean) of fire…………………………….………….Rev. 20:15
Unquenchable fire (ferocious flames)……………….………Mark 9:45
Outer darkness (blinding loneliness)……………………….Matt. 22:13
No 2^nd chance to escape (utter hopelessness)…….…..……..Luke 16:26
A place of sorrows (seething remorse and despair)…………….Ps. 18:5
A place of everlasting destruction………………………….2 Thess. 1:9

Questions answered concerning where the lost soul goes at the moment of death:

Many are in hell right now. Judgment begins at the moment one dies (Hebrews 9:27) The unregenerate dead go to the rightful place they deserve as divinely just judgment is exacted upon them at the instant they die (Luke 16:19-31). Read these passages closely: Luke 16:19-31; 2 Corinthians 5:6-8; Philippians 1:20-23; Revelation 22:11. At the Great White Throne judgment, God will dredge up from hell all who died in sin and then cast them into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:11-15).

A just God must have a penalty for sin. A loving God paid the ultimate price for that sin.

We owe a debt we cannot pay – He paid a debt He did not owe.

“That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” John 3:15-17

Emergent Church: Beware | Peace with God

Sign up for free email devotional HERE... The Moments with My Master email devotional is sent out weekly for the edification of the body of Christ.

Is Hell Forever or Temporal? [podcast]

Who’s Going to Hell? Did God tell Us? [podcast]

Abiding

The Death before the Death [podcast]

Gethsemane Preceded Calvary

“And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, 42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. 43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. 44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” Luke 22:42-44

“He must increase, but I must decrease.” John 3:30

“Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. 11 For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. 12 So then death worketh in us, but life in you.” 2 Corinthians 4:10-12

“And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. 25 For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?” Luke 9:23-25

Shall We Freshly Declare the Cross to be Front and Center in our Personal Lives?

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

5 Aspects of the Mind of Christ [podcast]

5 Components of the Mind of Christ from Philippians 2 Jesus Christ made Himself of no reputation. He took upon Him the form of a servant. He was made in the likeness of men. He humbled Himself. He became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Philippians 2:2-10 “Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 4 Look not every man on his own things, but […]

The Cross and the Throne of Grace [podcast]

“Hid with Christ in God” “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.” Colossians 3:1-4 The safest place in the universe is in the cross of Christ: “your life is hid with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). Our place of protection is […]

Raised Up in Christ [podcast]

3 Resurrections to Celebrate 1. Christ’s resurrection (Matthew 27:64; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, etc.). 2. Your resurrection at the moment of regeneration and daily resurrection (Romans 1:4; 4:25; 6:3-14; 8:11; 2 Corinthians 4:10-12; Ephesians 2:6). 3. Final resurrection into glory or damnation (John 5:28; 29; 1 Corinthians 15). Christ’s resurrection guarantees ours and that we need not fear death. Dancing on hell’s grace. Read 1 Corinthians 15 serveral times. “But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 25 Who was delivered for our offences, and […]

The Only Way Up is Down [podcast]

Chapter 8 from the book Raised Up (narration) “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18 The Down and Up Principle of God’s Kingdom “And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root DOWNWARD, and bear fruit UPWARD.” Isaiah 37:31 The Scriptures follow a pattern of death and resurrection, a downward death and upward life. See if you can observe such a truth in the following verses: “The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth UP all those that be bowed DOWN.” Psalms 145:14 Do you possess the blessed desire to be raised up by […]

Abiding

“Rend Your Heart, and Not Your Garments” [podcast]

Who Does God Look to? Who Does God Dwell in?

Beware of any man pretending to represent Christ who isn’t praying and preaching for you to be possessed by a humble and contrite heart.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3

“‘Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven’ (Matthew 5:3). A low condition. ‘Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted’ (Matthew 5:4). To mourn over our sin and our utter wickedness before a holy and righteous God. Those are the ones who will receive the comfort and ‘joy in the Holy Ghost’ (Romans 14:17).” Karen Cochran

Abandoning Our Own Sin, Our Own Way, for God and His Better Way!

To “rend your heart” is a biblical phrase meaning to tear open your heart in radical sincerity, true humility, and genuine repentance.

The phrase comes from Joel 2:13 in the Bible: “Rend your heart and not your garments and return to the Lord your God.”

One source notes the following:

“Context and Deeper Meaning:

Cultural Background: In ancient times, the Jewish people would tear (rend) their clothes as a public, highly visible display of grief or repentance.
The Spiritual Message: God is warning that outward rituals (like ripping clothing) are meaningless if the heart remains unchanged. Rending your heart implies breaking through your pride, letting go of excuses, and being completely vulnerable and authentic before God.
The Reward: The verse goes on to say that God is “gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love.” Tearing open your heart allows you to experience His forgiveness and restore your relationship with Him.”

To see an example of rending one’s physical garment in representation of rending their heart, see Acts 14:11-18.

Where is the LORD Looking?

“But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

“Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: 13 and rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. 14Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the Lord your God” Joel 2:12-14

“What a gracious invitation is contained in these words. How tenderly the Lord reasons with his people. And what an encouraging assurance it folds up with. Reader! do not fail to observe that this call of the Lord, the accompanying grace to incline the heart to the observance of it is implied. It is most blessed ever to remember that when the Lord thus comes forth in his endearing invitations, he is secretly inclining the heart to accept them. Grace must first enter the heart, or there will be no inclination to obey.” Robert Hawker

“Jeremiah’s message was never meant to leave the heart in despair. Every warning from God carried an invitation to return. The Lord does not expose empty religion to shame His people, but to heal them. Repentance is not the loss of hope, it is the beginning of hope. Christ still receives every soul that comes with humility, and He gives living faith where there was only habit, peace where there was only fear, and joy where there was only emptiness. The call remains the same today, to draw near to Him with a sincere heart, trusting that His mercy is always greater than our weakness.” Dan Blincoe

A Fresh Start with God Always Begins with Humility and True Repentance

“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.” Acts 3:19

Concerning rending our hearts before the LORD, one source notes:

The classic Bible passage on this concept is Joel 2:13, where God commands: “Rend your heart and not your garments”. In ancient biblical culture, tearing (or “rending”) one’s physical clothing was a customary, visible display of extreme grief, despair, or repentance. Through the prophet Joel, God is essentially telling His people: Stop doing the empty, outward religious ritual of tearing your clothes to show everyone how sorry you are. Instead, let me see true, inward brokenness over your sins.

Examples of Rending Physical Garments

In the Bible, the physical act of tearing clothes was used as a dramatic expression of deep emotion in several well-known narratives:

Joseph’s Brothers (Genesis 37:29, 34): When Reuben realized Joseph was not in the pit, and later when the brothers brought Joseph’s blood-stained coat to Jacob, they tore their clothes in grief and despair.
Job (Job 1:20): After hearing that he had lost all his wealth and his children, Job stood up and tore his robe as an outward sign of his overwhelming sorrow.
King David (2 Samuel 1:11-12): When David received news of the deaths of King Saul and Jonathan, he and his men tore their clothes to mourn.
The High Priest (Matthew 26:65): In a dramatic display of hypocritical outrage, the high priest tore his own garments when Jesus declared He was the Son of God, falsely accusing Him of blasphemy.

The Spiritual Meaning of “Rending the Heart”

The concept of “rending the heart” contrasts an outward show with inward reality.

Genuine Repentance: Tearing your heart means being vulnerable, acknowledging your brokenness, and deeply repenting of sin before God.
Prioritizing Relationships over Rituals: God desires a sincere heart—true sorrow and a desire to change—more than he desires traditional religious pageantry or dramatic, public displays of grief.
The Promise of Forgiveness: In Joel 2:13, the command to rend the heart is immediately followed by the promise of grace: “Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love”.

God sees beyond our external habits and religious actions, requiring instead a humble, contrite heart to fully experience His mercy.”

God’s Mercy

“Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: 13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. 14 Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God?” Joel 2:12-14

In God’s Word, where we see men who tear open their garments…. This holds the illustration of rending our hearts before the LORD.

Don’t render outward tearing, no, rather, tear open your inner man, your heart—be honest, sincere, exposed, and vulnerable to the LORD whom you trust.

Let’s attempt to get at, to ascertain what God is commanding of His beloved people to do in this “rend your heart” passage.

“Joel 2:13: Rend your heart—Let it not be merely a rending of your garments, but let your hearts be truly contrite. Merely external worship and hypocritical pretensions will only increase the evil, and cause God to meet you with heavier judgments.

For he is gracious—Good and benevolent in his own nature.

Merciful—Pitying and forgiving, as the effect of goodness and benevolence.

Slow to anger —He is not easily provoked to punish, because he is gracious and merciful.

Of great kindness—Exuberant goodness to all them that return to him.

And repenteth him of the evil—Is ever ready to change his purpose to destroy, when he finds the culprit willing to be saved. See the notes on Exo_34:6, Exo_34:7.” Adam Clarke

“Joel 2:12-14: III. DIVINE APPEAL TO JUDAH TO REPENT (2:12-14)
Even now, the LORD calls the people to repentance. It is not too late to return to Him. But it must be more than outward ritual. Their turning was to be with all their heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” Believer’s Bible Commentary

To rend our hearts is the consistent message, mandate of God to His people of all ages and eras.

“The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” Psalms 34:18

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” Psalms 51:17

In Joel 2 the LORD reminds those who are backslidden that He “is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. 14 Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God? …”

They must meet His stated conditions to receive His blessings ….

He promises that He will forgive them as they…..

“Joel 2:12-27: THE AVERTING OF JUDGMENT
To rend the garment is easy, but a broken and contrite heart can be imparted only by the grace of the Holy Spirit. The love of God should bring us to repentance. He takes no pleasure in our miseries and if men repent and turn from their sin they find an immediate and loving welcome to the Father’s heart and home. Joel had called for the trumpet to announce war; he now directs the trumpet blast to summon the people, from the highest to the lowest, to plead for help. Prayer and true repentance and faith bring an immediate answer. As the husband yearns over his erring but repentant wife, and is indignant with those who have maltreated her, so will Jehovah remove from us, when we turn to Him, those who have cruelly oppressed us.
The great things Jehovah did against Egypt and Babylon are an earnest of what He will do again. The earth (and all the creation of God) … have good reason to rejoice in what awaits them. God promises not only to forgive sin, but to make us happy and well provided as if the locust and cankerworm had never settled upon our lives.” FB Meyer

Religious hypocrites, counterfeits, emphasize the outward to cover their inner darkness, rebellion.

“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. 24 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. 25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Matthew 23:23-25

“He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.” Mark 7:6

"Blessed are the Poor In Spirit" [podcast]

Jesus’ longest recorded message to His people stands on the foundation of the very first words our Savior uttered in this sermon on the mount. The foundational truth of the entire sermon on the mount (Matthew 5-7) is found in the very first words of our LORD when unveiling this elaborate, far-reaching, and profound message to His disciples of all ages. Here are His first words: “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3 Note, “poor in spirit.” Not poor financially or religiously. The two should be mutually exclusive. The Greek word translated into English as “poor” is PTOCHOS. It […]

"I will have Mercy, and not Sacrifice": What does this really Mean? [podcast]

“But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Matthew 9:13 Jesus specifically instructs us to “go ye and learn what that meaneth.” UNTIL, as an individual, you begin to realize just how wicked you really are, you will never begin to appreciate what our KING and Savior did on that cross! Matthew 9:9-13 – Jesus calls Matthew 9 And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith […]

How to Walk in the Certainty, the Assurance of Salvation [podcast]

Real, actual assurance only comes from possessing authentic salvation – which begins with humility and true repentance, an original Gospel essential (Matthew 3:2; 4:17; Luke 13:3; 24:47; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 20:21, etc.). Heretical calvinists and eternal security frauds rob people of true assurance which ONLY comes from having a faith that works, is obedient to Christ. Read 1 John chapter 3 and embrace what the LORD is saying. Here’s a taste – “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. 19 And hereby we know that we are of the […]

The Importance of Pureness of Heart [podcast]

“He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend.” Proverbs 22:11 With pureness of heart, our words shall issue forth with grace and seasoning and be more readily received by those who hear. “Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” Colossians 4:6 David’s Prayer “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.” Psalms 19:14 “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they […]

Articles

God and His Word are Unchanging [podcast]

Because God is Unchanging, So is His Word

“For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” Malachi 3:6

“Which keepeth truth for ever” – Is the Bible “Archaic”? No. Divine truth is everlasting. Has no expiration date. You cannot escape accountability to it, to Him. It’s an open book test. The Savior says “Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away” (Mark 13:31). Divine truth is eternal, unchanging, and binding upon all men (Psalms 146:6; Malachi 3:6, etc.).

Every time you open God’s Word and begin reading, you are hearing the voice of God.

“But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Genesis 2:17

“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” Genesis 3:1 (the devil questions God’s Word, questions what God says in His Word.)

“And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall NOT surely die.” Genesis 3:4

“Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. 6 Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.” Proverbs 30:5-6

“For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 19 and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” Revelation 22:18-19

“Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.” Deuteronomy 4:2

“For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.” 2 Corinthians 2:17

“Ye have perverted the words of the living God, of the LORD of hosts our God.” Jeremiah 23:36

“all the words that I command thee to speak unto them; diminish not a word:” Jeremiah 26:2

H.O.T. BIBLE STUDY [podcast]

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15 Memorize 2 Timothy 2:15 today. Index card perhaps. Read it aloud over and over. YOU cannot personally know the ORIGINAL Gospel if you don’t study the naked truth of it for yourself beloved. KJB So very many today are deceived due to not studying God’s Word for themselves. They live for years with erroneous notions men told them. Instead of repenting and getting into the Word for themselves, many of them go to their graves having […]

"Feed My Sheep" [podcast]

The Paramount Divine Importance of Nourishing the Saints of Christ “Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.” 1 Timothy 4:16 Nourishing Christ’s Sheep “Feed the Flock of God.” 1 Peter 5:2 First, it’s God’s flock, paid for with the very blood of Jesus Christ (Acts 20:28). Jesus Christ is “that great shepherd of the sheep” (Hebrews 13:20). He instructed us to follow Him and, in doing so, to “FEED my sheep” (John 21:15-17). Tending to the sheep of Christ’s pasture involves nourishing […]

Teach the Bible [podcast]

JESUS IS COMING AND THE TRUE BODY OF CHRIST IS “HOLDING FORTH (BOLDLY DECLARING) THE WORD OF LIFE” “Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.” Philippians 2:16 WHEN you speak God’s Word, you are speaking divine authority. “These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.” Titus 2:15 “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, […]