Pretenders

(here's a short post and will have new article tomorrow for certain)

While the terms sociopath and psychopath do not appear in the Bible there is mention of the behaviors characteristic of men described as sociopathic and psychopathic.

As a website informs, "In today’s criminal and psychological literature, a sociopath or psychopath is identified as one who is characterized by extreme self-centeredness and immaturity, shallow emotions (including reduced fear, a lack of empathy and remorse, low tolerance for stress, and little response to positive motivations), cold-heartedness, superficial charm, irresponsibility, impulsivity, criminality, a parasitic lifestyle and a desire to manipulate others. A psychopath is one who compulsively performs criminally selfish acts with no apparent conscience or concern about the welfare of his victims."

Proverbs 6:12-19 is said to be a good description of the psychopath: [12] A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth.
[13] He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers;
[14] Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord.
[15] Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.
[16] These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
[17] A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
[18] An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,

[19] A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

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The purpose of the tribulation is to purge out the rebel, the pretender. Revelation 2 says it's those who have claimed to be Jews and aren't. They weren't Gentiles claiming to be Jews; they were Jews claiming to be the Israel of God, but they were professers, not possessors, as the saying goes. That's exactly what I John's about--how do you test someone like that?

Mark 13: [22] For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.

[23] But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.
[24] But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,
[25] And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.
[26] And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.
[27] And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.

When Jesus Christ talks about the four winds, you know what He's talking about. North, south, east and west, explains Richard Jordan. When He talks about the ends of heaven, it's like the four corners of the earth. It's the four dimensions that we're familiar with.

The idea of being scattered to the four winds of heaven, that's a description of what God did with Israel when He sent them into captivity.

When Jesus would say something like that they knew the verses He was referring to. You know, if I quote a piece of a verse, you can say, "Oh that's that verse over there," and if you're familiar enough with the Scripture, you know what the references are. Well, these guys would know that.

In Ezekiel 5, when he's describing the captivity that's coming on Israel, verse 10 says, [10] Therefore the fathers shall eat the sons in the midst of thee, and the sons shall eat their fathers; and I will execute judgments in thee, and the whole remnant of thee will I scatter into all the winds.

Can you imagine things being that bad? That's real tribulation. Another passage says that a mother is going to eat her baby a span long. A baby's 18 inches long; it's just been born.

When hunger and privation and persecution and famine and pestilence get that bad--you say, "Can that happen?!" Hey, it's happened before and, in fact, there are places on the planet today where it's happening NOW.

In the tribulation period, God's going to put Israel in a position where that's happening. What happens when the Babylonian captivity comes (you can read about it in the history books) is tremendous persecution.

When the verse says "the whole remnant of thee will I scatter into all the winds," God's saying, "The wind's just going to take you away. I'm going to take you out of the land and just scatter you among all the nations."

Verse 12: [12] A third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee: and a third part shall fall by the sword round about thee and I will scatter a third part into all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them.

You see, we read through that and just whuhttooo right over it. When He says the famine, that's what's going on back in verse 10. You and I can't even imagine that. My mind just can't get wrapped around that; how terrible life can possibly be.

That kind of prediction in Ezekiel and Jeremiah is very graphic about when God says, "I'm going to scatter you among the nations." You're just going to be blown everywhere.

Zechariah 2: [5] For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.

[6] Ho, ho, come forth, and flee from the land of the north, saith the LORD: for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, saith the LORD.
[7] Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon.
[8] For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.
[9] For, behold, I will shake mine hand upon them, and they shall be a spoil to their servants: and ye shall know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me.

He's saying, "I'm going to come back and deliver Jerusalem.'" Notice where He's delivering them from: the four winds of heaven. So when you come to Matthew and Mark and Christ's talking about gathering them, He's gathering the believing remnant from all the nations in the earth where He scattered them. That gathering takes place at the Second Coming.