Adversary the Devil

Generational Blessings and Curses

Ken

Are children blessed or cursed because of the conduct of their parents? Every godly parent certainly hopes for blessing upon their children, just as we do not like to think we can inherit curses from previous generations. But, isn’t inheriting a constitutionally sinful nature consistent with the sins of the parents being visited upon the children? No, not actually, because if we can argue before God we are sinners because of our parents, then we could also plead we are righteous because of our parents. And, since neither is true, then we need another basis to evaluate Generational Blessings and Curses. “The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him” (Ezekiel 18:20 KJV). 

What is a blessing but good will being pronounced upon another, which is considerable, if you are being blessed by God? “And God blessed [male and female humanity], and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth” (Genesis 1:28). Happiness is the blessing of producing successive generations of promised godly children. “Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate” (Psalm 127:5). Likewise, what is a curse but ill will being pronounced upon another, of which Satan’s ill will pales in comparison to God’s wrath? “But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear Him, which after He hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear Him” (Luke 12:5). Sadness and hopelessness are only byproducts for anyone, whom God has cursed. “24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. 25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. 26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence” (16:24-26). 

The Original Blessing for Obedience to God’s command was, “And God blessed them, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion” (Genesis 1:28), which was contrasted to the Original Curse for Disobedience to the LORD’s command, “Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 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” (2:16-17). Both blessing and cursing would be passed on to successive generations of obedient and disobedient ones. Remember, this is a Spiritual Passing Down, not necessarily tied to physical proximity associated with interaction between parents and children. Why? Because this is God’s promised blessing or cursing, which of interest, can be countered by a change in obedience to disobedience or the reverse. 

Viewing the genealogies of Genesis, the godly offspring of one parent became increasingly more consequential and less random, when successive generations duplicated the obedience of previous generations and strengthened the probability of godliness in future generations. Is this only chance randomness forced into a Generational Blessing in retrospect? But, the genealogy of Adam to Christ indicates a Generational Blessing, which illustrates the truth of a Spiritual Passing Down from one generation to the next. “So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations” (Matthew 1:17). Unbroken sinlessness for 42 generations? No, but the Eyes of God followed a pattern of good for 42 generations, where only His opinion really matters, that this proves the truth of Generational Blessings. “4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me; 6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me, and keep My commandments” (Exodus 20:4-6). And so, Generational Curses are as real as Generational Blessings.

Q: If under the New Covenant, the legal curse was removed by Christ — “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree” (Galatians 3:13) — then, how can a Generational Curse still exist? 

A: Because humanity’s sin occasioned the Curse, God will not remove it until He has accomplished all the good it must accomplish for humanity’s benefit, i.e., “Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life” (Genesis 3:17). A Generational Curse still affects the Body of Christ, while we are in the flesh and until the Curse has been lifted at the New Heavens and New Earth as we proceed into Eternity. “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” (Revelation 21:4). “And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve Him” (22:3). 

Explaining the Curse

First, a curse is passed on through personal disobedience, i.e, Moral Depravity, which is the act of sinning. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). 

Second, a curse is precipitated through the transmission of our decaying physical constitution, i.e., Physical Depravity, which is not sin itself, but the occasion for sinning. “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12). 

Third, Christ’s death on the Cross redeemed us from our Personal Curse of not having kept the Law of Love, cp., Galatians 3:13. “Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them” (Galatians 3:10). 

Fourth, redemption from our Personal Curse came through repenting and believing Christ. “In whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:14). 

Fifth, deliverance from our Generational Curse comes from repenting of the Corporate Sins of our fathers (Daniel 9:5-6), which has nothing to do with our personal acceptance by God, but everything to do with clearing our Adversary’s accusations against us (Job 1:9-11; 2:4-5), which hinders our Paraklete’s ability to deliver us (Daniel 10:12-14) in the Divine Council (Psalm 82:1 ESV). “20 And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner. 21 And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him. 22 And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And He said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so” (1Kings 22:20-22 KJV). 

Sixth, why does the Almighty allow this Supernatural “Wickedness in High Places” (Ephesians 6:12), sometimes even addressing it in conjunction with His Divine Council (Psalm 82:1 ESV), or sometimes addressing it in scenes of the Courts of Heaven (Daniel 7:9-10)? It becomes apparent the Almighty’s vast scale of time, resources, and His own Son, though they are given for His Beloved Israel and His Son’s Bride the Church, His Glory and Faithfulness to Himself must take precedence over everything (Romans 11:36; 1Peter 5:11; 2Peter 3:18; Revelation 1:6). “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 4:11).

Seventh, so long as there is a curse, then we will have our adversary the devil prowling about to devour us (1Peter 5:8), except during the Millennium where he is imprisoned in the Abyss (Revelation 20:3) after which he is released, deceives the nations, defeated, then eternally damned to the Lake of Fire (20:10) — excising the last bit of poison of rebellion against the Most High God. Then, it will be said, “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:27). Thus, the High and Lofty One That Inhabiteth Eternity will secure the holiness and happiness of His Dwelling Place and those that dwell with Him, forever and ever. 

Declared All Thy Judgments (Psalm 119:13)

Ken

“With my lips have I declared all the judgments [Hebrew, mishpât, act of deciding a legal case] of Thy mouth” (Psalm 119:13 KJV). No wonder our NT conception of the pharisees and their preoccupation with the Law — it was because the nature of the Law is legal. They merely had forgotten the real nature of the Law was to “love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might” (Deuteronomy 6:5) and to “love thy neighbour as thyself” (Leviticus 19:18). We need to beware of their same pitfall, since even the Apostolic Ephesian Church was already reprimanded for having “left thy first love” (Revelation 2:4). Cases decided in the Courts of Heaven will play out “in Earth, as it is in Heaven” (Matthew 6:10). That is the crucial point. The verdicts of the Courts of Heaven are binding on us below. And, to our amazement, Jesus has covenanted, “Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (18:18). As if we would be given status in the Courts of Heaven to present cases, which the Judge of All the Earth would consider binding upon all concerned. If an earthly, unjust judge would pass judgment for a widow crying out against her adversary in a human court, “Shall not God avenge His own elect, which cry day and night unto Him, though He bear long with them?” (Luke 18:7). God’s judgments then are more than His complaints against humanity, but they represent our right to petition Him for redress for the injustices not simply of humanity against humanity, but of our Adversary’s unjust holding of the people of this world in spiritual ignorance and the Church in our ignorance of what the Messiah Jesus has come to accomplish. “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me; because the LORD hath anointed Me to preach good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD” (Isaiah 61:1-2). Father, cause us to walk in understanding of Your Law, that we would not stumble, where teachers more intelligent than ourselves have fallen, when they beheld with their eyes Your Son. Have mercy upon Israel, and have mercy upon us. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Righteousness Solves the World’s Problems

Ken

Read story after story of investigative reporting, and it reveals the wrong actions of people in society, where untold damage takes place. When will we ever learn? Instead of attempting to only put out all the fires of the arsonist, catch the fire bug. Even better, deal with the fire of the human heart. Government attempts to use force to maintain society — as it must — but, right action or righteousness is primarily the domain of God dealing with the human heart. “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34 KJV). As much as we desire the miraculous to solve the problems of humanity, miracles do not necessarily fix the problem of our lack of understanding of how or why God wants the world to act. “The entrance of Thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple” (Psalm 119:130). Righteousness is right action, and we still need miracles to survive the opposition our adversary, as a “roaring lion” (1Peter 5:8), who dearly opposes righteousness. LORD, You are our Righteousness. Only Your Spirit working in anyone can cause right action. Work righteousness in us here below that it may continue into Your heavenly presence. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen. 

Hastening or Hindering, Restraining or Unleashing

Ken

Hastening or hindering, the Almighty allows us much more than we imagine. Children can help parents accomplish their goals or get in the way. When we pray for the fulfillment of prophecy, we are hastening Christ’s Second Coming. “Looking for and hasting [literally, hastening] unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat” (2Peter 3:12 KJV). We may pray, “Thy kingdom come” (6:10) and promote His return. But, if we should discourage the faithful from seeking our Lord’s imminent appearing, then we are hindering the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. When Jesus promised, “Surely I come quickly” (Revelation 22:20), shouldn’t we hasten His return by praying, “Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (22:20)? 

Restraining or unleashing, the LORD God seeks our comradeship in warfare. Allies can assist or delay final victory. Working with the Spirit of God, the godly, as the “salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13), represent the greatest restraining influence in the world against the adversary, his Antichrist, lawlessness, anarchy, malevolence, utter disregard for life, property, and the morals of others. Not simply the influence noticed by the world, e.g., anti-abortion, anti-pornography, pro-family, but the freedom, prosperity, and peace enjoyed by all, results from the peace the LORD grants to the righteous. “And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace” (Jeremiah 29:7). Though Abraham’s concern was for the welfare of “just Lot” (2Peter 2:7), his intercession provided the Judge of All the Earth (Genesis 18:25) the sanction or approval to unleash His judgment upon Sodom and Gomorrah, after Lot was removed. 

By contrast, the Great Removal of the Church at the Pre-Tribulational Rapture represents the LORD determining He had sufficient sanction to remove the Restraining Influence — the Spirit Indwelt Saints — from the world. “7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he [Holy Spirit] who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. 8 Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming”  (2Thessalonians 2:7-8 NASB). As an omnipresent influence, the Holy Spirit continues His function in the world, but the noticeable absence of the restraining influence of the raptured believers will be profound. The Almighty will be proceeding with His masterful end game in dealing with the earth. 

LORD, You are sovereign in determining when You will return. We are humbled that You would seek our companionship, labor, and approval in what You choose to do. Grant to us an understanding heart that You may be even more greatly magnified, when You choose to rapture Your Church. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Amen. 

False Prophet: Directs the Worship of the Antichrist (Revelation 13:13)

Ken

Worship director for the Great World Leader is an esteemed role, except the Antichrist is that leader, who blasphemes Almighty God (Revelation 13:6), because he receives his power from the dragon (13:4). How does the world go so horribly wrong? Why does the LORD God allow this affront on such global display? “And he [the False Prophet] doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men” (Revelation 13:13 KJV). Toleration of the smallest wickedness in ourselves is the camel’s nose in the tent that brings down the house. “Abstain from all appearance of evil” (1Thessalonians 5:22). If we could not tolerate such sin in ourselves now, then would not such wholesale wickedness be condoned so easily later? “Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth” (James 3:5). 

Yahweh is carefully teaching the world, directing our hearts back to Him. It has not been apparent to the Church that the Judge of All the Earth has been teaching His people, we must submit our case before the Courts of Heaven, before He can act. He will not unilaterally perform His will in judging the earth until He gets our agreement or sanction. He created us to walk in agreement with Him, not to function as an independent tool. “O our God, wilt Thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon Thee” (2Chronicles 20:12). When sanctioned by the Courts of Heaven, Jehovah will do what He did for Jehoshaphat and Judah. “And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped” (20:24). The world will need to know the god of the World Leader and his Prophet is not the True God, and we, His people, call upon the LORD to judge the dragon, the Antichrist, and the False Prophet. 

LORD, we know it is Your desire that all should repent and none should perish, but Your Spirit will not always strive with man. You alone know, when humanity’s iniquity is full. Save such as should be saved. Honor Your holiness, love, and perfection. Fulfill all righteousness. Use the devil, the Antichrist, and False Prophet, then judge them. Save Israel. Return quickly, in Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen and amen. 

Explanation: Name of Jesus

Ken

The name of Jesus is powerful because Jesus saves us from the sin separating us from God, whose holiness frees us from the sin separating us from Jesus. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12 KJV). The adversary hates the name of Jesus both because he loses followers, and he can no longer be saved from his own sins. Jesus, meaning ‘Jehovah is salvation,’ seeks to “save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). OT Israel had a limited view of salvation for the gentile world, just as the NT church has a limited view of salvation as only delivering us from the penalty of sin, but not from the necessity of having to sin. “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1Thessalonians 5:23). The “name of Jesus”: (1) is essential to “receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38), (2) was used for a lame man to “rise up and walk” (3:6), (3) was proclaimed, taught, spoken, and “preached boldly” by early disciples (4:10, 18; 5:40; 8:12; 9:27), and (4) was used to command a demon out of a fortune teller, “in the name of” (16:18). Why such critical importance for the “name of Jesus”?  Because Jesus is the tip of the spear, the point of the arrow, the edge of the knife that defeats our true “adversary the devil” (1Peter 5:8), who tempts us to sin. But, of more importance, Jesus has promised to save us from ourselves. “He will turn again, He will have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; and Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19). Either sin separates us from God or God separates us from sin. LORD, You are the God of Salvation, who is able to save “to the uttermost” them that come to You through the name of Jesus (Hebrews 7:25). We do not want to waste our time with gods many and lords many, but only You. “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10-11). In Jesus name, we pray. Amen and amen. 

Is Satan Really The God Of This World?

Ken

As much as it might not sound right or feel good, Scripture labels satan as a god, but certainly not as Almighty God, the Creator of all. “In whom the god of this world [satan] hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2Corinthians 4:4 KJV). Remember how Asaph described the heavenly scene? “God [Hebrew, elohim, singular] has taken His place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods [Hebrew, elohim, plural] He holds judgment” (Psalms 82:1 ESV). Jesus referred to Psalm 82:6-7 defending His claim to be the Son of God in John 10:34-36. But, Asaph noted, unlike the Almighty “like men you [the created, lesser gods or angels] shall die, and fall like any prince” (82:7). LORD, we worship You alone as the Almighty, the High and Lofty One That Inhabiteth Eternity. There is none like You. May we not be frightened by the god of this world. Preserve us from his devices. Give us of Your Word, that we may resist him, as Jesus did in the wilderness. There are “gods many and lords many” (1Corinthians 8:5 KJV), but only one Almighty. Establish Your throne in our hearts, and we look forward to You judging this wicked liar and usurper with his just deserts in the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:10). Bring this to past. Return quickly, deliver Your people, and judge Your enemies. In Jesus’ almighty name, we pray. Amen and amen. 

Michael Fought Against the Dragon (Revelation 12:7-8)

Ken

War will be fought in Heaven between Michael and the dragon. Michael, the archangel (Jude 1:9) designated as the ruler or prince of Israel (Daniel 12:1) will direct his forces against the dragon and his angels. One can only wonder what warfare between supernatural-angelic-beings-who-cannot-physically-die looks like. “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven” (Revelation 12:7-8 KJV). In the satan’s [literally, adversary] battle with Michael over the body of Moses, Michael won by uttering, “The LORD rebuke thee” (Jude 1:9) to the devil. Michael did not embellish his language with impious speech, even at the devil. “Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing [Greek, blasphēmia, blasphemous, e.g., filthy swear words] accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee” (Jude 1:9). For Michael, prevailing over the devil was delivering the Almighty’s judgment that the satan no longer had the right to place an accusation against the saints in the Courts of Heaven before the Divine Council. This has been his customary practice as witnessed by his accusation of Job (1:6-12; 2:1-7). Michael’s power in battle is his certainty: (1) of the Almighty’s ability to kill, then “cast into hell” (Luke 12:5), and (2) of the finality of the Second Death, where even “death and hell were cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:14). LORD, may we be as bold as Michael, not fearing mortal death, because we have been given immortal life. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

Movies With Bad Endings

Ken

No one likes a movie with a bad ending. God especially knows it. The devil even admits it, so his antichrist attempts to masquerade as God in the Temple. But, in the end, “fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. 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” (Revelation 20:9-10 KJV). Then, why does all the rest of angelic and human history have to transpire before then? The Almighty knows everything He has to accomplish to fulfill all righteousness to get to the point it could be said, “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” (21:3-4). Though we look at all the upcoming events with concern, we want this final outcome. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Amen. 

Tribulation Ten Days (Revelation 2:8)

Ken

If the Church of Smyrna (Revelation 2:8-11) was also representative of early Church History immediately after the Apostolic age, then suffering purified Christ’s Church. “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life” (Revelation 2:10 KJV). Possibly the Lord giving a specific number of days for Smyrna’s suffering indicates a limit to their suffering, which would give hope. And, just as our Lord “learned obedience by the things which He suffered” (Hebrews 5:8), Smyrna was accounted worthy to also suffer shame for His name. LORD, make us to be worthy as Smyrna, and to fear You more than the limited suffering that purifies us. In Jesus’ name, amen.