How Can a Good God Send People to Hell? by Frederick Hoehn, copyright 2016, all rights reserved. Chapter 1 I was talking with someone, and they suggested to me that if God is a good God, he wouldn't send people to hell. But that's wrong. People send themselves to hell by not availing themselves of the free salvation that we can have through the Lord Jesus Christ. In some cases, people won't turn to God because-- "And this is the condemnation, that light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." (John 3:19) If a man is a thief, and he doesn't want to give up being a thief, then he doesn't turn to the salvation through Jesus. Likewise for adulterers, liars, sex perverts, etc. To become a Christian, we need to be willing to give up doing the things that displease God. A good reason to be willing to give up those things is Psa 111:10-- "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom..." Those who don't have the fear of the Lord don't have wisdom. And also, Jesus said,-- "And don't fear those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul, but rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matt 10:28) After someone becomes a born-again Christian, they should ask the Lord's help in overcoming temptation. "When you pray, believe that you receive the things you ask for, and you shall have them." (Mrk 11:24) Look at this: God is such a good God that he sent his only begotten, beloved Son, Jesus, who never sinned, to die on the cross of crucifixion for our sins, so that we could get born again and go to heaven instead of going to hell. (John chapt 3) So please don't tell me that God is not good. Jesus said that hell was prepared for the devil and his angels. (Matt 25:41) "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God..." (Rom 3:23) So, we have all sinned. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Rom 6:23) Because of our sins, we all deserve to go to hell. "Then he shall say also to those on the left hand, Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels..." (Matt 25:41) Demons are fallen angels that followed Satan when he rebelled against God. There is scripture to suggest that one third of the angels rebelled against God at that time, thus becoming demons. "And his tail drew one third of the stars of heaven, and threw them to the earth..." (Rev 12:4) So then, after God the Father prepared for us this salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ, the Bible says, "How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?" (Heb 2:3) We will not escape if we neglect the salvation available through the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who reject this salvation will wind up in a fiery hell, where their worms don't die, and where the fire is never quenched, where there's crying and gnashing of teeth, Jesus said. In the Old Testament, God told Moses to have the priests and the people sacrifice animals for their sins. But the Apostle Paul, of the tribe of Benjamin, tells us that-- "For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats can take away sins." (Heb 10:4) The blood of sacrificial animals doesn't really take away sins. However, God was willing to count the sacrificial animals as taking away sins under the laws of Moses, as a foreshadowing of the ultimate sacrifice of God's only Son, Jesus, on the cross of crucifixion, for the sins of the world. But even with the sacrifice of the animals, notice the emphasis on the blood. Paul the Apostle tells us that-- "And by the law, almost all things are purged with blood, and without shedding of blood is no forgiveness of sin." (Heb 9:22) When Paul says, "And by the law" here, he means the Mosaic laws of the Old Testament part of the Bible. THERE IS NO FORGIVENESS OF SIN WITHOUT THE SHEDDING OF BLOOD. What, the shedding of animal blood? No, that was just temporary. No, the shedding of the blood of Jesus, the Son of God, the ultimate sacrificial lamb, the once and forever sacrifice for sin, the "Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world," (Jhn 1:29) In the Old Testament, God was very strict with his people. The people grumbled against God, and God sent fiery serpents among them that brought death. But God also provided a salvation. He had Moses put an image of a serpent on a pole. All the people had to do was look at that serpent on the pole, and they would live. But what if someone said, "No, I won't look." OK, well then you're one of those who die. God was even strict with Moses, who struck the rock rather than speaking to the rock, as God told him to do. And that happened because the children of Israel provoked Moses to anger. So God wouldn't let Moses go into the promised land. My personal opinion is that God was being merciful to Moses, and sparing him from unnecessary continued tribulation as the leader of Israel. Moses got promoted to heaven, and a younger man, Joshua, had to put up with the problems of the children of Israel. In Second Corinthians, the Apostle Paul gives thanks.-- "Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift." (2 Cor 9:15) And what is God's unspeakable gift? God's unspeakable gift is the gift of his Son, Jesus, to come down from a glorious heaven, to a rather shabby place that is Earth, and die on the cross of crucifixion for your sins and mine. Of course, when God made the earth, it wasn't shabby, but sin has taken its toll on earth. "So you shall not pollute the land in which you are, for blood defiles the land, and the land can't be cleansed from the blood that is shed in it, except by the blood of him that shed it." (Num 35:33) In this passage in Numbers, God says that the blood of murder victims defiles, or pollutes the land, and that the only way to cleanse the land is to execute the murderer. But I understand that in most of Europe, and I think in some states of the U.S., they won't execute murderers, thus the land is more and more defiled. There will be a price to pay for those nations and states that disregard the word of God and fail to execute murderers. And Pope Francis is part of that conspiracy. In a recent visit to the U.S., the Pope addressed a joint session of congress. In his speech, the Pope asked Congress to do away with the death penalty. What? Yes, that's what the Pope said. And he's the top person at a church and denomination that some think of as Christian. In fact, they think of themselves as Christian. But he is not a Christian who thinks himself to be a Christian. He is a Christian whom God sees to be a Christian, and whose name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life in heaven. If the Catholics are Christians, why are they doing so many things contrary to scripture? If you're an individual Christian going against the word of God, be sure your sin will find you out. But if you're the Pope, leading people astray by going against Numbers 35:33, and in other ways, well then, I really don't think that Pope will make it to heaven when his life on earth is over, and the only alternative to heaven is hell. Even more recently, the Pope visited Mexico and Texas. It was on TV. And again the Pope publicly asked that the death penalty be done away with. Exactly when was it that Pope Francis became smarter than God? But the Pope is not smarter than God. God is smarter, and stronger, and tougher, and wiser, and cleverer, and mightier than the Pope. So then, who will prevail, the Pope or God? Obviously, God will prevail over the Pope, and God will get honor to himself, while Pope Francis will come to naught. Another way that the Pope has brought dishonor on himself and on the Catholic church is by praying to Mary. One of the Ten Commandments is, "You shall have no other Gods before me." (Exo chapt 20) Therefore, to pray to Mary is to commit the sin of idolatry, as the Catholics do on a regular basis, with their prayer, "The Rosary," and as led by a sinful Pope. And yet, the Catholics call him the Holy Father. No, you lose your holiness when you go around teaching contrary to the Bible, as Pope Francis does. And if the Pope is someone's father, he is surely not mine. My Dad passed on years ago. My father is God in Heaven. Chapter 2 Jesus said,-- "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do, for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking." (Matt 6:7, King James Version) And yet, that thing that Jesus said not to do is exactly the thing that the Catholics do when they pray The Rosary, using their prayer beads. They pray as many vain repetitions as they have prayer beads. You have to be an extremely loyal Catholic if you choose to remain a Catholic in the light of these violations by the Catholic church of so many teachings of the Bible. Are you not aware that Jesus said, "Come out of her, my people."? (Rev 18:4) 4 And I heard another voice from heaven, "Come out of her, my people, so that you're not partakers of her sins, and so you're not a victim of her plagues. 5 For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her sins. 6 Reward her as she rewarded you, and double to her double according to her works, in the cup that she has filled, fill to her double. 7 As much as she has glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her, for she says in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and will see no sorrow. 8 Therefore her plagues shall come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine, and she shall be completely burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her. 9 And the kings of the earth, who've committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning, (from Rev chapt 18) Please see my book, "Come Out of Her, My People." And what about the pedophile Catholic priests that sexually molest young boys? And I've heard that when they catch a pedophile priest, instead of defrocking that garbage, and preferring criminal charges against him, what is generally done is to transfer that priest to a different Parrish, where he can start all over with a different set of boys. But in the Old Testament, the Old Testament priests had wives and children. Why don't the Catholics do the same? If the priests had wives and children, the priests would not be subject to as much sexual temptation. Again, the Catholic church thinks it has a better idea than the teachings of the Bible. With all this in mind, why do Catholics remain in the Catholic church? Is it because their family has been Catholic for ten generations. I like what Norvel Hayes said along those lines. "Did you ever consider that maybe your Great Grandfather was wrong?" Back in about '79, '80, '81, our family's church was Lakewood Church in Houston, TX. Today, it's called a Megachurch, whose Pastor is Joel Osteen. Back then, the church was smaller, and the Pastor was John Osteen, father of Joel. In one service, Pastor John Osteen said from the pulpit, "We use the envelope system here (for giving). So take an envelope, fill it out, and put your offering in there." I knew they had envelopes for offering, and I had used them, putting a buck or two in there for the offering, but without filling out the donor information. Not everyone necessarily has to do like I do. Perhaps some Lakewood people liked that system, because when it came time to file their income taxes, the envelope system provided them with useful information about their giving to use with their income tax filings. But Jesus said, "When you give, don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing." (Matt 6:3) So, I determined not to fill out the information on the offering envelope at Lakewood Church. But now that the Pastor had said from the pulpit that we should fill out the envelope, I thought I'd better ask him about it. After the service, I went up to the Pastor, and reminded him that he had said we should fill out the envelopes. I told him I didn't want to give by the envelope system, and asked if that would that be OK. I was prepared, if he had said, "If you want this to be your church, then fill out the envelopes," I was prepared to answer him, "Then this is not our church, and you are not our Pastor." But he answered that it would be OK not to fill out the envelopes, so we stayed at the church. Now, I was prepared for our family to leave that church if they wouldn't let me follow, "...don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing." Just on that one doctrinal issue. How is it then, that so many Catholics remain with the Catholic church, in view of all the violations of scripture by the Catholic church? "Come out of her, my people." (Rev 18:4) It is true that you can take credit for your financial giving to churches on your income tax returns, but if Jesus didn't want me to let my left hand know what my right hand was doing, regarding giving, then I saw no reason to tell the I.R.S about my donations. And maybe that cost me a little financially, but I believed the Lord would reward me for my obedience to Him. But when the Apostle Paul says, "Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift," (2 Cor 9:15) can't we be a little more specific about how it's an unspeakable gift.? Well, haven't you seen on TV some war stories? I think it was the H2 channel that recently had a series of episodes about the Civil War. The Civil War happened because the Southern states wanted to secede from the United States. President Abraham Lincoln said, "A house divided against itself cannot stand." Where did Lincoln get that? From Jesus, in Matt 12:25. Lincoln didn't want the U.S.A. to go down the toilet, so we fought a Civil War. Many thousands of soldiers died in the Civil War, both Northern and Southern soldiers. Now, let's say you're a young woman just recently married, and then the Civil War breaks out. Your husband has to go as a soldier, whether for the North, or for the South, and then the bad news comes back that your husband died in the war. How does that feel? Well, it feels almost like the end of the world. Recently on TV there was a taxi driver who worked for the Uber outfit in Michigan. He went on a shooting rampage and I think murdered six people. If one of your family members was one of the murder victims, how does that feel? Well, it feels like the bottom has dropped out of your life. And I'm pretty sure that's a lot how God the Father felt when he had to sacrifice his only, and his beloved Son, to die on the cross for the sins of the world. And yet, the Bible says that Jesus was killed from the foundation of the world. "...whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb killed from the foundation of the world." (Rev 13:8) Jesus and God the Father knew when they created the world and mankind that a Savior would be needed. That Savior is Jesus. Moses told the people,-- "The Lord your God will raise up to you a Prophet from among you, of your brothers, like me, you shall listen to him..." (Deut 18:15) That Prophet is Jesus. Of course, after Jesus' death on the cross, on the third day, God raised him from the dead. So, the loss of Jesus was not a permanent loss. But anyway, that is how the gift of God's Son for the sins of the world is an unspeakable gift. And Jesus didn't deserve to die. I believe God had to be strict with Old Testament Israel so that we, who would come along later, would understand that getting right, and staying right with God is a very serious business. In fact, it's the most serious business that we have in this life, is to get right and stay right with God, to avoid spending eternity in a fiery hell. If you never accomplished anything in this life, except to get straight with God by getting born again, you'd die and go to heaven. But if you became the richest person in the world, and didn't get born again, you'd die and go to a fiery hell. Jesus said, "What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Mark 8:36,37) Jesus said, "You MUST be born again." (John chapt 3) To become a born again Christian, obey Romans 10:9,10-- "That if you confess the Lord Jesus with your mouth, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you're saved. For with the heart man believes for righteousness, and with the mouth, confession is made for salvation." But once you become a Christian, look at Acts 1:8, "You shall receive power after the Holy Ghost has come upon you." This refers to the Baptism with the Holy Ghost with the speaking in unknown tongues. In fact, the evidence that a Christian has received the Baptism with the Holy Ghost is that the person will speak in unknown tongues, that is, a language that the person has never learned. But how can we speak in a language that we haven't learned? Because, when you get the Baptism with the Holy Ghost from Jesus, the Holy Ghost will give you the words to speak out in that language that you've never learned. I use the example of the word "Kamsahamnida." Do you know that word? That's a word from a foreign language. But when you saw it in print, did you say it out loud? If you and I were sitting across the table, and I spoke that word in your hearing, you could repeat it after me, even if you didn't understand the meaning of the word. That's how it is with the Baptism with the Holy Ghost, after you get it from Jesus. The Holy Ghost gives you the words to speak, and then you add your voice and speak those words out loud. Now that word, kamsahamnida, means "Thank You" in Korean. But even though you don't know what you're saying in the unknown tongue, God understands all languages. I say "after you get it from Jesus," because in all four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, John the Baptist says that Jesus is the Baptizer with the Holy Ghost. And after receiving the Baptism with the Holy Ghost, you'll have more power as a Christian. (Acts 1:8) You'll be a stronger Christian. You'll be better at casting out demons when it comes time to do so, as Pastor Win Worley found out in Highland, Indiana. Both Kenneth E. Hagin and Win Worley were authorities on casting out demons. And also Dr. Norvel Hayes. Worley has gone to be with Jesus. But I believe he has books available at Amazon.com or at Barnesandnoble.com The Lord wants us Christians to cast out demons and to lay hands on the sick and pray for their recovery-- 17 "And these signs shall follow those who believe, in my name they'll cast out devils, they'll speak with new languages, 18 They shall pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it won't hurt them. They shall lay hands on the sick, and they'll recover." (Mark 16:17,18) Having the Baptism with the Holy Ghost also helps us in our prayer lives. 26 Likewise the Spirit also helps our weaknesses, for we don't know what we should pray for as we ought to, but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings that can't be uttered in articulate speech. 27 And he that searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because he makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to his purpose. (Rom 8:26--28) We can pray for things in the unknown tongue that we didn't know to pray for in our native language. We can pray more effectively in the unknown tongue. Every day, Christians should pray not only in their native languages, but also in unknown tongues. But to do that, ask Jesus for the Baptism with the Holy Ghost. "When you pray, believe that you receive the things you ask for, and you shall have them." (Mrk 11:24) That verse, Mark 11:24 got Prophet/Teacher Kenneth E. Hagin up off a bed of sickness and healed of a so-called incurable disease when he was a teenager. Hagin got lots of people healed during his lifetime, and wrote nearly a hundred books, most of which are best sellers. His books are at Amazon.com and at Rhema.org, and in Christian book stores. Norvel Hayes has books at Amazon.com and at nhm.cc and at Christian book stores. Go to the "Charismatic" department of the book store. If you're a Christian, Jesus gave us authority in Luke 10:19 to cast demons out of people. (and also Mrk 16:17,18) When demons get into people, they want to guide their human hosts to hell. And demons who are not inside of people are busy tempting people to commit sins. Sin is the transgression of the law. If God says don't do something, and you do it anyway, that's sin. However,-- "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 Jhn 1:9) ___James chapter 1 1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes that are dispersed around, greetings. 2 My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into various temptations, 3 Knowing this, that the testing of your faith works patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, so you'll be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God for it, who gives to all men liberally, and won't find fault, and it shall be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven by the wind and tossed. 7 For let that man not think that he'll receive anything from the Lord. 8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. 9 Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted, 10 But the rich, in that he is made low, because as the flower of the grass he'll pass away. 11 For the sun has no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withers the grass, and the flower of it falls, and the grace of the fashion of it perishes, so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways. 12 Blessed is the man that endures temptation, for after he's been tested, he'll receive the crown of life, that the Lord has promised to those who love him. 13 Let no man say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God," for God can't be tempted with evil, nor does he tempt any man, 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust has conceived, it produces sin, and sin when it's finished, produces death. 16 Do not err, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, nor shadow of turning. 18 He chose to father us with the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits of his creatures. 19 So, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, 20 For the anger of man doesn't accomplish the righteousness of God. 21 So, lay apart all filthiness and the unnecessary naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like a man seeing his natural face in a mirror, 24 For he sees himself, and goes his way, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But whoever looks into the perfect law of liberty, and continues in it, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. 26 If any man among you seems to be religious, and doesn't bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is for nothing. 27 Pure religion and undefiled before God the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. ___James chapter 2 1 My brothers, don't have the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. 2 For if a man with a gold ring comes to your assembly in fancy clothes, and a poor man in dirty clothes comes in also, 3 And you have respect to him that wears the fancy clothes, and say to him, "Sit here in a good place," and say to the poor, "Stand there, or sit here under my footstool," 4 Aren't you then partial in yourselves, and have become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brothers, hasn't God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? 6 But you have despised the poor. Don't rich men oppress you, and bring you before the judgment seats? 7 Don't they blaspheme that worthy name by which you're called? 8 If you fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, "You shall love your neighbor like yourself," you do well, 9 But if you have respect of persons, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as sinners. 10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. 11 For he that said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not kill." Now if you don't commit adultery, yet if you kill, you've become a breaker of the law. 12 Speak in such a way, and do, as those who'll be judged by the law of liberty. 13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that has shown no mercy, and mercy rejoices against judgment. 14 What does it profit, my brothers, though a man says he has faith, and doesn't have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister needs clothes, and lacks daily food, 16 And one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you don't give them the things that are needed for the body, what good is that? 17 Even so faith, if it doesn't have works, is dead, being alone. 18 Yes, a man could say, "You have faith, and I have works, show me your faith without your works, and I'll show you my faith by my works." 19 You believe that there is one God, you do well, the devils also believe, and tremble. 20 But don't you know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Wasn't Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see how faith worked with his deeds, and by works faith was made perfect? 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness, and he was called the friend of God." 24 You see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. 25 Likewise also wasn't Rahab the prostitute justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? 26 For like the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. ___James chapter 3 1 My brothers, don't be many masters, knowing that we'll receive the greater condemnation. 2 For in many things we offend all. If any man doesn't offend in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. 3 See, we put bits in the horses' mouths, so they'll obey us, and we turn around their whole bodies. 4 Look also at the ships, which though they're so large, and are driven by fierce winds, yet they're turned around by a very small helm, wherever the captain wants. 5 Even so, the tongue is a little member, and boasts great things. See how great a matter a little fire kindles! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of sin, so is the tongue among our members that it makes dirty the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature, and it is set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of animals, and of birds, and of snakes, and of things in the sea, gets tamed, and has been tamed by mankind, 8 But no man can tame the tongue, it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless God, the Father, and with it we curse men, who are made after the likeness of God. 10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be. 11 Does a fountain send out at the same place sweet water and bitter? 12 Can the fig tree, my brothers, produce olive berries? Or a vine, figs? So no fountain can yield both salt water and fresh. 13 Who is a wise man, possessing knowledge among you? Let him show out of a good lifestyle his works with meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, don't glory, and don't lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom doesn't descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. 16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be reasoned with, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. 18 And the fruit of righteousness is planted in peace by those who make peace. ___James chapter 4 1 Where do wars and fightings among you come from? Don't they come from your lusts that war in your members? 2 You lust, and don't have, you kill, and desire to have, and can't obtain, you fight and war, yet you don't have, because you don't ask. 3 You ask, and don't receive, because you ask wrongly, so you can consume it on your lusts. 4 You adulterers and adulteresses, don't you know that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world is an enemy of God. 5 Do you think that the scripture says for nothing, "The spirit that lives in us lusts to envy?" 6 But he gives more grace. So he says, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he'll run away from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double minded. 9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and cry, let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he'll lift you up. 11 Don't speak evil about each other, brothers. He that speaks evil about his brother, and judges his brother, speaks evil about the law, and judges the law, but if you judge the law, you're not a doer of the law, but a judge. 12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy, who are you that judges someone else? 13 Go on now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we'll go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and make a profit," 14 Actually, you don't know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is a puff of steam, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away. 15 For you ought to say, "Lord willing, we'll live, and do this, or that." 16 But now you rejoice in your boastings, all such rejoicing is evil. 17 Therefore to him that knows to do good, and doesn't do it, to him it is sin. ___James chapter 5 1 Go on now, you rich men, cry and howl for your miseries that shall come on you. 2 Your riches are corrupted, and your clothes are moth eaten. 3 Your gold and silver are rusted, and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh like fire. You've heaped treasure together for the last days. 4 See, the wages of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which you've kept back by fraud, shouts, and the shouts of those who've reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabbath. 5 You've lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton, you've nourished your hearts, like in a day of slaughter. 6 You've condemned and killed the just, and he doesn't resist you. 7 Be patient therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, and has long patience for it, until he receives the early and latter rain. 8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is getting near. 9 Don't grudge against each other, brothers, so you won't be condemned, see, the judge stands at the door. 10 Take, my brothers, the prophets, who've spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. 11 See, we count them happy that endure. You've heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy. 12 But above all things, my brothers, don't swear, not by heaven, nor by the earth, nor by any other oath, but let your yes be yes, and your no, no, so that you don't fall into condemnation. 13 Is anyone among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is anyone merry? Let him sing psalms. 14 Is anyone sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord, 15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up, and if he has committed sins, he'll be forgiven. 16 Confess your faults to each other, and pray for each other so you'll be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man is does a lot of good. 17 Elijah was a man subject to the same kind of passions that we are, and he prayed earnestly that it wouldn't rain, and it didn't rain on the earth for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. 19 Brothers, if any of you strays from the truth, and someone converts him, 20 Let him know, that he that converts the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.