Isa. 65:12

12 Therefore will I number [manah] you to the sword [chereb], and ye shall all bow down [kara`] to the slaughter [tebach]: because when I called [qara'], ye did not answer [`anah]; when I spake [dabar], ye did not hear [shama`]; but did [`asah] evil [ra`] before mine eyes [`ayin], and did choose [bachar] that wherein I delighted [chaphets] not. KJV-Interlinear

12 I will destine you for the sword, And all of you shall bow down to the slaughter. Because I called, but you did not answer; I spoke, but you did not hear. And you did evil in My sight, And chose that in which I did not delight. NASB

There are two types of people in this world. Those who are destined for blessing and those who are destined for slaughter.

Those destined for blessing are a special group. They are believers in Christ, and they are believers who have attained a significant degree of spiritual growth.

There are three categories of life.

We all begin life as unbelievers. That is the first category.

Then there are those who believe in Christ. They then become called, believers. Of course, there are other religions that have stolen this descriptive word as their own, so we distinguish true believers as those who have believed in Christ, and all of the rest are just imitators and not believers of anything real, but believers of lies.

The third category of life is that life we will all have in eternity.

The first two categories occur in this life, on this earth, in our bodies of flesh and blood. We have limits to our current life on this earth, and we will all leave this life behind, when God determines that our time is up.

All believers will advance into the next life, in heaven. All believers will receive the blessings of heaven. Those who have advanced to spiritual maturity, will receive greater blessings than those who do not advance in their spiritual lives.

While on this earth, all unbelievers as well as all negative believers will be the recipients of Gods judgment or discipline respectively.

Being on the receiving end of Gods wrath, is not a good place to be in.

We have witnessed the celebrations of the Islamic radicals these past couple of days, as they make a big deal claiming their victory in a battle in which they were thoroughly trounced.

Such is the nature of people living in a world of delusion. You do not have to be a terrorist in order to be delusional. This is the state of every person who ignores God, and their spiritual life. Some are just more delusional than others. There are a lot of people in this world who ignore God in their life, but they don t go around trying to blow up innocent folks. Most people have and maintain, a sense of right and wrong.

Terrorists are folks who are loyal to a belief, which does not distinguish between right and wrong, but justifies itself regardless of social norms and standards.

What is the destiny of terrorist types? It is the same destiny as with all people who reject God. Here the phrase of sword and slaughter means more than just having a violent death. It means a death, regardless of its nature, complete with fear and terror, and even perhaps violence.

An evil person, an unbeliever, may live their entire life and die at a ripe old age, in their own bed. What is next? Their destiny is the Lake of Fire, not paradise, not heaven, no virgins, no blessings, nothing good. Their life in eternity will be horrifying and full of perpetual fear and aloneness.

By the way, paradise and heaven are two distinctly different places. Paradise is one of the four compartments in the underworld, which is commonly called Hades. It was the temporary home of Old Testament believers, until they left that home with Christ, to heaven, immediately after His crucifixion on the Cross. Paradise is now empty.

Heaven is not of this world and is the permanent residence of God.

Torments, is another of the four compartments in the underworld, and is the temporary residence of all unbelievers. They will remain there until the Great White Throne, which will occur immediately after the Millennium is completed. Their next stop will be the Lake of Fire.

You can find the chart of the underworld listed on the web site on the Index page.

God calls to every human being. The Word of God has been, is, and will be available to every person who has and will ever live in history. In Adam and Eve s time, it was communicated verbally. In our time, we have the written record along with many forms of communication of the scriptures.

What is the common thread? Volition. Everyone has the ability and the right to make a choice either for or against God. Indifference toward, or attempting to modify the intent of the scriptures, is the same as being against God.

God is truth. If you oppose truth, then you pursue lies. If you sprinkle compromises into truth, you make your beliefs into lies. Truth propagates good. Lies propagate evil.

Continued living within the environment of lies, regardless of how mild you might think them to be, leads you further and further from truth, and deeper and deeper into the realm of evil. Don t think that you can ignore God and doctrine in your life, or even just flirt with your spiritual life, and then escape the repercussions of that pattern of living. That is delusional thinking, and the world is full of folks that make that very mistake.

Terrorists celebrate while rejecting their defeat, and normal folks just ignore the facts of reality. Both are on a collision course toward their own doom. Indifference or compromised indifference, and certainly delusional celebration will not change ones ultimate destiny.

Isaiah did not write these words just to have something to do. God does not delight in anything, which is a departure from truth. Your lifestyle will not become an exception.

Although lightning does not strike immediately when something wrong is done, don t be fooled into thinking that nothing will ever happen to you. In the end, which by the way is something you have no power to change, Gods will, will be done, and yours will not.

Being the target of Gods sword and slaughter, is not intended to conjure up pleasant images.

Now is the time to post a prayer.