Sunday, November 28, 2010

WAR DEAD


WAR RELATED DEATHS BATTLE DEATHS
Civil War 498,332 140,414
WW I 116,516 53,402
WW II 405,516 291,557
Korean War 54,298 33,741
Vietnam War 90,199 47,410
Gulf War 2,094 147
Iraq 2,157
Total War Dead 1,166,955 568,828

TERRORIST ATTACKS



(against Americans)
1961
May 1, First U.S. Aircraft Hijacked. Puerto Rican born Antuilo Ramierez Ortiz forced at gunpoint a National Airlines plane to fly to Havana, Cuba, where he was given asylum.

1975
Jan. 27, New York City: small incendiary bomb set off in historical Fraunces Tavern, targeting Wall Street business executives, killed four and injured more than 50 persons. Puerto Rican nationalist group (FALN) claimed responsibility and police tied 13 other bombings to it.

1975
January 29,  Washington, D.C. The Weather Underground claims responsibility for an explosion in a bathroom at the U.S. Department of State in Washington D.C.  No one was killed nor injured.

1979
November 4, Tehran, Iran, After President Carter agreed to admit the Shah of Iran into the U.S., Iranian radicals seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took 66 American diplomats hostage. Thirteen hostages were soon released, but the remaining 53 were held until their release on January 20, 1981.

1981
August 31, Ramstein, West Germany. The Red Army exploded a bomb at the U.S. Air Force Base at Ramstein, West Germany. None were killed nor injured.

1982
August, Hawaii, Arab Organization of 15 May killed 1 and injured 14 with a time-delay bomb that exploded on an airplane just before it landed in Hawaii.

1983
April 18, Beirut, Lebanon: U.S. Embassy is destroyed in suicide truck-bomb attack; 63 dead, including the CIA's Middle East director. 120 were injured in attack on the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon. The Islamic Jihad/Hizballah claimed responsibility; however, two other groups also claimed responsibility for the blast. Iranian and Syrian intelligence services also implicated in the attack.

1983
Oct. 23, Beirut, Lebanon: Shi'ite suicide bombers exploded truck carrying 12,000 pound bomb near U.S. military barracks at Beirut airport, killing 242 American marines. Minutes later a second 400 pound bomb killed 58 French paratroopers in their barracks in West Beirut. Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility.

1983
November 15, Athens, Greece, a U.S. Navy officer was shot by the 17 November  terrorist group in Athens, Greece, while his car was stopped at a traffic light.

1984
April 12, Torrejon, Spain, eighteen U.S. servicemen were killed, and 83 people were injured in a bomb attack on a restaurant near a U.S. Air Force Base in Torrejon, Spain. Responsibility was claimed by Hizballah.

1985
June 14, Beirut, Lebanon, a Trans-World Airlines flight was hijacked en route to Rome from Athens by two Lebanese Hizballah terrorists and forced to fly to Beirut. The eight crew members and 145 passengers were held for 17 days, during which one American hostage, a U.S. Navy sailor, was murdered. After being flown twice to Algiers, the aircraft was returned to Beirut after Israel released 435 Lebaneseand Palestinian prisoners.

1985
June 23, off coast of Ireland: Air India Boeing 747 exploded over Atlantic en route from Montreal to London as a result of a terrorist-planted bomb. All 329 aboard were killed. Sikh separatist group thought to be responsible. Worst air sabotage disaster prior to Sept. 11 attacks.

1985
October 7, Achille Lauro cruise ship hijacking in Italy by 4 Palestinian Liberation Front terrorists including  Abu Abbas, where the PLF leader is wanted for the murder of U.S. citizen Leon Klinghoffer, a disabled man whose body was pushed overboard with his wheelchair.

1985
November 23, Egyptian Airliner Hijacking, An EgyptAir airplane bound from Athens to Malta and carrying several U.S. citizens was hijacked by the Abu Nidal Group.

1986
March 30, Athens, Greece, a Palestinian splinter group detonated a bomb as TWA Flight 840 approached Athens Airport, killing four U.S. citizens.

1986
April 5, Berlin, West Germany, 2 U.S. soldiers were killed, and 79 American servicemen were injured in a Libyan bomb attack on a nightclub in West Berlin, West Germany.

1986
September, Karachi, Pakistan, Abu Nidal Organization hijacked Pan Am flight 73 in Karachi, Pakistan: 17 were killed and over 150 wounded.

1987
April 24, Athens, Greece, sixteen U.S. servicemen riding in a Greek Air Force bus near Athens were injured in an apparent bombing attack, carried out by the revolutionary organization known as 17 November.

1987
December 26, Barcelona, Spain, Catalan separatists bombed a Barcelona bar frequented by U.S. servicemen, resulting in the death of one U.S. citizen.

1988
April 14, Naples USO Attack. The Organization of Jihad Brigades exploded a car bomb outside a USO Club in Naples, Italy, killing one U.S. sailor.

1988
Dec. 21, Lockerbie, Scotland: N.Y.-bound Pan-Am Boeing 747 exploded in flight from a terrorist bomb and crashed into Scottish village, killing all 259 aboard and 11 on the ground. Passengers included 35 Syracuse University students and many U.S. military personnel. Two Libyan intelligence officers were tried under Scottish law in The Hague; only one, Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi, was found guilty, in Jan. 2001.

1990
January 15, U.S. Embassy Bombed in Peru. The Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement bombed the U.S. Embassy in Lima, Peru.

1992
December 29, Aden, Yemen hotel bombed targeting US soldiers headed for Somalia.
An explosion at the Gold Mihor Hotel in Aden killed an Austrian national and seriously injured his wife. About 100 US soldiers, part of Operation Restore Hope in Somalia, had been staying in Aden since mid-December.

1993
Feb. 26, New York City: bomb exploded in basement garage of World Trade Center, killing six and injuring at least 1,040 others. In 1995, militant Islamist Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman and nine others were convicted of conspiracy charges, and in 1998, Ramzi Yousef, believed to have been the mastermind, was convicted of the bombing. Al-Qaeda involvement is suspected.


1993
April, Langley, Virginia, Pakistani national Mir Aimal Kasi fired on a row of cars entering the CIA during mornign rush hour killing Frank Darling and Lensing Bennett and injuring 3 others. Kansi fled to Pakistan where he was captured in the Dera Ghazi Khan region on June 15, 1997. Later that year he was convicted and was subsequently executed November 14, 2002.

1993
April 14,: Kuwait , The Iraqi intelligence service attempted to assassinate former U.S. President George Bush during a visit to Kuwait. In retaliation, the U.S. launched a cruise missile attack 2 months later on the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

1993
April 15,: Kuwait authorities arrested seventeen persons as they attempted to infiltrate Kuwait from Iraq. An additional person was arrested later, and a large car bomb and weapons were recovered. The group stands charged with being part of an Iraqi government plot to assassinate former President Bush while he was visiting Kuwait.

1995
April 19, Oklahoma City: car bomb exploded outside Alfred P. Murrah federal office building, collapsing wall and floors. 168 persons were killed, including 19 children and one person who died in rescue effort, plus 200 injured. Over 220 buildings sustained damage. Right-wing extremists Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols later convicted in the anti-government plot to avenge the Branch Davidian standoff in Waco, Tex., exactly two years earlier.

1995
November 13,  Rihadh, Saudi Arabia. The Islamic Movement of Change planted a bomb in a Riyadh military compound that killed one U.S. citizen, several foreign national employees of the U.S. Government, and more than 40 others. A car bomb explosion in the parking lot of the Office of the Program Manager/Saudi Arabian National Guard (OPM/SANG) in Riyadh, killed seven persons and wounded 42 others. The deceased include four US federal civilian employees, one US military person, and two Indian Government employees. The blast severely damaged the three-story building, which houses a US military advisory group, and several neighboring office buildings. Three groups, including the Islamic Movement for Change, claimed responsibility for the attack.

After the 1995 bombing in Saudi Arabia, which killed five U.S. military personnel; Clinton promised that those responsible would be hunted down and punished. We’re still waiting!    ?????????????????????????

1996
June 25, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia: truck bomb exploded outside Khobar Towers military complex, killing 19 American servicemen and injuring 515 others. Thirteen Saudis and a Lebanese, all alleged members of Islamic militant group Hezbollah, were indicted on charges relating to the attack in June 2001.

1996
July 17, TWA flight 800 (Boeing 747-100) crashed off Long Island on in what appeared to the general public to be an act of terrorism.

1997
February 23, New York City. A Palestinian gunman opened fire on tourists at an observation deck atop the Empire State Building in New York City, killing a Danish national and wounding visitors from the United States, Argentina, Switzerland, and France before turning the gun on himself. A handwritten note carried by the gunman claimed this was a punishment attack against the "enemies of Palestine."


1998
Aug. 7, Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: truck bombs exploded almost simultaneously near two U.S. embassies, killing 224 (213 in Kenya and 11 in Tanzania) and injuring about 4,500. Four men, two of whom had received training at al-Qaeda camps inside Afghanistan , were convicted of the killings in May 2001 and later sentenced to life in prison. A federal grand jury had indicted 22 men in connection with the attacks, including Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden, who remained at large.

1998
Sept. 2, Swissair Flight 111 crashes off the coast of Nova Scotia while en route from New York to Geneva. All 229 people aboard the MD-11 are killed.

1999
Oct. 31, EgyptAir Flight 990 on a flight from New York to Cairo, plummets into the ocean 60 miles south of the Massachusetts island of Nantucket. All 217 people on board the Boeing 767 are killed. The jet was deliberately crashed by the Islamic co-pilot.

2000
Jan. 31,  An Alaska Airlines Flight 261, (an MD-80) passenger jet crashed into the Pacific Ocean Monday, some 40 miles northwest of Los Angeles International Airport. At least 88 people, including five crew, were aboard and are feared dead.

2000
Oct. 12, Aden, Yemen: U.S. Navy destroyer USS Cole was heavily damaged when a small boat loaded with explosives blew up alongside it. Seventeen sailors were killed in what was apparently a deliberate terrorist attack. Prime suspect thought to be Osama bin Laden, or members of his al-Qaeda terrorist network.

2001
Sept. 11, New York City, Arlington, Va., and Shanksville, Pa.: hijackers crashed two commercial jets into twin towers of World Trade Center; two more hijacked jets were crashed into the Pentagon and a field in rural Pennsylvania. Total dead and missing numbered 3,044, including the 19 hijackers. Islamic al-Qaeda terrorist group blamed.

2001
Nov. 12, American Airlines Flight 587 crashes in Queens, NY.

2002
Jul. 4, El Al Shooting in L.A.  In September, federal investigators determined that the shooting at the El Al ticket counter at Los Angeles International Airport on July 4, 2002, was a terrorist act carried out by a lone gunman bent on becoming a martyr. Hesham Mohamed Hadayet, a 41-year-old Egyptian national, opened fire at the airport, killing two Israelis and wounding four others before being shot dead by a security guard for the Israeli airline.


 

Also note: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/pubs/fs/5902.htm

 

Other Air Crashes


Feb. 16, 1998: A China Airlines Airbus A-300-600R crashes while approaching the airport in Taipei, Taiwan, in fog and light rain. All 196 people on board are killed as well as six people on the ground.

Feb. 2, 1998: Cebu Pacific Air Flight 387, a DC-9 jet, slams into a mountain as it prepares to land at the Cagayan de Oro airport in the southern Philippines. All 104 people aboard are killed.

Aug. 6, 1997: Korean Air jetliner crashes in Guam, killing the 228 aboard the Boeing 747.

Dec. 11, 1998: A Thai Airways Airbus A310-200 crashes during a landing attempt at Surat Thani airport, 330 miles south of Bangkok, Thailand. Of those on board, 101 people are killed and 45 survive

Feb. 24, 1999: A China Southwest Airlines passenger plane crashes in a field 250 miles south of Shanghai in China’s coastal Zhejiang province. All 61 people aboard the Russian-built TU-154 are killed

Jan. 30, 2000: Kenya Airways Flight 431 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean shortly after take off from Abidjan, Ivory Coast. The Airbus 310 carried 10 crew members and 169 passengers. At least 10 people survive the disaster.

STATISTICS ON DOCTORS VERSUS GUNS


Number of physicians in the US = 700,000
Accidental deaths caused by physicians per year =120,000
Accidental deaths per physician = 0.171 (U.S. Dept. of Health &
Human Services)

Number of gun owners in the U.S. = 80,00O,OOO
Number of accidental gun deaths per year (all age groups) =1,500
Accidental deaths per gun owner = 0.0000188 (U.S. Bureau of
-Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms)

1 accidental death for every 6 physicians
1 accidental death for every 50,000 gun owners

Therefore, doctors are approximately 9,000 times more dangerous
than gun owners.

This sort of gives a whole new meaning to "getting a shot" at the doc's office.

Taken from the Benton County News Tribune of November 17, 1999.



AMERICA'S WARS - BATTLE DEATHS

AMERICA'S WARS - BATTLE DEATHS U.S. CASUALTIES
American Revolution (1775-1783) 4,435
War of 1812 (1812 - 1815) 2,260
Indian Wars (1817 - 1898) 1,000
Mexican War (1846-1848) 1,733
Civil War (1861-1865) Union 140,414
Civil War (1861-1865) Confederate 74,524
Spanish-American War (1898 - 1902) 385
World War I (1917 - 1918) 53,402
World War II (1940-1945) 291,557
Korean War (1950 - 1953) 33,741
Vietnam War (1964 - 1975) 47,410
Gulf War (1990 - 1991) 147
Iraq War (3/19/03 - 3/1/07) CNN Estimate 3,154
Reference:
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0004615.html

WHAT IS A JEHOVAH’S WITNESS

Excerpt from

WHAT IS A JEHOVAH’S WITNESS

By Dr. John S. Wimbish

1.            JW does not believe in the Trinity. Mt. 28:19
2.            JW does not believe in the Deity of Christ.  John 1:1
3.            JW believes that Christ and Satan are brothers. (Mt. 12:25-30, Wagner)
4.            JW believes Christ only died for Adam. John 3:16
5.            JW believes Jesus no longer exists in human form. Luke 24 (particularly  24:30, 24:43)
6.            JW believes Jesus returns not as a human, but a glorious spiritual being.  Acts 1:11
7.            JW does not believe in hell nor eternal punishment. Luke 16:23-28
8.            JW believes all human government is satanic. (Luke 20:25, Wagner)
9.            JW will not salute the flag of America.
10.       JW will not vote.
11.       JW will not defend our nation. See Romans 13.

Quote II John 10-11 to JW.

USSHER'S CHRONOLOGY FOR THE BIBLE

BOOK START END YEARS
Genesis -4004 -1689 2315
Exodus -1706 -1490 216
Leviticus -1491 -1490 1
Numbers -1490 -1451 39
Deuteronomy -1451 -1451 1
Joshua -1451 -1427 24
Judges -1425 -1120 305
Ruth -1325 -1312 13
I Samuel -1171 -1056 115
II Samuel -1056 -1017 39
I Kings -1015 -897 118
II Kings -896 -588 308
I Chr. Ch. 1-9 -4004 -1056 2948
I Chr. Ch. 10-29 -1056 -1015 41
II Chronicles -1015 -610 405
Ezra -536 -457 79
Nehemiah -519 -434 85
Esther -521 -509 12
Job -1520 -1520 1
Psalms no dates no dates no dates
Proverbs Ch. 1-25 -1000 -1000 1
Proverbs Ch. 26-30 -700 -700 1
Proverbs Ch. 31 -1015 -1015 1
Ecclesiastes -997 -997 1
Song of Solomon -1014 -1014 1
Isaiah -760 -698 62
Jeremiah -629 -587 42
Lamentations -588 -588 1
Ezekiel -595 -572 23
Daniel -607 -534 73
Hosea -785 -725 60
Joe -800 -800 1
Amos -787 -787 1
Obadiah -887 -885 2
Jonah -862 -862 1
Micah -750 -710 40
Nahum -713 -713 1
Habakkuk -626 -626 1
Zephaniah -630 -630 1
Haggai -520 -520 1
Zechariah -520 -487 33
Malach -397 -397 1
Matthew -4 33 37
Mark 26 33 7
Luke 7 33 26
John 26 33 7
Acts 33 62 29
Romans 60 60 1
I Corinthians 59 59 1
II Corinthians 60 60 1
Galations 58 58 1
Ephesians 46 46 1
Philippians 64 64 1
Colossians 64 64 1
I Thessalonians 54 54 1
II Thessalonians 54 54 1
I Timothy 65 65 1
II Timothy 66 66 1
Titus 65 65 1
Philemon 64 64 1
Hebrews 64 64 1
James: 60 60 1
I Peter 60 60 1
II Peter 66 66 1
I John 90 90 1
II John 90 90 1
III John 90 90 1
Jude 66 66 1
Revelation 96 96 1

TO CLAP OR NOT TO CLAP


I have noticed more often in recent months there is applause after a “special number”. Perhaps you too have wondered if it is ok to clap.

There are some problems associated with applause in the context of a worship service. First, applause tends to bring attention to the messenger instead of the message. It usually follows presentations of musical selections, more often solo performances than choral, especially those that have loud and high theatrical endings. This attitude is clearly shown by the fact that slow, meditative songs seldom receive applause.

Secondly, the soloist is placed in a very difficult position: “Should I be gracious by acknowledging the applause; and if I do, will I be perceived as accepting the applause for myself instead of giving the glory to God?”

Thirdly, applause makes the congregation uncomfortable. If only one person applauds, others will feel that they have to also to avoid embarrassing the clapper or offending the soloist. The congregation will feel as though they must clap even if the music didn’t minister to them personally. They will feel as though the singer will be offended. Some churches deal with this by encouraging the congregation to clap after all musicals selections.

Here are some principles that we need to consider when looking for solutions to this problem. Music in the church is different from music everywhere else. As musicians, we are not performers in a concert. We are participants in worship. We sing to inspire others to reach for God. Applause following acts of worship is a secular concept, borrowed from the world, and can create a theater mentality where the congregation becomes simply an ‘audience” cheering on the “performers” who do the worship. Instead, the congregation and musicians should be participating together in worship of our one true audience – THE ALMIGHTY GOD!

I offer these suggestions to avoid potential problems: (1) Communicate to the musicians of the church your appreciation of their musical gifts in a verbal way after the service. (2) If you chose to applaud in worship, praise God for touching your life. Do not applaud the performers. There aren’t any!! (3) If the message of our musical worship has added to your personal worship, feel free to respond with “Amen” or “Praise the Lord”.

                                                     By Lee Samdahl
Music Director
Liberty Baptist Church

THE TABERNACLE

For images and information on the Tabernacle and it's furniture, see the copyrighted material by the Mishkan Ministries, Inc. at:

THE APOCRYPHA ARE NOT GOD'S WORD


July 9, 2000

Leo taught Sunday school class today. As best that I can determine, he only made reference to the books of the Apocrypha. These were those books, which were not found to be worthy of being accounted as Scripture. They were initially put into the 1611 KJV, but removed in the 1629 KJV. They do appear today in the Catholic bible– called the Douay version.

(This in aside, since I just looked up the word Douay, I’ll say a word about it here. A Catholic advertisement says that this is “The best, most accurate, safest English translation that you can use. A careful word-for-word translation of the Latin Vulgate Bible (the official Bible of the Church).”  To the best of my knowledge, the Latin Vulgate was a copy of the Bible that was found in a trashcan in the Vatican. It is probably one of the two most satanic manuscripts around, the other being the Sinatic, which I understand, was found in a deserted monastery in Turkey.)

There are number of things which Leo spoke about which the Bible definitely agrees with. They were good to hear, but truthfully, most of what Leo said, I do not agree with, nor do I believe that it can be Scripturally supported. I will grant that at the start, he did indicate that what he was going to say was “informational”, but it was presented as Scriptural.

For instance, he had read these Apocryphal books and learned about the life of Adam and Eve. He said that he had learned that Adam and Eve were not naked, as the Bible three times says:

Gen. 2:25, 3:7, 3:10
And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

And the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.

He believes that Adam and Eve were clothed with white robes and that these robes had power. He said that Adam and Eve were more powerful than the angels, but the Bible nowhere states such things. Maybe it was Leo’s conclusion, after reading non-biblical material. Leo also stated that this robe was a marvelous thing, but my Bible nowhere states this!

He said that Adam said that God helped him name the animals, etc.  But, the Bible says:

Gen. 2:19-20
And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.



He said that in the Millennium, we would be clothed with white robes, and with the brightness of these robes, there would be no need of the Sun. But, the Bible, in speaking of the New Jerusalem,  says:

Rev. 21:23
And the city had no need of sun, neither the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.

Wow, it sure looks like to me that God and his Son have no need of white robes to help them with the Light!

On to Noah. According to Leo, Noah did not bring all the animals into the ark – God himself brought the animals. But according to the Bible in Genesis Chapter 7:1,2, & 5:

And the LORD said unto Noah ---

Of every clean beast thou shalt take ----

And Noah did according to all that the LORD commanded him.

He also stated that he had learned that only small animals came onto the ark.  After all, it has been well proven that young, even baby animals tend to get along together. Again, this is nowhere stated in Scripture. Talk about putting God in a box! Talk about limiting God! Wow!!

He further said that as the animals were gathered together to enter the ark, that the father and mother animals, along with their young were gathered together. He said that the adults then drove away from the ark the people  who God had not chosen. It is hard to believe such a story, besides it being non-Biblical.

Lastly, Leo said that Satan invited Someone into hell that had never sinned. He was here talking about Jesus after His death on the cross. This idea is totally unscriptural. Nowhere in the Bible have I read such a thing, nor ever even heard of this idea.

I believe that there are scriptures that indicated that Jesus went to the very center of this earth, proclaimed to all down there that He had paid the debt for sin on the cross, and took His own to Paradise (Heaven) with him. But this surely had not happened at an invite from Satan.








REFUTE JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES



MARCHING ORDER FOR ISRAEL


FROM MT. SINAI ONWARD

Book of Numbers
The tabernacle was the center of the camp, and the twelve tribes were situated around the tabernacle as ordered by God. They also marched in specific an order given by God. The tribe of Levi was directly around the tabernacle according to their families.

HOW ISRAEL ENCAMPED ON THE WILDERNESS MARCH

CHART OF THE CAMP
12 TRIBES OF ISRAEL

603,550 men over 20 years old, not including the tribe of Levi (1:45-47)

NORTH
DAN (Eagle)    62,700 (1:39)
                                                           ASHER            41,500 (1:41)
                                                           NAPHTALI     53,400 (1:43)

TRIBE OF LEVI

MERARI (3:34)
(6,200)
WEST                                                                                                                       EAST
EPHRAIM               GERSHON                                                         AARON                  JUDAH
(Ox)                             (7,500)                                                              MOSES                     (Lion)
MANASSEH               (3:22)                       TABERNACLE             AARON’S              ISSACHAR
BENJAMIN                                                                                          SONS                     ZEBULUN

40,500 (1:33)                                                                                                                        74,600 (1:27)
32,200 (1:35)                                                                                                                        54,400 (1:29)
35,400 (1:37)                                                   KOHATH                                                    57,400 (1:31)
(8,600)
Total = 22,000 (3:39)

REUBEN (Man) 46,500 (1:21)
                                                          SIMEON            59,300 (1:23)
                                                          GAD                   45,650 (1:25)

SOUTH

Gershon (2,630), Kohath (2,750), & Merari (3,200) were numbered from 20-30 years old for tabernacle service. The 40  years of wandering and the unbelief at Kadesh-Barnea are not recorded in the faith chapter of Hebrews (chapter 11). The record of their unbelief is recorded in Hebrews 3:8-19, know as “The Doubting Chapter”.

The order by which Israel (603,550 men over 20) journeyed is given in Numbers:

Section 1            Moses, Aaron, ark (10:33)
Section 2            Judah “Praise” bearing the standard (10:14)
                           Issachar (10:15)
                           Zebulun (10:16)
                                  186,500 total (2:9)
Section 3            Gershon & Merari bearing the tabernacle (10:17)
Section 4            Reuben bearing the standard (10:18)
                           Simeon (10:19)
                           Gad (10:20)
                                  151,450 total (2:16)
Section 5            Kohathites bearing vessels of the sanctuary & furniture (3:31, 4:15, 10:21)
Section 6            Ephraim bearing standard (10:22)
                           Manasseh (10:23)
                           Benjamin (10:24)
                                  108,100  total (2:24)
Section 7            Dan bearing standard (10:25)
                           Asher (10:26)
                           Nephtali (10:27)
                                   157,600 total (2:31)



GOD DOES NOT CHANGE

What does God have to say about the wicked?

I all realize that it is definitely God’s will that all come to repentance, but it may not set too well with some as to what the Bible has to say about those who do evil.

[II Peter 3:9] The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

He was this way in the Old Testament. He wanted none to perish! He is this way in the New Testament. As it says in [Malachi  3:6] For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. God has never changed! Old Testament to the New Testament, God is the same. He said so! We can believe it or not, but it is still true!

With this in mind, let us look at what the Bible has to say about the wicked. I’m going to start with verses from the New Testament, and then we will go back to the Old Testament.

Looks what Jesus says when He was talking to the Pharisees:

[Matthew 12:34] O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

[Matthew 12:39] But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:

[Matthew 12:45] Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

Jesus has some rather choice words for these lost people. Did He say that He did not like what they were doing? No, I’m not so sure He did, but He did call them snakes, evil, and adulterous. He did not chide them for sinning,  He chided them for being sinners.

In the fifteenth chapter of Matthew, He is talking about the scribes and Pharisees, when He says:

[Matthew 15:14] Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

Note carefully what He says here. It seems to me Jesus has given up on these people. I didn’t read that He said to go mingle with them, and maybe you can show them the right way.  I didn’t see that He said to wait for a better day or that maybe it was just the wrong day to confront these people.  After all, maybe they were just having a bad day.  No, He said to let them alone! Stay away from them!

In the Gospels He is talking to the scribes and Pharisees and has this to say to them:

[Matthew 15:7] Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,

[Matthew 15:14] Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

[Matthew 16:3] And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?

[Matthew 17:17] Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.

[Matthew 22:18] But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?

[Matthew 23:13] But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. [23:14] Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. [23:15] Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. [23:16] Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor! [23:17] Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? [23:19] Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?

[Matthew 23:23] 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. [23:25] 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. [23:24] Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. [23:26] Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. [23:27] Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. [23:29] Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,

[Mark 6:7] 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.

[Luke 9:41] And Jesus answering said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer you? Bring thy son hither.

[Luke 11:44] Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them.

[Luke 12:56] Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time?

Now you can say that He didn’t like what they were doing, but He seems to be saying more than that in these verses.

There are only a couple of times in the New Testament that we find that Jesus was angry.  The first instance is in the book of Mark:

[Mark 3:1] And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand. [3:2] And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him. [3:3] And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth. [3:4] And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace. [3:5] And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other. [3:6] And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.

Jesus had just healed the  hand of a man in the synagogue on the Sabbath day. In theirs hearts, the people who watched did not  like the thing that Jesus had done. But Jesus knew their hearts, and He was angry. Not just angry at the sin, but angry at the people themselves.

The only other time that it is stated that Jesus was angry is mentioned in all four Gospels. This is where Jesus was casting out the money changers in the temple.

[Matthew 21:12] And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, [21:13] And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

[Mark 11:15] And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; [11:16] And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. [11:17] And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.

[Luke 19:45] And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought; [19:46] Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.

[John 2:13] And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, [2:14] And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: [2:15] And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; [2:16] And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.

Jesus was aggravated with the people. Yes, he was mad at what they were doing to his house, but he was also angry with them. He chastened them for what they were doing, and He directed His Holy anger towards them.

Let’s now take a look at the first chapter of Romans. God is talking about lost people, those “who hold the truth in unrighteousness”. Because, the “invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen (by them) - they are without excuse:”. Very sad words follow in the next verses:

[Romans 1:24] Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: [1:25] Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. [1:26] For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:

God not only does not like the sin, He does not like the sinner. I know this is astounding! But what do these verses say? We can’t just ignore these verses because they may not agree with what we thought! God wants lost people to be saved, but at ‘some’ point, He gives them up!  Note verse 28:

[Romans 1:28] And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

Let’s consider another verse from Romans:

[Romans 12:9] Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.

Are some people evil? Sure, I know people can do evil, but are some people evil themselves? God says so!  In fact, God says in the last chapter of Romans that we are to avoid these people:

[Romans 16:17] Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. [16:18] For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.

God is righteous!

[Exodus 15:3] The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.

[Exodus 15:6] Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy.

[Numbers 16:21] Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.

[Numbers 16:35] And there came out a fire from the LORD, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense.

We see that Israel’s continued disobedience will  be punished by a world-wide  dispersion  of the people:

[Deuteronomy 28:63] And it shall come to pass, that as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it. [28:64] And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone. [28:65] And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind: [28:66] And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life: [28:67] In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.

For the sins of Manasseh, God said the following:

[II Kings 24:4] And also for the innocent blood that he shed: for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; which the LORD would not pardon.

In other places, He also said:

[Psalm 1:1] Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

[Psalm 2:4] He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the LORD shall have them in derision.

[Psalm 5:5] The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity. (The Bible does not say that He hates their works, but the workers themselves!)

[Psalm 5:10] Destroy thou them, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions; for they have rebelled against thee.

[Psalm 7:13] He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors.

[Psalm 11:5] The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth. (He hates more then just wickedness!)

[Psalm 26:5] I have hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked.

[Psalm 28:4] Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavours: give them after the work of their hands; render to them their desert.

[Psalm 34:16] The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

[Psalm 34:21] Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate.

[Psalm 59:5] Thou therefore, O LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, awake to visit all the heathen: be not merciful to any wicked transgressors. Selah.

[Psalm 59:13] Consume them in wrath, consume them, that they may not be: and let them know that God ruleth in Jacob unto the ends of the earth. Selah.

[Proverbs 1:28] Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:

[Proverbs 6: 16] These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: [17] A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, [18] An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, [19] A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren. (He did not say He hates “the fact that one looks proud”, “the words of a liar or even the lie”, “the fact that someone’s hands shed innocent blood”, “the fact that someone’s heart devised wicked imaginations”, “the fact that someone’s feet were swift in running to mischief”, or “discord, although I am sure He hates discord among His people”. He hates the person, their proud looks, their lying tongue, their cruel hands, their wicked heart, their feet, all liars, and antagonists.)

[Ecclesiastes 3:8] A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

In perhaps God’s final prophecy concerning the dispersion of Israel, He says:

[Amos 9:1] I saw the LORD standing upon the altar: and he said, Smite the lintel of the door, that the posts may shake: and cut them in the head, all of them; and I will slay the last of them with the sword: he that fleeth of them shall not flee away, and he that escapeth of them shall not be delivered. [9:2] Though they dig into hell, thence shall mine hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down: [9:3] And though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out thence; and though they be hid from my sight in the bottom of the sea, thence will I command the serpent, and he shall bite them: [9:4] And though they go into captivity before their enemies, thence will I command the sword, and it shall slay them: and I will set mine eyes upon them for evil, and not for good.

[Psalm 7:11] God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.

[Nahum 1:2] God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies. [1:3] The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

[I Peter 3:12] For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

I all realize that it is definitely God’s will that all come to repentance, but it may not set too well with some as to what the Bible has to say about those who do evil.

[II Peter 3:9] The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.


NOV. 9, 2006