Staggeringly Literal – Clean Hands, Pure Hearts, and Darkness

During the years of this life the battle rages for the souls of men—your soul; my soul. Satan is the deadly foe with his only earthly enemies being the children of faith. He goes about seeking whom he may devour, not whom he can devour, for no human is a match for his wiles. But Satan is bound by God's supernatural law of engagement in regard to the sons of Adam. I Peter 5:8-9:

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

The word may is defined by Noah Webster: "To have moral power; to have liberty, leave, license or permission; to be permitted; to be allowed." Satan is allowed to bring destruction into the lives of mortals who cast off faith in God's Words and disobey God's commandments.

You must know your enemy. Satan revealed the secret of his power over the sons of men in an exchange he had with God in Job 1:6-11:

6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. 

7 And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

8 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

9 Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?

10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.

11 But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.

The Word of God teaches that there exists a spiritual hedge of protection and blessing that encompasses the blood-bought. The hedge is made up of childlike faith and obedience. When the hedge goes down Satan may devour.

The hedge of God's protection begins in the believer's life at a place called born-again. This is the place where faith and obedience begin to yield real, tangible fruit—even eternal life. This is the place where Satan's plots against you and yours and your eternal life are arrested. Have you been born again? John 3:3:

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Is your life surrounded by God's hedge? Why not make the most powerful, rewarding, and glorious decision of your life today? It will change everything. Click onto "Further With Jesus" for childlike instructions and immediate entry into the Kingdom of God. NOW FOR TODAY'S SUBJECT.

GOD SAID, Psalm 24:3-5:

3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place?

4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.

5 He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

GOD SAID, James 4:8:

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

GOD SAID, Luke 22:53:

When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness.

GOD SAID, John 3:19:

And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

GOD SAID, Colossians 1:13:

Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

MAN SAID: The Bible is a book written by mere men, certainly not authored by God, and certainly not to be taken literally.

Now THE RECORD. The magnificent literalness of God's Word is breathtaking. How beautiful and marvelous that He has preserved His Holy Word for us over all these thousands of years. Billions have risen up against this book. Satan has paraded before the sons of Adam his most gifted carnal champions to discredit Holy Writ, but these champions have all been felled by one swift swing of the sword of the Lord.

This is GodSaidManSaid proof feature #581 that certifies the supernatural inerrancy of the Word of God. Every Thursday eve, God willing, they grow by one. All these features are archived on GodSaidManSaid for your edification and as ammunition in the battle for the souls of men. Welcome. We await your weekly visit. GodSaidManSaid speaks this blessing over you: "May the face of the LORD shine upon you and yours and all you put your hands to with Light and Truth."

How does this not compute with the skeptics? Thousands of years before man's most sophisticated science and technology arrive at a truth, he is shocked to realize that God's Word is already there. The amazing literalness of the Word of God is truly staggering. Many of the theological skeptics who permit some scriptural credibility add the caveat, "But it is not to be taken literally." But literal it is—literal spiritually and literal physically, and the switches are clearly noted.

How did mere men know the secrets of the ages, secrets that are only just now beginning to be understood? The obvious answer should be that they didn't, and that these truths were imparted unto them by God, the Creator—the author of the Holy Bible.

When something supernatural is described in the Word of God, or something that is contrary to today's common knowledge, the theological skeptics simply say, "It's not to be taken literally." But literal it is. Consider the following statements concerning literalness and the first six chapters of the Bible:

(1.) Science now knows that the earth had a very abrupt beginning and that there was light before the sun, just like God said.

(2.) We are now aware that man is made out of dirt even as God declared.

(3.) Genesis 1 describes a pre-flood water canopy that promoted long life, and that dinosaurs and man lived contemporaneously.

(4.) Pre-flood God's Word declares that the average life of the patriarchs was 911 years, and the ancient historians say, "Literal it is."

(5.) How literal is the idea that God took Adam's rib and created a woman? You'll be amazed.

(6.) The world had one common mother, and mtDNA Eve has shown this to be truth.

(7.) Science declares that the world had one common father even as the literal Word of God testifies.

(8.) Archaeology discovered the serpent, the fruit, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that God said existed in a paradise called the Garden of Eden.

(9.) All the world, as a result of the fall of Adam, experienced the vegetarian switch, and what paleontologists have discovered backs the Scriptures.

(10.) Noah, the global flood, and fish fossils on every mountain peak prove that the flood occurred as God said it did.

All of these subjects are recorded in the Word of God in the very first six chapters of the Bible, and they're just a sampling of what is found there. These subjects are all addressed on GodSaidManSaid in some detail. If you'd like to pursue any one of them, type the keyword of the subject in which you're interested into the word search box. Literal! Yes, literal!

Here are a few more marvelous truths in the Word of God that today's science is unwittingly beginning to certify. Above we quoted Psalm 24:3-4:

3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place?

4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.

James 4:8:

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

Now consider this passage in the July/August 2011 issue of Psychology Today under the paragraph heading, "Next to Godliness:"

An antiseptic wipe may clear your way to immaculate ethics, according to a recent study from the University of Toronto. People who have just cleaned their hands are more likely to deem controversial social issues (such as pornography and recreational drugs) immoral than those in a control group are. And participants who picture themselves impeccably groomed (clean hair, clothes, fingernails) also bring down a firmer hand of justice.  [End of quote]

God said clean hands and pure hearts. How could just mere men know?

The Word of God speaks about evil and the power of darkness. Jesus said in Luke 22:53:

When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness.

Now Psychology Today:

Whereas closing our eyes slips us onto a high horse, putting on sunglasses can lead to dastardly behavior. Folks who don shades while playing a cooperation game act more selfishly, research in Psychological Science shows. Even dimming the lights brings out our dark side—people in dimmed rooms are more likely to cheat on a test to earn money than those in bright light. Working under cover of darkness may make us feel more anonymous—and more entitled to misbehave. [End of quote]

God said the power of darkness.

God's Word declares the end from the beginning. God's Word is a sure foundation—surely the place to build a life.

GOD SAID, Psalm 24:3-5:

3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place?

4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.

5 He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

GOD SAID, James 4:8:

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

GOD SAID, Luke 22:53:

When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness.

GOD SAID, John 3:19:

And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

GOD SAID, Colossians 1:13:

Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

MAN SAID: The Bible is a book written by mere men, certainly not authored by God, and certainly not to be taken literally.

Now you have THE RECORD.




References:

Authorized King James Version

Ryerson, N., "Virtuous Reality," Psychology Today, July/August 2011, p44

• Go Further With Christ
• Email To a Friend
• Comments or Questions?