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Today is Friday April 30, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of I Kings, chapters 21-22. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.readytofollow.com/bible-april-30

Title: Bible Study: Deception of Religion
Statistics say that one-third of the entire world considers themselves Christians and that over half of the world believe in God, currently there is over 6.8 billion people in the world, that means that 2.27 billion people call themselves Christians. Now, eliminate all the false religions, including Jehovah Witnesses and Mormons, and that number is drastically reduced. If you have been reading the recent messages, earlier in the week we learned that only one-third of Israel followed God when the Kingdom was divided into two nations, while the rest chose false religions. Sadly, false religion literally sends billions of people to hell. Being a Christian, Jew, Muslim, or Evolutionist does not escape the fact that heaven and hell does exist and that no one is exempt from hell, except those whom have with their mouths confessed that they are sinners and believe in and accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior. To be a Christian one needs to have accepted that they are a sinner, that there is a heaven and a hell, that Jesus is the only begotten Son of God, born of a virgin, and that He died, was buried, and resurrected three days later to save all believers from hell. If your religion denies any of those things, you are being deceived and need to seriously take a look at where you are headed. Religion does not get you to heaven, Jesus does!

Ahab was one of the most detestable, vile kings of the Old Testament, “But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.” - I Kings 21:25. The sad thing is that he knew who God was and that He was the only true and living God. Yet, he refused to listen to the countless warnings from godly prophets telling him to turn from his wicked ways. At the center of all this was his wife, Jezebel, he may have been the king, but she was the one in control. All Ahab had to do was whine to Jezebel and he got everything he wanted. Proven point when he tried to get a man to sell his vineyard that was next door to his house, the man refused, so, he cried about it to Jezebel. “And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him: for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread. But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread? And he said unto her, Because I spake unto Naboth the Jezreelite, and said unto him, Give me thy vineyard for money; or else, if it please thee, I will give thee another vineyard for it: and he answered, I will not give thee my vineyard. And Jezebel his wife said unto him, Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite. So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that were in his city, dwelling with Naboth. And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people: And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die.” - I Kings 21:4-10. This wicked woman had that man killed so that Ahab could get that property. The one time she uses God's name is to lie to the people get them to stone an innocent man. Wicked people may claim that they do not believe in God, but they will sure use His name to get what they want. All these false religious leaders have a harsh awakening upon them.

God gave Ahab a miraculous victory over the Syrian king Benhadad at Aphek (I Kings 20:28-30). Although he made no covenant with God, he did make a covenant with Benhadad, his enemy, after defeating him. He then released him with the assurance that he would return Ramothgilead, a strategic fortress near the border, but three years passed and it was still under Syrian control. Ahab invited Jehoshaphat, his daughter's father-in-law who was the king of Judah, to join him in a war to regain Ramothgilead. Looking for assurance, about four hundred of Ahab's paid prophets unanimously assured the two kings of a great victory, but godly Jehoshaphat felt uneasy about trusting these false prophets and asked Ahab if there was a godly prophet among them. Ahab reluctantly sent for Micaiah from prison, “And he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd: and the LORD said, These have no master: let them return every man to his house in peace.

And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would prophesy no good concerning me, but evil? And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left. And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner....Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil concerning thee. But Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near, and smote Micaiah on the cheek, and said, Which way went the Spirit of the LORD from me to speak unto thee?” - I Kings 22:17-20,23,24. Micaiah, was sent to prison earlier because of his faithfulness to God, all men and women of God were persecuted as long as Jezebel was queen. Though he was slapped, dragged back to prison, and threatened with cruel treatment, the faithful Micaiah persisted in maintaining the truthfulness of his message and called upon the people to bear witness to it. Micaiah's one vote of opposition was rejected by Ahab who fulfilled the very prophecy proclaimed by Micaiah. Neither fears nor favors tempted Micaiah to betray his calling, he refused to be intimidated into lying even by the presence of two kings and his four hundred false prophets. God proved the obedient prophet correct when Ahab was killed on the first day of battle, his false god, his false prophets, nor his wicked wife could save him from the judgment that had been placed against him.

False religions are nothing, but wicked leaders trying to make a profit off of lost people, people who are looking for comfort and someone to lift them up and encourage them when they are struggling. They rewrite the Bible to suit their needs, say a few words, claiming that it was from God, then drum up this new religion creating God who they want Him to be, while deceiving and taking innocent lives to hell with them. Jesus Said, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again....For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” - John 3:5-7,16-18. No matter how good we are, how religious we are, unless you are born again you will not see heaven. Praise God that all it takes is for us to confess with out mouths that we believe in Jesus and that we are saved through Him and it is eternal, no matter if we never do anything for God.

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and weekend.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina