James 3:11 Can a fountain, out of the same source fetch forth sweet and bitter waters?
James 3:12 Can a fig tree bear olives? Can a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a fountain, a spring, or a well, fetch forth both salt and fresh water.
Acts 17:16-23
16 Now while Paul waited at Athens, the Spirit stirred within him when he saw the city of Athens wholly given over to idolatry.
17 Which led him to discussions and disputes in the Synagogues with the Jews, the God-fearing Gentiles, and in the streets and marketplaces of Athens with those who were there.
18 It was there (Where? In the streets of Athens.) that certain philosophers, Epicureans (silly and superficial infidels who amused themselves and others with ridiculous speculations, who even went so far as to ascribe the ORIGIN of ALL THINGS to CHANCE, and who deemed any FUTURE STATE of rewards and punishments as ludicrous and laughable. Sound familiar?). Then there were the Stoics (who possessed the doctrine that all events in life were simply SUBJECTS of FATE as were all human beings, oh yeah, these Stoic Philosophers set themselves high above others. Their worship was that of the “body”, the “intellect”, and “status”).These philosophers of the Epicureans and of the Stoics encountered Paul in the marketplace, (mocking him), saying, “What is this foolish babbler saying?” Others said, ‘Why he is nothing more than a setter-forth of some kind of strange gods we’ve never heard of.” Why? Because he was enlightening them of the FIRSTBORN FROM THE DEAD, of Christ the King and His Resurrection.
19 (And so) they took Paul to Mars’ Hill (Areopagus, their hangout, the “highest court” in Athens), saying, ‘Would you make clear to us this New Doctrine of yours?
20 For you seem to us to be saying some pretty strange stuff and we would certainly like to know what it is that you mean.’
21 (These Philosophical Athenians, the Philosophers of Paul’s day, were akin to the likes of the early Demosthenes and the latter Plato, Socrates, and Aristoteles, etc. These guys spent every day, all day long, and into the night doing nothing else but talking and debating, longing to hear something new.) Hmm! Sounds quite similar to our “spiritual social media” today.
All I can say is when Paul arrived in Athens, they certainly got what they were asking for.
22 For Paul stood in the midst of Mars Hill and said, “You men of Athens, I can certainly see that you have all been overtaken by fear (though they had a strong, dominant, and highly arrogant front they were truly shown to be insecure because of the many gods they worshiped – the goofy wisdom of the world was about to come face to face with TRUTH) and, (Paul said,) I see you are overwhelmed with silly superstitions.
23 For as I came into Athens, I was looking at the things to which you give worship, and I saw an altar with the inscription – TO THE GOD OF WHOM THERE IS NO KNOWLEDGE, THE UNKNOWN GOD. And so, now, what you, in ignorance, give worship to, I am about to make clear to you
¶ Paul then went on to preach to them Jesus, Jesus the Christ Cruxified, Cruxified, RISEN, and Ascended, and a bit later, the Power and the “need for” the Holy Spirit. Need I really say more?
¶ Now, to go on, these men of Athens, these Philosophers, ridiculed Paul, called him names, and deemed Paul a BABBLER. The Greek for BABBLER is SPERMOLOGOS (4691 in Strong’s Concordance). It signifies a parasite or a beggar, who prates and carries about stories (tall tales & entertaining lies) for the sake of being maintained for $$.
¶ Definitions of BABBLER; an obnoxious, foolish, and loquacious talker. Synonyms for BABBLER; chatterbox, chatterer, magpie, prater, spouter.
¶ What these Philosophers were really doing was giving an accurate description of themselves.
¶ In Athens, There were temples to Demeter, the god of the earth. There were temples to Athena, the goddess of wisdom. There were temples to Zeus, the god of force and the great god. There were altars to shame, altars to rumor, altars to philanthropy. Almost all of the idols humanity entertains today had their altars in Athens back in the days of Paul. To add to it, the ancient gods of Rome and Greece were also represented there. Petronius, one of the earlier writers, said that it was easier to find a god in Athens than it was to find a man. (My, my, quite reminiscent of today, wouldn’t you say?)
¶ These are the very same Philosophers, or the descendants thereof, inundated with the very same spirits of superstition, self-worship, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life that I see being quoted by Christian men and women today on social media. These philosophers were, in one manner or another, ALL partakers in the hedonistic abominations of the Athens of their day, which was “…wholly given over to idolatry.” (Acts 17:16) …just as their philosophical descendants of today are, right here in the U.S.A. Oh, but they sound so good, so wise, and so profound! My goodness, don’t you know they were the FORERUNNERS of psychology, psychiatry, and Darwinism? They are the forefathers of Sigmund Freud, Benjamin Rush, Fredrich Nietzsche, and all of the other God-hating professors and sons of Belial that now occupy the “Chairs” of our once Godly Institutions of Higher Learning, right here in the U.S.A., today. Don’t you know, We are not to mingle with them, they are dead!
“Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers! What kind of partnership can righteousness have with lawlessness? What kind of fellowship can Light have with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14)
“You adulterous people! Whoa! You adulterous people! (The Word of God is speaking to the Church here) Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility towards God? Whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (James 4:4)
If the world hates you (just as the philosophers hated Paul), know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own (just as it loves these philosophers today); but you are not of the world because I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. (John 15:18,19) Oh my, how the world hates us! My, what a new revelation to the Church.
¶ As educated, wise, and profound as they may sound, my friend, these ancient philosophers were not of God. They were, indeed, sons of Belial back then and they are, indeed, sons of Belial today. Make no mistake about it, their “wisdom” is NOT the “WISDOM OF GOD”. They thrive in the darkness of this Present, Evil, World. So you tell me, “WHAT FELLOWSHIP CAN LIGHT HAVE WITH DARKNESS? (2 Cor. 6:14)
¶ Which leads me to ask, what, in the Great Name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ is a man or woman of God doing, quoting godless philosophers as if they had a legitimate station in the ministry of the Holy Spirit -as if they were in any way, shape, or form, equivalent or in any way compatible to the WORD of GOD? I promise you, no quote from a godless philosopher is about to change anyone, much less Save a Soul! Neither is a godless philosopher about to add anything to God, His Word, or the ministry of the Holy Spirit! All these guys do is exalt themselves while highly impressing others so they can fully stuff their hellish little handbaskets with the souls of fools, using that powerful tool of the flesh, “The PRIDE of MAN!!!”
¶ There are three entire WORLDs of Difference between GOOFY, PROFOUND, and HOLY!
¶ Take for example, one of the more contemporary sons of Belial of our day, Fredrich Nietzsche, (1844-1900) – Fredrich Nietzsche was the God-hating philosopher, a son of Belial, who coined the phrase, “GOD IS DEAD”, a phrase widely used, incorporated, if you will, as a “catchphrase” for the Free Love Hippie Movement of the ’60s and is still a “catchphrase” used by many in our younger, rebellious generations of today who want to raise their hand above the Hand of God.
¶ Several years ago I was over at our local High School a young man entered the front door a few steps before me. I caught the door before it closed, looking up, I could clearly see the back of this young man’s T-shirt. It was black with a slightly lighter, yet still dark, abstract shape of an Old Rugged Cross on it. Dripping off of the OLD RUGGED CROSS were drops of Bright Red Blood. The bold inscription on the back of this shirt read, “GOD IS DEAD” – “Nietzsche”.
¶ I called to the young man, “Hey son” – he said, “Yeah”. I said to the young man, “You know what God said? He said, “What?” – “GOD SAID, Nietzsche’s DEAD” It dumbfounded the boy!
¶ Should Christians use the quotes of those who demean and mock the WORD of GOD, that even in their best meaning, they still, at their roots, signify objects of abominable idolatries? In my heart, this is an abomination to the Lord. (1Co 10:21-22) For “What concord (compatibility) has Christ with Belial? What part has he that believes with an infidel? What agreement has the House of God with any son of Belial? (2 Corinthians 6:15,16) *wcv
I cannot believe what I am seeing some Christians posting on social media today.
James 3:11 Can a fountain, out of the same source fetch out sweet and bitter waters?
James 3:12 Can A fig tree bear olives? Can a grapevine bear figs? Likewise, neither can you fetch out of a fountain, a spring, or a well both bitter and sweet water! * wcv
So, you tell me, “What concord has Christ with Belial?” (2 Corinthians 6:15,16)
“IF IT AIN’T BUILT UPON THE ROCK, IT WON’T WEATHER THE COMING STORM!”
DUST ©Will Callery / William & Cynthia Pub. Co. ©2008 BMI
Comments & Contacts:
lettersfromoveryonder@gmail.com
Will Callery’s Facebook Page
lettersfromoveryonder.com
Letters From Over Yonder© & The Deep Fetch© are published by William & Cynthia Pub. Co.©2023
(All Rights Reserved)
*wcv, my emphasis
