POEMS

 

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Book I

Book II

Book III

Book IV

Book V

Book VI

Book VII

Book VIII

Book IX

Book X

Book XI

Book XII

Book XIII

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On the Matter of Blaspheming the Holy Spirit

 On the Matter of Blaspheming the Holy Spirit

The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven - not because it is a sin “too big” for God to forgive, but because it is an attitude of heart that cares nothing for God’s forgiveness. It never has forgiveness because it never wants forgiveness God’s way.

“These words were never intended to torment anxious souls honestly desiring to know Christ, but they stand out as a blazing beacon warning of the danger of persisting in the rejection of the Spirit’s testimony of Christ, until the seared conscience no longer responds to the gospel message.” (Ironside)

“Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can someone enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.” (Mat 12:22-35) "How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil."

Examine yourself: are you able to speak good? Are you able to speak well of Jesus? To speak well of someone is to praise them.

“And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.” And he called them to him and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house. “Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— for they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”” (Mark 3:22-30) “And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.” Do you believe Jesus is possessed by the devil?

From  David Guzik's Enduring Word 

https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/mark-3/

2. (22) An accusation from the religious leaders.

And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebub,” and, “By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons.”

a. The scribes who came down from Jerusalem: This was an official delegation of experts from Jerusalem coming to Galilee to observe and assess the ministry of Jesus. The opinion of these scribes carried a lot of weight with many people.

i. “It is possible that they were official emissaries from the Great Sanhedrin who came to examine Jesus’ miracles and to determine whether Capernaum should be declared a ‘seduced city,’ the prey of an apostate preacher.” (Lane)

b. He has Beelzebub: Actually, they accused Jesus of being possessed by Satan. “He hath Beelzebub, implying that Beelzebub hath Him, using Him as his agent. The expression points to something more than an alliance [but] to possession, and than on a grand scale.” (Expositor’s)

i. They wouldn’t say that Jesus was possessed by just any demon, but by Satan himself. This was “an involuntary compliment to the exceptional power and greatness of Jesus.” (Expositor’s)

ii. This wasn’t the only time Jesus was insulted like this.

• “He has a demon and is mad. Why do you listen to Him?” (Jhn 10:20)

• “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?” (Jhn 8:48)

• “We were not born of fornication.” (Jhn 8:41)

• “A glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ (Luk 7:34)

• “You have a demon.” (Jhn 7:20)

c. By the ruler of demons He casts out demons: Luk 11:14 tells us this accusation came in response to a dramatic demonic deliverance. The religious leaders attributed this working of Jesus to Satan (Beelzebub).

i. His own people misunderstood Jesus, but the scribes who came down from Jerusalem viciously and cynically attacked Jesus. Because of their official position, this was the first step in the plot to destroy Jesus referred to in Mrk 3:6. Before they could destroy Him, they had to first discredit Jesus in the eyes of the multitude. (MOTIVE !!!)

d. Beelzebub: This name clearly refers to Satan, but it is a difficult name to analyze. It may have been coined because it sounds similar to the Hebrew phrase for “Lord of the Flies.”

i. “It is supposed that this idol was the same with Baalzebub, the god fly, worshipped at Ekron... who had his name changed afterwards by the Jews to Baal zebul, the dung god, a title of utmost contempt.” (Clarke)

3. (23-27) Jesus answers those who attributed His work to Satan.

So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables: “How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end. No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house.”

a. How can Satan cast out Satan? Jesus showed that if He were an agent of Satan and was working against Satan, then surely Satan’s kingdom was in a civil war and would not stand. Jesus said this to show that Satan would not work against himself.

b. No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods: With this Jesus answered the charge that He was in league with the Devil. He said, “I’m not under Satan. Instead, I am proving that I am stronger than he is.”

c. Unless he first binds the strong man: In this parable Satan is the strong man who guards what belongs to him. Jesus’ ministry was defeating this strong man, both in the case of casting the demon out of the man who was mute and in the broader sense.

d. Then he will plunder his house: Jesus looked at every life delivered from Satan’s domination and said, “I’m plundering the kingdom of Satan one life at a time.” There is nothing in our life that must stay under Satan’s domination. The one who binds the strong man and will plunder his house is our risen Lord.

4. (28-30) Jesus please leave your message the religious leaders about the unforgivable sin.

“Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation”; because they said, “He has an unclean spirit.”

a. He who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness: This blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is serious indeed. The person guilty of this sin is subject to eternal condemnation. In other Gospels (such as in Luk 12:10), this sin is described as “unforgivable.”

b. Because they said, He has an unclean spirit: These religious leaders were in danger of blasphemy of the Holy Spirit because they looked at the perfectly good and wonderful work of God in Jesus and officially pronounced it the evil of Satan. This pointed to a settled rejection of heart against Jesus - possible evidence of the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.

i. “Notice that these men had not yet committed the unpardonable sin... Otherwise Jesus would never have warned them. By his own words, there is no use warning a man who has committed the unpardonable sin; he is beyond help.” (Steadman)

c. He who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness: Many people wonder what the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is, and some wonder if they have committed this sin. The warning of Jesus makes us recognize the terrible danger of the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit and our need to avoid this sin at all cost. At the same time, we guard our hearts against the unwarranted accusation of this sin.

i. We understand what the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is by first understanding what the ministry of the Holy Spirit is all about. Regarding the ministry of the Holy Spirit, Jesus said, when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment(Jhn 16:8), and that He will testify of Me (Jhn 15:26).

ii. Therefore, when we persistently reject the work the Holy Spirit wants to do in us and when we have a continued, settled rejection of what He wants to tell us about Jesus, then we blaspheme the Holy Spirit.

iii. The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven - not because it is a sin “too big” for God to forgive, but because it is an attitude of heart that cares nothing for God’s forgiveness. It never has forgiveness because it never wants forgiveness God’s way.

iv. “These words were never intended to torment anxious souls honestly desiring to know Christ, but they stand out as a blazing beacon warning of the danger of persisting in the rejection of the Spirit’s testimony of Christ, until the seared conscience no longer responds to the gospel message.” (Ironside)

““And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”” (Luke 12:8-12)

Counseling God's Way

https://study.bible/courseinfo/34 Counseling God's Way

PRIDE / PROUD

PRIDE / PROUD

These definitions are from Daniel Webster's 1828 dictionary of the English language. 

PRIDE, noun

1. Inordinate self-esteem; an unreasonable conceit of one's own superiority in talents, beauty, wealth, accomplishments, rank or elevation in office, which manifests itself in lofty airs, distance, reserve, and often in contempt of others.

Martial pride looks down on industry.

PRIDE goeth before destruction. Proverbs 16:18.

PRIDE that dines on vanity, sups on contempt.

All pride is abject and mean.

Those that walk in pride he is able to abase. Daniel 4:37.

2. Insolence; rude treatment of others; insolent exultation.

That hardly we escap'd the pride of France.

3. Generous elation of heart; a noble self-esteem springing from a consciousness of worth.

The honest pride of conscious virtue.

4. Elevation; loftiness.

A falcon tow'ring in her pride of place.

5. Decoration; ornament; beauty displayed.

Whose lofty trees, clad with summer's pride

Be his this sword

Whose ivory sheath, inwrought with curious pride

Adds graceful terror to the wearer's side.

6. Splendid show; ostentation.

Is this array, the war of either side

Through Athens pass'd with military pride

7. That of which men are proud; that which excites boasting.

I will cut off the pride of the Philistines. Zechariah 9:6. Zephaniah 3:11.

8. Excitement of the sexual appetite in a female beast.

9. Proud persons. Psalms 36:11.

PRIDE, verb transitive With the reciprocal pronoun, to pride one's self, to indulge pride; to take pride; to value one's self; to gratify self-esteem. They pride themselves in their wealth, dress or equipage. He prides himself in his achievements.


PROUD, adjective

1. Having inordinate self-esteem; possessing a high or unreasonable conceit of one's own excellence, either of body or mind. A man may be proud of his person, of his talents, of his accomplishments or of his achievements. He may be proud of any thing to which he bears some relation. He may be proud of his country, his government, his equipage, or of whatever may, by association, gratify his esteem of himself. He may even be proud of his religion or of his church. He conceives that any thing excellent or valuable, in which he has a share, or to which he stands related, contributes to his own importance, and this conception exalts his opinion of himself. proud is followed by of, before the object, supra.

2. Arrogant; haughty; supercilious.

A foe so proud will not the weaker seek.

3. Daring; presumptuous.

By his understanding he smiteth through the proud Job 26:12.

4. Lofty of mien; grand of person; as a proud steed.

5. Grand, lofty; splendid; magnificent.

Storms of stones from the proud temple's height.

6. Ostentatious; grand; as proud titles.

7. Splendid; exhibiting grandeur and distinction; exciting pride; as a proud day for Rome.

8. Excited by the animal appetite; applied particularly to the female of the canine species.

9. Fungous; as proud flesh.

Are the Jews the Indigenous People to the Land of Israel?

 Are the Jews the indigenous people to the land of Israel?

Beyond politics, and I do support Israel's right to resist Islam, one has to reckon with the Biblical account. Starting with Genesis chapter 12 it's clear that Abraham, first known as Abram, was not born in Israel. Israel was not a nation when he was born. Abram was born in Chaldea, which is now present day Iraq! God called Abram. He spoke to him and told him to leave his land and his family and he would make of him a great nation, and will bless him, and make his name great; and to be a blessing to others. In the New Testament, Hebrews chapter 11:8 we read: "Abraham had faith and obeyed God. He was told to go to the land that God had said would be his, and he left for a country he had never seen."

Do you believe what you read in the Tanakh and New Testament? Abram was an immigrant to the land of Canaan. That is the land that became Israel.

AI reports:
1. The biblical land of Canaan corresponds to Israel, Palestine (the West Bank and Gaza), Lebanon, Jordan, and parts of southern Syria.
2. The original inhabitants of Canaan were called Canaanites. Canaan was the earliest native name generally applied to Lebanon-Syria-Palestine. Modern linguistic research indicates close relationship between Canaanites, Amorites, Assyro-Babylonians, Hebrews and Arabians.

Canaan was inhabited by seven tribes: the Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, Amorites, Perizzites and Jebusites. Google: https://www.waynestiles.com/blog/sorting-out-those-odd-canaanite-names-and-places/#:~:text=1.%20Canaanites,through%20the%20line%20of%20Ham.&text=2.%20Hittites&text=3.%20%26%204.%20Girgashites%20and&text=5.%20Amorites&text=6.%20Perizzites&text=7.%20Jebusites&text=1.%20God's%20Mercy%20and%20Patience,Toward%20the%20Unrepentant

I will probably make a few people upset by this comment. That's not my intention. It's very clear that Israel is an important name. It is the name given to Jacob by God. Jacob was one of Isaac and Rebecca's twin sons. Isaac was the miracle child of Abraham and Sarah. Isaac was born when Abraham was 100 years old. Jacob was born when.Isaac was 60 years old. It's not known exactly how old Jacob was when God gave him the name Israel but it is estimated that he was 90 plus years old. This confirms that Israel was not a name known to Canaan prior to Abram/Abraham's arrival over 200 years before God gave Jacob the name Israel. My Messianic Jewish friend taught me that Israel became a NATION when Moses received for them the 10 Commandments and the 603 laws from God at Mt. Sinai. They were God's chosen PEOPLE before that but it is law which defines a people as a NATION. I have no reason to doubt this is true.

So in truth, Abram/Abraham and His wife were immigrants to Canaan and their children and grandchildren "colonized" that land which became Israel. I'm sure the word colonized is a little hard to take regarding this wonderful nation in Israel. Jewish scholars say that Moses was born in 1393BCE. He was 80 years old when he returned to Egypt. It would've been only a few years later that he received the 10 Commandments making Israel a PEOPLE and a NATION.

So what shall we say? Does this biblical history cancel the Jewish claim to Israel? Not at all. The most important thing to consider first and last here is that it is God, the maker of heaven and earth, who called Abram/Abraham out of Chaldea (Iraq) and let him into Canaan where he found seven indigenous tribes. If we have a problem with this we should take it to God and let Him help us to see things from His point of view.

One additional note. And it is an important note. There was another tribe of people in Canaan when Abram/Abraham arrived there. They were called the Philistines.

From the Virtual Jewish Library:
"The Philistines are referred to as the descendants of the Casluchim in Genesis 10:14 and Exodus 13:17. Known as a seafaring nation, the Philistines were a non-Semitic people who left Crete and arrived in Canaan at the beginning of the 12th century B.C.E. The Philistines inhabited the Mediterranean coast of Canaan during the period of the Book of Judges. They founded five principalities - Gaza, Asheklon, Ashdod, Ekron, and Gath.

"Their highly-developed weapons brought a great threat to the Israelites. During the Exodus from Egypt, the Israelites purposely took a southern route to circumvent them. The Philistines often battled against the Israelites. The first King of Israel, Saul, temporarily weakened them. Later, a little-known shepherd by the name of David (later second King of Israel) defeated them after his battle with the large Philistine by the name of Goliath. The Philistines were reduced to mainly commercial ventures rather than military ventures. Throughout the Books of Kings, different Jewish leaders fought the nation until the Assyrians completely defeated them. The Philistines then assimilated into the surrounding cultures and ceased to exist as a separate nation.

"The name Palestine originates from the Philistine inhabitance of the land of Judea. After the Romans conquered the region in the second century C.E., the Romans used the term Palestinia to refer to the region in an attempt to minimize Jewish attachment to the land. The Arabic use of the term Filastin is from this Latin root. https://jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-philistines

🌅 a little light 💡 summer 🌞 reading. 🌇

🌅 a little light 💡 summer  🌞 reading 🌇

Must reads for those who want more clarity on why things are as they are in the U.S.A.

1. Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky

https://dn721507.ca.archive.org/0/items/RulesForRadicals/RulesForRadicals.pdf
 
2. Color, Communism, & Common Sense by Manning Johnson 
https://www.heritagehistory.com/site/hclass/secret_societies/ebooks/pdf/johnson_color.pdf

The Statue of Liberty: In Praise of Liberty or Socialist Trojan Horse?

The Statue of Liberty: In Praise of Liberty or Socialist Trojan Horse?
Things are not always as they appear to be. And things do not always remain as they were intended to be.

Here is the poem placed on the Statue of Liberty. 

The New Colossus

Emma Lazarus

1849 – 1887

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she

With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

Emma Lazarus was an American author of poetry, prose, and translations, as well as an activist for Jewish and Georgist causes. Georgist causes (Georgism) are the political aspirations of one Henry George. George (September 2, 1839 – October 29, 1897) was an American political economist, social philosopher and journalist. AI will tell you that Henry George was not a socialist. I beg to differ.  More about this later!

A colossus is any massive or gigantic statue.The Colossus of Rhodes is a giant ancient statue of the Greek sun god Helios. At best the statue is an attempt to encourage generosity. At worst IT IS a pagan idol. Looking into this I find that the best and the worst are both true!

"The Statue of Liberty was a gift from the French people commemorating the alliance of France and the United States during the American Revolution. Yet, it represented much more to those individuals who proposed the gift. In 1865, Edouard de Laboulaye (a French political thinker, U.S. Constitution expert, and abolitionist) proposed that a monument be built as a gift from France to the United States in order to commemorate the perseverance of freedom and democracy in the United States and to honor the work of the late president Abraham Lincoln. Laboulaye hoped that by calling attention to the recent achievements of the United States, the French people would be inspired to create their own democracy in the face of a repressive monarchy. In 1865, France was divided between people who were still committed to the monarchy and people who supported the Enlightenment ideals (the belief that people had natural rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness). It was the hope of many French liberals that democracy would prevail and that freedom and justice for all would be attained."

https://www.nps.gov/.../history.../the-french-connection.htm

Laboulaye  was a devout, liberal Roman Catholic in 19th-century France who believed that true Christianity and democratic liberty were naturally compatible. 

"The evil that is in the world almost always comes of ignorance, and good intentions may do as much harm as malevolence if they lack understanding." ~ Albert Camus

Laboulaye's good intentions have been overshadowed, even overwhelmed by Emma Lazasrus' poem. I doubt she or Henry George really understood the relationship of religious charity to civic government. Today America is being overwhelmed by religious pluralism. Judeo-Christian principals are largely forgotten and untaught, certainly in public schools and most of higher education. Harvard, Yale, and Princeton were founded primarily to train Christian clergy and Dartmouth  focused heavily on Christian ministry and educating Native youth. (Wikipedia) One might say that for these esteemed institutions the gospel train left their station. If the founding fathers were Christians in 1776, consider this astonishing fact:  In 1785, King’s Chapel in Boston, originally an Anglican congregation, became the first American church to explicitly excise all Trinitarian language from its liturgy, effectively becoming Unitarian in doctrine.

The relationship of church and state is a two sided blade. The church is instructed how to behave regarding the state, and in America the state is instructed not to regulate in any way the establishment of religion. If the church will follow her instructions (Romans 13:1-7; 1Timothy 2:1-8; ! Peter 2:13-17) it should be a blessing both to the church and government. If the government will allow the influence of the gospel in policy the whole nation should be blessed. Jesus taught the disciples to pray that God's will "be done in earth AS IT IS DONE in heaven." The obvious escapes us. If God will is to be done in earth as it is in heaven it is we who must do it in earth as it is done in heaven.

One might think that as Jesus' church has been in the years for 2000 years that the piece of God might be more prevalent in the Earth. Sadly this is not so. G.K. Chesterton said: "The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried." What can the Christian ideal be except the environment of heaven itself?

It's been said that the 10 Commandments are actually Commandments; they are not suggestions! Certainly we should hope that you shall not murder (VI) or steal (VIII) are more than suggestions for human behavior. But what about the second Commandment?

“You are not to make an image or picture (both considered IDOLS) of anything in heaven or on the earth or in the waters under the earth: You may not go down on your faces before them or give them worship: for I, the Lord your God, am a God who will not give his honour to another; and I will send punishment on the children for the wrongdoing of their fathers, to the third and fourth generation of my haters; And I will have mercy through a thousand generations on those who have love for me and keep my laws.” (Exo 20:4-6, BBE)

In an age where imagery is everywhere it's interesting that  Islamic sharia (law) forbids imagery both in the mosque and the home. Christians have been painting pictures and making statues since very early in church history. Perhaps we should remember that God gave the second Commandment to the children of Israel around 4000 years ago. "Look what they've done to my song.?!"

In the New Testament the churches instructed to flee two things: sexual immorality and IDOLATRY.

“What say I then? that a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? But I say, that the things which the nations sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have communion with demons.” (1Co 10:19-20, ASV)

Does Paul say that a thing sacrificed to an idol is anything or that an idol is anything? Things are things. What are behind the things that is are idols? They are  demons.

“Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of demons: ye cannot partake of the table of the Lord, and of the table of demons. Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?” (1Co 10:21-22, ASV)

Has the Statue of Liberty become an idol? Or has it always been an idol? Could it be that the hymn of the Statue of Liberty, that poem the Colossus by Emma Lazarus, has somehow influenced Americans in such a way as to produce total chaos in all matters pertaining to immigration?

“Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

The entire poem again:

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she

With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

"Mother of Exiles" ???

"world-wide welcome" ???

"ancient lands storied pomp" ???

"mild eyes, silent lips" ???

There's no shortage of anthropomorphism and pathetic fallacy here. And it's hard for the christian to deny or want to deny that behind this Colossus of Liberty is some demon. 

Free advice is easy to give, nevertheless:

Second Timothy Chapter 3.

The book of James entire.

The Statue of Liberty seen on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, about a decade after her arrival, in 1898.The New York Historical Society—Getty Images

The 1903 bronze plaque located in the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty.  An exact replica of this plaque is now located in the Statue of Liberty Museum.

Are you saved and being saved

Are you saved and being saved

 Having believed Christ do you now think differently about right and wrong? Do you receive His body broken and blood poured out 2000 years ago for the forgiveness of all your sins? Are you seeking his grace and power for the renewing of your mind and purifying of your heart? Are you doing unto others as you would have them do to you? Does your love for fellow believers resemble Jesus love for his disciples? And most and very most important, do you love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul and all your strength? If you can answer "yes," if you can even answer "to the best of my ability yes," you are a saint. And if so, keep moving in the direction that brought you to where you are now.

REMOVE ALL

REMOVE ALL

Law and order are essential for the well being of men everywhere. Judicial systems may vary from place to place but they function to make judgments, to keep order and restore order when it is broken. What is criminal may be different from nation to nation. But what nation does not hinder deter crime. What nation does not punish criminals?

A crime is committed. The body is discovered. The evidence is collected. The investigation is conducted. The suspects are identified and one or more arrested. The indictment is brought, the charges are made formal, and the trial begins. The evidence is brought. The witnesses are questioned. The summations are made. The jury is sequestered to make their finding of guilt or innocence. The finding is presented to the judge. The judge validates the judgment. The innocent is set free. For the guilty a sentence is given. 

Why must we go to so much trouble in these matters? To maintain order. To deter crime. Yes. But because the  verdict will require a sentence and the sentence will change the course of a guilty party's life, we take great pains to determine guilt or innocence beyond the shadow of a doubt. 

Doubt.

G1252  

διακρίνω

diakrinō

Thayer Definition:

1) to separate, make a distinction, discriminate, to prefer

2) to learn by discrimination, to try, decide

2a) to determine, give judgment, decide a dispute

3) to withdraw from one, desert

4) to separate one’s self in a hostile spirit, to oppose, strive with dispute, contend
5) to be at variance with one’s self, hesitate, doubt

Doubt is a serious problem. Absolute certainty about almost everything seems impossible. Yet...

God is a judge. He is the judge, one could say he is the judge of judges. His judgment is righteous and it is flawless. God is the eyewitness. Men want to remove all doubt. Men do not want to punish the innocent. God does not need to remove doubt because He has none.  And the most amazing thing is that God who judges guilt with 100% precision is the most merciful judge of all.

John 3:17  God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.

Is this too simplistic? I don't think so. But why is it important? God has revealed himself to man. Do we doubt that this is so? If we do are we not actually calling God a liar? We know God as creator. We know Him as the Truth. The very doubt that Satan whispered into Eve's ear has caused every sin and crime ever committed. "Has God said...?"

Yes. He has said. And we should not doub anything that He said or ever will say.

John 14:6

Jesus replied (to doubting Thomas), "I am the way, the truth and the life. No man can come to the Father except by me."

John 8:31-32 

Jesus therefore said to those Jews that had believed him, If ye abide in my word, [then] are ye truly my disciples; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Matthew 21:21-22 

And Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do what is done to the fig tree, but even if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea, it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

James 1:5-8 

But if any of you lacketh wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all liberally and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing doubting: for he that doubteth is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord; a doubleminded man, unstable in all his ways.

God has one plan. Do not doubt it. Go and sin no more.

Ezekiel 18:25-32 (ASV):

25.Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel: Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal?

26. When the righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth therein; in his iniquity that he hath done shall he die.

27. Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive.

28. Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

29. Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal? are not your ways unequal?

30. Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord Jehovah. Return ye, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.

31. Cast away from you all your transgressions, wherein ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

32. For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord Jehovah: wherefore turn yourselves, and live