Wise as Serpents

Awesome band name! Also the name of the latest article by Ron Graham of RaptureReady (your resource in case the rapture happens!).

“Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents weren't serpents bad back when they were lizards?, and harmless as doves,” Matthew 10:16. So often today, we only see a section of this verse being adhered to, and that’s to be harmless as doves BWA HAHAHAHAHAHA yeah, fundagelicals in the US are just dovey! backing wars, supporting torture, shouting n***er at cameramen, "dove" is exactly what comes to mind. Many Christians seemingly dismiss the part about being wise as serpents. i'll buy that they reject wisdom. Jesus was sending His disciples out into the world, a world full of evil or political systems that saw the christians coming and knew that wasn't going to work out well for them. same difference. His commandment still stands, He sends every Christian out into the midst of that same evil world overwhelmingly inhabited by evil, evilevilevil. you know, my niece has to write a sentence for each vocabulary word for homework. one of the words was "pointy". (she's 9) she wrote "my pencil point is very pointy", then erased "point" because she didn't want to use the same word twice in the same sentence. apparently, even 9 year olds are better writers than Jack Graham. devouring, satanic wolves. what's with the wolf hating? They are majestic animals. They certainly aren't evil. Unless you count eating meat as evil, in which case I'm sure Jack Graham is evil, too. Poor wolves.

I send you forth as sheep. baa! Don’t misunderstand the meaning here. The sheep in this case are those of us who are called by His name, those belonging to the Lord. Jesus is our good shepherd. We are His Church, His flock, and as such He sends all Christians out into the world to be the light of the world. he should have sent them forth as wolves. wolves are a lot harder to kill than sheep. hell, I could kill a sheep. We’re not to hide from the wolves, but we are to witness to them and to spread the good news of Christ to all those who are perishing. I now have an amusing image of holding a bible in front of a slavering wolf, who is not at all persuaded not to drive me off. Even the most fearsome of wolves need to hear the Gospel. I think the wolf might be more interested in the bacon in my pocket, but whatever. (don't carry bacon around in your pocket if there is even the slightest chance of a wolf encounter. my dog wouldn't let that one go.)

Many Christians are content with remaining as sheep no matter who becomes their shepherd. such being the nature of sheep. On November 4th of this year, many professing Christians exchanged their true Shepherd, who calls them by their name Bush?, for a false shepherd, who will only lead them astray. Obama! We won and you lost! Sheepish Christians will be led to the slaughter as they continue in the mindset of this false shepherd being their new deliverer. Isn't Obama ending the war? Even if he were Muslim, they don't eat people. If this false shepherd has his way, the Christians in this country will become the apostate Church spoken of in the Book of Revelation. that's exactly what Obama wants! Who gave this guy a copy of the Liberal Agenda? Everyone, right now, take out your Liberal Agenda, turn to page 2, paragraph 3, subsection ii(b): This Agenda is not to be shown to professing Christians. Could it be any clearer, people?

In the midst of wolves. Jesus used wolves poor, misunderstood wolves! as a metaphor referring to cruel, greedy, rapacious, destructive men why? wolves kill to eat, just like us. they share the food with everyone in the pack. they don't rape. they are not destructive. I really dislike this wolf metaphor. Bad Jesus!. Jesus said “He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad, Matthew 12:30.

I also dislike this "he is not with me is against me" thing, too. It leaves out the vast spectrum of people who couldn't care less. Like me. I am an atheist. I don't care what you believe. You want to worship Jesus, be my guest. You are also welcome to worship the Flying Spaghetti Monster or Cthulu for all I care. I'm not with Jesus, but I'm not against him, either. Yet his assertion that this is not true, that by not supporting him, I am opposing him has caused more death and misery and suffering than anything else.

Bad Jesus!

Basically those who are the followers of Satan are the wolves in this case. wait for it . . . Everyone – that’s everyone I mean everyone! – who doesn’t follow Jesus Christ is a follower of Satan. Muslims? Satanists. Buddhists? Satanists. Hindus? Satanists. Jews? Satanists. Consider carefully Jesus’ statement above he said that those who are not for him are against him, not that they worship Satan!, Satan is utterly and emphatically against Jesus Christ from what I understand, Satan is utterly and emphatically against God. Jesus he just wanted to tempt into sin in order to get at god. I always did like Satan's character best. Satan spreads lies, because he is the father of all lies or he's lord of the flies, and scatters people abroad. huh? Jesus’ statement places everyone who is not with Him in the same category as Satan i'm the same as the ruler of hell? where's my damn powers? i want some powers and some demons and some suffering souls right now!; Satan is already condemned to rule hell. not a bad deal. and so are all who follow him. The difference being Satan can’t change his eternal destiny, but those deceived individuals who follow him can. eh, he still gets to rule hell. (yeah, I was fun in Catholic school)

Many Christians today are so full of fear that they allow this evil world to dictate to them what they can do for Christ and what they can’t. really? that's why the average christian is not obeying Jesus' commands to feed the hungry and clothe the naked and comfort the suffering? Matt 10:8 Matt 25:43-45 My brothers and sisters, this should not be so. We are to be the example in a world of evil and we can only be an example if we are actually out in the world proclaiming the message of the Gospel of Christ. We have nothing to fear for “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world,” 1John 4:4. We have nothing to fear but fear itself

“Alas, how many are influenced by fear of men! Oh, you cowards, will you be damned out of fear? Will you sooner let your souls perish than show your manhood by telling a poor mortal that you defy his scorn? Dare you not follow the right though all men in the world should call you to do the wrong? Oh, you cowards! You cowards! How you deserve to perish who have not enough soul to call your souls your own, but cower down before the sneers of fools!”
Charles Spurgeon

Spurgeon certainly pulls no punches. As Luke, a friend my mine from Australia , so aptly puts it, “Straight down the line, no mucking about”. That was Spurgeon’s way, and why was that? Because that was our Lord’s way also. Jesus did not mince words and it’s not difficult to understand what He means by “Wise as serpents”. Which is why I find it hard to understand why Christians so conveniently ignore Jesus' commands to help people, even the least among us. He didn't mean (just) preach at them, he meant real help. "As you do unto the least of my brothers, you do unto me." Pretty fucking clear.

Wise as serpents. The serpent was a symbol of cunning and wisdom uh, and evil. Jesus doesn’t want us to be complacent in our walk with Him but to be ever vigilant, prudent, and sensible as we confront this world and all its evils. The world is full of temptations that we Christians must, at all cost, avoid. like [censored], or [censored], or my personal favorite, [censored]? The serpent was wise and cunning and Jesus expects His sheep to display at the very least those two characteristics, but to use them in a very different way than the serpents and the wolves of this world. Use the tactics of your enemy against him? Isn't that the justification for torture and war? We who are filled with His Holy Spirit use those characteristics with love and compassion as we confront the lost souls of this world. I'm sure the torture victims really appreciate the love and compassion with which they are tortured!

“O that men were wise enough to see that suffering for Christ is honour yeah, there are some honors I will pass on, that loss for truth is gain less is more? green is the new black?, that the truest dignity rests in wearing the chain upon the arm rather than endure the chain upon the soul.”
Charles Spurgeon

Harmless as doves. The English word harmless is translated from the Greek word “akeraios” and refers to being of a pure mind, without a mixture of evil, free from guile, innocent, as in the case of a dove. Why are doves pure, but wolves and serpents are not? they're all animals, not one more capable of guile and deceit than the other. shouldn't we be comparing animals to, say, man? Jesus isn’t saying we should be fearful but that we should be innocent as doves as we trust Him and step out in faith because it’s through His name, and through His power we do so. Do you know why security companies hire excons and the NSA hires people who hack their systems? because it is wolves who know how wolves work. doves don't understand how wolves operate, and thus get eaten.

Many of today’s prominent Christian leaders are admonishing their flocks, not to concern themselves with politics.

Churches, like all nonprofits, are 501c(3) organizations, named after the section of the Tax Code that applies to them. 501c(3)s are forbidden to engage in politics. A priest is welcome to admonish his congregation to vote prolife. He can even verbally promote one candidate over another. However, the instant the 501(c)3 starts using its own money to say, mail out flyers, or send employees door to door to stump for a candidate, it loses its tax free status, and must convert to a "inc." or "co." or "LLC". They will also have to pay back taxes for the years in which they engaged in this activity. (See: Mormon Church and Prop 8) It is wise for christian leaders to not engage in politics at all, lest it lead to tax code violations.

They say spreading the Gospel is our concern and we can’t be harmless as doves if we are involved in politics. sound advice from my perspective. Yes, spreading the Gospel of Christ is number one on our list of priorities, and yet, every Christian in this country should know that if it hadn’t been for the overwhelming intervention of Christians when this nation was first established, there would be no United States of American as we know it today. uh-huh. That's only because the vast majority of people on the damn continent were christian. the christianity of the founding fathers was entirely tangential to the nation they created, as evidenced by the fact that we are not a theocracy. If they really wanted to create a christian nation, they could have. In fact, founding father Thomas Jefferson himself coined the phrase "separation of church and state." Suck. On. That.

Many Christians today aren’t really following Christ’s commandment to preach the Gospel to all creatures including bears? what about salamanders? and in that sense there’s no need to be wise as serpents, just harmless as doves, or a better description would be worthless as salt that has lost its saltiness. What?! the taste of salt is an inherent property to sodium chloride. salt that is no longer salty isn't freakin' salt anymore!

Behold I send you forth. Simply put, God Almighty sends us forth to spread the Gospel of Christ to all who will give an ear. and to everyone who won't, since they won't leave me alone. if these asshats were only talking to me about sex, i could have them arrested. Sadly, many Christians today aren’t willing to spread the Gospel. or they're polite. or shy. i feel for the shy people. don't worry, shy people. we won't laugh at you. As a matter of fact, many professing to have the love of Christ in them have no heart for the lost whatsoever. and now i'm lost. where am i? how did i get here? Spurgeon states that suffering for Christ is an honor. feel the honor, bitch! feel it! any wonder why torture doesn't work? either you get people like me who would say absolutely anything to get you to stop, or you get someone who feels they are being honored, and doesn't tell you anything. Is that our attitude today? Or are we merely going about our business unconcerned with the salvation of those who are so deceived that they follow Satan instead of Christ? third option: believing in nothing. What of their eternal destination? same as yours. i have no idea if there is an afterlife or not, i think not, but who knows, but i think we're all going there.

“Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 9:12. You and I once walked as those worldly wolves in gucci and prada? of today, which is after the lust of the flesh. mmmmm [censored], really hot [censored] with [censored]. the lust of the flesh is underrated, trust me. No longer are we tied to this world in such a way as to follow those who are under Satan’s power. follow me into the sky! We should not be lusting after personal gain to obtain self-reliance. i'm not lusting after personal gain, i'm lusting after [censored]. really, really, really hot [censored]. Being indwelt by the Holy Spirit [censored!] means we aren’t motivated by the flesh as is the world. yeah, that's right, you don't need to eat or drink or breathe as much as the rest of us. whatever. “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations…” 2 Peter 2:9. Jesus will supply all the power hyperpower! we need to escape temptation if we will only trust Him.

As Christians we have been called by a Holy calling could you stop with the same word over and over again?, and as such we are to be wise as serpents, cunning, and full of the wisdom that comes from God alone. or, you know, life. As believers we are to approach each day as a child of the light as opposed to us children of darkness. such barbaric metaphors! think about it. why is light good, dark bad? because, way, way, way back in the day, before electricity and guns and, well, fire, people died in the darkness, killed by nocturnal predators. Nowadays, you can lock your doors, turn out all the lights, and be completely safe. I prefer darkness to light personally, because prophyria has left me very sensitive to light. (i have a low electric bill), confronting evil and calling on the power of the Holy Spirit to bind evil from our midst as we spread the Gospel of Christ to a lost and perishing Christ rejecting world. BWAH HAHAHAHAHA. I want to see a demonstration of this!

Be pure minded and this is why i fail at christianity. right now, i am thinking of [censored], and it is good!, innocent as doves pooping on a car!, without a yearning to pursue evil desires oh, but pursuing desires is so . . . very . . . fun, but still as wise as serpents poisoning people with out fangs!. We’re in the world but not of the world, we are different no you're not. christians lie, steal, cheat, fuck and blow up buildings like everyone else. get over it!, and that difference is what galls the world no, that sameness is what galls you. what galls me is your self-satisfied, holier than thou, righteous determination to rub my nose in your belief while the world burns around us all., they just can’t understand Christian behavior you got that right!. They’re out there, those wolves, just around the next corner waiting to devour us rrrrrrr!. Thanks be to God we have nothing to fear from them.

Fear not is mentioned hundreds of times in the Bible. Clearly God’s wish for our lives is that we shouldn’t fear because we’ve placed our trust and faith in Him. no, god's wish is that we fear him. he tormented the egyptians just to prove that he existed, tormented the israelites for not believing in him enough, ordered the israelites to torment everyone else, and if i let one little impure thought through my head [there it goes], i will be tormented forever in hell. fear not, indeed! True faith does not fear what we don’t know or can’t see, true faith just worships it to the exclusion of actual reality true faith and trust is allowing God to take care of all those little things. wait, i can get god to clean my toilets? how do i convert? There’s an old adage that was passed around a few years ago and perhaps this is a good time to bring it back. It went something like this, “Don’t sweat the little things, and all things are little things to God”. i think that was "don't sweat the small stuff", but whatever.

We have entered the last of the last days see all the end of the world predictions that didn't come true and Jesus will extract His Church very soon now, of that I’m sure. In the meantime, Christians are to be that light Jesus speaks about set on a hill, wasn't that a shining city, not a light? and most certainly we’re to be active in the governmental processes of our land. stop that. we're a representative democracy, not a theocracy. “No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light,” Luke 11:33. who the hell would put a lit candle under a bushel? a firebug?

Jesus promised us that if we be “wise as serpents” we would not be deceived, especially in these end times when He told us there would be so much deception being promoted as truth. if you're listening to Mr. Graham, you've been deceived. Isn't always the liar who warns you against liars? Even those individuals you’d love to follow can be deceived. who? satan? obama? me? you can trust me. really. Be careful, be diligent, and be wise as a serpent.

God bless you all, no thanks!

Ron Graham