John 13:21 When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. 22 Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake. 26 Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. 27 And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.
This passage of scripture vividly describes for us the final episode in a long series of efforts to restore Judas in the image of God, as was made by Christ. Judas was originally given a place among the twelve disciples, not because he was chosen or called of God, but because of the promises of God which state that whosoever comes to Christ will not be cast out, but instead will be given an equal opportunity to surrender their lives and be saved in God's kingdom, just like anyone else. Thus, in harmony with these promises, Jesus treated Judas as one of His very own, giving him the power to heal the sick, raise the dead, and to cast out devils, in addition to which he was permitted to preach the gospel of the kingdom. Let's read:
Matthew 10:1 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. 4 "And Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. 5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying"... 7 "As ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. 8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
But even though Judas was given an honored place among the twelve, he never came to the point of surrendering himself to Christ fully, for whenever Christ would show him where his weaknesses lay, he became offended, and instead of seeking forgiveness and pardon from The only Person who can grant forgiveness, he instead recoiled into himself, with bitter feelings of resentment, that his sins were known to Christ. Yet Jesus did not cast him out, but continued His patient entreaties with the hope that one day Judas would come to himself, and see how far he had fallen, and consequently, his dire need of the Savior.
Sadly enough, this never happened, and our first passage above in John, describes the very last straw that broke the camel's back, for it was after Jesus had washed his feet, that Judas determined to carry out his plots to betray the world's Redeemer for thirty pieces of silver. It is worthy of note, that up to this time, satan had been gradually taking possession of Judas' mind in small increments, until, by his own decisions and choices, he determined to fully disconnect himself from Jesus, which is when the devil seized the opportunity to take full possession of him.
Now, while it is true that most people look upon Judas with scorn, yet, as a nation, we are now currently in the process of fully disconnecting ourselves from God, for by the repudiation of the sacred institution of God-ordained marriage, we have literally invited satan to take control of the hearts and minds of men, and we can know for certain that he will rise immediately to the occasion. The brutal execution of those students in Oregon today is just a sprinkling of what will befall this entire nation, if like Judas, we persist in removing God's own standard of righteousness from our consciences, for the human heart can be very cruel when the fear of God is removed, as the servant of The Lord rightly put it.
What is even more disconcerting, is that psychologists and philosophers will be brought in by the news media to make their assessments of the shooter'smental state, and they most likely will come up with a profile of him which will show the reasons why this senseless tragedy took place. But we have seen this movie before, and until we come to the realization that satanic agencies can indeed take full possession of an individual's mind, and drive them to do the unthinkable, we will be searching for answers in places where there aren't any to be found, for we must take the word of God as it reads, when God says that by rejecting Christ, we accept the rule of a tyrant by default, as is currently being played out on the world stage, and also on the home front. Let's read:
Matthew 12:43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. 45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.
When God delivered the pilgrim fathers from the bondage of papal persecution, and brought them here to America, there was great rejoicing that the shackles which had bound Christians for so many centuries, were finally broken. But we have fallen and retrogressed so far, as to allow the same papal power to now dictate to us what we should and should not do, with the pope even suggesting that we should get rid of the death penalty, so that killers such as the young man today, who sprayed a barrage of bullets on his fellow-citizens, should not receive the death penalty which is his due, according to the scriptures.
Therefore, if we presume to follow the dogmas and encyclicals of the beast, and were to implement laws and principles that are antagonistic to the word of God, then like Judas, the evil one will take possession of the minds of men and women in ever-increasing increments, and one day it will result in full-blown demon possession of young and old alike, if for any reason we are not kept by the power of God through faith in Christ. Let's read:
Revelation 16:13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. 18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. 19 And".. "the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. 20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
It is therefore necessary, that in the few remaining moments of time, that we turn again unto God, by confessing and forsaking our national and personal sins, for God hates the very idea of permitting destruction such as these, but would rather us come to repentance, so that He may save us from our sins and ourselves. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which confirms this sacred truth, and it is the will of God that we reverse the laws and actions which continue to wreak havoc, not only on the stock market, but also in the lives of individuals. Let's read:
2nd Chronicles 7:12 And the Lord appeared"... "by night, and said"... 13 If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; 14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 15 Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His word. "Good night" and God bless!