When we take note of the major religions of the world and their doctrines concerning God and His judgment upon His most prized creation, mankind, it should be clear that they have remade Him in their own image and after their likeness. With this in mind, we can paraphrase Genesis 1:26 – "And Men said, Let us make God in our image, and after our likeness ... so they created God in their own image, in the image of men created they Him."  Thus, gods of the humankind!

It should be clear that men of the first Adam were given the ability to create, yet on the lower level of his fallen condition.  With this innate attribute, they have been carelessly creating God, if you please, in man's image according to his carnal mind and natural imagination. They have not only bowed to and worshiped that which they imagined God to be, but have required all who they rule over to do the same. In some cases, those who will not bow in obedience to those manmade gods are subjected to awful consequences by these crafty God Makers. Those who do not conform may be ostracized, maligned, shunned, or even condemned to a everlasting hellfire for not embracing such nonsensical tenets of faith.

Men's gods that have been created from their own imaginations, such as the ones who will burn most of their creation in that hellfire, are sometimes due to mistranslations of a number of scriptures in the Bible. Since skewed thoughts are often believed and declared to be holy doctrines of faith, they insist that those they rule over to believe the same. They try their best to create people according to their desires of what they believe to be true. They then go about molding church members lives according to their own imaginations of what they think they should be. They are driven to make the creations of their minds to perform according to their pattern.

This machine that grinds out various manmade images are not only in the arena of religion, but also in the world of the educational systems, politics, as well as child rearing, and even marriages. Although these images that are formed in people can be detrimental, they are not necessarily always the case; for good parents raise up their children in the way they should go, or where their God-given talents are, and they will not depart from them as they mature. The percentage is not known, but we believe just as many marriages form great men and women, as to the contrary. And it could be that our schools and governments could be instrumental in making exceptionally brilliant and successful men and women in the world; but sadly, we seldom see such in either field of influence and creativity.

The truth be known, inventions like: "Woke," "Critical Race Theory," BLM, Antifa, and claims that "America is and has always been a systemically racist nation" are so clearly pretentious and contrary to what they are claimed to be. Even so, top politicians, egregious religious leaders, and especially the so called news media continually trumpet these atrocious lies from the darkest regions of men's self-serving carnal minds.

Their creations are not designed to make this nation the UNITED States of America, but rather, the DIVIDED States of America. Have you ever heard the term, Divide and Conquer? Well, my friends, that is what has been going on for quite some time, and they are almost there. Even so, let us keep our minds in Christ Jesus and know that – "This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men."

You see, when people honor God and love their neighbors as themselves, it is not unusual for Him to bless them by setting up a righteous king, or president; but when they worship the creature rather than their Creator and are turned over to their reprobate minds, the basest of men becomes His president of choice for this nation and others, of course.

Notwithstanding, whether for good or evil, especially evil, it is in man to play the role of God and do a little creating himself, even to the point of reversing the role and creating God in his own corruptible image, yet we can see his creative drive goes a bit farther. He attempts to create everything and everyone in his own image and after his likeness. Many creators will go as far as to kill those they cannot carve, manipulate, and form into their own images, and the mystery is, they believe they are benevolently doing this to please the god they have created and serve.

It is evident that those ruling over others truly believe that the people cannot think or do for themselves, that they would flounder and fail on their own. So these creators, changers, transformers, molders in governments, the propaganda media machines, and religions of the world are hellbent on fashioning everyone according to their agendas of putting and keeping them well underfoot. Very often, they covertly, and sometimes openly, crush anyone or anything that stands in their self-aggrandized way. Like clay pots on spinning wheels, people are spun and formed according to other people's whims and nefarious plans. We know that the Master potter molds our lives to be fit vessels for His house; but men’s attempts usually kill and destroy others rather than raising them into the paradise that is falsely promised.

As it is with the hands of the good Potter, those in Christ will do everything in their power to help form people’s lives into the image of their Lord Jesus. They will even lay down their lives that others might be conformed to and formed into, not their image, but His image. This is the difference of being creators in the Spirit of the living God and being lowly creators in carnality of the first Adam.

One would think that with the six thousand year track record of men ruling over men, and the world’s present condition still being of such darkness, that every soul would forsake their trust in man-lords and cry out for the living God to save them from the free-fall of the nations that we are seeing today. But this has not happened. Rather than calling upon the One who can save them, they continue trying to find another man, a woman, the perfect religion, political party, president, and a plethora of other liars to placate their futile dreams.

Having been made in the image and likeness of his Creator, man exercises his God-given endowment on a daily basis. It is his nature to do so; but it is so often at the peril of those he claims to be helping. The mystery is that he believes he is their savior, that he is the answer to all their problems, that they can do nothing on their own, and ironically, many believe it, as they listen to the lying rhetoric:

"Just elect me to rule over you and you will never have to want for anything. All you have to do in return is to be conformed into the image I have set for you. My molding and your sacrifice is for the good of the many. It is only fair. We all want a fair playing field, so suck it up, and let me chip away at every ounce of joy and life that you selfishly think you deserve. In so doing, you will enter into my rest, my paradise, my wonderful kingdom and possess all things of all the people that I will take and give to you for everyone’s own good."

Communism, Marxism, Socialism, Humanism, Homosexualism, Racism, as well as Selfism and/or Meism are evil entities that destroy lives by the millions. Every "ism' has its agenda. On the human scale some are good, of course, but many are bad, down-right evil, that create others in their servile image, and then form them into such fashions that their subjects will do for their creators as designed. Most usually they willing submit, since it is for the supposed greater cause, but with some it is by duress as they find themselves under the ism which is the iron hand of totalitarianism.

There seems to be no limits nor boundaries to which these proud gods in the flesh will go. But like the seas of the world, there are check points; for when the living God says thus far and no more they humbly cease their assured roaring. Until that time, however, they will destroy nations to rebuild them in their own corrupt likeness.

Moreover, unlike God, they are respecters of persons. If you are among the upper ranks of their elite echelon, you are in their favor and will live well. If not, you might find yourselves fighting over a couple of turnips at Wal Mart. Therefore, be careful of the king for whom you wish. It could very well end as it did with Israel that got Saul for their king. (Read up on it.)

The same goal exists for the entire cosmos; that is, to create it all in the image and likeness of the human creators, and no man, woman, political party, government, or empire is immune to this built-in, driving force that is common with the general assembly of the human gods.

As surely as a man and woman have the burning desire to bring forth children in their own image and likeness in the holy union of marriage, so it is in just about every other aspect of life, and whether for good or evil, they cannot help themselves. As it is with all creatures, it is man’s nature to bring forth after his own kind; but very often that kind is evil rather than good in which nations, people, husbands, wives, and children are created.

We have often wondered how intelligent people who seemingly care can brandish such ill upon others. Of course, we know that psychopathic narcissists live and rule among us who are incapable of feeling anyone’s pain but their own. Like cold blooded serpents, empathy and mercy are alien to them. To compound the intrusion of these unfeeling husbands, wives, employers, and world leaders is when they have suffered injustices themselves. They can then inflict unimaginable burdens and impossible requirements upon others without giving it a second thought. They feel as if it is owed to them because of the unjust pain that they had suffered at the hands of their tormentors. Many have endured such suffering while feeling that they have been a sacrifice for their families, friends, communities, or political causes. George Bernard Shaw must have known something of this for him to have said: "Self-sacrifice enables us to sacrifice other people without blushing."

The world is full of those who feel they have been sacrifices. Therefore, they never blush at the atrocities that they have brought upon others. If they feel that they have been martyrs and were all their lives a sacrifice, it is, "Pity poor me. But I’ll have pity on no one. It is finally about ME, and ME alone!" Thus, Meism in unrestrained action!

Being a creator, man can muse, formulate thoughts, generate and build in his mind something that has never been. He can then figure out how to bring it into physical expression. He is a master at creating the invisible within himself and then bring it forth in tangible substance. If he has a willing subject, or one that has been beaten down morally or physically, whether it is a nation or a wife, a husband or a child, he will create them in his image, according to his formidable imaginations.

There is no end to what can be created. The good he creates is boundless, but so is his evil. He is a master of both, and if it were not for the good part of Adam, he would have already destroyed himself. And please know, as it is with God who created the heavens, the earth, and all the inhabitants from Himself, so it is with man. God did not create anything from nothing. He drew from Himself and created it. The visible and invisible universe came from God. Therefore, with man being a creator in similar fashion, everything he creates originates in him and will always be an expression of himself. This is why the gods of men’s religions have such variations of character; for man himself is a multi-fractured being, and whatever those imaginative fractures are of God, those are the expressions and declarations that say it is the only true and infallible God.

Man does the same with those he rules over. His multi-fractured imaginations create multi-fractured people, some are good, some are not so good, and some are deplorable, especially when those creators are unnaturally in love with themselves. These self-serving narcissists will always have illusions of being gods in their own right and supposed superior intelligence.

Paul mentioned something of their illusions when he wrote, "Because...they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the incorruptible God unto an image made like to corruptible man...." Romans 1:19-23.

If they change the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like themselves, corruptible man, how much more so will they change the glory of God’s creation, His people, into the image of his own corruptible self? He has done it since his expulsion from the Garden, and such has been one of his strongholds and power over people.

Men take pride in their creations, and it pains them when their masterpieces are infringed upon by others whether they are congressional bills, brainwashed school children, church members, or a man’s family. Although they do not consciously or outwardly say, "Let us make in our likeness and after our corrupt image," this is exactly what they do when they project their own imperfect imaginations upon them that were mixed in the apothecary mortars of their minds. From therein they create people and nations as they see fit for their special, self-aggrandized, fractured illusions. It is strange that men, from world leaders all the way down to husbands and wives, cannot leave God’s creation alone.

Governments are hell-bent on creating the people into their own image whether it is of Marxism, Socialism, Communism, Independentism and other political isms. Religious organizations also create their subjects after their image and likeness, and individuals do the same, yet on a smaller scale. Some of the creations are good and some evil, and it is all for the supposed purpose of the common good for everyone, especially for the good of their makers.

Although some images that come from these Man Makers work for the good toward them and the world, others, however, create images that bring people to helpless servitude and deplorable poverty. They are devoured and made after the imaginations of their evil makers, whether they are those who rule over nations, churches, homes, husbands, wives, children, or others.

Jesus was certainly not pleased with the leaders in the church system of His day: "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses....ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves." Matthew 23:14-15. And Paul wrote: "For you put up with it if someone enslaves you, if someone devours you, if someone takes advantage of you..." 2 Corinthians 11:20, Lexham English Bible. And Peter said: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." 1 Peter 5:8. "And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born." Revelation 12:4.

Although people can be willingly ignorant, the apostle mentioned in 2 Peter 3:5, the spirit of religion, that is, the dragon, is crafty. The heartless serpent is a master of deception, and forms men in the image it desires by tearing them down. This is through deceit, lies, and accusations. These methods come from within and as well as from without. Our own religious devil will lie to us, deceive us, accuse us from within our own minds, and the religious devil of the world’s church system will lie, deceive, and accuse us outwardly.

One form of accusing is to continually preach against our sin, shortcomings, and supposed heresies. This can eventually cause self-condemnation with some, and when we condemn ourselves, there will be no need for anyone else to do so; for the accuser has succeeded in one of his missions.

Accusations will always come when it is seen that we are drawing close to God; for this poses a real threat to the leaders’ church structure, their power over the people, and the system’s financial wealth. We will be accused of spiritual error, heresy, blasphemy, or worse. They make it clear that if we are not one with them, we are against them and are forsaking the assembling of ourselves together. They say that we have gone from underneath the protective covering they provide for us, and there is no way to know the truth without being overshadowed by them. We will sink deeper and deeper into Satan’s pit of deception, so they say, until there will be no hope left for us. The caldron of eternal damnation will be our supposed portion if we do not boot-step to their religious gait and are conformed to their image.

Neither can such accusations be avoided when we ascend above their religious realm! Not only the spirit of the world’s church system; but the dragon of our own religious minds will be at the ready. They both will step forward and accuse us continually as we stand before God. Sadly, many believe accomplished accuser! Therewith, they are devoured and formed, that is, deformed into his image, the one who has been a liar from the beginning. Don’t listen to him!

The church system, not the true church, has been devouring people for ages; but it has not stopped there. It has had the people on the diet of asses' heads (the knowledge of men), doves’ dung (the residue that is left after the Holy Spirit has flown away), and even babies (the new converts who are consumed by their doctrines).

As horrendous as this may sound, it is true. Some are so in tune to the carnal mind of human reasoning, that they resort to any means in order to be filled by it. For instance, not only asses’ heads, and doves’ dung, yesterday’s revelations, but babies, spiritually speaking: "...Give thy son, that we may eat him to day, and will eat my son tomorrow. So we boiled my son, and did eat him..." 2 Kings 6:28-29.

Rather than eating the flesh of Jesus they have been eating their newborn converts. With this insatiable appetite, with binding dogmas, they strangle the innocents before they can grow up and mature as a son of God. The life of those born in today’s Samaria is snatched from the breast and snuffed out before it hardly begins, which almost happened to us shortly after we were born of the Spirit.

After being devoured by their rituals and doctrines of the dead letter, it doesn’t take long before they lose their identity in Christ. When this happens, all that can be seen of them is the image and likeness of their religious Man Makers: another Baptist, a Pentecostal, a Roman Catholic, a Latter Day Saint, a Jehovah's Witness, an Independent, and sometimes a Kingdom Son of God, etc.

Brethren, they eat their own babies, even Kingdom of God people! They devour them! And nothing visible remains except the image of the host by which they have been consumed.

Can there be anything more desperate or deplorable than a person cannibalizing their own baby to save their miserable existence? Yet it is seen in abundance in today's Samaria, only on the spiritual level. The same women of history rise once again to do their terrible deeds. With their appetite and blind condition, they perceive no light at all; and without the flesh and blood of Jesus to sustain them, they fulfill the words of scripture by progressively eating not only their babies – they devour widows’ houses, one another, their proselytes, and anyone who becomes entangled in their worldwide web of deceit. Truly, if you are not aware, there are spiders in that web that can suck the very life out of you.

It would do us good to be just as sober-minded and aware of the internet as Peter admonished about the religious system. He said to "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." 1 Peter 5:8. And John saw that "...his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born." Revelation 12:4.

You may have an idea of what the devil is, and you may be right; but I can tell you, there is more to it than what the churches of the world have taught. Jesus identified the devil as John wrote in 8:44. Therein it He said to the Pharisees – "Ye are of your father the devil." We, of course, do not think He was suggesting they were born from some diabolical conception the devil had with their mothers. Not at all! For it was everything about them that was inspired by the traducing devil. His seat and influence was the mind of their natural man. That serpent was feeding from their carnal minds of dust, and they were the manifestation of the devil who was walking about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he could devour. Unknown to many, the devil comes in the form of men, and that devil comes as a lion, as a dragon, seeking and devouring whom he can. Carnal mind men of religion and the devil are one and the same, and once they have devoured a man, that man has been made two-fold more the child of hell than themselves.

Isaiah 9:15 says that the prophets who teach lies are the tail. Therefore, the lying prophets draw unsuspecting Christians from the heavens in Christ, while the entire system of religion devours them. This dragon is swishing his tail of lying prophets throughout the heavens and entangling men’s minds with carnal precepts; such as, the doctrine of eternal hell for unbelievers (99.9 percent of humanity), the rapture (man's first flight without the aid of an airplane or attached hardware), man's freewill to save himself, and all doctrines inspired by the religious mind rather than the Spirit...

While rejecting His living Word, please know that the old devil, the roaring lion; that is, the Pharisees and Sadducees devour those held behind their walls of religion. These leaders are devouring the people and making them in their image, which is twofold more the children of hell than themselves.

Since their eye is evil, their whole body is dark, everything about them is evil. They may not look evil, but according to Jesus, they are evil. Moreover, as we have seen, they call evil good and good evil. The eye speaks of one’s spirit, so if their eye is evil, their spirit is evil. Whatever they see in themselves, however, is always good, even darkness is light to them. And Jesus said something about their insight, their vision, their eye: "If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!" Matthew 6:23.

On the other hand, how wonderful it is that "The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light." Luke 11:34. In Christ there is but one vision, one mind, one Spirit! In Christ there is no darkness! in Christ there is nothing but illumination/revelation! In Christ there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning! Simply put – in the single eye of Christ Jesus there is light, life, and liberty! In Him there is no darkness, no death, no starvation – and especially, there is no diet of asses’ heads, doves’ dung, or babies! Praise God for the banqueting table of Jesus Christ! With a single eye we have pure communion! Through all the ages, we eat of His rich, indissoluble life!

Brethren, the word of deliverance has been proclaimed to those held captive in today’s Samaria; but as it was with Elisha, the gate-keepers have denied it. They have mocked and accused those who prophesied it. However, we can be assured, when the Lepers of Samaria (the Sons of God), stand at her gates with the riches of the Kingdom in their hands – there will be deliverance for every captive and starving soul, while every so called apostle, prophet, preacher, pastor, and teacher will be trampled, left in the dust, by the great exodus. The watchmen who walk the imprisoning walls of that city shall see the riches of the Kingdom; but they will not partake of it! So says the word of prophecy!

Religion is surely one of the most prolific agents at creating after its own kind; but let us be reminded, this mortal god is only one entity of this type in the world. Communism is driven to create humanity in that same darkened image, and they will destroy imprison, or kill those who cannot be brought around. Socialism, Marxism and Humanism do the same. And individual people are not left out. To a degree, they all create, or attempt to create, others after their own image and likeness. Fathers and mothers do everything in their power to create their children in their likeness and according to their imposing imaginations, and they do the same to each other.

I believe that most marriages that fail are due to the husbands and wives not being able to create the others in their own image, according to what they think their spouses should be. Those attempting to recreate their husbands or wives become frustrated, disappointed, angered, disgusted, even led to hatred toward the other. Since they cannot be molded into the image of their likes, nothing but faults can be seen in them: You are too fat! You are too skinny! You eat too much! You don’t eat enough! Your cigarette breath is foul! You dress sloppy! You are too truthful and it hurts my feelings! You too much TV! You don't watch enough with me! The list is infinite, and when either spouse is attempting to recreate the other, both can be utterly miserable and want to be anywhere in the world except in their presence, thus divorce or both living a pathetic life together.

Please listen, my fellow creators. When we are instrumental in helping to create people’s lives, make sure to do it in loving kindness. Putting too much pressure on a clay pot, especially the pressure of criticism or condemnation, will not change its shape. It will break it! I do not smoke nor do I eat too much; but if I did either, and every time my wife or anyone else criticized me by saying, "Don’t you know that greasy hamburger will make you fat and clog your arteries, and smoking is not only offensive, it will cause you to die a miserable death?"

They would most likely be right; but rather than helping, such truthful information/condemnation would be like a knife being thrust into his or her heart, but could probably cause them to want to buy an order of super-sized greasy fries to go with a triple patty hamburger, and perhaps smoke a whole pack of cigarettes and dip a can or two of snuff while puffing on a cheap cigar among other things that might come to mind out of hurt and spite.

We tell governments, churches, and other powers of the world to leave us alone and stop trying to create us in their image and after their likeness; but let us not forget ourselves. Let us be aware of how we are attempting to create those among us, especially our family members. Getting mad and sullen over your loved ones’ shortcomings, whether real or imagined, does nothing but compound the problem.

Let us, therefore, not break an already bruised reed. Let us not douse the flickering light in the lamp in the heart of our loved ones; but rather, let us say and do that which will brighten their day. Let us encourage the hurting child, spouse, or friend who appears to be falling short of his or her abilities. Condemnation will only weaken and break them.

Discipline or guide children when needed; but always in love and genuine care. Spankings, timeouts, or demeaning words that are delivered in the spirit of disgust, especially hatred, will break the child who will one day break free from your grip and break your heart.

   Creators can be great assets in helping to build peoples’ lives; but they can destroy lives as well. Many have an agenda to create others into their own image, and then form them in such a fashion that they will do for their makers as intended and designed.

Psalm 82:6 says, "Ye are gods and children of the Most High."

These lesser gods – elohim who have the ability to create, judge and rule over others – have few limits or boundaries. They build and destroy nations as well as single lives. There is a universal goal to create everything in the image and likeness of these gods of the humankind. And as mentioned earlier, no man, woman, political party, government, or empire is immune to this built-in, driving force. As surely as a man and woman have the burning desire to bring forth children in their own image and likeness, so it is with the others in forming them according to personal desires or agendas, and whether for good or evil, they cannot help themselves. When it is for evil, it is easy to find grievous faults and place blame upon governments and religious factions, as well as individuals. But before we do, let us consider some insightful thoughts from a dear friend of many years, Royce Kennedy, in his book, "Life Can Be A Symphony"

https://www.amazon.com/Life-can-Symphony-Royce-Kennedy/dp/1483607135

"Systematically the Church blames the vessels fitted for wrath and destruction, instead of recognizing that all creation—the good—the bad—and the ugly (borrowing a term used in a movie) is by the good will of the Creator and no blame can be made against the vessels, except to seek correction in thought and directions.

"A wise man wrote away back in about the early part of the fifth century B.C.: 'A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps. Man’s goings are of the Lord; how can a man then understand his own way?' Proverbs 16:9, 20:24. A major prophet added his thought: 'O Lord, I know that the way of man (mankind in general) is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. O Lord, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing.' Jeremiah 10:23, 24.

"It seems to me that if we present this case to the Church, it would be denied solely on the premise that man must be punished for the wrongs he committed. With that mind-set, mercy is discarded by the call for justice. ‘Somebody must pay’ becomes their mantra. The greatest area of disconnect between good and evil exists between the Church and unbelievers. Let me share with you a very tragic story.

"Many years ago in a Welsh mining village, a young girl got pregnant by a young lad who ran away from the trouble he created.