The coming strong delusion and the perversion of Scripture

 

In Matthew 24 Jesus warns that just prior to His return there would be a proliferation of false prophets.

Mathew 24:11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

Mathew 24:23-27 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shines even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

There is a lot of talk lately about aliens and extraterrestrials that are coming back to earth to basically take over the world. There is even a group that is teaching that the leader of the aliens is Yahweh God who is returning to Earth to save theworld from the Illuminati. The idea that the creator of heaven and earth could be an extraterretiral who lives on a planet name Nibiru and is coming to save the true believers is remarkable. I am writing to warn my brothers and sisters in Christ to be very apprehensive about what you hear. Jesus Himself warned us that there shall arise false Christs that will show great miracles insomuch that if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. This is saying that some of the things we are getting ready to witness will be so compelling, that we might get very close to being deceived. Just prior to the return of Christ, it is in God’s plan to lose Satan and his fallen angels from the bottomless pit in order to allow them to go out into the world to deceive the unsaved, as declared in 2 Thessalonians 2.

2 Thessalonians 2:3-6 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.

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

There are so many different conspiracy theories out there it is mind boggling. Some things I do believe are very evident, and are not mythical theories; that there is an extremely rich and powerful elite group called the Illuminati that does exist and whose main agenda is to kill innocent people and take control of the world. It is a fact that they control the world banks; it is a fact that the top Illuminati family is named Rothschild who is worth about 300 trillion dollars; it is a fact that the Illuminati destroyed the 2 World Trade Towers as well as a third building on 9/11 called building number 7. You can also see that many celebrities are joining forces with the Illuminati as they are all coming out their closets, so to speak, and flaunting their allegiance with this powerful Satanic force. These Satanists even teach that Lucifer is the creator of the world and that the God of the Bible is evil because He did not want humanity to eat from the tree of knowledge. These Satanic groups have completely twisted the truths of the Bible and are convincing many people to follow in their perverted ways.

Another very popular movement right now is teaching that the Anunnaki created mankind. These teachings have been influenced by several books including those written by a man name Zecharia Sitchin, who spent 30 years studying ancient writings carved into stones believed to be 6,000 years old. These stone carvings contain Mesopotamian iconography and symbols that he taught himself to interpret. According to Sitchin’s interpretation of these carvings, the Sumerian culture was attributed to an extraterrestrial race called the Anunnaki that came from a planet named Nibiru. These beings are said to have genetically manipulated mankind for the purpose of creating slaves to mine gold for them because their planet’s gold supplies were being depleted. According to Sitchin, Nibiru (whose name was replaced with MARDUK in original legends by the Babylonian ruler of the same name in an attempt to co-opt the creation for himself) collided catastrophically with another planet named Tiamat, and that this collision supposedly formed the planet Earth, the asteroid belt, and the comets around us. According to Sitchin, Nibiru (also called "the twelfth planet" or “planet X”) was the home of a technologically advanced human-like extraterrestrial race called the Anunnaki in Sumerian myth, who Sitchin states are called the Nephilim in Genesis. He wrote that they evolved after Nibiru entered the solar system and first arrived on Earth probably 450,000 years ago, looking for minerals, especially gold, which they found and mined in Africa. Sitchin states that these "gods" were the rank-and-file workers of the colonial expedition to Earth from planet Nibiru. Sitchin wrote that Enki suggested that to relieve the Anunnaki, who had mutinied over their dissatisfaction with their working conditions, that primitive workers (Homo sapiens) be created by genetic engineering as slaves to replace them in the gold mines by crossing extraterrestrial genes with those of Homo erectus. According to Sitchin, ancient inscriptions report that the human civilization in Sumer, Mesopotamia, was set up under the guidance of these "gods", and human kingship was inaugurated to provide intermediaries between mankind and the Anunnaki. Sitchin believes that fallout from nuclear weapons, used during a war between factions of the extraterrestrials, is the "evil wind" described in the Lament for Ur that destroyed Ur around 2000 BC and Sitchin believes that his research coincides with many biblical texts, and that biblical texts come originally from Sumerian writings.

Do you see how Sitchin has taken these ancient writings and placed the writings of the Bible in a lesser light? And sadly, there is also no Savior in these writings because they are ancient writings, indicating the possibility that Sitchin himself went to his grave without a Savior. There are many of these ancient writings that people are incorporating with the teachings of the Bible, and their favorite motto seems to be: "Everything in the Bible is true, but not all truth is in the Bible"; chanting this motto as they reinvent their twisted teachings of Creation.

Another popular teaching is that Lucifer is the father of Cain. They get this teaching from Genesis 3 that talks about Lucifer’s seed. They teach that Lucifer had sexual intercourse with Eve and impregnated her with his seed, producing Cain as Lucifer’s first human seed.

Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

If you go to Genesis 4 you can clearly see that Cain was conceived by the union between Adam and Eve, yet these blind delusional teachers fail to consider this verse and people are blindly following their teachings.

Genesis 4:1-2 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said; I have gotten a man from the LORD. And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

Another dangerous false doctrine that has gained overwhelming acceptance among Christian denominations is the teaching of a 1000-year reign of Christ on earth prior to the Universal Judgment. This teaching is known as chiliasm, from the Greek word, chiliasmos, meaning "a thousand years". Chiliastic views in antiquity were spread chiefly among heretics and the Second Ecumenical Council of 381 AD condemned the heretic Apollinarius for this doctrine. To put a stop to further attempts at introducing this teaching, the Fathers of the Council inserted into the Creed the words about Christ: "His Kingdom shall have no end." In other words, when Christ's reign begins there will be no interruptions in His eternal Kingdom, but in more recent times, chiliastic views were resurrected in some Protestant sects and have become a mainstream Christian doctrine. The danger behind this teaching is that it serves to take away all fear of God and the imminent arival of Judgment Day, which is the day of God’s wrath upon billions of unsaved souls. According to this teaching, anyone who is not raptured when Christ returns will still be able to enjoy his life on earth with Christ ruling from Jerusalem for 1000 years, and so where is the great worry if Christ is going to be ruling the world? This doctrine was derived from a passage in Rev 20.

Revelation 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

Because this passage is describing the souls of people who have been beheaded for the witness of Jesus, it is very clearly describing disembodied souls since it is physically impossible for an earthly body to remain alive after it has been beheaded. The Bible very clearly teaches over and over again, that Christ will come on the last day, such as Christ’s teaching that the wheat and the tares are to grow together until they are separated at the end of the world (Matthew 13); and in John 6, Jesus declares FOUR times in one chapter to further drive the point that the rapture will occur on the last day; yet for some unforeseen reason, millions upon millions of people who are not studying the Bible carefully are blindly accepting false teachings.

John 6:39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing , but should raise it up again at the last day.

John 6:40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that everyone which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 6:54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

One can see that these strange but popular "Christian" doctrines, such as Lucifer being the father Cain, and Yahweh God being an extraterrestrial alien living on planet X, show the perversion of the human mind and its desire to ignore and twist the truths of the Bible. Another perversion of Scripture is the currently popular and widely accepted teaching regarding the mark of the beast. This doctrine is derived from a passage in Revelation 13 and teaches that every man, woman, and child in the world will have an electronic chip implanted into their hand during the final tribulation. Here is my argument: in order to believe a doctrine that an electronic chip is going to be implanted into every single person living in the world, you first have to believe what Rev 13:15 states.

Revelation 13:15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

The absurd concept that everyone in the world will be implanted with a chip or else be executed is widely accepted by millions of modern day and educated Christians. My interpretation of this passage is in agreement with what my Bible teacher Harold Camping taught: that the mark of the best is a spiritual mark. I believe that the entire book of Revelation is written in parabolic language and is the only way to understand that book. When Revelation 13 teaches that a dragon with 2 horns like a lamb is speaking like a dragon, it is saying that the beast is a being that comes looking like Christ, (2 horns like a lamb, as Christ is the lamb of God), and speaks like a dragon, signifying that the words coming out of its mouth are words of the devil, as the the dragon is the Devil and Satan.

Revelation 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

In Conclussion
As we get closer and closer to the return of Christ, these false teachings are going to continue to draw people further from the truth, but all of it is part of God's will as the separation between the wheat and the tares becomes more defined. Those that are being deceived by every wind of doctrine will become thoroughly ensnared by Satan. Those expecting that God will soon manifest Himself on the Earth to heal them and save them from evil, when they see the false prophets coming forth performing great miracles, they will believe they are benevolent beings with their best interest at heart, when in actuality they are wolves in sheep's clothing, ministers of Satan transformed as the ministers of righteousness (2 Corinthians 11:15). The Bible warns that the son of perdition will set himself up in a position of being worshiped and he will declare that he is God, but most people will not be able to discern between the truth of God and the lies of Satan. This deception of the masses has been going on for thousands of years, but will peak to epic proportions, ensnaring billions of souls.

To my brothers and sisters in Christ, I want to end this message by urging everyone to continue to be on guard and to test what you hear with what the Word of God says. When I find myself wrongly interpreting certain things, I ask God to forgive me and correct me and reveal the truth of His Word to me, and I believe that He answers my fervent prayers. We are approaching extremely perilous times as Scriptures declares.

Matthew 4:15-22 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand); then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened .

The Antichrist and the Final Tribulation

 

2 Thessalonians 2 tells us the return of Christ will not occur until after the son of perdition is revealed. This son of perdition is the figure now commonly referred to as the Antichrist, although the Bible never labels him using those words. There are many different teachings of who this Antichrist will be and what he will do, but in this study I will explain how I arrived at my views by first looking at 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5.
 
2 Thessalonians 2:1-5 Now we beseech you, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered unto him; that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us; as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means; for that day shall not come except there be a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself to be God.
 
The words “falling away” were translated from one Greek word, Apostasia [G646], which is where the English word “apostasy” was derived from. The words “son of perdition” were translated from the Greek nouns Huios [G5207] (meaning descendant, or son), and Apoleia [G684] (which means destruction). The Greek noun Apoleia is tied the Greek verb Apollumi [G622], (which means to destroy or kill) and is also tied to Satan’s name, Apollyon [G623], (also spelled “Apolluon” and means "the Destroyer"). Satan's name Apollyon (which is the active participle of the Greek verb Apollumi) is found in Revelation 9.
 
Revelation 9:11 And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.
 
We can know that the angel of the bottomless pit is Satan because of what we read in the Revelation 20.
 
Revelation 20:1-2 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him.
 
As discussed earlier, the expression "the son of perdition" was translated from 2 Greek words Huios and Apoleia, and can be literally translated as "the descendant, (or son), of destruction". Because of the tie between the Greek noun Apoleia and Satan's name Apollyon, one can see how the "son of perdition" can also be understood as the "descendant of Apollyon", which is Satan, the king and angel of the bottomless pit. It is perfectly Biblical to say that a human being can be a descendant (or child) of Satan because even Jesus described the unsaved in this manner, as in the following passages.
 
Matthew 13:37-39 He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.
 
John 8:43-44 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
 
Next, I will show how we can also tie the son of perdition with the abomination of desolation that Jesus and Daniel spoke about. First let’s look at what Jesus stated in Matthew 24.
 
Matthew 24:15-22 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand); then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
 
According to what Jesus teaches in Matthew 24, the abomination of desolation will “stand in the holy place” near the end of time, which is similar language to what the son of perdition is described doing in 2 Thessalonians 2: "And that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself to be God." Now let’s read what Daniel the prophet wrote about the abomination of desolation.
 
Daniel 11:30-32 For the ships of Chittim shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant. And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate. And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries.
 
The abomination of desolation of Daniel 11 is related to the forsaking of the holy covenant, the polluting of the sanctuary, the taking away of the daily sacrifice, and acts of wickedness against the covenant of God. Some people teach that this abomination of desolation was an idol that was placed in the sanctuary, and some teach that it was a pig being sacrificed in the temple instead of a lamb. In the Old Testament, sacrificing a lamb was a shadow of the sacrifice Jesus would make as the Lamb of God. This is the same principle set forth with the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet as being a shadow of something sinister that is to occur in the temple of God, and this is why Jesus made a direct connection with the abomination of desolation of the book of Daniel to the abomination of desolation that will be seen standing in the holy place of Matthew 24. This event is probably the most outstanding sign Jesus made that will point to His imminent return and the end of the world. Most Bible teachers have completely missed this mark because they are teaching that we will see another World War, they are looking at specific conflicts in the Middle East, and are trying to predict who the Antichrist is going to be, and so on, and so on. The Bible is pretty clear that this final tribulation will be more in the lines of what will be happening in the Christian churches of the world, and this is supported by 2 Thessalonians 2.
 
2 Thessalonians 2:5-12 Do you not remember that when I was with you I told you these things? And now you know what is withholding him, so that he might be revealed in his time. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so until he is taken out of the way; and then the lawless one will be revealed; whom the Lord Jesus will consume with the spirit of his mouth and destroy with the brightness of his coming. The lawless one will come in accordance with all the workings of Satan; with all power and signs, and false miracles, with every possible seduction and injustice to them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. For this reason, God shall send them a powerful delusion, so that they will believe a lie; that they may all be judged, who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in wickedness.
 
Satan is not concerned with creating another World War! Satan's main agenda is to steal souls away from Jesus! Let's look again at what Jesus teaches in Matthew 24; that wars and rumors of wars should not trouble us and are not to be perceived as signs of the end.
 
Matthew 24:6-8 And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, throughout places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.
 
Jesus warned us that when we see the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place, we are to flee to the mountains. He also said, "whoso readeth, let him understand." Why did Jesus say that? I believe it is there to warn us and that we should pay extra attention to it because it is important; because the abomination of desolation is one and the same as the son of perdition, a child of Satan, the Antichrist, who will be seen sitting in the temple of God, showing himself to be God, and will be revealed at a specifically designated time. He will come performing great, but false miracles, seducing and deceiving the unsaved, and God will allow this to happen in preparation for Judgment Day; because the unsaved will prefer to be taking pleasure in wickedness instead of loving the truth.
 
Now let’s look at what Revelation 11 tells us about the two witnesses because this event also ties in with the son of perdition and the end of the world.
 
Revelation 11:7-12 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. And people of all tribes, and tongues, and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not allow their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
 
I teach that these 2 witnesses represent the New Testament church and that just prior to the return of Christ, their death represents the end of the New Testament church and the end of Salvation for mankind. Mr. Camping was teaching some of these things, except that he missed some important marks. Mr. Camping taught that the son of perdition would be Satan because he disregarded the Greek word Huios which clearly means "descendant" or "son". According to Revelation 11, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will be able to successfully kill the 2 witnesses. In this study, I am trying to show that the son of perdition, who we commonly refer to as the Antichrist, will be working hand in hand with Satan and his demons to steal as many souls away from Christ as they can before the return of Christ. The Antichrist will perform many false miracles and be incredibly powerful. He will join forces with his father, Satan, and will amass a huge following of unsaved souls, many of which will believe he is the real Messiah. Working together as one unified and incredibly power force, this beast will be able to kill the 2 witnesses and thus bring about an end to the New Testament period and the end of Salvation. This is why when they see the dead bodies of the 2 witnesses lying in the street, they will celebrate with great joy thinking they have been completely victorious over the kingdom of Christ, but this will be, in actuality, all part of God's plan to prepare the world for Judgment Day. This is the same period of time Jesus described about in Matthew 24; “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.  And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.” When God shortens these days of tribulation, it will be because the 2 witnesses are lying dead and it will now be time for the Rapture and the end of the world. Could it be that the three and a half days correlate to three and a half years? “And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.” Revelation 11:11-13

   How DNA Proves the Existence of an Intelligent Creator God

The purpose of this article is to prove that the genetic information found in the DNA of all life forms along with the scientific laws governed by the Universal Definition of Information will refute the presupposition of the theories of materialism (embraced by atheists and secular humanists), and the theories of chemical and biological evolution. This article will also attempt to establish at the highest level of scientific certainty, the existence of an eternal, all-knowing, all-powerful Being, we know as God.   

First let’s look at what Materialism teaches: Materialism teaches that the Universe and everything in it is the product of natural processes; in other words, that everything that exists is nothing more than mass and energy; that there are no supernatural beings, no God, no angels, that there is only just mass and energy.   

Materialism is the foundation for the teaching of evolution which teaches there is an upward progression of life forms from the very simplest life forms (single-celled organisms), to the most complex life forms, however, there is an important component that is left out by this theory; the fact that this upward progression requires the addition of new functional genetic information which can only be introduced by the presence of new additional DNA. Before going further into a discussion on the information that is encoded into DNA, let’s start by first looking at the Universal Definition of Information.   

The Universal Definition of Information was developed in July of 2006 by a team of PhD scientists from around the world that convened together for 5 days to formulate what they came to coin as, the Universal Definition of Information. They first began in agreement that this definition needed to meet a universal requirement and have four characteristics, or attributes. Universal Requirement: It needed to work for everything in the Universe; that is, it needed to work in all biological and technological sciences. Attribute #1 -Information must have a code;   Attribute #2 - Information must have meaning; Attribute #3 - It must have an expected action;   Attribute#4 - It must have an intended or anticipated purpose.     

After 5 days of deliberation on this subject, this team formulated the Universal Definition of Information as being:  “An encoded, symbolically represented message conveying expected action and intended purpose.”   

Now let's look at several scientific laws firmly established in the world such as the law of Biogenesis which states that: “Life only comes from life." And the law of physics which states that: “Something material cannot create something nonmaterial.” “Material” being mass and energy and “nonmaterial” being thought and spirit. Since Information is a nonmaterial fundamental entity, it is not a property of matter. However, Information needs matter in which to reside in, for example, Information can be written into a book, spoken into words, conveyed through smoke signals, or written onto a CD-ROM. A book contains Information, but the book by itself is not Information. Likewise, a CD-ROM contains information but the CD-ROM in and of itself is not Information.  If you take a balance scale and weigh a blank CD-ROM, it will weigh exactly the same as a CD-ROM that has been encoded with 700MB worth of information containing the entire Bible as well as an Encyclopedia. In other words, Information has absolutely no mass.    

If we look at the laws of thermodynamics, it states: Mass and energy (matter) can neither be created nor destroyed and all the mass and energy in the universe is always being conserved (the total sum is always constant).  When you look at Information, it can be created and destroyed; this is proof that Information is not a material substance; however, the genetic information system that is encoded in DNA is information that must be recorded inside of matter and energy in order to convey the code that makes up all living things. 

Research conducted by three groups of scientists have produced undeniable evidence that a “mental intention (or thought process) can precede an actual neuronal firing in the brain, thereby establishing that the mind is not the same thing as the brain, but is a separate entity altogether.” In other words, this is irrefutable proof that “nonmaterial mind acts on material brain” and that human beings are not just composed of mass, energy, and chemicals, that humans possess a nonmaterial substance, which we know as Spirit. 

Dr. Even Alexander, a prominent American neurosurgeon who experienced a near-death experience in 2008, conducted extensive research on the brain in relation to consciousness and published his findings in a book titled, "Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife." At the time of this NDE experience, Dr. Alexander did not believe in an afterlife and was in fact a sceptic of it, but in his book Dr. Alexander explains in medical terms how he was able to arrive at a scientifically supported conclusion that consciousness does exist separately from the brain and that what he experienced could not have originated from within his own imagination.

Now let’s look at 3 Laws of Information: 1. That Information cannot originate by random chance (statistical processes) 2.That there is no known law of nature, no known process, and no known sequence of events which can cause Information to originate by itself in matter.  3. That Information can only originate from an intelligent Sender. 

These 3 laws of Information clearly refute the theory of evolution which teaches that in order for one species to evolve into a more complex species, it must somehow create or add new information by random chance. In addition to this, a corollary of the Laws of Information logically infers that any given chain of information can be traced backward to an intelligent source. 

Now let's discuss the properties of DNA. DNA is composed of molecules which contain the genetic coding for all living things. The decoded portions of DNA contains 4 letters (ATGC – for Adenine, Thymine, Cytocine, and Guanine) that make up words called codons that are comprised of 3 letters; each codon represents 1 of the 20 amino acids found in protein.   

Now we can see that the properties of DNA perfectly fulfill the requirements prescribed by the Universal Definition of Information which states that Information is: “An encoded, symbolically represented message conveying expected action and intended purpose.”  

 

DNA contains codes, and these codes symbolically represent messages (codons), which convey an expected action (codons are essential for the construction, function, maintenance, and reproduction of the entire organism), for the intended purpose of sustaining life. The Information contained within DNA meets the requirements set forth by the Universal Definition of Information because DNA contains the four required attributes.   

As discussed earlier when looking at the weight of a fully encoded CD-ROM, Information contains no mass and scientists have calculated that the information encoded in DNA is 5 billion times more compact than the information that can be stored on a 340GB hard drive. Now we can also arrive at the following conclusions: 

• Since all living things contain DNA and since all DNA contains Information, we can conclude that there must be a Sender. 
• Because all Information must have a Sender, and since the density and complexity of the DNA encoded Information is billions of times greater than man’s present technology, we can conclude that the Sender must be supremely intelligent.  
• Because the information encoded in DNA far exceeds all our current technologies, then no human being could possibly qualify as the Sender, who must therefore be sought outside our visible world.  
• Since the Sender must have encoded the information found in all DNA molecules as well as constructed the molecular biomachines required for its encoding, decoding, and synthesizing processes. 
• Since the Sender must have also designed all the features for the original life forms, therefore we can conclude that the Sender must be purposeful and also be supremely intelligent.  
• Since information is a nonmaterial fundamental entity and cannot originate from material quantities, we can conclude the Sender must have a nonmaterial component (which mankind calls Spirit). 
• Since information is a nonmaterial fundamental entity and cannot originate from purely material quantities, and since information also originates from the mind, we must conclude that man’s nature must have a nonmaterial component, or Spirit, therefore man possesses Spirit. 
• Since information is a nonmaterial fundamental entity, the assertion that the Universe arose and evolved solely from mass and energy can now be clearly refuted. 
• Since biological information originates only from an intelligent Sender, and since all theories of chemical and biological evolution require that information must originate solely from mass and energy alone without a Sender, we can conclude that all scientific theories of chemical and biological evolution are false and therefore the theory of evolution cannot stand.  

Romans 1:19-20 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse. 

When God gave us the Bible, He gave us His Information in written form; and by using the Universal Definition of Information:  “An encoded, symbolically represented message conveying expected action and intended purpose.”  We can see that the Bible is God’s encoded, symbolically represented message given to mankind, to convey His expected action, or Will, in order to achieve His intended purpose. The Bible was given to us to transfer over to us the information of how and why God created the Universe and Mankind, and why He had to send His only begotten Son to the Cross; the unfathomable mercy of God’s love for all those who call on His name and are called to be the inheritors of His glorious and everlasting kingdom in Heaven.        

When a person is preparing for his own death, he commonly leaves his Last Will and Testament to his heirs. God also has given us His Last Will and Testament written on the pages of the Bible.  In the book of Hebrews, God has conveyed to us the following Information:  

Hebrews 9:16-17 In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it,  because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living.    

Hebrews 9:22-27 And without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness [for sin]. It was necessary, then, for the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.  For Christ did not enter into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, as the high priest entered into the holy place every year with blood of others. Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself. Just as man is destined to die once, and after this the judgment, so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

*********

Riddle, Mike. “How DNA Destroys Evolution”.  Video presentation taped at the “Steeling the Mind Bible Conference” organized by Compass International, (Apr. 2004) retrieved from You Tube. Sept. 2013 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rCkFLq3uts

Gitt, Werner and Kies, Jaap. Designed By Information.  New Leaf Publishing Group, 2006. Print.

Ashton, John and Wetacott, Michael. The Big Argument. Master Books, Jan. 2006 Print.

FAITH – Part 4: If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed… nothing shall be impossible unto you.

In Matthew 17 we read:
      
Matthew 17:20 And Jesus said unto them…for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, “Remove hence to yonder place;" and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

And in Luke 17 we read:
 
Luke 17:6 And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, “Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea;” and it should obey you.
 
In these passages, Jesus is using parabolic language; that is, He is using a physical representation to portray a miraculous event. In other words, Jesus is teaching us here that faith is so powerful, that by having faith the size of a mustard seed, (which is tiny in size), we can bring about miraculous events, as He stated; "and nothing shall be impossible unto you." Let's look at some of the miraculous events that are recorded in the Old Testament to get a perspective on this.
      
Abraham’s wife, Sarah, was 90 years old and had not only been barren all her life, but she had also entered into menopause; but yet the Lord opened her womb and she gave birth to Isaac.

Genesis 17:15-19 And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her. Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?
     
Genesis 18:9-14 And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? Is anything too hard for the LORD?
  
After Sarah laughed at the idea of giving birth in her old age, Jehovah God asked her a rhetorical question; “Is anything too hard for the LORD?”   
 
In the account of David and Goliath, the Israelites were so afraid of Goliath that as soon as they saw him, they all fled away.

1 Samuel 17:23-24 And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them. And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid.

David, still only a teenager, was not at all afraid of Goliath and had absolute unwavering faith that just as God had delivered him from the paws of a lion and a bear, God would also deliver Goliath into his hands.
 
1 Samuel 17:32-37 And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine. And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth. And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, He will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee.

As David was preparing to go up against Goliath, he refused to wear any armor or take a sword because he had never needed to use it and therefore had no confidence in it, but preferred rather to arm himself with only five smooth stones.

1 Samuel 17:38-44 And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail. And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him. And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine. And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the shield went before him. And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance. And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.

David was a man after God’s own heart and he also wanted to prove to everyone that Jehovah God was the true God of the Jews.

1 Samuel 17:45-51 Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD'S, and He will give you into our hands. 
   
In Daniel 6, we read about king Darius who threw Daniel into the lion’s pit because Daniel was caught praying to Jehovah. The curious thing is that the king loved Daniel and he truly believed that Jehovah would deliver him.

Daniel 6:16 Then the king commanded , and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.

From what is written about this account, and because king Darius loved Daniel, I truly believe that king Darius might have said a prayer to Jehovah that night to save Daniel from the lions. The king was distraught and could not sleep all night and was very glad to see that Daniel was still alive that morning.
        
Daniel 6:17-23 And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel. Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of musick brought before him: and his sleep went from him. Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions. And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions? Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever. My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt. Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God.
  
In Hebrews chapter 11 there is a list of events that were done by faith.

Hebrews 11:5-6 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
     
Hebrews 11:17-19 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.
    
Hebrews 11:24-29 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season...By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible...Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them...By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.

Hebrews 11:30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.

Hebrews 11:31 By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.
 
When Jesus tells us we can move mountains with the power of faith, it means that we can accomplish miracles; (if it is according to God's will of course). I have prayed to God and seen miracles occur in my own life, and so I can personally attest to the fact that miracles do happen. Just as by faith Noah saved his family by building the arc, and Sarah gave birth to Isaac, and David slew Goliath, and God preserved Daniel in the lion's den, we who are living today are not any different people than they were. Jesus has taught us that the power of faith is so powerful, that by having faith that is even the size of a mustard seed, we can bring about miracles, "and nothing shall be impossible unto you." Therefore we can believe with all certainty, that this is a proven fact that is abolutely and undeniably true.

FAITH – Part 3: O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

In Matthew 14 we find the account of when Peter walked on water.

Matthew 14:24-33 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.

Fear and doubt are the great enemies of faith. In this account of Peter, we can see that he was already walking on water going towards the Lord, but finding himself in a stormy sea, he was overcome with fear and doubt and began to sink. "But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me." This account of Peter is also a picture of us who try to walk by faith and not by sight, as stated in 2 Corinthians 5:7 "For we walk by faith, not by sight." The stormy sea can represent the circumstances in our lives that take our focus away from Jesus in our daily walk with the Lord. When fear and doubt are allowed to creep into our minds and distract us from our focus on the Lord, the devil can easily introduce thoughts into our minds to bring us further down. Resisting fear and doubt and holding on to solid and unwavering faith and love are keys that help us keep our focus on the Lord in our daily walk with God. Only then are we also able to feel the joy and peace that comes to us only from God.
   
Philippians 4:4-7 Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be not anxious for anything; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
  
Keeping a steady focus on the Lord and trusting in His will for us, is what gives us perfect peace.
     
Isaiah 26:3-4 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.
    
It was fear that caused Peter to deny the Lord 3 times.

Matthew 26:69-75 Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee. But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest. And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said unto them that were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth. And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man. And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee. Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew. And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.

Fear is an enemy of love, but it is with the power of love, that we can keep out fear.
      
1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
       
In 2 Timothy 1 we read of unfeigned faith and the spirit of power, love, and a sound mind.
 
2 Timothy 1:3-7 I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day; Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy; When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also. Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
    
Scripture is clear to teach us that when we are able to keep ourselves focused on God with love and unfeigned faith, God will give us perfect peace as well as the spirit of power, love, and a sound mind. With the power of love, we can hold on to great faith that will keep out fear and doubt as we walk through the stormy seas of life in our daily walk with the Lord.

FAITH – Part 2: Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel

In Matthew 8, there is an account of a centurion who comes to Jesus to ask Him to heal his servant who is gravely ill. 

        
Matt 8:5-13 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, and saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And I say unto you, that many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven; but the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.
 
During those days, the Lord Jesus was performing great miracles throughout the land such as healing the sick, making the lame walk, walking on water, calming the sea, raising the dead, etc. This centurion had obviously heard about Jesus (although we do not know precisely what), and believed in his heart that he could beseech the Lord to heal his servant. The Lord Jesus was indeed fully willing to travel all the way to the centurion's home to perform the miracle, however, the centurion revered the Lord Jesus to the extent that he felt unworhty of receiving His holy presence under his roof. The reverence this centurion possessed towards the Lord and his conviction in the Lord's ability to speak the words that could heal his servant from a great distance away astonished the Lord who then made this statement:
                  
Matt 8:10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
 
With that statement, this centurion's faith was declared by the Lord to be greater than all professing Jews of that day, and the Lord went on to add the following:
 
Matthew 8:11-12 Many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven; but the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
 
The reference made to those that will come "from the east and west" is a reference to those that will come from the Gentile nations and become true believers. The reference made to "the children of the kingdom" is a reference to those born as professing Jews. They represent those who should have become true believers because they are direct decendents of Abraham and came from the Jewish nation; they are cast into outer darkness because they never do become saved. This Biblical Christian doctrine, that most true believers will come from the Gentile nations and will accept Christ as their Messiah, rather than from the Jewish nation, who will reject Christ as their Messiah, is taught in several places in the Bible, such as in this parable of Matthew 22.
 
Matt 22:1-10 And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.    
 
The reference made to: "but they which were bidden were not worthy..." is a reference to the Jewish nation that should have accepted Christ as their Messiah but never became saved, (and it might also refer to those that should have become saved because they were brought up under the hearing of the Word of God but never do become saved); and the statement: "Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage..." is the invitation that goes out to all the Gentile nations to receive Christ as their savior. Although most true believers will come from the Gentile nations, the Bible declares there will be a remnant of Jews that will become saved.
          
Micah 5:8 And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.
   
Romans 9:27 Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved.

FAITH – Part 1: O ye of little faith

As true believers and faithful Christians, the Lord commands us to have faith and to walk by faith. But what is faith? The Bible defines faith as this:
   
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
 
The Greek words used here are defined as follows:
Faith = "Psitis" = noun = belief; strong conviction of the truth of something

Substance = "Hupostasis" = noun = real; has a firm foundation; firm trust; confidence; assurance
 
of things hoped for = "Elpizo" = verb = to hope for; to wait for with full confidence

the evidence = "Eledchos" = noun = proof; that by which a thing is proved or tested; conviction

In other words, because faith is a noun and not a verb, it is something that we possess, not something that we do. According to Hebrews 11:1, faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the "hoping" is the verb in this sentence. Therefore, we could say that faith is a belief, or a stong conviction, in something that what we confidently trust in, and that it is a true reality, and that we confidently hope for it, or wait for it, even though we cannot see it.

But there are degrees of faith; we can have a little faith, or we can have a great amount of faith. In the New Testament we find a few instances of when the Lord Jesus accused those around Him of having “little faith”, as we read in Matthew 6 in its full context.
   
Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. 25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed ? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
 
God does not want us to worry. As it is a sin to serve the world, it is also a sin to worry about our lives. “Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on.” And in verse 30 we read; “O ye of little faith”.  In other words, we could say that if we did have a lot of faith, we would never worry about our lives; what we will eat, what we will drink, what we will wear, and what will happen tomorrow. Every second and every minute that we spend worrying about our lives and about worldly things is precious time that the Lord wants us to devote to seeking the kingdom of God. If we truly have faith that God loves us because we are His child, then we should never doubt that He is always there to watch over us and take care of us.

Imagine a person that had a young son or daughter that would constantly worry about their life, as in, what would they have to eat, or drink, or what clothes would they have to wear. It would be as if that young son or daughter had no trust whatsoever that their parent was able to provide and care for them. It would actually be an insult and an embarrassment. This is the same principle that Jesus is teaching us in Matthew 25. We serve a God of miracles; we serve a God of love that provides for all the fowls of the air and the lilies of the field and who wants to care for us and provide us with what we need. Just as we would always want to provide for our own children and wish for their comfort and happiness. The principle remains the same and when we do not have the faith that God wants to care and provide for us, we insult God.  In our minds and in this way, we reduce the power of God and what His will is for us because it is God who works in us "in both to will and to do of His good pleasure."

Philippians 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.

Therefore when we forget this principle, Jesus makes the charge, "O ye of little faith."

Matthew 6:30-34 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.
    
This does not mean there won't be times when we must endure a testing period, such as times when we might suffer great loss or sickness. Just as Job was tested by God, Job knew that we are to receive both good and evil gracefully as Job said to his wife, "Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?"
   
Job 2:6-10 And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life. So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes. Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh . What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.

However, in the end, God rewarded Job with twice as much as he had before.

Job 42: 9-12 The LORD also accepted Job and the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before. Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, and did eat bread with him in his house: and they bemoaned him, and comforted him over all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him: every man also gave him a piece of money, and every one an earring of gold. So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning.

The dragon, the beast, and the false prophet – Part 4: The False Prophet  

The book that has the most to say about false prophets is the book of Jeremiah. Jehovah God ordained Jeremiah to preach to the Israelites and to urge them to repent and become faithful again because God was preparing to bring fierce judgment upon them as Jehovah was preparing to end His covenant with the Old Testament Jews.

Jeremiah 1:4-10 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying:  Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.  But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.  Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD. Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.  See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.
   
Jeremiah 1:16-17 And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands. Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them.
    
The destruction of the 12 tribes of Israel around 587 B.C. was executed by the Babylonian armies who mercilessly slaughtered the Israelites. 4 passages in the book of Jeremiah describes the carnage left behind "as dung upon the face of the earth".
 
Jeremiah 8:2 And they shall spread them before the sun, and the moon, and all the host of heaven, whom they have loved, and whom they have served, and after whom they have walked, and whom they have sought, and whom they have worshipped: they shall not be gathered, nor be buried; they shall be for dung upon the face of the earth.
    
Jeremiah 9:22 Speak, Thus saith the LORD, Even the carcases of men shall fall as dung upon the open field, and as the handful after the harvestman, and none shall gather them.
    
Jeremiah 16:4 They shall die of grievous deaths; they shall not be lamented; neither shall they be buried; but they shall be as dung upon the face of the earth: and they shall be consumed by the sword, and by famine; and their carcases shall be meat for the fowls of heaven, and for the beasts of the earth.
  
Jeremiah 25:33 And the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground.
  
Despite all the effort the prophet Jeremiah exerted in warning the Israelistes by bringing God's Word to them, the Jewish priests and false prophets were bringing their own messages; messages of "peace and safety" and messages that the people wanted to hear (which is similar to what many Christian leaders of our day are also doing).
     
Jeremiah 6:31 A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?
      
Jeremiah 2:7-9 And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye defiled my land, and made mine heritage an abomination. The priests said not, Where is Jehovah? and they that handle the law knew me not: the pastors also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit. Wherefore I will yet plead with you, saith Jehovah, and with your children's children will I plead.
  
Jeremiah 2:26-27 As the thief is ashamed when he is found, so is the house of Israel ashamed; they, their kings, their princes, and their priests and their prophets;  Saying to a stock, Thou art my father; and to a stone, Thou hast brought me forth: for they have turned their back unto me, and not their face: but in the time of their trouble they will say, Arise, and save us.
 
Jeremiah 4:8-9 For this gird you with sackcloth, lament and howl: for the fierce anger of Jehovah is not turned back from us. And it shall come to pass at that day, saith Jehovah, that the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall wonder.
 
Jeremiah 5:11-14 For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against me, saith Jehovah. They have belied Jehovah, and said, It is not he; neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword nor famine: And the prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them: thus shall it be done unto them. Wherefore thus saith Jehovah God of hosts; Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.

Jeremiah 5:26-31 For among my people are found wicked men: they lay wait, as he that setteth snares; they set a trap, they catch men. As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and waxen rich. They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge. Shall I not visit for these things? saith Jehovah: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?
 
In the light that Jehovah is warning that He will bring judgment against Israel for rebelling and will destroy them, God brings charges against the priests and prophets for bringing messages of “Peace and safety”.
          
Jeremiah 6:10-15 To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of Jehovah is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it. Therefore I am full of the fury of Jehovah; I am weary with holding in: I will pour it out upon the children abroad, and upon the assembly of young men together: for even the husband with the wife shall be taken, the aged with him that is full of days. And their houses shall be turned unto others, with their fields and wives together: for I will stretch out my hand upon the inhabitants of the land, saith Jehovah. For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely. They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith Jehovah.
 
This charge is also declared in the New Testament in 1 Thessalonians 5 in regard to the return of Christ on the Last Day.
     
1 Thessalonians 5:2-3 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
                   
Because the Isaraelites did not want to hear Jeremiah's message, they devised a plan to put him in prison in order to silence him.
   
Jeremiah 18:15-18 Because my people hath forgotten me, they have burned incense to vanity, and they have caused them to stumble in their ways from the ancient paths, to walk in paths, in a way not cast up; To make their land desolate, and a perpetual hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and wag his head. I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will shew them the back, and not the face, in the day of their calamity. Then said they, Come, and let us devise devices against Jeremiah; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let us smite him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words.
   
The 23rd chapter of Jeremiah has a lot say about how Jehovah felt about the Jewish priest and false prophets.
 
Jeremiah 23: 1 Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith Jehovah. 2 Therefore thus saith Jehovah God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith Jehovah. 3 And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. 4 And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith Jehovah. 5 Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. 6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, JEHOVAH OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. 7 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that they shall no more say, Jehovah liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; 8 But, Jehovah liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land. 9 Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of Jehovah, and because of the words of his holiness. 10 For the land is full of adulterers; for because of swearing the land mourneth; the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up, and their course is evil, and their force is not right. 11 For both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith Jehovah. 12 Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring evil upon them, even the year of their visitation, saith Jehovah. 13 And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied in Baal, and caused my people Israel to err. 14 I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah. 15 Therefore thus saith Jehovah of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land. 16 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of Jehovah. 17 They say still unto them that despise me, Jehovah hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you. 18 For who hath stood in the counsel of Jehovah, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it? 19 Behold, a whirlwind of Jehovah is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked. 20 The anger of Jehovah shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly. 21 I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied . 22 But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.
   
God places a great deal of responsibility on those that are in place to teach and lead God’s people and bring them His Word faithfully, even if it is not always a pleasant message. Yes, God loves his Elect dearly, but God also promises that there will be a day of reckoning on the Last Day, which will be Judgment Day. This is why the third member of the Satanic Trinity, the false prophet, is severely judged by God on that day.
  
Revelation 20:10 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 forever and ever.