Category Current Events

The resident raptor raps about current events

Giving Heed to Seducing Spirits: The Ancient Deception of All Hallows’ Eve

Allen Frederick Leave a comment

“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron.” — 1 Timothy 4:1–2 (KJV)


As October draws to a close and the seasonal atmosphere shifts into what the world calls Halloween—or historically, All Hallows’ Eve—the culture turns its sights toward the dark, the spectral, and the macabre. Retail shelves fill with imagery of death, witches, and ghosts. Modern church culture often responds by either ignoring the day entirely, hosting alternative “harvest festivals,” or issuing predictable warnings against overt occultism.

While Scripture clearly warns, “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them” (Ephesians 5:11), focusing solely on the seasonal decorations misses the deeper, far more insidious strategy of the enemy.

If you think “seducing spirits” and “doctrines of devils” only operate through séances, haunted houses, or overt witchcraft, you have fallen for the diversion. The enemy’s most effective weapon has never been open rebellion; it is counterfeit religion and self-reliant human effort.

The Whisper in the Garden & The Curse of Human Sweat

To understand how seducing spirits operate, we must return to where the lie began. In the Garden of Eden, the serpent did not approach Eve with obvious evil. He came with a subtle question designed to cast doubt upon the direct voice of God:

“Yea, hath God said…?” — Genesis 3:1

The serpent promised self-sovereignty and enlightenment: “For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5).

This is the root of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. It offered a way to determine right and wrong through human effort, intellect, and self-reliance—entirely apart from an ongoing, direct relationship with the Creator. Humanity traded living by the breath and presence of God for an autonomous system of religious performance.

And what was the immediate result of stepping out from under God’s voice to strive in human strength? A curse of grueling toil.

“Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life… In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground…” — Genesis 3:17, 19

This physical curse carries a profound spiritual truth: whenever we try to produce righteousness in our own strength and through the flesh, we are operating under the curse of Adam’s sweat. It is the grueling, exhausting toil of religious legalism—striving, sweating, and white-knuckling our way to perfection, only to yield thorns and thistles.

Abiding in the Vine vs. Striving in the Flesh

How does a seducing spirit work in the modern church? It seduces believers away from the voice of the Shepherd and hooks them onto the treadmill of fleshly effort.

Paul warned the Galatians of this exact spiritual seduction:

“Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?” — Galatians 3:3

Jesus dismantled this entire illusion of human self-sufficiency in the Upper Room when He declared:

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” — John 15:4–5

When a teaching reduces discipleship to legalistic checklists—focusing entirely on outward performance while ignoring the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit—it operates under the same spirit that offered the forbidden fruit. It cuts the branch off from the Vine and demands that the severed branch sweat and toil to produce fruit on its own strength. But Jesus said it plainly: Apart from Me, you can do nothing.

Unfruitful Works vs. The Fruit of the Spirit

When institutional religion swaps the clear commands of God for man-made traditions, creeds, and seasonal calendar dates, it replaces the internal work of the Spirit with external, dead rituals.

The commanded feasts of the Lord (Leviticus 23)—which prophetically point directly to the Messiah, His sacrifice, His resurrection, and His return—are largely ignored. In their place, institutional structures baptized pagan-derived holidays, commercialized traditions, and human dictates, wrapping them in Christian vocabulary.

This produces what Paul calls “unfruitful works of darkness”—religious activity that looks pious on the outside but lacks the divine life of God.

True spiritual fruit is never manufactured by human sweat or church attendance records. As Paul writes in Galatians 5:22–23:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”

Notice that it is called the fruit of the Spirit, not the work of the flesh. Fruit is the natural, effortless outflow of a branch that is simply abiding in the Vine.

Hearing the Voice of the Good Shepherd

As the darkness of All Hallows’ Eve approaches, the true spiritual alarm is not just about avoiding seasonal costumes. The true alarm is to wake up from religious slumber and tune your ear back to the Shepherd.

Jesus made promises about those who belong to Him:

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” — John 10:27 “And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.” — John 10:5

Seducing spirits speak with the voice of a stranger—whispering doubt, demanding religious toil under the sweat of your own brow, and substituting human traditions for the Word of God. But the sheep who abide in Christ recognize the Shepherd’s voice and will obey no other.

The Call to the Watchmen

The remedy for modern spiritual deception is not more church programs, better rules, or stricter traditions. The remedy is a complete surrender of human effort and a return to the Vine:

  • Stop the fleshly toil: Repent of trying to accomplish in the sweat of your own brow what only the Holy Spirit can produce.
  • Expose dead works: “Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness” (Ephesians 5:11), whether they are worldly customs or dead religious traditions.
  • Abide in the Vine: Rest in Christ. Eat the Living Bread of His Word, drink of His Spirit, and let His life flow through you.

He that hath ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches. It is time to blow the trumpet, lay down the self-righteous work of the flesh, and return to the Good Shepherd whose voice alone we follow.

This has been “A View From the Nest” and that is the way I see it! What say you?
Please like, share, and commet and subscribe for more inspiration.

Beyond the Headlines: The Theology of the Cross, Public Justice, and the Silent Cry of the Innocent

Allen Frederick Leave a comment

In recent weeks, national headlines surrounding the death penalty have once again thrust one of society’s most contentious debates into the spotlight. Reports detailing execution procedural failures, coupled with ongoing legal appeals and upcoming execution dates, have sparked intense debate across the nation.

On one side, activist voices and legal critics point to human error, procedural delays, and constitutional concerns as reasons to abolish state-sanctioned execution altogether. On the other, proponents argue that swift, decisive punishment is essential to honor victims, deter crime, and uphold the rule of law.

When the news cycle becomes overwhelmed by political rhetoric, systemic controversy, and intense emotion, how should a Christian filter these events? What does Scripture actually teach about civil governance, capital punishment, and the broader exercise of temporal justice?

To find a balanced, godly perspective, we do not look first to contemporary politics—we look to Calvary.

1. The Frame: Three Men, Three Perspectives on Justice

At the center of the Christian faith is an execution. On the hill of Golgotha, three crosses stood side by side:

“Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him… One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, ‘Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!’ But the other rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.'” — Luke 23:32, 39–41

This scene vividly illustrates the human spectrum of response to justice and civil authority:

  • The Unrepentant Criminal: Driven by immediate self-preservation and hostility, he mocks the authority before him. He demands escape from physical consequences without acknowledging moral responsibility or guilt.
  • The Penitent Criminal: He recognizes objective right and wrong. He explicitly acknowledges the legitimacy of his sentence (“we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds”) while simultaneously recognizing the absolute innocence of Christ.
  • Jesus Christ in the Middle: Innocent of any crime, the Son of God voluntarily submits to a civil judicial process.

When Pontius Pilate attempted to exert his legal authority over Jesus, declaring he had the power to crucify or release Him, Jesus offered a foundational truth regarding human governments:

“You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above.” — John 19:11

Christ did not delegitimize civil authority; instead, He affirmed its divine origin. Even when human systems act imperfectly, civil authority exists under the sovereignty of God.

2. Misdirected Sympathy: God’s Grief over Innocent Blood

In public discourse surrounding capital cases, public sympathy routinely shifts almost entirely onto the convicted offender—their comfort, their legal appeals, and their upcoming execution.

However, Scripture warns against a misguided, inverted compassion that grieves for the perpetrator while forgetting the victim. This moral inversion reached its historical climax at the trial of Christ.

When Pontius Pilate offered the crowd a choice between releasing Jesus—an innocent man who had done no wrong—or releasing Barabbas, the crowd unanimously chose Barabbas:

“And they all cried out at once, saying, ‘Away with this Man, and release to us Barabbas’—who had been thrown into prison for a certain rebellion made in the city, and for murder.” — Luke 23:18–19

Consider the gravity of that moment: the public demanded parole for a proven murderer and insurrectionist while demanding the execution of the Innocent. Barabbas was a violent man whose actions directly destroyed life and threatened public order. Yet, driven by crowd psychology and distorted priorities, the mob prioritized the freedom of a dangerous criminal over the defense of truth and righteousness.

When modern activist movements protest lawful executions of mass offenders or demand that severe sentences be commuted regardless of guilt, they echo that same tragic demand. They risk re-victimizing grieving families, dragging them through decades of legal paralysis, and sending a message that society cares more about the comfort of the offender than the blood of the innocent.

Scripture explicitly states that ignoring or minimizing the shedding of innocent blood pollutes a land (Numbers 35:33). To prioritize the freedom or comfort of a proven murderer over the sanctity of the innocent life taken is a direct subversion of God’s order. Proverbs warns sternly against this trend:

“He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the Lord.” — Proverbs 17:15

3. The Mandate of the State: Wielding the Sword

Scripture makes a clear distinction between individual conduct and the role of the state.

For the individual believer, the command is plain: “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God” (Romans 12:19). Personal retaliation, hatred, and vigilante justice are strictly forbidden.

However, God established civil government to act as an instrument of temporal order and restraint. The Apostle Paul writes:

“For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad… But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.” — Romans 13:3–4

The symbol of the “sword” (machaira) represented executive authority—specifically corporal and capital punishment. The state does not commit murder when it executes a lawful sentence; rather, it acts as a dispassionate minister of justice to protect society and uphold the value of human life created in the image of God (Genesis 9:6).

4. Due Process vs. Swift Execution

The headlines that trouble our conscience today—whether procedural errors in execution chambers or endless legal delays—reflect the reality of fallible human institutions. Scripture balances two vital criteria for civil law:

  1. High Standards of Due Process: Old Testament law required rigorous standards of evidence before carrying out capital sentences, including multiple corroborating witnesses (Deuteronomy 17:6) and strict judicial impartiality (Deuteronomy 16:19). A government operating with negligence or bias violates the biblical mandate for fairness.
  2. Timely Execution of Sentences: At the same time, Scripture warns against an indecisive or excessively delayed legal system:

“Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.” — Ecclesiastes 8:11

When legal processes drag on for decades, public trust erodes, the deterrent effect is lost, and evil is allowed to permeate society unhindered.

Conclusion: Threading the Needle

As believers, we are called to view civil news not through emotionalism or political partisanship, but through the enduring truth of God’s Word:

  • We Affirm Civil Authority: God ordained civil government to punish evildoers, uphold the law, and defend the innocent.
  • We Demand Legal Integrity: Because human life reflects the Imago Dei (Image of God), state action must be conducted with scrupulous fairness and factual certainty.
  • We Reject Misguided Compassion: Bleeding hearts for the guilty must never overshadow God’s heart for the innocent blood that was shed.
  • We Separate Earthly Justice from Eternal Salvation: The penitent thief on the cross was granted eternal salvation by Jesus (“Today you will be with me in paradise”), yet he still faced his temporal, earthly execution. Spiritual forgiveness does not erase earthly accountability under civil law.

We can—and must—advocate for a justice system that is scrupulously fair in its process, decisive in its execution, and unwavering in its defense of the innocent.

This has been “A View From The Nest” and that is the way I see it! What say you?

Please Like, Comment, and Share.

The Original “Night of the Living Dead” And Other Ghost Stories

Allen Frederick Leave a comment
“Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen!” — Luke 24:5–6

The Terror We Tamed

Every October, secular culture throws open the door to the macabre. People flock to theaters and haunted houses seeking a thrill: reanimated corpses, shadowy figures stepping through locked walls, disembodied hands, and whispers summoned from beyond the grave. To a cynical world, these are mere special effects, campfire tales, or ancient legends.

Yet, in our rush to commercialize or sanitize the supernatural, modern “churchianity” has committed a quiet tragedy—we have domesticated the God of the Universe.

We have traded the raw, awe-inspiring, earth-shaking presence of the Spirit for predictable liturgies, safe programs, and comfortable self-help talks. But if you open the pages of the Bible with unvarnished, honest eyes, a startling reality emerges: Scripture is overflowing with supernatural encounters that, if they happened on your street tonight, would read like horror cinema.

There is an unseen battle raging. On one side are evil spirits seeking to manipulate, torment, and destroy. On the other is the supreme, uncreated HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD—who brings order out of chaos, light into utter darkness, and resurrection life out of death itself.

Light Out of the Abyss: The Holy Spirit’s First Recorded Work

Genesis 1:2–3 (ESV) The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

Before there were planets, suns, or human souls, there was a dark, formless void. Into that absolute blackness, the very first recorded act of the Holy Spirit was brooding over the abyss and bringing forth brilliant, piercing LIGHT.

The darkness has always sought to mimic and warp the spiritual realm, but the Holy Spirit’s power always conquers and displaces it.

Dark Encounters: When Demonic Spirits Terrify and Destroy

To understand the magnitude of God’s power, we must acknowledge the dark reality of enemy forces that seek human ruin.

1. The Witch of Endor and the Apparition

1 Samuel 28:11–14 (ESV) Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” He said, “Bring up Samuel for me.” When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice… The king said to her, “Do not be afraid. What do you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I see a god coming up out of the earth.” He said to her, “What is his appearance?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped in a robe.” And Saul knew that it was Samuel…

A backslidden, desperate King Saul seeks out a medium in the dead of night at Endor. When the medium attempts her necromancy, an actual spectral figure ascends out of the earth—so alarming that even the occult practitioner screams in sheer terror. Seeking answers from the realm of the dead outside of God’s order yields only judgment, doom, and despair.

2. The Demoniac of the Gaderenes: Chains and Torment

Mark 5:2–5 (ESV) And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, for he had often been bound with fetters and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart… Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones.

Imagine walking through a desolate graveyard at midnight and encountering a naked, scarred man possessed by thousands of unclean spirits (“Legion”). He possesses superhuman strength, ripping iron chains apart, howling in agony, and mutilating his own flesh among the dead. This is the ultimate goal of evil spirits: human degradation, isolation, and self-destruction.

Divine Supernatural Encounters: Light Overcoming Darkness

Where darkness torments, the presence of Christ and the Holy Spirit brings instantaneous freedom, physical miracles, and terrifying glory to the powers of darkness.

3. The Legion Cast Out & The Tomb Resurrected

Mark 5:8–9, 15 (ESV) For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He answered, “I am Legion, for we are many.” … And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid.

With a single word of divine command, Jesus drives thousands of tormenting spirits into a herd of swine. The man who was once a living nightmare is instantly restored—clothed, calm, and in his right mind. Darkness flees when the Spirit of God commands.

4. The Mummy Out of the Tomb: Lazarus Awakens

John 11:43–44 (ESV) When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

Standing outside a sealed grave where a body has rotted for four days, Jesus speaks into the subterranean dark. The horrifying sound of graveclothes shuffling against stone echoes from the cave as a fully restored man steps out into the daylight. The Holy Spirit takes what was rotting and bound, turning it into a living monument of God’s resurrection power.

5. Walking on the Stormy Abyss

Matthew 14:25–26 (ESV) And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear.

In the darkest watch of the night, amid gale-force winds on the Sea of Galilee, the disciples scream in terror at a figure stepping across the violent waves. They assume it is a deadly marine phantom—until the Savior speaks: “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”

6. Materializing Through Locked Doors

John 20:19 (ESV) …the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

Behind heavy wooden doors deadbolted out of paralyzing fear, the glorified, resurrected Christ materializes out of nowhere in full view of His followers. He defies the physical constraints of matter, proving that resurrection life reigns supreme over physical barriers.

7. The Spectral Visitors on the Mount

Matthew 17:1–3 (ESV) …and he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him.

High upon a mountain, the veil between dimensions vanishes. Jesus erupts into blinding celestial light, and two men who left the earth centuries prior—Moses and Elijah—appear in full glory, conversing with the Lord of Hosts.

8. The Original “Night of the Living Dead”

Matthew 27:51–53 (ESV) And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

At the moment of the Atonement, creation itself revolts. Rocks fracture, seismic shocks shatter Jerusalem, and ancient burial grounds crack wide open. Following Christ’s resurrection, holy men and women walk out of their graves and stroll into the city, bearing eyewitness testimony to the defeat of death!

The Climax: Mount Carmel & The God Who Answers by Fire

1 Kings 18:21, 24, 38–39 (ESV) And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” … “And you call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the LORD, and the God who answers by fire, he is God.” … Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The LORD, he is God; the LORD, he is God.”

Imagine the scene high atop Mount Carmel: 450 prophets of Baal, appointed by Queen Jezebel, engaged in frantic, hours-long religious performance. They danced, shouted, chanted, and cut themselves until blood flowed, desperately pleading for a supernatural sign. Yet there was no voice, no answer, and no power.

Elijah stood alone and mocked their powerless ritual: “Cry aloud, for he is a god! Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened!”

Then came Elijah’s turn. He didn’t just lay out a sacrifice; he soaked it in twelve barrels of water until the altar was drenched and the surrounding trench overflowed. He invited maximum impossibility. And when he prayed a simple prayer of faith, the fire of the LORD descended from heaven.

It didn’t just light the wood. It consumed the sacrifice, the timber, the massive stones, the soil, and licked up every drop of water in the trench! The sheer shock and holy terror brought an entire nation to its knees in the dust, screaming: “The LORD, He is God!”

We Don’t Want a Fiery God—We Want a Compliant One

The tragedy of the 21st-century church is that we have become like the spectators on Mount Carmel—limping between two opinions.

We want the blessings of God without the holy awe of God. We want a quiet, compliant, domesticated deity who sits politely in a box until we need Him on Sunday morning. We fear the supernatural because fire cannot be controlled. Fire consumes, fire purifies, and fire demands total surrender.

When Pentecost arrived in Acts 2, God didn’t send a committee or a clever marketing strategy—He sent tongues of FIRE.

The Holy Spirit is not an optional add-on for a comfortable life; He is the fiery, roaring presence of the Living God. If we want to see darkness shattered in our culture, we must stop holding powerless services. We must repair the altar, surrender our lives as a living sacrifice, and pray for the God who answers by fire to fall once again!

A Prayer for Holy Ghost Fire & Deliverance:

“Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known today that You are God! Forgive us for trading Your all-consuming fire for quiet, compliant religion. We rebuild the altar of our hearts today and present ourselves as living sacrifices. Send the Holy Ghost fire to consume our unbelief, drive out every work of darkness, and ignite Your Church with holy authority. Let the world see and know that the LORD, He is God! In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.”

PHARAOH’S ECONOMY: THE IRON FURNACE OF GOSHEN

Allen Frederick Leave a comment

THE SYSTEM BEHIND THE FURNACE

Long before Israel groaned beneath Egyptian taskmasters, Scripture portrayed Egypt as the iron furnace—a place where oppression’s heat sought to erase identity, extinguish hope, and forge a nation of slaves. Pharaoh’s economy was more than forced labor; it was a spiritual system fueled by fear, scarcity, and unrelenting demand. It measured worth by output, security by production, and peace by performance, offering predictable provision only in exchange for freedom and rest. The Lord declared, “But the LORD hath brought you forth out of the iron furnace, even out of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 4:20). Egypt was not merely a nation; it was a system—a worldview that still presses upon hearts today.

GOSHEN’S IRON FURNACE

When Pharaoh commanded, “Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick… yet ye shall require of them the same number of bricks” (Exodus 5:7–8), he exposed the heart of his economy. Scarcity became a weapon, pressure intensified, and rest was condemned as laziness. The laborer was blamed for what the system withheld. Under Pharaoh, survival depended on production, worth on yield, and security on output. Egypt’s flesh pots promised regular meals, but demanded peace, dignity, and freedom in return. It was slavery masquerading as stability.

When God shattered that yoke with an outstretched arm, He did more than move a people; He revealed an entirely different economy. Yet Pharaoh’s system had marked their minds, and its imprint followed them into the wilderness.

WHEN BONDAGE FEELS FAMILIAR

In the barren wilderness, Israel’s first severe test of provision exposed bondage’s lingering wound. Rather than look to the God who had divided the Red Sea, they looked back through the distorted lens of fear and scarcity. They cried, “Would to God we had died in Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full” (Exodus 16:3). Their lament reveals a sobering truth: under financial and emotional pressure, the human heart often chooses familiar bondage over the vulnerability of unfamiliar freedom.

Bondage trains people to crave predictability. Pharaoh guaranteed food, though it was purchased with sweat and blood. The wilderness offered no visible guarantee; survival required trust in an unseen God and faith beyond human control. Israel preferred the memory of Egypt’s stability to the reality of God’s freedom.

God answered their panic not with a warehouse, savings plan, or strategic reserve, but with a daily lesson in dependence: “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you… that I may prove them” (Exodus 16:4). Manna confronted the urge to hoard and taught that security rests in the Provider, not the stockpile. When they stored it to create their own safety, it rotted and bred worms (Exodus 16:20). God was teaching them that His word—not human accumulation—sustains life.

GOD’S WILDERNESS ECONOMY

The wilderness became God’s classroom. There He revealed an economy not of excess, but of sufficiency; not of accumulation, but of trust; not upheld by human effort, but by divine faithfulness.

For forty years, their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell. Scripture declares, “Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years” (Deuteronomy 8:4). This was not abundance, but preservation; not luxury, but longevity; not excess, but enough.

By the brook Cherith, God fed Elijah morning and evening: “And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening” (1 Kings 17:6). For the widow of Zarephath, “The barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail” (1 Kings 17:16). When Israel thirsted, God drew water from the rock, “causing waters to run down like rivers” (Psalm 78:16). When enemies surrounded David, God prepared a table before him and made his cup overflow (Psalm 23:5).

This is God’s economy: daily bread, preserved garments, renewed strength, unexpected provision, and peace that withstands pressure. It rests not on human leverage, but on divine faithfulness.

PHARAOH’S MODERN TASKMASTER

Pharaoh’s economic spirit did not remain in antiquity. It still presses on hearts through inflation, compounding debt, stagnant wages, rising costs, and narrowing margins. The modern command echoes the ancient one: produce the same number of bricks, but gather your own straw.

Culture insists that financial strain can be escaped through greater effort, higher credentials, more degrees, and relentless hustle. Yet as labor expands, peace contracts. Anxiety rises, families fracture, and rest becomes a luxury. The system demands devotion, persuading people that safety depends on education, achievement, or wealth.

In such a climate, many believers resemble Israel in the desert. As financial pressure mounts, we are tempted to retreat to the world’s methods—secular wisdom, endless striving, and self-reliance—rather than enter God’s economy of faith. Because the wilderness feels uncertain, we exchange the freedom of trust for the bondage of self-sufficiency and plead again for Egypt’s predictable bread.

FREEDOM THROUGH TRUST, NOT CONTROL

The Gospel of Jesus Christ breaks Pharaoh’s spiritual and practical dominion. Freedom from financial anxiety does not come by mastering worldly systems, nor is it reserved for those with advanced degrees or elite credentials. Scripture confronts self-reliance directly: “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5).

On the Mount, Jesus renewed the wilderness lesson. Pointing to the lilies and the birds, He dismantled the tyranny of economic worry: “Your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God… and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:32–33). Living by God’s provision is not indolence; it is refusing to make labor an idol. Human effort does not sustain life—God’s word does. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).

THE GOD WHO DOES NOT FORSAKE HIS OWN

Every believer reaches a point when God’s promises must move from page to experience. It is one thing to quote, “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). It is another to enter a season when God is your only source and proves His promise true. Many recite the verse; fewer embrace the obedience through which His faithfulness is revealed.

There was a season when the Lord called me to follow without guarantees, a safety net, or any plan beyond His leading. In that season, He provided each day in ways human logic cannot explain. It was not abundance or luxury, but enough—and within that enough, I found a peace deeper than I had ever known. God’s provision ceased to be theory. It became present, personal, and faithful.

Scripture summons witness after witness to this truth. When the blind man cried out, Jesus restored his sight: “And immediately he received his sight” (Mark 10:52). At Lazarus’s tomb, Jesus commanded, “Lazarus, come forth” (John 11:43). By the brook, God sent Elijah bread and meat: “And the ravens brought him bread and flesh” (1 Kings 17:6). For the starving widow, “The barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail” (1 Kings 17:16).

Jesus grounded this truth in everyday life. An earthly father does not answer a child’s request for a fish with a stone: “How much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him?” (Matthew 7:11). The birds neither sow nor gather into barns, yet the Father feeds them: “Are ye not much better than they?” (Matthew 6:26). And before we ask, He already knows: “For your Father knoweth what things ye have need of” (Matthew 6:8).

These are not poetic comforts, but realities—testimonies lived by those who dared to trust Him beyond Egypt’s borders.

Here the psalmist gives the fitting conclusion to Pharaoh’s economy and God’s provision. After a lifetime of walking with the Lord, David declared:

“I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.”
Psalm 37:25

This is not theory. It is testimony.

The iron furnace of Goshen is real. So are its pressure and scarcity. But the God who delivers His people is more real still. When He brings you out, He does not abandon you in the wilderness. He feeds, clothes, sustains, carries, and provides—not because you are strong, but because He is faithful; not because you possess abundance, but because He is enough.

When you leave Pharaoh’s economy and enter God’s provision, you discover what every obedient believer eventually learns: God truly supplies all your needs. Daily. Faithfully. Completely.

For He never forsakes His own.

Facebook Pharisees, Digital False Prophets

Allen Frederick Leave a comment

An editorial for the age of the algorithm—

There was a time when false prophets needed a crowd, a marketplace, or a pulpit to spread their delusions. Now they just need Wi‑Fi.

Open Facebook, scroll for five minutes, and you’ll meet them: the self‑appointed seers, the “thus‑saith‑the‑Lord” status updates, the viral rebukes dressed up as “discernment,” the spiritual hot takes that sound more like clickbait than cross‑bearing. It’s a strange new world where anyone can claim divine authority with a ring light and a strong opinion.

Scripture, however, is not surprised.

Jesus warned, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves” (Matthew 7:15). The medium has changed—from hillside sermons to social media feeds—but the danger has not. The wolves have simply learned how to use hashtags.

The rise of Facebook Pharisees

Let’s start with the “Facebook Pharisees”—those who weaponize Bible verses in comment sections, not to build up, but to win arguments and score public righteousness points.

The Pharisees of Jesus’ day were not cartoon villains. They were serious, religious, biblically literate people. Yet Jesus said of them, “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me” (Matthew 15:8}). They loved the appearance of holiness, the respect of the crowd, the feeling of being right. Social media has given that same spirit a global platform.

You’ve seen it:

  • The thread where someone vulnerably shares a struggle, and instead of compassion, they get a barrage of proof‑texts and cold rebukes.
  • The “discernment” post that names and shames other believers, not to restore them, but to rally a tribe.
  • The public call‑out that conveniently forgets Jesus’ instructions about going to a brother privately first (Matthew 18:15}).

Jesus described Pharisees as those who “tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger” (Matthew 23:4}). That’s what happens when we use Facebook to pile guilt, shame, and spiritual pressure on others, while our own hearts remain untouched by grace.

The Facebook Pharisee is more concerned with being seen as doctrinally pure than being known as Christlike. They forget that “the aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” ({1 Timothy 1:5}). Truth without love is not biblical boldness; it’s spiritual brutality.

Digital false prophets and the platform problem

If the Facebook Pharisee misuses truth, the digital false prophet distorts it.

We live in an age where anyone can start a page, call themselves “Prophet So‑and‑So,” and begin declaring dreams, visions, and “urgent words” to thousands of followers. Jesus’ warning feels painfully current: “Many false prophets will arise and lead many astray” (Matthew 24:11}).

False prophets are not new. Jeremiah had to confront them in his day:

“I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in my name, saying, ‘I have dreamed, I have dreamed!’ … They are prophesying the delusions of their own minds.”
(Jeremiah 23:25–26})

Social media has simply amplified their reach. A “word from the Lord” can now be shared, liked, and believed by millions before anyone asks the most basic biblical question: Did it come true? God’s standard is clear: “When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the Lord has not spoken” (Deuteronomy 18:22}).

Yet online, failed prophecies are rarely repented of. They are quietly deleted, re‑framed, or buried under the next “urgent update.” The platform continues. The followers remain. The algorithm rewards engagement, not accuracy.

Digital false prophets often share common traits:

They prioritize visibility over accountability.
They operate without a local church, elders, or real spiritual oversight. But Scripture assumes prophets are tested in community: “Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said” (1 Corinthians 14:29}). Online, there is often no “others” to weigh—only fans to applaud.

They center the message on prosperity and personal breakthrough.
God does bless, but when every “word” is about money, success, and “your next level,” we’ve drifted from the biblical pattern. True prophetic ministry calls people to repentance, holiness, and faithfulness. False prophets, by contrast, “heal the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace” (Jeremiah 6:14}).

They use fear and urgency to manipulate.
“Something terrible is coming—only those who sow a seed will be protected.” That’s not biblical prophecy; that’s spiritual blackmail. The gospel is not a subscription service you pay to avoid disaster. God does not sell protection through PayPal links.

They rarely preach the cross.
Paul resolved “to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2}). If a digital prophet’s feed is full of dreams, dates, and dramatic declarations but empty of the cross, repentance, and the hope of resurrection, something is deeply off.

The algorithm is not the Holy Spirit

One of the most subtle dangers in this age is confusing virality with validity.

A post goes viral, and we assume God must be in it. A “word” gets shared 100,000 times, and we treat it as confirmation. But the Bible never equates popularity with truth. In fact, Jesus says, “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets” (Luke 6:26}).

The algorithm is designed to reward outrage, novelty, and emotional intensity. The Holy Spirit, by contrast, produces “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self‑control” (Galatians 5:22–23}). If a feed is full of anger, fear, and division—even if it’s draped in Bible verses—it may be driven more by the flesh than by the Spirit.

We need to recover a simple discipline: “Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God” (1 John 4:1}). Testing means:

  • Comparing every teaching with the whole counsel of Scripture, not just isolated verses.
  • Watching the fruit of a person’s life over time, not just the flair of their latest post.
  • Asking whether the message leads us to deeper love for Christ, greater obedience, and genuine humility—or just deeper obsession with signs, predictions, and personalities.

The Bereans were commended because they “examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (Acts 17:11}). If they tested the apostle Paul, we can certainly test our favorite Facebook prophet.

When we “love to have it so”

Here’s the uncomfortable part: false prophets and Facebook Pharisees don’t exist in a vacuum. They thrive because we follow them.

Jeremiah said, “The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule at their direction; my people love to have it so” ({Jeremiah 5:31}). That line cuts deep. Sometimes we prefer the drama of sensational “words” to the slow, steady work of discipleship. We’d rather have spiritual entertainment than spiritual formation.

We click, we share, we comment, we feed the very voices that confuse us. Then we wonder why our faith feels scattered and anxious.

The truth is, God sometimes allows false voices to flourish as a test: “For the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul” (Deuteronomy 13:3}). The question is not just, “Are they false?” but “What does my attraction to them reveal about my heart?”

Do I chase prophetic drama because I’m bored with simple obedience?
Do I crave spiritual celebrities because I’ve neglected the ordinary means of grace—Scripture, prayer, fellowship, sacrament?
Do I prefer outrage posts because they let me feel righteous without actually repenting?

These are not comfortable questions, but they are necessary ones.

A different way to be online

So what does faithfulness look like in the age of Facebook Pharisees and digital false prophets?

First, we anchor ourselves in Scripture.
“You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32}). The more deeply we know the Word, the less easily we are swayed by spiritual trends. We don’t need a constant stream of “new revelation” when we haven’t yet obeyed the revelation we already have.

Second, we stay rooted in real community.
Online voices can be helpful, but they are not a substitute for a local church, pastors, and brothers and sisters who actually know our lives. The New Testament assumes believers are joined to a body where gifts are tested, character is seen, and accountability is real (Hebrews 10:24–25}).

Third, we practice humility in our own posting.
Before we hit “post,” we can ask: Is this building up or tearing down? Is this about Christ or about me? Am I speaking as one who will “give an account for every careless word” (Matthew 12:36})? We don’t have to be silent, but we do have to be sober.

Fourth, we refuse to participate in public stoning.
There is a place for warning against false teaching—that’s biblical. Paul did it (Acts 20:29–31}). But there is also a way of “discernment” that becomes a sport of humiliation. When we delight in exposing others more than we grieve over sin, we have slipped into the spirit of the Pharisee who prayed, “God, I thank you that I am not like other men” (Luke 18:11}).

Finally, we fix our eyes on Jesus, not on the feed.
The writer of Hebrews calls us to be “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2}). Social media constantly invites us to look at ourselves, our brand, our enemies, our fears. The gospel invites us to look at Christ—crucified, risen, reigning—and to let His voice be louder than any timeline.

Conclusion: less spectacle, more Savior

The Church does not need more Facebook Pharisees or digital false prophets. We need ordinary, faithful believers who quietly love God, love neighbor, and refuse to let the algorithm disciple their souls.

False prophets will continue to arise. Pharisaical spirits will continue to comment. The feed will continue to churn. But in the midst of it, God’s call remains the same:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37}).
“Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16}).
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Colossians 3:16}).

In an age of digital noise, that kind of quiet, rooted faith may not go viral—but it will endure. And in the end, when every platform has faded and every feed has gone silent, it won’t be the Facebook Pharisees or the digital false prophets who stand. It will be those who heard the Shepherd’s voice, tested every other voice by His Word, and chose, day after day, to follow Him.



This has been “{A View From the Nest} and that is the way I see it. What say you?