James 3:1-6

[Hidden In Him]

The Rebuilding Of Christianity After The Judgment, Part 1

     Returning to the matter of strife amongst believers and the spiritually destructive power of the tongue, James will start by pinpointing a big part of the problem: The vast majority of these early Jewish Christians he was writing to were automatically assuming themselves to be "teachers," i.e. authorities in the word. Thus, the competition among them was lighting fires of anger, jealousy and contentiousness: 

     My brothers, do not become a multitude of teachers, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. For we all often stumble. If anyone does not stumble in word, this is a perfect man [who is] able to also bridle the whole body. And if we put bits in the mouths of horses for them to obey us, we turn about their whole body. Behold, ships also, being so great and driven by violent winds, are [nevertheless] turned about by a very small rudder in whatever direction the helmsman wishes.
     So also is the tongue a little member, yet boasts of great feats. Behold, how large a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire [kindling] a world of iniquity. Thus is the tongue becoming established within our membership, defiling the whole body and setting aflame the wheel of momentum, being set on fire by Gehenna. (James 3:1-6)

     Why did James use horses and ships as analogies here? His point was that emotions like anger and jealousy can be extremely powerful; powerful enough to drive us to sin against others if not kept under control. Yet by controlling the tongue, powerful urges to lash out can be kept back, much like horses weighing half a ton or more can be kept under control by the bits in their mouths, and ships that weight tons can be controlled through a small rudder that's easy to manipulate. Even when heavy-laden with cargo and driven by violent winds (even violent emotions), they could still be nevertheless kept on course if the helmsman controlled the rudder.
     But unfortunately many James was writing to were not maintaining control of their tongue, and the Christian religion was being brought to shame as a result. This is what James was saying when he told them not boast and lie against the truth when they were succumbing to strife and bitterness. They presenting themselves as "teachers of the Lord," their boast of being supposed servants of the One True God was only bringing disgrace upon Him, for they were treating each other with great enmity and disrespect:     

     If you have bitter jealousy and contentiousness in your heart, do not boast and lie against the truth. This is not the wisdom coming down from above, but is earthly, soulish, [and] demonic. For where jealousy and contentiousness are, there is restlessness and every evil thing. (James 3:14-16)

     Such is the case with much of Christianity today. Many professing faith in Christ are actually bringing shame upon His name by allowing their tongues to be used by the Devil to manifest bitter jealousy and contentiousness towards those they have doctrinal differences with. Such believers make their tongues a manifestation of the Serpent, as James' teaching now went on to say:

     For every species of beasts, both of birds and of reptiles and of creatures of the sea, is being subdued and has been subdued by the human species. But no one among men is able to subdue the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of death-dealing poison. By this we bless [our] Lord and Father, and by this we curse men who have been made after the likeness of God. Out of the same mouth goes forth blessing and cursing. (James 3:7-10a)

     By "restless evil," James was comparing such believers to a coiled snake, ready to strike. So, too, are those given to bitter contention and jealousy in theological debate. They're always on guard, ready to inject the venom of bitterness into anyone who appears disagreeable to their positions. For all intents and purposes, they are manifestations of the Devil, which is one of the reasons why the harvest is currently being prevented from taking place. By manipulating believers into jealousy and incessant contentiousness and strife, Satan is now largely convincing the world that Christianity is an evil and hateful religion, and by this means succeeding at postponing the harvest indefinitely. But as shall be shown repeatedly through coming studies, God will not allow this to go on much longer. He has promised that judgment will start with the household of God (1 Peter 4:17). What this means is that before He judges the world, God will first judge the church and purge it from unrighteousness, so that when His wrath is finally poured out upon the world they will have a place to run to escape it.


Tongues Set On Fire By Gehenna     

     That ships might be "driven by violent winds" was a reference to demonic influence, since through violent emotions demons attempt to drive us into retaliating against others. This is further confirmed by James' statement that the tongue is "set on fire by Gehenna."
     Many translations translate "Gehenna" here simply as "Hell," which is a fair translation since ultimately this is what James was referring to, but by way of analogy. Gehenna was a deep valley located on the south side of Jerusalem. It was mentioned five times in the Book of Jeremiah (7:31,32 19:2,6 32:35) as the place where Israelites were "burning their sons and daughters in the fire" to the god Molech, the closest equivalent to Satan in ancient times. Molech is today widely considered to have been the Canaanite god of the Underworld, and since altars where a god was worshipped were considered an entrance into the realm of that god himself, Gehenna became associated with Hell, the place where the wicked would burn forever in torment.

                                                 

     Modern testimonies of Hell confirm that all evil speaking and cursing originates with demons. It is in effect Hell's language, which manifests itself on earth through humans who give themselves over to saying what demons want them to say.   
     In 1977, Richard Eby was given a vision while visiting the tomb of Lazarus in Israel. Jesus informed him that his name would be temporarily removed from the Lamb's Book of Life so that he could experience the torments of Hell, and testify about it. His name would be restored to the Book of Life when he returned:   

     Instantly I was in the center of the earth, the most indescribable plunge of terror that can be experienced. I was standing in a cavity in solid stone just large enough for me and a legion of demons… "You (blankety-black) fool!" They screamed at me (mind to mind). "You listened to our lies on earth, and we've got you now! You can never escape from us. Satan assigned us to deceive you, and you listened! We know about the Lamb of God; He would have saved you from us, but you wouldn't listen to Him. He would have taken you to Heaven, but you wouldn't believe Him. Now we'll make it Hell for you forever, you ----- - ----- Idiot!"
     I have cleaned up the above taunts. Actually, their language was so loaded with obscenities and filth that it merits only complete removal from human ears. (Eby, Didn't You Read My Book, P.92-93)

     In fact, every soul that goes to Hell eventually adopts the language of demons. As Kathryn Baxter recorded concerning her escorted trips to Hell in spirit with Jesus, the damned even dare to speak blasphemous curses against the Lord Himself when their requests for forgiveness are denied:

     "Lord Jesus," the man cried out from the burning pit, "haven't I suffered enough for my sins? It has been forty years since my death." Jesus said, "It is written, 'The just shall live by faith.' All mockers and unbelievers shall have their part in the lake of fire. You would not believe the truth. Many times My people were sent to you to show you the way, but you would not listen to them. You laughed at them and refused the gospel. Even though I died on a cross for you, you mocked Me and would not repent of your sins. My Father gave you many opportunities to be saved. If only you had listened!" Jesus wept.
     "I know, Lord, I know!" the man cried. "But I repent now."
     "It is too late," said Jesus. "Judgment is set."
     The man continued, "Lord, some of my people are coming here, for they also will not repent. Please, Lord, let me go tell them that they must repent of their sins while they are still on earth. I do not want them to come here."
     Jesus said, "They have preachers, teachers and elders, all ministering the gospel. They will tell them. They also have all the advantages of the modern communications systems and many other ways to learn of Me. I sent workers to them that they might believe and be saved. If they will not believe when they hear the gospel, neither will they be persuaded though one rises from the dead."
     At this, the man became very angry and began to curse. Evil, blasphemous words came from him. I looked on in horror as the flames rose up and his dead, decaying flesh began to burn and fall off. (Baxter, A Divine Revelation Of Hell, P.26-27)

     Insults, slander, evil speaking, and blasphemous cursing are all manifestations of demonic influence. Unfortunately, many Christians today are succumbing to this influence, as is evident from the way they communicate with each other, and with those in the world who oppose their opinions.


Online Forums: Entering A World Of Iniquity

     Just as a little bit of kindling can quickly spread until it sets an entire forest ablaze, so too can contentiousness and strife spread like a wildfire until it eventually causes entire congregations to be inflamed with anger. This what is what James was referring to in pointing out how a little kindling can turn a entire forest into a world of iniquity:

     Behold, how large a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire [kindling] a world of iniquity… defiling the whole body and setting aflame the wheel of generation, being set on fire by Gehenna. (James 3:1-6)

     The "wheel of generation" here essentially was a reference to the wheel of momentum. Those easily given to jealousy and contentiousness are like wood for a fire, who by yielding themselves to demons continue to generate more and more "heat" in the form of anger and resentment.
     As we saw in Study #2, the Spirit of God is prophesying that one of Satan's end-time strategies will be to attempt to destroy the church from within by inciting believers to gossip, slander, jealousy, faultfinding, unforgiveness, bitterness, and a whole host of other evils. Satan's ultimate plan is to sow so much strife and division into the church that her conduct actually turns people off to Christianity, and thwarts the end-time harvest.
     Evidence that these prophecies are already being partially fulfilled can be seen in much of what is taking place at Christian forums. Whereas debates among believers used to be relatively tame at these websites and disagreements were usually brought under control in just a few posts, nowadays the fires of anger and strife are becoming increasingly difficult for site moderators to contain.
     A moderator for Worthy Christian Forums.com posted the following in 2012. Clear in his post is a concern for the direction things appear to be headed in:

     What is going on lately? Why is there so much discord and division? Why are there so many personal attacks, insults and downright disrespect toward each other? I have been asking these questions to myself as I read the reports and check threads of interest. I wanted to blame it on the intensity of the election, but the election has passed and this still continues... At one time, members used to work things out after a few posts, but that is not what I have been seeing in the past months...  I know that when I have a wall up, which is the result of negative posting, I am not going to accept any correction I may need that is brought to me through the one who is insulting me while offering me truth.
     The other side of the coin is that if we find people continuing to attack and insult, we will be restricting them from posting for a few days so they can consider their actions. In the past, all we had was Mod Review or a ban. By placing someone on MR, we had to spend a lot of time reading continued insults and attacks, sometimes at us for taking action... I have personally had to take a few days off from the site and seek the Lord for a refreshing on the Fruit of the Spirit in my life and to ensure that the words I use come from Him and not my flesh. I suggest others consider doing the same before things come to a point where we have to move you in that direction.
     Here are a few closing verses to keep in mind when posting… "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." - John 13:34-35 NKJV. (Worthy Christian Forums.com, A Word From This Ministry. Please Read!)

     This is not to vilify Christian Forums entirely by any means. Christian websites are likewise places where believers can go to share positive experiences, pray for each other, and minister to one another on a more personal level. In the theological boards, however, a reoccurring trend can now consistently be seen. Those readily presenting themselves as "teachers" are often teaching precisely the wrong things by their behavior. Once again the church is blessed with "a multitude of teachers" who all seem too mentally restless and filled with resentment to truly be hearing from God. Instead, they are listening to demonic spirits who are inciting them to insult and slander fellow believers in the name of "defending the faith," rather than enduring mistreatment for the sake of building others up spiritually.
     Again, these were the points James was making in his letter by saying:

     Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him demonstrate from good behavior his works through the meekness of [his] wisdom.  But if you have bitter jealousy and contentiousness in your heart, do not boast and lie against the truth. This is not the wisdom coming down from above, but is earthly, soulish, [and] demonic. For where jealousy and contentiousness are, there is restlessness and every evil consequence. But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, forbearing, yielding, full of pity and good fruits, does not apply any double standards [and] is not hypocritical. And the fruit is righteousness being sown in peace by those creating peace. (James 3:13-18)


Portraying Christianity As A Religion Of Hate

     Through the issue of homosexuality, Satan is doing his best to portray the Christian faith as a religion of hate. And while he certainly doesn't need help from the church, unfortunately many "Christians" appear to be more than happy to help him out in his objective. By harboring Westboro Baptist-style animosity towards anyone who disagrees with them, many believers are now being used by demons to dissuade the unsaved from wanting to have anything to do with God.
     The following was posted by the religion editor at Faith Street.com regarding how she underestimated just how hateful and vicious many "Christian" contributors could be when she first thought of creating a site where people of all faiths could discuss topics of mutual interest together:

     I founded OnFaith eight years ago this summer. I was new to the religion world and had no idea what to expect. The fact is that I was too green to anticipate the potential complications that might arise from a pluralistic religion site. I had long heard the old adage that one never discussed religion or politics at dinner, but I was not intimidated. One of my friends asked me if I was afraid of running a religion website because it might be too controversial. I replied that I had covered Washington social life for many years, and nothing was more dangerous than that.
     But I hadn’t counted on one thing: the Christians. Yes, the Christians… The first hate emails I received were horrible. They did not just attack what I wrote — which was usually about spirituality more than religion — but were also vicious ad hominem attacks. I can’t tell you how many people wrote in to say that I was a whore and a slut and so much worse that I can’t even write it here. And these all came from Christians. I was going to hell. I had made a pact with the devil. Jesus and God hated me. One man wrote that he hoped I would get in a car accident, that the gas tank would explode and I would be burned alive. He was a God-fearing Christian, and he ascertained that I obviously was not one.
     I decided the only way to escape this vitriol was not to read the comments… But many in the distinguished panel of authors, theologians, religion scholars, and thinkers who were writing for the site couldn’t stay away from the comments. They would spend days obsessing over them. One friend, a well-known Catholic, wrote a lovely spiritual piece about his faith, and he was excoriated for it. (Some Protestant Christians don’t cotton to Catholics, either.) Another guy wrote to a colleague that he hoped she would be raped by a donkey with AIDS. I thought that was pretty original.
     I talked to Christian theologians, pastors, and scholars because I truly didn’t understand where all this Christian hatred was coming from. Nobody had a good answer. The Internet is clearly a place for a lot of hateful people, including hateful Christians, to sound off. If they are anonymous, they can be the worst versions of themselves… Seth Stevens-Davidowitz concluded “The Data of Hate” by saying, “Why do some people feel this way? And what is to be done about it? I have poured over data of an unprecedented breadth and depth, thanks to our new digital era. And I can honestly offer the following answer. I have no idea.”
     Neither have I. (Faith Street.com, When It Comes To Hate, Christians Are The Worst)

     I could have told this writer exactly why the worst hatred now appears to be coming from those professing faith in Christ. It is because Satan has specifically assigned armies of demons to attack the church, with orders to incite them to anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, self-righteousness, resentment and a whole host of other evils. And since few are hearing what the Spirit is saying to the churches, they are willingly giving place to these things in their hearts rather than resisting them.
     Unfortunately, with so many believers now playing into Satan's hands and serving his purposes rather than God's, the Spirit is now prophesying that a time is coming when the Lord will no longer have any choice but to bring judgment upon what presently calls itself the church. 


A Vision Of The Church's Impending Judgment

     More disturbing that Satan's plans to destroy the church from within are the preparations he is currently making to destroy the church from without as well. He is now inculcating in the masses a spirit of rage and lawlessness, which he will direct full force against the church when the time comes. The youth in particular are increasingly being turned against both the church and the establishment through the media and entertainment interests, who are deliberately inciting them to rage and hatred against the Christian faith over issues like homosexuality and bigotry, and to lawlessness against the establishment over issues such as police brutality, racism and political corruption.
     Without knowing it, the masses are being turned into a weapon in Satan's hands. After the world descends into a worldwide economic depression which now looms on the horizon, unprecedented unemployment and social unrest will lead to massive and widespread riots, as the people seek for ways to express their discontent. Who will the primary targets of these attacks be when the time comes? Because of the church's stand on political and social issues, she is already seen by youth as an evil and outdated institution. But whereas the police and the government will be well-armed to protect themselves, the church will not be. And with economic depression leading to an increasingly weakened police presence, nothing will any longer stand in the way of the masses exacting retribution against what they see as a source of many of society's evils. Churches will be vandalized, ransacked, looted and burned with impunity, and there will be very little that law enforcement in many regions can do about it, given that rioters will sometimes number in the hundreds of thousands. The growth of militant Islam in the West will lead to increasing violence being exacted against churches as well.
     As the Spirit is prophesying in visions and dreams, the end result will be a great falling away from the Christian faith. Few will have the faith and fortitude necessary to withstand the kind of hatred and threats they and their families will have to face. But this will be God's judgment upon a disobedient and sinful church, for rather than "fighting the good fight of faith" against the principalities and powers of darkness, they will have increasingly turned to serving Satan by giving themselves to fighting one another instead.
     This is the background behind the following vision, given to Rick Joyner more than a decade ago, which relates to the coming judgment God will have no choice but to execute against the church:     

     In August 1993, I had a vision of the church that was represented as an island in the middle of the sea. Many different types of buildings were all over this island, each of which I understood to represent a different denomination or movement. These buildings seemed to clash with each other architecturally, as very old ones were next to very modern ones. A war was going on between many of the buildings, and most of them looked like bombed-out shells. People were still living in the buildings, but most were starving and wounded.
     Two dark spirits over the island were directing this war. One was named Jealousy, the other Fear. Every time one of the buildings suffered damage or people were wounded, these spirits congratulated each other.
     I then saw two frightening and powerful spirits rise over the sea. These became storms. One was named Rage, the other Lawlessness. They were stirring up the sea and causing great waves to crash onto the island. Soon these storms became so large that they seemed even more threatening to the island than the war.
     I felt that the people in the city had to be warned about these storms, and several apparent watchmen were trying to do this, but no one would listen. The people only debated and argued about whether the watchmen could be trusted. This was remarkable because anyone who just looked up could see the storms for themselves, but no one would look up…
     As the war continued, even those who were not badly wounded had the appearance of phantoms, or they became grotesquely deformed from starvation and disease. People were attracted to any building receiving a supply of food. The others then targeted the building. I could not comprehend how even a war could be so cruel - and yet this was the church!
     In the midst of the battle, men were still trying to add to their buildings, or start new ones, but it was futile. Whenever one building would start to rise a little higher than the others, or any time a new building was started, it would become the main target of all the other buildings, and it would quickly be reduced to rubble.
     I was then shown many powerful leaders who were conducting this war. All of them had the same word on their foreheads: Treachery. I was surprised that anyone would follow someone with that written on them, but people did. I was reminded of 2 Corinthians 11:20, "For you bear with anyone if he enslaves you, if he devours you, if he takes advantage of you, if he exalts himself, if he strikes you in the face." (Joyner, A Prophetic Vision For The 21st Century, P.168-169)

     The verse Joyner quoted here to end this passage is reminiscent of the spiritual abuse now increasingly taking place in the church, as I have discussed in greater detail in a previous study (see James, Study #8). As also covered in a previous study, it is prophesied that in an attempt to destroy the church from within, Satan has dedicated and is now beginning to deploy an entire army of demons to inciting believers to attack one other. Not coincidently, Jealousy is mentioned as one of the banners under which the foremost divisions of this army will march, and Treachery will be one of the specific weapons they will incite leaders to use against each other, or against laymen who pose some sort of threat to them. (see James, Study #2).
     Not surprisingly, then, the Holy Spirit is implicating the church itself as the primary reason why the unsaved are not coming to Christ at the current time, as the rest of the current vision implies:

     Multitudes of boats and ships were all around the island, waiting to enter the city as soon as the fighting stopped. Many of these boats were full of refugees from other wars, and many were wounded. There were also ships bearing kings, presidents, and people who appeared wealthy and prosperous. They were all afraid of the storms, but they could not enter the city because of the fighting. They were groaning and screaming so loud, in obvious despair, that I was surprised that no one in the city could hear them; no one even seemed aware that they were out there.
     Then I saw the Lord standing and watching. His glory was so great that I wondered why I had not seen Him before, or why everyone in the city did not stop to worship Him. To my amazement, no one was able to see Him. I looked into the eyes of some of the people, and they were all so bloodshot that I was surprised they could see anything.
      I wondered why the Lord did not stop the fighting; instead, He seemed content to just watch. As if He had understood my thoughts, He turned and said to me, "This is My church. These were the houses people tried to build for Me. I knocked on the door of each one, but they would not open to Me. I would have brought peace, because I will only dwell in the city of peace."
     Then He turned and indicated the people in the ships: "If I allowed all of these people to come to the city now, they would just be used in the war. When their cries become louder than the war, I will build a place for them."
     Then He looked at me with great earnestness and said, "I allowed this to happen so that it will never happen again!" It is hard to convey the power of this statement, but it imparted to me a deep understanding that He allowed this conflict to continue out of profound wisdom. He then said, "Until you understand this, you cannot understand what I am about to do."
     When the cries of those in the boats became louder than the conflict in the city, the Lord gave the command, and the sea was released. Great tidal waves arose and began to sweep across the island until they covered the buildings. The spirits that were storms joined the spirits over the island, and they all almost doubled their previous size. Then the island completely disappeared under the darkness of the spirits and the raging sea.
      The Lord did not move as this was happening. I knew that my only protection was to stand as close to Him as possible. I could not see anything but Him during this great storm. As I looked at His face, I could see both hurt and resolve.
     Slowly, the storms died down and the tides receded… Then the Lord, who had been on the edge of the island, moved to the center and said, "Now I will build My house." (Joyner, A Prophetic Vision For The 21st Century, P.170-171)

     More on this vision, and the character of those who will be used to build God's true house, will be covered in Part 2. But the Spirit ends this vision with a warning: No one currently engaging in war with their fellow Christians will be fit to build the true house of the Lord when the time comes:

     Then the vision changed, and I was alone with the Lord… He looked at me earnestly and said, "The war is almost over. It is time to prepare for the storms. Tell My people that no one with His brother's blood on His hands will be used to build My house." (Joyner, A Prophetic Vision For The 21st Century, P.177)


Why The Church Will Be Trampled Underfoot By Men

     But some might object, saying, "But the church is under God's grace. Surely He would not discipline her so severely." Oh, really? Did not Christ Himself warn that this would happen if the church gave herself over to strife, and thereby extinguished the fires of the Holy Spirit within her?
     In the Gospel of Mark, after the disciples were arguing over which one of them would be greatest in the coming kingdom of God (Mark 9:33-35), Jesus warned them not to let this happen. Everyone in the church, including the children, would have the fire of the Holy Spirit poured out upon them. But if the disciples, as leaders of the church, gave themselves over to strife and competition, it would effectively extinguish the Spirit's presence among them, and render the church spiritually useless to both God and man.   

     For everyone shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. The salt is good, but if the salt is become saltless, with what will you season it? Have salt within yourselves, and be at peace with one another. (Mark 9:49-50)

     Jesus gave an even fuller version of this teaching in the Gospel of Matthew, where He told them:

     You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt becomes tasteless, with what shall it be salted? It is henceforth good for nothing, but to be thrown out, and trampled underfoot by men. (Matthew 5:13)

     This teaching came directly on the heals of the Jesus telling His disciples, "Blessed are the poor in spirit…  Blessed are the meek… Blessed are the merciful… the pure in heart… the peacemakers…" (Matthew 5:3,5,7-9). In other words, if they did not remain sacrifices "salted with fire" by maintaining peace with one another, the Holy Spirit would become extinguished among them, and render them good for nothing but to be trodden underfoot.
     As for why such a severe judgement will be necessary, one must fully understanding the analogy Jesus was using here. The most common, least expensive salt used in ancient Israel was not made from evaporated sea water, but came from the shores of the Dead Sea. Salt from this region was mixed with other materials and minerals, and if it was stored improperly or exposed to moisture, the highly soluble NaCl (i.e. the actual salt in this mixture called "salt") would leech away, and leave only the tasteless impurities behind.
     This not only rendered the salt good for nothing but dangerous to agriculture, since it could actually prohibit anything from growing wherever it was thrown. As one web article states:

     Indeed, it is a well-known fact that the salt of this country (i.e. the Dead Sea region), when in contact with the ground, or exposed to rain and sun, does become insipid and useless… Not a little of it is so impure that it cannot be used at all, and such salt soon effloresces and turns to dust – not to fruitful soil, however. It is not only good for nothing itself, but actually destroys all fertility wherever it is thrown; and this is the reason why it is cast into the street… There is no place about the house, yard, or garden where it can be tolerated. No man will allow it to be thrown into his field, and the only place for it is in the street, so there it is cast to be trodden underfoot of men." (Evidence For Christianity.com, Can Salt Lose Its Saltiness?)

    By contrast, were the church to extinguish the fire of the Holy Spirit through strife and infighting, she would likewise become a detriment to the harvest, and necessitate that she be trampled underfoot lest it never take place. This is why New Testament writers gave clear warnings about grieving or even potentially extinguishing the Holy Spirit. The possibility of doing so is why all believers needed to maintain the unity of the faith in the bonds of peace and love:

     I, a prisoner in the Lord, therefore urge you to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called with all humility and meekness, bearing with one another in love with endurance, being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace...  Be angry yet sin not. Let not the sun set on your provocation, nor give place to the Devil... Let no foul word proceed out of your mouth, but only that which is good for edification when needful, that it may bestow grace upon the hearer. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by which you were sealed until the Day of redemption, [but] let all bitterness, and indignation, and wrath, and shouting, and slander be removed from you, together with all malice. (Ephesians 4:1-3, 26-27, 29-31)

     See that no one renders evil for evil, but always pursue the good, towards one another and towards all. Rejoice always, pray incessantly, [and] give thanks in everything, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not extinguish the Holy Spirit. (1 Thessalonians 5:15-19)

     As will be covered more in Part 2, God will eventually rebuild the church from the ground up after the virtual destruction of "Christianity" in its current form. Those who will help build the true church Christ envisioned from the beginning will employ true wisdom in doing so, so that the church never again becomes corrupted to the point of necessitating such a severe judgment from God.







Links to sources:

http://www.worthychristianforums.com/topic/158981-a-word-from-this-ministry-please-read/#comment-1887795
http://www.faithstreet.com/onfaith/2014/07/17/when-it-comes-to-hateful-internet-speech-christians-are-the-worst/33131
http://evidenceforchristianity.org/can-salt-lose-its-saltiness/