I’ve never seen a Cedar Waxwing in the flesh until recently. Birds sometimes have names that are different than what they appear. If it were up to their appearance, I’d name this one something with the word mask rather than wax. To me, they appear to be wearing Zorro masks. I literally had to type this in order to know the name of this bird. There are a lot of things happening behind the scenes. Some are good and some are behind the scenes for good reason since they’re not good. Scripture is definitely full of behind the scenes.
“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
Hebrews 4:12
The nature of Scripture is such that it exposes what is hidden. The Word of God helps us discern motives that are disingenuous and also shows us how God works in people’s lives to keep them from harm’s way.
This passage exposes the nature of a phony,
“But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” 6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.”
John 12:4-6
The next passage exposes two occasions of warnings to avoid danger.
“And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. 13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.” 16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.”
Matthew 2:12-16
The entire book of Revelation lays out for us what will happen in the future and the fate of people at the time of God’s judgment. I’ve recently come across an opinion of a well-known apologist who scoffs at the literality of the events written in the last book of the Bible. It becomes a sad scene when a person purports to be a defender of the faith and yet denies historical accounts in Genesis and future events in Revelation, both books which Jesus Christ Himself affirmed.
How can one claim to be a defender of Christianity and yet deny the very book that lays out the fundamentals of the faith he/she claims to adhere to?
If you are following Christian apologists who
- Deny the literal account of Genesis
- Deny that there is a literal Hell
- Deny that there is a literal Second Coming
- Deny anything that has to do with what Jesus Christ affirmed
- Deny anything that touches on the revelation of the person of Jesus Christ
You can be sure that these apologists cannot possibly be hearing from the Holy Spirit. They have departed from the faith.
“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”
John 16:13-15
They have forgotten that it is not the power of their lofty sounding argumentation that wins people. It is the power of the Holy Spirit that convicts people of sin.
“Now we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this surpassingly great power is from God and not from us.”
2 Corinthians 4:7
There is a different spirit working behind the scenes. Watch out for those who hold PhDs in deception. The most dangerous ones are those who subvert your faith from the inside.
“My dear friends, do not believe all who claim to have the Spirit, but test them to find out if the spirit they have comes from God. For many false prophets have gone out everywhere.”