Study – Grow – Know

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• 1. Jen B  |  August 18, 2020 at 10:02 AM

  Good morning Modres. I have been pondering your last post and the state of the world and feeling rather convicted at my arrogance in thinking I have things all figured out.

  In reading scripture I was led to reflect on Romans 13, our submission to government:

  “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.
  Therefore, whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive the greater condemnation upon themselves; for rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same.”

  I’m sure you know the text better than and, and it even goes on to declare that taxes are instituted by God and we should pay them with that in mind. That sure makes paying taxes a bit less painful.

  Obviously in ACTS when the apostles were told not to declare the Name of Jesus they said they must choose to obey God rather than the command. I’ve heard many debates within Christendom that wearing masks and agreeing not to have large gatherings to worship is overreach and perhaps it is but I find myself wondering if it’s that hard to simply “as far as it is up to us leave peaceably among all”.?

  Romans 12 and 13 seems to lend itself towards submission and compliance. Is being asked to wear masks and limit gatherings a wicked command? Where are we Biblically commanded to meet in large gatherings? I cannot see Paul or John having envisioned the mega church or even the entire American church system as we know it today. Believers gathered in small gatherings and likely without as much adherence to a weekly format than we see in the 5013C Format. Yes, I am aware of Hebrews 10 but I’ve never seen how that verse gets extrapolated into the modern church system. However I digress.
  This morning I found myself wondering is it just possible I am truly ignorant and wrong in my assumptions about the current pandemic? I know many feel it was planned, and I would count myself among those who see that as a possibility, but God said there would be pestilences. Is it possible these Godless rulers truly believe they are doing good in trying to prevent more death? No one has proposed shutting churches down forever and I have wondered what is the real witness of the church today…is it doing our best to live peaceably through respectfully wearing masks and meeting online or in smaller groups OR is it standing for our rights? Yes, there is a double standard in play between protests and gatherings but does that mean “do your best to live peaceably among all unless you are being unfairly treated in which case stand up for freedom?”

  I was reminded that prophecy is always fulfilled exactly, never almost. I also was reminded that if I understand correctly, the believers during the time of the Pauline epistles and writings of John were expecting the LORD at any moment. They didn’t have Bill Gates, the vaccines, etc. I was thinking of what Christians must have been thinking when social security numbers came out. Point being, there are so many of us connecting current events to prophecy that I find myself wondering, well, isn’t the next event prophetically the rapture? And while we see shadows of what end time events but it is possible we are speculating too much regrading current events?

  Lastly, a Christian writer broke down Romans 13 and said Paul didn’t mean it how it sounded and that christians should be willing to break the law to stand for freedom and how the German christians in pre nazi Germany allowed it to happen by obedience. I’ve read these verses over and over and frankly I can’t get there without reading something into the text that I don’t see. He compared it to what happened to the apostles…how Paul was arrested, etc. However, Jesus foretold what would happen to Peter, and He clearly preserved Paul until it was time for Paul to leave his earthly dwelling. In a sense, are we arguing the sovereignty of God in all of this?

  Just pondering. Respond at convenience, or not at all! Haha.

  “The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.”
  Romans 13:12

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  • 2. modres  |  August 18, 2020 at 11:40 AM

    Hi Jen,

    As always, thanks for your questions and your willingness to see different viewpoints. I try to do that myself even when I think I absolutely know something 🙂

    With respect to Romans 13, I wrote a bit of commentary on that whole thing. What I learned is that there may have been a very good reason that Paul wrote what he wrote and I include those thoughts in that particular article: https://studygrowknowblog.com/2020/04/13/a-look-at-romans-13/

    I believe we have misunderstood Paul’s thoughts here and try to flesh them out in the above article. Let’s remember that during Paul’s day, the Roman soldiers had every right to stop you, demand that you should let them know what you had on you and even confiscate any documents you may have been carrying. I believe Paul was writing what he wrote for two reasons as I explain in the article. You’ll have to let me know your thoughts after you’ve had time to digest it.

    Mega churches are not something I think the apostles saw. However, Paul did warn against not meeting together for fellowship. While too many churches today believe “zoom” meetings brings us together, it doesn’t really. Christians (and all human beings) need the warmth of fellowship and togetherness because that’s what we need.

    To obey the government regarding canceling churches is to lift up the government over God, in my opinion, and that must be avoided. I believe the position that Dr. John MacArthur now takes about keeping church open is the one he should’ve taken at the beginning. He is being threatened with arrest and fines. I was frustrated when our own church closed doors for a while. I thought it completely unnecessary when it would have been good enough for those who were afraid or within the groups most likely to contract CV-19 to simply stay home. The idea of quarantining and entire society because some will get sick and some will die, is the height of lunacy in my opinion.

    Consider this: government says NO to churches and most businesses. It says YES to abortion clinics, big box stores and protesting/rioting. There is a huge disconnect here with our government so what is the problem?

    I believe the problem is not simply trying to derail Trump’s presidency and re-election. I believe it goes way beyond that. Currently, the globalists (under satanic control), have made phenomenal gains in society because of CV-19. Do we really believe they will give those gains up if Biden is elected (or Trump)? Not a chance, unless they are forced to do so.

    President Trump just recently (finally!) fired Dr. Fauci, replacing him with Dr. Scott Atlas, who speaks against the opinions of Dr. Fauci, whom Atlas believes has caused undo problems for the USA. Our economy has been shut down with the loss of thousands of businesses and jobs and now we’re learning that suicides outnumber CV-19 deaths. Dr. Atlas advocates reopening our society including schools and he believes it can be done safely. Unfortunately, many won’t hear him because of the propaganda provided by Fauci/Birx for so long.

    Is it possible that Drs. Fauci and Birx have lied to us? I believe it is not only possible but a distinct reality. Remember, Satan is building his final empire that will eventually be led by the Antichrist. Because of this, all the lies that we are hearing come directly from Satan.

    I don’t believe we are arguing against God’s sovereignty in this situation simply because of all the lies we are being told. CV-19 is a very real illness that has taken the lives of too many people. But consider the numbers of lies that have been told. Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) must be avoided and some governors have banned its use. Yet, more and more doctors are coming out in support of HCQ due to its efficacy.

    Sweden never locked down. They never adopted mask policies and they are WAY ahead of the curve because herd immunity was allowed to do its God-given job. South Dakota is similar in nature. Sweden is down to one death per day at most.

    I believe because of the lock downs and quarantines, we never had the chance to build up and use Herd Immunity (like Sweden did). Now that things are reopening, of COURSE we will see a rise in CV-19 because it picked up where it left off. However, we are seeing a reduction in DEATHS even though there is a rise of incidents. This means that Herd Immunity is working.

    Whether God sent this illness or not (and I believe He certainly ALLOWED it), intelligent decision-making could have kept our economy from being destroyed, not killed so many people, and today, we would not have a populace petrified with fear that they are going to die if they shake hands with someone.

    Imagine if Christians had done what they could have to stopped Hitler. At least some people took Jews in and hid them from the Nazis. Were they wrong to do so because of laws at the time? Nope! We know that.

    Satan’s kingdom is being built, yes. However, we don’t have to go along with it. My wife and I do not wear masks even though stores may “require” them. We don’t because the science is simply not there and in fact, science tells us that wearing masks can be very harmful to our health. I saw a post on FB where one gal stated that she believed Jesus would wear a mask. I disagree because of the many harmful effects of wearing them. I also do not believe God wants us to cover our mouths and noses. We exhale carbon dioxide, not re-breathe it back in once exhaled. If a store manager says we cannot come into that store without a mask, then we will find other stores that will allow us. We won’t make a fuss about it. Certainly, stores have the right to create their policies, but when those policies harm more than help, we have choices.

    I believe the pandemic has been planned. When God said there would be pestilences, etc., He was acknowledging that they would exist. He did not differentiate between whether they would be man-made or sent from Him in some cases. We know once we get into the Tribulation, much of what happens comes directly from the throne of God. However, there are also numerous examples of things happening that do not appear to come directly from God, though He obviously allows them to occur because they ultimately serve His purposes.

    I think – and I may be wrong – that globalists under the direction of Satan, have released this illness into the world for several reasons. 1) they want to kill people, 2) they want to gain control over people, and 3) they want to bring forth the NWO as they envision it. Should Christians go along with it? No, especially when the reality and facts point to the opposite of what globalists are telling us.

    A vaccine is on the way, right? Will you be taking it? We won’t be. Will that mean we will be marginalized by society to the fringes? Will we not be able to participate fully in society as we previously have been able to do? Quite possibly, but I’m concerned about the coming vaccine and its contents. They have never created a successful vaccine for ANY version of Coronavirus (and CV in some form has been with us since at least 2007), but now we are to believe that this coming vaccine will eradicate CV-19 even though they’re skipping major steps in its development? That’s laughable. CV-19 will never be eradicated from society because it’s here.

    We Christians know the end game. We know what’s going to happen and clearly (to me), the events that are occurring today are in “lock step” with Satan’s plans to birth the final world empire, which will be taken over by Antichrist (his spiritual son), and wrested from the 10 Kings spoken of in Revelation 17. This is Satan’s plan. Is God allowing it? Certainly, and likely limiting what Satan can do and accomplish now.

    I think (for me), the truth appears to be that thousands upon thousands of people died needlessly because of extremely poor decisions by Drs. Fauci and Birx. Those were purposeful decisions and they will be held accountable by God in their day of judgment. Why President Trump kept them around for five months is beyond me. Because of Fauci especially, decisions were made that actually made things much worse, in my opinion.

    The fact that several governors took CV-19 patients and housed them in nursing homes added fuel to the fire. They are guilty of murdering thousands of elderly people because of that move, yet they blame Trump. Their judgment is assured unless they repent and find Jesus.

    Having just come back from a cross country trip to California, I can attest to the fact that people are very upset and waking up. They are ready to overthrow the globalists who have done tremendous damage to this country. I’m not saying that I support armed rebellion but I DO understand where people are coming from.

    Imagine it…we have morphed into a society that now sees other human beings as “lethal” and “deadly” if we get too close to them, or shake their hand, or hug them. Human beings NEED this type of interaction because we are not animals who live by instinct. We live by reason. This is why God gave us Herd Immunity. No, it doesn’t work all the time because it depends upon the individual and whether or not their immune systems are compromised. I believe we have a responsibility to be as healthy as possible because we are the Temple of the Holy Spirit. We should eliminate foods that are destructive, exercise and eat correctly. We should use supplements to a degree. We should live healthy lives as much as possible. This allows Herd Immunity to do its marvelous work.

    Moreover (and my final point for now), is that we Americans have RIGHTS as guaranteed by the United States Constitution. Neither Paul or other people living in his day had these rights. We should absolutely avail ourselves of them. The government has NO right to keep us from gathering for worship because that means that they are canceling the First Amendment. They have NO right to tell us which businesses are “essential” and which are not. They are supposed to get out of our way and do their best to uphold and support the rights that the Constitution says we have been given by God Himself.

    The Constitution does not have a “pandemic” clause allowing the government to do whatever they want when they think some health hazard is harmful to us. It is not listed anywhere in the Constitution that the government’s job is to keep us SAFE. It is MY job to make decisions that keep me and my family safe.

    The government has assuredly overstepped its boundaries here. Very clearly and if this was the Roman Empire, we wouldn’t have much to say about it. It is not the Roman Empire. We have rights, freedoms and guarantees that the government has thrown to the wind.

    I can tell people are not going to put up with this much longer.

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  • 3. modres  |  August 18, 2020 at 3:12 PM

    Jen, I forgot to mention a very important part of Scripture. If you consider Daniel who was told he must not pray to anyone other than Darius for 30 days in Daniel 6, yet what did Daniel do? He ignored the mandate and did what he always did by praying three times each day with his windows open and facing Jerusalem.

    Why was this law put into practice? It was because the satraps and supervisors were trying to trap Daniel. They figured either he would not comply with the new law and therefore be found guilty of violating it so that they could get rid of him OR Daniel would stop praying and lose credibility. In either case, they would be happy but they would be happiest if Daniel disobeyed the law and be thrown into the lion’s den.

    The outcome of course is that for God’s own purposes, He protected Daniel in the midst of the lions so that they did not hurt him.

    In Daniel 3, we see another similar situation. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were brought before Nebuchadnezzar because they would not bow down to the image he had set up and demanded all the people bow to and worship. The chapter tells us Nebuchadnezzar gave them one last opportunity to bow, but they remained resolute. Nebuchadnezzar became enraged and had them thrown into the fiery furnace which he had ordered to be heated seven times hotter than usual. As I’m sure you know, the men were spared but noticed their testimony to the king before they were placed into the fiery furnace:

    “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us[c] from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” (Daniel 3:16-18)

    In both cases, a government decided that their rules superseded and were more important than God’s rules. Because of it, believers were forced to decide and refused to go along, knowing full well that they might die because of it.

    In today’s world, government has decided church gatherings are not “essential,” yet church is the most essential thing in society! For Christians to agree with the government and stop gathering for worship places God second. There is NO science that supports the belief that 846 people can be at Lowe’s at one time, but churches must not gather. How ridiculous is that?

    At any rate, consider what I’m saying and determine if you believe there is merit to it or not. God bless.

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    • 4. Jen b  |  August 18, 2020 at 3:54 PM

      Yes, thank you for sending the post you did about Romans 13 in the past. I am reading through that and I see what you mean. I agree with your last comment 100% that fellowship is essential and I appreciate the references to Daniel remaining faithful while living in Babylon. Also comforting to be reminded of God’s sovereignty.

      Please know I do not mean to challenge you, my thinking has Been consistent with yours in terms of what we see unfolding before us. I will absolutely consider all and prayerfully.

      Grace and peace multiplied unto thee.

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    • 5. modres  |  August 18, 2020 at 4:49 PM

      Hi Jen,

      Don’t worry about me thinking people are challenging me 🙂 The reality is that people SHOULD verify what I’m saying against the backdrop of Scripture. We all have that responsibility. I’m not perfect and still learning even after all these years.

      Thank you for your willingness to pray about and consider what I’ve said.

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• 6. Jen b  |  August 15, 2020 at 12:31 PM

  Modres, thank you for this. Someone recently used the best verse to describe what’s going on….everything we see and hear from media is “cleverly disguised fables”. We dispensationalists get blamed for doom and gloom yet if we know our Bibles how could we believe there is a blessing ahead for America? God is merciful, yes but He will not be mocked. It was billy graham that said if God didn’t judge America he would have to apologize for Sodom and Gomorrah. Of course president Trump looks better than the alternative but the Word of God tells us not to put our confidence in a faithless man in the day of trouble. We also know God allows the basest of men to gain power. It is a sad state of the morality of Americans when trump is the best we can do. The apostasy in the church is so widespread the Gospel is barely heard anymore in our Nation. You can’t be a nation of drug users (including many in the church but the pharmakia is passed off as anti depressants)the largest exporter of porn ( including unspeakable abuse of children) and a corrupt judicial system plus an open lawless society and get by with it. Just finished up Micah and take a look at why the nation of Israel was being judged. We are well past that.

  You said it! The realities are there for anyone who can see, yet most seem ignorant, willfully so. It’s tragic to say the least. God allows base people to gain power because of the corruption that exists in a nation or empire. Trouble is that the United States, even before its founding, was on thin ice in many ways with people like John D. Rockefiller, Andrew Carnegie and a few others who had learned how to use and abuse workers for their own personal gain allowing them to become super rich so that they could eventually become “philanthropists” to continue to make a name for themselves.

  If Trump gets elected the push for vaccines wont going to go away and we now have a situation where people are calling for federal troops in their backyards. People are willing to vote him in for “law and order” and jobs. Well that’s Rome all over again. Law and order. Watch out. If re-elected he will no doubt deploy military troops into cities. I do understand why but where will this lead? No where good. I often wonder if This isn’t the most genius ruse ever, except the people running things are very low level. Their master satan, however is not low level.

  Unfortunately, yes. Way back in history (either with the polio or small pox epidemic; planned?), a court ruled that the government could force citizens to accept the vaccine on the basis of “public health and safety.” What we may well see is a limiting on those folks who refuse to accept the vaccination. How many times does Bill Gates have to say “there’s no going back to normal until the vaccine is available and everyone takes it” before people understand the actual plan going forward?

  Military troops (from the federal government) are not allowed to be called into American cities. The National Guard is different but I hear people calling for the actual military to intervene and unfortunately, POTUS has no authority to send in military troops. What he CAN do (and HAS done), is send in federal law enforcement agencies (like ATF, BATF, etc.), to quell riots and problems IF federal property is being threatened. POTUS cannot simply send in American military troops to fight against American citizens, no matter how bad it gets. The police and other local law enforcement agencies are supposed to be used, but of course, they answer to the mayor and the mayor can tell them to “stand down,” creating more opportunities for the lawless.

  And what about this Israel peace plan!? They are actually calling it the Abraham accord!?!? Don’t mess with the land God promised to Israel. I love and pray for Israel but I also understand they are not in a place of restoration and blessing. And these same pro trump prophecy obsessed Christians who constantly talk about the anti christ and the chip and insist the rapture is any moment (I believe in the rapture and that it can happen any moment. I don’t believe in newspaper exegesis) now say, well, it’s okay to have peace so long as it’s Trump. How can Christians be duped by this?

  When I heard about the alleged peace plan, I looked it up and right behind President Trump in the photo was his son-in-law, Senior White House Advisor, Jared Kushner. In my mind, the plan immediately became suspect. I don’t believe it’ll last or have any real impact on things. What people fail to understand is that in general, Arabs/Muslims do not like Jews. They’ve grown up with the teachings that Jews are lower than animals and the only good Jew is a dead Jew. This of course is satanic thinking to its core, but simply reading the Quran through supports those erroneous and bigoted beliefs. I also noticed that Arabs/Muslims are already protesting. The big sticking point is the Temple Mount where both Muslims and Jews believe each group owns and has the rights to it. Currently, with three mosques and no Jewish Temple on the Mount, Arabs are in control, even though on paper, Israel owns the rights to the Temple Mount since the Six Day War. Instead of claiming it then, Jewish leaders allowed the Temple Mount area to remain under control of Arab/Muslims “security.”

  I’m no prophet either but I think we see before us the battle of Romans 1 and Romans 2. An Open debased lawless pagan culture vs religious apostasy that leaves out the true God. The attacks on Catholics are growing and seems to be uniting Christendom. Now comes that great ecumenical movement we’ve been expecting. They may conquer and win and build their kingdom but the discerning believer needs to understand they are not building or ushering in the kingdom of God.

  The ecumenical movement has been the world’s greatest problem and it continues, bringing all “religious” groups under one heading, over which the Antichrist will eventually rule with the False Prophet at his side.

  Trump is not the answer. In my flesh I long for him to win but with spiritual eyes I don’t think it matters. Personally I believe the world could become almost recognizable as they destroy the societal norms. The east west balance of world powers that has been in place will likely soon give way to the 4th kingdom Daniel spoke of. That 4th kingdom will conquer the whole earth until it gives way to 10 divisions. We may Likely be around for this OWG.

  I’m glad you’re familiar with the prophecies of Daniel. There we learned of the major kingdoms that will come and go under the “times of the Gentiles” and we are watching the formation of the final kingdom, which segues into the fifth kingdom, the Revised Roman Empire. It’s actually the FOURTH, but rises again in a different form, which is why some say it’s the fifth. Nonetheless, this kingdom is rising right now. You’ve noticed how many leaders and alleged “experts” are all pushing the same talking points while ignoring actual science? This is reflected in what they tell us about masks and other social distancing “recommendations.” Anyone – doctors especially – who speak against this narrative espoused by leaders, are relegated to ban, censure or worse. I’ve never seen this type of stupidity in society by the masses, but it seems clear that this may well be part of God sending the delusion so that they will believe the lie(s), (2 Thessalonians 2:11).

  What must the disciples have thought when Jesus predicted the destruction of the temple is AD70? Americans need to be prepared for a nation that looks nothing like what we’ve seen.

  Yes, but few seem to be prepared at all. They are all awaiting the cavalry in the form of Q or President Trump.

  Our citizenship is in heaven and from it we await a Savior.

  Amen!

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  • 7. modres  |  August 15, 2020 at 12:56 PM

    Hi Jen,

    I interspersed my comments above in between your paragraphs (in bold and italics). I hope that’s okay. It just made it a bit easier to comment specifically on your individual points.

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• 8. Rita Owens McNeil  |  August 14, 2020 at 7:00 PM

  This is an intriguing post and site. Please give me more information on Study-Grow-Know. Is this produced / sponsored by an organization or just one person? Please let me know how I can research your background and worldview, as I believe In practicing careful discernment on everything I read and consider.

  Thank you in advance, and God bless your work.

  R. McNeill

  >

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  • 9. modres  |  August 14, 2020 at 8:08 PM

    Hi Rita, thanks for finding us! If you go to our BELIEFS page you’ll see what we believe about the Bible and major doctrines. I’m one person who has a Bachelor’s in Bible, Masters in Biblical Studies and a Doctorate in Theology. I’ve written over 30 books on a variety of biblical subjects. I appreciate that you are using discernment as too many today do not. You may wish to spend some time going over past articles and I’m a conservative biblical theologian. Any questions you might have I’d be happy to do my best to answer. Thanks again.

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