A Message for Today's Youth

When I was a teenager, we often used the word "bad" to indicate something that we liked. For example we might say "that song is bad". This statement really meant that we liked the song. We were being indoctrinated into something sinister and in our naivete, we had no idea. That indoctrination has been completed in today's young adults. Young people today use words like "wicked", "evil" and "beast" to describe something that they think is good.

This is harmless chatter. Right? This is what I thought when I was a teenager. The truth, is that not only was this predicted in the Bible, but the Bible gives us a very strong warning against this behavior and shows us that it is actually part of a much larger scheme of evil.

Here is one such warning directly from the Bible:
Isa 5:20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Isa 5:21 Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! Isa 5:22 Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink: Isa 5:23 Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him! Isa 5:24 Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

The interchanging of antonyms is just a very small part of what these verses are teaching us. Today's young people have been taught that certain things are good, when in reality those things are not good. Today's young people have been misled by their parents, by their teachers and by society as a whole. If we turn on our television set today and start switching through the channels, we will see every kind of wicked behavior imaginable. When I was a young adult, and people would talk about how the television influenced the behavior of society, I thought they were crazy. Now I know they were absolutely correct. People today dress like they see people on the television dress. People today act like they see people on television act. Somehow, when we see something on television enough times, it becomes acceptable. When I was a teenager, girls didn't show cleavage in their everyday attire. It was accepted in certain situations like perhaps a bride might show some cleavage. This was accepted, but was not the norm. The women who made it a habit of showing cleavage were the ones who hung around bars and street corners. Today, it is the norm. Arguably, it is the norm because it has become common place on television. The television can be used as a tool of indoctrination of the masses. The television sets the norm for society. It is through the television that teenagers having sex has become the norm. It is through the television that homosexuality has become the norm for some and a source of hatred for others. It is through the television that the norm for society is changed. Whether we blame it on the television or not, things that the Bible tells us are bad, are now seen as good.

The Bible tells us to dress modestly. Society has young people wearing bikinis that are more revealing than their underwear. Society has young women basing their value upon how they look. The Bible tells us that appearance isn't what is important. Society tells us to pick our spouse based upon what is visually pleasing. The Bible shows us that this is very dangerous. Children are taught by both parents. Therefore, if a godly man chooses a worldly wife based upon her looks, then the children will be taught the godly way of the dad and the ungodly way of the wife. The same holds true if a godly woman marries a worldly man. Either way, the child will be conflicted and will build their belief system upon the teachings of both parents, half of which will be in error. We see the first example of this mentioned in the Bible in Gen 6:2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. Gen 6:3 And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.

The term "Sons of God" simply means godly men who are led by the spirit of God.
Rom 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
This is why God said "My spirit shall not always strive with man" in Gen 6:3. God's spirit would not always strive with man because when godly men (sons of God) married "daughters of men" (ungodly women) the children became conflicted and built their belief system upon man's values and were not led by the spirit of God. We see this as the story unfolds in Gen 6:4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

We can get the meaning of the word "giants" from Strong's dictionary. It simply means:
properly, a feller, that is, a bully or tyrant: - giant.

We can get the meaning for the words "mighty men" in the same manner. They mean:
powerful; by implication warrior, tyrant: - champion, chief, X excel, giant, man, mighty (man, one), strong (man), valiant man.
The offspring of the "sons of God" and the "daughters of men" were not pleasant people. They were tyrants, warriors and bullies. God was not pleased with them.

Gen 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Gen 6:6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

We can see that words like "mighty men" in the Bible are not good in God's eyes, yet society today teaches us to associate the term "mighty men" with good men. The meanings of words have become changed so that parts of the Bible may appear conflicting to us today, if we use today's language as a guide. Just as society has changed the meaning of the word's "mighty men", it has also changed the meaning of the words "bad, beast, evil and wicked", so that the truth becomes almost unrecognizable.

I want to use these same verses to examine another of today's downfalls. We want to think that we can trust today's Pastors to teach us the truth. Sadly, this isn't the case at all. Today, pastors sometimes teach that the term "sons of God" in the verses we just read, refers to angels. If we think this through, this would mean that, The Son of God (Christ Jesus) was just another angel with numerous brothers. If we accept this definition then the above verses mean that angels bred with humans. However, the Bible tells us that angels do not breed.
Mat 22:30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.
Society teaches us that marriage takes place at a ceremony, yet the Bible tells us that the act of sex marries two people. See: Marriage, what is it?

Today's Pastors teach us many things that are in error. Many, either teach that divorce is OK or they avoid the subject. The Bible, very clearly teaches that divorce is not OK.
Mat 19:8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. Mat 19:9 And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.

Those are the words of Jesus. Society and today's Pastors teach us many falsehoods. They teach that the Sabbath is on sunday, but the Bible clearly teaches that the Sabbath is the seventh day of the week.
Exo 20:10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
That was written by God with His own finger. It is the fourth commandment. See: Sabbath Articles

Pastors and society teach us to observe christmas, halloween, easter etc... But the Bible calls them abominations. See: Holiday Truths

These are pagan "holy days". They have nothing to do with Christianity. Look at these verses from the Bible that speak very specifically about the christmas tree:
Jer 10:2 Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. Jer 10:3 For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. Jer 10:4 They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.

Pastors today have the nerve to say that those verses are not describing a christmas tree. Today, people are taught to accept this paganism. Today, people don't realize that every time that they bend down to get another present from under that tree, they are quite literally bowing to that tree. It is up to us to say "no". We must read the Bible for ourselves and quit relying on Pastors to teach us. Our Pastors and society has failed us. We must be like Abraham. Abraham lived in a very sinister world, which in many ways was like the world we live in today. He was surrounded by paganism. His own dad was a pagan. Jos 24:2 And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.

Have you ever been taught these things? We must read the Bible for ourselves. Many of today's Pastors do not teach the truth anymore. The Bible foretold this as well.
Eze 34:2 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?

The people are the flocks. The shepherds are the Pastors that are supposed to teach the people. The shepherds are supposed to feed the people, the Word of God. Do you think this is speaking only of the shepherds of the state of Israel? So often I hear Pastors teaching that this or that doesn't apply to us. It only applies to the Jews or to Israel. We are Israel. We were grafted in. We are the Jews. We are the seed of Abraham, just as God promised him. We are his seed which are numbered as the stars of heaven.
Gen 26:4 And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; Gen 26:5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

Here God is speaking to Isaac who is the son of Abraham and the father of Jacob who God would rename Israel. We are Israel. We are grafted in as the Bible tells us in Romans chapter 11. However, the Pastors of today teach that we are not Israel. How can we be grafted in and not be Israel? How can we be grafted in, but Gods commandments not apply to us? Don't take my word for any thing. Get your KJV Bible and read it for yourself. Make sure it is the King James Version. The other versions have many errors. See Which Bible should I read

Some of today's pastors are living lives of luxury. This isn't what Christ Jesus taught. He taught that we should live a humble life, and give away our excess to the poor and needy. If your Pastor is living the "high life", there is something wrong. Many, if not most, of today's Pastors teach exactly what their congregation wants to hear. This keeps the money flowing in for them. Jesus came to be our example. He didn't live a life of luxury. He told the wealthy to sell all they had and give the proceeds to the poor. Yet many of today's Pastors tell you to give THEM your money, and in-turn you will be wealthier. It simply isn't so. You have been lied to. Give your money to the poor and needy. This is what Christ Jesus taught. If your Pastor is asking you for money so that he/she can pray for you, they are not of God. When God calls someone, He provides everything they need to accomplish what He has called them to do. This doesn't mean that we shouldn't help support our Pastors. Many Pastors work regular jobs to make ends meet. Monetary help from the congregation means that these Pastors can spend more time in the Bible and less time at their job. More time in the Bible is good and will lead to better, Biblical messages. However, if we see them living a life of luxury, something isn't quite right. If a Pastor is preaching monetary prosperity for you in this world, that Pastor is not of God.

Society tells us that if we work hard, we will get ahead in this life. While that statement has a ring of truth, it is misleading. There was a time when if a person wanted to be a storekeeper, or farmer or restauranteur or even a doctor, that they could gain the necessary skills and make a go of it. This is not the reality that we now live in. A person wanting to open a hardware store cannot compete with the Home Depots and Lowes of the world. A new restauranteur cannot compete with the Burger Kings and Mcdonalds of the world. A person wanting to open a grocery store cannot compete with Walmart, Safeway or HEB. In today's world you need to have an enormous amount of money to even think of competing with any of these outfits. Even a budding doctor will enter the workforce heavily in debt due to student loans and will then be told what he/she can charge. There is an evil presence in this world that wants to keep us all too busy to know our God. Most Americans are just getting by. A missed paycheck will land many folks out on the street. In a world where many parents are single, it takes 2 or 3 paychecks to make ends meet. We live in a world where the only real option for most people is to work for a company or the government. There is an evil entity that wants to see you spending every waking hour too busy to open your Bible. If you have found the time to read this, you are in the minority. God is calling you to study His Word. He will make a way for you, if you ask Him. If you start making the time to be with Him, He will change you for the better. The seventh day Sabbath rest is more important today than ever.

Society tells us that the government is the answer to our problems. If only this person or that person gets elected, they can fix this mess. That isn't true. Society is lying to you. Government cannot give you anything that it hasn't taken from you in the first place. Let that sink in. The government cannot give you any freedom, unless it has previously taken that freedom from you. The government cannot give you money unless it has previously taken that money from you or someone else. The only one who can fix this world is God.

The moral decay of the world has paved the way for the situation that we are now in. Single parents now work 2-3 jobs to support their children. They are too busy to teach their children about God. The desires for all the things that money can buy, drive many 2 parent families to send their children to daycare. Who is teaching the children about God? The drive for fame or glory steals precious parent - child time that could be used to connect with God. Dads are teaching their boys how to play sports, but who is teaching these future dads about God? Even many Christian families rely on the church they attend to teach their children about God. One day a week for an hour or two, the focus is on God. Maybe a short blessing before dinner can be squeezed in. God gave us a warning about what happens when the parents do something that they shouldn't. He said He visits the iniquities of the father upon the children.
Exo 20:5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

This verse has been misunderstood throughout history. There is an old Israeli proverb spoken of in the Bible that deals with the misunderstanding of this verse.
Eze 18:1 The word of the LORD came unto me again, saying, Eze 18:2 What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge? Eze 18:3 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel. Eze 18:4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. Eze 18:5 But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right, .....
Then He goes on to list things that a person who walks in the ways of God will do and then states Eze 18:9 Hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord GOD.
Go read some of those things that are contained in verses 18:6-8.

The people thought that Exodus 20:5 meant that God would punish them for things that their dads had done. This was never the intent of the verse. It simply means that if we teach our children to worship pagan idols, they will worship pagan idols. If on the other hand we teach them to walk in the ways of God, they will. Abraham proved this point by breaking the cycle. Young people, the world is full of idolatry. It is up to you to break the cycle. Learn about God and teach your children about God. Stop allowing yourself to be misled by Pastors and society. Pick up your Bible and read it for yourself.

Young people, the world that you grew up in has been altered to make you feel conflicted. You are the battleground where good and evil meet. You were likely taught about God and creation at church, yet society and school teaches you evolution. Which do you think is correct? The theory of a man? Or the Word of God? Science has always been behind the times. When Columbus sailed, science taught that the world was flat. The Bible said the earth was round (Isa 40:22). The Bible told us that there were under sea springs long before scuba gear was even thought of (Job 38:16). This list could go on and on. Science is just now catching up to a point where even many evolutionary scientist are now acknowledging that there is a creator. The damage is done however. The text books have been written and an entire generation now believes in the flawed theory of evolution. The education you received at church is in direct conflict with the education you received at school. Do you feel conflicted? Society has taught you that homosexuality is normal. The church says it is an abomination. The Bible tells us to love our neighbor. However, there is a part of society that teaches you to hate homosexuals. You aren't taught to hate people who sin in other ways, just homosexuals. Why would homosexuality be different than any other sin? Do you feel conflicted? There is no room in the Bible for hatred or evolution. If your Pastor is teaching you something different, don't believe it. Open your Bible.

People today believe many fables and they follow pastors who will teach them what they want to hear. The Bible foretold this as well.
2Ti 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 2Ti 4:4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
People want to believe that the mark of the beast is coming in the future and they listen to Pastors who will teach this fable. The mark of the beast is here and has been here for a very long time. The mark that is "in your hand" is simply your actions, what you do. How you live your life. The mark that "is in your forehead" is simply your thoughts. Are your actions and thoughts of God or of the world? If they are of God, then you have the seal of God. If they are of the world, then you have the mark of the beast. It isn't some computer chip. If it were a computer chip, then what about all of the people who lived and died before the computer was invented? The Bible tells us that everyone will have either the seal of God or the mark of the beast. What about the antichrist beast? That term isn't even in the Bible. There is a beast though. Jesus called it the Abomination of Desolation. Anyone who reads their Bible and looks at history can correctly identify this beast. It is the beast that changed the day of worship from the seventh day to the first day. It is the beast that brought us christmas, halloween, valentines day, st patrick's day and easter. It is the beast that took these pagan "holy" days and called them good. It called them Christian. Did you know that the term "merry christmas" literally means "merry Christ dismissal"? The word "mass" is Latin for "dismissal" Look it up for yourself. Latin is the language of the beast. A beast in the Bible is simply a kingdom. The Bible tells us so.
Dan 7:23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
The Bible interprets the Bible. You do not need a human teacher. You only need your KJV Bible and prayer.

Young people, the world teaches many things to be good, that are really bad. Let me give you a small example. You have likely been taught that it is good to have a savings account that will draw interest. Do you like paying interest when you borrow money? You will never get the kind of interest in your savings account that you are being charged by your credit card company. If you are like most people, you do not collect much interest at all because you cannot save enough money to really make a difference. However, the bank is taking your little bit of savings and combining it with the meager savings of several other people. They lend this money back to you or to others and collect a lot of interest. You are then given a small fraction of that. The Bible calls the collection of interest "usury". Today's society has a very different definition of the term "usury", but the Bible is clear on this issue. Collecting interest is not good. We don't like to pay it, so why should we burden others with it by collecting it? I urge you to let the Bible be your guide. I urge you to break the cycle. Quit calling evil, good and good, bad. Get the idolatry out of your life. Start with this "holiday" season. Young people of today, you have been lied to by society, by Pastors and even sometimes by your parents. Just as Abraham overcame the teachings of his dad, you must overcome. You don't need a human teacher. Get your KJV Bible and read it for yourself. Pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you and read it for yourself. The Pastors of today will tell you that all you need is faith in God. The devil himself has faith in God. That isn't enough and that isn't what the Bible teaches. We must give ourselves to God. We must begin to walk in His statutes, and we must have faith. Then He will change us. Then He will enable us. Then He will show us the way. The path starts at the Bible. Don't let another generation be conflicted. Don't eat sour grapes that will set your child's teeth on edge. Teach your children to call evil, evil and to call good, good. Open your heart and mind to God. Start by opening your Bible.

By Robby Lockeby