Ray Ruppert's Blog, page 14

I Love You Lord

 

If you love the Lord, then tell him. Tell him about all the reasons you love him. David told him in Psalm 18. Here is how he started out in verse 1 through 3:

I love you, O Lord, my strength.
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.

We are all just like little children when it comes to strength and abilities. We may think we are strong and powerful but when it comes down to us against the elements of this world, we are but fragile little creatures.

We trip and fall and poof! We break a bone or get a cut get an infection and the next thing you know we are gone.

But we love the Lord because he is in control of those falls or cuts or infections. Yes, that is why I know he is my fortress and deliverer from anything that might harm me outside of his sovereign will. That’s why I know he is my salvation.

When I tell the Lord that I love him, I’m thanking him for saving me through Jesus Christ. Because through Jesus’ death on the cross he has saved me from the worst enemy of all, death and eternity without him whom I love.

If you don’t love the Lord, or you don’t really know what that means, then maybe it’s because he isn’t your rock and refuge to give you peace from all the terrors of this world. If that’s the case, watch my video on YouTube, "The Gospel." If you call on the Lord for salvation, he will hear you.

May God Bless you!

Copyright by Ray Ruppert

Eternal Security

“Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.” Psalm 16:9 teaches eternal security for believers.

There are various theological themes that continually pop up in the Bible and eternal security for God’s people is one of them. Here is what Psalm 16 verses 9 through 11 tells us about it. 

 

Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure.
For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
or let your holy one see corruption.
You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

While verse 10 is a direct prophecy fulfilled by Jesus’ resurrection after his death and burial, we can see that everything else applies to God’s saints.

We can have gladness and joy knowing that we are secure in our salvation. We don’t have to sweat if we are going to heaven or not when we have put our complete trust in Jesus Christ alone for our salvation. We are secure now!

We can be sure that when we die, we will not be abandoned to hell. We also know that even after our bodies have decomposed or are cremated, we have a promise of everlasting resurrected life in heaven.

Through Jesus Christ we have the right path of life for now and the only one that leads to eternal life with joy in the presence of God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

If you want to know Jesus, and have security for eternity, then watch my video on YouTube, "The Gospel" It will tell you how to repent and be saved forever.

May God Bless you!

Copyright by Ray Ruppert

JOHN 19:31-42 NIV, PROOF OF DEATH

 

31 Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be aspecial Sabbath. Because the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crossesduring the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodiestaken down. 32 The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first manwho had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. 33 But whenthey came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break hislegs.

The day of Preparation and the beginning of Passover and thenext day being a special Sabbath are all confusing to us who are not Jewish. Jesusmet with his disciples to eat the Passover on Thursday and we naturally thinkof that day as the start of the Passover week. But Jewish days started around6:00 PM at sundown. So I would think that Jesus was actually crucified on thefirst day of Passover which would end at 6:00 PM on Friday. Yet, here it iscalled a day of Preparation. This is the day when, at 3:00 PM everything groundto a halt so people could prepare for the Sabbath, Saturday. And this specialSabbath would be the Passover Sabbath. Confused? Perhaps this commentary helps:

How then could it be that was thepreparation day? Amid conflicting views, I can only give what seems to me thebest solution: (1) It is certain that Christ ate a meal the evening before inthe Upper Room which was called a passover. (2) It is certain from John 18:28that the Jews had not eaten the passover at that time. (3) It seems clear to methat Christ, anxious to eat this passover (see Luke 22:15), ate it in advanceof the usual time, in order that he, the true Paschal Lamb, "Our Passover"might be offered on the same day that the passover was eaten. The priestshurried the trial and execution of Jesus so that they might proceed to thepreparation for the passover that evening. As the Lord's supper wasanticipatory of the suffering on the cross, so was the Lord's last passover.The question has difficulties, but this view has fewer than any other.

Special Sabbath or not, the Jews didn’t want bodies left oncrosses during the Sabbath. So they asked Pilate to make sure Jesus and the twocriminals were dead. Since crucifixion usually took several days to kill aperson, breaking the legs would cause them to suffocate because they couldn’traise themselves to catch a breath while hanging from their arms. That’s thegruesome technicality that explains why they would break the legs of peoplealready being tortured.

34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear,bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. 35 The man who saw it has giventestimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and hetestifies so that you also may believe. 36 These things happened so that thescripture would be fulfilled: "Not one of his bones will be broken," 37and, as another scripture says, "They will look on the one they havepierced."

The prophecy that not one of Jesus’ bones was to be brokenhad to be fulfilled according to Psalm 34:20. Had he been still alive when thesoldiers came to break the legs of the two criminals, Jesus would have had hislegs broken also. This also led to the Roman soldier piercing his side to makesure Jesus was dead. Here was a Roman soldier just doing his job not knowingthat his action fulfilled the prophecy of Zecheriah 12:10:

And I will pour out on the house of Davidand the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, sothat, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn forhim, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weepsover a firstborn.

It seems ironic that the very thingthat proved Jesus’ death on the cross will be the one thing that will cause allIsrael to be saved.

People who claim that Jesus didn’t really die on the crossbut just “swooned” really have no understanding of history or medical science.From a historical standpoint, these Roman soldiers knew what they were doing.Letting a living person come down from a cross would have gotten themcrucified. When a prisoner escaped, the custom to kill the guard was known wayback in 1 Kings 20:39-42 when the Lord passed this judgment on Ahab forreleasing his enemy, Ben-hadad. It was also described in Acts 12:19 when anangel released Peter from prison and Herod had his guards executed. Thesesoldiers would not risk having Jesus being alive when he was taken off thecross.

So, this soldier does a postmortem test by piercing Jesus’side. The object isn’t to kill Jesus, but a test to make sure he is dead. Theevidence of water and blood coming out was proof. According to cardiologist, Dr.Anthony Sava, when a person has been beaten and suffered the trauma on thecross as Jesus was, there would be an accumulation of blood between the ribcageand lung. After death, the blood would separate into dark red cells at thebottom and a lighter pale-yellow layer above. The spear penetrating beneath therib cage would puncture the cavity releasing “blood and water.”This is conclusive proof that Jesus was actually dead on the cross. It refutesall “swoon” theories or other theories claiming that Jesus was resuscitatedafter he was removed from the cross.

But there’s more!

38 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus.Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews.With Pilate's permission, he came and took the body away. 39 He was accompaniedby Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus broughta mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. 40 Taking Jesus' body,the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was inaccordance with Jewish burial customs. 41 At the place where Jesus wascrucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no onehad ever been laid. 42 Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and sincethe tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

Joseph of Arimathea is an enigma. His first mention in thistext is bold and courageous. Just a few hours earlier, the chief priests andleaders had badgered Pilate into crucifying Jesus. Now, one of their memberscomes and asks for Jesus’ body. He risked the ire of Pilate and the rebuke andcondemnation from his fellow Jews. On the other hand, he had been a secretdisciple of Jesus because he feared the Jews. Now, he makes his allegianceclear risking his life and reputation.

The enigma doesn’t stop there as Matthew 27:60 says thatJesus was laid in Joseph’s tomb, one which had not been used. Warren Wiersbe remarksthat this tomb was close to the place of the crucifixion. What wealthy Jewwould carve out a tomb so near a place of brutal executions? Ialso wonder why someone from Arimathea would want his tomb outside of Jerusaleminstead of inside or in his hometown. Nicodemus is also factored into theequation, who just happened to have seventy-five pounds of burial spiceavailable to him on Preparation Day. We’ve already seen the progress ofNicodemus from a spiritually clueless leader of Israel to his attempt to swaythe Jews away from arresting Jesus in John 7:50-51. They quickly turned onNicodemus.

Wiersbe further speculates that Joseph was not just asecret disciple because of his fear, but also because he was God’s spy insidethe Sanhedrin. He goes on to consider that Joseph and Nicodemus must havestudied the Scriptures together and found that the Messiah had to be buried ina rich man’s tomb (Is 53:9). Joseph may have had this tomb prepared not forhimself, but for Jesus. Nicodemus must have already been ready with the spices.They may have even been waiting at the tomb during Jesus’ crucifixion and assoon as Jesus died, Joseph hurried to Pilate since they had such little time toprepare Jesus for burial. They were not concerned with becoming unclean for thePassover because they had found “the Lamb of God.”

Jesus’ burial is more proof that Jesus must have been deadwhen he was buried. Reading this account in John, you would expect that John, Josephand Nicodemus were the only disciples who observed Jesus’ death. However, Mark15:40 records, “There were also women looking on from a distance, among whomwere Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, andSalome.” Then Matthew 27:61 records, “Mary Magdalene and the other Mary werethere, sitting opposite the tomb.” These women observed Jesus being wrapped inlinen with layers of spices. If Jesus had revived, they and John would havecertainly prevented Jesus burial.

While these spices have healing properties, we mustremember they weighed seventy-five pounds. Jesus was wrapped in linen. It isimpossible to imagine Jesus reviving in the tomb after his heart stopped andmaybe even punctured and having the strength to get up and unwrap himself thensneak out of a tomb with a heavy stone over the entrance and past guards. Oh,also he would have had to retore the seals put on the tomb by the chief priestsand Pharisees (Matt 27:62-66).

John was an eyewitness to all this. No one at the timerefuted his testimony. He declares that it is the truth. Anyone who refutesthis testimony centuries later simply has an ax to grind because theiracceptance of the truth would mean they would have to admit that Jesus reallydied and the he was really resurrected from the DEAD. And that would lead to allthe other truth claims of Jesus and the Bible being right such as our need fora Savior from our sins.

Barton Warren Johnson, The People’s New Testament. (Seattle, WA:Biblesoft, 2014), John 19:1.

A. F. Sava, “THE WOUND IN THE SIDE OF CHRIST,” The Catholic Biblical Quarterly19, no. 3 (1957): 343–46, http://www.jstor.org/stable/43710428.

Wiersbe, John 19:31-34.

Ibid.

Copyright by Ray Ruppert

JOHN 19:16-30 (NKJV), JESUS’ CRUCIFIXION, PROPHECIES FULFILLED

16 Then they took Jesus and led Him away. 17 And He, bearing Hiscross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called inHebrew, Golgotha, 18 where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one oneither side, and Jesus in the center.

The other Gospels fill in many details that John omits.Since John had access to the other Gospels, guided by the Holy Spirit, he musthave made the decision to include only these details. The only ones that arerepeated is the location, two others were crucified with him, the wording ofthe accusation against Jesus, and the soldiers dividing Jesus’ garments. SinceJohn repeated these, there must be some significance to them.

The Place of the Skull or Golgotha is the first significantpoint as it is outside of Jerusalem. Jesus is portrayed as the Lamb who takesaway the sin of the world (John 1:29). He is the sacrifice that appeases thewrath of God, and this is modeled in the Old Testament sacrifice (Lev16:15-16). But this rite also includes a second animal, the scapegoat. “Thegoat shall bear all their iniquities on itself to a remote area, and he shalllet the goat go free in the wilderness” (Lev 16:21). By being crucified outsidethe city, Jesus also fulfils the role of the scapegoat as he carries the burdenof our sins outside the city.

Golgotha also has some historical significance that raisesmuch speculation. It can be traced back to Genesis 3:15 where we are given acryptic prophecy about the coming Messiah (the seed of the woman) who willbruise the seed of Satan’s head while Satan bruises the Messiah’s heal. Thencomes David and Goliath. Goliath has been considered by some as a seed of Satanwho believe that Goliath and other giants were the offspring of demons andwomen (Gen 6:2-4). David is also considered as an offspring of Eve. Theconnection to Golgotha occurs when David cuts off Goliath’s head. “And Davidtook the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem” (1 Sam 17:54). Thespeculation is that Golgotha is the spot where David buried Goliath’s head andthat when Jesus bled on the cross, his blood seeped into the ground and touchedGoliath’s skull. This may be speculation, but the imagery is potent. The bloodof Jesus conquers the work of Satan according to Colossians 2:15, “He disarmedthe rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over themin him.” Thus, the prophecy of Genesis 3:15 is fulfilled in Jesus’ death on thecross.

Jesus being crucified between two criminals is absolutelycritical as it fulfils the prophecy of Isaiah 53:12 that says he was numberedwith the transgressors. He had to be crucified with at least two others. ButJohn leaves out the conversation with the one thief who repented and askedJesus to remember him when he came into his kingdom. Jesus’ answer issignificant, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke23:43). It tells us that immediately after death we will be with Jesus in hiskingdom. There isn’t going to be a delay or soul sleep and any such nonsense.We will be with Jesus and recognize him and he will recognize us. It tells usthat Jesus’ human spirit didn’t go to hell or any other place.

19 Now Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And thewriting was: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 20 Then many of the Jewsread this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; andit was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. 21 Therefore the chief priests ofthe Jews said to Pilate, "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews,' but, 'Hesaid, "I am the King of the Jews."'" 22 Pilate answered,"What I have written, I have written."

Writing the charges for a person’s crucifixion and postingthem om the cross was a warning to others who would attempt to violate Romanlaw. The third fact that is included in other Gospels is the charges for Jesus’crucifixion saying that Jesus is King of the Jews. This is obviously not alegal charge deserving of death. Pilate may have put the charges on the crossjust to spite the Jewish leaders and he may have put it up there because hereally believed it. It doesn’t matter what his motive was, the truth of thefact is that Jesus is the King of the Jews and was crucified.

Of course, the chief priests complained to Pilate which isa detail the other Gospel do not mention. They wanted a subtle change to thewording that would make it seem like a legitimate charge and not a statement ofthe truth. However, Pilate wasn’t about to change it. The charge against Jesushas been proclaimed for all to see for all succeeding generations that Jesusis, indeed, King of the Jews.

He is King of the Jews, but the question for us today is,is he your King? Does he rule over our lives and hearts? If he doesn’t then weare no better than Pilate who proclaimed the truth but didn’t do anything aboutit. Or, we are no better than the chief priests who only saw it as Jesus’ claimand therefore not binding on ourselves.

23 Then the soldiers, when theyhad crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, to each soldier apart, and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top inone piece. 24 They said therefore among themselves, "Let us not tear it,but cast lots for it, whose it shall be," that the Scripture might befulfilled which says:

"They divided My garmentsamong them,

And for My clothing they castlots."

Therefore the soldiers did these things.

Each of the Gospels records the soldiers casting lots forJesus’ clothes. John is the only one that adds the details that his tunic waswithout a seam and that this specifically fulfilled the prophecy of Psalm22:18. John must have added these details because the seamless robe isimportant as well as it is an exact fulfilment of prophecy. If the robe had notbeen seamless, they probably would not have cast lots but would have torn itinto four parts as is suggested that they did with the other clothes. Mosttranslations specify that they made four parts, not simply making four piles ofclothes. When God fulfills prophecy, he doesn’t leave out details.

25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and Hismother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesustherefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He saidto His mother, "Woman, behold your son!"  27 Then He said to the disciple, "Beholdyour mother!" And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.

Luke says that the women who had been following Jesus fromGalilee along with Jesus’ acquaintances were watching (Luke 23:49). Mark 15:40mentions only three women by name who were “at a distance.” Matthew doesn’tmention any of Jesus’ followers being near Jesus during his crucifixion. So,this encounter with Mary and John is only provided in John’s Gospel. It issignificant that John is the only one of the Apostles that dared stay so closeto Jesus so that he could hear and record this very tender moment as Jesusentrusted his mother into John’s care.

In the upper room, Jesus had fully informed his closestdisciples of his departure, but they didn’t completely understand what wasabout to happen. Mary had been informed shortly after Jesus’ birth thatsomething would happen that would cause a sword to pierce her heart (Luke 2:34-35).This cloud had been with her all her life. It informed her understanding ofwhat the Messiah would as she pondered these things (Luke 2:19). Jesus doesn’tforget her. Jesus doesn’t forget any of us.

28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were nowaccomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, "Ithirst!" 

One thing is clear, Jesus couldn’t die until everything isaccomplished that must happen to him and by him. What things must beaccomplished? It starts with Jesus fulfilling the Law as he said in Matthew5:18, “For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota,not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” Jesus had to livea life in perfect obedience to the Law in order to live a righteous life. Hehad to do what Adam didn’t do so that his death could not be for any sin of hisown. It is his righteous life that he now gives to those who believe in him forsalvation.

Jesus also said in Luke 18:31, “See, we are going up toJerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophetswill be accomplished.” If you want to see many of the things that had to beaccomplished, read Psalm 19 and Isaiah 53. Many of these things occurred whileJesus was on the cross and are recorded in the other Gospels.

Jesus also said in John 4:34, “My food is to do the will ofhim who sent me and to accomplish his work.” In John 5:36 he said, “For theworks that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I amdoing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me.” So, Jesus had to dothe miracles that testify to the fact that Jesus is the Mesiah. Ultimately, thework that Jesus was sent to do was to have us believe in him as he toldinquirers in John 6:29, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whomhe has sent.”

Of course, the final thing that had to be accomplished wasJesus being a propitiation for our sins (1 John 2:2). We don’t use this wordvery often because most people don’t know what it means. It means to appease a“god’s” anger with a sacrifice. Old Testament people knew exactly what it meantbecause it was always there before them in the animal sacrifices. Today, peoplecan’t imagine that God would require his own Son to die to appease his wrath.But that is exactly what Jesus did on the cross. But his wrath was against us,not Jesus until “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that inhim we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor 5:21).

29 Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and theyfilled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. 30So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!"And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

The final prophecies are fulfilled in these last twoverses. Psalm 69:21 says, “For my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.” Thisisn’t the same wine mixed with gall, which he refused (Matt 27:34) because itwould have deadened his senses. It may seem minor, but every prophecy had to befulfilled. Finally, Jesus had to die, and he uttered those famous words, “It isfinished.”

It is finished means that for you and me, the doorway intothe presences of God is made available by Jesus’ sacrifice. This was signifiedby the curtain in the temple being torn in two from top to bottom (Matt 27:51).The Law was accomplished by Jesus for us all.

This word, finished, was used by merchants when a debt hadbeen paid in full. Jesus paid our debt in full. The Old Testament sacrificescould not pay the debt for our sins, they could only cover our sins. But Jesuscame as the Lamb of God to take away our sins (John 1:29, Heb 9:24-28).

Jesus gave up his spirit. He decided when he was going todie. This highlights Jesus’ own statement in John 10:17-18:

17 For this reason the Father loves me,because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it fromme, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and Ihave authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from myFather.”

This demonstrates that Jesus’ deathand resurrection is a trinitarian work, which we will discuss in chaptertwenty.

Warren W. Wiersbe, “John 19:28-30,” The Bible Exposition Commentary: NewTestament (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1989).

Copyright by Ray Ruppert

Delight or Sorrows?

“Asfor the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all mydelight” Psalm 16:3 Do you want to be God’s delight? 

Many times in the Bible, both delight and sorrows arecontrasted. The delight is heightened by the contrast of the sorrow and thedepth of the sorrow is emphasized by the delight. David does this in Psalm 16verses 3 and 4

As for the saints inthe land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.
The sorrows of those who run after another god shallmultiply;
their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips.

The saints in this psalm are not departed holy people. Theyare the people who come to the Lord for forgiveness as they bring theirsacrifices to atone for their sins. This is a great description of people whohave come to Jesus for atonement and forgiveness of their sins. The NewTestament calls them and us saints.

The Lord delights in those who come to him through JesusChrist. Jesus said he is the only way to the Father.

On the other hand, are those who run after other gods. Theyare the ones who are looking for any other way to the Father than through JesusChrist. They may be looking to their own goodness, which is the god of works toget them to heaven. They may be people who are looking at real idols or anyreligion other than true Christianity. They may be people who think Jesus isnot God in the flesh or is an angel or even those that think Jesus is thespirit brother of Satan. They may call themselves Christians but deny theTrinity. David calls their efforts to get to God, drink offerings of blood,which would be an abomination to any true saint.

The contrast of being the Lord’s delight is that these idolworshipers have their sorrows multiplied. They have sorrows in this life andespecially in the afterlife. They will not be among the saints who will be withthe one God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. If you want to know Jesus, and be theLord’s delight and not eternal sorrows of those who think there are other wayto God, then watch my video on YouTube, "The Gospel"It will tell you how to repent and be saved.

May God Bless you!

 

Copyright by Ray Ruppert

Abiding in Christ

 

“Lord,who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill?” Psalm 15:1 Doyou want to live with God? 

Do you want to live with the Lord God? King David did and hegave us some great direction if you want to abide in Christ. He gave us this inPsalm 15 verses 1 through 3.

Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill?
He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous,
who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tongue,
who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman.

We hear a lot about people who say they have faith in Jesusfor salvation but their lives don’t look like it. Their lives are notblameless, which doesn’t mean perfect. But instead, they don’t tell the truth.They lie and deceive others. They don’t even call them little white lies butstubbornly say it’s the truth when all evidence is against them. Then they gaslightyou if you try to correct them.

They slander anyone who gets in their way. If they repeat theslander long enough, they actually get others to believe them. They also abusethe people around them. When their neighbors complain, they just call themnames and put the blame on them.

That is not the way a true Christian behave. Listen to Galatians5 verses 22 and 23. “But the fruit of the Spirit islove, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness andself-control.” If these adjectives don’t line up with our way of life, wereally need to examine ourselves. We may not be there yet, but according toDavid, we can’t be living like we did before we claimed to become a Christianbecause we aren’t living on God’s holy hill.  

If your life hasn’t changed then you probably don’t knowJesus. If you want to really know Jesus then watch my video on YouTube, "The Gospel" It will tell you how to repent and besaved. Then you will be able to live or abide in Christ.

May God Bless you!

 

Copyright by Ray Ruppert

What the Bible Says about Atheists (Atheists and Fools)

“The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” (Ps 14:1). But there is hope for them.

I was once an atheist. Or maybe agnostic. There isn’t really much difference between the two. One is sure there is no God and the other is too fainthearted to say one way or another.

But the Bible is clear about what the Lord thinks of atheists. Psalm 14 verse 1 says, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good.”

Wow! That is quite an INDICTMENT. Not only are they called as fools but he goes on to describe what they are like. It is so true that fools who say there is no God do evil things. They try to do all they can to keep people from coming to Jesus Christ for salvation. That is an abomination and Jesus doesn’t like it.

That is causing people to sin and Jesus says in Matthew 18 verse 6, “It would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.”

That makes it very clear what Jesus thinks of these fools. But take a look at Psalm 14 verses 2 and 3. The Lord expands his vision to everyone else. He says,

“The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.”

And that is why atheists, agnostics, and everyone else on the earth must turn to Jesus Christ for salvation. It is clear that we are lost and without hope if don’t.

If you don’t know Jesus then watch my video on YouTube, "The Gospel" It will tell you how to repent and be saved. Then you will no longer be a fool.

May God Bless you!

Copyright by Ray Ruppert

Waiting While Suffering

When suffering it is ok to pray, “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?” (Ps 13:1).

I don’t know what you are going through today. Sometimes our problems seem to be overwhelming and beyond our ability to cope. So, what do you do? King David faced the same kinds of problems when he had enemies. Listen to his prayer in Psalm 13 verses 1 and 2 

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I take counsel in my soul
and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

This was David, a man after God’s own heart and it sounds like he was in deep depression and despair. He sounded like he had no hope at all. Is that what it seems like in you in you circumstances, you too can cry out to God and ask him, “How Long?”

But you must remember that asking how long must not be accusing the Lord of wrongdoing. It is simply a cry to help understand what the Lord is doing in your life. When you are done asking why, do what David did as he finished the Psalm in verses 5 and 6.

But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord,
because he has dealt bountifully with me.

Even though he had asked why in seemingly hopelessness, he remembered that he had placed his trust in the Lord. He knew that whatever happens is for his good.

Do you trust the Lord in this way? If you know Jesus, then you can. If you don’t know Jesus then watch my video on YouTube, "The Gospel" It will tell you how to be saved and trust the Lord.

May God Bless you!

Copyright by Ray Ruppert

God’s Love and Hate

AI generators are woke and won’t make pictures when you tell the truth about God hating the wicked as in Psalm 11:5-6.

You know, I have to be very careful when I generate AI pictures for these my videos. I use Bing’s Image Creator from Designer. For example, I enter a prompt of Psalm 11 verses 4 through 7 to generate a picture.

4 The Lord is in his holy temple;
the Lord’s throne is in heaven;
his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man.
5 The Lord tests the righteous,
but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.
6 Let him rain coals on the wicked;
fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.
7 For the Lord is righteous;
he loves righteous deeds;
the upright shall behold his face.

The AI gave me a content warning saying it violated content policy. So, the Bing AI is just like a lot of society that just can’t stand the idea that the Lord is omniscient and sees all the good going on as well as all the wickedness in the world. It certainly doesn’t like the fact that the Lord hates and will punish wickedness. 

When I enter Just verses 4 and 5a, I get a very nice picture with no complaints.

That all makes sense because Bing must uphold its diversity standards and other politically correct woke social justice. But that can’t stop us from proclaiming the Gospel. We just have to be a bit more cleaver in how we word things so that the message can still get through in picture and in word.

As long as I leave God out of the prompt and the word hate, I can generate this picture that shows exactly what will happen when the Lord executes judgment such as Revelation 8 verses 7 through 10 with objects crashing into the earth.

So don’t miss what the Psalm is saying though. God does love righteous people and he does hate the wicked and will punish them. If you haven’t turned to Jesus for salvation from God’s judgment then, then watch my video on YouTube, "The Gospel" It will tell you how to be saved and escape those burning coals.

May God Bless you!

Copyright by Ray Ruppert

God Greater Than Santa

 

People think God is like Satan. So, “the wicked renounce God and say in his heart, ‘You will not call to account’?” (Ps 10:13)

People have attributed to Santa qualities that are only available to the Lord. You’ve all heard the lyrics of the song that says he knows who is naughty or nice and knows when you are asleep or awake, good or bad. So be good for goodness’ sake.

But just because Santa is coming to town, there is nothing he can do to right wrongs. He is not omnipotent but impotent. Here is what Psalm 10 verses 13 and 15 says,

Why does the wicked renounce God
and say in his heart, “You will not call to account”?
But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation,
that you may take it into your hands;
to you the helpless commits himself;
you have been the helper of the fatherless.
Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer;
call his wickedness to account till you find none.

Why do the wicked think they can get away with all this? It’s because they don’t see justice in this world. They see powerful people getting away with lying and cheating among other things. They see immorality promoted in Hollywood and among politicians. They don’t understand 2 Peter 3 verse 9, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

Psalm 10 is all about the Lord bring judgment on oppressors and evil people who don’t think the Lord will do anything. But the Lord promises there will be a day when the wicked will find judgment and the oppressed will see justice. He will no longer be patient.

If you’ve put off repenting and turning to Jesus for salvation because you think the Lord doesn’t see or won’t judge you by his standards, you need to turn and repent before his patience wears out. If you want to know how to do that, then watch my video on YouTube,, "The Gospel" It will tell you how to be saved and escape judgment.

May God Bless you!

Copyright by Ray Ruppert