“And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” Luke 2:34-35, KJV
“Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” Matthew 10:34-37, KJV
“Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet. Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee? Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was? So there was a division among the people because of him.” John 7:40-43, KJV
“If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin.” John 15:22, KJV
“But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, nd the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men nd brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the ope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question. nd when he had so said, there arose a dissension between he Pharisees and the Sadducees: and the multitude was ivided. For the Sadducees say that there is no esurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees onfess both.” Acts 23:6-8, KJV
“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12, KJV
“Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Acts 2:37, KJV
“And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:” Ephesians 6:17, KJV
“And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;” Isaiah 49:2, KJV
“And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.” Revelation 1:13-16, KJV
“And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges . . . Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.” Revelation 2:12, 16, KJV
“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS . . . “And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.” Revelation 19:11-16, 20-21, KJV
“For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?” 1 Corinthians 1:11-13, KJV
“For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.” 1 Corinthians 3:3-6, KJV
“But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.” 2 Timothy 2:23-26, KJV
“But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.” Titus 3:9, KJV
“Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” 1 Corinthians 1:10, KJV
What a Wonderful World was our song,
But something’s gone terribly wrong,
Sin and corruption all around I see,
So many people are living in misery.
Peter robs Paul so he gets to the top,
Oh when will this madness ever stop?
Just what have we all been reduced to?
And what have we all become used to?
It’s just sex and money, sex and money,
Nothing about it is really that funny.
Yes, it is actually quite a sad tragedy,
Isn’t it time to get on our bended knee?
“He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:29-31, KJV
“For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.” Matthew 24:27-28, KJV
“And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.” Luke 17:37, KJV
“For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18, KJV
“The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.” Psalm 90:10, KJV
Some of my online friends and acquaintances may possibly consider some of my graphics work, poetry, etc., to be a little over the top. Maybe so, maybe not.
However, if you happen to hold such a view regarding my work, allow me to briefly explain why I do it.
You see, there is a reason that I take such a bold, sometimes unorthodox approach to preaching the Gospel. As many of you will know, our Christian faith has been greatly compromised in this modern day of political correctness, manpleasing and itching ears. The Scriptural truth has been so distorted, twisted and perverted. The result is that many folks don’t know the truth, have become deceived, and contrary to the warnings of the First Century Apostles, have fallen into a state of spiritual lethargy and lukewarmness, insofar as their faith is concerned.
So, if organized religion is going in one direction, then through my online work, I will go to the opposite extreme, in the hope that it will wake up some people. Perhaps my work will help some of my viewers and readers to find a balance between what the compromised churches preach, and what I teach and preach via the Bill’s Bible Basics online ministry. Exactly what do I teach and preach? Well, here is a good way to find out:
Note: Other men who had beards — and long hair — include Samson and John the Baptist — who were both Nazarites — and quite possibly Jesus as well.
“They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh.” Leviticus 21:5, KJV
“It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;” Psalm 133:2, KJV
“And Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king, and had neither dressed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came again in peace.” 2 Samuel 19:24, KJV
“And he [King David] changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard.” 1 Samuel 21:13, KJV
“Wherefore Hanun took David’s servants, and shaved off the one half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away. When they told it unto David, he sent to meet them, because the men were greatly ashamed: and the king said, Tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown, and then return.” 2 Samuel 10:4-5, KJV
“And Joab said to Amasa, Art thou in health, my brother? And Joab took Amasa by the beard with the right hand to kiss him.” 2 Samuel 20:9, KJV
“And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonied.” Ezra 9:3, KJV
“And thou, son of man, take thee a sharp knife, take thee a barber’s razor, and cause it to pass upon thine head and upon thy beard: then take thee balances to weigh, and divide the hair.” Ezekiel 5:1, KJV
“That there came certain from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, even fourscore men, having their beards shaven, and their clothes rent, and having cut themselves, with offerings and incense in their hand, to bring them to the house of the LORD.” Jeremiah 41:5, KJV