The preceding verses from the prophets Zechariah (c. 487 BCE) & Isaiah (c. 700 BCE) are only a couple of many that will be referenced in this central page of OneDesertVoice.com.  This website is dedicated to an honest exploration of the writings of the ancient Hebrew Prophets; and this particular page is devoted to the exploration of the biblical topic of The Kingdom of GOD (soon to come to Earth).  I have termed this coming new order the New World Order of Messiah.

There is a lot of buzz in the air these days of an anticipated "new world order." Lots of folks seem to foresee & expect its arrival—some with great hope, others with varying degrees of uncertainty & even dread.  I attempt in the following pages to bring to light what the Bible has to say about this issue.  The Hebrew prophets actually offer quite a lot of detail in this regard, including some quite luxuriant utopian promises, in fact.  So let's explore what we have to look forward to—those of us, that is, who can relate to & truly appreciate its veracity (for not everyone does).

As we open up the pages of the Prophets, we should shortly discover whether the vision they present is something we can appreciate (& believe in), or whether it is perhaps just so much "pie in the sky," as they say.

For me the biggest question is, "Is it worthy of our all-consuming embrace?" That is to say, if it is believable, will any other pursuit in life then have any worthwhile merit whatsoever?

Or should the vision presented in their prophecies be taken rather as merely dreamy, wishful thinking? Shouldn't rational, serious-minded folks engage instead in "realistically" separating fairyland fantasy (only fit for the imagination & entertainment of gullible children) from the "serious business" of making a life for ourselves here in this world (despite how temporal & ill-fated)? After all, isn't this the "only life" we may ever have, as mostly everyone seems to conclude these days (of apostasy & "scientific" empiricism)?

Well, Christ Yeshua had this to say:

"And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.  For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.  But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.  Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.  Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (Luke 12:29-34)

As we see, the Crucified One left us with some very authoritative counsel in this regard, actually an edict as I take it.  In a parallel passage in Matthew chapter 6 (vs. 24-34), He is quoted as pronouncing that we should "Seek first the Kingdom of GOD and His righteousness," rather than to attempt to vainly & senselessly "serve two masters" (identified as "GOD & mammon"), which He unequivocally declares, "no man can do." This was spoken to address the tendency of believers to fall prey to the passion & preoccupation of "the Gentiles"; that of obsessing over food & drink & shelter & materialism (the routine concerns of "the 99%" & the "Occupy" movement).  According to Christ Jesus, all these concerns shall be summarily taken care of by the Almighty Heavenly Father in due course of observing His clearly stated prime directive.  Furthermore, doing so comes with a fabulous promise attached—His good pleasure at giving us The Kingdom!

The next big question that is begged of course: Is Christ to even be believed at all? (I mean, is it not obvious that practically 99% of nominal Christians themselves struggle with this faith issue?) But ah, herein lies the painful crux of the matter. . .

Now to separate real faith from Christian fantasy—and the sheep from the nearly acceptable goats.

I find that practically everyone I encounter, Christians equally so, have little to zero faith in the Messiah when it comes to the passage I referenced in the paragraph above from Matthew, chapter 6.  Christians are particularly adept at explaining away this passage, as well as many others that challenge their choice of lifestyle & course of actions.  [Please see For the Record below.]

And as regards the Kingdom of GOD & Christ to which this web page is dedicated, many multitudes of them (Christians) fancifully purport that the Kingdom has already come (in spirit, I suppose), which you will have to ask them to explain to you.  For, as a straight-up believer in the clearly stated words of the numerous Hebrew Prophets and the Messiah Himself, it is impossible for me to deny & turn away from the overwhelming volumes of their well documented testimonies (scriptural evidence) to the contrary in order to espouse such incoherent & injudicious misinterpretation—folly, really.  I can't even begin to relate to it.  And besides, where's the King?

(May I interject at this point, that in terms of faith surely no one will argue that everyone believes just what they want to believe—true at least upon our reaching maturity, the stage at which freedom of choice fully flowers.  I certainly do.  As each person reads the Scriptures, they will every one believe only what they personally want to believe and nothing more.  Of course we understand that children naturally believe primarily what they are inculcated with during the early stages of their lives.  But for us responsible adults, do you suppose willingness to believe, or not, might have anything to do with convenience, or perhaps inconvenience? Well, more about this issue later.)

Returning to the topic of the grand & glorious Promise of a New World Order authored by and presided over by The Messiah, I confess that I personally have chosen to believe.  And thus have been fully persuaded that there is nothing else to live for in the grand scheme of Creation & Life.  Naturally, that persuasion & perspective is what is presented herein.  Other views & interpretations are available elsewhere in the wide world of information & ideas should you find mine difficult to accept.  In any event, you may wish at this particular point in the presentation to skip directly to the Table of Contents that lists the various features of the Kingdom of Heaven to come, lest I bore you excessively.  Not all its features are included there by any means, but just a few that I have selected to expand upon in the next page of this website detailing some of the features of New World Order of Messiah.  Please accept the invitation to jump there now by clicking on this link.

For those of you going on a bit farther on this page, I would like to expand on a couple more thoughts.  I've confessed a full & complete persuasion in the prophecies of the Messiah & his Hebrew prophets regarding the Promise of a New World Order, a.k.a. the Kingdom of GOD to come on Earth.  This I do in the face of the scoffing, cynically apostate mindset that prevails in today's high-minded contemporary society that is "scientifically" persuaded there is no God—particularly not the One of that inane, absurd myth known as the Bible.  Interestingly enough, more than one of the Bible prophets foretold of this 20th/21st century phenomenon.  Allow me to quote a couple:

Apostle Peter. . ."Knowing this...that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation." (2Peter 3:3-4)

Apostle Paul. . ."This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God..." (Second Epistle to Timothy, 3:1-4)

Apostle Paul. . ."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; being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful..." (Romans 1:28-31)

Apostle Paul. . ."Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first..." (2Thessalonians 2:3)

Christ Yeshua. . ."When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8)

There is something very insidious & iniquitous about the modern widespread distaste & hate for all things Biblical.  It's as though it's quite deliberate & purposeful, driven by some evil intelligence like a prevailing wind that sweeps over the waters of humanity causing them to be blown like helpless waves all in the same wayward direction.  It is apparent to me that it's more than just simple uncertainty, but that an actual effort is being made to cast off Bible creeds & tenets—so that other pursuits & priorities can be more readily validated & given preeminence.

Both Apostles Matthew & Luke testify that Christ Yeshua foretold of the days of His coming to establish His kingdom as a time when the societies of that day would resemble the antediluvian societies of Noah's day.  (See Matthew 24:37-39 & Luke 17:26-30.) They were of course all destroyed in the Flood, societies consumed with mundane, earthly preoccupations the only outcome of which was an inglorious, inconsequential end, a dreaded (& dreadful) death for all.  Messiah did not enumerate at all or itemize any of their sins in the passages from Matthew & Luke to which I make reference.  That was not His intent.  He wasn't out to condemn them or fault them with a list of wicked deeds for which they were guilty (though they certainly were, horribly so).  The activities he listed were common, everyday, routine activities that are neither illicit nor reprovable normally.

So what was the problem Jesus sought to highlight? Very simply that those societies had adopted an extremely foolhardy attitude & mindset.  They had been clearly warned of impending doom by ("that kook") Noah predicting a flood & overflowing rain, and building a humongous ark during the final 120 years prior.  What was the response?  Well, they carried on with life's earthly preoccupations—"the cares of this life" Jesus termed it (Luke 21:34)—as though the world would go on forever without ever a day of reckoning.

The activities He listed were just regular, everyday, secular practices of people who put no stock in anything beyond the carnal existence of the here-and-now.  All that mattered to them was engrossing & investing themselves in the pleasures of life and making all the provision necessary for that to continue on indefinitely.  "Eating, drinking, marrying, buying, selling, planting, building" are the terms Jesus used to frame those consuming passions.  What do you think, did He sum it all up cogently & concisely enough? 

[Side note on the rather sort of foreign notion of "planting":  In a modern world (such as our own contemporary end-time establishment) racing away from an agrarian base to an overwhelmingly urban, industrial, metropolitan one, do you suppose taking out student loans to "plant" the seed of the next generation with degrees in business administration, investment banking/management, brokering, strategic counseling, corporate finance, trade & commerce, advertising & marketing, computer & internet technologies, electronics, technology consulting, etc. might quite fittingly slip into the shoes of Christ's end-time prophecy?  I do.  After all, with respect to "planting" in today's world of highly mechanized agricultural production, esp. in the developed (& growing number of developing countries), though planting obviously still comprises a critical & absolutely essential sector of our economy for an assured future and our ongoing survival, consider that agricultural workers now make up a tiny fraction of the workforce.  In the USA, for example, according to statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor (1997), only a mere 1.8 million crop workers are estimated to work in U.S. fields!  Not even 1% of us knows what it is to plant crops for survival!]

What matters to you?  Which kingdom do you invest in?  What seed are you planting?  What do you see "the 99%" obsessed with? And to what do you see even Christians mostly devoting themselves? (Let's be honest.) Are their frequent calls and clamors for "revival" not merely a craving for uninterrupted & greater opportunity to revel in holy, "God-bless-America" prosperity—namely, "the cares and riches and pleasures of this life" (Jesus in Luke 8:14)—without disruption? As long as this increasingly globalised world order seems to be our only prospect for an ongoing sense of purpose and hope for prosperity, why for prudence sake embrace or espouse any other, especially some iffy, ethereal heavenly one spoken of by a bunch of primitive, superstitious, antiquated, ancient prophets?

Allow me to recall the words of one of those "unenlightened," outmoded, now passé & fossilized, biblical "dinosaurs" quoted earlier:

Apostle Peter. . ."Knowing this...that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation." (2Peter 3:3-4)

If folks truly believed the (increasingly ridiculed) Bible, they would recognize how vain and fruitless all this mammon & materialism is, whether of the blatantly secular sort or the pious, sanctified ("Christian") kind.  Mammonism ultimately becomes the all-consuming passion of people who doubt that there is anything substantial to be pursued of an everlasting nature beyond this temporal world.  They, like billions of people around the world and throughout the ages, only care to maximize the opportunity of the here-and-now by abandoning themselves to the eat-drink-and-be-merry-for-tomorrow-we-die philosophy.  And, so as not to be completely foolhardy as the secularists, the sanctified materialists (in their faithless love of materialism) "prudently" & "piously" take out a spiritual insurance policy (on "life everlasting") by "getting saved," being "born again," accepting Jesus "into their hearts," or going to "church"—while they actually carry on routinely just like the carnally-minded societies of people destroyed in the Flood or in the flaming destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah that Jesus described.  Although they piously consider themselves to be free of such indictment or condemnation by virtue of their superior "moral" stance, which they (misusing Christ's words) term being "not of this world."

[For the Record: Please allow me at this point to clarify one crucial thing for the record.  My intent is not, nor am I in any way interested at all in finding any fault or digging up any evil against my Christian compatriots of whatever brand or stripe anywhere, or in general terms of any sort whatsoever.  For there are many thousands of them scattered across our globe who are giving and doing their utmost to uphold the Faith that was once delivered to us by the Apostles and Prophets via the Holy Bible.  Many of them do so much more devotedly and faithfully than myself, to be perfectly honest.  Many shedding their blood, being imprisoned & tortured, or living fearfully in jungles or wilderness for refuge from brutal & bloody persecution, or going underground to escape detection & capture.  Many others are serving compassionately in "foreign" fields across the world to extend & share their faith with welcoming recipients in all its corners, most at great cost and sacrifice to do so, having left the comforts of plush Western lifestyles to minister lovingly to those in all sorts of need.  They are the unmistakable saints and servants of the Most High GOD of the Bible.  I wish to remove my hat, bow my knee & recognize them at this moment as the rare, modern-day role models so desperately unsung & lacking in today's world of hedonism, Babylonish materialism and Western-style Christian charlatanism.]  Please click the Back button (on your keyboard or internet browser) to jump back to previous place in text. (Back to "in the world, not of it" proof)

The Kingdom of God? The New World Order of Messiah? Who needs it? It's just a pie-in-the-sky superstition believed by delusional, unscientific simpletons.  This world, this life, is all we really know of for sure.  The other dimwitted fable (the Bible account), well, it all sounds nice, but isn't it kind of stupid to bank on such archaic folk tales? After all, no one really knows for certain whether it's real or not (& probably not), much less what it's really like.  It's just plain foolishness to base life's pursuits on some dumb, old biblical tales.  Even the Christians obviously don't sell out to that "treasure in heaven" legend (or "baloney" for the ardent blasphemers).

And then there's that Jesus of Nazareth guy who couldn't stop going on and on about "The Kingdom" of the sky.  He should've known that going on like that would be his demise, especially running down the Establishment like he did, particularly the usurping, (occupy-till-I-come) churchy crowd of his day.  Why didn't he just meld into the world (while keeping himself pure of it) and concentrate on "occupying" & changing it from within? He really could stand to take a few lessons on how to approach saving people from the Bible bangers of today.  Why didn't he just stick to preaching more often about "occupying," or about being born again (like the Christians), instead of only that once (at night) to Nicodemus.  Why did he have to harp so much about that Kingdom stuff and forsaking everything to lay up treasure there and about being a disciple of his revolutionary rap?

I mean, is it not true—as is so popularly parroted in the pious platitudes of modern Christendom—that Jesus called us to be "in the world," while religiously abiding as "not of the world?"  Well, is that what Jesus taught?  Can you find that supposed tenet in the Scriptures?  Perhaps by some creative blending of unrelated ingredients you might cook up that exotic (& toxic) brew, but not otherwise.  (Please send me an email with your reply, should you be able to turn up the proof.)  [Please also see For the Record]

Frankly, the only way that particular misinterpretation can be arrived at is by sheer misquoting, misapplying, mismatching & misconstruing of passages that are removed (deliberately) from context—a favorite revisionist practice of the Traditionalists who shirk whole-hearted compliance with the (radical, unequivocal) call of Messiah to follow in His footsteps.  We should remember He said, "The servant is not greater than his Lord." Does that strike a chord, or do you suppose we might need to much more carefully reexamine His example of what it means to be "in the world" but "not of it" to regain some perspective?

If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. —Jesus (John 15:19)

The Nazarene's constant reiteration of Kingdom themes (at least 100 times in the Gospels) reflects His utmost, all-consuming interest & preoccupation.  What is it that keeps us from adopting the very same values of the Messiah Himself when He repeatedly called us (as disciples) to do so? Is it that we just don't care for the "treasure in heaven" that He promised? Or is it that we just don't believe Him or His kingdom stuff? Or perhaps it's just that it's so hard to "hate the one, and love the other; or else hold to the one and despise the other," as He so plainly put it? How can we truly comply? How can we hate mammon and despise mundane materialism? Isn't He just speaking relatively when He condemns the one devotion over the other commended one? Doesn't that mean that our love for GOD & His Kingdom should be so much greater than it is for the mammon this world offers that we should just hate having to serve this other "inescapable necessity?" I mean, how can we avoid engaging in it; how can we get by without serving it? Well, what part of the word "cannot" do we not understand? According to this extremist Nazarene, it is impossible to serve both GOD & mammon.

Apostle John certainly seemed to have gotten Messiah's message.  He taught the next generation of disciples this: "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.  If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." (1Jn 2:15-17)

Another of one those extremist radicals of Bible fame, the brother of the Nazarene radical who finally came around to the Faith, had this to say: "Ye adulterers and adulteresses [spiritually speaking], know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. —James (chapter 4, verse 4 of his epistle) This is the same brother who at one time apparently did not believe his elder sibling, Yeshua (a "wanted convict"), was the Messiah, if the passage in John 7 (vs. 1-7) indeed includes James too.

So, why do we pursue any kind of promise the world holds out for us, vain and temporal and deadly dreadful as it is? What is it in our nature that compels us, or perhaps lures us into its arms? Why do so many Christians fall prey to serving the evil of the Establishment program, which they excuse as inescapable & unavoidable?

"We all need money to live," they all say in perfect chorus.  They all know what the Scripture says about pursuing after money, that "The love of money is the root of all evil." And of course they quickly deny this to be their passion.  But do we see any clear distinction between them and the average hedonist?  It seems, they evidently regard themselves as so clever and skilled that they (the whole corporate body of them) can walk the knife's edge of "indistinction," if you'll allow me to coin a word.  Namely, the indistinction of devotedly striving (as the heathen do) for the acquisition of more & more money (for what it buys) and yet, in the process, not despising (they affirm) the GOD they claim to also supposedly serve (on the side).  "Not all of us are called to be disciples," they practically all say (to get themselves off the hook).  Well, following that same pitiful premise, would it not be also "logical" to conclude that we by and large have then nearly all been called to serve two masters?  Moreover, they nearly all certainly seem to consider themselves poverty-stricken failures in life when the coveted prosperity of the American Dream eludes them.  [Need we elaborate on the dream, nice houses, cars, boats & other motorsports equipment, furnishings, entertainment systems, appliances, fine clothes (& walk-in closets), fine food & drink, regularly eating out, lots of leisure time (for sports & entertainment), vacations & travel, endless credit lines, etc., etcetera; not to mention the higher educations needed to secure it all? What part of this could we possibly give up?]

Covetousness is the disease that has afflicted secular and pious alike.  Just plain Babylonish worldliness.  The same old, pervasive, "let-us-eat-and-drink-for-tomorrow-we-die" mentality. (Isaiah 22:13 & 1Corinthians 15:32)

From my many years of dealings with Christian folk, I'd venture to say that more than nine out of ten of them (wholly uncharacteristic of their biblical faith) profoundly dread death; and, they go to every extreme that any other unbelieving pagan hedonist would to save/preserve their lives.  It's easy to understand the hopelessness of the Gentiles, but the "believers!?" I can only surmise it to be due to some latent uncertainty about what lies beyond, a subdued but quite apparent doubt of their own Bible.  Or else—just like the quite religious, rich young man of rank and great possessions whom Matthew, Mark & Luke highlighted in their gospels (Matthew 19, Mark 10, Luke 18)—they are simply so consumed by the here-and-now material world that they spurn Christ's word, which promises "treasure" in the Kingdom of Heaven.  Classic, age-old covetousness & lust for present delights get a grip on them and as a result overwhelm faith (in a nebulous & dubious biblical future).  [Since, in their overarching concern for "the cares of this life," they have so little regard for the substance of that future, and practically never study about it, how can it not be nebulous & questionable?]

Their reasoning: There's just too much at stake to bank on that Kingdom promise.  We'd rather play it "safe" and opt to have our pie here where we can see & taste it, rather than in some doubtful future in some legendary kingdom of "pie the sky."  What, sell everything; and give it to the poor? And go and follow Jesus? You've got to be kidding.  That's not for our day.  We're not expected to go to such impractical extremes.  Things have changed; that was for people back in those days.  How would we live? We wouldn't be able to survive if we followed those words of Christ.  Again, these are not the squirming voices of non-Christians, but rather those of the great majority of nominal "believers," which are so often echoed.  [Again, please see For the Record]

And so it is true, we discover, that just as there are many features of the teachings of Christ Yeshua that are indeed not at all palatable to the disinclined & unenthusiastic, the future world of promise is of like nature.  Despite its utopian nature, many of its aspects will be in conflict or absolute enmity with our present, corrupt human nature (with all its supreme selfishness); not to mention much of our socio-political conditioning too, and even with our (questionable & corrupted) religious indoctrinations.  (Whoa, imagine questioning tradition, esp. that of Establishment Christians!)  

Recapping then, we come to find out that embracing The Promise of The Kingdom means releasing our desperate grasp & grip on the trifling values of this present materialist (& yet truly wonderful) world to which we so dearly & futily clutch (and so faithlessly cherish).  And yes, indeed there are divine "strings attached" to GOD's agenda that the lovers of mammon consider at odds to their self-fulfillment.  Those (celestial) expectations seem to them like cruel fetters & chains that unfairly "cramp their style"; and that also reveal a tyrannical God and egotistical Divinity.  Consequently, the Bible—and its GOD, of course—are thus loathed by the right-to-choose crowd as hostile to their interests.  And to be clear, every person does indeed have that right (to choose), including Believers.  Sadly, believers often exercise it by liberally straining to explain away the words of Christ that they choose to disregard, which according to Him is nothing other than a stance of enmity toward Him, as we examined earlier.  The loathing is often expressed subtly in round-about rationalizings (as doubt & disbelief) and even in outright disparagement & disdain, depending on whether the aversion is cloaked in sheep's clothing or voiced with more unmasked hostility.

"The full soul loathes an honeycomb," according to a very poignant proverb of Solomon.  Simply put in this case, there is no appetite for the Kingdom of GOD when the taste for the things of this illusory life obsess us so wholly.  And, it's just a simple fact that not everyone on this planet appreciates all that the Messiah & His Utopian Order stands for & holds in store.  (Although certain, select, particularly utopian aspects of it might appeal to many.) Earthly affections for the temporal pleasures of this life almost always smother Messiah's call to His Kingdom (& the key feature of it, love & self-sacrifice).  The overwhelming weight of fleeting worldly values all too readily displace any belief in its actual reality and ultimately produce what is nothing less than disdain for it.  Certainly in Messiah's book, such is declared to be the case.  Allow me to cite the passage once again. . .

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth. . .But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven. . .for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. . .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. —Christ Yeshua (Matthew 6:19-24)

At least one Christian friend of mine not long ago voiced outright no great desire at all to experience an enduring life in the new world of promise under discussion here.  She instead expressed a much keener interest in just being able to take pleasure in what this life has to offer, esp. in terms of enjoying her present family & new-found prosperity here in the USA (after all, a next life?—not so sure).  The more I tried to expand on the vision of our promised future, the more frightened & inconsolable she seemed to get, until she cared no more for any discussion of the topic.  It really seemed to me she resisted the notion that there could be anything better simply because she was frightened at what it might cost (in terms of present loss) to gain eligibility for such an "uncertain" Promise (in her mind) — no matter how grand it is.

As for the great non-Bible-believing majority, what deters them from being persuaded to take serious interest in the Promise of a New World Order declared by the Hebrew Prophets? Again, besides the widespread, underlying contempt for the Bible (actually for GOD & His ways) prevalent in our apostate, end-time Established Order discussed above, I usually find that the greatest hindrance to acceptance of the biblical Promise is the all-too-common issue lack of faith founded in a conflict of interest.  Most people, engulfed & buried by the material, tangible cares of this life, just generally doubt that it is even real, certainly not enough to wholly embrace it with the same passionate abandon that the Prophets did.  For many, it's all a nice sounding idea & tantalizing prospect, like our proverbial pie in the sky, but other worldly values (gods/idols) are usually prioritized as first & foremost—you know, the "real," tangible things.  And for many multitudes more, just surviving and subsisting consumes all their energy.  Yet, for this latter group I hold out more hope.  The truly poor & downtrodden often welcome with open arms a hope for a better future, which the Establishment only teases them with; for, it most certainly will pass away as a dream in the night, along with any "future" it can offer.

Boiling all this down in the light of the most radical book and belief system on the planet I would like to conclude this part of my presentation with a stunning statement of position that is actually conceived not by myself but by the Prophets.  I imagine it will stun your consciousness a bit, I don't know.  Namely that, from a celestial (i.e., divine, scriptural) perspective, lots & lots of folks actually love Death, & hate Life! Uh-oh, here goes more of that Bible lunacy.  Yep, and again I harp, substantial masses of Christian folk, quite tragically, also fall into this lot of (unwittingly) loving death.  Why? Simply because, as stated earlier, they have fallen prey to a passion for Babylonish materialism and the (Gentile) embrace of pervasive worldly values—an idolatrous covetousness for possessions and prosperity in the here & now that is actually killing them (in terms of the "dubious" future they disregard).  This dreadful obsession has seriously blinded them to the immutable truths taught by Messiah and His Prophets!

"I tell you of a truth, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God." —Christ Yeshua (in Luke 9:27)

"He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal." —Yeshua (in John 12)

"For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD.  But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death." —Wisdom, calling to be heard (in Proverbs 8, by Solomon)

"I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live." —Moses to the Children of Israel (in Deuteronomy 30)

"And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were [in the prior established order of Egypt from which you came], or the gods of the [present establishment of the] Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." —Joshua to Israel (in Joshua 24)

This present life is a proving ground, a phase of our existence meant to sift out the serious-minded truth seekers from the shallow, vapid devotees of vanity and vacuous flesh-pleasing materialism.  What we opt for here is the seed we sow now for a reaping in the New World Order of Messiah to come later.  As Jesus said of the pious posers of His day only interested in the here & now, "They have their reward," [all that they well ever get]. . ."All their works they do for to be seen of men." ( Matthew 6 & 23)  "I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed [that of these pious posers], ye shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of Heaven." (Matthew 5) [Brackets are mine, as usual.]  So, what shall we reap?  What seed are we sowing?  What end result do you seek?  What do you value?

Remember, I said the Bible is radical? Maybe that's what the Bible beraters & belittlers hate, the fact that life is not just a ho-hum, happenstance, freak accident of "nature" that has no eternal weight of consequence.  One thing that is obvious (to open eyes) is that a wildly imaginative Creator went to a massive amount of trouble to design & engineer this universe, and He wasn't just goofing around in some careless & whimsical manner to produce just any old hapless piece of junk.  It cost Him his own Blood (by torture at the hand of His own creation) in His radical effort to bring humanity to its senses, to a recognition of what is of supreme value in this Universe (discussed later).  And, He expects His offspring to manifest due respect for His efforts and intentions, the cost involved, and His extreme sacrifice.  Anyone who cannot (or cares not to) comprehend (at least in some small way) that such is indeed the case, does not know Him, nor will he/she ever begin to relate to Him.  That condition & mentality can only be defined as death by default, spiritual suicide, a total & complete lack of appreciation for life (of the forever kind) as well as for truth.

They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; none of them can by any means redeem his brother [much less himself], nor give to God a ransom for him: (For the redemption of their soul is precious [paid by the blood of the Lamb of GOD], and it ceaseth for ever [only one, non-repeating chance]:) that he should still live for ever, and not see corruption [death by default].  For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others.  Their inward thought is, that their houses [the Establishment] shall continue for ever, and their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names.  Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish [no Nobel, Pulitzer, Grammy, Heisman or Academy achievement will save them].  This their way is their folly: yet their posterity approve their sayings [& the beat goes on, and on].  Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; and the upright [who comprehend & appreciate the truth] shall have dominion over them in the morning [of the Kingdom]; and their [oh so temporal] beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwelling [their material life & all investment in it].  But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave [yes, we all die]: for he shall receive me [back to life for keeping my values & priorities in proper order]. (Psalm 49:6-15) [Brackets mine]

Tragic, but it's so true—loving Death, that is.  Whether we believe it or not, or accept it or not, it's the Scriptural fact according to the Bible Prophets. . .

From the Prophets' perspective of reality, the common, everyday obsession with the "tangible" will destroy you!  And I don't mean in some inconsequential, temporal way.  It's anti-GOD & anti-humanity.  It breeds greed in all its most heartless and cruel forms.  Ultimately, it utterly slaughters your future and the fabulous destiny it might otherwise hold.  Quite unfortunately, everyday folks are in point of fact often miserably confused about the profound depth & meanings of these core realities presented in the Bible (not to mention Truth & Reality on the whole).  The secular culture & spirit of the world's Established Order has inexorably overwhelmed & clouded their senses, and inverted their values.  In all actuality, the great majority (by the exercise of their "own" preferences) unwittingly despise & reject the value & reality of the Eternal Promise, preferring instead the blind love of temporal lusts (promoted by the Establishment).  So sad, so shallow, so pointless!  Messiah definitively defied the dominance and disrobed the degeneracy of the death-dealing System of small-minded men that demands devotion to the diabolical primacies of the values of the fading here-and-now.  As we gather from the Psalm cited above, what folly, what futility!

Life—as it is meant to be as per the Scriptures—is really an "act of being" that's based upon particular principles predetermined by the sovereign will & design of its AUTHOR (and meant to be eternally enduring).  Some accept that fact, while vast apostate majorities regard it with contempt.  And though that divine design is spectacularly wonderful in every way, they nonetheless hate & actively deny any notion that Life even has an author who has the right to prescribe how best it is to be lived.  (But that too is a built-in feature of this miracle called Life—the very real right to choose freely, even rebellion & spite, if we wish.) The trouble is the AUTHOR they so fearlessly despise is Life!! And to quote the Spirit of Life again from Proverbs 8, "He that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death." (Let's not fool ourselves, we are not the authors of life, nor the designers or sovereigns of the Universe—but there is One!)

The blinded lovers of the antithesis of Life (i.e., anti-GOD, anti-humanity materialism) will not in the end escape the realities of Life (including the dour bitterness of its end).  Despite popular fantasies about death being the end of existence & consciousness, and the final escape from accountability, the Prophets speak of nothing of the kind.  They declare that every soul ever born will definitely see the King & the Kingdom of LIFE come.  That itself will indeed be the ultimate killer—the very reality of it!  A reality that they now capriciously cast off in disdain (blinded by their misguided obsession with the present "tangible" things).  My opinion: This is a fate worse than simple death (let me assure you), because at its coming it will be an eternal, then unalterable reality.  Seeing it—as we all definitely shall—will only magnify the bitterness of their doom exponentially.  Some of us only die once; others die twice, an interminable, repose-less end, according to Messiah & the Hebrew Prophets.