Note: I wrote this book on and off over 10 years. Why? Because I found as I wrote from the heart that Adonai my God was changing me within, and so as I progressed with my writings, I found myself going back over past entries that had now become obsolete so to speak. Most, or should I say all but one person who knew me, saw me as a heretic who had fallen from the truth, but they fail to realize it is themselves who have “not yet found the truth”. My God saw my strong desire for truth and so provided it for me in stages. I asked Him, why do you show me the truth after I had already written a lie? And He said so you would more deeply know the truth. All these years of writing I happily provide free here for those who seek, with a sincere desire for the ways of God, His truth. Soon I will be gone and this page will disappear into internet oblivion, so feel free to copy, download, or send a link to a friend even while it is still available.
Contents
- Christianity or Paganism.
First form of Christianity - Life of early Christians
Enter Constantine
Enter false teachers
Birth of Pagan Christianity
The true church of Christ - Messiah Yahoshua/Jesus
Why did Jesus come?
What did Jesus teach?
Are you saved?
Few are Chosen
Other Jesus teachings - Early Christians
First followers of Jesus
How Jesus lived
How Disciples lived
How Paul lived
Enter Simon Magus
The Roman Catholic Church
The Roman Emperor Constantine - The True Church of Jesus
What Church is Jesus talking about?
Why no mention of the church in the Old Testament?
The Spiritual Church
No reason for Church institution
Two or more in my name
House Church
Does todays church bring people to God?
What encompasses todays church?
Motive of todays church
Does it matter which church?
Take up your cross
Upon this rocK I build my Church
Where to from here?
Traditions of man
What does the Bible say?
Where did our traditions come from?
Why is traditions not OK with God?
Is any denomination exempt from following mans tradition?
Can tradition harm us? - Never leave or forsake us
What the bible says
Can this be true what Jesus said?
Deny Christs return, and you deny Him in you
Jesus kept His word - Why the deception?
Satan needs you
Deception equals money
To take the focus off the Roman church
Its exciting and entertains people
To test Gods people - Our duty of care
To worship God with what we are given
Spread the good news according to we know
Purify our minds
Keep the commandments of Father and Son
Live righteous lives
How much do you love God
To expose false teachers - Sola Scriptura
What is Sola Scriptura?
The Holy Spirit
Brief Bible history
Bible translations
Original translations
Bible tampering
Reliability of modern bibles
Where did todays bible text come from
Aramaic verses Greek text
Other writings
Forgeries
2Peter 3:16
Paradigm shift
What do I know? - Life sapping Deceptions
Second Coming
Christmas and Easter
The Church Institution
Tithing
Tongues
Paid Preachers
Modern day Prophets
The Cross
Sabbath sabotage
Idols
Marriage ring
All grace and no work
Church music
Priest garb
Is Church mandatory?
OSAS doctrine from hell
The Rapture
In His Name
The prosperity doctrine from hell - Paul verses Yahoshua/Jesus
What did Paul teach?
What did Christ teach?
What did the disciples say about Paul?
Which gospel sounds right?
What do I personally think?
Follow Yahoshua/Jesus not Paul! - God’s Law
Law of Moses
Law of Yahoshua/Jesus
Law of Paul
Law of God - Epilogue
My message to all
_________________________________________________________________
Introduction
You will not find many references to other quotes within these pages for one main reason; this book is about what I have discovered through much research, many years of Sabbaths alone in my little house in the trees, and much meditation and sacrifice, as opposed to what others say or have said in the past. This book is mainly about what I have experienced as through obedience I walk with The Lord. Even though there are some quotes here and there, I prefer to use my own inspired words than that of another person I have never met and so cannot vouch for his/her ability to speak for their god. Incidentally, wherever I use the term “God” in this book, I am referring to the Creator of heaven and earth El Shaddai , or Adonai as some prefer to call Him.
I am a first time writer so the language and writing skills within these pages will not impress you, however you will not find any “deliberate” misleading personal dogma or deliberate untruths here. I have been very careful not to mislead knowing the penalty from my God should I hurt even one of His dear children. There may be some mistakes or innocent truth errors just like any other writings I cannot be sure, but one thing I can be sure of, all these pages are written with a pure mind and heart to help all Gods children from being caught up in the lies of those pertaining to be Gods messengers, but are not.
My whole life, both physically and emotionally, has been saturated with pain and turmoil with one calamity after another. Admittedly, according to God’s Holy Laws, I deserved every bit of it. One day I decided to make a conscious decision to repent of my ways and seriously turn to God. Oh what a feeling! After 10 years of reading the bible, attending church every Sunday, and receiving many blessings from God, I became taken aback by the exaggerated lack of adherence to biblical law and ways of God by the traditional modern day Christians. I say ‘traditional’ because their behaviour was more liking to the ways of the Roman Catholic “Traditional” Church than to those of the Jesus/Yahoshua in the bible. This was seriously bewildering to me, and because of the seriousness of my new conviction to follow The Lord in everything I do and think, I would not stand by and do nothing about it. I certainly felt bodily like doing nothing, but my soul cried out for justice. I have had many many injustices in my life, and I was not about to consciously suffer another while I was holding the reigns this time. My journey is based on decisions, and so if I fail, then how can I blame another? So under much strain and reserve I fully decided to leave the church institution and go it alone with my Lord in a desperate attempt to seek truth that obviously was not emanating from the visible church. What I was hearing and seeing was not what I was reading and feeling from the bible, so now I rely totally on my own thoughts of which I trust my Lord inspires because of my loyalty and obedience to Him. After all, the bible does warn that the letter killeth and it was said that in these latter days i.e. from AD onward, God will send His Holy Spirit to do His talking to us directly to our hearts.
I realise there are horses for courses and the ministry of evangelism certainly did not suit me. And neither did the idea of missionary work inspire my eagerness to do good works for my Lord. That area is for much greater men and women than I, and besides, my life long poor health would certainly be a barrier to most countries other than southern Australia. Then there was taking on the work of flying aircraft for the MAF that caught my eye back in 1987. I did get my private pilot’s license, but when applying to the MAF to do my commercial license, they unfortunately or fortunately I am still not sure, they rejected me because of my old age which at the time was only 37. It seems they were after 16 year olds…and I can understand that. Finally I came to wonder if there was a purpose for my life; if anything at all that God wanted me to do for Him. Surely there are some that do nothing at all and are still regarded a part of His kingdom, so why not me also. And that’s where I stopped looking to be a worker for God. I was resigned to the fact I was not suitable, and left it there. That as it turned out was so far from the truth, but of course I just did not know that back then.
About 13 years later at the still tender age of 50 years old I began some writing in response to emails and Christian doctrine in general. I never for one nano second believed I could possibly be a writer, and to some extent still feel that way, but according to the odd few that I knew I was told I am alright. Not brilliant by any means, but good enough to put a good story or a document together… and that was just enough encouragement I needed to get my behind into action. I am still today the first to admit my work is average to below average, but there is one thing you can be definitely assured of, and that’s my dedication to truth and honesty. On this account I can sincerely feel that I am up there with the best of them. By adding my desire for truth together with my desire to find a job in Gods kingdom, I decided to write about anything that The Lord put on my mind. It was at this time of obedience to my Lord that, I believe, He felt He could trust me with certain matters, and so inspire me by His Spirit and also through many days and nights of study and research, to know what I know today. By opening my mind and soul completely to the Lord (and some will say the devil as well), and allowing Him to minister to me in this way, I was able to follow His lead willingly and with conviction to finally accomplish a good work for my Lord and leave some sort of foot print behind, whatever so small it might be; a legacy indeed for any other open minded lovers of the Lord and truth.
And so it became manifest, that for the rest of my days I would dedicate myself to the service of the Lord in some way at least, and not be one to take the Lord for granted. Many doors have opened since that all important resolution, and none more important than this particular subject of deceit within the church organization which can lead the naive and gullible down the wrong path. The following pages will merely skim over the many subjects, but hopefully entice some to do their own sums on what they read here, and just maybe enticing them also to write about what they know from God. Someday I hope to expound on each subject separately in a series of books or documents to further reveal the truth about Gods will for the world. Each subject or chapter title here is not taken lightly and is, I believe, crucial to ones journey in search of Gods Kingdom and His ways.
The reason for sharing my knowledge in this book is because of my deepest love not only for God, but also for His dear people. I love all God’s children for they belong to my very own family, even if they hate me for disagreements within these pages. This subject of ‘church lies’ and tradition sits very close to the hearts of those with pure motives; believe me I know… I have been there before myself. But nevertheless, truth is truth, and if one cannot receive it yet, then this does nothing to discredit it one iota, but rejection of the truth can cost one many light years in their journey toward perfection. One must be very wary how they accept or reject knowledge if their desire to draw nearer to God is sturdy. It is the heart that is judged by God and not the deed as such, so long as your motive is good, then the wisdom in choosing what to believe should be granted by your Father in Heaven who loves you more than you will ever know. Hearing Him is the easy part, but trusting in Him takes courage and conviction. I would strongly advise prayer before continuing with the following pages, and much prayer after for discernment on what you have read. These following pages are not child’s play; life depends on these subjects and so I know also that I put myself in the cage with the lion by exposing them to the public. Not only do I risk my life by assassination, but more importantly I will be judged accordingly by the law of the Eternal God Almighty, and it is this that scares me the most. For this very reason I tread ever so lightly and with much research as I make public the following truths.
This book being my first ever, is a general overview of what I know through my devotion and obedience to my Lord. I do not profess to know any more or any less than the next person, except to say that I only know what I know to be given to me by my Lord God Almighty, and am totally void of truth on my own account. Each subject is more or less a short outline in comparison to what really needs to be said, but in presenting it in this way, it opens three doors to the reader; firstly it becomes food for thought, that with those of open mind can then ponder fairly and justly without any further influence from outside (unless of course you allow it), and hopefully lead you to a higher level of understanding. Even higher than this writer. Secondly, it allows the reader to consider future liaison with myself via email, and if it provides enough interest, maybe a forum to discuss in an orderly fashion the aspects of the subjects mentioned. Thirdly I hope this book will stir the minds and hearts of those sincerely interested in truth, to read on in new expansions I intend doing of certain subjects at a later date. This invitation would be extended to those happy to provide contact via email as I doubt any of it will be on public display. These things would be very deep discussion and could do damage in the hands of traditional orthodox religion.
I often speak of a paradigm shift for those with an open mind; you know, the not so dogmatic kind. For those not knowing; a paradigm is an example serving as a model; pattern. In short…a model that you base your belief/view on. For me up until a few years ago my ‘paradigm’ was orthodoxy in modern traditional Christianity. It was the way I was raised and believed that a team of wild horses could not tear me apart from. Yes I was as dogmatic as the next guy and was willing to die for my loyalty to tradition within the church. One day, and to this day I know not why, I forgot to take my meds and my mind was miraculously opened, and my paradigm soon shifted. Some say I am wrong to leave tradition, but I am more interested in what The Lord says, and if I still journeyed with a closed mind, then He would say nothing because the brick wall in my ear caused by tradition, would prevent me from hearing Him.
Most people’s paradigm must fit with what makes them comfortable, and for traditional Christians, they expect the world to come to an end one day and so base their paradigm on that fact (or lie), but what if they are wrong and God has no intention of ever destroying the earth (which is my belief), would they then have a paradigm “shift” if they were to open their minds enough to learn this truth? Well it certainly would be a spanner in their works that’s for sure. I intend in this book to be exactly that; a spanner for every honest and open mind to confront at least, and then to choose which way to go. Remember, a closed mind is not available to learning and certainly out of reach to the voice of God. Only when you can say; ” I know all things” can your mind then be closed. Putting Almighty God in a box by making a book comprised by men (the Bible) their complete model for eternal life is not only dangerous, foolish and shallow, but also this course of action will prevent God from revealing even more greater truths that are not written within the pages of their dear Bible.
Before I go any further, it should be noted that I do not discriminate against any particular religion, in particular the Christian faith. It may seem to many that I do, but if you look carefully you will see that I am only critical of the way Christianity is taught, and not the faith itself. Never do I speak against The Lord Yahoshua or Jesus as many call Him, no, He is the greatest of all flesh to ever grace the world, and who brought the gospel of the truth to share; I speak only against those who prostitute His truth with their own personal beliefs handed to them by tradition. At times you may feel I am against your particular religion, denomination or doctrine, but this cannot be further from the truth; it is only that part of your belief that is not agreeable to The Lord that I am against, and so write about those things that one might seek it out and find the true essence of their faith in God. If for some reason you are so sure that your particular doctrine has it all, then I am sad for you, for this is the belief of a shallow mind and closed heart. To put God in a box like that is not only foolish, but it also discredits God of His true worth, and that is His love of all mankind and not just a few. The same God that made the Christian also made the Muslim and the Buddhist and the Hindu…why can’t people realize that?
In short, this book is intended to open eyes and ears to the truth of the history of the church on this planet. The many lies and deceits promulgated by religious groups for the success of their institutions, rather than the truth sent by God Almighty via His prophets and Holy Spirit. There is so much in this world hidden all in the name of tradition by a few bad people that prevents the deeper understandings of God and advancement of the soul for many a good person. Those few in high places of authority in this world have deceived and continue to deceive the many who seek a closer walk with their God, and why this is allowed to happen I am not sure except that we all have a choice to follow whatsoever we desire, and it is this choice we have to live by and not blame anyone else for our error. In other words, on the great day of judgment that we all must face at some time, we can’t say to The Lord; oh it’s not my fault Father because I was only doing as I was told/taught… blame my teacher not me. That will not be good enough to save you I’m afraid; that’s when you will know your error. All is not lost though, for there is first and last in heaven which caters for all believers; the true and not so true, for it is only the unbelievers that miss out altogether. Remember this though, even Satan believes.
So my friends, read on and again be assured that my love for you, the truth and justice is of the highest order. I have too much to lose should my motives be unjust. Man has the power to destroy my body, but my Father in Heaven has the power to destroy my soul. There could most certainly be some unintentional error in what is written in these pages but I expect you as the reader to be merciful knowing there is nothing and nobody in this world perfect baring God, and so when you see something you disagree with or know something that is wrong, it would do us both well to report that to my email address which at this time is mr9@iprimus.com.au.
I thank you for choosing to read this book and pray The Lord will be kind to you and bless you with wisdom and understanding.
Grace and Peace always in the way of Christ our Lord
Chapter 1. Christianity or Paganism.
First form of Christianity
Over the last 20 years or so, dating back to about the mid nineties, there has been a huge change in the church. I speak of the people within the church institution and also those outside of it who believe as I did, and that is the true church of The Father are in fact the sons of The Father, and not necessarily those within the institution of the church building. And who are the true sons of God? According to the bible and also common sense, it is those who “Keep His Commandments”.
So what has all this got to do with the first form of Christianity? Well the bible and also recorded history from ancient writings indicate without a doubt that the early Christians who followed the disciples teachings and the testimony of Yahoshua/Jesus, of whom many of the early Christians had the good fortune to meet either in person or from a distance. Yes, these people actually heard the words coming from The Lord and His disciples, and did not have to rely on a book to tell them right from wrong like we are taught from the church institution hierarchy today.
From Wikipedia; “Early Christianity is generally considered as Christianity before 325. The New Testament’s Book of Acts and Epistle to the Galatians records that the first Christian community was centered in Jerusalem and its leaders included James, Peter and John.[1]
The first Christians were all Jews or Jewish proselytes, either by birth or conversion, referred to by historians as the Jewish Christians. Paul of Tarsus, after his conversion, claimed the title of “Apostle to the Gentiles”. Paul’s influence on Christian thinking is said to be more significant than any other New Testament author.[2] By the end of the 1st century, Christianity began to be recognised internally and externally as a separate religion from Rabbinic Judaism which itself was refined and developed further in the centuries after the destruction of the Second Jerusalem Temple.
As shown by the numerous quotations in the New Testament books and other Christian writings of the 1st centuries, early Christians generally used and revered the Jewish Hebrew Bible as Scripture, mostly in the Greek (Septuagint) or Aramaic (Targum) translations. As the New Testament canon developed, the Letters of Paul, the Canonical Gospels and various other works were also recognised as scripture to be read in church. Paul’s letters, especially Romans, established a theology based on Christ rather than on the Mosaic Law, but most Christian denominations today still consider the “moral prescriptions” of the Mosaic Law, such as the Ten Commandments, Great Commandment, and Golden Rule, to be relevant. Early Christians demonstrated a wide range of beliefs and practices, many of which were later rejected as heretical.” (By RCC; edit by author)
From Wikipedia we can get an unbiased view of things. In the very first statement lies the problem… Early Christianity is generally considered as Christianity before 325. Although this is “considered” the case, it should not be completely so for the FIRST Christians. The first Christians should be considered those directly affected by the teachings of Yahoshua/Jesus, and it was not long after the destruction of Jerusalem that doctrines contrary to Christ’s teachings started to take hold. We see this when Simon Magus approached Peter to offer him money for the Holy Spirit. Do you really think Christ came to teach a people who were not even born yet? No, He came to teach those still living so that when He ascended, they could pass on the teaching to those not yet born which when its all boiled down; is exactly how the whole of the Old Testament was written. And who were these people? Well Wikipedia tells us it was “The first Christians who were all Jews or Jewish proselytes,” These were such sects as the Essenes Nazarenes and Edomites. They are directly linked to the teachings of Yahoshua and were part of the followers who witnessed His teachings and miracles.
Now what other religions were about at that time that might have influenced early Christianity? Well, apart from the Essenes Nazarenes and Edomites, we all know that the Jewish religion is what gave birth to Christianity, so we could say that “early” Christianity must have Jewish connotations to some extent at least; but any others? Yes there is, and I am so glad you asked, because this religion is pivotal to modern day Christianity, and it is the Pagan religion of the Roman Empire at the time of Yahoshua, that centered around the worship of the Emperor as divine, and Mithraism. There are two ways to study Mithraism; the first is to read from the Encyclopedia Britannica, and the second is to simply read up on the Roman Catholic religion. The Catholic religion all but copies Mithraism all the way down to it’s statues, emblems, and practices such as Christmas and Easter. You don’t believe me? Ok, I could spend all day long detailing the imitation of Pagan rituals and practices and idol worship of today’s Christian church, and probably I will write a book on just this subject if I live long enough, but for the minute allow me to grace you with just a few of these Antichrist practices to keep you going for now. Remember though, even one pagan practice is enough to incriminate a cult contrary to the teachings of Christ.
Wedding ring:
A symbol of oneness between husband and wife, but is not mentioned anywhere in the Christian bible. The tradition of wearing a wedding ring on the fourth finger of the left hand also comes from the ancients. In ancient Greece it was believed that an artery from that particular finger led directly to the heart. While we now know this is pure mythology, it does serve as a rather romantic explanation for the tradition.
Church steeple: (From A.S.K. Website)
Church steeples were to signify the male penis and also give the allusion of a tower to heaven. Do you know what these “Churches” (these “Circes” named after the Great Whore) have as identifying signs to show they are a “church”? For almost a millennium they have had a steeple or spire placed on top of their buildings of worship. In Europe near the start of the Crusades, people learned to make such spires and put them on places of worship to mimic the minarets of the Muslims from which the Musseins (the men in the tower) would call the faithful of Islam to prayer. However, not preferring the human voice to call the faithful as in Islam, Europeans put bells (that is, Baals) in their newly created spires and called them “bell-towers.” And why did they come to a point on top? This was to indicate that this was a tower that had the appearance of reaching up to heaven. Such a pointed shape at the top gave the illusion of a tower vanishing into the heavens and that people can attain heaven by coming into the place of the tower.
In the Bible, however, the first time people on the earth wanted to make a tower that looked like it reached to heaven, God got angry with them. He came down, confused their language, and scattered people to all areas of the world for their rebellion to Him in raising such a tower (Genesis 11:19). But about a thousand years ago, forgetting all about the warnings in Genesis of God’s condemnation, Christians began to raise up such towers all over the Christian world.
Christianity learned this practice of raising towers over churches from Muslims who then represented the apex of modern, sophisticated society. In the Muslim world at the time it was fashionable to erect such towers with each Mosque, and Christians in Europe wanted to be modern like the advanced Arab society. They began to do the same thing as the Muslims, although Christians usually put their towers on top of churches or cathedrals. Where did Muslims get the practice? It is known that most Muslim architecture was copied from the Great Mosque of Damascus that can be proved once to have been a Roman temple to the pagan gods.
And remember, though Muslims themselves preached the shunning of making idols or pictures of God, Mohammed could not dissuade the Arab tribes (especially the Koreish who controlled Mecca) from worshipping toward the black meteorite stone called the Ka’aba which had been an idolatrous object of Arab folk for centuries. Unable to dissuade them from worshipping that stone or praying toward it, Mohammed came up with an ingenious idea. Because he fell out of sympathy with the Jews, and to win over the Koreish tribe, Mohammed ordered all Muslims to stop praying toward Jerusalem, and bow down and pray toward that idol five times a day as a cardinal teaching of their faith.
Now, Satan laughs at Muslims (who think they oppose idolatry) by having them pray five times daily to that ancient idol of the early Arabs. All Muslims are in utter idolatry and they show it five times a day. Muslims mean well but they are as uneducated and ignorant in this matter as Christians are in their profuse practices involving idolatry today. Satan is very sly in getting people to think that their righteousness and their religious ways are right, when they are as wrong as can be.
Yes, even Muslims are greatly deceived, and this applies to their adoption of towers near their mosques. But where did the Muslims get their basic design for their mosques and minarets (towers)? As mentioned before, it was basically from the great Roman (pagan) temple at Damascus. But why should anyone want to raise up towers in the first place in association with places of religious worship? The use of towers stemmed from the practice in early Egypt of erecting obelisks as sacred shrines or monuments near or at places of worship. Almost all of them are displayed as long, erect, and normally with a type of point or pyramid on top like our steeples and spires. But why have such towers?
Classical history is clear on this matter. When the Egyptian God Osiris was killed and dismembered with body parts scattered around the country, the Goddess Isis (his sister and wife) sent messengers to gather the body parts together for a proper burial of Osiris. They were successful in discovering all the parts of the body except the penis. They looked all over for it, but it was never found. So what did Isis do? She erected various kinds of obelisks always erect and upright in a type of penis-form to remind the people to look for Osiris’ lost penis. To not let them forget it, she erected numerous obelisks (penis-like monuments) at the main places of Egyptian worship. 13 The Egyptians gave the practice to the Greeks and then it came to the Romans. The Romans transported to Rome some Egyptian obelisks for their own worship purposes. One is now in the centre of Vatican City, prominently erected there as pretty as you please.
Following the example of the Egyptian Goddess Isis, the practice of raising obelisks in the form of spires and towers continued throughout the pagan world with various types being used. Often their designs were subtlety changed to hide the actual meaning of the obelisk. 14
Let us go further. Look at the word “pinnacle”? It does not come from the word “wing,” though it became associated with a “feather” because feathers provided “pens” (that is, a type of “pencil”) for people to write with. The word “pinnacle” has a similar origin. Pinnacles are simply another indication of upright penises. And, believe it or not, if you look up the early use of the word “prick” in the exhaustive Oxford Dictionary, 15 you will find that five hundred years ago people customarily referred to pinnacles as pricks even in normal non-gutter language. The Dictionary even shows one translation of the New Testament that Satan took Christ to the “prick of the Temple” in order to throw Him down.
By the way, there were no standing towers or spires in the Temple at Jerusalem. The word translated “pinnacle” in the King James Version actually meant an “arm of the Temple” (Matthew 4:5). And since it was quite common a few centuries ago to refer to the steeples and spires on churches and cathedrals as “pricks,” I frankly think they should be called by this name today. At least people would then begin to understand what these steeples represent. As a matter of fact, at some of the eastern European churches, the architects became bolder. They left the top of the steeple globular, which is more penis-like in shape than the pointed pencil-like spire of our western churches and cathedrals. Yes, symbolic penises now identify and adorn our “church” buildings.
With this brief overview I hope that you begin to understand how Satan the devil uses his subtle ways to deceive the world. He laughs at God every day a church is built with an erect penis on top to identify it. God calls such structures a sign of the Great Whore called “Circe” from whence we get our name “Church.” Why do they want such a sign to be there? It does not keep off the rain. It has no function. It is there because it identifies that the building is a “church.” God, however, identifies it with something else. He sees it as the original penis-sign erected by the Goddess Isis as a place of worship for the pagans who were to look for the lost penis of the Egyptian God Osiris.
Some other Antichrist practices still performed today are the wearing or keeping of the cross symbol, the celebration of Christmas and Easter, and the less noticed but just as important, the many Idols worshiped by the RCC. All these forms of Pagan traditions and idol worship come from the Roman Catholic Church formed in conjunction with the Roman Emporer Constantine during the 4th century AD. They are ALL from pagan origin.
Some may say that such signs today have lost all their original meaning and no one any more thinks of a steeple or spire as an erect penis, and I agree also, but the question never ceases to beckon; does God think this and can anything good come from Satan? Why do you think God despises idols and images? Because they can infect the minds and hearts of mankind with a false sense of security, manifesting a false faith… a blind faith in fact. Oh Lord, thank you for Yahoshua/Jesus our Saviour who said… “Forgive them Father for they know not what they do”, otherwise heaven will be near empty.
So from within the pages of the online free Wikipedia, and also Encyclopaedia Britannia, we can see that the true Christians actually were mainly Jews, and it was much later, about 230 years in fact, that the false Christianity of the RCC (probably initiated by Simon Magus originally some time earlier) rose in power with the strong alliance of the Pagan Roman emperor Constantine, along with many of its Antichrist traditions and doctrines. Actually, the doctrine of the Trinity came from such Roman roots. The Christianity we have today is a long way off the mark to the gospel that Yahoshua/Jesus preached and which was preached later by the disciples and other followers who witnessed Him.
Life of the early Christians.
One of the most asked questions in the Christian world is… “Who were the first Christians?” and in all fairness, this for me should be the second most important question asked by sincere Christians after of course… “Where did the bible come from”. I think for such an important question on such an important subject, due time and space should be allocated it in yet another attempt to highlight the controversial methods and traditions of modern Christianity. Although I cannot promote the bible as 100% accurate in all it’s contents, I will first use it as my first reference point to the earliest life of Christianity. Contrary to what I think and believe, I do admit that almost all Christian Paradigms include amongst other things, the bible as the word of God, and therefore the best source of information regarding Godly subjects, so here we go with bible evidence of the first Christian life recorded, which was in fact while Yahoshua/Jesus was sill on this planet in the flesh.
First let me say that many bible versions will use the word ‘Christian’ to replace the original meanings such as …Brother, sister, believer, or God fearing and so on, but the word only shows twice in the Youngs Literal Translation, and even that can possibly be a mistake even. The point of this chapter is not to seek the origins of the word Christian, but more to the point who were the first Christians. Well the Strongs Hebrew and Greek dictionaries basically describes Christian as…a follower of Jesus, so what we should be seeking in this chapter is; who were the first followers of Yahoshua/Jesus. Now we are talking about “followers” here, and not mere acquaintances. I mean many saw but didn’t believe, but the “followers” were those who first believed, and then followed, obviously to learn more about Yahoshua and His new way to understanding the true God of Israel. So in short…we are now asking; “Who were the first followers of Yahoshua/Jesus, rather than Christians. The reason I say this is because some cults, including some pagan, took on the Christian name as it became more and more popular, and it is these newcomers that I want to expose here as not the first followers of Christ.
Now we got all those important prerequisites settled, lets move on to what the bible says regarding the first followers. Well this may shock you, but the first followers of Christ were all Jews, and even Yahoshua confirmed he came only for the Jews…
Mat 15:24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Now these may sound pretty harsh words in the ears of modern Christians, coming from The Lord concerning the first followers He had, and also as to why He even came. That’s another story though, let’s move on. The truth is, God sent Yahoshua/Jesus to save the failing Jews who under the guidance of the Scribes and Pharisees of the day, and also the desire of their hearts, were lead astray from the true ways of God. You must understand, that had it not been for the failing Jews who declined God’s invitation to the wedding feast, people (Gentiles) elsewhere would never have been given the opportunity to be saved. This is according to the bible though, not necessarily my own view of Gods plan.
So we have no other choice but to believe from within the pages of the bible that the very first Christians (followers of Jesus) were all Jews. There is absolutely no question or argument when we take bible scripture as proof … it’s too plainly and simply laid out for us in black and white, and to most Christians that s the word of God. With this in mind, we can now move on to those who imitated the first Christians, and even those of today who are joined in some shape or form to these false teachers of old. They were quite simply fakes and forgeries who prostituted themselves for glory, fame and fortune; there is absolutely no doubt about that. History records show this and cannot be neglected. They were phony pretenders looking to profit from the religion of Yahoshua/Jesus that was growing in number and fame, lead in the very beginning by the magician Simon (Peter) Magus who was mentioned in Acts and turned away by Peter. Yes, these cults were from the beginning counterfeit Christians whose church descendants exist through to this very day. That s right folks, all modern Catholic and Protestants are merely off shoots ( or descendants) of what I call Magusism … taken as a form of what Moses and Yahoshua/Jesus taught, and mixed with Paganism and Mithraism. True Christians follow only what Christ taught and nothing else. The only religion to even come close to Christianity are the Ebonite’s and Nazarenes, and even the Essenes. They (even though very small in number) are the only ones to my knowledge that only teach the way of Yahoshua/Jesus. For the record, I belong to no modern religion, but follow the teachings of Yahoshua/Jesus found in the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Nag Hamadi library, and in part from the bible.
Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul: And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch” (Acts 11:25-26 KJV)
These disciples spoken of here are not “the” disciples of Yahoshua/Jesus, but are converted gentiles from Antioch whom were only the first in Antioch to be called Christians, and not the first in the world. Again, the Greek word from Strongs is Christianos meaning; a follower of Christ. Think about that. So a Christian could be an Ebonite, a Nazarene, a Jew, or even a Gentile… anyone who followed the teachings of Christ.
The only other place mentioned in the bible referring to a Christians are…
Act 26:28 (YLT) And Agrippa said unto Paul, `In a little thou dost persuade me to become a Christian!’
1Pe 4:16 (YLT) and if as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; and let him glorify God in this respect;
Now, since defining a true Christian, ask yourself who thereafter (i.e those of Jesus times), and who today, are actually true Christians? If we believe the bible, we see that Simon (Peter) Magus definitely was not, but what about today? If we put on the shoes of the earliest Christians we have to admit there don’t seem to be any true Christians about today. There are some, but like me (until now) they prefer to remain low key to keep the peace. It’s kinda like saying …well if they want to believe all the baloney they are taught today, and it causes them to be good people, then let them for the sake of peace, believe what they want, but as it was revealed to me… there is only one truth. Even Yahoshua once said… if they are not against me…they are for me. It is these words of Yahoshua that keep me silent to a degree most times.
So the early Christians believed in the true original teachings of Christ, and followed them. Some of these main teachings included full repentance (no more sinning), keeping the ten commandments of God including the Sabbath day, loving your neighbour, reincarnation until maturity, and a strict vegetarian diet. Shocked? Well that s no surprise given your mind has been brain washed by your parents, piers, and the church, but the big test comes now. Are you going to believe it or not? That’s not my concern as my job is simply to reveal; your job is to decide what to do about it, but you do good to consider this; a closed mind is the sign of a conceited and arrogant soul who has the audacity to suppose they have all the truth within their own personal paradigm, whereas an open mind, is that of a humble soul, ready willing and able, to learn from whomever God chooses to send. Today I believe that is me. If I am in error, God will save you from me, but if I tell the truth, and you don’t see it, understand it, digest it, and decide to whether or not to follow it, then you may never get that chance again. What a penalty unbelief can bring!
Enter Constantine
Although it may seem boring to read the following in italics, it is very important in the scheme of things when we consider Constantine played a bigger part in today’s Christianity than did Yahoshua/Jesus.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica… (EB)
Constantine I, byname Constantine the Great, Latin in full Flavius Valerius Constantinus (born February 27, after ad 280?, Naissus, Moesia [now Niš, Serbia]-died May 22, 337, Ancyrona, near Nicomedia, Bithynia [now İzmit, Turkey]), the first Roman emperor to profess Christianity. He not only initiated the evolution of the empire into a Christian state but also provided the impulse for a distinctively Christian culture that prepared the way for the growth of Byzantine and Western medieval culture.
Constantine was born probably in the later ad 280s. A typical product of the military governing class of the later 3rd century, he was the son of Flavius Valerius Constantius, an army officer, and his wife (or concubine) Helena. In ad 293 his father was raised to the rank of Caesar, or deputy emperor (as Constantius I Chlorus), and was sent to serve under Augustus (emperor) Maximian in the West. In 289 Constantius had separated from Helena in order to marry a stepdaughter of Maximian, and Constantine was brought up in the Eastern Empire at the court of the senior emperor Diocletian at Nicomedia (modern İzmit, Turkey). Constantine was seen as a youth by his future panegyrist, Eusebius, bishop of Caesarea, passing with Diocletian through Palestine on the way to a war in Egypt.
Career and conversion
Throughout his life, Constantine ascribed his success to his conversion to Christianity and the support of the Christian God. The triumphal arch erected in his honour at Rome after the defeat of Maxentius ascribed the victory to the “inspiration of the Divinity” as well as to Constantine’s own genius. A statue set up at the same time showed Constantine himself holding aloft a cross and the legend “By this saving sign I have delivered your city from the tyrant and restored liberty to the Senate and people of Rome.” After his victory over Licinius in 324, Constantine wrote that he had come from the farthest shores of Britain as God’s chosen instrument for the suppression of impiety, and in a letter to the Persian king Shāpūr II he proclaimed that, aided by the divine power of God, he had come to bring peace and prosperity to all lands.
Constantine’s adherence to Christianity was closely associated with his rise to power. He fought the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in the name of the Christian God, having received instructions in a dream to paint the Christian monogram () on his troops’ shields. This is the account given by the Christian apologist Lactantius; a somewhat different version, offered by Eusebius, tells of a vision seen by Constantine during the campaign against Maxentius, in which the Christian sign appeared in the sky with the legend “In this sign, conquer.” Despite the emperor’s own authority for the account, given late in life to Eusebius, it is in general more problematic than the other; but a religious experience on the march from Gaul is suggested also by a pagan orator, who in a speech of 310 referred to a vision of Apollo received by Constantine at a shrine in Gaul.
Yet to suggest that Constantine’s conversion was “politically motivated” means little in an age in which every Greek or Roman expected that political success followed from religious piety. The civil war itself fostered religious competition, each side enlisting its divine support, and it would be thought in no way unusual that Constantine should have sought divine help for his claim for power and divine justification for his acquisition of it. What is remarkable is Constantine’s subsequent development of his new religious allegiance to a strong personal commitment.
Commitment to Christianity
Shortly after the defeat of Maxentius, Constantine met Licinius at Mediolanum (modern Milan) to confirm a number of political and dynastic arrangements. A product of this meeting has become known as the Edict of Milan, which extended toleration to the Christians and restored any personal and corporate property that had been confiscated during the persecution. The extant copies of this decree are actually those posted by Licinius in the eastern parts of the empire. But Constantine went far beyond the joint policy agreed upon at Mediolanum. By 313 he had already donated to the bishop of Rome the imperial property of the Lateran, where a new cathedral, the Basilica Constantiniana (now San Giovanni in Laterano), soon rose. The church of St. Sebastian was also probably begun at this time, and it was in these early years of his reign that Constantine began issuing laws conveying upon the church and its clergy fiscal and legal privileges and immunities from civic burdens. As he said in a letter of 313 to the proconsul of Africa, the Christian clergy should not be distracted by secular offices from their religious duties “…for when they are free to render supreme service to the Divinity, it is evident that they confer great benefit upon the affairs of state.” In another such letter, directed to the bishop of Carthage, Constantine mentioned the Spanish bishop Hosius, who was important later in the reign as his adviser and possibly-since he may well have been with Constantine in Gaul before the campaign against Maxentius-instrumental in the conversion of the emperor.
Constantine’s personal “theology” emerges with particular clarity from a remarkable series of letters, extending from 313 to the early 320s, concerning the Donatist schism in North Africa. The Donatists maintained that those priests and bishops who had once lapsed from the Christian faith could not be readmitted to the church. Constantine’s chief concern was that a divided church would offend the Christian God and so bring divine vengeance upon the Roman Empire and Constantine himself. Schism, in Constantine’s view, was inspired by Satan. Its partisans were acting in defiance of the clemency of Christ, for which they might expect eternal damnation at the Last Judgment. Meanwhile, it was for the righteous members of the Christian community to show patience and long-suffering. In so doing they would be imitating Christ, and their patience would be rewarded in lieu of martyrdom-for actual martyrdom was no longer open to Christians in a time of peace for the church. Throughout, Constantine had no doubt that to remove error and to propagate the true religion were both his personal duty and a proper use of the imperial position. His claim to be “bishop of those outside the church” may be construed in this light. Other such pronouncements, expressed in letters to imperial officials and to Christian clergy, demonstrate that Constantine’s commitment to Christianity was firmer and less ambiguous than some have suggested. Eusebius confirmed what Constantine himself believed: that he had a special and personal relationship with the Christian God.
Constantine’s second involvement in an ecclesiastical issue followed the defeat of Licinius; but the Arian heresy, with its intricate explorations of the precise nature of the Trinity that were couched in difficult Greek, was as remote from Constantine’s educational background as it was from his impatient, urgent temperament. The Council of Nicaea, which opened in the early summer of 325 with an address by the emperor, had already been preceded by a letter to the chief protagonist, Arius of Alexandria, in which Constantine stated his opinion that the dispute was fostered only by excessive leisure and academic contention, that the point at issue was trivial and could be resolved without difficulty. His optimism was not justified: neither this letter nor the Council of Nicaea itself nor the second letter, in which Constantine urged acceptance of its conclusions, was adequate to solve a dispute in which the participants were as intransigent as the theological issues were subtle. Indeed, for more than 40 years after the death of Constantine, Arianism was actually the official orthodoxy of the Eastern Empire.
The Council of Nicaea coincided almost exactly with the celebrations of the 20th anniversary of the reign of Constantine, at which, returning the compliment paid by the emperor’s attendance at their council, the bishops were honoured participants. But Constantine’s visit to the West in 326, to repeat the celebrations at Rome, brought the greatest political crisis of the reign. During his absence from the East, and for reasons that remain obscure, Constantine had his eldest son, the deputy emperor Crispus, and his own wife Fausta, Crispus’s stepmother, slain. Nor was the visit to Rome a success. Constantine’s refusal to take part in a pagan procession offended the Romans; and when he left after a short visit, it was never to return.
Final years:
These events set the course of the last phase of the reign of Constantine. After his defeat of Licinius he had renamed Byzantium as Constantinople: immediately upon his return from the West he began to rebuild the city on a greatly enlarged pattern, as his permanent capital and the “second Rome.” The dedication of Constantinople (May 330) confirmed the divorce, which had been in the making for more than a century, between the emperors and Rome. Rome had long been unsuited to the strategic needs of the empire: it was now to be left in splendid isolation, as an enormously wealthy and prestigious city-still the emotional focus of the empire-but of limited political importance.
It was perhaps in some sense to atone for the family catastrophe of 326 that Constantine’s mother, Helena, embarked on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Her journey was attended by almsgiving and pious works and was distinguished by her church foundations at Jerusalem and at Bethlehem. By the initiative of Eutropia, Constantine’s
mother-in-law, a church was also built at Mamre, where, according to an interpretation of Genesis shared by Constantine and Eusebius, Christ had first shown himself to men in God’s appearance to Abraham; but the most famous of these foundations followed the sensational discovery of the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem. The discovery was taken up with enthusiasm by Constantine, who instigated the building of a great new basilica at the spot, offering unlimited help with labour and materials and suggestions as to design and decoration.
Constantine’s interest in church building was expressed also at Constantinople, particularly in churches of the Holy Wisdom (the original Hagia Sophia) and of the Apostles. At Rome, the great church of St. Peter was begun in the later 320s and lavishly endowed by Constantine with plate and property. Meanwhile, churches at Trier, Aquileia, Cirta in Numidia, Nicomedia, Antioch, Gaza, Alexandria, and elsewhere owed their development, directly or indirectly, to Constantine’s interest.
The emperor was an earnest student of his religion. Even before the defeat of Licinius, he had summoned to Trier the theologian and polemicist Lactantius to be the tutor of Crispus. In later years he commissioned new copies of the Bible for the growing congregations at Constantinople. He composed a special prayer for his troops and went on campaigns with a mobile chapel in a tent. He issued numerous laws relating to Christian practice and susceptibilities: for instance, abolishing the penalty of crucifixion and the practice of branding certain criminals; enjoining the observance of Sunday and saints’ days; and extending privileges to the clergy while suppressing at least some offensive pagan practices.
Constantine had hoped to be baptized in the Jordan River, but perhaps because of the lack of opportunity to do so-together possibly with the reflection that his office necessarily involved responsibility for actions hardly compatible with the baptized state-he delayed the ceremony until the end of his life. It was while preparing for a campaign against Persia that he fell ill at Helenopolis. When treatment failed, he made to return to Constantinople but was forced to take to his bed near Nicomedia. There, Constantine received baptism, putting off the imperial purple for the white robes of a neophyte; and he died in 337. He was buried at Constantinople in his church of the Apostles, whose memorials, six on each side, flanked his tomb. Yet this was less an expression of religious megalomania than of Constantine’s literal conviction that he was the successor of the evangelists, having devoted his life and office to the spreading of Christianity.******* End EB
So you see, before Constantine, the counterfeit Christian church had very little power; It gained most of it’s power from Constantine. Of course there had to be compromises; all Christians had to from now on switch to the Sunday Sabbath instead of the Saturday Sabbath God sanctioned. Also Christmas and Easter were invented by the church to coincide with Constantine’s Pagan worship days.
There are differing accounts of just how Constantine apparently converted to Christianity, but most agree it is only legend, seeing there is no actual recorded historical account. Its even suggestion that it never happened, but was rather a Pagan event. The truth is though, the symbolic cross is a Pagan icon… not Christian. The Christians took it as there own also, which is just another tradition added to the “many” stolen from paganism by Christianity.
It is true, that at this time religion was used in all sorts of political advancement, just as it is even used today in much of western society, but for Constantine, a new Christian sect rising out of the Jewish religion appealed to him especially as they seemed so willing to compromise traditions with paganism to gain some extra leverage in the Roman world. Constantine was no dill… he knew the extent of paganism, and saw the rising Christian sects, and he was able to, through cunning planning, to wax the two in alliance with him to gain huge political ground. As it turned out it was a master act to gain the confidence of the people, and he went on to rule for many years. And as for the new Christian church, all they had to do was please Constantine by integrating pagan traditions and worship into their own, to have a mighty authority in the Roman world, and to eventually destroy all opposition, including the true gospel preached by Yahoshua/Jesus and those who were at the time evangelising it.
The EB states here that Constantine made many new laws for Christianity and banned some pagan practices; this is how Christianity became contaminated. He should have banned “all” pagan practices, but he obviously liked some of them which still exist today. His intervention in Christianity is marked as a great thing by Christians, but they fail to see how much his rules actually destroyed it. There were many followers of Christ that basically had a common theme, and that was what was taught by Yahoshua/Jesus, but because Constantine was afraid that these opposing views to “his” doctrines might upset God and cause His wrath, he then commissioned their destruction, and the RCC continued this theme for several hundred years after Constantine’s death, totally destroying all forms of religion not privy to their man mad rules. It was the Old Testament Jewish story all over again. Not until the reformation 1200 years later did things begin to change, but unfortunately, by this time all reference to these original followers of Christ, including their holy writings and records, were all either destroyed by the church under the false umbrella of heresy, or lost in the great fire of the Alexandria Library, which for some peoples belief, was sabotage by the Roman Catholic Church to destroy all known original writings of Yahoshua/Jesus.
In summing up, it’s fair to say in the scheme of things, that Constantine alone, is the instigator of the destruction of the true teachings of Yahoshua/Jesus, as recorded in surviving texts later found in the Dead Sea Scrolls and the nag Hamadi Library, and the RCC was the finisher and sustainer. Had the Library of Alexandria never been destroyed, and all surviving “original” texts of Messiahs life on earth still been available, the Christianity you see today would never have ever manifested. Of course the early church had copies of many of these original Greek writings to which were first copied into Latin, along with many mistakes and personal additions during the copy process, and then finally copied back into Greek again with even more additions and subtractions from the Latin. So what we have today, thanks to Constantine and his own Christian church (RCC), is a mixture of truth (Gods words) and false teachings (Mans words) combining scripture from God and additions from Paganism. Even the great Martin Luther publicly rebuked the book of Hebrews found in our bibles as heresy… did you know that? So yes, Constantine started the ball rolling according to his own paradigm buy adding and subtracting from the early church writings which included the actual followers of Christ, and subsequently mixing Paganism with Gods word, and from then on the RCC added and subtracted even more, to suit their worldly doctrine, finishing the job of destroying Gods word. Today we call these writings…. the New Testament of the bible.
During the time soon after the death of Christ on the cross until now there have always been false teachers in Christianity. Believe me, false teachers are not innocent, they know what they are doing. Behind every false teacher is a desire for money, power, fame, and even sex in some cases. Even while Christ was on earth there were false teachers on every second corner, and soon after we even see mention of such a false teacher in Simon Magus, found in Acts trying to buy the Holy Spirit from Peter. It is this very man I believe, who is the founder of the Roman Catholic Church. Why do I say such a thing you ask? Well the early church in Rome was a mixture of Christian and Paganism traditions; Simon Magus was a Pagan desiring to be Christian for ulterior reasons, and the Roman Catholic Church today is still a mixture of Pagan and Christian traditions. Of course this in due turn is passed on to all Christian denominations today sadly, as they continue to forsake the Holy days of God for other traditional pagan days such as Easter and Christmas. All will justify their celebrations in the name of Jesus, but there is no excuse for such rebellious traditions before God who has His own holy days. It never ceases to amaze me that Christians are so easily side tracked into false teaching when Gods ways are all in black and white for goodness sake. But oh no, they say, times change for the better and we now choose our own holy days to worship God; it doesn’t seem to matter to them they they choose the traditional rest day of sun worshippers. Yeah right, God is not jealous and He wont mind sharing His day with pagan days. If you can’t get the simple things right, then how in the name of truth can you expect God to reveal the deeper things?
Fortunately there are still a few remnants of true Christian brothers and sisters in the small crevices of Christian mainstream dogma. Like myself, they prefer to keep it to themselves for fear of ridicule and reprisal, but sooner or later one must be bold before their maker and sacrifice self for the promulgation of God’s own truth. Sure it is somewhat stressful, but you just got to do what is right, and God’s truth should not me hidden. It is to these low profile faithful keeping The Lords commandments and sacrificing self for the truth that The Almighty God reveals precious hidden truths, and not the glory seeking money hungry proud so called prophets on the main stage. It is but a selected few that are chosen by God to relish in His Kingdom because they seek nothing else but His kingdom. These are the true stalwarts of those professing faith in the ways truths and life of Yahoshua/Jesus, for only He was proven faithful enough to receive all truth and knowledge of the Kingdom of God in its fullness. Anyone else who professes to know these things, first judge them by their fruits before you believe even one word from their mouth or one letter from their keyboard.
Sadly there will always be false teachers so long as there is flesh, money and pride in this world. These weak lukewarm will always fall foul of the mark and unfortunately for many of the followers of such ; they will fall with them also. How unfair I hear you scream. Not at all, if one does not have the discernment required to discern between God and the devil, then one does not have the Holy Spirit of God with them, and therefore does not yet deserve to be called a child of God. It then simply becomes an unfortunate matter of the blind leading the blind. Sounds unfair but once you see the whole picture it is actually justice in motion. You see, the problem with us all is if a certain truth does not satisfy our desire for excitement or fit perfectly into our personal paradigm, then we refute it proudly before the whole world and thank God that we are not lost like the person preaching this truth. You want to know something special? Every single faithful believer in God has at least some small, if not some great disagreement with their brother or sister in Christ. Do you realise what this means? It means we all think we all have the only truth regarding faith in God, and this has to mean that there are many truths. Sorry to prick your balloon, but there is only one truth, and that is the message Yahoshua/Jesus brought to us. If any other disagrees with this truth, then walk away from it.
When you search the truth, where do you go first? That’s right, to the original source, who in this case Is Yahoshua. Now Christ never wrote down anything according to history, but some of those who followed Him did, and these were mainly Jewish sects comprising the Pharisees, Sadducees, Zealots, and in particular the Nazarenes, Essenes and Ebonite’s, who were followers of Yahoshua and John the Baptist , and were actually led by James the brother of Yahoshua/Jesus. There seems to be two major theories on who wrote these ancient writings; the first being the Essenes who lived in the caves and the second theory is they are a collection of texts of many Jewish sects during the time the Jewish revolt/war AD66-70. So if you can’t get it from the horse’s mouth i.e. Christ Himself, then those with Him would be the next best for reliability, and the Dead Sea Scrolls are regarded as such. The great thing about these writings are they are not interfered with as is the bible writings, so are more reliable.
Now for some reason, those who never even met Christ but still professing to be the true Christians, decided in their own wisdom to search for all these writings and destroy them as heretical. These people, our so called church fathers, destroyed anything and everything that did not agree with their man made religion they named Christianity. Why would they do this I wonder? Don’t they know God would make them pay dearly for their malicious treatment of Gods own people and writings? Well when you do the maths, i.e. add a bit of Christianity, together with a lot of Paganism, surely that adds up to “non-believer”. So as non-believers at heart, they did not fear God at all really, and destroyed Gods people and their true writings to protect their own religion so they could then have the power they needed to own the world. That paradigm has survived to this very day, and the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) owns the world.
The same false teaching that entered God’s people in the beginning, has been nurtured through all those years of turmoil, and spread throughout all Christianity. Some poor believers, and I hope its not you dear reader, actually think they are alienated totally from the RCC, but they are delusional and gullible. The RCC gave Protestants all they have today, including the faith, the bible, and all the traditions. There is no disagreement on that from scholars and anyone else who has done the study on bible history and early Christianity. Before the Reformation and the 16th century, there was no Protestant movement; Christianity existed ONLY of the Catholic Church and vigorous opponents Orthodoxy. Christianity can be divided 3 ways…Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant, all of which stem from the original Roman Catholic Church which manifested fully by the 4th century. All lie, false teaching, forgery, bible (scriptures) tampering and militant activity began soon after, and remain right up to this day in some cases. Don’t be fooled by the RCC, it looks mellow on the outside, but on the inside is as ferocious as it was during the Inquisition. It does only what it has to do in order to be somewhat accepted by modern law; otherwise we would all still be Catholic or the rack.
It was revealed by Charles Chiniquay in his bravely written book “Fifty years in the Catholic Church” that Catholic Jesuits were placed within the Protestant churches America wide, sometimes even outwardly hating the RCC, and on the inside infiltrating their doctrines into Protestant churches. Even today, your pastor may be secretly a Catholic. It is a long term process to Catholicise the world, if not outwardly, at least inwardly unseen. The Worldwide Council of Churches (WCC) is evidence of this. Although not a member of the WCC, the RCC works very closely with it behind the scenes. Some say they more or less run the show secretly. If the RCC is not a member, then why work with it at all? You must see the maths in all this. Everything the RCC does on the outside does not reflect intentions and operations on the inside. Even the Pope is but a puppet decoy to the heart of operations; the real head man, who is called the “Black pope”, is in full control. So you see what you are taught today from the pulpit and in the many Christian books, is not all true. Maybe half if you are lucky.
This subject of false teaching is almost endless. There is evidence upon evidence of corruption within the church for the last 1600 plus years, where true ancient writings inspired of God were destroyed deliberately to cover up new man made doctrines. There were literally hundreds or possibly even thousands of forgeries made by the early Roman Church to again entertain new doctrines and beliefs into their false teaching. There were good Godly men murdered by the RCC back in those days to shut them up because of corruption witnessing. The list is endless, but one needs to be aware that today’s Christian church is NOT the original church set up by those who witnessed our Saviour and Lord Yahoshua/Jesus. The true writings of these people were destroyed by the RCC and replaced by their own forgeries.
Why would God allow all this to happen? I mean He went to all this trouble to send a Messiah to save His people and set up a new covenant, so why did He allow it all to become corrupt? Good questions, and important enough to require a good answer, but unfortunately not here I am sorry. This requires at least a small book to explain thoroughly, but for now let me say this. There is only ONE truth, and that is the truth of God Yahweh our creator. He does not allow different truths just to satisfy the paradigms of self-promoted and self-authorized impostors who seek fame fortune and glory; no there is only one truth for all. This truth was revealed to those who followed Yahoshua/Jesus, and they wrote these truths down as proof of this witnessing, but Satan was able to destroy them. But my friends, all is not lost, God is supreme remember? Some of these writings were hidden by God in the form of the Nag Hammadi Library, and also more recently the Dead Sea Scrolls. There are much of these writings eroded I admit, but still more than enough to get the gist of what our saviour wanted us to know. It is your duty, and the duty of every Christian mind that is open, to read these writings and let the Holy Spirit administer His power over you in understanding. If you read them with a closed mind, then you will learn nothing. Remember this, in everything you do as obedience to the Spirit of God, you get your just reward. Actually, you get more than what you deserve. yes, it’s called Grace.
Remember this verse from your so called Word of God (bible)?
Jer 8:8 How can you say that you are wise and that you know my laws? Look, the laws have been changed by dishonest scribes.
There is nothing new under the sun, forgeries and scripture tampering has gone on for thousands of years. How arrogant (or even foolish) one must be to think their so called holy book put together by a bunch of Catholics looking to rule the world, must be the unadulterated word of God. The Muslims believe that also with their holy Koran and Hadith and the Jews believe that with their Torah, Tanach and Talmud, so stand up who has all the truth! Those who believe they have the ONLY truth in a book deserve to be miss lead by tradition and false teachings. Am I saying the bible is not a good read? Categorically no, it is beneficial for spiritual and practical growth, but it is NOT the word of God and is not what matures the soul in righteousness. This my friends comes directly from God, who is Spirit, and teaches via the Spirit.
As mentioned earlier, from day one false teachers entered the scene with all types of doctrines contrary to Yahoshua’s teachings. Even today it still goes on with the likes of Benny Hinn and Joel Olstein and many such examples. There seems to be a splurge of them today just like there was 200 years ago with the Rapture Theory and Margaret MacDonald in Scotland, along with all her tongue speaking friends, set up a small revival of weird and spectacular happenings. These were all attracting the likes of John Darby and company including Schofield. And also around this time came Joseph Smith in America that brought Mormonism, and not forgetting Ellen White whose visions brought about the Seventh Day Adventist teachings. Now all these people had different doctrines that were contrary to bible scriptures, and yet they all say God told them so… this can’t be true can it? What annoys me is their prophecies don’t come true and yet many foolish people still follow their false teachings. Didn’t God tell Moses that if a person professes their revelations come from Him, and they don’t come true, then banish them? Oh Lord, what a sick level of intelligence we have out there today.
The birth of Pagan Christianity
From the previous chapter on Constantine, we were able to see the actual birth of Christianity at a glance, so let’s elaborate shall we? Put yourself in the time of Constantine’s Rome and try to picture the scenario. Here we have the trade centre of the then known world, Rome in all its glory. You are smack dab in the middle of the greatest change in the history of Jewish religion i.e. the destruction of the old covenant that God had with Israel, and the new covenant brought by Messiah Christ… this was no minor event and not to be glossed over lightly. Remember4 the Jews used Rome as their main trading platform; they even learned Koine Greek in order to trade with Rome for a living. This new change that Yahoshua/Jesus brought would easily spread because of Jerusalem’s trading ties with Rome. Rome would become pivotal to the spreading of the Gospel, and this Gospel would surely not go unnoticed by Constantine and others of those involved in the Roman Pagan religion.
The pagans worshiped the sun and their holy day was Sunday when they met for Pagan church service and worship. The new covenant followers of Christ, being predominantly Jews by a long margin, now worshiped God only in Spirit as Christ taught, but still continuing to meet on the 7th day Sabbath according to the Commandments of God written in stone. Let it be known that at this time the ceremonial and sacrificial laws had now been done away with thanks to Yahoshua/Jesus, leaving only the true commandments of God…those written with His own finger, or better known as the Ten Commandments. The two commandments of Christ were not new as many say, but were in fact encompassed in the original Ten Commandments. as Christ also mentioned. You see, all the other laws of the Jews (notice I do not say of Moses) were added to Gods laws given by Moses because of the stubbornness of the Jews, but were never part of Gods plan or will. We understand this from…
Mat 5:31 It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:
Mat 5:32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
Also….
Mat 19:8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.
So the point here is not the law itself, but rather who made the law. As you can see Moses made this law himself not God, and so it was to come with Roman Christianity where man made laws seemed to out rank God’s laws.
The early Pagan/Christian movement in Rome would happily include all the Ten Commandments in their man made doctrines except for the forth commandment of the Sabbath because this was in opposition to the Pagan day of sun worship of Sunday. So something had to be done to continue the alliance of Paganism with Christianity, so a letter was sent by the church (and I think ordered by Constantine) to punish anybody practicing Judaism by keeping the Sabbath on Saturday, thus moving Gods day to Pagans day. By deleting all references to the Jewish Sabbath from the bible, and adding text here and there to promote the “Lords day” of Sunday as the true Sabbath, the RCC was able to avoid controversy and go on to establish, albeit on shaky foundations, a doctrine suitable somewhat to both sides….the new Christianity and the old Paganism including Mithraism. You will also find that most Catholic listings show “Lords day” instead of “Sabbath day” to coincide with the disciples of Yahoshua/Jesus who met on the Sunday for sharing, apart from the Saturday Sabbath which they still kept.
Another change the early Roman Christian Church made was to remove the third commandment “make no graven image” because the Pagans worshiped many images, including the cross, so to again appease Constantine, it had to be removed. They did this by simply removing all reference to it as the second commandment, and moving all the rest of the commandments up one position. The problem with this is it left them one commandment short at the end, so refusing to be deterred, they split the last commandment…Thou shall not covet…into two. the first…Thou shall not covet the neighbours wife…and the second … Thou should not covet thy neighbours house. Pretty nifty hey? The important message in all these changes is that it was done for only one reason; to allow for a harmonious amalgamation of Paganism and Mithraism into Christianity, primarily to get Constantine on side. And Constantine allowed the Christian sect in Rome favoritism, to get them on side also. It was a matter of you scratch my back and I will scratch yours. So Constantine in the end got what he wanted… political power and stability over the Roman Empire, and the early Christian Fathers church fathers got what they wanted… Favoritism over all the other religious Christian sects in the Roman Empire. Don’t forget though, that Jerusalem, after its fall in 70AD, became a part of this Roman Empire, so this was a huge win for the early RCC.
You can see much evidence of these man made changes to Christianity in the symbols and icons and statues still used today in church buildings and ornaments. The church steeple for instance derived from paganism, along with the wedding ring, and stained glass windows, and bell towers, and Priest garb including both robes, staffs, and head dress. The image of the sun is plastered all over Christianity if you just open your eyes. Right from the beginning, from Constantine onwards, a mixture of what Christ taught was mixed alongside what Pagans taught, to form this new religion Christianity. You won’t find anywhere in the bible such a word like Christianity except for one added text referring to Christians. If Christianity was a true religion, then it would have been spread all through the New Testament writings, but its found not even once. Why? Because it is an invented man made religion comprising a mixture of the Gospels of Christ, Constantine, and Pagans. Throw in a name like Simon Magus the magician in the book of Acts, and you have the perfect ingredient for a false man made anti-Christ religion that would gain the interest and imagination of the multitude. It was indeed a fanciful and attractive religion becoming to most people of that age, and as it seems also today… attractive to most Christian denominations of the world.
So why the interest in building such a religion outside of the true teachings of Christ? It was , and still is in some cases, all about money and power. Constantine foresaw an up and coming religious sect (Christians) as an addition to his numbers of support within the Roman Empire, and the small but growing sect that began with Simon Magus saw Constantine as a major leg up to power and authority over the many other competing Christian sects such as the Nazarenes, Ebonite’s, Essenes, and even the Pharisees I suppose. All these sects did not just fade away over time… no sir, they were eradicated over time by the RCC which by now was boosted by the coalition with Constantine. All opposition to this Pagan/Christian church was literally destroyed in a animal like manner in the name of heresy. The RCC was ruthless in its war against Christ by eliminating the true church of God. And you thought Hitler was ruthless …he is an angel compared to what these sons of devils did. At least Hitler had some compassion by using gas and bullets…but the RCC tortured its prey before devouring it.
The ironical thing about all this that astounds me most is the well-known fact that almost all Protestant denominations follow the lead of the early false teachers and murderers right up to the celebrations of Easter and Christmas. Sure they will cover this truth with…oh yeah but, we need to celebrate Christ’s birth somehow, or but we don’t really celebrate the pagan Easter, we celebrate Christ’s resurrection. Well I say…DO IT ON A DAY BELONGING TO GOD AND NOT CONSTANTINE. You think God don’t care that you celebrate His Sabbath on Pagan Sunday? You think God don’t care that you celebrate our dear Lords resurrection on a Pagan day? You think Christ doesn’t care that you share his birthday with Pagan Mithra? Do you think God don’t care that you consummate your wedding vowels with the Pagan ring symbol on your finger? If so brethren, you need to seriously re-evaluate your faith in God and think more about His feelings instead of the feelings of a useless institutional church where God does not even dwell.
So we see pregnancy of the early Pagan/Christian church from around the time of Simon Magus mentioned in the New Testament book of Acts all the way through to the time of Constantine the Roman Emperor. During this time things did not go sweetly for this Anti-Christ movement; no, there were many power struggles between all the other sects claiming Christ as their Messiah. Probably the sect we call Christian today, was not even amongst the most powerful or most favoured early on because most early followers of Christ, and even later additions to this new religion of the Jews, saw Paul as Anti-Christ also, and we some of this recorded in the bible where Peter was at odds with Paul over the doctrine of Christ. Even today, there are some small numbers still claiming Christ as their Saviour, but rebuke Paul’s doctrines completely. I personally like most of what Paul teaches, not because it is the right way, but because it lightens the load of newcomers to Christ, and prepares them somewhat for the true doctrines of Christ that lead to the narrow road to the narrow gate that leads to the true kingdom of God. What I means is; this grace of God that Paul so often talks about is for me a “transition” period that allows a person time, through the witness and conviction of the Holy Spirit of God, to learn about the character of God and also a time of testing to see just how serious we are about our faith. Should we be transformed during this time, then we are able to see the deeper meanings in what Yahoshua/Jesus brought to us in the form of His gospel.
This pregnancy of the false RCC that we call Christianity today was indeed a long and arduous one, which never ended until Constantine finally stamped his full approval on it. The actual birth of the Pagan Christianity that all denominations claim as the only true way to heaven finally happened at Rome with the second Edict (Milan, 313) where he granted them, not only free religious worship and the recognition of the State, but also reparation of previously incurred losses. Banished men who worked on the galleys or in the mines were recalled, confiscated estates were restored, etc. A series of edicts of 315, 316, 319, 321, and 323, completed the revolution. Christians were admitted to the offices of the State, both military and civil; the Christian clergy was exempted from all municipal burdens, as were the Pagan priests; the emancipation of Christian slaves was facilitated; Jews were forbidden to keep Christian slaves, etc. An [547] edict of 321 ordered Sunday to be celebrated by cessation of all work in public. When Constantine became master of the whole empire, all these edicts were extended to the whole realm, and the Roman world more and more assumed the aspect of a Christian state. All this power given the early church was enough to kill off all competition to the early RCC and so at last the false anti-Christ religion Christianity was born.
What happened to the real church?
At the time of Yahoshua/Jesus walking this earth, there were mainly Jewish people following Him. Remember He said… I come for the lost sheep of Israel? He was not concerned at this time to preach to the Gentiles and bring them to the truth… He was more concerned with bringing those who had strayed back to the truth. So it was mainly those Jews of the day who followed Messiah during His time on earth, and it was these very people who made up the very first church of Christ so to speak. Sure, it was not an institutional church as was to come later via Paul the apostle in Rome, but if you define the Christian church as… those believers in Yahoshua/Jesus, then they fit the bill perfectly. If Christ came for all mankind at this stage, then surely He would have visited Rome Himself, and other parts of the then known world.
After the ascension of Messiah there were many sects of the Jewish religion who had witnessed Him first hand and followed His teachings in their own way. To name a few, the Nazarenes, the Ebonite’s, the Essenes, and even the Pharisees and Scribes made up some numbers also. These true followers of Christ’s teaching were, over a couple of hundred years, exterminated by the still practising Jews who denied Christ, and also by the new rising Roman sect known as Christianity together with Pagans. They both had their own reasons, but its fair to say these reasons were all against the ways of God and Yahoshua/Jesus. The Jews not accepting the true Messiah as Yahoshua, and the early Roman/Catholic church not accepting ‘all’ His teachings.
Much of the early Christian history had been either destroyed or kept hidden by the developing Roman Catholic Church (RCC). At this time there were three major groups… those attached to the still practicing Jews; those of the developing RCC; and those of the many similar Messianic Jewish sects as mentioned above, which also included the disciples of Christ which were in fact Jewish proselytes. After the destruction of Jerusalem in AD70, the practicing Jews were almost wiped out, with only those who took the prophecy of Yahoshua/Jesus seriously, and ran for the mountains to survive the onslaught of the Roman army under Titus. Most practicing Jews were typically stubborn to the end and died fighting an impossible battle against the Romans, but some were kept alive as slaves to the Romans and eventually were scattered abroad as prophecy predicted; this left only the developing RCC and the various Messianic sects. Many today call themselves Jews, but one would be tested greatly to prove this via blood lines because for 2000 years they have been scattered and mixed with foreign blood, so in my opinion, there would hardly be one surviving Jew from the days of the destruction of Jerusalem.
Actually speaking, the RCC was a mere sect also, and had it not been for the later intervention of Constantine, who knows which sect would have triumphed; it might have been the Nazarenes. But as the RCC at this time were just as anxious to survive as any, and also with a reasonable following in Rome, it made sense to them if they were to be a great power, then they would need outside help, and that’s where Constantine came to the rescue. History would show, that around 320 AD, Constantine and the new developing RCC, would join hands to create the new religion called Christianity, or Twistianity for the want of a more apt name.
Constantine was a Pagan of sorts who saw this new rising Christian sect as an ally in his attempt to gain more power in Rome, and this new sect would have of course saw Constantine’s favour as the greatest of all assets in gaining religious power in what was then called the known world. They would be partners in the manifestation of the Christian religion as we know it today. It is not certain, that had either went solo back then, that either would have survived to the power seen today. They needed each other, and together they were able to combine their own beliefs, each sacrificing doctrine here and there to promote the final outcome which is today still called Christianity.
Around 313AD Christianity was made the religion of Rome bt Constantine (The ((2nd)) Edict of Milan) which proclaimed religious freedom in the Roman Empire, and about 8 years later. He signed more than one Edict; another being the seventh day Sabbath renamed the “Venerable day of the Sun” that correspond with the Sunday holy day of Pagan worship of the sun. The idea was to unite Pagans and the RCC to make one large political advantage over his adversaries. It worked a treat as the RCC through Constantine was able to become the greatest power this planet has ever seen. Even the high priest title… Pontifex Maximus that the RCC still use today (Pope) is from Constantine’s prior Pagan religion, and for the record, he never converted to Christianity (baptized) until shortly before his death. He was always careful not to allow Christianity take precedence over his true religion Paganism up until this time.
As we already know the disciples were mostly martyred, but what happened to the rest who followed Christ and also to those who later converted to His Gospel? This is a great question because few Christians know the answer to this all important question, and it is not taught in any church groups/denominations that I know of today. Almost everyone these days seems to caught up in the doctrines of devils taught by many of the Pentecostal churches that are taking over the world today, to even care about where their own religious beliefs come from. The facts are though, that this new religious sect called Christians, that is built upon two major commandments of Christ that teach… love thy God and love thy neighbour… showed just how much they loved God and loved their neighbour by killing all those who opposed their anti-Christ doctrines of faith. Does this remind you of some other people like minded? Yes of course, that’s right, the very hypocrites that Yahoshua/Jesus came to rebuke.. the Pharisees and Sadducee of old who were guilty of killing those faithful to Christ and even sent Our Lord to the cross.
So over the next few hundred years or so, this new church, the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) of Satan, managed to destroy what they thought was all the writings of these early followers of Christ, and eventually killed off all true believers in Our Lords gospel or converted them. Its fair to say though, there were not many conversions, because once you receive the truth from The Lord, it’s hard to deny it by joining Satan’s church…the RCC. What they never counted on though was the discovery later of the Nag Hamadi Library and the dead Sea Scrolls, that totally undermine the doctrines and traditions of the modern Christian church. Today, what we have in Protestant circles is simply a slightly modified version of Roman Catholic Church doctrine, which every true Protestant believes is apostate, but still content to continue in this anti-Christ tradition. Well you can tell that to Jesus when you meet Him and tell Him how you cast out devils in His name… and He will reply “be gone apostate from my gospel, because I never have known you”.
So these Jewish sects, that were the original followers of Christ, who lived with, who ate with, who looked on in amazement as He performed many miracles of healing, who spoke with and listened to the Son of God himself; were in fact cast out in the name of heresy. Why so were they regarded as heretic by this new Christian religion? Simply because there original teachings of Yahoshua/Jesus that these so called sects believed in were contrary to their own Pagan/Christian mix that was promulgated back then by the early church fathers. We know this to be true by the discoveries of many original ancient writings in the Nag Hamadi Library and in particular the Dead sea scrolls where a different gospel is taught by Christ. The main difference (but there were many) was the doctrine of the trinity that the early church copied from Paganism which was making Yahoshua/Jesus equal with the Godhead and Father God, and the belief of all these Jewish Messianic sects that Christ was a mere man, that inherited Christ at His baptism when the dove came upon Him.
When the early church fathers collaborated with the Pagan sun worshipper Constantine to form the institutional Christian church, they had plenty of opposition in these many sects like the Essenes and Nazarenes etc., so their only way to domination was to rid themselves of the competition. You must understand the context and importance of what I am saying here; this early church movement had a great opportunity to receive the help of the great Roman Emperor Constantine, to gain power over all the known world religiously, so there was nothing too evil that they would not do to promote their anti-Christ religion and doctrines. They would not only forge letters in the name of the disciples and great men of that time to promote their religion, but after that they would destroy the original writings and kill off all opposition in the name of their god and fabricated Jesus (not the real Yahoshua/Jesus). Any opposition that did not agree with their newly formed Pagan/Christian doctrines were simply eliminated off the face of the earth. It took several hundred years, but by about 700AD there were not a single known case of these sects surviving.
But God does not sleep my friends; He had put away these lost writings containing His truths till a time that would better suit His plan, a time when freedom of speech would again reign, a time when these true writings could be exposed to the world. Because of technology, now has been the time to revive these original writings, and over the last 60 years or so we have seen more and more publicity about such things, and nowadays in particular, with the advent of the internet, there is no excuse for any true truth seeking, God fearing person not to seek them out. From reading such valuable ancient writings, we can now tell, like most honest religious scholars already knew, and that is our bible is not the full truth that God originally inspired His Prophets to write; no, there is much added and much taken away from Gods words that has caused modern Christianity to fail God in a big way. There is no way that any Holy Spirit filled person can miss, except by closing their eyes and ears, the anti-Christ way most denominations portray God and His son Yahoshua/Jesus. The Hollywood type preachers that are taking the world by storm is clear evidence that Christianity, even in its mediocre form, has lost its way totally from what Christ originally taught. Now is time to repent of the traditional doctrines of modern Christianity and seek the full truth.
Chapter 2. Messiah Yahoshua/Jesus.
Why did Jesus come?
The bible says Yahoshua/Jesus came to save the world, and this is true to a point, but not necessarily the way we are taught by the church institutions of the world. The main problem I have with all teachers of Christianity is the simple and foremost mistake they make is …putting the cart before the horse. By this I mean they put the teachings of Paul, who never met Jesus physically, which are merely another way to help people understand Christ and not another doctrine apart from the Jews as many say. They say Yahoshua came for the Jews and Paul came for the Gentiles. What a whole load of tripe that is for goodness sake…if this is so, why then don’t I worship Paul seeing that he came for me? No, The Lord came equally for all and with the same gospel for all, and there is absolutely no doubt about that. Now, this teaching of Paul’s could be regarded as “the cart” if you like… a way to make following the Lord a little easier so to speak, but it is not what Yahoshua/Jesus personally taught, and in many cases only confuses The Lords gospel.
Now this is fine by me and I am sure is fine by The Lord, but no matter how great an idea Paul has to make our load lighter; it cannot and should not ever be put before Yahoshua’s teaching of the truth that is for all (not just the Jews) … the gospel sent from God. I have to ask though; why do we really need another teaching? Is not the teaching of Yahoshua/Jesus good enough? Is His teaching too hard for us to understand? On the contrary actually; even Peter said that Pauls teaching is too hard to understand. So why do we put so much faith in “here say” that is from Paul, when we have the whole truth from “the horse’s mouth” being Yahoshua/Jesus? The Lord is the horse, and so speaks from the horse’s mouth, meaning what He says is the full and literal truth from inside (or from God Himself if you like), hence the saying… I heard it from the horse’s mouth. In other words, you heard the absolute truth from the most inner core of life where it resides. Should we put any other teaching before The Lords teaching? Most assuredly no, and if we follow another teaching, or even a misunderstanding of another teaching, that does not agree with that of our Lord, then we should totally abandon that teaching. For me, Yahoshua’s teaching is not only the purest, but also the simplest to understand; it’s Paul’s teaching that is be muddled, inconsistent, and full of contradiction, and when used in competition with The Lord’s gospel, is when you put the cart before the horse.
Now if this is so, and you surely know by now it is true for goodness sake, then why do so many (and by this I mean almost all), put Paul on the cross instead of Yahoshua/Jesus? It’s almost as if they lift up Paul instead of Christ who is the full truth personified. I have no qualms with anybody teaching about God just so long as they reiterate what God says, and in this case we have no better advocate for God than Messiah Himself, so IF, and I emphasize IF, you say anything whatsoever regarding The Lord, that even in the slightest contradicts Him, then the teaching you provide is false, and not only do you go against God by doing this, but you do much worse…you lead others against God with you false teaching. Am I saying do not believe what Paul says in the Christian Bible? No way, I am simply saying that if your understanding of Paul’s teachings contradicts Yahoshua teachings, then you have misunderstood Paul…not The Lord. Of course Yahweh is not happy with those falling away from the truth through false doctrines, but He is even more unhappy with those teaching these false doctrines.
So then, why did Messiah come to planet Earth? He came to “show the way” to salvation, through the truth. One of the most damning verses in the Bible is this…
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no one cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Why would He say this? Because it is the plain and simple, and easy to understand, that only the teaching of Yahoshua/Jesus can save you; any other, and that includes false interpretations of others, will lead you the wrong way and therefore you become lost. And why is Yahoshua the only way? Because He says only what the Father says, and adds nothing of His own. That is why He is the way. Did He say… no one comes to the Father but by Paul? Of course not, so why then is it that so many site what Paul says rather than what Yahoshua/Jesus says? Could it be that Paul’s way, when misunderstood, is a much easier way to go that affords a much wider path opening doors to all kinds of false teachings? I think so, but the way of The Lord is straight and the path is narrow, meaning it won’t be easy. When you listen to preachers quoting Paul on sin and law, you feel like there is no sin that you might commit, and no law you might break, that will offend God, but this is far from what Yahoshua taught. He taught to repent and sin no more, and also taught to keep the commandments of the Father.
If you live by what is taught in the church institutions today, there is no “way” as Jesus taught. They teach an abominable doctrine of once saved always saved and that this doctrine is built on faith alone. They say once you have confessed Jesus as Lord you are saved….done deal. This is not a “way”…its a contract, and God don’t make any contract that automatically saves anybody, for there is always that tiny little word “if” that is included. IF you follow in My WAY, I will save you. It’s amazing how the truth can be reversed by one lousy little word, and it’s not the word faith, for Paul was right when he said …
Eph 2:8 For it is by God’s grace that you have been saved through faith. It is not the result of your own efforts, but God’s gift, so that no one can boast about it.
We are saved THROUGH faith, not BY it. It is because we believe that Yahoshua is our Messiah, and this is our “faith”, but can this save us? No way, it will only save us IF we put that faith into practice by following His WAY. So what this means is we do what is right because we believe what The Lords says, or we save ourselves through our faith in Him. It is through our faith in the Lord that we do what He says, and what He says is the truth from God Himself.
For example, speaking of Eve after her sin of disobedience to God.
1Ti 2:15 Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety. Although only an example, you see that this small word IF carries more weight than the whole sentence, because IF one does not do as God requires, then the whole teaching becomes to no effect.
Again I remind you…
Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
It can be no clearer for the follower of Christ than this. If your desire is truth and salvation in and through that truth, then you have to accept that Jesus came to “lead the way” to salvation which is life eternal, and not hand it to you on a platter as many false teachers would have you believe.. Sheesh, even Satan believes in Christ otherwise he would never have tempted Him.
Jesus also said…
Joh 7:28 Then cried Jesus in the temple as he taught, saying, Ye both know me, and ye know whence I am: and I am not come of myself, but he that sent me is true, whom ye know not.
Joh 7:29 But I know him: for I am from him, and he hath sent me.
This is said so you will know that Jesus is not God, but rather the way to God. Because He is the only one to ever live perfectly, i.e be one with God, He has received all honor, authority and glory that The Father has, to judge and save. If Jesus was God, then the Father would not have to pass on this authority to judge, but because Jesus is the Son, then that authority is given by God, or handed down so to speak.
So folks, Yahoshua/Jesus came to save the world through HIS message which is the gospel, or good news if you like, which was given to Him directly from the Father. So why you might ask, didn,t God give that same gospel to the prophets to bring to the world? Simply because there was not one sinless person in history prior to Jesus who was worthy enough to fulfill the requirements as Messiah, and this included all prophets….for they all had sin in them. There is a passage in the New Testament where God says…
Mat 3:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased
This is in fact, either slight of hand or deliberate messing with the scriptures. The oldest and more trusted Hebrew gospel says…….
You {Jesus} are my beloved son … today I have begotten {i.e. adopted} you.”
Excerpt from:The Origins of Christianity and the Bible….http://www.prudentialpublishing.info/meaning_of_son_of_god.htm
As Messiah (Christ-Annoited one), and the only worthy of the title “Son of God”, He now had all the qualifications to speak for God. Why? Because now He was One with God through His perfect keeping of the Law of God (not man), and was therefore given all the power of the Law to judge fairly from God. And did He change anything of God’s Law? Not even one letter. In fact He gave two new commandments that fulfilled (contained) all the Law of God, and it was this teaching which became the core of the Gospel from this time onward; to love God and love your neighbour. And what a great message to bring, and what a great reason to come… the meaning of life summed up in but a few words…to love one another as I have loved you. That my friends is why Yahoshua came to earth as Messiah… simply to teach us to love God and love one another, which is the “way” of God.
What did Yahoshua/Jesus teach
There are many religions in this world, and one thing they all have in common, wether orthodox or cult, is a whole bunch of laws that one must abide by if they hope to get to heaven. This all sounds great, but unfortunately there has never been anyone known to man who have been able to keep every one of these laws perfectly enough, and so according to all their own doctrines, would leave heaven just a whole lot of empty space. Sure, there might have been one or two in all history to have achieved this incredible feat, but nowhere in the history books has it been recorded. Oh, that’s a lie; the Christian bible records that there is one call Jesus, or as I call Him by his Hebrew name Yahoshua, who lived a life of perfection. And guess what? It is this very man, who was perfect, who threw all the laws of the Jewish land down the drain, and replaced it with two of His own… love God, and love your neighbour. And how could He get away with this huge intrusion on 2000 years of law keeping? Simply because “if” you keep both His laws perfectly, all the other laws will automatically manifest. Or in His own words… all the law ‘hangs’ on these two commandments. Meaning if you love God, you will do what pleases Him, and if you love you neighbour you will treat them as you would like to be treated.
From the bible, which is just a small part of what Jesus taught, it is still nevertheless clear what He taught. He lived as His disciples lived, according to the law of the Jews, and of course the Holy Law of God, and taught nothing different. Although most perceive He did teach differently because of the two new commandments He preached, but to the deep thinkers, these two commandments are incorporated in the old anyway; its all part of the Holy law of God. It never ceases to amaze me that where the teaching of Christ is pure and simple, mankind would rather complicate it by adding their own “twist” to it with an ambiguous and misunderstood teachings of Paul the Apostle. If you take only from the bible the pure and holy teachings of Jesus Christ and meditate on them alone, the teaching is clear as crystal and giving a simple understanding with clear answers to all questions regarding the Christian faith. But, when you add mankind’s “rendition” of the original New Testament that has since been damaged by an erroneous understanding of Pauls teaching, you get an extremely polluted and ambiguous teaching that is far from what The Lord Jesus would teach; this is why Christianity is so confused today. This is why Christians all over the world still argue and even fight for their own personal understandings to be “The Only Truth “of God. This is why we have so many different denominations in the world, and believe me, there is more of these denominations than are first apparent.
It is so ironical that this is the case when you consider what Jesus once said….united we stand, divided we fall. Is there any a more divided religion than the Christian? I mean there are literally hundreds of different Christian churches and cults. Even with the evil Islamic religion there is only two major sides, but with Christianity there are many. But alas, they somewhat deserve this state of anarchy because of their reluctance to believe what Jesus said, opposed to what man has said. I have fought tooth and nail with Christians regarding doctrines taught that oppose Jesus’ teachings. They will give you a word for word reference for everything Paul the Apostle said, with hardly even a single verse of what Jesus said, and when they do reference to Jesus, it will be in a way that they can make it say what they want it to say. In other words…agree with their own doctrines. Jesus talks at length about such matters as the commandments of God the Father, and the Holy Law of God (not the sacrificial and ceremonial laws of man). He also talks about His return in the Spirit called the “Parousia” and not the physical presence that Christianity believes today. It’s crazy that so many can believe this rubbish coming from their teachers. I mean what is the most important part of all your faith? Jesus, right? Now don’t you think, that if Jesus was coming back in a physical body to rule a physical world as a physical king…he would have told you so? For goodness sake people, how could God, let the most important part of our faith i.e. Jesus’ return, not be mentioned by Him? Would not Jesus have said… I will be the king of this world? No, in contrast He said… My kingdom is not of this world! This is what Jesus taught. In a nut shell He taught life eternal is spiritual and not physical.
Why is mankind so intent on complicating matters of such importance? Do they really suppose that God speaks to mankind in a certain mysterious fashion that only a certain few can then decipher for the rest? That may sound absurd, but that is indeed what teachers of the Christian way would have you believe, so that you must come to their church, and listen to only them, and read all their books only, that you might believe only their interpretations so that you might be saved. No, this is not the way of Yahoshua/Jesus; His way is pure and simple. Love God and love your neighbour. Sure He kept the law of Moses because he had to as His message was meant for the Jews who invented it. I say this because the stubborn Jews added to what God originally made law…remember what Jesus said about divorce? Although Moses law allows divorce, its not what God wants…right? So you need to know there were two types of law during these times; the law of Moses that incorporated the sacrificial and ceremonial laws mad by man, and the Holy Law made by God, and its this Holy Law that Yahoshua/Jesus taught as the way to the kingdom of God.
So, if you keep the law of love toward your neighbour, you will not divorce them when things get tough, and you won’t lust after their partners for yourself and you won’t want to kill, rob, hurt, or speak badly of them either will you? No, you will treat them as you would like to be treated yourself, and therefore live in harmony with all and without division. And if you also keep the law of love toward God, you will of course desire to do what pleases Him. And what is it that pleases Him, do you know? If you don’t know, let me help you to learn how to find what pleases Him. It is written in two places; the first of which is most important, and that is on your heart. If you sincerely believe in The Lord, then He will write it on your heart so you never have to look any further. The other place is in the beginning of the Jewish Torah where God lays down His commandments. When you combine these two, you have the purest form of Gods law, that when kept to the best of your own personal ability, will on it’s very own, lead you to the kingdom of God. I can boldly say this: the 10 commandments of God are together the key to eternal life, and through them you can attain great heights even while still here in the flesh. Do not under estimate the power of God’s Commandments.
Jesus also taught not to eat meat, but this teaching was eliminated from your bibles that you call the precious word of God. It has though, been found in many places in the Nag Hamadi Library of ancient early Christian writings, and also can be found in part of the Dead Sea Scrolls. I once asked myself; why did God allow 1800 years to pass before revealing to us these ancient writings? Can you answer this question? Some may discern why, but most will have no clue, so it’s probably best I tell you why. Ever since Christianity took on new meanings 300 years after the death of Jesus, the early church leaders destroyed any writings that did not attest to their own personal doctrines. This unfortunately included the doctrines of Pagan religions used by Constantine and Co. You must understand that at this time in history, there were many factions of the true Christianity fighting for primacy, and this included the Essene and Nazarene sects that were directly involved with Jesus. It so happened that Constantine was also fighting for control of the Roman Empire at the time, and saw the false Christianity in Rome that had gained ground previously under the leadership of the false teacher (and as he was also called by his own personal followers…prophet) Simon (Peter) Magus. The Emperor Constantine saw this as a great opportunity to increase his numbers, and so granted Christianity priority on one condition; that they would incorporate doctrines of his Pagan Mithra religion in their teachings. And as we mostly all know now, that Sunday Sabbath, Christmas, and Easter are all from this pagan Mithra sun worshiping religion. And so it went, that Constantine used Christianity, and Christianity use Constantine, to further their own cause. This form of Christianity was not built on the truth of Jesus Christ, of which Jesus Himself taught… Seek the truth, for the truth will set you free.
So the early Catholic Church continued for hundreds of years to confiscate and destroy any writings found not to agree with their false teachings, and this was the way things stayed more or less right up to when the RCC lost their worldly powers in the 18th century, and later regained it again. But now things were different; there had been a reformation and people were now free to do whatever they wished, and so the RCC had no power over them or what they read. So when the newly discovered writings of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hamadi library came to light, they had no power to confiscate and destroy them and so we can be assured that these writings are authentic more so than the bible in fact. So if we want to know the un-adulterated truth about what Jesus really taught, then you are more likely to find it in these writings instead of your precious bibles that you falsely call the word of God. These bible writings have been changed more times than my socks, and are as far from the truth as John and Betty books found in kindergartens. Am I saying the bible is no good? No, I am merely saying it is not the word of God. There is much good stuff in the bible that is good for instruction in a righteous life.
So what has all this got to do with what Jesus taught? Well in showing you what Jesus did not teach, your mind should now be open to receive better what He did teach. He did not teach to celebrate His birth, He only taught to believe in, and do what, His Father and your Father God wanted believers to do. He did not teach to keep the Sabbath day on Sunday, but rather keep the same Holy Law that was taught before His crucifixion. He did not teach that He would return in the flesh, but rather that He would be a “presence” (Parousia) to His people and would never leave or forsake them. He did not teach His people to call their priests Father; He said call no man Father, for your Father is in heaven. He never taught to divorce like the church does today, He taught one must stay married forever unless caught in adultery. He did not teach to hat, harm, kill, or torture any man (as the RCC did for a thousand years), no, He taught to love one another and love your enemy.
Are you saved?
Ask a Christian what it means to be saved and invariably they will say; you are saved from hell and allowed to enter heaven if you believe in Yahoshua/Jesus who lay down His own life as a sacrifice for our sins. This is only partly true unfortunately for the millions who believe as such, and if continued with this paradigm it may even lead you in fact back to hell. You ask a Christian if you continue to sin, can you still go to heaven, and again they will say; all your sins are forgiven, past present and future, and answer categorically with a yes, you will go to heaven. Well, this is a wonderful thought and goes a long way to destroying any negativity in the poor souls mind, giving them full comfort through their faith in Messiah, but, it’s not all true.
Fortunately for the Christian, The Lord left a message in the bible for those willing to take such a crooked path in the name of Jesus, and it goes like this…
Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Many around the world are still arguing over this issue, but how could it be any clearer? It’s not a few that are misled for goodness sake; it is the many. You must realize here that Yahoshua/Jesus is not talking about those who flat out don’t believe, i.e. Atheists, no, He is talking about the likes of you and me, serious believers who He will declare openly that He does not know. How could such a loving Son of God be so cruel to these poor souls that have supposedly followed Him all their lives? Simply because these poor souls have followed the wrong Jesus. This Jesus that they follow is the impostor son of the devil that is portrayed by the world as the true Jesus, but the real true Son of God Yahoshua/Jesus has no sin in Him and cannot wax with any who believe He can, and also believe their life can be built upon such shaky ground…and even worse; teach others to do so also. Please brothers and sisters, I am far from perfect, and do sin also, but I strive not to, and this is the heart of the matter. God judges your heart, and if you are prepared to sin willfully on the belief you will be forgiven later for that sin, then your heart deceives your soul, and your soul becomes lost in the lust of your heart, for it is in your heart where your true desires lay. First purify your heart, and your soul will follow in perfect harmony.
This is why there is no compromise between sin and death. All religions are clear on that and our Lord Yahoshua is no exception except; He gives all those who will believe in Him, forgiveness for all there past sins, if they repent of them, and sin no more. remember, I am talking about wilful sin, not accidental or ignorant sin. Once one receives the Spirit of God in them, they are enlightened to what is and is not sin. A perfect example of this is homosexual activity. Those truly in The Lord know this to be wrong, but those outside see no problem with it. Before I gave my life to The Lord I openly and proudly preached the acceptance of this abomination, but no sooner I accepted Yahoshua as my Saviour, this all changed. Did I read it in a book? Did my Pastor drill me on it? Did I have to ask God to tell me? No no and no; this truth was instantly given me, as it is to all who sincerely follow Christ, after becoming a follower of the “way, truth, and life of Yahoshua/Jesus.
Heb 10:26 For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
Many Christians still stand by the evil homosexual behaviour, and their justice is; all are children of God. Now this is true, but that certainly is no excuse to accept sin as righteousness, and this is exactly what they do when they stand in protest alongside practicing homosexuals. This sin must be repented of just like any other, or else where does the line get drawn? I mean if homosexual sin is accepted as normal, what then of similar sin like buggery, child molestation and even bestiality? Laugh you may, but 40 years ago homosexual sin sat arm in arm with these afore mentioned. They were all classified in the same basket in my neck of the woods. Opps, drifting off topic a tad here.
My point is this: there is good and evil, which are married to sin and righteousness. Good cannot marry sin, just as much as evil cannot marry righteousness. When one is willing to cast off the old man (old life) to seek the ways of God, he/she receives from God understanding of His ways, which become the foundations for the new man (new life). Some (or even most) find the ways of God too great a burden to carry, and so instead of walking away from God and the truth that has already been revealed to them, they will invariably find a way to justify their actions and teachings contrary to the truth, in the hope that because they still profess to believe in The Lord, they will still enter heaven in the last days. It is unfortunately for them a false hope, and woe unto those who teach this false hope. Would have been better for them if they had not been born. What I want to stress here is the truth in one’s belief; if your faith is in an untruth, then your life is in vain, and believe me folks, it’s the majority that have this untruth as doctrine.
Mat 22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen.
If you read the bible from cover to cover, you will not find anywhere where it claims all your future sins will be forgiven. For example, let’s take the woman accused of adultery and was about to be stoned by the hypocrites; what did Jesus say to her after the crowd left?
Joh 8:10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
Joh 8:11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
And the lame man He healed…
Joh 5:14 Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.
So we can clearly see that once The Lord has forgiven them, He tells them they must repent and sin no more… lest a worse thing happen to them? Wow, worse than a stoning? Worse than being crippled? That’s pretty heavy stuff there coming from our dear Lord. Please imagine these situations in real time, and imagine if that woman hit the streets again prostituting herself after The Lord pardoned her, do you really believe He would pardon her again? If you do, then there is no righteousness in you, for in Yahoshua/Jesus there is only righteousness, and sin cannot abide in righteousness, and so you cannot abide in The Lord and sin also.
Joh 8:34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
To be saved, first you have to confess (otherwise there is no forgiveness), and then you must repent. This is clear all the way through the bible and also other religious writings, so why do so many find ways, by twisting scriptures and brain washing people’s minds, to teach a different gospel (good news)? Well I can tell you why folks; because money speaks all languages. If you preach the truth, you preach repentance, and repentance does not fill the pews. Simple as that. No man can claim to know God and yet preach a false truth, so what else can it be? Look at the Catholic Church. It preaches the greatest bunch of lies, and has the biggest following? And why they preach lies? Because their doctrine allows for sin, and this puts bums on pew seats. I mean Catholic fathers forgive the sins of Mafia gangsters so they can then go out again and steal and kill. How much more hypocritical can you get? But folks, it works for them, the RCC is the most wealthy institution in the world, making Bill Gates look like a petty criminal in the scheme of things, and that my friends is why many are called but few are chosen. Meditate on that if you will.
Rom 10:10 For it is by our faith that we are put right with God; it is by our confession that we are saved.
The scriptures serve to set people on the right path, and if read in context will do exactly this, but all scriptures almost, can be twisted by the prudent to say just about whatever they want them to say, and this is the problem we have today. It wasn’t always that way, but with the rise of the Pentecostal movement, together with the love of money, we now see filthy rich Pastors flying around the world in private jets and millions of deluded poor souls following while they empty their savings into their coffers. It’s a perfect example of the blind leading the blind, I am not God and so I can really say why this happens apart from the obvious, but I know this for sure; those with pure hearts do not follow such false teachers, and so one might judge then to get what they deserve.
So my friends, when you next contemplate your standing before your God, first consider what He says, and not that of any man. You don’t need a man to save you, you need God to save you, and so be fully aware of His way, for His ways are not mans ways, and if followed will lead to life abundant. Don’t even believe what I have written in these pages, for I am but a man; instead meditate on Yahweh your creator and seek His truth, which is the only truth that matters. I am merely here to help point you in His direction, and not the direction of the church institution that really does not necessarily have your best interest at heart. Next time you see a wealthy well-dressed preacher in the pulpit giving his own twist on things to keep you interested, don’t put his doctrine before God’s truth, and don’t praise him as many do, but remember he is only a man giving his own opinion, and opinions don’t count on judgment day; only truth counts. You are better off on your own than to be with others on the wrong path.
Few are chosen
There is only one way to eternal life in God’s kingdom, and that’s His way. There may be many roads to take you there, but they all do so in His way, and not in the ways of any man or the modern church. When you confront any Christian church member today with this verse from their bible …
Mat 22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen.
…they will invariably tell you that the “many” are non-believers, and the “few” are the church, but they are so blinded by so many years of tradition, that their minds become super glued closed to anything even remotely against their paradigm biased by their teachers. Why you ask? The sooner you realize that there is big money in church institutions, the sooner your mind will open to truth. You must remember also, that we humans like to be entertained in all that we do, and the truth just isn’t entertaining, but fantasy, false miracles, manmade doctrines, and loud rock and roll music are entertaining, so for the love of money…that is what the bulk of the church will dish up to you so long as you keep visiting them once a week and contribute financially to their evil cause. Of course there are exceptions in some rare cases.
Well, in keeping with the context of what Yahoshua/Jesus was talking about when He said these words, the many were those who the King invited to the wedding feast, or if you like, those called of Yahoshua/Jesus. But many of these invited by king (The Lord) refused to come; what does this insinuate? This means they had no respect at all for the way of the king, and so were cast out, and a new people not even favoured by the king was given their place at the wedding feast. This clearly shows that there is a clear distinction between the called, the chosen, and those of the world. Blind Freddy can see that the called in this case was those originally favoured of God… so can the unbelievers be the favoured ones of God?
No people, many are called to do Gods business from the multitudes that don’t believe at all. These “called” consist of every Christian in the world who profess that Yahoshua/Jesus is Lord and Saviour, whether they are entertained at church each Sunday or stay at home. If you have any semblance of education, then you know that this includes well over 2 billion people in a world of only 6 billion. Is this a few or is this the many? Of course it is the latter; I mean one third of anything can hardly be construed as a few. Even one hundredth of 6 billion is still considered many, so one third must be very many, and so all must humbly admit they are wrong to believe otherwise. If you consider this together with …
Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
You see it now? … where our Lord speaks of the “many” again as those not chosen, then you have no alternative whatsoever but to agree, and accept that the many who are called are simply fellow believers of the Christian faith and popular doctrine. Does this mean they will be saved come judgment day? Apparently not according to The Son of God who has been given all authority to judge in heaven and on earth. Only a few of all the believers will be saved according to the bible. That is scary huh?
So how would our Lord and Judge differentiate between the many and the few? Well for starters I hear “many” say that all you have to do is believe Jesus is Lord and they will be saved. Now that is an outright lie which can lead even more poor souls down the wrong path; even the devil believes Yahoshua/Jesus is Lord and God knows he will not be allowed back in the Kingdom of God ever again. So where to from here then? This new revelation you have just found (and you have found it by seeking) looks like it could either drop a spanner on your works or put a feather in your cap, depending how you believe in God. It’s all got to do with how you put your faith into practice. Sure I can say I believe Jesus is my Saviour just Luke the devil can say also, but the difference between the devil and a true follower of The Lord is a true follower will take up his own cross and bare good fruit, whereas the devil and lukewarm Christians alike are big with the mouth but lazy with the actions.
So what all this simply means is those many who continue in the traditions of the church will find it hard to be saved from their sin because of what they teach, but those few who prove their worth to God by taking up their own cross and putting their faith into action like the bible teaches, are more likely to repent and sin no more and therefore welcome in the Kingdom of God. Anyone who believes sin can abide in God’s Kingdom is truly delusional, but alas many Christians seem to believe such things. They will openly and proudly say for goodness sake, that all their future sins are forgiven. Such trash they boldly preach, and the result is the “many” church traditionalist are happy to live in sin the rest of their pathetic lives under the pretence that Jesus forgives them. What a load of tripe that is. To believe such rubbish is to put one’s faith in tradition rather than God, and we all should know by now that tradition and God are worlds apart.
The trouble with most Christian teachers today is they believe Almighty God changes according to the times. They believe that when Messiah came, all God’s Holy Laws disintegrated into thin air on the pretense that it’s not what you do anymore, but rather what you believe, and this could not be further from the truth. Sure God can change His mind in certain individual cases where, because of His wisdom, He chooses not to condemn a man for breaking the Law, knowing that this person would repent through mercy, but in general, God’s Law is forever. Consider in all the known history of the bible, is there any place where God actually writes anything Himself, rather than just tell His prophets what to say and do? Yes siree Bob, there certainly is, but only once did He ever do this as a special occasion to save His people from eternal death. His people meant a lot to Him; enough to write a message …
1/ With His own finger, symbolizing it is of the utter most importance.
2/ On solid rock, symbolizing it was to last forever.
Now my dear friends; are you going to tell me this message by God to His own people was just temporary? Well that’s what most think at least, and again, this could not be further from the truth. I have allocated a whole chapter to this subject because of its extreme importance in the salvation of God’s people, so I will not elaborate too much here for the sake of space, but I will add this. If you believe the God who is most high, most wise, and who lives forever, can change even in small matters, let alone the greatest of all salvation issues… Gods holy Law, then you do not know even the slightest bit about the character of the God of Messiah Yahoshua/Jesus. If you think that this Almighty God who in His only appearance to Moses, and who for the first and only time wrote words with His own hand, would then only a few hundred years later throw them all away? Remember, these were only the ten commandments of God on two tablets of stone that Moses could carry, and not the 613 laws made by man apparently in God’s name. If all these 613 laws were written in stone they would need a semi-trailer to cart them down the mountain, and hopefully you agree trucks were not invented then.
So what am I trying to say here? I am desperately trying to convey the everlasting truth of God, that His commandments (not the sacrificial and ceremonial laws) were to last forever as a testimony to the true believers of God. It can be found in the words of Jesus not once, but twice in the same chapter…
Rev 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Rev 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
There is no escaping the truth here; John is explicitly noting here that both the commandments of the Father and the faith/testimony of Jesus are the ones who are saved. If it were not so, then John would have written something like this… which keep the faith of Jesus. And this would have sufficed to be honest, because Jesus’ faith was to keep God’s commandments, but John wants to be ever so clear about such important matters, so he adds God’s commandments. Besides all this, surely it stands to reason, through the Holy Spirit of God which resides within you, that God does not change, and therefore His ten commandments are as vital today as they were two thousand years ago. And this is why it can be understood especially in today’s world, that from the many that God has called to the truth, only a few will be chosen to reside with Him in His kingdom. Why? Because they chose to follow the traditions of man rather than Gods Law sent in black and white for all to see. They chose to believe man’s contaminated opinions rather than the pure and simple unadulterated (I hope) words of God in stone.
Take a moment to meditate on what Yahoshua/ Jesus said concerning the commandments…
Mat 5:19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 5:20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
It doesn’t take a Rhode Scholar to figure out The Lord regarded the commandments of God very highly, and would obviously never teach against them; but what of those who do teach against them? Clearly they will be the least according The Lord, which is not where I would want to be facing my Father on my last day.
Other Yahoshua/Jesus writings
Joh 20:30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:
Not all that Jesus spoke is written in the bible. As a matter of fact, only that approved by man is written in the bible, but there has been much more about Jesus and what He spoke found in new original discoveries such as the Nag Hamadi Library and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Amongst scholars is the general consensus that much of the writings within the New Testament bible, is in fact forgery by the early Christian Fathers to support their own paradigms and also give sway to a coalition with the Roman emperor Constantine around 321 AD. It has also been proved that much has been added and removed over the centuries by different overzealous Popes within the Catholic Church, to further promote their claim to “God on earth” status through laws doctrines. Today what we have with the bible is a collection of books made cannon by the Catholic Church, and re-written to conform with their pagan/Christian faith, and then given to the rest of the world as authentic writings of the original authors.
Now with the Nag Hamadi collection and the Dead Sea Scrolls are only a recent discovery of the 20th century, and so have not been allowed into the evil hands of Priests and Scribes within the Catholic Church. This then should be evidence that these new discoveries that have been date tested by modern scientists to around the 2nd and 3rd centuries, are indeed authentic original writings that have not been tampered with by the Catholic Church or any other organisation for that matter. These writings can therefore be considered more valuable in terms of the truth that Jesus spoke, and the way He and those around Him lived and believed. It is within the pages of these ancient writings that we see a very different Jesus than that portrayed in the Catholic bible that Christians currently put all their hope and faith in.
How blasphemous it is then, to call the bible the “Word of God” as all Christian circles do. Ask yourself this; what would God the Father or Jesus Messiah be thinking when we believe, and put into practice, a saying within this bible by either of them that is not true? How would they feel? I mean there are conflicting messages in different bibles, and if I had the space here I could easily prove that, but surely you know this to be true. The KJV differs from the NIV, and the GNB differs from the Darby and so on. My point is this, IF the bible was indeed the WORD OF GOD, then none of these bible would be conflicting … right? So now this has been cleared up, you have got to either tell me which of all the bible interpretations is in fact the real one… or agree the bible is NOT the word of God.
So, with keeping all this in mind, I ask you to further consider the writings of Jesus in the other ancient writings of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hamadi Library, and even Aramaic translations of the bible that differ from the Greek for that matter. It is found within these pages that the real Jesus believed a whole lot differently than what is portrayed in the bible. For instance; He preached against the killing of animals and the eating of meat, and He also taught the doctrine of reincarnation which is so hated by the Christian church today and labelled as evil. So when you cast out one for their belief in such things, be ready to be cast out of the Kingdom of God also, for it is written; Judge not lest you be judged”.
The lie of the bible as the Word of God, and the total disregard for other ancient writings, are just more reasons why modern Christianity is the greatest lie ever told. To find out the truth about who Jesus really was and what He taught, one must surely look to the original ancient writings mentioned above, in preference to the modern bible which all Christianity today (modern Christianity) pins all it’s hopes and dreams on. These other ancient writings where written by people who were either directly involved or were at least ancestors of such people who verbally handed down these sayings.
The history of the church clearly shows that there were originally many different sects at first who claimed to be passing on, and practicing the teachings of Jesus. As it was around this time, the Christian sect in Rome was the one to gather momentum mainly through the Roman emperor Constantine, and become a super church power. They used this power over the next several hundred years to kill off all other sects and totally destroy their sacred writings by fire. Among these sects were the Nazarenes who claimed to be the first followers of Jesus and so used the same title applied to Jesus of Nazareth. Also around the same time were the Ebionites, Essenes, and Zadokites, who in similar fashion to the Nazarenes, were Jewish converts receiving the truth through their Messiah Jesus, and putting it on papyrus (writing materials) for their following generations to study. One would think that these Jew converts whom Jesus taught directly would surely of had more truth within their sacred writings than anyone else at that time, but oh no, the Roman Christian church saw them as a threat to their doctrines and growing numbers, so they wiped them and their evidence of the true teachings of Jesus more or less off the geographical map altogether. This same organization called the Roman Catholic Church never ever repented of its evil ways and went on a few hundred years later to destroy millions more innocent believers in Christ, through the well documented Inquisition.
The main point I am trying to make here is that because these ancient writings were discovered outside the church, they never got to contaminate these writings through the many translations and forgeries that the writings from the bible has had to endure over the centuries. Jesus never taught the Romans or anyone even remotely connected with the Roman Catholic Church, but He did teach the likes of the so called sects mentioned above; so in reality, who should you put most of your faith and trust in, the sects and their writings or the impostor Roman Church and their bible writings?
What I say does not count, but I will for once put forth my own opinion on this. Sure the bible has much truth in it and great writings for guidance in righteousness and is good for learning the character of God Yahweh our Almighty Creator, and I do advise all those seeking a closer walk with God to read and treasure such a book. I do not however promote these writings as the “Word of God” that almost all Christian teachers and followers have taken upon themselves to label it. Technically that is blasphemous and must be seriously considered before saying such things that God may or may not have said in this book. On the other hand, although I still do not consider it the “Word od God”, I do at least consider the ancient writings of the Nazarenes and Essenes and the like found in the Nag Hamadi Library and the Dead Sea scrolls, as more authentic and closer to the truth of what Jesus Messiah taught and preached to the ancient world. If I found conflicting doctrines between these ancient writings and the bible, I would choose first from the ancient original writings to take precedence.
There is not enough room here to debate the authenticity of the bible, but I can, along with many other highly respected and highly qualified specialists in the field, assure you it is not the word of God. The books in the New Testament were chosen from many books that were written after the fact, some only a few years, and others up to a hundred years. Those responsible for choosing these books were under the umbrella of the Roman Catholic Church and held some doctrines not necessarily totally in accord with Yahoshua/Jesus. They had their own “separate” agenda, and that was to be the only true church ( hence the name Catholic) of the world, and they were prepared to go to any lengths to make this happen, as indeed history proves over the last two millennium. For example, the destruction of any faction not on one accord with their doctrines over the first 1000 years, and of course the Inquisition over the second 1000 years. During all this time, and before the printing press, the bible was written and re-written many times to allow for the modification of RCC doctrines. This is commonly known by all sincere scholars of modern times, but the question of the “Word of God” does not seem to be ever question? Why is this so? My only answer is power and money.
It even amazes me that although Christians and their teachers base their whole faith around Jesus, and some even calling Him God, they still prefer to put their faith into action under the doctrines of Paul the apostle. I say ‘doctrines of Paul’ simply because they can certainly give the impression that they are far from those of Jesus who is the focal point in all this. If I was to call myself truly Christian in the same way the first followers and Disciples of Christ did, then I would be using the words of Yahoshua/Jesus Himself as my foundational platform to build my faith upon, and not the words of any other. Sure I can use the words of Paul and all the disciples for that matter, as somewhat instructional, but should they detract even the slightest from those of Christ, then I would spit them out and stamp them into the dust where they belong, with all the other false writings and teachers of God’s kingdom. There is more than enough instruction from the writings within the bible (albeit somewhat falsified) and from the many ancient writings discovered in the last century like the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hamadi Library, to use in your quest for truth and salvation. At least the latter can be 100% qualified as authentic and untouched by man since its original manifestation.
Chapter 3. Early Christians
The first followers of Yahoshua/Jesus
People want to argue that Christians were the first followers of Yahoshua/Jesus. If that makes them feel good with their paradigm then go ahead because it matters not who they were, but more to the point… what they were. First of all we need to all agree that they were Jews primarily, and taking it further; Nazarenes, Essenes, and Ebionites. According to Flavius Josephus the historian, there were many sects of the Jewish faith at the time Of Yahoshua/Jesus, and it is very reasonable to suppose a portion of them all would be following Messiah around. He even admits He came only for the lost sheep of Israel, so even though there might have been the odd gentile floating around; the masses would have certainly been predominately Jewish. Almost all scholars openly admit that the first followers of Yahoshua/Jesus were not Christians. The only Christians that could be considered around that time were well after Yahoshua/Jesus was raised from the dead, and following Paul, not Christ.
I don’t normally paste from other sources, but I will make the exception here because it is a very informed and detailed account of the early days post 138AD.
From…. firstnewtestament.com/origin_name_christian.htm (with permission)
THE ORIGIN OF THE WORD “CHRISTIAN”
The historical records about Marcion’s contact with Gnostics is very meagre. We learn that Marcion is a Gnostic not only by the testimony of the Early Church Fathers that opposed his religious beliefs but from the collection of documents that originally comprised the First New Testament.
According to a reasonable interpretation of the chronological evidence, Polycarp (while a bishop of Smyrna) was writing in AD 115 about the extensiveness of Marcion’s teachings in Asia Minor (Pol. Phil. 2:18,19). What we fail to realize is the extensiveness of Marcion’s religious beliefs as shared with other believers who constituted the “first” Christians. The “first” Christians were Gnostic Christians and not of the later “Western Christianity”.
About the year AD 138, Justin Martyr (a resident of Rome) wrote about Marcion’s unusually long and effective teaching career. Understand that the polemics of the Early Church Fathers are often harsh and untrue regarding those that they attacked as being “heretics”. That being said we need to listen closely to what is said by Justin Martyr in and around 150 C.E. Justin is known as the first Christian apologist, called also Justin the Philosopher. Born in Samaria of pagan parents, he studied philosophy, and after his conversion in Ephesus to Christianity at about the age of 38, he went from place to place trying to convert men of learning by philosophical argument. He opened a school of Christian philosophy at Rome, where he and some disciples were finally martyred under Marcus Aurelius for practicing an unauthorized religion. Of his writings (in Greek), only two undisputed works remain, the Apology (with an appendix called the Second Apology) and the Dialogue.
Now let us listen very carefully to what Justin has to say.
“And there is Marcion, a man of Pontus, who is even at this day alive, and teaching his disciples to believe in some other god greater than the Creator. And he, by the aid of devils, has caused many of every nation to speak blasphemies, and to deny that God is the maker of this universe, and to assert that some other being, greater than He, has done greater works. All who take these opinions from these men are, as we before said, called Christian” (Justin’s [First] Apology. I.26. ANF. vol. 1. p. 171). The reason for dating this statement to the year AD 138 is discoverable in Blackman’s study (Marcion and His Influence,. p. 21).
What you should take notice of is not that Justin had an extreme dislike for those that did not agree with his religious belief system but the fact that those who revered Marcion and were like Gnostic believers in “the Christ” were recognized as early as 140 C.E. as “Christians” even by their opponents. What we have here is an “in-house” debate and disagreement on just who this “Christ” really is. We call this Christology today.
One of the most startling things in Justin’s unfavourable review of Marcion is the surprising appearance of the word “Christians” as a commonly used title to describe the members of Marcionite churches. By AD 138, Marcionites could be found in “every nation.”
THE CHRISTIAN “CHRIST” OR “CHRESTOS”?
At this early time, there is some confusion about the correct spelling for “Christian.” It is known that Marcion preferred to call Jesus the “Chrestos” (which means the Kind or Helpful One). The spelling for “Chrestos” (the Good one) is derived from an ancient inscription to a Marcionite synagogue (Daniel Jon Mahar, English Reconstruction and Translation of Marcion’s version of To The Galatians, p. 1).
Let us take note of the fact that those “orthodox” believers who were more allied with the Roman Ecclesia and who were opposed to Gnostic Christianity were already at this time proudly bearing the title “Catholic.” By the time when The Acts of the Apostles was formally published about the middle of the Second Century, the word “Christian” had become very popular as a designation for believers in Jesus. Because of this, there was needed some kind of explanation about its origin.
We are all familiar with the word “Christian” but it will surprise you to know that this is not the designation by which the earliest believers in “the Christ” were know:
Not many know that the Sinaiticus manuscript has a peculiar way of spelling the word Christian. Everywhere this title appears, that Fourth Century manuscript spells it “Chrestian”.
Vaticanus, a manuscript of the same age, utilizes a slightly transitional spelling “Chresistian”.
This surely is strong evidence about Marcion’s real role. Not only is Marcion’s original spelling for “Christian” still evident in such important manuscripts, this also indicates directly the strength and extent of Marcionite effects on the entire Christian community, including its scholars; even as late as the fourth century!!!
There is still some bifurcation between the words “Catholic” and “Christian” today.
LET HISTORY SPEAK TO US AND LET US LISTEN CAREFULLY
In AD 49, Rome experienced disturbances in the Jewish community that had been provoked by the preaching of “Chrestus” (based on the account of Suetonius in J. Steven’s New Eusebius. no. 2, p. 1).
Acts 18:2 2 And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them. (KJV)
It seems notable at this time (C.E. 49) that “Jews” in general were expelled, and not simply followers of “Chrestus” or “Chrestians.”
Answer for yourself: Why is this important and what should we learn from this?
The reason why all the Jews were expelled from Rome at this very early date is that the Roman authorities did not or could not clearly differentiate between the Christians and the Jews (Wilson, Marcion… p. 25). It was over disturbances involving this “Chrestus” that Rome expelled them from the city. Notice how early this is; we are talking about 49 C.E. and the existence of “Chrestus” as this early date. If we can come to understand just who or what “Chrestus” refers to at this early date then we will have an accurate picture of what these Jews or earliest believers actually had “faith in” that prompted Rome to rid themselves of them. The presence of the Gentile title “Chrestus” in Rome implies also the presence of an accompanying Gentile-oriented religious belief as well. So we are actually looking at both Jews and Gentiles who had a faith concerning “Chrestus”.
Nobody knows how the Church of Rome was established. Neither the Book of Acts nor the writings of the early Fathers explain how Christianity arrived in Rome. As has been discovered, Suetonius, the Roman historian, mentions the expulsion of followers of Chrestus from Rome, during the time of Emperor Claudius c. AD 40-50. This indicates that a flourishing Christian community existed in Rome, even before Paul went to Corinth or Ephesus in AD 49. By the time of Nero (AD 54-68), the Christian community in Rome was already of a considerable size.
Answer for yourself: How did Christianity reach Rome at that very early date and before Paul? Could this “Christianity” we see be something other than what we have come to understand Christianity today? You bet it was. Long before Paul, the apostle of the Gentiles ever went to Rome we find there in that city a belief in “Chrestus” and the Divine Logos within each person which unites him with God. What we find here is that we have in fact Jewish and Gentile Gnosticism instead of a historical Jesus as a form of the later expression of Christianity in Rome which transforms this spiritual ”Christ” into a historical Christ as previously seen in the Second New Testament. This is further testimony that the earliest expression of what we call “Christianity” was not a faith in a historical Jesus or a historical Christ but one in the Spiritual Mediation of the “Chrestus”. This Gnostic faith held in common a belief that within all men dwelled God’s Spirit whom they called “Chrestus”. We call it “the Christ” today. But understand back then they did not see nor understand this “Chrestus” to be a human being as we have come to understand it today.
In Vaticanus and Sinaiticus it is not possible to discover how Jesus’ main title (Christ) was spelled. A scribal device called “nomina sacra” was employed as a emphatic technique to highlight special words. The highlighted words were shortened. Because of this, the scribes left out the main vowel every time. Most Greek editions restore the vowel as an iota (“i”).
By making a back formation from the Sinaiticus’ “Chrestian,” the word “Chrestos” appears as the proper title for belief in Jesus. Through this logical method, it can be reasonably argued that Jesus’ normal title should be fully spelled “Chrestos” throughout Sinaiticus.
Besides the two oldest Greek New Testaments from the Fourth Century, and in addition to the oldest dated church inscription (C.E. 318), there is an abundance of ancient testimony that shows that the title “Chrestus” for Jesus was very popular among “common” Christians.
As if we don’t have enough testimony already to see without a doubt that the earliest Jewish and Gentile believers had a faith in “Chrestus” we only have to look at the two titles “Chrestus” or “Chrestian” which we find also recorded in the following written sources:
Tertullian (C.E. 210), The Eighth Sibyl (C.E. 200)
Theophilos of Antioch (C.E. 170)
Marcus (C.E. 145) Apocalypse of Elijah (AD 100),
Suetonius (AD 124) and
Tacitus (AD 116).
There is even a disputed inscription (now lost) from Pompei (AD 79) that is believed to have contained a reference to this lost title of Jesus.
The ruling theologians of orthodoxy denounced the spelling “Chrestus” as based on ignorance. Lactantius (AD 310) said: “The ignorant are accustomed to call Him ‘Chrestus’” (ANF. Vol. 7, p. 106).
Answer for yourself: But was it just ignorance or could “Chrestus” have a special meaning that we are overlooking?
Let us now take note that the Gnostic Marcion, who as typical Gnostic believers did not believe in a human Christ but a Docetic Christ, used the term “Chrestus” in the oldest New Testament which he collected and produced.
The theological reason for the Orthodox scribes carefully and stealthily introducing the word “Christ” as Jesus’ main title for “Chrestus” is explainable for several different reasons:
First they were obscuring the fact that the earliest believers in the “Chrestus” understood this as a Divine religious concept only and not as a human being.
Secondarily we look to the etymology of the word “Christ”. “Christ” in Greek means “anointed” (or royal). This meaning matches that of the Hebrew word “Messiah.” The Church Fathers preferred their understanding of this Divine Mediator designated by them as the historical Jesus to be known as Israel’s coming King. The Jews of course reject this concept and view and maintain even today that the true Hebrew Scriptures have not been fulfilled and they yet await the coming of a human anointed Messiah from the line of David.
Paul put his Gnostic Christ Jesus in the forefront of his preaching, and they [the early Gentile churches] can hardly have done otherwise. It is no accident, indeed, that over time the true understanding of this Divine Mediator as a Divine Concept as the indwelling Logos as held and taught by the earliest Jewish and Gentile believers to whom we look as the earliest Christians were really “Chrestus-ians” instead. They held completely opposite views concerning this Divine Mediator between God and man than what the later “orthodox” Roman Christians would hold as seen when they changed the name of “Chrestus” to “Christ” and in so doing changed the Gnostic “Christ” into a human being whom is known today as “the Christ” and not “Chrestus”. We lose completely by changing this name the original concepts of the Logos, Sophia, Hochmah, Holy Spirit, etc. Again over time and the manipulation of the words “Chrestus” and “Christ” the adherents of the new faith were now called and recognized as Christians” (Arthur Cushman McGiffert, The God of the Early Christians, p. 44).
End webpage extract from …. firstnewtestament.com/origin_name_christian.htm
Now although this pasted works of another man was in relation to the correct meaning and validity of the word Christian, you can get enough from it to understand what was going on back then. I have read much on Marcion’s view of Yahoshua/Jesus together with much on the view the early Church fathers had of him. The undeniable fact though is the very first followers of Messiah were in fact Nazarenes, Essenes, and Ebionites who were mostly Gnostic in belief, and the Scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees who were more into the letter of the law. There is practically no sign of Gentiles following Christ whether that be Roman or any other. This should set off some warning bells in Spirit filled followers of Christ as to the validity of modern Christian doctrines and bible translations of the New Testament.
I don’t mean to frighten you, but the bible New Testament is not made up solely of writings of the above first followers of Christ who should have the oldest and best accounts of what Messiah had taught. No, all these authentic writings of such people were destroyed by the later Roman Catholic Church that called themselves Christians without ever knowing Christ like the Gnostics sects did. They treated all ancient writings that they did not agree with as heretical and hence destroyed them. As a matter of fact…they hunted them down to destroy them so there would be nothing left to compete against what they deemed to be their truth. From history books we learn not only were these writings destroyed, but in some cases even the owners of these writings were also. Later as this Catholic church gained momentum along with the Roman emperor Constantine around 325AD, they were able to alter some of what they had to wax more with Constantine’s Pagan Sun worshiping religion. Ever wonder why the sun appears in so many Roman Catholic images, icons and apparel? Well now you know.
How Yahoshua/Jesus lived
The only historical evidence of Jesus’ life on earth is in the bible, and this shows records up until he was 12 years old only, and then reappearing when He was 30 for His ministry. He was the son of a carpenter, and so it is my guess (that’s all we can do is speculate) He helped his father Joseph in the workshop until it was time for Him to leave. Some say Jesus traveled around to afar lands like India and even China, learning from their traditional religions and also teaching His own. Considering His mission, and that was to spread the Gospel about God, I have no problem believing the above might be true. One thing is for sure though if we are to believe the bible to be a true recollection of some of His life on earth, and that is He was the most wise and moral man of that era.
Jesus spoke Aramaic and Hebrew according to most scholars, but I would imagine He to be well versed in Greek also as it was required to trade with the rest of the world (i.e. Roman empire), and besides, His ministry also required He speak other languages as well. Surely one would think, that He being Messiah and the Son of God, that He would be well gifted to accommodate many languages.
Not a whole lot is known about the household life of Jesus if we only go by the bible, but if we also consider the Nag Hamadi Library of ancient (original) texts, and also the Dead Sea scrolls to be historical, then the picture expands greatly. It was very clear in these texts that Jesus was a vegetarian and often preached not to eat meat of any kind. Also we can see from these texts that He was a staunch believer in reincarnation. There are also a few parts in the Bible that can add to this fact if taken in context for the true meaning.
Another historical mention of Jesus was from Flavius Josephus who defected to the Romans from the Jews as a high priest, to save himself from certain death during the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in AD70. He was to become a historian writer for Rome under Titus, and commissioned to keep historical records of the Roman empire, and especially of the destruction of Jerusalem, through which he lived as eye witness. Although extremely brief in the scheme of things, it was profound;
From … Antiquities of the Jews, and in the first passage, called the Testimonium Flavianum, it is written:
About this time came Jesus, a wise man, if indeed it is appropriate to call him a man. For he was a performer of paradoxical feats, a teacher of people who accept the unusual with pleasure, and he won over many of the Jews and also many Greeks. He was the Christ. When Pilate, upon the accusation of the first men amongst us, condemned him to be crucified, those who had formerly loved him did not cease to follow him, for he appeared to them on the third day, living again, as the divine prophets foretold, along with a myriad of other marvellous things concerning him. And the tribe of the Christians, so named after him, has not disappeared to this day.[91]
( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historicity_of_Jesus#Josephus )
Jesus’ whole ministry was aimed at one commandment…. do unto others as you would have them do unto you, which included before all other things; to love one another. He somehow knew the hearts of men which divulged a multitude of sins that touched Him so deeply, that He spent most of His ministry encouraging His followers to repent and sin no more. Was this simply something He was taking from scripture and putting into practice? Well probably partly so, but more so because as a man, He also could experience and feel the human side of life that is not spiritually accepted. These experiences might be for example of gluttony, sexual desires, desire of possessions and pride amongst other things, that He was according to scripture, able to overcome totally. Because He was able to resist temptation, and feel the pain of such, He was then able to assimilate more the sufferings of God’s people, and therefore show the motherly side of God through His forgiving nature.
This was something quite new at the time as the Jewish religion was constructed more around a bunch of ceremonial (action) laws and sacrificial (suffering) laws that really did little for the soul in the way of growth. It had developed into more of a “survival of the fittest” type religion rather than an “understanding Gods ways” type of religion. Jesus new that if He could demonstrate the other side i.e. love, compassion, mercy, to God’s people, then the Holy Spirit of God, the very same Spirit within Him, could then instruct and guide them in the correct ways of God. He knew that knowing God was more than keeping a few earthly laws to prove ones worth, and by demonstrating the power of God within Him would convince them otherwise, and encourage them in the truth and the deeper ways of God their true Father. He lived as He preached, as an example for all who saw to follow.
Of course as a born Jew, He also kept all the Law of Moses perfectly as was required by the then Jewish faith, but it is interesting to note from the Bible that when He was asked by one from the crowd what is needed to enter heaven He replied…
Mat 19:17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
Mat 19:18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,
Mat 19:19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself
Notice He only mentions commandments from the tablets given to Moses, and not any of the 613 laws written by man for the Jewish faith? There was a good reason for this, because mans laws come and go, but the Laws of God last forever and never change even one jot or tittle. Proof of this is when Jesus was confronted with the law of divorce… what did He say? He said that it is true that one may divorce, but it was not that way from the beginning, but rather was added to stop men from complaining. So you see, Yahoshua/Jesus also believed whole heartedly in the ten commandments of God, but not in the law of Moses that was added to Gods commandments.
This is a very important piece of history here because often times Christians today think that Jesus came to abolish Gods commandments, but a deeper study shows that the only laws abolished were the sacrificial and ceremonial laws added by man to the already written in stone commandments of God. See the comparison here? Man’s laws come and go like the wind, but God’s Holy Laws (commandments) are written in stone to last forever. Jesus not only believed in these ten commandments of God, but He lived them out perfectly in His life and teachings. So how did Jesus live? He lived according to the Commands of God the Father. Simple as that. If only a few more Christians could imitate His life.
One thing very important in the life of Yahoshua/Jesus that almost all believers tend to leave out is His audience. All through the New Testament of Jesus His audience was only those alive at the time; and namely His disciples and those around Him. It should be recognised by the reader of the Bible that these be regarded as the “relative audience”, and not us. That is to say that Yahoshua/Jesus was talking “directly” to them and not to us, because this is required to achieve the correct meaning of His prophecies. The New Testament is a story of a certain time built around a certain people, and that people was not us. It is imperative to realize this and accept it, otherwise your whole paradigm is affected which will then lead you the wrong way, as is almost all Christianity today. The Lord was talking to His disciples, not us. He even said that He came for the Jews… not us.
Joh 4:22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews
and…..
Mat 10:5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:
Mat 10:6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
So how I ask, can anyone suppose He was talking to us gentiles? We are taught by the churches today that all what Yahoshua/Jesus spoke in prophecy was meant for us today, but this is a deceiving lie to keep us bound by the church and false teaching.
How the disciples lived
The disciples spent three years with Yahoshua/Jesus learning the true ways of God first hand, and so it is vital to note how they lived after Jesus was raised in order to know what they learn’t from Him. We need to remember that it was at this very time that was the beginning of the Church of Christ, and the complete format was laid down at this time while the disciples were still alive with the knowledge of Yahoshua/Jesus still with them. They were the experts who were at that time the only ones qualified to accurately teach and preach the ways of God through Christ. Not those who followed hundreds of years later, not those who established their own denominations during the times of Constantine, and not those preaching from the pulpits today even. If Jesus didn’t say or do it and the disciples never said or did it; then it is not the doctrine of Christ.
Their modern church unfortunately is built not on the ways of Yahoshua/Jesus or the disciples, but is built more on about what the self-proclaimed apostle Paul says. Paul was not a disciple and never met Jesus publically or personally like the disciples and others. I mean many thousands of people met Jesus and witnessed his teachings and miracles…but not Paul. We can only go on his own testimony without solid backing. What is amazing here is the fact that today’s church put more emphasis and faith in Paul than in the actual Messiah Christ or His disciples, and it’s amazing how much they can show Pauls writings to contradict Jesus. Jesus said I am the way truth and life…not Paul, and it was the disciples that followed the “way” of Yahoshua/Jesus to the letter as they lived, abiding by the commandments of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Why is it not recognized by modern Christianity that Christ brought the Gospel, not Paul, and so those who witnessed personally the teachings of Messiah are the ones we should go to for the truth, like the disciples for instance. For example, Clement was Peter’s disciple, and wrote down many important noteworthy things that are for some strange reason kept in low profile.
It is well documented in the bible that the disciples ate drank and kept the same commandments of God in exactly the same way as Yahoshua/Jesus. Although not mentioned in the New Testament of the bible, it is mention in several places within the pages of writings from the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hamadi library that Yahoshua and the disciples were all strict vegetarians. According to Messiah eating meat was condoning the innocent killing of animals and contaminating one’s body with the flesh of a dead carcass. It is very interesting also that meat was not introduced to the diet of God fearing people until after the great flood, and it is also noted in Genesis that it is given man to eat from the fruit from the tree and grain from the ground… no mention of eating meat at all. Many point in justification to the bible entry of Yahoshua/Jesus… it’s not what goes into a man that defiles him, but rather what comes out of the mouth. But keeping that in context shows that The Lord is not speaking of food, but rather germs and dirt from unclean hands. There is no mention at all about food or unclean meat sources.
They also kept the Sabbath as Christ did and preached fervently the ways of Christ also. They were given power by The Lord to heal themselves and others the same as Yahoshua/Jesus, and in the end they sacrificed themselves for the truth just as did Christ also. So one could say that the disciples all lived as Christ lived. They imitated Him to the letter, and taught others to as well. Christ preached for all believers in Him to take up their own cross, and that is exactly how the disciples lived their lives and taught thereafter. Try and find that in Pauls writings and you will fail because he never taught as such. As a matter of fact he taught more to the contrary, but that is another story. Even the bible itself testifies to the indifference between the disciples and Paul, and also the hard to understand doctrines of Paul.
It is taught by many denominations today that the disciples would keep the first day of the week as “their Sabbath day” to commemorate the Resurrection of Christ, but this is an assumption only and no record of this is anywhere in the bible or history books. Sure they might have met on the first day for reasons other than the Sabbath, but it is nowhere stated that they kept the Sunday Sabbath. It was stated by the RCC/Constantine amalgamation 300 years later that those caught Judaizing (keeping seventh day Sabbath) the Sabbath would be anathema, but that was because Constantine was a sun worshiper that used Sunday for worship, and so the RCC needed to conform or else lose their grasp on power of religion in the Roman world.
All the disciples completely sacrificed their own lifestyles for the sake of the gospel given them by The Lord. They all took up their own cross literally to put their faith in Christ into practice. Like Christ, they hated hypocrisy and were fearless in making that known to all peoples in their way. Eventually this cost most of them their lives, but they were well aware of Christ teachings that taught to sacrifice worldly things on earth would ultimately store up treasures in heaven. No greater was a man than one who would lay down his life for another. Surely this saying would have been spiritual food for them as they risked death in spreading the gospel of Yahoshua/Jesus.
How Paul Lived
Pauls greatest statement to cover his tracks would have to of been… ” he became all things to all men”. This might be a noble way of gaining converts to the Gospel that Yahoshua brought to the world, but really it’s no good getting converts unless its the truth that is taught. To me this is a confession by Paul that he is not teaching the Gospel of Christ, but merely going to any lengths just to gain them into his church under the umbrella of Christ. I can see how conflict between Paul and Peter could certainly arise as Peter was teaching what Christ “actually” preached, whereas Paul was teaching his own “take” on what Christ taught on hearsay. It seems almost a waste of time on Pauls part unless these new converts of his were able to later gain access to the truth through the disciples, or maybe through the Holy Spirit even, but truth is truth, and if something deviates from that truth, then it no longer remains the truth. For instance, Paul preached women were not to speak in church, but Yahoshua/Jesus never ever said such things, so in my way of thinking, Paul taught “another gospel” to that of Christ.
I see the writings of Paul as somewhat ambiguous at times as it appears he often kept some Jewish ceremonial laws including the Sabbath, but on other occasions taught there was no need to do so. You can search the whole bible and you will not find any such controversy in what Christ has said. He never wavers in the truth of the gospel, but Paul does. Why? To be all things to all men. I am not sure that is a great idea.
Its interesting to note that Paul was not healed by God of his illness and was not able to heal others. Below are some examples.
2Co 12:7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
2Co 12:8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
2Co 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
This makes no sense at all to me. Here we have a man of God who apparently has the Holy Spirit guiding him in his work for The Lord, and who apparently has the gifts of the Holy Spirit as he has mentioned in 1Corinthians, and yet he cant heal even himself? It seems to me that 12:9 is a cop out. Of course if all the disciples have the gift of healing and are not sick and Paul does not have the Holy Spirit and IS sick, then would it not be suitable for Paul to say … grace is sufficient?
Gal 4:13 Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at the first.
Gal 4:14 And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.
This again shows Paul was sick and obviously not healed because he pointed it out to them that they received him as a sick person and did not reject him.
Php 2:25 Yet I supposed it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, and companion in labour, and fellow soldier, but your messenger, and he that ministered to my wants.
Php 2:26 For he longed after you all, and was full of heaviness, because that ye had heard that he had been sick.
Php 2:27 For indeed he was sick nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.
Why did not Paul heal Epaphroditus to save him the pain of his sickness? Why did he have to wait for God to save him from death. How long did he have to suffer?
1Ti 5:23 Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities.
Why would Paul give this advice when it is written elsewhere… take no strong drink? If Timothy was sick in the stomach, then surely Paul could heal him, but again no, Paul could not heal even himself let alone any others.
2Ti 4:20 Erastus abode at Corinth: but Trophimus have I left at Miletum sick.
Are you kidding me? This is strange that such a man of God who professed to have met Yahoshua/Jesus on the road to Damascus, and also supposedly had the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and yet he had to leave him behind because he was sick. It just does not add up. The rest of the disciples of Yahoshua could heal… but not Paul.
So yes, I do question the testimony of Paul. When one considers the context of all this, one must ask, why is it that Paul, deemed the greatest of all outside of Yahoshua/Jesus, could not heal himself, or heal others by the sound of things. When one also compares his teachings, together with those of Yahoshua/Jesus and all the other disciples, one must ask why this teaching is so far different? Christ says the Law of God remains, and Paul says it goes. Paul says women should be seen but not heard in church, but Christ and the disciples say no such thing. Christ and the disciples heal, but Paul cannot. The disciples lived with Yahoshua/Jesus, and Paul never met Him except in a vision according to his own reckoning. For me, Paul seemed to have made his own religion that certainly appears contrary to the teachings of Christ. A blind man can see that!
So am I saying Paul is a fraud? Absolutely not, and God help me if I believe that because Pauls teachings do bring converts to Christ, and remember what He said? If they are not against me, they are for me! But my friends, I believe his teachings are certainly designed more to win converts rather to speak the truth. I also believe that much of the New testament, which is predominately written by Paul, has been tampered with over the last 2000 years to further the agenda of the Roman Catholic Church. This could be the reason why both teachings of Christ and Paul seem so much opposite. Christ teaches HOW to be saved through repentance, and Paul teaches how to be saved through faith alone. Christ makes the Father the object of salvation and Paul makes Jesus the object. What do I say? I say I come to the Father through Christ and His teaching. End of story.
Enter Simon Magus
A good friend of mine was for a long time associated with the RCC as a Jesuit Priest and finally deserted them only after discovering many errors of their ways. He wrote quite a bit on his experiences, internal knowledge including that of Simon Peter Magus. I don’t think that I could add anymore to his expertise on this subject, so I am happy to provide here an excerpt from his writings below.
We begin here.
The great false church system of Rome (Roman Catholic Church or RCC) had its beginning in the day of the apostles of Christ. Unfortunately, this conflict did not go its separate way but mixed in to one religious system. This is why there are so many pagan ideas and doctrines in the Roman Catholic Church. Some crept in over time but many were there from the very beginning. The first conflict between early Christianity and false religion of paganism was recorded in the book of Acts, Chapter 8. This quarrel happened between a pagan high priest named Simon Magus and the apostles Peter and Philip. We first hear of Simon Magus in Acts Chapter 8, verse 9-25
Verse 9: But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used
Sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one:
10 To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God.
11 And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries.
12 But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God,
and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
13 Then Simon himself believed also: And when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs, which were done.
14 ¶ Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John:
15 Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the
Holy Ghost:
16 (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: Only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)
17 Then laid they [their] hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.
18 And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Ghost was
given, he offered them money,
19 Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the
Holy Ghost.
20 But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.
21 Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: For thy heart is not right in the sight of
God.
22 Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine
heart may be forgiven thee.
23 For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and [in] the bond of iniquity.
24 Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things
which ye have spoken come upon me.
25 And they, when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.
What happened in these sixteen verses? Was this just a one-time event that took place or something that Luke decided to document? The confrontation that took place here, in Jerusalem, not long after the death and resurrection of Jesus, can be easily overlooked as just one of those things that may have been relevant to the time. But what really happens here? The incident that took place between Simon Magus and the apostles sets the stage of many of the epistles of the New Testament and the early entrance of apostasy into the early church. The person that is mentioned and that we need to concentrate on is Simon Magus and how he transformed himself into the first leader of the false worldwide religious system, the Catholic Church.
The reason Luke recorded this encounter with Simon has far-reaching effects. As Hasting’s explains, the important reason was that “Luke’s well-known plan of describing THE FIRST MEETING between Christianity and rival systems” (Hasting’s Bible Dictionary., p. 498). Luke gives in detail the principal character who established the so-called Christian counterpart of the Truth in the Apostles’ days. This is the reason the Apostles in their Church letters many times mention the false system as ALREADY IN EXISTENCE, but fail to describe its origin. They didn’t have to. That was already done RIGHT AT THE FIRST by Luke!
The Book of Acts, however, performs its purpose in exposing who started the whole apostasy. God leaves it to the epistles. Revelations and the Gospel of John describe the heresy and even the Old Testament prophesied of the church falling away from the truth. We are certainly NOT left in doubt concerning its abominable teachings. There is hardly an epistle that does not mention the religions teaching of Simon Magus. Even the scholars who have studied Church History have seen that almost ALL of the references in the New Testament expose the errors in the first age of the Church and are directed exclusively to Simon Magus, or his immediate followers. A few of these examples will be given later and will show that already the existence of a shadow church that was gaining strength and disrupting the true teachings of Christ.
WHO IS SIMON MAGUS?
We see in Acts 8:10-11, “This man is the great power of God. And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries”. Simon is clearly stated as being one who practiced magic and paganism. One also needs to note that he is not just a pagan but also a leader of the pagan church, since he has misled and bewitched many people with sorcery. Simon most likely heard the news about the risen Christ directly from the apostles and possibly from Jesus Himself.. Instead of accepting the message of salvation as a gift, he desired to buy this power for his own use. Simon wanted to use the power of the Holy Spirit, most probable for personal gain and profit thus take the Lord name in vain.
Did Simon go his way after his strong rebuke from Peter? No, he did not. In fact, he considered himself to be a Christian. Several historians note this. With this evidence of Simon’s activities after his rejection by Peter, we will clearly be able to see why Luke thought it most important to tell the real condition of this man. He wanted to prove that he was in actuality NEVER an Apostle of Christ. In this regard, notice the comment of Hasting’s Dictionary of the Apostolic Church, Vol. 2, p. 496: “But it need NOT be supposed that when Simon broke with the Christians HE RENOUNCED ALL HE HAD LEARNED. It is more probable that he carried some of the Christian ideas with him, and that he wove these into a system of his own. This system is a mixture of pagan ideas wrapped with Christian names and identities.
We further find in Schaff’s History of the Church a reference to this Simon Magus. He says: “The author, or first representative of this baptized HEATHENISM, according to the uniform testimony of Christian antiquity, is Simon Magus, who unquestionably adulterated Christianity with pagan ideas and practices, and gave himself out, in a pantheistic style for an emanation of God” (Apostolic Christianity), Vol. 2, p. 566).
Harnack, a church historian, states that Simon Magus “proclaimed a doctrine in which the Jewish faith was strangely and grotesquely mixed with BABYLONIAN myths, together with some Greek additions. The mysterious worship . . . in consequence of the widened horizon and the deepening religious feeling, finally the wild SYNCRETISM [that is, blending together of religious beliefs], whose aim WAS A UNIVERSAL RELIGION, all contributed to gain adherents for Simon” (Vol. 1, p. 244).
The Bible shows he had been working through demons. And yet, he finally called himself a “Christian.” Dr. McGiffert, speaking of Simon Magus, says: “His effort to rival and surpass Jesus very likely began after his contact with the Christians that Luke records. His religious system was apparently a SYNCRETISM of Jewish and Oriental elements” (Hasting’s Dictionary of the Apostolic Church, Vol. 2, p. 497).
One point that should be noted is there is a mixing of several religious ideas. This is one of the identifying characteristics of the beast of Rev. 13 that is identified as the Roman Catholic Church. Revelation 13:2 “Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion.”
The four beasts used to make up the beast are the same four beasts, Daniel saw in vision in Daniel 7. As a matter of fact, papal Rome inherited from each of these pagan empires some of their basic identifying traits that we still see practiced in this modern day false system of religion, the Roman Catholic Church. From Babylon, the lion the papacy inherited a pagan priesthood; from Medo-Persia, the bear sun worship; from Greece, the leopard human philosophies; and from the dragon, Pagan Rome, its power, seat and great authority. As stated in Rev. 13:2 the mixing of these pagan ideas of the Roman catholic church had its onset from the very beginning. From this Simon Magus who was well versed in all of these abominable doctrines and false system of worship created the early Catholic Church. These abominably doctrines can be traced back to the very beginning throw Simon Magus.
Even though there is only one event that was recorded by Luke, it would not be unreasonable to assume that Simon had heard the apostle on several occasions. He likely also spoke with many of the new converts of the new church. It could be said that Simon Magus had great interest in spiritual matters and most likely was very well versed in both Jewish teaching and that of the new Christian church. Simon had mixed Judaism, early Christianity and Babylonian, Greek. Paganism into one religion and appointed himself as the leader. Here we see the well documented mixing of religions from several historical sources and The Bible itself. What did he do with this new religion?
Did Simon stay in Jerusalem as the head of his own little cult? What were his plans for this new mixing of religions?
History shows that Simon Magus did not stay in Jerusalem but moved to Rome. It is also well recognized that the religions of Asia, by Greek and Roman times, had also passed to the West. By the first century, the mystery religions of the Babylonians were centered primarily in Rome. At that time, Rome was the chief city of the world. With Rome as the centre of the world it would only make sense that Simon Magus would move to Rome to spread his new religion a mixture of pagan beliefs and Christian doctrine.
Simon Magus’ move to Rome is noted in several historical writings. His goal as stated by historical records was to create a universal church, “Religion”. A little side note that many are aware of is the meaning of the word catholic. The word catholic means universal. The word Catholic (katholikos from katholou — throughout the whole, i.e., universal) occurs in the Greek classics. Yes, the correct meaning of the Catholic Church is the Universal Church.
Simon can be classified among the major group of so-called Christians (and Simon called himself such), called by Harnack the: “Decidedly anti-Jewish groups .. . . They advanced much further in the criticism of the Old Testament and perceived the impossibility of saving it [that is, the Old Testament] for the Christian UNIVERSAL RELIGION. They rather connected this [universal] religion with the cultus-wisdom of BABYLON and SYRIA” Harnack, a church historian (VoI. 1, p. 246).
When Justin Martyr wrote [152 A.D.] his Apology, the sect of the Simonians appears to have been formidable, for he speaks four times of their founder, Simon; and we need not doubt that he identified him with the Simon of the Acts. He states that he was a Samaritan, adding that his birthplace was a village called Gitta; he describes him as a formidable magician, and tells that he came to ROME in the days of Claudius Caesar (45 A.D.), and made such an impression by his magical powers, THAT HE WAS HONORED AS A GOD, a statue being erected to him on the Tiber, between the two bridges, bearing the inscription `Simoni deo Sancto’ (i.e., the holy god Simon)” (Dictionary of Christian Biography, Vol. 4, p. 682).
Hasting’s Dictionary of the Apostolic Church, Vol 2, p. 496, states that there is “very slight evidence on which to reject so precise a statement as Justin makes; a statement he would scarcely have hazarded in an apology addressed to Rome, where every person had the means of ascertaining its accuracy. If he made a mistake, it must have been at once exposed, and other writers would not have frequently repeated the story as they have done
We see this quote from Justin Martyr and from Hasting’s “Dictionary of the apostolic church” that Simon Magus was in Rome about the year 45A.D., this is further stated by his birthplace, a village called Gitta. It is also stated that Simon Magus was honoured as a GOD, due to his magical “demonic powers that were witnessed”.
From these historical accounts we see that indeed Simon Magus was in Rome and was the head of his own church “Universal catholic”. In many of these accounts we also see that Simon Magus was also considered by many to be God. Does that not fall in to place that the first pope aka Simon Magus was considered to be God. There are several places in The Bible that show that the Church of Rome would committee the sin of blasphemy and demand worship from men. (Rev,13:1),(Dan,7:11)(Rev14:11)…
In John 10:33, The Bible clearly gives the definition of blasphemy, “…a mere man, claiming to be God”. The list of blasphemy coming from the Papacy would fill volumes of books. Here are just a few examples:
“The pope is not only the representative of Jesus Christ, but he is Jesus Christ himself, hidden under a veil of flesh.” The Catholic National, July 1895
Here are some incredible claims that appear in a Roman Catholic dictionary, by Lucius Ferraris, entitled Prompta Bibliotheca Canonica, Vol. VI, and pgs. 438, 442 article “Pope.” and The Catholic Encyclopaedia, 1913 edition, Vol. VI, p. 48 speaks of this book as “a veritable encyclopaedia of religious knowledge,” and “a precious mine of information.”
“The pope is of so great dignity and so exalted that he is not a mere man, but as it were God, and the vicar of God.”
“The pope is as it were God on earth, sole sovereign of the faithful of Christ, chief king of kings, having plenitude of power, to whom has been entrusted by the omnipotent God direction not only of the earthly but also of the heavenly kingdom.”
There is no doubt that Simon Magus was called a god nor that the papacy claim that the pope is God on Earth. The list of blasphemies of the papacy are too numerous to count. There are several historical accounts that Simon Magus was called and claimed to be God. We can even see this preserved in history with the very status that was spoken of by Justin Martyr. In 1574 excavators found a fragment of marble on an island in the Tiber River with the inscription “Semoni Sanco Deu Fidio.” Some interpret this as referring to a Sabine deity, Semo Sancus, but most likely it was part of the statue Justin Martyr described as having been dedicated to Simon Magus. There is little doubt in my mind that this is one of many similarities between the papacy and Simon Magus
Here is the transition of Simon Magus being considered God and the first pope and the big mistake that many confuse Simon Peter with Simon Magus. The next step to change Simon Magus to Simon Peter was with the title of a God by some of his followers. What is another name or title is there for a pagan god? Surprising as it may sound, it is a well-known fact among students of ancient religion, that the chief pagan gods worshipped in the early civilizations were generally known by the name or title PETER. That would make Simon Magus also be formally known as Simon Peter.
The pagan priests of the mystery religions were called PATORS or PETERS. They had the power to interpret the heathen mysteries. This is further brought out by Bunson in his Hieroglyph, page 545, where he shows that the Egyptians — as The Bible also indicates — called their “interpreters” or priests: PETR, that is, PETER.
Notice some references to these sacred PETRAS found throughout the pagan world.
At the temple of Delphi in Greece, the chief object in the ritual was the PETRA (Pausanius, Bk. 10). At the Acropolis in Athens, Euripides tells us, the niches which held the idols were called the PETRAE (verse 935). It is well known that even the sacred book which was used in the celebration of the Eleusinian mysteries, was entitled “Book PETROMA,” PETER-ROMA — PETER’S BOOK (see Potter’s Antiquities, vol. 1, p. 356). Remember that the pagan temples were also called after the PETERS. The temple at Elis in Greece was called PETRON Lycophron, verse 159). Pytho at Delphi was called PETRAessa (Olymp. Ode 6). The oracle temple dedicated to Apollo in Asia Minor was called the PATARA and the oracle there was called PATAReus (“Eus” means “person who, one”) — (Lempriere’s Classical Dictionary, p. 438). Also PATRAE — an ancient town where DIANA had a temple (p. 438), and the oracle in Achaia was called PATRA (Jones, Proper Names of the Old Testament, p. 296).
Examples are too numerous to mention, but this should be enough to show that the name PETER, or its variants, figured very high in every phase of pagan worship. These PETER stones and temples were found all over the ancient world. “There is in the history of every oracular temple some legend about a stone; some reference to the word PETRA” (Bryant, p. 362). The world and history is littered with many example of the term PETER used as a title for a god.
I believe this leaves little doubt that the title of Peter would be given to someone that claims to be and was seen to be a god. There are just too many instances that this title has been given and used in historical accounts. This change from Simon Magus to Simon Peter is how the good apostle was mistaken to be the first pope of the Roman Catholic Church.
To this day, the Roman Catholic Church says that the tomb of Saint Peter is under the altar of the Basilica in Rome. “Only, the actual vault itself in which the body lies is no longer accessible and has not been so since the ninth century. There are those, however, who think that it would not be impossible to find the entrance and to reopen it once more. A unanimous request that this should be done was made to Leo XIII by the International Archaeological Congress in 1900, but, so far, without result.”(www.newadvent.org ARTHUR S. BARNES)
What supposedly happen at the death of the apostle peter in Rome was that peter was crucified upside down at his own request. According to catholic tradition peter asked that to be crucified upside down stating that he was not worthy to suffer the same kind of death of his master Jesus Christ. Then he was buried under the altar witch now is the Basilica of Saint Peter’s. Here is a Catholic account of what happened to Peter’s body on the night of his death. In Keller’s comment who think or mistakes Simon Magus for Simon Peter tell what happen at the death of Simon in Rome during the first century.
“On the night of his death on the cross Peter’s followers BURIED his body. As in the case of Jesus on the hill of Calvary it was wrapped in linen and secretly taken to a PAGAN BURIAL GROUND on the Via Cornelia, behind the stone structure of the arena. This PAGAN CEMETERY lay on a knoll called VATICANUS: the Latin word `vatis’ means a `prophet’ or `SOOTHSAYER’. In days gone by there had been an Etruscan oracle on this spot” (Keller’s comment – the official comment of the Roman Catholic Church p. 368).
Keller ought to have better logic to know that this Peter buried in this cemetery, of all places, could NOT be the Apostle Peter. In the first place, Peter was a Jew, and they had to be buried in their own cemeteries. This is quite a big step from not even being able to eat with gentiles to be buried is the special cemeteries reserved for the chief pagans and self-proclaimed Gods or peters. And even if by a happen-chance a Jew could be buried in a Roman cemetery, it is most unlikely that a Jew — especially one who attacked the Roman religion as the Apostle Peter did — would ever have been allowed into the most holy of pagan cemeteries! This cemetery was reserved for prophets, soothsayers and the great ones of pagan Rome. I personally think that the apostle Peter would not be caught dead in a pagan cemetery. Would it not make more since that the first pontiff maxims or pope be buried in this cemetery Who more to make since to be buried in the cemetery reserved for a pagan soothsayer that was masquerading around as a Christian than Simon Magus aka Simon Peter the head of the new Universal “catholic ” church.
The records regarding Simon’s death vary widely. Many of the stories try to incorporate some fiction from the Greek and Egyptian myths to enhance the reader’s interest in this fascinating character. But the earliest records say that he was buried in Rome after a long period of great honors and deification. It is not clearly known where Simon Magus alias Simon Peter. At the judgment I’m almost sure many will be quiet surprised to find out who in really under that altar in the Basilica in Rome, and it will not be the beloved Simon peters the apostle of Jesus Christ. The great faith that is placed on what appears to many to be the apostle Peter’s bones, under the altar of the Basilica, is somewhat comical. Especially in light of the lack of biblical evidence that show that peter was never in Rome. Whose bones could be under that altar? I believe that they are the bones of Simon Magus Peter aka the first pope yet this most likely will not nor could be proven till the return of Christ himself. The certainty of this is the discovery of Peters tomb in Jerusalem.
Saint Peter’s tomb
A well-hidden discovery of an archaeologist is the burial place of St. Peter Jerusalem. This is documented in a book called , “Gli Scavi del Dominus Flevit”, printed in 1958 at the Tipografia del PP. Francescani, in Jerusalem. P. B. Bagatti and J. T. Milik, both Roman Catholic priests, wrote it. Here is a little bit of the proof that they used to document that the tomb of Saint Peter is in fact in Jerusalem. On the Franciscan monastery site called, “Dominus Flevit” (where Jesus was supposed to have wept over Jerusalem), on the Mount of Olives. The excavation where the names of Christian Biblical characters were found on the ossuaries (bone boxes). The names of Mary and Martha were found on one box and right next to it was one with the name of Lazarus, their brother. Other names of early Christians were found on other boxes. Of greatest interest, however, was that which was found within twelve feet from the place where the remains of Mary, Martha and Lazarus were found-the remains of St. Peter. They were found in an ossuary, on the outside of which was clearly and beautifully written in Aramaic, “Simon Bar Jonah”. This could refer to any other than St. Peter. But what makes the possibility of error more remote is that the remains were found in a Christian burial ground, and more yet, of the first century, the very time in which Peter lived. In fact noted scientist stating that he can tell by the writing that it was written just before the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus in 70 A.D. “There is a hundred times more evidence that Peter was buried in Jerusalem than in Rome.” A little side note that I had found quite strange…When an internet search is done on the tomb of Peter using the key words “Dominus Flevit” you may find a website or two, but when you do it does not last long so I suggest that you print it out fast. After all this discover of the tomb of Peter in Jerusalem is quite embarrassing to the church of Rome since it strikes at the very pillar of it faith and the idea of apostolic succession. Biblically, it has been shown that Peter was not in Rome and now archeologically, we see that the apostle Peter’s tomb has been found in Jerusalem. “Copyright 1960 F. PAUL PETERSON, ” This strikes at the very tradition of St. Peter’s bones being under the altar at St. Peter’s basilica.
We saw early that Simon Magus went to Rome to start a Universal Church.
We also see that Simon Magus was a self proclaimed god were the title of Peter was given. There are also several traditions that do not fit with The Bible but are common today with the papacy. What is the link that I hope to show with Simon Magus and the title of Peter? That Simon Magus was called Simon Peter ” Simon the self proclaimed God”, after he moved to Rome and setup a false universal religion with himself as the head of that church. I believe that it would be safe to say that Simon Magus is the Simon Peter of Rome that is called the first pope of the Roman Catholic Church and not the apostle Simon Peter of The Bible.
I believe that the above quotes say it all. They say that the Simon Magus “Peter” who proclaimed to be a false Messiah “God” with the cover of Christianity to set up a Universal “catholic” church. This is the catholic first pope and the beginning of the church of Babylon that has affected history. Paul saw this also “Thess 2:7-1O, “…the mystery of iniquity doth already at work…”.
Here is a list of a few writings that we may want to keep in mind as we read the New Testament. These show that there is a false church in the shadows of the true church. The beginning of the false church was already starting. The falling away was in direct competition and conflict with the apostles and the true teachings of Christ.
2 Corinthians11: 4 “For if some one comes to you preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached”
Gal 1:7 by 53 A.D. another teaching at work
The whole book of Colossians was probably devoted to counter-act the teaching of the church of Simon Magus. When you read the book of Colossians there seems to be many basic doctrines addressed that should already be a common knowledge from their Jewish neighbours. Paul uses many Jewish examples and references specifics such as feasts and holidays. We can tell that they have been exposed to a biblical culture previously, but they seem to have lost some basic doctrines of Gods plan of salvation and Christ. This is because of the teaching of Simon Magus in direct conflict with the gospel that was being teachings he apostles.
The book of Jude was to warn that the idea of the false church was affecting the true church and they were even among the church itself, pretending to be the body of Christ’s church.
In the book of Daniel where it speaks of the Roman Catholic Church it is shown that worship and the false church is going to be cloaked within the true church of God. The book of Daniel also points to where the fourth beast, the Catholic Church, is to arise.
The book of Acts says a lot by what it does not record in the travels of the twelve apostles. It seems that ten of the apostles are rarely ever mentioned, and that great detail is given to the apostles Paul and Peter. The travels of the apostles Paul and Peter is given most detail about where they went to spread the gospel. If the apostles’ travel were traced on a map it would point to Rome and the surrendering area. Why were the other ten apostles’ travels not followed very close at all? The reason is simple. The physician and apostle, Luke, knew and understood from the book of Daniel where this false church would come from… the Roman Empire. From the book of Daniel in Chapter 2,7,8 and Chapter 11, Luke understood that the false church was to rise out of Rome. Realizing that the false church was to rise out of Rome Luke gave special attention to the travels of Paul and Peter to show where they were and to document where they spread the gospel. With this close attention to details of Paul’s travels we have a warning from prophecy regarding where the false church was to come from, and when, and how the false church started, and how it came in to direct conflict with the true church. This is why the apostle Luke did not track the other apostle travels directly.
When you read through the epistles, it seems to cover some basics doctrines. I believe this is due to the false church that was already at work as stated by apostle Paul. The main point that I hope to bring your attention is evidence that all points to the rise of the false church and that Simon Magus was the head of that church.
These are just a few examples that should be kept in mind when you read through the New Testament and if you run across something that almost seems out of place or just too basic. It is most likely due to Simon Magus or his teaching at the time of the apostles. With this new understanding of the beginning of the Roman Catholic Church already in place and having an affect on the true teaching of the gospels you will have some insight to the true meanings of an open to discussion verse.
It is with this evidence that I hope to show that is the idea of Apostolic Succession is based upon the wrong Simon Peter. The Simon Magus Peter that is in fact an impostor and self-serving pagan high priest is the true beginning of the Roman Catholic Church. One of the main pillars of the Roman Catholic Church is the idea of that Apostolic succession is foundation of the Catholic Church. This is false and is based upon the wrong Peter. This is their claim to power and they claim makes them the true church. The only thing wrong with this idea is they have the wrong Simon Peter and it is leading many from the truth of God’s word
Enter the Roman Catholic Church
Let me say first off that all religions and denominations mean little in the end… what does matter is that each person has a good rapport with God and if your religion manifests that according to your belief…then change nothing and stick with the status quo. Anything following is not for or against any Catholic person, but rather only the church and the Fathers who were responsible according to history. Also it might be well worth considering the following in your assessment of who might be the true church of God today. Jesus said to “judge them by their fruits”, so even if you may not like the doctrines of a certain church, it may be that they still produce good fruit. But when we see a church or denomination group, producing bad fruit, like murdering, forgery, immoral and adulterous behaviour, love for money and the like, we can be certain that church is false. How? Because nothing good can come from bad. Evil breeds evil, and righteousness breeds righteousness. That’s all you need to know in judging a religion.
First I would like to show that the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) is not the true church of God and Peter was never in Rome evangelizing. If one can prove Peter was not commissioned by God to preach in Rome, then surely Roman Catholicism collapses in a heap as the RCC faith all depends on the apostolic succession of the Popes leading all the way back to Peter the Apostle who they say was the first Pope. Again, this subject can easily become a book later, but for now let us first touch briefly on Peters commission by God. From the bible we can read where Paul is saying…
“The gospel of the CIRCUMCISION was unto Peter; (For He that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:)” (Gal. 2:7-8).
Paul himself declares he was the one commissioned to the uncircumcised (gentiles); not Peter. In fact he states that Peter was commissioned to the “circumcised”, and who were they? The circumcised were the Jews of course and the uncircumcised where the Gentiles…or for want of a better word; the Romans and any other apart from the Jews. Now one does not really need to be wise here, but at least diligent in assuming the truth. If Peter was to bring the Gospel of Yahoshua/Jesus to the Jews, then why in the name of good sense was he doing in Rome, and in particular seeking the head of the church there? Jerusalem was where he should have been, and according to the bible that’s exactly where he was. So why the RCC want you to believe their lies? Simple, they need a disciple of Christ to be the first pope, and they cannot do this by fact, so they add their own fiction masquerading as fact. So if we are honest people, we can see clearly that Peter was not commissioned by God to be in Rome at all, and therefore impossible for him to be the first pope. If indeed the RCC was the true church, then it should be Paul who should be the first pope… not Peter.
Paul further goes on to declare…
And when James, Cephas [Peter], and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace [i.e., the gift or office] that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision” (Gal. 2:9).
Paul further declares in II Timothy 1:11: Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.
This should be enough proof that the RCC cannot be the true church if we are to go on what they say, but for the sake of argument I can add more.
I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable” (Rom. 15:16).
And….
Romans 15:18 that it was Christ who had chosen him “to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed.
So you see Paul even states it was Christ who appointed him to Rome, and below we see where Paul actually is the first to “offer” Christ to Rome…
I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established (Rom. 1:11)
It’s beginning to be obvious who was for Rome and who was for Jerusalem, but even still I have more proof of the deception and lies of the RCC.
Yea, so have I stived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, least I should build upon another mans foundation (Rom. 15:20).
Now this is not only proof that Paul was for Rome, but also that Peter could not possibly even be there. Why? Because if Peter was indeed there in Rome, then Paul WOULD BE building upon Peters foundation. That would make Paul a totally blatant lier. This verse alone should be enough to prove that at least up until this time (probably around 60AD) Peter had never preached in Rome.
Want more?
The last chapter of Paul’s Epistle to the Romans he greets a whole lot of his friends and co-workers in Christ…about 28 people in all, but why is Peters name not included? Could it be that Peter wasn’t there….or maybe Paul was jealous of Peters public standing and just didn’t want to mention him? I think the answer is obvious…Peter wasn’t even there.
There is a mountain of evidence that Peter was never in Rome to preach the Gospel of Yahoshua/Jesus, but sooner or later surely we must say no more evidence required…I agree Peter was never in Rome let alone the first Roman Pope. Now one begs the question, if Peter was never in Rome, then could the RCC be built on some other foundation not easily known? I believe personally, and this is open for discussion, but in Acts there is talk about Simon (Peter) Magus who was looking to buy from Peter a portion of the Holy Spirit of God. Of course Peter rightly rebuked this Roman magician but it is possible he had all the prerequisites for inventing a new cult following; namely the RCC. He did have the magical skills to fool the people into believing in his miracles. He also had a good knowledge of pagan religion and also the gift of the gab that would attract a good following. Could it actually be this Simon (Peter) Magus who was the first pope of Rome? Well it’s surely possible that’s for sure.
Around this time when Magus was about, Paul was gathering quite a following, that in Pauls own words were in danger of being deceived and led astray by other cults of the day. There were two main developments taking place soon after Yahoshua ascended into heaven and the destruction of Jerusalem 40 years later. The followers of Paul and the followers of Peter. Truth seekers of today must realize that God had to do it this way because some were more advanced than others. Imagine putting a first grader at school into a class at university… no hope right? And so it would have been had God put the Romans into class with the Jews…no hope, for they would not understand the teaching.
Now keep in mind what Paul said about the false teachers of the day, while we investigate what might have happened after Paul died. We can with good reason assume that while Paul was alive, but away, the mice would play, and who better to cause dissension among the newborns than Simon Magus? What an away party that would be. We have the spiritual leader away for years probably, and we have a mix of Pagans trying to gate crash the party as well, and also Simon Magus on the loose and seeking attention anywhere he could find it in the Roman empire. That is a perfect mix for a new up and coming Christian sect…or cult if you will. And when Paul did finally die, there doesn’t seem to be records of how much longer Simon Magus survived, but let’s assume a few years at least. Wow, Simon could hold the party of the century now that Paul was out of the way. You starting to get my drift now? I know its all surmising, but there is some evidence an some motive for this to have happened.
I am only mentioning this as a potential start to the RCC in Rome at this time; it doesn’t necessarily mean she definitely had her begging’s this way. It might have been, or it might have been through another form of apostacy, but one thing is for sure…the early church of Rome was not sanctified by God with her added Pagan traditions like Sunday sun worship day for instance, and church buildings and steeples and many more like the cross and fish symbol, wreaths, Clerical Garb, public prayer, wedding rings and ceremonies, and a whole lot more even. Judge them by their fruits Yahoshua/Jesus said, and we all know the fruits were anti-Christ from the beginning with this counterfeit church of The Lord. I am totally amazed that so many today refuse to acknowledge this. Or maybe the feel turning a blind eye is appropriate? Forgive them because they know NOT what they do… but what about forgiving them when they DO KNOW what they do, and still stubbornly continue in sin? Lord have mercy.
Now while the original followers of Christ, i.e. the Essenes, Nazarenes, and Ebionites, were very active in Jerusalem where it all started, they were certainly outnumbered in Rome by Paganism and a few other sects including the growing numbers in the false RCC. As the RCC became more powerful through mainly her amalgamation with Paganism and the later Roman Emperor Constantine, she began to throw her weight around. The new RCC lead by Constantine began to see other sects, including the original followers of Christ mentioned above, as a threat to their association with Constantine and her ability to gain power, so they would kill these true Christians of God in the name of heresy and outsiders, and destroy all their sacred writings as well so as not to allow others to access to their beliefs. Eventually all these true Christians were either destroyed of vanquished and eventually died out completely. But what they did not count on back then, that sometime in the future there would be discovered sacred writings like the Nag Hamadi Library and Dead Sea Scrolls that would shed more light on these true followers of Christ. The ironical thing is though; modern Christianity calls all these original writings heresy because it exposes their own heresy.
And so it is still today, where mankind, through their love of money and indulgence, refuse to acknowledge the true Yahoshua/Jesus, and the ways, truth and life that He brought to this world. Fortunately though through the mercy of God, He allowed these sacred writings to be discovered after over a millennium hidden, to now shed some light on how God really intended His people to live. By this, true believers who are open minded enough to seek the Kingdom of God, now have that opportunity to seek even deeper advantageous knowledge from God that build up the soul and slowly but surely manifest perfection. It’s all in the heart of the believer to choose whether to seek the deeper things or be content with the status quo, and I for one am never satisfied with the amount of knowledge received, and can highly recommend you do the same. Really friends…things are not what they seem; there is much more to life than you might think.
If you still harbour love for the false Catholic church, then I ask that you please consider the following words by Yahoshua/Jesus from the bible.
Mat 7:17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
Mat 7:18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Mat 7:19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Mat 7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Mat 7:24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
Mat 7:25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
Mat 7:26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
Mat 7:27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
Now you can hum and hah all you like and try with all your might to justify in some way the evil doings of the Roman Catholic Church, but these wise words of our Lord and Saviour tell all. Nothing good can ever come from bad. This false church began on the wrong foot, remained on the wrong foot, further entrenched itself on the wrong foot for over 1600 years murdering, raping, and pillaging many millions of innocent children of God, as well as destroying the true gospel sent by God, for what? Religious and political power and money boys and girls… nothing more and nothing less. If you sincerely fear God, you will meditate deeply on this because your faith and your soul wellbeing depends on it. Ask yourself this; if God was leading the Catholic church, would they still kill all opposition to their early doctrines? Would they still destroy all the early writings of the true followers of Christ? Would the still worship idols and saints? Would they still kill over six million innocent men women and children during the dark ages of the inquisition? Would they still burn to death all those considered witches and heretics? Really boys and girls… is that the Jesus you trust in? If so, then I say take your Jesus and keep him for yourself and not force him upon anyone else, because he is the devil. My Yahoshua/Jesus preaches the opposite to the Catholic Church; He preaches life… not death, and He also preaches this to ALL mankind, including the witches and heretics.
2Ti 2:19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
Now if all that believe in Christ depart from sin, then why are all Catholics required to be forgiven by the priest and ordered to do penance? No wonder our Lord will not know them come Judgment day. Almighty God says to all within the chains of the Catholic church… come out of her my children lest you suffer in her sins.
Heb 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
If we are indeed sinners as some churches (namely Catholic) would label you, then how are you ever able to become perfect?
Enter Constantine the Roman Emperor
There is no question that the Roman Emperor Constantine did indeed play a pivotal role in the success of the false Christian church; just how much is debatable according to different accounts from this time period. One account by Eusebius, tells of a vision seen by Constantine during the campaign against Maxentius, in which the Christian sign appeared in the sky with the legend “In this sign, conquer.” This is highly unlikely though when you consider his adherence to Pagan ritual worship and the like right up until his death bed where it is said he then converted to Christianity. Most Christians today would surely readily confirm that the Christian God is not partial to handing out these holy revelations to long time practicing holy men, let alone a man who still has his finger in many pies including Paganism. This is categorically a given .. end of subject. The more accepted version is the account of given by the Christian apologist Lactantius, whereby he fought the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in the name of the Christian God, having received instructions in a dream to paint the Christian monogram ( ) on his troops’ shields. Yet another version is in a religious experience on the march from Gaul is suggested also by a pagan orator, who in a speech of 310 referred to a vision of Apollo received by Constantine at a shrine in Gaul.
There is one point however that is not in dispute, and that is the Emperor Constantine did order the halt of Christian persecution in the Edict of Milan around 310AD, and from this point on, the doctrines of the early false church and those of Constantine’s Paganism (and also those of others that Constantine dabbled in) were waxed to form what we have today… a shadow of true Christianity. This is ironic to say the least when we also consider the real reason for New Testament doctrine was to replace the shadows of the hypocrite Jews of those days with the true and deep meaningful doctrines of Christ, and instead we have in modern Christianity a mirror image almost of what was the old shadows were anyway. The true Christians, or the true followers of Christ if you will, were actually wiped out over the next few hundred years by guess who? Yes, the false church of Constantine, or the want of a better word… the Catholic church that later gave birth to all other Protestant off shoots, who all in their own way profess ” Our denomination is the only correct one”. Oh boy, what an obvious quagmire of religious tripe we have today all in the name of truth. What a joke.
From this point onwards, Constantine graced the Catholic Church with many favours including money and land for Cathedrals including the imperial property of the Lateran, where a new cathedral, the Basilica Constantiniana (now San Giovanni in Laterano), soon rose. The church of St. Sebastian was also probably begun at this time, and it was in these early years of his reign that Constantine began issuing laws conveying upon the church and its clergy fiscal and legal privileges and immunities from civic burdens. Of course the Catholic Church would also make compromises to the true Christian gospel in order to continue receiving much grace from Constantine which would not only enrich them materially, but also give them power over their opposition which was the true followers of Christ; the Nazarenes and Ebionites and such.
Thanks to Constantine, the RCC was able to embrace many Pagan customs including the celebration of Christmas and Easter to name a few. Even steeples, stained glass windows, and wedding rings come from Pagan origins that were endorsed by Constantine. The Sunday Sabbath was another law made by the RCC to appease Constantine over his strong desire to maintain the day of sun worship on Sunday. In this manner, both Pagans and Christians could be at peace with each other, not because Pagans compromised for Christians, but rather Christians compromised the truth of Yahoshua/Jesus to satisfy Constantine and the Pagan tradition. As said before, had it not been for the compromise of truth by the early church (Catholic), then the false Christian mega church of today would never have manifested; instead we would have a true spiritual people absent from the love of money and self-indulgence which is so evident in the modern church today.
Towards the end, Constantine did become more and more supportive to the Catholic Christian church; further integrating Christian and Pagan doctrine. Although more Christian than Pagan in the end, the Catholic Church still did involve many Pagan traditions. From Encyclopaedia Britannica we read… “He (Constantine) issued numerous laws relating to Christian practice and susceptibilities: for instance, abolishing the penalty of crucifixion and the practice of branding certain criminals; enjoining the observance of Sunday and saints’ days; and extending privileges to the clergy while suppressing at least some offensive pagan practices.” By the time of his death when he finally converted to Christianity, the Roman Catholic Church had a strangle hold on religion throughout the Roman empire, and along with this power she was able to formally build a religious regime that would soon encompass the whole world. Thanks to Constantine and the early false church, we have what we see today as the generally accepted true Christian church of God, but to the deep thinker and sincere child of God, this is an error of judgment.
Am I suggesting Constantine was a bad man? Not even in the slightest would I do that; his intentions were always honest and pure, and he did really believe in the Christian God. What I am saying though, is that his roots in Paganism unfortunately came to distract from the real message of Christ, and that was totally a spiritual message, not the more material message that has infected the true message like a cancer, and which is ever so evident in the Pagan/Christian religion. It needs to be remembered that the very church that evolved from this erroneous beginning with Constantine, murdered, pillaged, and raped many millions of innocent children of God in the name of power… no other reason. I ask every sincere and honest God fearer: can anything good ever come from such an evil and destructive beginning when we consider the saying of Yahoshua/Jesus (copied from previous chapter)…
Mat 7:17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
Mat 7:18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Mat 7:19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Mat 7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Mat 7:24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
Mat 7:25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
Mat 7:26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
Mat 7:27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
As said previously, this Constantine come Catholic church has from the beginning till today been contrary to the teachings of Christ, and can therefore should be regarded as apostate and Antichrist. No good fruit has come from this bad and corrupt tree. Once fallen, can evil repent? If this was so, then Satan would be in heaven. No people, the Roman Catholic Church is well and truly past the point of no return and firmly in the grip of the devil himself who laughs at all who follow it’s lead.
Go here to continue to get info on Constantine:…
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/133873/Constantine-I/22045/Commitment-to-Christianity
What Church is Yahoshua talking about?
The word “church” as we today would understand it to be, is not in the bible at all. When Yahoshua/Jesus said in …
Mat 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
…He is not talking about an institution or building as we imagine today. As a matter of fact, when the Temple of the Jews was destroyed by the Romans (and spiritually by Yahoshua/Jesus) in AD70 that was the last gathering place ordained by God gone. Christ was to now set the way for all believers to get their instructions via the Holy Spirit of God from then on, and not by preachers, teachers and Priests that operate out of so called ‘churches’ of today. God had never instructed anyone to build churches and the first Temple built by Solomon was not until 957 BCE … and even then it was destroyed* (Please see more about this below). This is why all the prophets were so excited about this new time period they all foresaw, because no longer would the true children of God require and mediation…they would now be able to get it straight from the horse’s mouth; that is from God Himself via the Holy Spirit of God. Which by the way IS God.
This new time period was to begin when Yahoshua/Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies, and as we all should know by now that time was 2000 years ago. All these prophecies can be compressed down to this… a Messiah will come and tell the truth. He will then lay down His own life for many who believe in this truth. He shall then return in Holy Judgment to destroy those who do not believe in this truth and bring to an end the Old Testament sacrificial and ceremonial laws taught by Moses. These laws were the ones invented by man to worship God and pay the price for their sin; these laws were not the laws spoken by Yahoshua/Jesus in …
Mat 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
… for He is speaking here of the laws of God which are the Ten Commandments.
From now on, the church that Christ talking about would have no need for bricks and mortar churches, and no need to take the innocent lives of animals to pay for their sin, and no need for teachers and prophets, because God Himself would provide all things for those who believe in His Son directly via His OWN Spirit… the Holy Spirit. Yes, so this new Church of God would be a pure Spiritual Church made up of all those obedient to this Holy Spirit.
You can go to one of these institutionalized churches in a bricks and mortar building every Sunday or Saturday for the rest of your life, and you can donate the most money of all to these church institutions, and you can go to bible study and learn it back to front if you want, but my friend, it is all in vain if you are not obedient to the Holy Spirit of God that is the spokes piece of the new church. This new church came into play immediately after the destruction of Jerusalem in AD70, when also the sacrificial alter was destroyed preventing any further animal sacrifices for sin. From then on Christ became the sacrificial alter where we are to bring our sin to and confess it with a pure heart, and if we truly repent of these sins, then they are forgiven. This is the doctrine of the new church of God.
Now getting back to this widely misunderstood verse from the Christian bible…
Mat 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Miss-translations, misunderstandings, and even deliberate acts of sabotage by the early Catholic Church, has caused a widespread promulgation of this all important verse. I say important because it is used by the false institutional church as foundation for their doctrines, and to lead their people away from the true church which belongs to Christ. First off…ask yourself sincerely this question; would God build His church on a mere mortal man such as Peter, who by the way insulted God by denying Christ three times? Would this be a good example for the many Billions of future Christians to follow? Of course not, how shallow and ignorant is one to believe such a falsity. The moment any true follower of Yahoshua/Jesus read that, alarm bells should have sounded instantly. This is not the time and place to go too far into this, as there are in fact many writers out there who also see this falsity who have devoted a whole book to mistakes in the bible, but when you add up the fact that this does not sound a Godly statement, together with ancient writings recently discovered, and mix in a little Greek translations, you should be able to see it all for yourself. The word “rock” is used as follows from the KJV Strong’s version….
Mat 16:18 AndG1161 I say alsoG2504 G3004 unto thee,G4671 ThatG3754 thouG4771 artG1488 Peter,G4074 andG2532 uponG1909 thisG5026 rockG4073 I will buildG3618 myG3450 church;G1577 andG2532 the gatesG4439 of hellG86 shall notG3756 prevail againstG2729 it.G846
I don’t ask you to believe me; please get out your Strong’s Concordance and check this following description for yourself. The word “Peter” is from the Greek word “Petros”… meaning a pebble or a small piece of rock, but the word “rock” here is from the Greek word “Petra” meaning a large massive rock or primarily and figuratively the main rock. So why would you think the word rock here has a different meaning to the word Peter? Simple, because they are two different people. The word Peter (Petros) is a small rock and the word rock (Petra) is the large rock, so what Yahoshua/Jesus is simply and decisively saying here is… You Peter are a pebble (containing some truth) but I am the large rock (containing all the truth) and it is on ME (this ROCK ((Petra)) upon which I will build my Church.
Now doesn’t this sound more like it? How could it be possible that God would build His great church upon any man let alone Peter who cuts of the ear of a man (violent) and denies our Messiah not once, but three times. Man that is wacky and sure don’t sound like the God who is in my heart. As a matter of fact, if this is indeed true and I am wrong, then I want no part of this mortal church, because it is no different to the old time Jews of the Old Testament who made their own laws.
Below is reference to the destruction of the old church and covenant.
*The OLD Church (from wiki)………….. The Bible reports that the First Temple was built in 957 BCE[1] by King Solomon (reigned c.970-c.930 BCE).[2] As the sole place of Jewish sacrifice, the Temple replaced the portable sanctuary constructed in the Sinai Desert under the auspices of Moses, as well as local sanctuaries, and altars in the hills.[3] This temple was however sacked a few decades later by Sheshonk I, Pharaoh of Egypt. Although efforts were made at partial reconstruction, it was only in 835 BCE when Jehoash, King of Judah in the second year of his reign invested considerable sums in reconstruction, only to have it stripped again for Sennacherib, King of Assyria in c700 BCE. The First Temple was totally destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE when they sacked the city.[4]
According to the Book of Ezra, construction of the Second Temple was authorized by Cyrus the Great and began in 538 BCE, after the fall of the Babylonian Empire the year before. It was completed 23 years later, on the third day of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the Great (12 March 515 BCE),[5] dedicated by the Jewish governor Zerubbabel. Despite the fact that the new temple wasn’t as extravagant or imposing as its predecessor, it still dominated the Jerusalem skyline and remained an important structure throughout the time of Persian suzerainty. The temple narrowly avoided being destroyed again in 332 BCE when the Jews refused to acknowledge the deification of Alexander the Great of Macedonia. Alexander was allegedly “turned from his anger” at the last minute by astute diplomacy and flattery. After the death of Alexander on 13 June 323 BCE, and the dismembering of his empire, the Ptolemy came to rule over Judea and the Temple. Under the Ptolemy, the Jews were given many civil liberties and lived content under their rule. However, when the Ptolemaic army was defeated at Panium by Antiochus III of the Seleucids in 198 BCE, this policy changed. Antiochus wanted to Hellenize the Jews, attempting to introduce the Greek pantheon into the temple. A rebellion ensued and was brutally crushed, but no further action by Antiochus was taken. When Antiochus died in 187 BCE at Luristan, his son Seleucus IV Philopator succeeded him. However, his policies never took effect in Judea, since he was assassinated the year after his ascension.
So you see, if Yahoshua/Jesus was going to build His church on Himself as the foundation stone (corner stone) then this church must have to be a spiritual church and not a group of people in an institutional church organization as we see today. Christ said to His disciples… “I will never leave you or forsake you”, so how could He possibly say this if He was to ascend to heaven? Simple, He meant He would always be spiritually with them to comfort and guide them in all things, and this is the same for all who believe He is the Son of God. In this fashion, all those who sincerely believe in Him are “one body” as the spiritual church of Christ. There was never ever any mention of a physical church institution of building of brick and mortar. That was the old way of the Jews that did not produce good fruit and a mere “shadow” of what was to come in Messiah Yahoshua/Jesus. This new “spiritual” church of Christ, i.e. all believers in Him, is the real church of God who when obeying Him, produce good fruit. Understand that unless you produce good fruit in the ways of God, then you are not a part of the true church of Christ. Just believing is not enough; even Satan does that.
As we obey God’s voice through Christ, we are playing the part of a true bride that God can trust. As a bride should obey her husband’s commands in truth and righteousness, so too should we as the bride of Christ. He owns us through the authority given Him by God for His faithfulness to the end, and God can trust Him to guide us in the right way. As His bride, we trust Him fully without question and obey every commandment to do as to others as we would have them do unto us. This is His command to us that shines above all other commandments ever made because it is the holy formula for life everlasting. Follow this one single commandment in the words of “love one another” and life on earth would be heaven on earth. Think about that!
Why is Church not mentioned in the Old Testament?
The Greek word “ekklesia” from which the English word “church” was derived for translation in the bible is very poor translation. A better and somewhat perfect translation would have been “assembly” or “congregation.” If you research properly the history of the word you will find it was used as far back as the 5th century BC, and simply meant; calling together of a group of people for a certain cause. Actually it was used politically way before it was ever used religiously. For example, a leader of a certain political party might say; I have planned for a ekklesia (assembly) next week to discuss our financial position. So it could further be paraphrased ” a meeting or coming together”.
There is not one single mention of a church in the Old Testament. Have you never wondered why? The answer is simply because there was never a need for one. God spoke to His people through the prophets and later teachers within the holy Temple, but there was never a mention of any churches per se set up for these purposes as we have today. Many will say that… oh a Synagogue is a church, but this is not true in modern terms. If you look at the meaning of the word Synagogue you might get a better understanding as to why there were no churches BC.
The word Synagogue comes from two Greek words. The first is syn or sun which means together. We have the word synthesis which means putting a lot of stuff together. The second part is agogue, or place. Any time 10 men would meet for worship, you could have a synagogue. Women did not count. A separate building could be used as a synagogue. But empty room on a house could be used as a synagogue. And least common, a house could be used as a synagogue. Anyway, all such records were burned in 72AD. Read more at …
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_synagogues_in_Jerusalem_at_the_time_of_Christ#ixzz26WGwPuk4
So apart from the holy temple where Jews met for selling their wares like in a ‘den of thieves’ like Yahoshua/Jesus made clear, then the only place where they met for instruction and fellowship was simply what we call today… house church. Simply put according to definition… a place to come together. Well we can do this anywhere as far as I am concerned if we are serious about our faith in God.
As mentioned earlier in this chapter, the church of Christ is a spiritual church comprised of people who believe and trust in God, and certainly not even remotely associated with bricks and mortar or even a religious institution. This is very likely why the word is not mentioned in the Old Testament at all, because mankind never had the opportunity to become a spiritual congregation (church) until after Pentecost when the Holy Spirit of God was released on mankind.
Mat 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Now if you think hard about this verse, you should be able to see proof this shows that before the time Yahoshua/Jesus said these words there evidently was no church as we envisage today, except for the Holy Temple (synagogue) in Jerusalem where Jews would travel far and wide to come together to meet, not for fellowship as it seems….
Mat 21:12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,
Mat 21:13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.
Sure this Synagogue (or church if you like) was called Gods house of prayer at this time, but as you should know already is that because of the hypocrisy of the Jews back then, and also because of the Jews not recognizing Yahoshua/Jesus as Messiah, this Temple at Jerusalem was destroyed by Christ in AD70 which brought an end to sin sacrifices and thus the Jewish religion. There no longer remained a “synagogue or church” anymore, because the new church was to be spiritual from now on, where God would minister directly to His people via His Holy Spirit.
What all this shows is that before Christ there was no church institution in Old Testament times of over 4000 years. There is no mention of a church prior to Christ except to point to the one off Temple/Synagogue where Jews sometimes met to do almost everything else but worship God.
So what was Yahoshua/Jesus talking about in Mat 16:18? Is it even remotely possible He was talking about a bricks and mortar church? Well if He was, then poor Peter would be crushed to bits by the weight would he not? No, of course He was talking about souls wasn’t He? What He was referring to as “His church” was all those people (congregation/assembly) who believed in Him as Messiah, would form as a whole… His church. And in this respect it is easy to see it was a new concept for the New Testament era, and in itself explains why it was never even used once in the old testament. Under the Law of Moses of the Old Testament all their sins were forgiven through animal sacrifices in the holy temple, and therefore the word church (Christ’s people) was not needed. This is a very important concept to understand, because it shows clearly that Christ’s church is not at all affiliated with bricks and mortar buildings, with their steeples of other gods and stain glass windows that mean nothing to God.
Jer 31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
So with Christ and the Holy Spirit within each true believer, there is no longer a need to go to the Synagogue (or church) to receive from God. Do you really think that with Christ in you, that you need more? Well no according to Jeremiah…
Jer 31:34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
If What Jeremiah says is true; then indeed we need no teaching from within a Church Institution or Synagogue because God will be our teacher.
Mat 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
The Bible does not specifically tell us that we need to “go to church” per se, it simply encourages us to meet together as the body of Christ. It is true that we are all the body of Christ if we believe He is the Son of God, and it is this body, that Yahoshua/Jesus calls His church. We, the children of God who commit to a lifelong relationship with Him and His Son Yahoshua, are the church of Christ.
The Spiritual Church
Now we understand (I hope) that Christ’s church, or for the want of a simpler wording; the believers in Christ as Messiah, is certainly not the church institutionalized organisation that we perceive today. No, its not a building of bricks and mortar, or even a compilation of those who attend these so called churches, but rather it is an invisible compilation of all those souls belonging to Christ… a “Spiritual church”. Every true follower of Christ should know clear as mud that only those who hear His voice belong to Him. That is to say those who, on hearing, repent of their wrong ways and begin a new life as a true son of God and little brother of Yahoshua/Jesus. Yes, those who follow in “the way” of Christ, and only those, are considered by Christ to belong to Him.
Remember where Christ says … Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
I mean this is serious matters The Lord is talking about here. Don’t for one Nano second suppose that because you attend a church building every Sunday and put money in that organisations treasure chest, that you have a holy ticket to heaven brothers and sisters. No, according to our Lord Yahoshua/Jesus if you are still sinning, and have not repented (changed your ways) then He does not even acknowledge you. He says this because if you hear His voice, and be obedient to Him, and have fully repented, then He “knows you” and no matter where you are, in the desert, in the jungle, in the mountains, or even in the back streets of Calcutta, you belong to Him and do not need to attend any church or traditional religious institution to prove to Him you deserve to go to heaven. If that was the case, heaven would be crowded with all sorts of vermin like the Hollywood false preachers and their so called “church”, and what about all them evil mafia guys who attend church for their sin to be forgiven while next day they are back killing and ripping off the poor to feed their evil lusts. So according this traditional church belief… you had better carry a gun when in this kind of heaven.
A comprehensive study of the bible will unequivocally show that the church of Christ is spiritual. It shows that in Old Testament times the people Israel (not the nation) was called the “wife” of Jehovah God, and He several times used Israel as His wife concerning His covenant with them…just as we in the same way have a covenant with our marriage partner. And the need for a new covenant come about only after the wife Israel continually time an again was unfaithful and committed a horrible sin of adultery. They did this simply by not being obedient to the covenant. Now in the New Testament time of Yahoshua/Jesus, the new covenant authority was handed to Christ through the laying down of His own life willingly for the salvation of many. This new covenant depicted all those who believed in Him, heard His voice and was “obedient” to Him, as His eternal bride. So we had the wife of God in the Old Testament and the bride of Christ in the New Testament time which is now.
Now this marriage to Christ is not physical is it? So there is no other possible meaning but to understand that the bride of Christ is “spiritual Israel”… for the want of a better word; the bride of Christ. When The Lord Yahoshua/Jesus told Peter that He would build His church, He was not speaking of a bricks and mortar building, no, He was talking about a spiritual church that consisted of all those “obedient” to Him. Just because you follow Him i.e. go to a church organisation and shout halleluiah, means nothing to God unless you hear The Lords voice and be obedient… otherwise He will “never know you”. Remember; Many are called but few are chosen”.
Below is from a website… http://www.letusreason.org/7thAd5.htm
IS THE CHURCH ISRAEL?
We come now to something that is crucial and needs to be defined to understand the new covenant. Is the Church Israel? For if it is, we are obligated to keep Sabbath day at least in a general sense. If the Church is not Israel then what sense would there be to keep the Sabbath. Scripturally we find the Church is not Israel the nation but a separate entity under an entirely new covenant. Israel is called the wife of Jehovah, while the Church is called the bride of Christ, showing distinctions in how God relates to each. The word Israel is always descriptive of the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It was Jacob whose name was changed to Israel and had 12 sons that became that nation.
Many transfer the promises and the covenants to Israel to the Church, but there is absolutely no reason to do this. The Church is not spiritual Israel. Look it up you’ll never find the term or concept in the Bible. There are only two verses that are used to validate this view; both are unsupported in their context.
Gal.3:29 says that those who belong to Christ are Abraham’s seed. The seed of Abraham does not mean one is Israel. It means those who are justified by faith are spiritual descendants of Abraham but this does not make them descendants of Jacob who is Israel. They partake in the spiritual blessings that come through Israel. While there are two different groups of people who can be descendants of Abraham one of which is the Arabs, they do not share in the promises of Jacob. Only Israel is descended from the physical posterity of Jacob.
The other verse is Gal.6:16 where Paul is addressing both believing Jews and Gentiles in the church “As many as walk according to this rule (Gentile believers) and upon “the Israel of God.” In its context this term means Jews who are believers, who believe salvation is by faith in Christ contrary to what the Judaizers were teaching that the law was needed also. Paul also addresses this in Rom.9:6-8 that there are two Israel’s, one that consists of Jews and the elect, the true Israel which are the physical posterity and also have the faith of Abraham; they are the Israel of God mentioned in Gal.6. As Paul states, “for they are not all Israel who are of Israel.” (Rom.9:6). There is also “Israel” after the flesh found in 1 Cor.10:18. The Church is never called spiritual Israel or is a new Israel replacing the old. Nor does it say believers become Jews. Both gentiles and Jews participate together in the New Covenant. as Eph 2 addresses the middle wall of partition being broken down and God making a new entity.
In the N.T we have three terms used alongside each other, Israel, Gentiles and the Church. The Church consists of both believing Gentiles and Jews while Israel as a nation is in unbelief as are the Gentiles. The Church and Israel are two distinct groups and God has a different program for each. Both are brought in make up the body of Christ. The name Israel is used 20 times and the church 19 times in the book of Acts, both are kept distinct While there is no difference in salvation for both, Gods plans are different for each. In the book of Acts Israel and the church exist alongside each other, nowhere is the church called the new or spiritual Israel. There are certain areas the differences of Jew and gentile are erased but in all areas. Such as we becoming one in Christ all the same way 1 Cor.12:13 , according to the NT a Jew is one that is not only outwardly by the flesh but inwardly, this obviously can’t be for a gentile so for a gentile there is no such thing as a spiritual Jew from the inside only, but there is such a thing as spiritual gentiles.
If you claim to be Israel then you were cut off according to Romans.11. And where the natural branch once was, God grafted in unnatural ones the Gentiles. It doesn’t get any clearer. The teaching of God abandoning Israel the nation or replaced by the Church did quite well for almost 1,500 hundred years until he actually gave them back their land AND STARTED TO REGATHER THEM FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD JUST AS HE SAID HE WOULD. God said in Neh. 1:8 if you are unfaithful I will scatter you.’ but he also said…
Jer.30:18, 31:8 “Behold I will bring them from the north country and gather them from the ends of the earth.”
Isa.43:5 I will bring your descendants from the east and gather you from the west…
It is a nation that is being gathered today for the tribulation, they are gathered first in unbelief until that fateful day where in Romans 11 Paul says they will all be saved after the fullness of the gentiles has come in. The Church is dealt with differently than the nation of Israel; God has a different plan for both.
No real call for a Church Institution
Let’s be honest about this and don’t allow religious traditions to interfere with your Godly judgments, and ask yourself this…. what good spiritually do you get out of visiting church once a week on Sundays? When I ask this question to sincere Christians, invariably their answer is somewhat as follows; “Oh I get filled with the holy spirit every time I go to church and come home feeling satisfied and fulfilled.” Oh dear, if only they realized how silly that sounds to a true spirit filled Christian, or any other religion for that matter. These poor people lacking understanding of the ways of God, somehow think the Holy Spirit of God comes and goes depending of physical circumstances. They actually must think God resides in a bricks and mortar building and we need to go there at least once a week for a top up just like as if we are religious junkies going for a hit. Blimey teddy folks… is that not exactly what the Jews in the time of Yahoshua/Jesus did when they visited the so called “holy temple” of God, and then they, after being nice students for a day, would then go back to their old ways again.
This is called hypocrisy and The Lord hates it. Believe it or not, this is also how the catholic Mafia live; they go out and kill for money, then they go to a priest in a church building to get forgiven by the priest (not God by the way) and then they go back to killing for another week. All sounds a bit far fetched hey? Don’t be deceived boys and girls, for this is known practice by some catholic priests and Mafia entities… even bosses. It’s hypocrisy personified by the Catholic priests, and downright arrogance by the Mafia. But don’t be too judgmental some of you church goers as you too fit the bill also, albeit not so dramatic. But as the saying goes… if you lose by a whisker, or by a mile, then you are still a looser. I hope this can be food for thought for some who think they are saved and already prepared to enter God’s kingdom at some future time.
For me, and leaving the bible out of it for a moment, it makes no sense to me that we “need” to go to a meeting place to be with friends and shake the Pastors hand and listen to him preach a sermon, all in order to be eligible to enter God’s Kingdom ( or heaven for the want of a better name) when we die. I put it to you this way; suppose you never miss a Sunday worship in all your life and you put heaps of money in the plate as its passed around, and you know your bible back to front, and basically you appear a good Christian from the outside. Now I ask you this most important question: would you be even considered worthy of heaven by God? Absolutely not is the pure and simple truth of the matter. What about if besides all this, you also did your 10 years in the mission fields, and worked every Wednesday in the church opp shop, and supplied the flowers for Sunday worship and even played the organ for hymn singing; would this now satisfy Gods requirements, or even go some small way towards making you worthy? Again the answer is clearly no… not in the slightest way shape or form.
I know you are feeling a bit sad right now because you know what I am saying is the pure and simple truth that Yahoshua/Jesus spoke about many times in the bible. He several times called these people hypocrites. They might “feel” worthy, but they are not. They might “feel” justified, but The Lord says get behind me those who commit iniquity. And they might feel worthy even before God, but they seek the best seats in the building and they wash the outer of their cups but don’t see how filthy the inner is. This is why the whole new covenant came about, and that is to do away with hypocrisy found in religious institutional gatherings and put the onus on the inner heart of each and every person who professes to love God. Even the priests and pastors may not even be worthy, so how can you proclaim salvation as their disciple? No my dear friends, it depends on the spiritual condition of your heart… not by what you say or do. Even the Mafia would make it to heaven under those circumstances.
My main point in this scene is this… although there is no problem meeting at a church institution as is regarded in today’s Christian circles, it certainly is not mandatory or even suggested by God anywhere in the bible, and I have nothing against it if it is done in the right ways of God. The church as an institution still has a position in this world albeit it a lessor one, and that is to provide a place of refuge for the babes in Christ and the guidance they need to mature off the milk of word onto good solid food that manifest the presence of God in them. This time should come to an end though as we grow in spirit and desire the love of knowledge truth and understanding that is only available in God’s kingdom to the obedient overcomers who prove their love of God and His ways. This is where we should all, as true disciples of The Lord and Messiah Yahoshua/Jesus, desire in our hearts to be.
Remember, the old covenant of God with His people that included rules and regulations from Moses which is much the same as today if you look carefully, was thrown out when Messiah fulfilled prophecy and lay down His own life that many should be saved. Prophecy also stated that in this “new” covenant there will be no need for such behaviour because the law of God will be written on the hearts of men. Where?????? Not in a church building, and not in the bible, and not in the words of a preacher… but in YOU my friend. God will personally enlighten you to the truth if you so desire and never stop seeking the truth. Do you really think God will enlighten you just by church attendance? So long as you hold to such false teaching, you will never hear even one single word from God. Get real and seek God in His kingdom that is waiting for you “within” your own heart.
All this is in your bible if you look hard enough. Please revise and meditate on these following verses prophesied by Jeremiah long before the end of the old covenant;
Jer 31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Jer 31:34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
So you see under the new covenant of God there is no requirement to attend any gathering of any type at all, but simply believe in God Almighty as your Creator and Savior, and He will put all else that you require in your heart. All that you need to do is trust in God with all your heart mind and soul, and sincerely use all your strength to overcome your weaknesses, and in return God will do the rest. He will be as your true Father, and as a father does, will guide you on your new journey to perfection in Him. A word of advice though, be diligent, be ambitious, and be greedy for knowledge, but do not be impatient. God sees your endeavor and will certainly reward you by your righteous efforts, but in His time not yours. He knows better than you and therefore knows when you are ready for the next step. Life in the Lord is very similar to life in general, and that is we make progress and reach certain levels, and in the same way a mother knows more than a baby and how to best treat that baby; so too does God know more than us and how “best” to treat us. No amount of church visits can do what God can do for you in one Nano second.
Two or more in My Name
Its strange really that when I look up the word ‘church’ in several bible versions I get huge variations in the amount of times it is mentioned. For example:
BBE = 95 times
ESV = 74 times
GNB = 88 times
KJV = 80 times
YLT = 00 times
What do we say about this? Are we to assume then that some of these versions are wrong in what they say… or do we simply put it aside for the too hard basket or even admit that the bible is not Gods word? Well allow me to speak for myself here when I believe that the YLT has it absolutely right because the word “church” in the imagery of modern Christianity today simply does not exist in the bible, and Yahoshua/Jesus tried to explain this to the disciples and anyone else in ear shot when He said this…
Mat 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
As mentioned before folks, the English expression of the Greek word ekklesia is simply a gathering or assembly of believers, and Christ even says that this could be as little as only two people. Friends, when you and your wife or you and another friend are together talking about the gospel of Christ, then you are gathered in His name…you are HIS gathering. You are not required to attend a church to belong to Christ; far from it actually because as Christians true to Christ, you are belonging to Him only and according to His commands we are to actually pray in private, NOT in a church building in front of many people.
Mat_6:5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
Mat_6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Mat_6:7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
Blimey, does anyone listen to Christ anymore? So why are so many bent on getting up in public and praying long winded prays to God in the name of all those who are present? What if I don’t agree to their prayers… for example, like the prayers of the likes of Benny Hinn and Joel Olsteen? I would rather be dead than take on their prayers for myself and risk my salvation by holding on to such worldly trash. There are some humble holy men of this world who I would be pleased to take on their prayers, but rarely would this type be praying in front of a crowd. The only place I can remember that Yahoshua/Jesus ever prayed in public was when He was close to death while nailed to a tree. All the other many times He prayed it was in private on His own.
Having said all the above, is there anywhere in the bible actually forsaking going to a church building? Well according to Paul he does encourage such behaviour, but I have always maintained that this advice was for those still on the “milk” of God and not for the mature in Christ. I have no problem at all with attending such gatherings, but please be aware that there is no requirement to pay the preacher or give money to this institution. Instead do as Christ says and give to the poor and the widows yourself. I regard the church building/institution as a place for beginners to be until they get their own wings and feed on more productive food; like Paul puts it… “the meat of the word”. In other words, I would define the church institution best as kindergarten… a place to learn the very basics of the life of Christ, but for maturity we all need to leave the nest and fend for ourselves by seeking the kingdom of God within US, and growing from there. If we insist on growing within the church institution itself, then we will remain stagnant so long as we remain in that basic brain washing environment. Be assured, by being one on one with God within us, we will never be brainwashed with the ulterior motives of man or kindergarten faith that is a brick wall to our maturity, but rather with the very essence of God’s own words.
The bottom line? Well as long as the traditional church remains fixed on tradition, and as long as it remains satisfied feeding on the milk of Gods word, then it has no more to offer mankind except for the extreme rudiments of Christianity. If the traditional church was indeed serious about the ways and truth of Christ, and passing this onto true believers seeking advancement in their lives, then they should provide progressive stages for its congregation like elementary school for the newbies, intermediate classes for the established, and finishing school for those seeking the mysteries and deeper spiritual ways of God. But instead it is the same old “free for all” establishment for everyone, and no provisions for deeper learning. Why is it like this? My guess is money, and requires many more pages allocated to this subject than allotted here. Use your imagination and work it out yourself if you can. It’s not difficult.
And why does Yahoshua/Jesus say He is in our midst when only two or three are present in His name? And does this mean we must verbally speak the words “in Jesus name”? When we understand the meaning of the latter, then we will understand why He said it. This is not taught in the kindergarten traditional church simply because they don’t want you getting too smart and knowing too much. From the outset, the RCC has always kept their followers in the dark as to the true meaning of many biblical important texts, and so too has its sister protestant lot also. When you know the truth, then you will know the church is mostly false, and then you will leave that church, and that they do not want.
The term “in Yahoshua/Jesus’ name” simply means anyone who believes as Christ believes. The moment you give to the poor you are “in His name “or when you wash the feet of your brethren, you are “in His name”, so when two people together, both believing as Messiah believes, then Christ is there beside you. He is there to encourage and guide you further in His name as you continue to convene together, and desire the moral life that He taught. The reason He said this is because He knew that He would soon be coming back (His second coming which happened AD70) “in the Spirit” and so would be will all who practiced in His way. If you ask what was Christ, you would have to aptly describe Him as the “way, truth and life”, and when we are in this way, Yahoshua/Jesus is present in us and we in Him. That’s all we need to know.
House Church
House church for those who have not experienced it is simply a house that has been opened up to the public by a Christian family to anyone interested or needing fellowship in the name of Christ. That is, a place to meet together and share our experiences of our faith in God and even offer help and advice for those requiring it for knowledge and understanding. I would expect someone with a good knowledge of the life of Christ to be an overseer and even take on the role of adviser to the group. Someone known and respected for his adherence to good moral behaviour and a knowledge of Christian truth, including some bible experience. If we know and understand that the kingdom of God is purely a spiritual one, then we will surely realise that we have the ability through faith in God our creator, to learn directly from Him as He writes His ways and laws on our hearts. House church is a great place to learn and discuss these all important issues.
It was at such a house church 25 years ago in Deer Park Melbourne Australia, where I learned my first very important lesson, and I was only 3 weeks old in Christian life time. After a couple of hours of study and singing and some well enjoyed supper put on by the host, I was leaving via the front door when a young man, much younger than me, realising my newness in Christ he followed me out the front of the house in the cold night air where he said this to me; Michael, now that you have given your life to Christ, who now do you think the devil will pursue? And my answer was in ignorance as I said “All those of my old life I suspect”. Well what he said next rocked me a bit, but has been concreted in my mind ever since. He said “No Michael, because Satan already owns all those people, so why does he want to waste time chasing them? No mate, he will relentlessly pursue you, the one who he has lost and wants to get back, so don’t be deceived by him and be on guard at all times, because should you slip back into your old life, it will be very difficult to break free as you will then be without Christ to help you” Oh man, that was the best advice I ever had, and it did not come from some church building or institution run by a team of greedy money hungry tyrants posing as Christians… no it came from a young 19 year old soldier of Christ. This taught me that wisdom is of God, and no amount of church life or study of the bible can teach you that.
You can be also assured that at house church, where there is no collection plate (except maybe to help pay for supper or a particular aid) and no paid preacher, there will be more truth displayed than in the greatest church building on earth. When there is no money involved, and no religious dress garb, and no paid preachers, then there is no need for deceit, so what is shared is usually from the hearts of men, and what does God write on the hearts of men? Yes folks, His laws and ways. You can almost also be assured that there will be no hypocrisy evident at house church like there is running rampant in all codes of religious organization today simply because they have no monetary reason to deceive you, but they have more sincere love for your soul than all the institutionalized churches put together. Besides, it’s a much closer knit group and therefore a more informal atmosphere providing easier answers to you questions and a one on one advisory opportunity to guide you in your life’s journey.
In all honesty I propose that house church under certain conditions is much more beneficial to the souls of people than any church building congregation in the entire world. Here it is much less formal and one feels more relaxed and open to deeper discussions and guidance as opposed to the “traditional church” Organizations. Questions are much more readily asked and answered, and there is a more open feeling among gatherers to share their experiences and feelings. Being less formal simply makes it less stressful for all parties concerned. Very little energy is required for organization and normal everyday church chores that goes on in the traditional church. Remembers this folks, for the best part of the first three hundred years after the death of Messiah on the tree, there was no traditional church going on as we do today… especially since the destruction of the Jewish temple in AD70. This
And remember truth seekers in Christ; your faith in God Almighty is between you and Him, and there is nobody required in between except for Yahoshua/Jesus Messiah and Son of God. And I can tell you for sure that in most churches in the western world you will not find Christ anywhere. When I see these mega churches in all their riches and splendour displaying their talents in all things barring truth, then I quiver with sadness and anxiety as I watch the many millions of poor souls being led far astray from the truth brought by Christ for the sake of the world. No wonder He said… “Many are called but few are chosen”. One thing I know though, and that is that not one single sheep will be lost of the flock once they are joined. The question you need to ask is…”Am I joined to Christ?”
The ironical thing about the bricks and mortar church institution is that they hardly teach anything that Christ taught and as a matter of fact, they actually teach against what Christ taught in some cases. The list is long indeed and includes teaching that Yahoshua/Jesus will someday return in the flesh to rule the earth when He actually taught that there is no flesh in heaven. If you are joined to Christ you will know of such church contradictions. The Lord also taught that to be saved, we must keep both the commandments of God and Himself, but the church teaches the opposite. The Lord taught nothing about the Trinity, Easter, Christmas, or Sunday Sabbaths, but as you know yourself, these false teachers preach long and hard about such lies and non-truths.
So you can surely see by now that the traditional church is way out of line on many fronts, and even though house church, or even just a small gathering in the name of The Lord, may not have the whole truth, at least it is a safer bet you won’t be brain washed with a whole lot of pagan traditions as is with the modern church. Why God allowed all this to happen I don’t know, except maybe to separate the sheep from the goats so to speak. His sheep hear His voice and so they… “Come out of her (church)”. When you also consider that “many are called but few chosen”, then it’s not hard to agree with me so far on this. Unless of course you have your head buried in the sand and refuse to open your eyes and mind to the truth. At least at house church these issues are/can be easily and transparently talked about with each other without fearing reprisal from the hierarchy within the church organization.
Does todays Church really bring people to God?
Once many years ago I was confronted by an irate parishioner from a church group (no need to name it) who was not at all happy with me speaking about God’s laws. The moment they heard me say the word “law” all sense of reality vanished from within that poor souls head. If looks could kill, then I would be severely wounded if not dead already. Without listening properly to the discussion (between myself and two others) he took it upon himself to play God and demand that I stop speaking about such rubbish and brain washing his good friends. I calmly stopped talking, excused myself and went outside for some fresh air.
I lit a cigarette (this was 20 years ago when I used to smoke) and waited for 5 minutes before one of the three came out to check on me. I had time to think about the situation by this time, and had the sense not to pursue my reasoning with them because it was obviously clear to me they were not ready for my teaching, or should I say Christs teaching, because all I ever did in that whole discussion was recite the red words of Christ in the bible… nothing more or less. This one man who came out to see me was a man I respected highly but I had to apologise for my absence and headed off home. I never returned there again for one reason only…. they were not ready (meaning not sincere enough about their faith) to hear any more from me. I was not about to cast my pearls amongst their stones. Yes I know the wording is… swine, but they are not swine, they are just people who are not ready. I don’t hold anything against them for that.
For the modern church to teach and preach against the laws of God like they do tells me it has got to be more of a synagogue of Satan rather than the church of Christ, so I have no alternative but to pose the question; are conventional traditional modern church going Christians really saved? I was once also attacked on this question by a woman when I said something she did not like about her precious Joel Olsteen … you know the one who says ( my analogy) if we are not rich Christians we must be doing something wrong? Her words exactly… but Mike, he brings millions around the world to Christ, how dare you be critical of such a wonderful young man. Well I said the same thing about Benny Hinn and Brian Houstan as well and I was right then also. It’s all about money to them all. So my question is this; I concur that these false rich teachers all bring millions of people (mainly young and easily lead) to the church, but I can never concur that it is also to Christ, because the Christ they profess is not the Christ of the way and the truth and the life, and the bible, it is the way of anti-Christ who is their god. My words fell on deaf ears and taught me to choose my students well and don’t waste my time on closed minds and such stubborn dogma.
So the answer I must give on this question of does the church bring people to God has to be inequitably no. God is all about the truth, and if you continue to fill people’s minds with lies, then while these poor people (newbies) continue following that church, then they are not before the only true wise God of Abraham, but rather the god of this world who worship mammon instead. Only when I left the traditional church back in 1995 after attending religiously for ten years, did God reveal to me His greatest love for me by showing me the true way to the narrow gate that leads to His wonderful Kingdom. For my obedience to the Spirit I was given the gift of discernment only a short time after I left the church. It was a huge call for me to make, but the rewards were many.
No, I am not rich in possessions if that is what you are thinking, but I am worth much more alive than I am dead, and before this break away from the church I was dead as a door nail that’s for sure. Same old same old, no ambition to advance my soul in the slightest. I was very comfortable within myself doing no more than visiting the church service every Sunday and putting my 10% into the churches million dollar bank accounts. No, the riches I have are riches I can take with me when I leave this God forsaken place of Satan. My riches will last forever, whereas the riches of Joel, Benny, and Brian will all soon disappear trust me. Even Billy Graham ended up getting side tracked towards the end when he started sending his new babies in Christ to the Catholic Church for teaching. It seems there is nowhere safe in this evil world anymore… not even the church.
“Come out of her my people” is what the true God of Abraham (Yahweh) is telling all those who sincerely desire a closer walk with Him. You think you are saved by what these money grabbing church institutions tell you my dear friends? Don’t be fooled by their well-trained words and antics that have nothing to do whatsoever with the real truth of God. The real God has laws that must be abided in to be saved, but the church will not tell you that, but preach anti-Christ laws of their own to you and be very upset if you even mention the laws of God. Please, at least for the sake of your soul remember this; God never changes like the church tells you, no, His laws made four thousand years ago still apply today, and the bible even tells you this…
1Jn_5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
1Jn_5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
2Jn_1:6 And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.
Rev_12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Rev_14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Rev_22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
It is written somewhere in the Dead Sea Scrolls these words of Christ when asked about the commandments of God: If you cannot follow the simple things (Ten commandments), how then can you follow the deeper things.
You will never find these things taught in the institutionalized traditional church because it exposes their false teachings for the past sixteen hundred years. Before Constantine’s intervention in church matters, the whole ten commandments of God were religiously kept, including the seventh day Sabbath, but the church agreed to change it around 320 AD to pacify Constantine because he was handing over much authority to the church, and they did not want to upset him. Oh, what a joke our church is. If you are wise you will walk with God alone rather than with your pastor alongside. You don’t need him/her or the church institution; you only need God.
What encompasses todays Church?
From the outside looking in there appears to be an invisible shield that encompasses all of the Christian church of the world; somewhat like an umbrella under which all must abide and obey, and it is not Christ I am talking about. I am talking about some secret organisation that keeps all its business in order and in line with this invisible controlling body. I can’t be sure of course because I am in no way a spy dedicated to finding the hidden agendas of the church organisations of the world, but I do have a fair idea according to my church history knowledge. I ask myself who, or what people of this world have the most to gain, in terms of wealth that is, by keeping the church masses in the status quo? Only two culprits come to mind at the minute, and that is firstly the World Council of Churches (WCC) organisation, and secondly the Roman Catholic Church (RCC).
What has the RCC got to do with all the Protestant churches of the world you instantly inquire? And that is a very good genuine question to ask considering the history of the RCC and the Protestants over the last four hundred years especially. The answer is not easy to prove but it is clear that the Protestants today do declare the RCC a Christian institution when they are clearly not by their belief system; a belief system that could not be further from biblical truth. And the fact that they are responsible for death and torture of more innocent souls for Christ for such a long period during the Inquisition again shows that Christ was never ever a part of their organisation. However, I do have some proof to propose if you are willing to open your minds to it and be more sincere in the importance of this matter.
Did you know that once upon a time Christians apart from the RCC mostly kept the seventh day Sabbath? Did you also know that these same true Christians never were partial to statues and images of God or even the so called cross that Christ was sacrificed on? Did you also know that these same true Christians and soldiers of Christ never once kept the Easter or Christmas celebrations that Protestants do today? Did you further know that these die hard soldiers of the true Christian faith did not have church buildings or public meeting places with tall steeples and bell towers and stained glass windows to worship in? So I wonder why they didn’t… were they wrong to live the same way as our dear Yahoshua/Jesus lived? Were they wrong to take up their own cross? Were they wrong to worship God only and not the prophets, Mary, and statues and so on?
No my friends, they were indeed right to live in that way because it was the same way as Christ, and that was His cross that He carried, and He asked to all those who believe in Him to take up their own cross and follow in His way… not the way of the church. If you take the time to analyse all this you will inevitably discover that all these actions mentioned above that is the way of the RCC, is also followed by all other protestant church organisations as well believe it or not, so you see you have been hood winked into believing in their lies and follow them blindly because their way is wide and easy, but that’s not the way it was meant to be; it was always meant to be hard and narrow to the Kingdom of God, and few be them that find it. I mean you can listen to any modern day Christian regarding the Bible, and they will proudly boast this bible to be the utter unadulterated word of God, and yet it was given to them by the RCC who were never ever in all church history even IN the way and truth of almighty God. Now how ridiculous and hypocritical is that I ask you?
Now let’s talk about the WCC a bit now. Please take the time to review this document online at … http://cnview.com/on_line_resources/world_council_of_churches.htm that is published by a pressman who attended one of the WCC meetings. Below is an extract;
THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES begins with its organization in 1948 with 147 denominations from both Protestant and Orthodox backgrounds. Today, it has grown to include 293 member denominations representing some 400 million people. It has been and is a major force and voice of what is commonly called ECUMENISM,A term used to describe the effort to bring all churches into “a visible unity in one faith and one Eucharistic fellowship”. The WCC, while admitting that the ecumenical movement is broader than its own institution, claims with ample justification that it is “the most nearly comprehensive instrument of the ecumenical movement in the world today”. It should be further noted that, while the original goal of the ecumenical movement and the WCC was “the unity of the churches”, the new vision of the WCC is for the unity of all religions – and, in fact, all mankind. It should be clear to all who have been watching the WCC that it has become a modern Tower of Babel.
So it is fair to say that this organisation is certainly un scriptural anti-Christ in that it’s aim is to make all religion one, and this was never the way of Yahoshua/Jesus, whose aim was to actually do the opposite and “draw them out of the church”. Imagine Muslims and Christians for example becoming one…now that I would like to see. I would think I would see pigs flying before that. Anyway, my point is that this would take away free will and instill a communistic religion that would eventually have to become corrupt like all communist institutions do. It just cannot work. But my friends, can you imagine the wealth accumulated in such and organisation if it were successful? It might even out do the RCC by the end; that is of course if the RCC have nothing to do with the WCC, and this I am not so sure of.
The RCC does have representatives who attend WCC meetings, but refuses to join; now I wonder why this is so? Could it be that the RCC actually is secretly behind the formation of the WCC much like it is secretly behind just about everything anti-Christ? I would certainly not put it past them because it could very well be a secret way to bring all religion to the one place to take control. Think about that; it would kind of be like how the RCC has a “black pope” who is in control, but nobody knows who it is and why it is. This WCC would be like the Pope we see, but is actually controlled by the Pope we don’t see (RCC). Anyway, the possibilities are endless almost. The accumulation of wealth both in money and real estate is boundless.
Currently there is almost 300 member churches of the WCC and each pays membership fees to them which I have no idea at this juncture how much, but I can certainly imagine it would be substantial. When I see the enormous wealth of the RCC, and then add to it the potential wealth of the WCC, then the possible outcome would be staggering. Certainly it would accumulate the most amount of wealth in one place than any other in the world.
So you can make up your own mind as to what encompasses the church of today; whether the RCC or the WCC or both as one, the fact is that YOUR particular church is not what it seems, it has a ruler way up the order, and it’s not Christ my friend. You can be sure of that, and it’s no use going to your paster crying foul, because of course they will deny it or maybe even claim ignorance if they are half honest. Most likely they will coax you into believing all said here is evil and false, and that there is no credence in what is said, and that they have 2000 years of tradition behind them to prove they are in the right way. And this is true to a point; they do have tradition behind them, but tradition is not truth. Tradition is of man, whereas truth is of God, and this my friend is true!
Motive of todays Church
Ah, what a great topic for any religion… by what motive do they seek the attendance of their followers? To discuss and research such a question you cannot seek the answers from the church itself because of course they will say Christ is their motive, and in some rare cases (very rare) the priest/pastor or whatever teacher presides, will ignorantly but sincerely truly mean it. In most cases though, especially with the highly learned and trained clergy, it will be an outright lie, because they know only too well the historical knowledge and truth that they keep from you regarding the genesis of their religion/denomination; and as said earlier, it was not Christ. Yahoshua/Jesus is a mere name for them to initiate their false church and then build on adding their own words to suit their agenda. But anyone worth their salt knows the words of Christ play almost zero in today’s church.
So what is the motive? There are two main motives; one being the obvious which is money, and the other being Satan which is hidden. This calls for wisdom and an open mind here for a moment. On one hand you have Yahoshua/Jesus who represents the truth and the way to God, and on the other you have Satan who is a liar and the way away from God, and never the twain shall meet in Gods eyes. Christ told us to “Judge them by their fruits” but for some weird reason we tend not to judge them… why is this so? I mean you have the church, especially these multi-million dollar “enterprises” led by such Satan soldiers as Benny Hinn, Brian Housten, Joel Olsteen, and the likes of our day, who make up the bulk of Protestant numbers, and you also have the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) apart from mainstream, who are all doing anything and everything except what Christ taught, so where is the “fruit” in all that?
The church teaches the love of Christ and salvation through faith, but they do not teach the evidence of their love and faith. This is why Yahoshua/Jesus said that …
Luk_13:27 But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity
I mean He said this to Christians my friends… not unbelievers right? You need to get a strong grasp on this because it obviously has a lot to do with your salvation. You can go ahead and believe your Pastor who will tell you that you are saved already, but unless there is evidence of your faith (good fruit) then you have been deceived big time. Following Christ does not end with the words “Jesus come into my life”, no friend, it ends when you have taken up your own cross and sacrificed yourself (your worldly life) for His sake. Do you need any further explanation?
Of course this is another story which will be dealt with later, but for the moment you need to know that your church is hiding much knowledge from you because once you know what I know (which is what you should know) and they know, you will no longer feel obliged to attend the church weekly services and financially support them. You must understand that the church must keep you spiritually blind in order to keep you coming to Sunday service, and they do this by telling you you’re already saved, which is a lot of bunkum; it’s not over until the race is finished. The “once saved always saved” lie is Satan’s greatest weapon that keeps Christ from knowing who the “many” are seeking entrance into heaven. Salvation is a process through faith in Christ, in which we repent of our evil ways and take up our own cross of sacrifice. Any other teaching is not only against Yahoshua/Jesus’ teaching, but is not biblical and spiritually sound.
Think about this for a minute if you will; we have the richest institution in the world, the RCC, and we have Protestant churches (maybe not all) rolling in money, and yet we still have millions living way below the poverty line. I truly believe if all the Vatican’s money coupled with all the Protestants money, were to be spent immediately on the poor people in this world who believe in God, then all Gods people would have sufficient. Its about time for more so called Christ believers to take a stand against the institutionalised church to spend all their money where it is better received. One fake pastor flying around in his $80,000,000 private jet and living the life of a rich king, is testimony to the level of faith his parishioners actually have. I mean a two year old chimpanzee could see this is a rip off of their hard earned money, but they can’t? Surely they deserve Christ’s rejection on judgment day for allowing such misuse of Christ’s name!
There is a hidden power here though in Satan. He leads his own people in the same way God leads His own people don’t forget. These fake and money motivated soldiers of Satan such as the afore mentioned are not alone my friends, as those in Christ are not alone either. No, they have Satan at their side driving them to gather up all the insincere believers in Christ for his own use in deceiving the Christian world. Satan is having a party in these modern days with literally many millions of professing Christians supporting his lies and deceit by recruiting even more followers to his lies. If you are in fact one of them without realising it, and by reading these pages that awaken the truth in your heart, then Satan will fight tooth and nail to hold you back believe me.
You will think your tradition and values that you have held for so long down through generations cannot possibly be wrong, and this is exactly what Satan wants you to believe. You think just because your father and his father before that believed in Satan’s lies that you have to? No friend, I am not saying your fore-fathers were stupid… rather that they were deceived, but now is your chance to break the tradition of man and seek the truth that Yahoshua/Jesus preached and taught two thousand years ago. Don’t believe the bunkum that is coming from today’s pulpit of Christian lies, but instead try listening to your almighty creator God who will never deceive you of forsake you. Open your spiritual eyes and mind and pray The Lords wisdom on you that you might understand His righteous truth, and you will surely see clearly the ways of God and therefore let go of tradition (commands) that leads you astray.
Mat_15:9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
So you see friend, Satan’s motive is to deceive you through the traditions of men and thus gaining many more souls for his evil pleasure. It’s kinda like… Hey, I am about to be tossed into the eternal pit of suffering, but I will take as many of those Christians/Catholics/Muslims etc as I can by deceiving them through traditions of men, that are actually contrary to Gods laws. But be assured my dear friend, should you take my advice that has no motive attached whatsoever except to open your spiritual eyes, then you will suffer much turmoil and stress from these traditionalists I am sorry to inform you. The right way is the narrow way with much suffering, and the wrong way always looks pretty and tastes sweet. If you feel good, then question your status with God. When Satan is losing one of his followers he is relentless in trying to lure them back to the wrong way… and he is more often successful than not. So above all, be aware of his evil influences and pray hard and sincere to your Maker for the truth and guidance as you seek a closer walk with your Savior.
Does it matter which Church?
Most definitely and surely yes, it does matter. If you are set on attending a church building because you feel you need extra guidance from others you deem more spiritually advanced than you, then you can of course attend a church for social comfort and sharing, but, and I emphasize this; make sure you can identify the good fruit from within. For example, if you even here once encouragement to empty your pockets then forget them and get out of there as soon as you can. These evil bastards (born not of the pure spirit of God) are sons of Satan looking to chain you up and carry you off to eternal damnation. If you see too much talk about money, false teaching, false healings, bad interpretations, false prophecy, and huge bank accounts, then be assured you are in the wrong place. Remember, many are called but few are chosen, so look for a modest gathering if you desire to seek the truth, because many flock to the false prophets and teachers, but only a few will gather around the true Christ. If Christ did decide to return a third time to this earth, not many would recognise Him that’s for sure.
There are, as you already know, many religious institutions in this world. To name just a few mainstream we have Christian, Catholic, Muslim, Mormon, Hindu, Buddhist, Judaism, Traditional Africa, Traditional Chinese, Atheists and so on; the list is almost endless considering the smaller religions of the world. If you are open minded and not persuaded by parents or piers, then you should have a rule of thumb devised to help you choose the right one for you, and at the top of the list should be the desire to love another and bring peace to the world. If we use such a pure and simple rule as such, which all would have to agree is without fault and not worthy of debate, then we should feel confident and comfortable with our choosing. For me the right way is so plain to see, and I am bewildered at the many who fail to find it. I will endeavour here to start from the bottom of a few mainstream religions and work my way up to what I deem, using this very criteria, is the true and pure religion of this world. I will also try to provide reasons where I can.
Any religion that has a bad track record must be considered first to be last on the list and as Dr Phil says… past behaviour is an indication of future behaviour, and may I add… shows the heart and intent of such a religion.
So I will first begin with the least desirable religion…
1. The Roman Catholic Church (RCC).
From the very beginning this institution was behaving badly and cannot possibly be considered even remotely to be the true religion, and ironically it does brand itself just that… “the only true religion”. As far back as records go our History paints a very bad picture of the RCC. It first played a major roll in altering historical records in the manner of Bible translations, counterfeit letters from important people, and making up their own laws contrary to Gods laws and making them mandatory. Then they consorted unholy with the enemy (Constantine) to gain power over all other religious faiths of those days and eventually through corruption and murder caused them extinction. As their power grew and their pride and desire for fame increased, they applied pressure and ultimatums of death, to convert as much of the then known world as possible. They destroyed these people’s lives and also destroyed much if not all their history and writings so they would have no come back later. In short, the RCC wiped them off the map leaving almost no record of their existence.
Then there is the credence given to material things over spiritual things by this religion. They would have to have the largest sales by far of memorabilia to their flock. It’s not necessarily the reason is because of faith though, but rather leaning more to the financial gain through these sales. I mean just take a look at what a blessed wooden cross with a dead Jesus on it sells for. It’s insane what these poor deceived souls will pay for such idol worshipping decor. For instance, you can pay $129 for an average 9″ x 6″ wooden cross or $3200 for a 36″ statue of Mary. This institution is more of an business enterprise than a religion and has the bank balance to prove it my friends. They would be the richest organisation in the world should it prove transparent for all to see… maybe even drafting Bill Gates an co.
Next came the inquisition whereby it is recorded between 150 – 300,000,000 innocent men women and children were slain, tortured, raped and robbed, and meeting their ends in the most least desirable ways at the very hands of those preaching peace and good will to mankind. Yes the RCC were the most ruthless tyrants of the Middle Ages who will all be accountable for millions of crying souls at the time when the final judgment comes upon this earth. And yes, only because they have been exposed of these horrible crimes against God and humanity, do they finally admit they got it wrong during the inquisition and apologise, but don’t be fooled people, because this leopard has definitely not changed its spot, but merely covered them with water base whitewash that will easily disappear when the time is ripe for them. They cannot be trusted under any circumstances short of de-throning the Pope and dismantling the whole evil system. To join such an organisation is to sell your soul to the devil without reasonable cause. This religion is historically by far the worst of all faiths and should be avoided like the plague by all sane souls.
2. Islam
Although not as ancient as the RCC, it does carry with it many of the same negatives as they do, and one has to question if Islam was in fact created by them. They both have a history of using Gods holy name to justify their greed and power hungry behaviour to get what they want and what they want has been shown not always to be a good thing. Manifested around 600 AD by Muhammad the so called prophet of God, it has to be one of the fastest growing religion of all time (probably mainly because of the relatively high birth rates in Muslim countries), following in the same vein as the RCC i.e. gaining numbers more by force instead of faith and free will. Their leader Muhammad was said to be the greatest prophet but according to history did not die a very dignified death while cursing Jews and People of the Book (Christians) and calling for their blood. Not the kind of Prophet God would be inspiring I am sure and sorry to say. Where is the love?
The history of this religion is shrouded in blood and the lives of innocent saints. It will, as will the RCC, have much to be accounted for in the days of judgment. We as the dominant species of this earth have to be aware that God does not force us to do anything, and neither should we force any other against their will. That is what faith is all about; wanting to believe in something, not being forced to believe. To offer as a lure the idea that believing men obedient to Muhammad will receive 70 virgin women in paradise is the most hypocritical and ironical idea ever devised. I mean what do they desire of eternity… nonstop sex 24/7 for goodness sake? This might explain the high incidence of rape within their warring factions especially in Africa and Middle Eastern countries. They do allow multiple wives as well which again exposes the true desires of the heart of such a religion. It seems some religions just can’t get enough of it.
The other thing worth noting about this religion is the factions within. We have the Sunni, Shi’ite, Sufis, Druze ( U.S based known as “Black Muslims”), and Ahmadiyya. Then we have the radicals and not so radical. Then we have the extremists and not so extremist. I mean there are hundreds of extremist groups out there including seventeen in Australia listed by the government…
Some of these are:
Abu Sayyaf Group
Al-Qa’ida
Al-Shabaab
Ansar al-Islam (formerly known as Ansar al-Sunna)
Hamas’s Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades
Hizballah External Security Organisation
Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan
Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM)
Jamiat ul-Ansar (formerly known as Harakat Ul-Mujahideen)
Jemaah Islamiyah (JI)
Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)
Lashkar-e Jhangvi (LeJ)
Lashkar-e-Tayyiba
Palestinian Islamic Jihad
So you see there are many different factions, some peaceful, but mostly waring, within Islam. The most defining behaviour of violence within Islam is the fact that when they are not fighting outsiders, they are waring within, and I don’t mean argumentative… I mean blood. From my research over the last 20 years shows more waring deaths within Islam than outside Islam. Now that should immediately shoot up red flags everywhere for peace loving souls looking to discover the spiritual world of God. If they can’t get on within, then how are they to get on without? A great man once said… United we stand and divided we fall, so surely this religion should not qualify as guidance for the soul.
3. Judaism
One of the oldest and more reliable religions of the world. I say reliable because their literature has been proven more sound and more reliable than that of other religions. History clearly shows the error in Christian Bibles caused by deliberate and accidental translation errors, whereas the Jewish need not translate it in all cases and can therefore have the original copies of ancient writings unadulterated. They use the Torah (Jewish Bible) and the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) written in its original native Hebrew language, so it is always open and available for scrutiny and translation corrections. Not only that, but the Christian religion is based on the Jewish Old Testament, so it has to be considered at least authentic if not more reliable than its own. If Judaism is not authentic, then Christianity is baseless, so we can say confidently that we first must believe Judaism before we can consider Christianity. And don’t forget that Christianity is also based on Catholicism as well so we can be assured their text is covered in forgery and deceit over the centuries. In that light I am more than happy to consider the Torah before I would the Bible.
Having said all that, I believe that Judaism is built more on man’s own inspiration than that of God. When studying the rules and laws of Moses handed down, it is not hard to understand these some 613 laws are not only from man, but also from silly shallow men at that. Some of these laws are so much attributed to the flesh there is not a skerrick of spiritual essence to be found. It is ludicrous to suggest that by keeping these laws, but still being unkind to your neighbour, is acceptable to God. Not the God that I believe in at least. If these laws were in fact from God, then they would be aimed at refining and advancing the “spiritual man” and not the flesh man as these laws certainly seem to aim.
4 Modern Christianity.
Notice I say “modern Christianity” in preference to just plain Christianity. I say this simply because with the Christianity of old i.e. the original and true Gospel that Yahoshua/Jesus preached 2000 years ago, there is nothing at all wrong with it, but what it has become today, there is plenty wrong with it. I began my spiritual religious life as a Christian myself, so I will not be overly critical of it, but thanks be to God that I was able to discern with His help, the great error of modern Christianity.
Today it is more about hype than the true repentance gospel that Christ brought to us. By the very bible we hold so sacred condemns us, but we blindly fail to see it. Or maybe it’s more that we refuse to see it, because it sticks out like a sore toe. Christ said…
Mat_12:25 … Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:
There are literally hundreds of verses that condemn Christianity if only you would open your spiritual eyes, but there is none greater than that verse. I know of no other religion as divided as Christianity with doctrine, interpretations, and denominations as is Christianity, and every Denomination proudly boast they have the right one and all the rest are going to hell (yes, maybe a little over exaggerated, but true in essence), as is with their bible whereby those who might read the KJV only, will send all the rest to hell also. They are no better than the Muslim terrorists because they want to kill (in their hearts at least) anyone who doesn’t believe in their denomination or bible.
There probably is no other more hypocritical than Christians. They will proudly boast Jesus in them, and yet follow Satan with open arms. Christianity, or should I say “modern” Christianity is Satan’s greatest tool. He is laughing at them and mocking God as Christianity continues to lead it’s brethren away from the truth of God. All Protestants will preach the error of Catholicism (idol worship, Mary and saint worship, power of priest to forgive etc.) and not label them Christian, but they will gladly accept their sacred bible that came from the Catholic forgeries, as the “Word of God” for goodness sake. Again, they will happily follow all the Catholic traditions like Christmas and Easter for example which has nothing at all to do with the teaching of Christ and the will of God. They teach their dear innocent children about some fat guy in Antarctica with a toy factory and rein deer, who will come to their house one day if they are good little traditionalists, and receive a present. They say it’s all about giving… are you kidding me? Well next year don’t receive any then. Call all your friends and tell them not to buy you or your kids and presents. What a joke… Satan is laughing his head off.
The true Christianity of old was a poor and suffering lot sacrificing their lives to help others, but the modern Christianity preaches prosperity and materialism to all, and that if you are sick and poor you are not being a good Christian. Just listen to that devil Joel Olsten, or the Roberts family, or Benny “hill” Hinn, and many other of their cohorts preaching anything and everything else but the truth Christ gave us. They say Jesus heals, but they can’t show one single genuine candidate. Hinn told 60 minutes he healed many cancer sufferers in Jesus name, and when 60 minutes investigate those healed… they all died of their injury. They all talk the talk but can’t walk the walk. No wonder many shy away from modern Christianity because of the lies and hypocrisy.
5 The rest.
I say the rest because although they are individual religions, they are considered by other mainstream religions as apostates and cults, and hold generally a minority status. These include, to name but a few, Mormonism, New age, Scientology, The Family, The Nation of Islam, and The way. There are hundreds more but these are the main ones that come to mind. They all have their little personal doctrines and methods to bring people to what they believe is the correct way to a Godly life and therefore spiritual salvation. I could go on for days outlining the huge amount of varying ways they claim salvation but that would have to be another book, so for now let’s leave these minority groups with the cult label and move on. Sorry to offend those connected to such groups but I must be as frank as possible and portray mainstream opinion to be truthful.
So what would be my own choice should I want to join a certain church? I say any you want so long as you put their teachings into practice. Of all the doctrines I have studied so far, I know none other more sincere, spiritually healthy, bodily beneficial, and soul enriching the a group called “The Way” which include the likes of the Essenes, Ebionites, and Nazarenes who were in fact the very first people to follow and write about Yahoshua/Jesus the Son of God. Some of their ways are controversial in Christian circles simply because Christians are such hard line traditionalists. They call anything else apostate if its outside tradition, but these fellows show by their fruits the love of God in them and are my choice IF I were to join a group. personally though it is not my desire at this point in time (if ever) to join any group as I am still in the process of building my own soul relationship with God and any religious group will only get in the way. I have been out of the church now for 14 years or so, and did try to re-enter a year ago only to find once again that it is not the place for me to continue growing. I do my best growing on my own with God, meditating and listening. No man or group can surpass that experience for me from what I have seen in my many travels.
I have left out Hinduism and Buddhism simply because I don’t know enough about them to comment except to say they exist mainly in third world nations like India, Vietnam, and China and need to be as much respected as any other. Some of the nicest people I have ever met were in fact “practicing” Buddhists, who live by strict rules, food, and religious order. You cannot say any certain church or religious group is the right one or wrong one because we are all born in and under certain countries and circumstances. If I was born in Iraq and raised and trained a Muslim, but never killed a man, and never hurt a woman, and never spoke badly of anyone, and did all that God would require righteously of me, then should a Christian or Buddhist condemn me because I did not believe Jesus was God? To the simple minded I would certainly be condemned, but to the enlightened and wise, I would have the same chance as they, so long as I did the will of God, and kept the Golden rule to love all God’s creation and treat them as yourself. It is shallow in the extreme to condemn someone because they don’t believe as you, so no, it matters not at all which religion you believe in, or which church you attend, so long as you put your faith into practice and love God and His creation as yourself. Remember, God created the Muslim and the Christian and the Jew and the Australian Aborigine, are we to say He did wrong? God forbid, He knows what He is doing… it’s us who are in the dark.
Take up your own cross
Did Yahoshua tell His followers to take up their own cross? Well what does this mean, and is it happening within the flock? Yahoshua/Jesus said to everyone…
Luk_9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
The reason Christ related it this way was because to follow Him and deny yourself (self-gratification) is a huge sacrifice that very few can make. The cross is symbolic of the sacrifice you will have to make in order to follow Him. Believing in Him and following Him are worlds apart my friends. Don’t think just because you believe in Christ you will be saved and spend eternity in heaven with God and live happily ever after. I mean even the devil believes in Yahoshua/Jesus as Messiah and Lord, and even Islam believes He was a great prophet, so please don’t allow yourself to be hood winkled by some of these charismatic Hollywood prosperity teaching sons of Satan who tell you so. For goodness sake people, you have read the bible yes? Then you should know full well the teachings of the Gospel that Yahoshua/Jesus revealed to us via such writings. To follow Him means to deny self, and to deny self means to deny yourself in the world as well. Remember, as believers is Christ you are “in the world but not of the world”. Christ taught we cannot have one foot in the world and one in the kingdom of God; it just can’t work that way. Its either one or the other … you can’t have both ways.
Now following Christ, does that mean we must all be theologians and evangelists? No way, He was not talking about that; He meant for us to follow in His “way” which was primarily to love God and love your neighbour, and that’s why He lay down His life for all….because He loved us. That’s the cross we have to pick up and follow in The Lords footsteps. Remember what Christ said?
Joh_14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. First it is “His way”
that you must take. That is clearly a direction you must go, and merely saying you love God is not enough either; you must put that faith into practice by obeying His every command and living according to His ways. We know God ordained the Sabbath day…so keep it. We know God loves us, so love others. We know that God shows us much mercy, so show mercy to others. You get my drift now? How can we say we love God when we can’t even complete the simple commandments He gives us? If we can’t achieve revelation through obeying a simple commandment, then how is it at all possible to obey the tougher commandments? How can we indeed find revelation at all?
So taking up your own cross simply put means… put your faith which is in the Son and in the Father into practice. Don’t say you have faith when you cannot forgive your oppressors. Don’t say you have faith when you refuse to keep Gods simple 10 commandments (don’t be confused between the “law” of Moses and the “law” of God. God wrote His laws and Moses wrote his laws). Don’t say you have faith when you let the poor go hungry while you have more than enough on your own plate. For the want of a better phrase… put your money where your mouth is, and act out your faith.
We all have a calling; some to do huge tasks and some minor tasks, all according to your personal circumstance. For instance, for me the calling is to simply put down on paper what the Lord has given me. For you, who are much younger and stronger that I, it might be to travel the world in ministry. It all depends on our ability to complete Gods work, but be assured, there is always work to do. The work is not to pay your way to heaven, but rather to prove your love for God and your neighbour. If you care not for the will of God and the needs of your neighbour, then there is no love in you, and you may as well deny Christ even exists for all that is worth. Without love, a really deep love, you are of no use to God, because it is only through love that God can trust you and in turn reveal His mysteries. Ever heard of God revealing truth through hate? Of course not, true love is like a good coat of paint that can cover a multitude of sin when directed in the right direction through faith. This love is a crucial part or the cross that we take up as we strive to put our faith into action.
Denying yourself will not be easy. Too forsake a holiday for example, so as to help the needy is a big ask, but the love of God in you will convict you to do it. Do you really feel in good stance with God when you spend maybe $10,000 to visit the birth place of Yahoshua/Jesus in Bethlehem while some crippled kid in your own street back home needs a motorized wheel chair to get around in? If you do feel good, then your love for God is not deep enough, and you need to meditate on His laws some more to understand Him more. Remember, the Spirit of God is in you, and convicts you; all you have to do is listen and obey, and all will be given unto you. Soon you will die and your money will be no more than a stale smell to you, but there are young ones left behind that would live another day with your financial support. This my friend is truly denying yourself, when you put your money where your mouth is. By the way, I have never advocated giving money to organization, but rather deliver it to the destination yourself.
Let me give a clear warning though to any true sons and daughters of God seeking to truly take up their cross as Yahoshua/Jesus did, and follow in His way; many stumbling blocks will be put in your way to stop you. The last thing Satan wants is another “true” follower of the ways of Christ who will only in turn cultivate even more followers. That evil devil will do his utmost to make you stop. He will attack your mind causing you to think what you are doing is wrong. He will even turn fellow Christians against you with statements like… “There is nothing you can physically do to get to heaven because it’s all about faith”. That is bunkum my friends; did Christ not “do” when He willingly went to the cross for you? Did Christ not “do” when He tramelled around preaching and healing? Did Christ tell us what to do or just what to say and believe? If we are to follow in His way, we too must “do” rather than sitting on our behinds proclaiming with our mouth what a great believer we are. Like I said, even Satan can do that, so don’t get on your high horse preaching against good works for the Lord. We are all commissioned by God to do good works (take up our cross) in His way (name).
We all will have different crosses to bare. Take myself for instance; I am in no way a preacher, but I could be a teacher. I was not called to speak to the newcomers, but rather to teach the already established Christians the way of Christ. Too many fall on their own sword in their quest for truth simply because they put their faith in a book and a preacher to give them salvation, when Christ taught us to “seek” the truth and never stop seeking. So I am here to teach the world not to follow what tradition and man teaches, but rather what Yahoshua/Jesus teaches. Sounds like a short sharp and simple task? Not really because the more I seek the more knowledge I gather, and the more my listeners refuse to believe. Why? Simple, because they trust mankind instead of God.
Now you might indeed be called to be a preacher, or a healer, or a helper in the local church or religious institution; you will certainly know when the time comes. A word of advice though; don’t be too hasty to take up the wrong cross. First before you initiate, be honest with yourself and leave ego and pride out of the equation, and severely judge yourself approved for whatever task you take on. Make sure you have the right credentials. For instance, I sometimes stutter, and suffer from short term memory loss, so I am not a good public speaker and certainly not qualified to be a preacher no matter how much knowledge I have. But I can type quite well, so I can write down and publicize what God tells me instead of speaking it… get my point?
Most of Christianity, including people in responsible positions, listen to what Christ is saying, and read His teachings in the bible, but for some strange reason they refuse to be obedient to His voice. They are too easily swayed by tradition and their Christian group to bother. I hear it all the time; they say “now don’t you be doing anything… remember what Paul says in the bible, “you are saved by faith alone “and cannot work your way to heaven. This ‘Once Saved Always Saved’ evil doctrine was promulgated by selfish money hungry false teachers and preachers in the last century to get more bums on seats. They knew that if most people feel convicted by true teachings of Christ that they would not bother coming to their church, so instead they twist Pauls teachings into a new doctrine that gives all Christians a license to be “of” the world as well as being in it. The amount of lies in Christianity today is unequaled in all of history. If you really want the truth; you will seek as The Lord told you to, and not rely on falsehood, deception, and hypocrites of today’s church to guide you.
Upon this Rock I build my Church
Mat 16:17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Mat 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
There is much controversy in many different denominations, and none more controversial coming from the Roman catholic Church. Their whole doctrinal foundation hinges on these three verses from Matthew, and if you can prove their translation of these verses to be in error, then their whole doctrine and institution collapses in a heap. Strangely enough it is not hard to prove wrong at all, but still the RCC continue to remain at the forefront of Christianity even though some of their priests don’t even regard themselves Christian. Anyway, the translation is super easy show to the error in the RCC doctrine.
Lets take first verse; you can see here that Yahoshua/Jesus calls Peter by his normal correct name Simon Barjona, as He indicates he received this true knowledge that He is the Christ. Now in the next verse He uses the Greek word “Petros” which means tiny rock, small rock, or pebble to speak of Peter. This is kind of a nick name Christ gave to peter as the word petros is also a derivative of another Greek word meaning Peter. Next He uses a different Greek word Petra to mean large rock, or mass of rock to speak of Himself; not Peter. If this were not so, and instead as the RCC promulgate, then Yahoshua/Jesus is actually saying…. yes, you are a small rock and upon this massive rock I will build my church. See? It makes no sense at all for our Saviour to say that. ,
Now there is another interesting little twist in this verse that I have never seen anyone else pick up on, and it’s the Greek word Kai translated in all bible version as “and” which surprisingly enough can also mean “but”. The fact that we have already shown that true meanings of Petros and Petra, we now must, if we are seriously concerned about the correct translation, see which translation … and or but, fits into place with our new true meaning of the verse. It’s not hard at all to see that in this case the right word should definitely without hesitation be but… not and. Such a small word with so much power that again stands to show that context plays a huge roll in bible translation. Now by realizing this we can now see even more clearly the true meaning of these verses, the main one being verse 18. This now we can assert to be what Yahoshua/Jesus is really saying;
And I say also unto thee, That thou art a small rock (Peter), but upon this massive rock (as Christ points to Himself indicating He is the revelation to Peter that He is the Christ) I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. In other words our Saviour is saying to Peter that He will build His following on the revelation that peter received from God that He, is Himself the Christ. It’s so easy if you get the correct context and word meanings to be able to piece it all together correctly. Think about something else here also; we all know that the gates of hell can prevail against any man because all have sinned and fallen short, but hell can never prevail against the premise that Yahoshua/Jesus is revealed as the true Christ and is also proven sinless. We also see later in Acts where even Paul prevails against Peter (more than once even) remember? So all these new explanations put in context continue to support the truth that Peter is not t5he rock Christ is talking about to build His church.
One last thing getting away from the “letter that killeth” for a minute and just allow the Holy Spirit of God linger in our minds as we fathom all this new understanding we have just received here today. Think about El Shaddai (Almighty God) on His throne in Heaven with Messiah Yahoshua/Jesus at His right hand with all authority given Him to rule the earth; do you really God would put all His faith in just a man, and even a man who denied Christ three times and argued over food with Paul and probably made many errors of judgment in His time with Yahoshua/Jesus as they walked this earth. Did Peter die and be resurrected in three days? Was Peter Messiah to the Jews and all mankind? Was Peter the sacrificial Lamb of God that became a legal Saviour for the world? Did Peter do anything in his travels as a matter of fact, that could warrant Christ building His whole following on? Of course not, but what is worthy of build His church on is the truth and revelation that Yahoshua/Jesus is Messiah and Saviour of the world for any who would believe in Him. Now that my friends, is a worthy foundation for the church of Christ.
Unfortunately The Roman Catholic Church of Rome translated these verses (and maybe even switched Greek words to try and make it look more convincing) to support their doctrine that is totally contrary to Gods commandments. They needed something that would give them authority and power over the people, and let’s face it, they did a good job conning Constantine 1600 years ago with such translation errors and forgeries, to ensure the RCC would be the universal chuch on earth. And the great thing about all this for those who hear the voice of God is that we are still able to see their error today, and in history recorded also, that this RCC is not of the true Christ and Son of God. God would never build His church on something anti-Christ like the RCC who have relentlessly killed off God’s own people right back as far as 300 AD up until 400 years ago. Just because they are now behaving themselves (because they got caught) does not mean they are good at heart. A leopard never changes it’s spots.
So my friends, as you can clearly see by this evidence of the Greek language that it is not through Peter (petros) that the church of Christ will be built upon, but rather on the premises that Yahoshua/Jesus (petra) is Messiah and Christ. The fact that Yahoshua/Jesus is Lord and savior is the exact fact that the church is built upon; take that fact away and you totally destroy the foundational doctrine of Christ’s church. Taking away Peter will do nothing to hurt the church of Christ, but take away the fact that He is Lord and savior, then the whole reason for the church is gone also. Is Peter our savior? No, Christ is, and it is this premise that the church is built upon and the sole reason it has survived till this day.
Where to from here?
This chapter “The true Church” has revealed many misleading falsities and deliberate acts of corruption within the whole institutionalized church of the world. Yes, every single church denomination is at least somewhat guilty of misleading their congregation is some way shape or form. Unfortunately for them, none of these churches will escape the wrath of God come judgment day; especially those that keep hidden the knowledge of the truth. On a good note though, it is my opinion that the congregation is innocent of corruption charges, but still guilty of “not seeking the truth” as we are all commissioned by our Lord and Saviour Christ.
Joh_8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
There is no excuse to simply turn a blind eye/ear to it and continue as if all is fine because by doing this you deprive not only yourself, but other brethren you could witness to, of the true knowledge of Christs church.
It is written in the bible also…
Heb_10:26 For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
This tells us that we are innocent only until we receive the truth, and if we continue using ignorance as an excuse after we already know the truth, then we lose favour with God. It’s pure and simple my friends… come out of her unless you partake in her sins also and suffer the same penalty; death.
Nowhere in any bible or historical account is there one single message telling us we ought to spend our Sabbath days ( or any other for that matter) in an institutional church building worshiping God. For goodness sake, God is Spirit so we can worship Him in our sleep if we want to; we don’t need a priest to intervene or a building to be a place of worship. If you need company to encourage you to worship God, then sure, find a common meeting place for Christians and socialize with them… but it is certainly not a requirement to worship and prove your faith to God. I can tell you this inequitably, that if you walk up to a poor person on the street and buy them a meal, you have earned more heavenly brownie points than attending 20 years of worship in a church building.
So where to now then? Well for those sheep who hear His voice they of course need to listen further, but for those who still require written words to guide them, then their very own bible tells you clearly….
Joh_4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Like I said before, if you need social activity to encourage you worship God, then sure, off you go to Sunday worship, but if you are open to the truth and not in desperate need to visit a building to worship God, then you have the capacity to worship God 24/7 from wherever you like. As the scripture above says… God seeketh such worship. Have you ever wondered why He seeks private worship over public worship? You thought that going to church each Sunday was symbolic of your sincerity to God didn’t you, but that’s exactly how the Pharisees thought and acted in Jerusalem pre AD, and what did Yahoshua/Jesus think of such behaviour? He saw it as hypocritical because the cup on the outside (going to church) was clean, but inside the cup was still dirty (hypocritical).
The church Of our Lord Yahoshua/Jesus is purely Spiritual; it is a collection of all those who truly seek the “way, truth, and life” of our Saviour Christ. There is no building in this group and there are no priests, teachers, pastors, or any so called ordained men of God for that matter, there is only those who hear His voice to make up the numbers of this church spoken of by Christ. Joh_10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: So my friends, if you hear His voice, you are already in His church. Praise The Lord. Please remember the parable of the talents though; we have been entrusted with much truth and knowledge that God expects us to distribute and earn Him interest. If we do not increase our knowledge and in turn share it with others, then we hid it under a rock where it is of no benefit to God at all. We must use what God has given us to advance our own soul first and then apply that knowledge of life in our everyday movements in a way that it will help others to do the same.
So is there any church or organization or institution I would recommend for spiritual knowledge and advancement? Well not that I can think of, but there is a group of sincere seekers of truth, wisdom and knowledge called Church of the Nazarene in Australia here and no doubt in other places around the world. Anything to do with the Nasarenes, or Essens or Ediomites will show you the “way” to the truth and life which is the true Yahoshua/Jesus, the teacher of love grace and truth.
Traditions of man
What does the bible say?
The word tradition itself is not an evil word, but the wrong tradition is an evil thing. There are traditions of man and traditions of God. Traditions of man are incredibly carnal while traditions of God are deep and often have secret meanings. There is absolutely nothing to gain spiritually from traditions of man, but eternal gain from God’s traditions. Traditions of man are mere rituals or customs handed down by families and organizations like the institutionalized church, whereas traditions of God are spiritually inspired and when put into practice, reward that person with the deeper mysteries of God that not many can know of. Please follow some of the scriptures below:
Mat 15:2 Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.
How can clean hands when eating have any effect of righteousness before God? God judges the heart and man judges the body.
Mat 15:6 ….. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.
The Lord is very clear about this….
Mat 15:9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
You can keep all the commandments and traditions of men you like, but it will all be in vain according to The Lord.
Mar 7:8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.
Tradition of man is no more than a symbol of God’s laws, whereas The Lords tradition is the heart and soul of His ways.
Mar 7:9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.
This is more so today where almost all church organisations make their own laws and traditions apart from God. And as the scripture says… by doing so they do not keep those of God.
Mar 7:13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.
And Paul warns us…
Col 2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
Even Peter gets into the act….
1Pe 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
Here Peter shows us clearly that the traditions handed down to us by our fore fathers are not necessarily good for us, but can actually corrupt our minds.
2Th 2:15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.
This shows us clearly that the traditions we are to follow are those taught 2000 years ago by the very disciples and apostles of God, and not any new traditions that have manifested as a result of the false prophet and Antichrist church organisation called the Roman Catholic church. They have their own traditions apart from God that ironically nearly all other denominations also follow. Sometimes I am awe struck at the foolishness of people who are caught up in such trash that does nothing for their spiritual growth. Sounds harsh? Well The Lord did not come to make peace with the world, but rather bring a sword (conflict/trouble). And I am not here to whisper sweet nothings in your ear either, but say what has to be said, whether it excites you or incites you to change your carnal ways.
Gal 1:14 I was ahead of most other Jews of my age in my practice of the Jewish religion, and was much more devoted to the traditions of our ancestors.
Paul shows his listeners how he was wrongly following the traditions of the Jews (man) and had to leave these traditions behind to follow Christ and preach the true gospel.
Isa 29:13 The Lord said, “These people claim to worship me, but their words are meaningless, and their hearts are somewhere else. Their religion is nothing but human rules and traditions, which they have simply memorized.
Does this scripture ring true today? Oh yes; in almost all religions and denominations worldwide. You only have to look and see the Jews banging their heads against the remnants of their temple, which in time to come with the next generations, will become tradition, if not already. Then look at the Muslims kneeling on their mats in public places praying five times a day to their god Allah. What hypocrisy they perform before they go out and blow up innocent people of the real God, the God of Abraham called Yahweh. Then look at the many Christian denominations that falsely heal and falsely prophecy in the name of The Lord Yahoshua/Jesus. It’s all lies and all traditions of men, and never shall the twain meet with God’s traditions.
Man’s tradition is all made up to suit themselves… something to be seen but not practiced. Christmas and Easter are two perfect examples of this, whereby they celebrate these days as an excuse for a good time, and for the rest of the year it’s back to the same old thing; lying cheating and self-indulgence. A church steeple for example is a tradition of man handed down from pagan worship over 3000 years ago, and I must admit is an awesome site that inspires people to seek the institutional church, but it is all only raised hair on the back of the neck, or goose bumps as far as God is concerned and has no resemblance at all with the true spiritual church of God. Some foolish people actually believe that by attending such traditional institutions is in fact ‘putting their faith into practice’ but I can assure you these people have no clue of Yahweh the only true wise God and creator. They put their own god in a box and say he is the real god who created the universe. But come the day of reckoning the only true wise God will deny knowing them, because they chose tradition over truth.
The bible also says in Mat 7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
… but for some reason almost all people claiming the bible to be the word of God do none of this. Typically we do not practice what we preach. If we did, then we would be seeking in order to find. Tell me, have you, the reader, done all in your power to seek the truth about whom and what you believe in? Do you believe in a denomination, or a religion, or a doctrine purely because your parents, a friend, or a preacher told you to? Did you get your faith from a book maybe? Why do you believe what you believe? The Lord said to seek it, so how can you possibly believe wholly in something without finding out for yourself a little about it? Those who believe without seeking could very well be blind being led by the blind for all they know. Look at all the Muslim suicide bombers dying every day because they listen to man instead of the truth in God. They fully expect to receive 70 virgins as reward for killing God’s own people; sheesh, how ignorant and selfish is that? They really believe that sex is their reward which shows clearly where the doctrine of their faith has originated from; namely the devil. And how do you talk sense to these people? You can’t because in their heart is where their treasure is, and their treasure is obviously not from God, so this means God will not show them the truth; they must seek it for themselves apart from their family and friends.
So, one might ask how can we seek the truth, and how can we tell if what we are finding is actually the truth. Firstly, seeking the truth requires sincere love for God and a willingness to let go of all that you have known in the past and attack with an open mind to what the Lord presents to you. Dogma and tradition adds up to zero when it comes to the truth about God. What many don’t realise is that if their doctrines were actually true, then it would mean that all those many billions of poor souls of the past that were not fortunate enough to read their books or listen to their teachers, would in fact die an eternal death. This is not the action of an all loving God that I personally worship. No, my God places on my heart that which is right and according to His Holy Laws, and not that of tradition that man and church offers as their man made doctrines and dogma. How barbarically unfair it would be for God to create us humans only, through no fault of our own, to be born in a place and time where the books of His teachings, and the preaching of His ways, were not available. How arrogant and shallow is such a faith.
Now that we are equipped with an open mind that God Himself can minister too like it has always been, and no bias in our hearts, we can sincerely and honestly seek The Lord in all things. Now that we have also pulled down that wall that was erected by tradition and half-truths (even Satan believes in Christ), The Lord can now have a clear path to our hearts and minds in order to lead us to the truth. Seeking truth today is much easier that in days gone by, with worldwide communications at the click of a button on our home computers, so there is no excuse for laying idol. If you seek these things in quiet prayer and with a sincere heart, you can trust The Lord to show you the way, and then be confident by His gift of discernment, that you will indeed find what you are looking for. You will see not a few, but many things that are not found in your book of choice (e.g.: bible, Koran etc.) or preached from your religious pulpits that will test your faith, but if you persist with a sincere heart and an open mind, there is no reason whatsoever why God will not reward your efforts. Remember, many are called to worship The Lord, but few are chosen because of lack of seeking and the keeping of tradition. If you are going to believe in anything, no matter what it is, first you must know about the thing you are going to believe in; in this case God, so research, seek and find all you can about who the only true wise God is… otherwise you might get a shock when instead of 70 virgins waiting for you in heaven, you find instead a little red man with horns and a pitch fork in his hands.
Where did our traditions come from?
Ask any Christian and they will tell you their tradition comes from the bible, but in reality it is not even close to the bible. As a matter of fact it is so far from the ways Jesus taught that it is amazing Christianity bares any name to do with the bible or Jesus Christ. If Christian tradition did indeed come from the truth, then surely it would resemble the truth from the bible that is all we really have to go on, but no, most of Christian tradition comes from two sources; the first being that of the Roman Catholic Church and the second being the pagan Emperor Constantine…and you want to know something? They were both false witnesses to Christ! They both provided doctrines contrary to the true gospel that Jesus and His disciples preached to the earliest church. Let’s start with the RCC.
Please read the following passage from the bible and meditate on it carefully. This is very important before continuing with your search for truth as the Holy Spirit Itself will lead you in your search for truth.
Mat 7:16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
Mat 7:17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
Mat 7:18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Mat 7:19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Mat 7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Now please read the above carefully and meditate on it with all your heart because this is of great importance that will prove to you that the RCC is not a part of The Lords work, and from there we can divulge the enormous amount of RCC tradition that has poisoned the true church. From these few words of The Lord we can see that nothing from God can bring forth evil (bad fruit) right? Ok then, so is there any evil that has come from the RCC since its beginnings? Oh yes my friend, and plenty of it. Any Christian worth their salt knows of all the rules that they break according to the bible. Now the alternative is to believe the bible is in fact false, and this would clear the RCC of all charges, so it’s up to you, the reader to decide which path to take. For me though, I take the path of the bible on this, although I do not believe it is infallible, I do believe much of it is good and true…especially that of Yahoshua/Jesus. Lets do a brief account of the RCC history to see if it brings forth good fruit or not. The best way to do this is to display what we know of RCC history, up against what the bible says.
The bible calls the seventh day the Sabbath day.
Exo 31:16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.
The RCC calls the first day the Sabbath day to agree with, and therefore appease the Emperor Constantine, who changed it to the first day or the week. It was a political move for both parties. Note: Dissenters will say the RCC did not even appear until the sixth century, and technically they are correct, but the ball started rolling in Acts around 40ad with Simon (Peter) Magus whom the RCC claims is Peter the Apostle.
In the year 321 A.D., Constantine decreed, “On the venerable day of the Sun let the magistrates and people residing in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed” (Codex Justinianus lib. 3, tit. 12, 3; trans. in Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, Vol. 3, p. 380, note 1).
The bible tells us to preach the gospel and if they don’t listen, leave that place.
Mat 10:14 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.
The RCC, for the best part of 700 years, tortured and slaughtered over 150,000,000 innocent Messiah seeking men women and children, simply because they refused to obey their false gospel…”another gospel”. Some embarrassed Catholics deny this, but Pope John Paul put an (again embarrassing) end to their false hopes by apologizing for their part in the atrocities of the inquisition. What a contrast in gospels we have here… can’t get better than that.
The bible tells us not to make images of anything on earth or in heaven.
Exo 20:4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
The RCC instructs their followers to buy as many crosses and statues and many other images as they can. They teach that this will protect them from evil. Of course as the RCC often do to cover their tracks, they altered the wording in their bibles by adding…”strange gods” so it will read instead; Thou shalt not have strange gods before me… which is forgery.
The bible tells us to call no man father.
Mat 23:9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.
The RCC want you to call their priests father.
Now there is a ship load of other evidence against the RCC, but the point I want to make here is that it is clear that according to the bible and therefore Yahoshua/Jesus, that nothing good can come from the RCC because it is anti-Christ and cannot possibly produce good fruit. If by killing millions of innocent people can be called good…then I am wrong, but we all know that is not so, and therefore all tradition manifested through the RCC must be bad. It is simple mathematics people…if indeed you believe the bible correct that is.
Now we come to the Emperor Constantine’s part in all this. His story is a long one, but for the sake of space I will attempt to make it short as possible and yet still get the message across.
Constantine was the Emperor of Rome in the fourth century. He was 100% pagan and never converted to Christianity until on his death bed close to dying. His part in all this was purely political. He wanted to please the people to win their favour and thus remain in power longer. It was no different then than now. Just give the people what they want and get their vote. Christianity by this time had spread all through north Africa, Asia and Europe, and was also a major part of the Roman Empire. Constantine noticed this and as he wanted favor of the people in contrast to uprising between pagan and Christian religions, he made Christianity the approved Roman religion. It did not happen overnight. It required much discussion between the Emperor and the ‘so called’ Christian church bishops. Believe it or not…there was a compromise on both parts and the Roman Catholic false church was born (although not official for another 200 years). Pagan and Christian doctrines were mixed together to make one religion that would satisfy both parties. From there, in 321AD, many new traditions spurned, including the most famous shift of the Sabbath from the seventh day to the first day of the week which was the pagan sun worship day.
Other traditions not portrayed by early Christians, such as Easter and Christmas, eventually came to be as they are today…all through the original false church and Constantine where they were born. There are very few bible backed days kept today by the modern church; we as a whole prefer the pagan days and traditions over and above the laws and days of God. Sad but true! We prefer man made rules to the laws of God, and no wonder The Lord will say to the “many” that He does not know them on that day of Judgment when they come to seek Him.
http://www.jesus-is-lord.com/cath.htm
Why is the tradition of man not OK with God?
When reading the bible, it does not take long before one clearly realizes the God of Abraham, Yahweh, does not care two hoots about anything whatsoever of this world, and we all know, or should know (ignorance is no justification) traditions of the church institutions and religions of this world are based on such premise as traditions of men. Where is it said by Yahweh that a church should have steeples? Where is it said that believers should carry/wear images to show their loyalty to God? Where is it said to baptize babies, or keep the first day Sabbath, or celebrate Christmas and Easter, or even go to church to worship God? All these questions plus more need to be answered before we get too secure and comfortable about the credibility of the traditions we live by.
If you look closely at all traditions of religious institutions you will see the shallowness and carnal basis it is built upon. It is almost always to do with the world or the flesh which has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the soul, and it is the condition of this very soul (of yours) that determines its destination. Does going to church once or twice a year present you with a free pass to heaven on judgment day? How pathetic some people are! Or even being a regular church goer and serving under its umbrella still does not guarantee any such pass either for crying out loud. These things are only the outside of the cup that the world is concerned with; it’s the inside of the cup that God checks for cleanliness where no man is able to see. Wearing a chain around your neck with a cross hanging off it, or attending bible study groups, or turning up at Christmas celebrations, or any other tradition of man for that matter, will ever gain the slightest ground toward salvation in the hereafter. As a matter of fact, I can boldly say this; anything performed in public under the tradition of men umbrella, will count for nothing when the book of life is opened, but every thought, and every word, and every evil act, and every good deed done in silence will be in that book which will be evidence for the eternal Lord and Judge of your soul. It is this evidence that will determine your next step in eternity for your soul.
So then, why are these traditions of men useless before God? Because they show only what you can see, and not what you can’t see, and it is what is hidden from us which is clear as day to God… our heart and soul. God has absolutely no place for things that disappear, but rather has built the universe upon this that will never disappear. It is the hearts and souls of men that can live forever and not a church building, or a fancy priest garb, or a wooden cross, or a church steeple, of a pagan holiday, or even a pagan Sabbath day for goodness sake, no; what you think and believe, and consequently do, is what God judges. Let me give one very good example that should nail this for you. If I stop eating meat because I believe my church says I should because of tradition or whatever… can this save us? No sir, because you have not done it from the heart; you did it to be traditional. But, if you stop eating meat because you realize it’s a tradition from God and you don’t approve of the killing of God’s creatures for food (or any other reason), then you are doing it from the heart and exposes to God the condition of your soul which is what salvation is based upon.
In short then, tradition of men is only skin deep to God and tells Him nothing about your heart. Blimey teddy mate, you can see a man keep all the traditions of the church or religion for many years, and still be a pervert and lover of the flesh in the privacy of his home. Sure he looks good on the outside, but on the inside he is an animal before the ever present eye of God. You don’t know that, but The Lord knows it, and this is why things that can be seen by men, i.e. traditions of men, are as profitable to God as a bleeding open cut is to a man in shark infested waters. By concentrating of the traditions of God, like loving your neighbour as yourself, and keeping the seventh day Sabbath which Yahweh provided as a mark of His chosen people for all generations. These things of God will help purify your heart and cause your soul to seek truth and repentance on the inside where only God can judge you. Live to please God, who dwells within those forever who seek Him, and not those of the world who might shed a tear when you pass on, but soon forget you.
Isa 29:13 The Lord said, “These people claim to worship me, but their words are meaningless, and their hearts are somewhere else.” Their religion is nothing but human rules and traditions, which they have simply memorized.
Traditions of men become a boring ritual to God that has no meaning at all. Performing these man made rituals can make one feel good about oneself as you see in many religious hierarchy as they parade publically before the multitudes. It can inadvertently cause you (sometimes unknowingly) to seek the approval of men and the church who are not the ones who give your life. It can boost your ego beyond the acceptable level of God, and therefore allowing pride to pop up its ugly head and rule you. That is why our Lord said..
Today’s church is ‘tradition’ driven. God does not abide in tradition, and this is why the world is void of truth today. Once the truth was everywhere; now it is rare and hard to find. But The Lord is merciful and patient, and even in most cases tolerable to an extent, to wait for you. Seek truth always, and never resting. Prayer and meditation leads the way. A book is the ramblings of men and therefore open for scrutiny and mistakes, BUT the Spirit is true and will never forsake those seeking Him.
Is any denomination exempt from following mans tradition?
There could be certain people exempt from the traditions of men of course; I am one of those, but as far as a denomination or religious institution; I do not know of one single such group who does not follow traditions of men in some way shape or form. Certainly the mainstream religions such as Christian, Muslim, Catholic, Buddhism and Hinduism, all follow traditions of men. There are certain “so called” cults of the past that have strayed from tradition, but for some strange reason, instead of growing in truth and reverence, they seem to peatier out or be destroyed by traditional law systems. This is not to say they were right or wrong in their beliefs, but simply they disappeared from view. The Essenes and Nazarenes were such ‘so called’ cults of Yahushua’s time that disappeared within a few hundred years after His death on the cross. Where they wrong in their beliefs? Certainly not; they lived more according to the ways of Yahoshua/Jesus than modern day Christians, but they were killed off by Jews, Romans, and even by Christians under the umbrella of the early Catholic Church who saw them as a threat to their new religion they stole from Christ and altered it to more suit their own doctrine of pagan crossed with Christian.
Often is the case that a certain person is gifted by God to attain certain supernatural knowledge, but instead of using that knowledge to the betterment of mankind, they are often times caught up in the awe and hysteria of his/her followers, and soon become big headed and self-centered to the point of actually believing they are Jesus or God. This is a common scenario unfortunately. Some, or should I say few, on the other hand are awakened to this possibility through their unequaled humility and faith, and therefore are well prepared for what might come as a truth wrecking experience. From the beginning they have only the glory of God in their hearts, and so therefore do only the will of God. A perfect example of this in recent times would have been David Koresh, who unfortunately fell to the sin of pride. As soon as the focus is even slightly swayed from Yahweh, pride steps in and wants to claim the prize. It’s human nature, but as a true Christian, pride should not be considered.
There are some that seem to come close to knowing God like the Brethren for instance, and even the David Koresh group had more going for them than traditional religions. Sooner of later though, as said above, they get too much into themselves and try to become what they cannot…God. In this state of mind their egoic desires seem to explode within them bring forth all kinds of hideous behaviour ranging from incest, to carnal knowledge, to polygamy and even homosexual acts. I don’t know why this always seems to happen, but it surely does in the end. Could it be that there really is a devil called Satan, and whenever anyone gets too close to the truth, i.e. close to God, he/she temps them beyond their ability to overcome. I don’t know, but that sure is the way it has been, and still happens, in my experiences. I find when I am distant from God, i.e. not praying or too tied up in work or activities, everything seems to go well, but whenever I go through a phase of continual prayer and meditation and keeping as close to the straight and narrow as I possibly can, along comes that old temptation demon and I collapse like a pricked balloon. Am I weak? Yes. Are we all weak? Mostly are.
In my own mind I imagine there are some few that are right with God, but because of their spiritual advancement required to be in that state, they become aware that what they know is not to be shared. Like with the Christian Jesus for instance; He said that He talks to common folk in parables, but to them the disciples who gave up all their worldly ownership to follow Him, He speaks in plain voice. What I am trying to say quite simply is; you have to earn your stripes. To know God’s truth in abundance one must put their faith into action and purify the mind. We can fool mankind by our outward appearance by going to Sunday church and bible study seminars, but we cannot fool God. He can see all our outward acts of obedience and also our heart. By this I mean our motives by which we say and do things. For example, I could give $20 to a poor man when I know everyone is looking, or I could do it when nobody is looking. One motive is to please the world, and the latter is to please God. When you please God; you indeed please yourself.
So, in conclusion I have to say no, there are no obvious denominations or religious groups not caught up in some fashion with traditions of men. They all would rather not know that, but unfortunately the truth does not respect the thoughts of men. I truly believe that in the beginning of the Christian religion initiated by Messiah Yahoshua/Jesus, mankind was on the right track, but soon after, as Yahoshua prophesied, these true followers of truth were culled and over a couple of hundred years made extinct by what is today known as the Roman Catholic Church…a man’s traditional religious institution that, like many other religions, proclaim to be the only true church of the only true God. Sad but true. You might seem horrified by this statement, but history is truth, and also like truth itself, respects no man. If it is recorded in history, it is more than likely the truth, and history declares the crimes of the RCC.
Are they the only guilty party? Absolutely not; almost all religion has a dark and evil past that they will not willingly expose to anyone, and who can be blamed for this? No doubt about it, if it is not specifically a desire for money and power, it is then certain to be tradition. When mankind as a whole can discern the difference between the tradition of man and traditions of God, this place will then be known as heaven on earth. To everyone who is sincerely seeking truth and a closeness to god, I say this; forsake the world totally, even what is esteemed holy before men, and seek to be alone with God while He ministers to you. Have an open mind free from all traditions you have been accustomed to, and be patient while you wait on God Yahweh. While you are bound by tradition, you put up (willingly) a wall between you and the truth, that can keep you restrained spiritually, and far from the truth. To get God’s attention you must give Him yours. To receive God’s time, you must give Him yours. Remember this, as Yahoshua said; whatever you sow, so shall you reap, and this goes for everything…not just tomato seeds.
Can Tradition harm us?
How can tradition do us any harm? It’s tradition that calls us to church to worship our God, so how could this possibly hurt us? Let me categorically state this; anything that stands in the way of truth, albeit it ever so small, can harm you. You may think that ignorance may save you from God’s wrath, and in many ways that might be true, but ignorance will never save you from the Law of God. The Law was put in place in the very beginning of time, and even God Himself cannot escape it because He made all things according to it. If you make a car without breaks and climb inside and drive it at 100 mph at a tree…can you escape the inevitable? No sir, and so it is with God. What is made by the Law must abide by the law, and for this very reason, a lie or ignorantly living in a lie, can certainly hurt you. Whether you believe this or not, the fact remains that if you are outside the Law you suffer the consequence. You cannot escape it.
A little deep for you…yes/no? Then let me give some examples to help the slightly less intelligent catch up here. And by the way, it’s no sin to be less intelligent than the next person because you might be born that way, but it is a sin to use intelligence the wrong way, and that my friend can hurt you more than you may be willing to accept. Now, back to the point here. The Roman Catholic (not Christian) church followed a lie from the beginning and so was therefore outside the Law of God. Research it’s ugly past and you will see for yourself the horrendous sins that has accumulated against it since it’s dubious beginnings. From the very start it forged letters and documents to justify every evil claim to God’s kingdom, and every evil action against the true believers and followers of The Lord. Do you want me to list them all? Surely not my friend as that would entail another two books at least, but for one unquestionable example let me remind you of the inquisition. If you for one nano second doubt the credence of these church atrocities, then you are void of God’s Spirit and don’t deserve any further explanations, and probably would do better to drop this book right now an move on with your pitiful life living in fantasy land like the rest or Catholicism. But, for the rest who are awake and seek with an open mind, can you also for a nano second think God would use such evil circumstances to be a part of His plan for the redemption of His people? Of course not! How can any good come from evil? So the point in this example is this; anyone connected with the tradition of this Roman Catholic Church is outside the Laws of God, and therefore must be ready to suffer the consequences. Even in these days of enlightenment, this church organization suffers the wrath of God’s Law by humiliation before the whole world regarding its treatment of children over many centuries. And don’t forget the testimony of son Catholic Nuns that were used as sex slaves for the clergy. These things are kept hidden from the bulk of Christianity but sooner or later the truth finds a way to get exposure.
Another perfect example of God’s law in action is the Muslim religion. The greatest law known to mankind has to be “Live by the sword…die by the sword” or as Yahoshua/Jesus put it… “Whatsoever you sow, so shall you reap”. From the beginning this Muslim religion was born into violence. The men of this faith treated animals better than their wives and children. They fought family and brethren together with their foes. They worship the act sex rather than what sex can create. They take too much pride in being physically powerful in contrast to spiritual power. They, much like the Catholics, believe faith in God is something you must do, rather than something you want to do, and cause that belief to be responsible for the death of literally millions of innocent people. You know it is written… united we stand, and divided we fall, well there is none more divided than this religion, and so it’s inevitable future is certain…it cannot last. It is one of the newest religions in the world, and yet the most arrogant. All their suffering and humiliation before the world is born from its sinful nature, and so must suffer the consequence of God’s perfect Law. If you follow this religion, you then follow tradition of man, and so are spiritually hurt by it. You may not know it because it’s kinda like one’s own smell… you can’t smell it but others around you can, so those outside your faith are the ones who can see your pitiful spiritual existence.
The ways of God are written on their hearts of men, but mankind wants to throw it away and replace it with their own, making laws and rules that gives birth to a new tradition alien to God’s laws, and they justify these laws in God’s name. Man is not stupid; in fact man is the most intelligent apart from God, and surely has the intelligence to twist the ways of God to show something that might be more inviting to the gullible seeker of truth. Why would they want to do this you ask? Well, there is money in religion, that’s why. Have you any idea of the richest organisation in the world? Try the Roman Catholic Church for size. And look at the likes of Benny Hinn Ministries and all these other TV Hollywood types like Joel Osteen Ministries and Oral Roberts Ministries, I mean just observe these charlatans for a minute or two and you will see hypocrisy in motion. They are everything God is not, and yet millions flock to these evil organizations and willingly throw their money at them. This is why religion is happy to be traditional because tradition makes money for them. Think about it folks, if these institutional religious organizations were built on truth rather than tradition, you would hardly have a member attend let alone donate to them.
When it moves away from the true ways of God, it then becomes tradition of men, and to follow such tradition can in no way be acceptable to God. The ways and laws of God are very different, and even sometimes opposite, to the ways and laws of man. For example; the steeple on churches is accepted by all Christians as being a part of their religion… they see it as something holy, but does God see it as holy? God never encourages anything made of material to be connected with Him. Actually, He condemns images and includes that law in the Ten Commandments He gave to the Israelites through Moses. After all what is written in the bible against such practices, men continue to make images, and more men continue to follow like blind sheep. Does it really matter to you what God thinks, or is it more important for you to obey your family tradition? The church steeple stems from Egyptian pagan roots before the time of Christ. In ancient Egypt, the obelisk symbolized the sun god Amon Re, and todays steeples on the churches are a very close resemblance to this monument to the Egyptian sun god. Now, again, is God happy about you going to worship Him in another god’s house? You would do well to seriously consider this question.
It’s tradition that tells us to kneel and pray to a dead Jesus on a cross. It’s tradition that encourages me to hang a dead Jesus on a silver or gold cross around my neck. It’s tradition that causes you to call a day other than God’s day your Sabbath. It’s tradition that causes you to party all day and night long on the 25th December every year and tell our kids Santa is our god. It’s tradition that causes you to wear a wedding ring on the fourth finger of your left hand. It’s tradition that causes us to hide chocolate Easter eggs for our children and tell them a little bunny laid it. These are just a few of the many traditions of men that we keep in the name of God. What a sad and sorry state we have grown into over the last 2000 years all because of traditions of men that we prefer over those of God. So in this light my friend, I say absolutely that tradition, if not directly of God, can do great harm to our spiritual soul, in that it hides the full truth that is required to cause one to seek the deeper things of God.
Never leave or forsake us.
What does the Bible say?
Jos 1:5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
The bible doesn’t say much about God never leaving or forsaking His people except where Paul quotes from Joshua 1:5 Here Paul says in Hebrews 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Searching the OT scriptures turns up nothing else about God promising not to leave or forsake His people. If it were true, would we be wrong to expect God to say the same words to His people? Here God is absolutely NOT making a promise to His people, but rather a single person instance, as encouragement to obey His commands. There is plenty of others asking God not to leave them, but nothing of God actually saying it. It may of course have been said in scriptures somewhere but not included in the bible, and therefore deemed ‘not applicable’ for the sola Scriptura enthusiast.
Ok now I am out on a limb here I know, but I feel so strongly about this that it must be said; I think either Paul was wrong to say what he said above, or it is a corruption of the bible, or even a translation error, but when God is clearly not speaking to the people, but only a single person for a single reason, it cannot be a promise of God to all His people. I mean God told Moses he would not enter the Promised Land…but what happened to all God’s other people? Were they also not to enter? Common people use your God given understanding here; just because God told Moses he would not enter the Promised Land does not mean the same for all His people.
Joh 14:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
Even if it were to be found in the bible, it would in my opinion have to be a mistake or a translation error, because The Lord speaks of “not knowing” those who profess to know Him. These are people who believe in Yahoshua/Jesus as their saviour, and yet He still refuses to know them. How could this be of such a loving God? The answer lies in the smallest of words, and that word is “if”. Many times in the bible it is written that God promises to be their God always, and save them to Him, (i.e never leaving or forsaking I suppose) but there is always a safety net word or clause. God is not to be mocked or taken for granted, and He is no fool as many apparently suppose, so of course He cannot make a promise of righteousness to a believer who refuses to obey Him, and these two words, if and obey, go together to form the binding legal clause (Covenant) with God and His people. IF you repent and OBEY my Commandments, I will always be your God and will never leave or forsake you. This is the only way God could promise such a thing as salvation, otherwise we would feel free to have our own (flesh) way in everything we do and still have the promise of heaven. It just can’t happen.
A good example of the above is the following:
Lev 26:11 And I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you.
Lev 26:12 And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people.
Here we see God promise He will be their God, but don’t stop there; read on!
Lev 26:14 But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments;
Lev 26:15 And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant:
Lev 26:16 I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.
You see now, that if they do not obey, the promise is broken.
So now it should be understood that God cannot promise anything without the safety net clause included. Gods promise is only binding IF you obey His commandments, and surely this is a wise and just decision, and a perfect way to encourage us all in paths of righteousness.
Some often give Joshua 1:5 as a promise of God to all His people, but like always, they take one verse to speak a thousand, and thus risking a complete out of context error, and thus again misleading Gods children. And woe unto them that do this terrible thing against God. Let’s look at this verse.
Jos 1:5 Joshua, no one will be able to defeat you as long as you live. I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will always be with you; I will never abandon you.
This is God telling Joshua just before the Israelites are about to enter the promised land, that He will always be with Joshua so as not to be afraid of those others possessing the land before them. God will always give him victory against all his enemies and be there with him to protect and guide him through the ensuing years to come. This is not a promise to everyone as many think. Got knows our hearts, and so it may manifest in the end as the result of our trust in God, but is more the result of our obedience.
I have had times when God has clearly left me. Maybe not forsaken me, but indeed had left me for a period of time…usually some days to a week or so. It was not until I had spent a period of time in deep and sincere repentance that I could again feel the presence of The Lord. For goodness sake, God even forsook Yahoshua on the cross because of sin, so what in the name of reason do you think God won’t forsake you also? Could it be because you never sin anymore? Well goodonya and congratulations then. I envy you, but for the rest of us who are not as holy and perfect as you, it does happen.
The main problem attributing to such beliefs is the dreaded “Once saved always saved” ( OSAS) doctrine from the depths of hell that lead so many away from God. This doctrine/belief is mainstream traditional teaching and comforts you as it assures you that your salvation is a done deal and cannot be taken away from you. They use the same old story…”do you think Christ died for nothing” to add a sweetener to their error of understanding the true meaning of the scriptures. No my friend, there is no promise by the Father, Son or the Holy Spirit of God that does not accompany that two letter word “if”. Even our Lord says; IF you love me, keep my commandments. (Joh_14:15 )
And… Mat_10:22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. Now this does not use the word “if” but the connotation is exactly the same.
So this is a lifesaving statement by our Lord Yahoshua/Jesus which is clearly saying… IF you endure to the end you will be saved. You are not saved yet and if you backslide perpetually then don’t be too sure your Father in heaven is still with you; God and sin cannot co-exist in the same temple. Every sincere God fearing soul on this planet must really come to understand this message concerning His presence because you may think God is with you guiding you in your path, when in fact He does not even know you.
Luk 13:24 Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
Luk 13:25 When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:
Luk 13:26 Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.
Luk 13:27 But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.
Please take the time to meditate on these verses as they magnify the point I am trying to press home here. First our Lord and Judge stresses for us to try our hardest to enter the straight gate which leads to the Kingdom of God where no sin abounds. And we already know that it is the narrow road that leads to this straight gate of purity…
Mat_7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
… Showing us clearly that it is not the easy way to travel and requires much sacrifice of the flesh to qualify to enter in through this gate. Then we see also that many (not a few) that profess to know Him even will not be allowed in. Oh how horrible it will be for the millions of modern so called Christians who think they know the true Messiah given all authority to judge mankind in that hour. And why do they think they know Christ? Because they are not prepared to sacrifice their love of the world and the joys of the flesh to walk in the narrow way. They will always justify their actions with… “oh I believe Jesus is Savior and died for me and will never leave or forsake me.” This is their own mantra that cannot save them from their sins. If you think sin and perfection can co-exist in the Kingdom of God then you are delusional it hurts me to say.
In the last verse above you can see conformation that the “many” our Lord is speaking of is those who still sin after they have known the truth. God has revealed to them the truth, and this is why they come to The Lord and follow Him, but they are like the seed poured onto the rocks, they quickly lose their way because of their love of worldly matters and eventually end up on the sin gravy train that all OSAS sons of Satan travel. You can see as clear as a bell here that Yahoshua/Jesus is stating that “IF” you still sin (workers of iniquity), then He does not even know you! Why? Simply because sin and God cannot co-exist in the same temple, and as I hope you already realize that your body IS the place where God will co-exist with His people.
Can this be true what Yahoshua/Jesus said?
Can this be true what our Lord Yahoshua/Jesus said about never leaving us without Spirit help?
Joh 14:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
The Lord Yahoshua is not speaking of a physical return; how can He when He has already told us… My kingdom is not of this world, So why does everyone want to make Him king in this world instead of the kingdom of God where He will be eternally? I’ll tell you why; it’s because most people these days look to the physical world where life always succumbs to death, instead of the real spiritual world that is life eternal. We are a mostly inherently selfish and shallow species that deep down only wants to believe what we see physically as proof. We can’t digest the fact that our soul is spirit and can support life without a body just like God. They can’t see past their own little personal universe created imaginary in their selfish minds. They see and hear but they still don’t believe because they simply don’t want to. It does not fit their paradigm that is based on man’s interpretations and man’s traditions. They prefer that idea instead of God’s truth because they are self-indulgent people with little or no Godly insight into what life is and what death is, and what is real and what is not real. In other words, they prefer what feels good than what is actually good.
For some very strange reason people want to think Christ is speaking of an event thousands of years in the future and speaking to a totally different generation of people, but in fact He is speaking directly to His disciples so they can teach others of this new doctrine after He has ascended. Let’s study this further and in context as well.
Joh 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
Joh 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever;
Joh 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
Joh 14:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
Joh 14:19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
Joh 14:20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
Joh 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
I will now translate into simple English so as to provide a better understanding.
Christ says… If you will keep my commandments, I will pray to God to send you a Spirit to guide you in truth and comfort you. The unbelievers of this world will not know this Spirit but you will because He is in you already. Soon I will leave this world which will not see me anymore, but you will see me because I will not die, but will live on eternally, and you also will live with me. And at that time you will know that the father and I are one and you and me are one also. He who loves me will keep my commandments and be loved by my Father in heaven, and I will love him and be with him.
Can you see it now? Verse 18 says it all… “I will not leave you: I will come to you”. So it is Christ as Spirit that comes to the believers and not a physical Christ. There will never again be a physical Yahoshua/Jesus in this world because His kingdom is not of this world; it has always been and will always be a spiritual kingdom, so the only way The Lord can return to be with you is in the Kingdom of God which is already in you IF you keep His commandments. Christ never ever said that He will rule unbelievers, no, He comes back (and has already come back) to be manifest in believers only, which are those who keep His commandments to love God and love his neighbour as himself. So this comforter is actually Christ in Spirit when you study these verses in context, and if the bible is correct, then He returned already after the destruction of Jerusalem in AD70; just as He said He would.
…. and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. You see? It is Christ’s Spirit that enters you as the comforter, and so Yahoshua/Jesus has already returned the second time as the bible states. Do you say that Christ is in you? Of course you do, and so do all Christians on earth believe the same, so you must admit Christ has returned already just as He prophesied He would, and SOON after His ascension… not some 2000 years or more. Do you say all your good works in your Christian life is due to your own efforts or due to “Christ in you”? You know darn well that it’s because of Christs work in you, so it’s time to accept that the prophecy Yahoshua/Jesus proclaimed of Himself has been fulfilled already a long time ago.
Deny Christ has returned, then you deny Christ in you!
The message is clear for all to see; if you deny the return of Christ after the fall of Jerusalem 2000 years ago exactly when Yahoshua/Jesus said it would happen, then you have to also deny Christ is in you. If you want to add your own twist to it like the commercially driven modern church does today so as to add to the hype of their false teachings, then go ahead, but you do it without Christ in you. You can’t have it both ways, i.e. you can’t say He has not returned, but at the same time say He is in you. If He is in you, then He is here now, and if He is here now… then for goodness sake, He has returned! The Christ you see is the Christ you want to see; not the real Yahoshua/Jesus who never ever said He would come again in the flesh. Unscrupulous people use this following verse to promulgate their own twisted paradigm of a flesh Jesus…
Act 1:11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven
… but this is the only verse in the whole bible that they are able to twist into their erroneous doctrine and belief system to mislead the gullible in blind faith. Even so, this verse is certainly not convincing as it asserts “like manner” and not “same manner” as it would be if The Lord ascended in the flesh. I interpret the “like” part in reference to the cloud because Christ said… Luk_21:27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. So Christ ascended in Glory and returned in Glory on a cloud when He destroyed Jerusalem 2000 years ago because they never recognised Him as Messiah and instead murdered His saints. He returned then in judgment as Revelations indicates.
It was soon after the destruction of Jerusalem by Yahoshua/Jesus that He came in Spirit at Pentecost to manifest in all those who believe in Him and keep His commandments. If you now choose to deny this truth then you have to deny Christ in you. You can’t have it both ways; either He has returned and is in you, or He has not returned and therefore not in you. What’s it going to be friend? Are you saved from your sins by “Christ in you” or are you saved by your own power? Do you wait for a physical man Jesus to appear and rule over you like a King rules over his earthly kingdom, or do you already have Christ in you ruling over you and keeping you righteous? When we can finally admit and also understand why, that Gods Kingdom is within all true believers in Christ as Messiah as “Spirit”, then we are then ready to access this priceless gift of God to gain wisdom, knowledge and understanding of the unseen spiritual world of God.
Why did the disciples not recognise Yahoshua/Jesus after He has risen? Because He was not in His original body, but instead His “glorified” body that would be immortal. Flesh cannot be immortal… only spirit can. So Christ ascended in His spiritual glorified body. If we can prove this to be true, then the modern church paradigm falls in a heap. Let’s give it a go.
The description of the resurrection by Paul in 1 Cor 15:52 shows us clearly that the Bible doesn’t teach a literal physical flesh resurrection…
1Co 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
1Co 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
1Co 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
This is a threefold proof of the truth in a couple of verses. First we are told that “flesh cannot enter heaven where Yahoshua/Jesus ascended to; then we see that the dead are raised “imperishable” which means in the spirit body, and then we are also changed into that same spiritual body. What more should we need to convince us that Christ is spirit now and was when He was received into heaven to sit at the Fathers right hand, otherwise He could not enter the Kingdom of God at all. To believe that God is Spirit, but Christ is flesh, and they reside together is an oxymoron that just can’t be.
So now if we can accept that Christ now resides at the right hand of the Father (meaning with all authority) in heaven, and as spirit, then we can also accept that He can manifest Himself in us spiritually today; and that’s exactly what He did after He returned 2000 years ago to destroy Jerusalem for nonbelief and sins against God, and let’s not forget the shed blood of the saints by the Jews also. Once the old covenant was terminated through this destruction of Jerusalem and the temple where the sacrifices were held, this single event opened the way for the beginning of the new covenant which includes Christ in us now, and not some fanciful future time who knows when.
Yahoshua/Jesus kept His word.
Paul says in Hebrews…
Heb_13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I (Jesus) will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Well I for one could never call Yahoshua/Jesus a false prophet or a liar, but an astute theologian knowing the correct context of His sayings might be persuaded actually have some doubt. When you study the scriptures and contrast the time frame of all the prophets prophecies to those of Christ you have to admit that it looks like He has got it wrong. In all the sayings and prophecies concerning His second coming, there is one distinction apart from all others that is profoundly preached, and that is the time frame. In case you have not noticed, Christ uses words like; quickly, soon, at hand, at the door, last hour, time is here now, in this generation (within 40 years), the time is near, and more. For me, none is more condemning to the futurist view of the second advent of our Saviour Christ than this verse in Revelations.
Rev 22:10 And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.
You might ask… what’s so significant about this verse because at hand could mean a thousand years for all we know in God’s time? Well that’s somewhat true in a sense if you read it on its own out of context, but if you put in in context with all other prophecy of Yahoshua/Jesus you will see that “at hand” here means just that…very very soon. But that’s not my main point I want to make here; it concerns more about comparing this “second advent” prophecy with others of the Old Testament to get a gauge on time frames. When you do this, you will find that not one single prophecy extends it’s time frame anywhere near two thousand years like Christianity has done to Christ’ prophecy, and they don’t even use the words like He did above either. Let’s consider one very important time frame in Daniel concerning Messiah.
Dan 12:4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
Dan 12:5 Then I Daniel looked, and, behold, there stood other two, the one on this side of the bank of the river, and the other on that side of the bank of the river.
Dan 12:6 And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?
Dan 12:7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.
Dan 12:8 And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?
Dan 12:9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.
Most of Daniel is talking about the coming of Yahoshua/Jesus as messiah some four hundred years or so into the future (see Dan 9:25-26), but the astonishing thing here is that God tells Daniel to “shut up the words and seal the book” because it is not yet time, meaning it is a “long” way off. Now in Revelations 22:10 God tells John not to seal up the words because the time is “here” already. Now how can you possibly reconcile both these verses and their meanings while comparing time frames? I mean if God says to seal the book of Daniel because four hundred years is too far away, what then should God say to John if the time was two thousand years away? Now think hard about this because it is one of the most significant point made here to dispel all futurist theories regarding the second coming of Christ. If this time was to exceed two thousand years, would it not be more prudent of God to tell John to doubly seal the book? But instead God says don’t seal it because the time is at hand (now).
So why am I showing you all this? Because if we are saying Yahoshua/Jesus has not returned yet, then we are saying that He has “left us or forsaken us” just like Paul says He will never do. So our choices are to either believe Christ got it all wrong and we are without His presence today, or Christ got it right and returned when He said He would nearly two thousand years ago, and He resides “in us” right here right now. Make up your mind people because you can’t twist scripture to say what you want it to say just so you can have it both ways. For me though, I am blessed to have Christ in me now. He returned just as He said he would 2000 years ago at the destruction of Jerusalem AD70 (see Matt chapters 23 and 24)
Some verses that might help convince you of the presence of Christ already today.
John 5:25, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.”
Notice He says … and now is: How could this mean anything else?
Rev 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
Is God the author of confusion? What does quickly mean?
Jas 5:7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
Jas 5:8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.
Jas 5:9 Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.
James is talking to the brethren of his day… not our day. The coming of The Lord is nigh (almost upon us). When we say ‘evening draws nigh’ we are saying it is about to happen right here and very soon.
When discerning scripture it is important to consider audience relevance as well as the translated words. Remember that these scriptures were written a long time ago to a completely different generation and culture, so to take it all literal or all addressed to this day is not only lacking good sense, but also downright dangerous.
http://www.ecclesia.org/truth/preterist-questions.html
Why the deception?
Satan needs all the help he can get
In all religions there are two sides; good and evil, and we usually know these sides by the names Yahweh (God) and Satan ( Devil). Unfortunately the war between the two seems never ending, and if the truth is known… it just might be never-ending. Who can tell for sure, but what I know and can tell is; it is a real war going on in every soul of the good and the bad. Even Yahoshua/Jesus was not exempt from the effects of the evil side, and so it is with all of us.
The most profound truths and wisdom undoubtedly came from Yahoshua/Jesus almost 2000 years ago and so spiritually powerful was He that He had all authority over the devil who was the author of sin. Satan of course, knowing the power and authority of Christ, would have to do all he can to prevent this truth of Christ being spread to the rest of humanity. Satan did this by creating a false church that would imitate the true church of Christ, but with an ever so subtle difference not noticed by todays church; perpetual forgiveness of sin. This church is today known as the Roman Catholic Church and whether you like it or not, its doctrines and teachings and holy days are all ingrained into all mainstream Christian denominations around the whole world.
It is this lie that remains the devils greatest weapon against spiritual growth and power in the way of our Creator. Without this lie, Satan would be pretty much all but defeated by now, but this lie just keeps on gaining momentum and power over Gods people preventing them from having a closer relationship with God. Gods people, under the illusion that they can continue to sin after already knowing the truth and salvation brought by Christ (which I call perpetual sin), are thus caught in the loop of knowledge that limits their growth and keeps hidden the saving knowledge available to them if only they would seek it. These Christians are in fact content with themselves and their backward condition and situation, and therefore at a loss to even contemplate their enormous ignorance in the ways and truths of our Creator.
So my friends, this is the deception by which the devil controls your thinking and t5hus depriving you of knowledge, and even worse; true salvation. You only think you are saved because this deception tells you so, but when you seek the deeper meanings of the teachings of Christ you will learn that if you continue to do the same sins over and over as do many Catholics in their ignorance, that you are certainly not saved. If it were not so as I say, then Christ would never have said… ” sin no more” (Joh 5:14 Joh 8:11).
This deception created by Satan through your very church keeps you bound but you can’t see it. You think because you feel good and holy after praying God’s forgiveness in the name of Yahoshua/Jesus for the same sin, that you are healed and saved and will reside with Christ forever. Did you not know that God and sin can never be together? This is why we needed a Messiah to save us from our sins. Being “saved” does not mean we are saved from Satan into the Kingdom of God; no, it means we are saved from our sins so we can be cleansed and reside with God in His Kingdom. These are truths that Satan’s false church prevents you from knowing by way of doctrine and teaching. It is ingrained in your mind that sin is ok because it can be forgiven. Kind of like premeditated sin. You know what I mean? For example; You go out and drink too much alcohol because tomorrow you can apologize to God for your disgusting behaviour and ask His forgiveness, and then you feel all nice and warm and comfortable until next time the same thing happens all over again.
You know in the depths of your heart that this is wrong, but because your church peers tell you the grace of Christ has forgiven you, all shame is quickly forgotten and you go on your merry way happily to sin again. Ask yourself; is this really what God wants from you? Is God a lover of sin that He will forgive you forever for your perpetual sin? How does a person in this state ever become worthy enough to be in the presence of God? These are questions you have to sincerely consider if it is your deepest desire to have a closer walk with God. I can tell you that all sin keeps a wall between man and God, and the teaching of the once saved always saved evil doctrine of the modern church is Satan’s greatest ever tool to lead Gods potential children away to the devils abode in darkness. It is the greatest lie ever promulgated by the Christian church to lead mankind astray from the true Messiah Yahoshua/Jesus and His true grace that saves us from our sins once and for all so we don’t have to bother God again asking for forgiveness for that sin.
And you might say… “This can’t be true because God just would not allow this to happen to His dear children”. Well don’t be too sure because God allows many things to happen in order to perfect His children. Remember that Christ said… “My sheep here my voice” and for me that is all I need. Why would I prefer to believe a teaching of man derived from false doctrines and bible translations when I can hear it directly from Yahoshua/Jesus Himself? And did God not tell Jeremiah…
Jer 31:31 The LORD says, “The time is coming when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah.
Jer 31:32 It will not be like the old covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and led them out of Egypt. Although I was like a husband to them, they did not keep that covenant.
Jer 31:33 The new covenant that I will make with the people of Israel will be this: I will put my law within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
Jer 31:34 None of them will have to teach a neighbor to know the LORD, because all will know me, from the least to the greatest. I will forgive their sins and I will no longer remember their wrongs. I, the LORD, have spoken.”
So I ask you, why do we need the church institutions at all if we have God in our hearts and Christ in our ears? If we concentrate on those laws within, and the voice of Christ, we will then know that our sin condemns us and we need to stop it, and not tolerate the lies of the church any longer. Do I say leave the church? That’s another story that at least requires another chapter, but I say at this point; certainly think about it. It all depends on the current growth status of the person. The church does somewhat have a place in society in that some poor less fortunate people can benefit from in this physically driven world. More on this another time.
Deception Of Money
Both the Roman Catholic Church and the charismatic Pentecostal church are specifically designed to attract people in one way or another, while the rest of the denominational Protestant church still somewhat cater for desire of potential customers rather than for the truth. What do I mean by “cater for”? Well for example, we have the Uniting Church of Australia voting to allow practicing homosexuals to not only be a part of the congregation, but also take on the preaching roster. Do you think they voted in favour of this on religious grounds? No because the bible could not be any more clearer, they did it purely out of love for money and power, and not for the love of the person. They may not admit it, but that’s the heart of the truth; their action allows for more bums on seats and more money. This is just one deception of one denomination; let’s look at some others.
The Roman Catholic Church (RCC) knows only too well the value of images in religion. They know that people like to literally see an object to pray to rather than pray to the unseen God within them, so they create images for these people. They tell them the “bigger the cross the better” and so you will see them wearing such symbolic images around their necks and if you visit their homes you will also see huge pictures and statues on every wall and mantle. They will have their Rosary beads to … as Wikipedia states… “Help them to love Jesus more” and serve as a “protection from Satan, and then there is their huge King James bibles that they have never even read, posed as a symbolic gesture that they believe in a real God. You will also see the priests wearing all sorts of pompous garb symbolizing a high status within their so called service to God, and such garb can be also regarded as images because its appearance enhance the importance of man rather than God, and most people just love important things and people.
If all the churches and denominations were lined up in order of their devotion to imagery, the RCC would proudly sit at the top. And this is evident by its numbers of followers whom most rarely attend church anyway, but still contribute to the kitty in some way whether it is via the RCC shop or paying for lost souls in Purgatory or the like. If you visit the online RCC website you will see links everywhere to their online shop selling literally thousands of imagery items of which are grossly overpriced anyway. A wooden cross with a dead Jesus on it, or a picture of Mary mother or God, Rosary beads, and all other sorts of patron saint medals and statues. If you go here, http://www.catholicsupply.com/ you will even see a statue of pope john Paul for almost $30,000. yes I know, even you the reader are amazed, but some people believe in such tripe and are willing to waste their hard earned cash on them. They really think and believe that such rubbish will give them advantage with God and put them in good stead for entering their wacked out vision of heaven.
Then we have the charismatic Pentecostal lot that prey on the music loving young folk and those simply looking for a laugh and good time. Some of these preachers are far from the sons of God they claim to be, but rather sons of Satan the way they entertain on stage like freaks displaying spastic behaviour all in the name of the Holy Spirit of God. Oh you know who you are and your just reward awaits you all at the gates of hell. Sin on its own is bad enough and the consequence of sin is always just around the next corner, but for those who lead people to sin and false teaching, total destruction is the price they will pay. Its bad enough to worship Satan, but to lead others down the same path warrants a much heavier punishment. My heart skips a beat just thinking of it. Whether you want to believe it or not, your rants are blasphemous of the Holy Spirit and that can never ever be forgiven. Your blind sheep may be forgiven, but you false teachers will never see light again.
I don’t put all the blame on the preachers though; it takes two to tango remember. If you are out to lead people astray with the joys of the devil, then you also must find the people willing to listen to it. You will not get hard to excite people to these Pentecostal meetings where there is loud rock music and a lot of running around and waving of hands and people falling over everywhere shouting and carrying on, no, you will only get those who are partial to such behaviour. These are people with the music bug in them who are easily excited and actually enjoy the behaviour more than the meaning and reason for doing it. They believe this is what their self-made god is comprised of and so they indulge as much as they can thinking they please the real God when in fact they are only pleasing themselves. As Messiah Yahoshua/Jesus once said… “in the heart is where the treasure is”. The sad thing about these movements is that they draw the most people which are mostly young folk also who are quick to part with their hard earned cash just like the Catholics are, under false pretence though. Again, the music and the floor show is designed to cater (attract) for those with such outward pleasure-seeking tendencies, while the deeper faithful can easily see through such superficial false teaching and behaviour and seek spiritually profitable things unseen that can advance their soul toward perfection.
When you vision in your mind the wealth of the Roman Catholic Church, and all the other cults and denominational Protestant institutions, you can’t help but wonder why there could possibly be even one hungry mouth in this world. Look at Benny Hinn and Joel Olsten for instance who preach that doctrine of devils to their foolish and ignorant flock; their combined wealth alone could save hundreds or even thousands of poor third world babies dying of hunger, but what do they say in their defence? Oh God has blessed ME because of my faith, with a huge amount of wealth, just like many biblical characters in the bible who were rich, and if you have faith, and give all your money to ME, God will reward you seven times over and you too will get rich. What a farce, and any foolish Christians partial to such behaviour and talk deserve to loose every penny they own. These people do not have a single discerning bone in their pathetic bodies and are just so happy and proud to be associated with such devils and demons as these false teachers.
Focus off the Catholic Church.
The Roman Catholic Church, once they had deceived Constantine into handing over all religious authority to them around the 4th century, have had more or less everything their own way not only within the church, but also to a fair degree outside the church. In those days church superiority held much sway over politics outside the church, and so they were basically driven by the love of money and power to all but run entire nations. There is a long story attached to such claims and you need to research such things yourself (or wait for another book), but basically said; the Roman church always made it their highest aim to have highly regarded Catholic brethren in high political places… or at least in a persuasive position. In this way, for some twelve hundred years or so, the Roman church literally held sway over all the people in Europe and surrounding countries. If they could not find such a position, they would secretly invade other organizations and position a spy as such, so they could secretly persuade them in the direction they so desired. (See … 50 years in the Catholic Church by Charles Chuiniquay)
Now everything went swell for them while over these dark ages they murdered tortured or converted just about every living soul in the known world back then barring a few Asian and Arab countries. They raped and pillaged no different from the barbarous Muslim armies as they “cleansed ” the world to their satisfaction, all the while pumping up their reputation as the leading religious (universal) power of their time, and the “only true church” of the Christian God. Along the way they filled their bank accounts, stole properties by deception, and weeded out all the heathens and infidels along with their records of any religious writings and such. Some, including myself, even put the blame of the destruction by fire of the ancient Alexandrian Library that was a treasure trove of religious writings and recorded historical facts, purely on the Roman Catholic Church of the day. You see their highest priority during that time (and even today for that matter) is to destroy, even at the cost of their own lives, all writings relevant to the true original Christian movement, so that they could via forgery and editing, change the words within the original texts to suit their own devious cult. They did this by simply searching out and destroying all other ancient writings, including the Library I believe, and keeping only one copy within their walls.
Now with the only copies in safe keeping they could then have complete authority over them; adding and subtracting, changing word meanings, and virtually anything they so desired so long as it agreed with their own manmade doctrines. To do this was as easy as baking a pie; they simply translated the original Greek into Latin and at the same time adding their own twist to it. Then they would translate the Latin back into Greek and call it the original Greek. What a perfect deceiving plan that was which even today has fooled the most intelligent and wise scribes of our time, and certainly every basic Christian teacher/preacher/pastor whose job it is to relate such translations to the people.
Now this worked fine while the people were ignorant and were refused the right to learn/read the bible, but after the reformation thanks to heroes like John Wycliffe, John Huss, Martin Luther, and such, we are graced with the truth about Christianity (albeit an edited version of the truth) and it did not take long to reveal the error of this evil Roman Catholic Church. Many charges were brought against the RCC after that and they had to quickly think of ways to deceive the people to put them back on relative safe ground again. They did this in many ways by inventing lies and doctrines and false teachings to divert the focus away from the horrific sins of the RCC. And it worked a treat. A bit like the American government who diverted the attention of their secret space war inventions away from the people using the Roswell incident. Politicians still use the same method today to deceive the people and take the focus off their own unscrupulous behaviour.
Today though, through the help of technology and instant communications and the web, there is no place found where the RCC can hide: it’s all out there in black and white for all to see. The part I don’t understand well is the fact that so many Christians now know the evil intentions of this cult (would hardly call them Christians) and all their sins of the past and present day child molestations, and yet they still forgive and forget so easily as to continue to reverence them. Don’t forget that we only see the sins they have been caught doing, but what about all the horrific and unimaginable sins they got away with and were not caught? There is none more Antichrist on the planet than the RCC and yet the poor blind flock still regard them as Christians. Right from the outset they oppressed the true believers and followers of the true gospel of Christ in a perpetual reign of terror sacrificing truth for the sake of money, possessions, and power. Fortunately though, the horrid truth about the history of the Roman Catholic Church is in plain view for all to see, and if one chooses to give them favor after knowing the truth, then Christ will withdraw His grace and leave that one Christless. Heaven demands the loyal Christians of Christ to make a stand for truth and justice, and stop turning the other cheek to the devil.
Its exciting and entertains people
First one needs to know the magnitude of the devils position in all this. That evil one Satan has always been a liar and a deceiver so as to lead the children of God away from the truth that leads to their inheritance. Why? Because Satan knows that should a soul progress in holiness above the angels like the bible says we can, then even these mortal souls will be given more power and standing than him for eternity. That must eat away at Satan’s ego like a cancer, further encouraging him to deceive the whole world if he can and stop this holy promotion of true believers. It is all Satan has left to do; to rob God if he can of His prize, but the consoling truth in all this sadness is that only those who do not hear the voice of Yahoshua/Jesus are the ones who fall into the devils trap. Those fully awake and loyal to the truth are inspired and hear His voice and are saved from such destruction.
We can also clearly see the false teachings of most of the Protestant teachers/pastors who, in the name of Jesus sadly enough, promulgate the notion that once we are saved we are always saved and can’t lose our salvation. Also, along with this false belief, they promote the love of wild music, wild dancing, the love of money, and the speaking in gibberish that nobody can understand. It’s all merely entertainment where on any given day or night session you will ultimately see a lot of crazy behaviour all in the name of the Holy Ghost of God. They do it every session without fail. I been to many of them in my time, and not once did I see a behaviour partial to that fo Yahoshua/Jesus; it was always crazy stuff like pushing people over backwards, yelling and screaming offensive gibberish, people running around the isles jumping dancing and waving their arms all in the name of God. I wonder what a newcomer who might just have walked in think? He would be out of there like a shot carrying with him the vision of crazy people who say they believe in God. They use this vision to justify non-belief in God.
With the Roman Catholic Church its a little different, but once we are wise to the deceit of the devil we can always avoid the pitfalls. We can then clearly see the error and sin of the Roman Catholic Church and so easily avoid her destructive soul bashing. Unfortunately there are some who are more interested in the pompous ceremony and garb of this RCC and follow them in their error proclaiming of all things; they are the only true church. Those who are sincere with their faith (God knows) will receive the gift of discernment which shows the believer what lies below the surface of those opposed to the truth and show their true colour. For example: I believe I am sincere and truly desire a closer walk with God, so God shows me the insincerity of some others in the Protestant Pentecostal churches of the world who are into all the hoopla mentioned above, as all unnecessary and not in the way Yahoshua/Jesus would behave or even want His sheep to behave. I would be ‘saved’ by God from mixing with such offensive to God behaviour as my just reward.
And its the same method God uses to save me from the pompous nose-high garbage that the RCC crowd entertain. Would you believe that once 25 years ago while visiting a remote town called Benambra high in the Victorian alps of Australia, I visited a RC church because it was the only one open then. This is when I was only a short time Christian and rather naive to their pompous antics; otherwise I would not have been found dead in such a place. Anyway, after an hour of chanting and reciting what appeared to be useless phrases it came time to take Holy Communion. Everyone was in line as you could imagine, and when that smoking bucket waving priest got to me he went straight past with me receiving the bread and wine. So I said excuse me, but you missed me, and that hypocrite smiled as he looked me fair in the eyes like the devil himself and said; “sorry my son and God bless you” but refused to serve me as the others. Outside later, humiliated as I was, I questioned some others and they said … oh no friend, you must attend frequently and become one of us before you are worthy to receive Holy Communion. I was flabbergasted as I asked myself… is this the real Jesus? Would the real Jesus turn me away like this?
So when you analyze all church groups like these you soon come to realise the insincerity and hypocrisy of it all. Its all about catering for the desires of mankind to get them in the door where they can be robbed blind of their hard earned money, rather than about what the Son of God might want or do! The RCC caters for those who are partial to their pompous outward appearance and ceremonies, while the Pentecostals cater for those into loud rock music and drug like behaviour. Either way it is all just entertainment lacking any semblance of truth and Godlike life.
Everyone likes the thought of miracles, so these church institutions either have to produce some now and then, or suffer the loss of bums on seats. With the Charismatic Pentecostals it’s all a floor show whereby they invite poor sick people to the stage with hype preaching and loud seducing music where they lay on hands and push them backwards where they are caught by men standing behind. They call it “slaying in the spirit” where they believe the spirit if Christ heals them. The problem with this Hollywood movie style floor show is that out of the hundreds of millions that have been apparently healed, not one has the proof. Sure they “claim” it, but in reality healing has never taken place. They will say they have doctors proof… but you never get to see it or the doctor for goodness sake. It’s all a simple con for simple minded people with blind faith who are willing to lose their money and dignity to push their evil agenda. 60 minutes Australia did a follow up on Benny Hinns so called cancer healings over a couple of years and found not one was healed, and most were dead from their illness.
With the Roman Catholic Church and some evangelical protestant churches, its a little different; they will claim healing, but never offer it in church meetings like the others. They kind of believe the same, but don’t practice it. They are I guess more hypocritical than the others because they offer the words but not the actions. Does that remind you of some people? Yes, the Pharisees of old, that right! Every now and then, just to spice up the faith a little to hopefully attract a few more suckers to the pews, they will organize a miracle like oil coming from the eyes of a Mary or Jesus painting and call it a miracle from God. I mean a healing yes maybe…. but a weeping picture for goodness sake? What gain is there in that for the poor gullible followers, or even for God? It’s a joke and everyone is laughing outside of the faith, and they have good cause to. Even non-believers have enough discernment to realize a weeping picture is not only easily manufactured deceivingly, but of absolutely no good use to God at all.
But, it all attracts people to the church building every Sunday hoping for more of the same. people in general are easily hyped up; just look at how unionists can hype up a crowd of 200000 people into a rage and almost destroy everything round about them. And how a stadium full to the brim with 100000 people can be sent into a fury by only a few on the sporting field, and destroy the place with smoke and fire and brawling. These church institutions are no different to these evil doers, except that they steal from the poor to give to the rich… all in the name of Jesus. It’s shameful indeed, but my only consolation is that most times these poor gullible souls deserve what they get. I have seen greedy people empty their bank accounts of thousands of dollars to give over to these religious criminals just because they believe God will give them back double their money, or even seven times as I heard one evil preacher man tell them.
Good folks out there, that old church up the street that only has a few dedicated followers, but preach the truth and only sing a few dull hymns, might seem boring to you, but they are more in the way of Christ. They are way ahead of those mega churches packed to the roof with excitement seekers, who after dancing to loud rock music for an hour or so, then go back to their old ways in sin city. Their only conviction toward perfection is some greedy preacher screaming out for their hard earned dollar and some play acting on the stage followed by loud music and dancing. Is that what you really think Almighty God of gods and King of kings is about? Can you really imagine in your mind’s eye that the real Jesus is there amongst them singing and dancing to such loud unholy music and playing a part in their drunk like floor shows? Please, don’t lower yourself to their standards; you are better than that!
Rev_18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
Amen.
To test Gods people
If you believe that Almighty God created all things, then you must believe He created evil also. This does not mean He created evil because He wants you to do evil; God forbid, no but there is a good reason for it. God would never create something for no reason right? We are here on this life journey for one reason only, and that is to be perfected to a state of being in spirit and soul, to not only bring glory to our creator, but also to be worthy of His presence. The process of being perfected is a long one and controversial to say the least to the uniformed, so I won’t go there now for the sake of peace and space, but it does indeed require us to be tested continuously on our journey to allow God to see our progress. This is why God allows so many things to happen to us and others that seem so ruthless and barbaric to the world (because of their shallow and carnal minds), but indeed they are designed to mold our souls and refine our spirits to suit the everlasting ways of God. It is said..” to overcome temptation is a good test of character”. God knows this and tests our character by allowing us to be tempted with evil to see just how much we love Him by refusing to partake.
Many testings manifest in our lives and certainly very few greater than our test of faith. A simpletons explanation might be like this; There are two denominations for you to choose from which include one from the Joel Olsteen or Benny Hinn cults let’s say, and another from the more docile style of let’s say the Presbyterian. Now how your spirit guides your soul in this matter depends actually on the “desire” of your spirit which is often called “in your heart”. If the love of money is in your heart, then most likely you will follow Olsteen, and if you move to the sound of loud music and fake miracles, then you will more than likely go with Benny Hinn or Brian Houston in Australia. Now if you are primarily interested more about the truth and the ways of God, then you will seek the quiet more conservative style of the Presbyterian church where you can learn more and be at peace knowing that the money issue is also less significant here. You see it is a test for God to see which way you will go… whether you follow your instinctive character of your indulgent heart, or overcome your love of fun for the sake of truth.
Each institutionalized denomination or religion seems to have it’s own deception to entice the poor insecure soul through its doors. There is the charismatic Pentecostal movement with its outrageous acting and floor shows, complete with comedy and rock music that leave their brethren full satisfied in the flesh, but spiritually deceived. You will find likeminded people will flock to these places like flies, only for the fun, and not the truth. You see what I mean? If you are more interested in truth and the true Christ who convicts us, then you won’t seek these pleasers of the flesh Hollywood preaching type churches, but instead seek Yahoshua/Jesus Himself who plays no part in those turning Gods house into a den of thieves. If you are sincere you will be revealed the truth and hear His voice to “come out of her” and save yourself. I can personally assure you that you won’t find Yahoshua/Jesus playing a part in any of these comedy acts you see each Sunday morning at these meetings. If you do resist these places, then it shows God you are in it for the truth and not the fun, and you will surely receive the fruits thereof.
Then we have the Catholics with their worship of idols and saints that cunningly deflect the true teachings of a spiritual Christ, to a more material Christ who is dead on a wooden cross and who has little to say. They believe Jesus made them teachers in place of Him. In my view, this church organization attracts the most because of the image of materialism it portrays to the public. Everything is materialized in the name of symbolism. Why do we need a statue or a picture or a Priest all dressed up in religious garb to influence us into believing in something or someone who is spirit. Why do we need something material to believe in something spiritual? As much as this concept is totally irrational, ironically it is the most common and easiest to be deceived. I think the greatest test of character for God to observe is to see someone leave the Catholic Church and all its material gloss and garb. This church has all the looks to attract religious seeking people who are gullible and at times obviously vulnerable, and so do very well to get out of her grasp and pass the character test. When I see this happen, which is not often, it always brings tears of joy to mine eyes.
With the Muslim lot it’s much the same as the Pentecostals because those who seek the radical side of Islam only do so because of the lust for blood that is deeply ingrained in their selfish hearts. On the bright side of this group though, their conservative ways and most of their laws are in keeping with much the same as the evangelical Christians. Discipline is good for the body and soul, and Islam is a much disciplined religion; unfortunately though, it is led mostly by radical groups that use fear to get their way. This is sad for me because I can see their sincerity, and if they used this sincerity for good instead of evil bloodletting, then I would almost favor them higher than most others. It is this open demonstration of power and shedding of blood that attracts these people, and so again it is a great test for one who is partial to such evil traits.
You can see that I have only listed the three main religions in the world, but each and every single religion/cult has its fleshy attraction to entice you through their door. I have yet to see even one small group that does not have a gig to attract people aside from God’s truth. Some may start off sincere, but get overwhelmed with the gluttony and monetary profits of their church and end up on the same road as all the others. When you find a church galvanization where the preacher is not paid and there is no plate handed round, and the teachings and ways of God are taught continually, then you might just have found a genuine spiritual church of God worth attending on a regular basis. And when you do, I beg you to inform me so I might attend also. This is why there is so much deceit in this world, to keep us honest through testing of our character for God to judge us fairly. The sincere and pure of heart are able to avoid such temptations and thus pass Gods testing, and in turn be given wisdom to see the truth, and if they stick to that truth then God is pleased and that is all that matters.
Our duty of care
Worship God with what we are given
I was born and raised Catholic, but converted to Christianity as an adult. I hear you say… converted? I thought Catholicism was Christianity! Unfortunately most also think that so don’t feel any less a human for doing so, but no, Christianity is defined as a religion that follows the teachings of Christ/Yahoshua/Jesus, and Catholicism certainly does not do this. They might believe in Christ, but so does the devil, but it is in following His teaching that defines you as a true Christian. This is not the right forum to extend on this subject but basically said… if you don’t love one another and even your enemies, then you are not a Christian, and Catholicism has slaughtered and tortured millions of good people from day one almost, so it has for over a 1000 years broke the second of Christs commandments. And if you want to get technical, they also broke the first commandment to love God, when they changed His Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. A leopard never changes its spots, and a good indication of future events is the history of past events.
When we give over our life to any religion, there is always a duty of care associated with that particular religion. For the Muslim it might be to pray five times a day for example, and for the Buddhist there are certain laws to live by (basic and noble laws) and for the Catholic there is loyalty to a Pope, and to a Christian it is to follow the ways of Yahoshua/Jesus. For every religion/denomination there is a duty of care regarding life within that group, and these rules must be abided by or else one is usually excommunicated quite briskly. I don’t know of any one single religion that allows its members to “only” believe in God their creator; there is always rules attached.
I do not personally believe that any religion in particular holds the only way to salvation. If it was true that the Almighty God of creation saved only one faith, then it could, and should be said, that this God was grossly unfair and merciless. I just cannot accept that a true loving God could for instance only allow those who follow and believe in one man, Yahoshua/Jesus Messiah, and send the rest to eternity in hellfire. Instead, I believe that if a person is good and does what is right, and believes in the Creator, then he/she is saved. If you think that a person who looks after the poor, loves animals and Gods creation, is pure in mind and body, and loves God and his neighbour, is sent to hell because that person does not even know Yahoshua/Jesus, then I must admit I don’t want any part of that God, especially when many of these so called Christians are hypocrites and happy to be called sinners forever.
So I believe that wherever you are born, and whatever religion you are born into, if you uphold the laws of live and be good in the eyes of God, and be kind to your fellow man… then you have all the qualities to support eternal spiritual life. Each of us, wherever we are, are born with a certain amount of Gods Spirit, and we all know and feel what is the right thing to do in all circumstances. If this were not so, then the whole world would be in anarchy. You have all seen how life is where there is no love for one another and the lack of the basic laws of God in such places as native African countries, where anarchy reigns night and day, and so we all should also know why this happens; the lack of love to one another. It matters not where we come from or what religion we are born into; we need to be good, in our own way, and in the eyes of God.
So all of us are born under different circumstances and into different religions, and so the important things is that we uphold the basic foundational rules within all these religions and be good. For example, if you are a Muslim, then pray five times a day but don’t do any harm to any other of God’s creation. If you are Christian, then fine, do what Christ teaches and don’t be a hypocrite in the dark while in the daylight show all the purities of an angel. Practice what you preach for God’s sake. And if you are indeed a Catholic, then that’s fine too, by all means believe whatever you want what your religion teaches, but do not continue to support any of the false teachings that have been coming out of that church since its beginnings. Instead do the right thing and follow in the steps of some great Catholic patrons of the past like Mother Theresa and Mary Mackillop, and put your faith into practice for goodness sake.
If we truly believe in Almighty God as our creator and teacher, then we worship Him with whatever life has given us. If we are born in the Australian outback as an aborigine then we worship the Great Spirit in the sky as our forefathers taught us. The main thing is we “do what we believe” and be good people in the eyes of God. We can’t use ignorance in this matter because as I said earlier, we all have a whisper of Gods Spirit from within that tells us right from wrong, and so all we need to do is listen and obey. Why is it you don’t kill your mother or father? Is it because the law says you should not do this… or is it because your school teacher tells you its wrong? No, it’s because you just don’t want to because you love them and don’t want to hurt them. This is the love of God manifesting within you like I said, and the reason you don’t go out and rape and kill others in your neighborhood is because you also have this inner love for them and don’t want to hurt them. Can you see it now? When you “love” someone as God loves you, then you have no reason to do wrong. Get it? So worship God with what you have, and always listen and obey His whisper within that shows clearly right from wrong. If you here a whisper and it tells you to do something wrong, then that is not God, but His adversary, so be warned and beware; evil spirits exist.
Spread the Good News
As believers in a creator God, no matter where we are in the world, and no matter what religion we follow, we all have a duty to share what we know about God with others. Whether by intermingling or by the pen or simply at work; it’s our duty to spread your good news to others. No religion has all the truth I agree and admit, but sharing what you do have and know can go a long way sometimes to helping some poor unfortunate soul born into a spiritless situation who needs help understanding a spiritual concept. A person receiving from Buddhism is better than from devil worshipers, and a person receiving from Islam is also better than from atheism and so on. In some cases of extremism, a particular religion like Islam and Catholicism can produce bad fruit, but this is always because of the hearts of men who are ruthless in their own desire for greed, power and blood. Any religion for that matter can show such contempt for the truth and go way off the rails, so this is where your wisdom should kick in and ask yourself… does God really want this? Or does God create just so we can kill? Of course He doesn’t so in our wisdom we leave such corrupt religious organization.
For me for instance, I write what God gives me so that others can also learn from it. It is a sacrifice for me to do this because I could be doing a million other things more enjoyable, but I do it because I believe in what is good, and want to advertise it as much as I can of course. I give one day a week to writing, hopefully under the guidance of that inner whisper I speak of which is God. The good thing about writing is that if you make a mistake, like hearing the wrong whisper so to speak, you can on reflection correct that, whereas preaching or talking to friends this is all but impossible to notice, let alone correct it. I of course slip up sometimes in my life’s journey and might give the wrong impression that I am a bad person, so I must always be alert to these testing times and be ready to correct my behaviour for all to see. This is understandable because we are only human and prone to honest mistakes, but the important thing is we display open correction at these times.
For others, like Muslims, Catholics, or any other religion for that matter, it is very important you display the correct doctrinal behaviour of such religions and not lead others astray by incorrect and misconstrued information contrary to that religion. No religion is all right or all wrong, but we all know the right thing to do in most cases with or without our faith, so we should at least be able to discern the correct meanings of what we read from our own particular religion. If for instance our religious book speaks of attacking a city and killing all its occupants as it happens in some chapters, does this mean we are to emulate such barbaric evil behaviour? Absolutely not, because in its original context you will find it was for a specific reason God asked this to happen, and we should not assume that for us today. This is a huge problem for Islam today where some small minority groups read such writings and because of their inability to put such writings in its correct audience relevance context, they go out like a bull at a gate killing all in their path. This is because they mostly have a desire for blood in their hearts that rule their emotions and cause them to go astray.
The important thing in all religions is that we must understand that there is only one Creator God who has created every living thing on this planet, so to be so conceited to think that the God did not create the Muslim, Jew, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, and even the Australian Aborigine, is utterly arrogant and thoughtless to say the least. Christians are the worst at this and I think it is hypocritical when you consider the teachings of their spiritual leader Yahoshua/Jesus who instructs His followers to love ALL people. If I had to choose a way to God, there is no question in my mind that the way of Yahoshua/Jesus is by far the best way, but to say He is the only way is sending billions of poor souls to hell who have never even heard of Him. This is childish shallow behaviour at its worst and needs wisdom to correct it. When you think of the Eskimo, the Australian Aborigines, the American Indians, and who knows how many other isolated native people, you have to question the wisdom of those of certain religious groups who profess their own particular belief system as the only true way to God.
If I was to be asked which is the “best way” to God I would advise any way that encourages you to do good and refrain from evil… it’s that simple my friends; look after the poor and widowed, and comfort those less fortunate than you. Show compassion and empathy for the suffering, and open your heart and home to any who need help. These are qualities instilled in us by the God who is the same Creator of all and rewards all things according to the heart and not according to the letter, so have mercy on those who do not believe as you do and treat them as brother and sister, and don’t be like the Pharisees of ancient times who were proud to be hypocrites. They would preach all the laws of God, but not truly keep any themselves. Kind of reminds me of the radicals of this world who try and twist the letter of their books to say what they want it to say, only to satisfy their own lust for blood and terror.
Don’t paint God a terrorist or murderer; why would He create only to destroy like the radical Muslims and Christians think? I truly think that even though the Jews of old were mainly hypocrites, the Jews of today are closer to the mark. Like the Buddhist, they are not displaying murderous traits or overzealous evangelical preaching, and only fight back in defence. My mother and father always taught me as a child to treat others as I would like to be treated and always do good and stay away from evil; this is all God is asking us to do also my friends, so if you must teach others about God, teach this way, which you know is true and which is also the way of Christ. Meditate on this: If you believe in Christ or Muhammad, but do evil things and shed the blood of others, will you go to heaven before the one who never does evil and has never shed even the blood of an animal? This is exactly what the members of the Mafia believe, and you know they are a lost cause right? You are no different if you believe the same and behave the same.
Purify our minds
God has known us from the beginning, which is longer than you may think. To believe you are as old as your flesh is very wrong and shows you have not put much thought into your existence. I am here to tell you that you existed long before you were born into this world in this flesh. When you were born into your flesh however, you already had a character within your soul akin to your body. That is to say; your body suits the status of your soul. It’s no accident that you were born into your family, whether that be rich or poor, or black or white; you are in your current position according to your past behaviour. If you had a violent aspect of your soul before you were born, then you are then born into a violent family and lifestyle. You may deem that unfair but believe me it is the only way for you to become purified. The major role of your life in this body is to overcome the negative aspects of your soul ( i.e. violence, immorality, greed etc.) and first purify your mind so you can then replace the negative with the positive. This is exactly what the character Paul did in the Christian bible.
Before you can do anything however, you first must own your traits. You must delve deep into your own soul and admit to yourself at least, who and what you are. When you can humble yourself to this level, and actually get to know yourself, only then are you in a highly truthful state of mind and heart to be equipped with the right tools that can help you find the answers of life you are looking for. It is a state of being earned through honest and sincere faith (through whatever your religion) that puts you in great stead for advancement in God’s universal creation that leads to the resting place called “The Kingdom of God”. Don’t think you will receive such honour by simply believing; there is much hard work and sacrifice through much meditation and prayer. If this was not the case as most Christians believe, then our adversary Satan would be already a part of God’s Kingdom. Even Satan himself and all his demons do sincerely believe in God and Yahoshua/Jesus even more than you do, but do you think God will allow such wickedness into His Kingdom? Of course not, so why do you think you are welcome by just saying you believe in God?
Your most important duty of care as a professed believer in any God, is to put all your energy in this life God has given you into purifying your mind, heart and soul, and to set a positive course for the long journey of your soul. This is the very least you can do if you really believe as you say you do. There are great people of today and also the past who have done such things already and gone on to be great helpers of The Lord, Yahoshua/Jesus of course being the greatest of all. Also I think of others like The Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, commonly known as Mother Teresa, who sacrificed her own physical life to the end to help the sick and poor people of India. Moses who gave his whole life to save his Hebrew people over three thousand years ago. And then there are the likes of Martin Luther and John Wycliffe who were Christian men who gave their lives to make the Christian bible available to the world. Of course there are many others from many religions and denominations mentionable, but there is one thing they all have in common… sacrifice. Our notable sacrifice is our proof of faith. Anyone can mouth off a whole lot of lovely words full of truth and meaning, but only the true faithful can put those beautiful words into action.
I once knew a young man who was the son of a Baptist minister in Melbourne many years ago. At the time I had only known the Lord one year, and so could still be somewhat perceived as being pretty green around the edges and not what a long time Christian might deem a good example of Christian values. This young man was happy and even a tad proud to acknowledge to the world he was not a believer in God, although his father was a Baptist minister. He seemed to desire to pal up with me because as a newbie I was still showing outward signs of a non-believer, like smoking and drinking and nights out at the bar. We remained friends about a year until he could not stand the hypocrisy of my behaviour any longer after knowing I was a Christian. Sure he was a bit hasty under the circumstances considering I was only a few months earlier a full time boozer and into the occasional drugs and promiscuous behaviour, but the main point I want to make is; he was right to judge me in this way because I was trying to live both my old style and new style life at the same time which I realize now cannot work. This taught me a good lesson; to be a genuine child of God one needs to practice what one preaches with no in between.
On one hand I was trying to witness to this young son of a Baptist minister, and on the other behaving no more or less like a common street person displaying all the traits of a rager. Yes, he enjoyed raging with me too, but that was not the point for him at that time, it was my hypocritical outward display of in some cases, disgusting behaviour certainly not privy to a Christian man. It was typical he said, that this behaviour was also common in church life as he was raised by his parents, and is his primary reason for not believing in God. And yes again, he should not judge Christianity as a whole by the bad behaviour of a few, but growing up all his life within the church and witnessing the hypocrisy first hand over and over again, has to have an influence in his decision making, and I would not hold it against him in the least for condemning me at that time. That was a long time ago and I have since long repented from such things and try my hardest to keep the inside of my cup as clean as the outside so as not to visibly display anything contrary to behaviour expected from such a deep God fearing person as myself.
So by purifying our minds and hearts with Gods help of course, allows us to see clearly through the vague mist of life with assurity and confidence to know right from wrong behaviour, and thus displaying to those outside of our lives and even those outside of religious belief, a good example of the life a truly righteous God would instruct His children to live. By advertising our faith on the outside, but behaving contrary to that faith on the inside, can have detrimental repercussions for those who witness this hypocritical behaviour, and whether you like it or not, this behaviour will also be detrimental to your safe journey of live. We all have to pay our way on this life long journey we are on of which there is no short cuts. The Christian New Testament describes this very behaviour as a lesson to us to forbid it in our own lives. The Pharisees of that time were very much hypocritical as I have spoken of here, and Yahoshua/Jesus shows no mercy in this case for such behaviour, and has said that those seeking Gods Kingdom need to be better than those hypocritical Pharisees, or they will miss the boat.
Being purified is a process and of course will not happen overnight. For some it may happen sooner and for most it will happen later, but be assured, if your faith is true, it will happen, and you will at some time be purified. Being purified is also a process in the long and hard journey of our soul on its way to perfection. We are all desired by God to be perfect like Him if we are to ever be a part of His eternal Kingdom. If you believe this heavenly place is for sinners as most Christians and some other religions also believe, then you are deceived in your thinking and are in great need of God’s guidance in His ways. God has given all a chance to be redeemed through His own sacrifice and also our own sacrifice; we owe it to Him as well as ourselves to increase our sacrifice in our long journey to perfection, and we can initiate this process by first purifying our minds so we can see through the mist of deceptions all around us that weigh us down in this life and block our road to salvation. Yahoshua/Jesus came to teach repentance and perfection via purification of the mind and soul, and by the mercy and grace of God we all have this opportunity to fulfill this act of faith which is the duty of every religious person. To gladly receive His grace and not act upon it is the epitome of hypocrisy.
Keep the commandments of Father and Son
Personally I do not believe that Yahoshua/Jesus Christ the Man is the only way to the Kingdom of God; if this were so then many billions of people will suffer the torment of hell according to many Christians, and I do not believe the true Living God would allow such things especially considering it is not their fault they never heard of the Jewish messiah. But what I do believe is that the ways and teachings of Yahoshua/Jesus is the best and easiest way to enter into His kingdom or heaven as many call it. From the Christian bible it is recorded that Christ gave two commandments to follow which He considered the most important enough to keep, and He goes on to make it clear that the whole Law of Moses depends (or hangs) on these two commandments. Let us delve a little deeper shall we?
So what then is “the way” of Christ? This is an ideal opportunity to point out the hypocrisy demonstrated in the Christian mainstream religion. Their own bible (which by the way they know little about its history) states clearly that the first and main commandment of the very Character they regard as their God in the person Jesus, is to love God with all their mind, heart, soul and strength, but I don’t hardly see any doing this. As I have many times mentioned; even Satan can say He loves God if He wants, but it is only by action, that proves faith, that we can know for sure if it is really so. It is easy to verbally say that you do love God with all your mind heart and soul because nobody except God can really tell if you do, but what about all your strength? Why would this man Yahoshua/Jesus use this decisive word if it were not to be a part of the criteria for loving God? Simply because it does require much effort or action (contrary to mainstream Christianity as they hardly ever use this term) to love God with all your strength. Allow me to explain.
When we use our strength to love our husbands and wives with all our strength, how do we show this? Yes, we first consider what our partners desire, and then we set out to please this desire, and this requires action with much strength in many cases. For instance, my wife might like to have her shoulders rubbed or her hair combed so I would complete this act of love on her as often as I could so as to please her because I love her. If I did not love her sincerely, I can assure you I would not exert such energy to prove I did. And again, I just get great pleasure in having my back lightly tickled which soothes my pain and unwinds my tenseness, and by doing this for me because she knows I like it, shows that my wife does indeed love me. I don’t have any money or fame, so why else would she use up so much strength to please me? Now with God things are much the same but with greater meaning and greater strength required; He does have desires that please Him. For instance, He desires that His people keep His ten commandments, and He desires that we care for the less fortunate and so on. This is where our strength is needed, and this is why Yahoshua/Jesus included this in His instructions.
If we do indeed love God as we proudly tell the world openly, then we are not only expected by God, but also commanded by God to keep all of His ten commandments that God gave to Moses, and Christ does nothing or says anything to change this. In fact He does go on to say somewhere that if we do not, then we will be the very least in the Kingdom od God. This is not where I personally want to be, although I am extremely grateful just to scrape in if that be the case though. I can see how little credence people put on the name of God with their tongues, and so see even less credence by their actions. You only have to see how many insincere and lying people out there who so loosely say… I swear to God, but in fact lie through their teeth. So you see it’s easy to use words, but actions require an effort, and in this case with pleasing God, much strength is needed. It takes strength to head to the mission fields. It takes strength to keep the Sabbath every 7th day, it takes much strength to not love the wrong things. So if we do indeed love God as we say we do, then we do what pleases Him. The problem is that most do not.
The second commandment of Christ is to love your neighbour as yourself. Wow, how many practicing Christians actually do this? We see Christian leaders of all denominations molesting children in some form or another. We see many also raking in millions of dollars for themselves while their neighbors starve to death or languish on the streets. We see Christians driving lavish cars, living in luxurious homes, and wearing a huge wardrobe of expensive clothes … all the while there are so many homeless and hungry people in their countries. If every Christian person loved their neighbour with their pocket (strength) instead of their mouth, then do you really believe there would still be even one single hungry person on this planet? As of now 2012, The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that nearly 870 million people, or one in eight people in the world, were suffering from chronic undernourishment in 2010-2012. Almost all the hungry people, 852 million, live in developing countries, representing 15 percent of the population of developing counties. There are 16 million people undernourished in developed countries.
So you see, with a world Christian population of approximately 2.2 billion believers, we cannot help support even 0.87 hungry people. One lousy dollar per day from every Christian person would see that nobody in this world would go hungry. I mean that’s not even one electricity bill for most people for goodness sake, and would hardly even dent the bank balance in the slightest of most Christians. And even if it did hurt a little bit, then that is the sacrifice you willingly suffer for Gods Kingdom. What hypocrisy in the Christian religion it appears. As much as I despise the barbaric behaviour of Islam, at least they look after their poor better than the Christians. If they stopped being hypocrites and loved their neighbour as themselves and loved God with all their strength just as their so called “word of God” teaches, then I am positive the world hunger problem would not exist today, and for all their efforts they would then be keeping Christ’s commandments and so receiving their just rewards in the Kingdom of God.
Live righteous lives.
In my opinion the subject of righteousness should not even require a mention, as it should be automatic to every person sincerely perusing the eternal sanction of/into their creators Kingdom. It is widely accepted that the Creator of this world is a God of righteousness and His Holy Spirit abides in all who genuinely believe and trust in Him, and so guides all believers in paths of righteousness. The only controversy in some cases is what indeed is deemed righteous, and when it should be applied. For example, the Christians believe in turning the other cheek is an act of righteous behaviour of which I totally agree, but the Muslims believe its ok to use force and even murder as a righteous act in the name of their God. The Buddhists believe that any form of violence for that matter, unless defending a life, is not considered righteous. This is why I do not consider myself attached to any particular religion but prefer to refer to my God as Creator or Father of all creation. Religion names only cause dissention in my humble opinion because they all believe theirs is the only true religion. The main focus in all religions however should be first living a righteous life. It’s not rocket science, but many want to make it so.
What is the big deal about righteousness anyway? Does it only rain of righteous land and not on the unrighteous? The answer is yes and yes of course; yes it is evidently a huge deal in the scheme of things, and yes it does rain on both the righteous and unrighteous. So why choose to be righteous then, if the rewards (on the surface at least) appear to be the same whichever way you go. I mean there are as many rich evil people as there are righteous people in this world. As a matter of fact I would not mind betting there would be more evil rich people, so why should we bother being good at all in this case? Because our God tells us to is why. In every case almost where the man Yahoshua/Jesus went and healed people, invariably He would tell them.. “Your faith has healed you; now repent and sin no more”. Would He say this if He was not in favour of righteousness?
Not only from a book or a prophet or a teacher does these words come; but from the voice of God Himself if you are a sincere believer in a righteous God. As a matter of fact, He even whispers in the ears of those who don’t even believe in Him. This God who created you and this world you live in has known you a long time, even longer than you may think; way back before you were even born in fact, so He has no difficulty in whispering in your ear the right way to live. He convicts your heart when you do wrong and rewards your heart with love when you do good. It’s not your own personal feelings in these cases, but rather it is the Spirit of God Himself, who shows you the way to eternal life by leading you in paths of righteousness. Don’t be fooled; the unrighteous have no place in the future of God’s kingdom. Many will have you believe so, especially those who promulgate the “Once saved always saved” doctrine. We are here in this life as children of God and led in paths of righteousness to a destiny of perfection. Yes, our purpose and desire of our God is for all to be perfected.
There is another more important reason for us to live righteous lives, and this is because as the Christian Bible has rightfully indicated (Rom_6:23 ) that the wages of sin is death and the rewards of righteousness is eternal life. All of God’s creation is built upon the solid foundation of His Laws of which righteousness is the greatest. Life just cannot exist without righteousness so it’s importance cannot be trivialized if life itself is to continue. Look at the animal kingdom; sure life seems unfair where only the strongest survive, but even there amongst them there are righteous laws that govern their very existence. Should these righteous laws be extinct you will find also that species would also become extinct in very short succession. Every species on this planet, as is with every human, hears the righteous whisperings of God in all things they do; the only difference is between those who follow those whisperings and those who don’t.
A perfect example of righteousness as the most important ingredient of life is the radical Muslims (not the liberals) who base their whole belief system on what they personally believe in contrast to what their founder actually taught. Its all about them in contrast to life as a whole. Because they believe they will get 70 virgins in heaven for blowing up innocent people, they are happy to die for it. If their hearts were to be exposed for all the world to see, then you would see clearly that it’s either the lust for sex or the lust for blood that rule the hearts of these people. This behaviour is clearly wrong and evil and the opposite to what God really wants, and results in waring, looting, raping, and death of their own kind mainly; even their immediate family members in many cases. If left alone (as the UN and namely America, Australia, and England should realize) they would eventually wipe each other out, which may not be a bad thing. It would leave the mainstream liberal Islam which is not at all an unrighteous group of people who have lived and still live by some very good family and social community laws. In this case it would show that righteousness (not murder as the radicals like to do) reigns while evil dies from existence.
As said before, God has known us a long time prior to this life and His ultimate desire for us is to live forever in spirit under the umbrella of love and righteousness. We are given this chance in this lifetime to display our true character and display our true desire for goodness that is the main prerequisite for Gods Kingdom. Almost all mainstream religions (if not all) teach this and is constantly used in judgment of their brethren. The important message to believe here is not to have to obey righteousness, but rather to desire righteousness, and in this way you are slowly but surely purified and soon become worthy to accept high position in the Kingdom of God. Sure, there are many laws of righteousness promulgated by all religions, but if you can basically treat all mankind and the animal kingdom as you would like to be treated yourself, then you have no need to know all these laws because they will all be automatically fulfilled by loving your neighbour as yourself. This is the Epitome of all the laws of the universe because it is upon the law of righteousness that all is created. It is not only our duty of care to live righteous lives, but it is mandatory for the ongoing life of your soul and eternal life in the Kingdom of God your creator. It’s all about desire and motive, and overcoming adverse reactions to the security of your soul.
How much do you love God
Many times in my life I have often heard sayings like; put your money where your mouth is… or practice what you preach … or even don’t just talk the talk, but walk the walk also. For instance, your husband/wife might say “I love you” but how can you believe them? Do they support you, and comfort you in times of troubles? Do they sacrifice their time to be with you? Do they keep their promises and be loyal to you? Are they faithful to you? These are just a few of the questions one asks in their search for true love. let’s face it friends; anyone can say the words “I love you”, but only by their actions can you be assured of their words. Only a fool would trust in words only!
When the Christian Messiah Yahoshua/Jesus came to save His people because of His great love for them, did he just use His mouth to prove His love? No, first He sacrificed all His time to visit, preach, encourage, heal, and finally to teach them the way to salvation and eternal life. He virtually gave all His strength in proving His love for His people, and in the end He laid down His own life for them as a supreme sacrifice of love. And what were some of His last words as most of those He came to save so proudly screamed “Kill him”? Forgive them Father because they don’t know what they are doing. If that is not the epitome of love I don’t know what is. And so it should be much the same with all who profess to love one another and love God.
So when I ask you how much do you love God, I would expect you to show some proof of that love in the form of “action”. And by the way folks, going to church once a week is not an action of love to God, but more an action of self-gratification, because you actually enjoy your day with common friends and also the rest day, that is not a sacrifice at all. When I used to go to church (over 15 years ago now as I write) I so much looked forward to it and it was almost as exciting as going to a football match. It was not a sacrifice; but rather a day out for fun. Because I believed in a God that would save me from my sins and give me a free pass to heaven without passing go, I just so much looked forward to spending the day with likeminded people. Of course, for me at least, I now realise this church thing is more of a business than a congregation of saints, and so refuse to be associated with such practices. Since leaving this church I have excelled in the knowledge and wisdom of my Creator.
The best way you can prove your love for God is to simply give Him your time. That’s all He asks people. Oh yeah sure, every day to you is a Sabbath day with the Lord; I heard that a million times. But I tell you the truth, there would be scarcely a million people in this world that really know the Lord, let alone two billion Christians who believe they are saved. You go to work six days a week and spend seven nights a week with your dear wife/husband and children, all the time concentrating on the thrills of family and the need work related concertation, and yet you still have the gall to proudly boast you are with the Lord 24/7? Where is the sacrifice in that? True love is remember, sacrifice right? Can you show me all this sacrifice you partake in for The Lord God you true Farther and Saviour?
There are in reality only two signs of true love, and they are in my opinion; devotion and sacrifice. Within these two acts of love contain all other signs and proofs of deep and true love. If you are devoted you will follow always without doubt or deviation, and if you sacrifice your time, money, home, and plain hard work, all in the name of your Creator, then your “actions” are a manifestation of your deep and true love for Him. You have put your money where your mouth is and have also walked the walk in His name. If you really feel you love God with all your heart but your life lacks action, then I pray the Lords Holy Spirit to convict you of this and inspire you to practice what you preach and put your faith into practice to show by action and sacrifice you love for Him. Am I saying go to the Afghanistan front and preach salvation to the Muslim radicals? No, that would not only be a careless and ungodly act of suicide, but also a total waste of a life that God could use for beneficial spiritual advancement for people around you. To those who are graced with the ability to heal… let them heal; for those gifted with the ability to preach… let them guide the flock; and for those given the ability to write… let them write and share Gods inspirational guidance as I am doing I believe right now. Simply give (sacrifice) some of yourself in the name of love to your fellow man for God’s sake.
There is also another measure of love, and that is found in your own particular life situation. For instance, I was not born into religion as were many others; I was somewhat raised an atheist without religious teachings and social gatherings, but well educated in the not so righteous ways of the other side. Others I now know were born and raised in the church all their lives and know very little about the evil side of life. So there is a great gap experience wise between the two. A perfect example would be smoking; I smoked for 45 years and drank plenty of beer and even pleasured myself into a few different drugs. It was a tough sacrifice for me to repent from all these body and soul destroying traits that were needed to show my love for God. Whereas others I know have never tasted any alcohol or even smoked a cigarette, so there is no sacrifice there at all. Am I saying because of my sacrifice I am better than them? Not at all, I am simply pointing out one sacrifice that they do not have to make.
On the other hand, they have spent all their life following the truth of our Lord, whereas I have only spent a portion of it (about 28 out of 62 years). I applaud them for their unshakable faith all those years that must have been surrounded by temptation no doubt. For me I became a believer as a last resort before an intended suicide, so I was simply trying to cover my backside before leaving this world; in other words it was not much of a choice or sacrifice for me to make. But for those who were not choosing to follow God just to save their flesh as I was, but through faith and only faith, these are the real champions worthy of His grace. I chose God because simply my friends… there was not much left for me; it was God or death. So what I am trying to infer here is basically this; those who are born into the church, and those choosing God for no other reason but faith, are a million times better than me who had little choice, and I admire them greatly and declare indeed they are true sons of God. Especially those born into a religion and hold onto that faith (whatever it is) all their flesh life; they live their own sacrifice every day and I admire them. This is an action of faith in itself and is how they show their love for God.
So all in all I am simply saying that if there is no sign of your love for God outside of your words uttered from your mouth, then I am doubting your faith in God at all. I have witnessed this first hand in the church here where I live. Some people are happy to attend church on the outside, but in real terms within their hearts, they are far from the truth taught by their very own Messiah. As He said…
Mar_7:6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
… and as James also said….
Jas_2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
Works is our own personal sacrifice and is an extension or expression of our faith, and lack of such is proof of our lack of faith or even our lack of love for God.
To expose false teachers
The true gospel is not about God speaking what we want to hear, rather its about speaking what we need to hear. On our own we are selfish people and so we tend to seek only our own personal dreams that usually don’t include the welfare of others, so we need to hear and know the truth that comes from God, and we get this through the gospel taught to us by our religious leaders. Unfortunately the motives of such teachers are sometimes left wanting, and so they will seek to change or twist the meaning of Gods original words to suit their false doctrines of which they profit from one way or another. Every false teacher will always speak what you want to hear in order to make you happy and keep you coming to their church. Theirs is a feel good gospel that never talks about obeying Christ who brought the real gospel. Theirs is another gospel that has over the last few hundred years infiltrated almost every church denomination throughout the whole world. The true original gospel of Christ has been altered so much by the evil hands of past translators and scribes, that all is left is a small remnant of truth for the die-hards to hold on to, of which I am one.
If you observe the religious groups of this world around you, you will see the Catholics preaching about worshiping the virgin Mary and the need to confess your sins to the priest who have all authority on earth. You will hear the Muslims preaching jihad and Martyrdom, and how all women must remain faithful to their husbands and covered up while they practice adultery. You have the Protestants preaching Jesus and how you must imitate Him and love one another as you live righteous lives, and give 10% of all your income to them, while they live contrary to these teachings and spend your money on themselves. It’s all a huge scam covered in greed, lust, and hypocrisy, with the only winners being themselves. The only thing I do not fully understand about all these lies and hypocrisy is the fact so many knows about it, and yet they still tolerate and persevere to remain loyal to them. It just does not make rational sense to me at all. With all that is known about mainstream religions today it is a wonder that their meeting places remain occupied.
It is the duty of every religious person to expose the false teachings of their own particular religious teachers. Almost all have their ring leaders who stick out like sore toes, but nobody wants to expose them for some reason. I don’t really care what your religion or denomination believes, so long as you preach the true original teachings of that religion and not made up or twisted versions as almost all do. If I was to choose a religion right this minute to follow ( which I will not as I have my own personal belief) I would have to choose Buddhism because they all seem to follow the exact same set of original laws. A bit like the Jews, only minus the hypocrisy. I want to see them practice what they preach and set an example for me to follow, but instead I see Muslims killing their brothers, and I see Catholics abusing children and getting fat on the riches of their brethren, and I see Christians putting on circus like side shows and rock bands to win the souls of men to add to their booty. The real God must be bald through frustration by now.
Muslim leaders/teachers/priests are either called Imam for Sunni, and Mullah for Shia. I can’t speak for the world, but here in Australia where I live the two current prominent teachers as of 2009 are Sheikh Hilaly who blamed Australian women for being raped by Muslim men because of the clothes they wear, and Sheikh Mohammed Omran who is more like an over bearing war Lord than a religious leader. Throw in Sheikh Feiz Muhammad who is just a tad less than a terrorist, and all surely must admit this religion has to be seriously corrupted. Surely this prophet Mohammad that they follow was not this way inclined, which means these men are teaching a false Islamic gospel and must be exposed and defrocked. These men are dangerous Muslim fanatic teachers that are stained by sin so much that they can’t see through it all to see the truth, and so they are allowed to roam free to poison many other good Muslims (if there is indeed any left today) with their lies and deceit. I think they all teach contrary to the Koran and Hadith teachings simply to attract young followers and who knows how many financial and power benefits. Generally it could be said these leaders all have radicalism and violence in common. Of course many radicals will say they don’t, but what would you expect them to say?
The Jews, although mild and moderate in nature generally, still have much to answer on their false teachings according to the contents from their own Tanakh which encompasses the Torah, Nevi’im, and Kethuvim, which very basically is the Old Testament of the Christian bible. The hypocrisy I have personally witnessed in Jewish behaviour is almost equal to that of the Christians and Muslims. Generally speaking they will use the full force of the law in the courts to legally extract money from the poor who they know cannot stand a chance against them in court, and in my case I was advised by my own lawyer when he found out I was up against a Jew; forget it Mike… don’t even try because they will skin you alive. I ask… is the Jewish God a compassionate God the same as the Christian God? Or is he a thief and a scoundrel like the god of the Catholics? I have only had two personal experiences with Jews, but like it is generally spoken about them by many; they both were hypocritical thieving scoundrels with such a deep love of money, that leaving a poor man such as me thousands of dollars out of pocket, did absolutely nothing to awaken the slightest bit of compassion in their hearts. All that mattered was the money they could extort from me. When I read from their own Tanack I see clearly they do not pity the poor as is taught. You might find many teaching the truth from their religion, but certainly not practicing it, so in this light they are not necessarily false teachers, but more false players so to speak. Yes, hypocrites.
This brings us to the greatest of all false teachers in religion; the Christians. Generally speaking I see Christians as being blessed with the greatest of all teachers in the history of this planet, but unfortunately most of their clergy are rotten to the core, and even those who are not rotten, still are aware of the corruption within and the tampering of their scriptures, but still fail to do anything about it. They all know too well the true teachings of Yahoshua but choose to follow the mainstream who is more about change and wealth to care about the truth. They are ready to accept immoral sexual practices that their scriptures condemn, all in the name of change. They teach many false doctrines like that “once saved always saved” doctrine from hell, and also that evil “prosperity” doctrine that many greedy little money hungry brethren are so eager to cling to for obvious reasons. There is just too much to mention here but at least you should know that this religion is just as corrupt if not more so than the others, and will have much to explain at the judgment seat of Yahoshua on the day of reckoning
It seems to me in these latter days that the bulk of Christians and Muslims in particular are prepared to follow just about any doctrine invented that satisfies their personal lusts. Some Christians for instance are lazy so they say all I got to do is believe, and that is basically the extent of their poor pathetic paradigm of their faith, and are therefore so eager to follow the fake Hollywood preachers of our time that promote such garbage. Sure, its ok for the babes in Christ, but its a long straight path thereafter that no modern teachers seem to want to mention anymore. And then we have the small minded tough guys and gals that inwardly seek violence to satisfy their lust for blood, and so choose such a religion as Islam. If all the teachers of such religions taught only the truth of their religions, then the world would be streets ahead of what it is today. Just imagine, no more vulnerable Christians handing over their hard earned savings to the gluttony of thieves like Joel (the snake) Olsteen and Benny (the hypocrite) Hinn, but instead giving their money to those who really need it. And imagine being able to walk freely within Muslim nations without the fear of death by those seeking blood like a vampire. This would be heaven on earth in that case.
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 2 Tim. 4:3-4
This time has always been ever since the counterfeit church (RCC) teamed up with Constantine over 1600 years ago, changing all the rules and destroying all the evidence in order to establish a false doctrine of Christ that is easy to follow and wide is the road that accommodates them. You will notice this verse mentions… “endure sound doctrine” indicating life is not easy, and narrow is the gate that leads to salvation, but the false teachers of this world would have you believe life is a cake walk. Surely it is of the utmost importance in the scheme of things that we all fight tooth and nail for the truth and stand firm as we expose these sons of devils stealing the souls of men in the name of Christ.
Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man,
But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel. Prov. 20:17
For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works. 2 Cor. 11:13-15
But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. 2 Pet. 2:1
I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. Gal. 1:6-9
Source(s): The Bible
By the way, I do not judge that all teachers of all religions are false; merely the majority is all.
Sola Scriptura
What is Sola Scriptura?
Sola scriptura, by definition is the doctrine that the Bible is the only infallible or inerrant authority for Christian faith, and that it contains all knowledge necessary for salvation and holiness. Consequently, Sola Scriptura demands that no doctrine is to be admitted or confessed that is not found directly or logically within Scripture. This is absolutely fine with me if it can be proven that there is no corruption within the pages of this most reverend book, but as it stands today, there is unfortunately for some, shiploads of proof to the contrary.
Sola scriptura (Latin ablative, “by scripture alone”) if implemented as your doctrine, has the power to rob you of God’s gift of the Holy Spirit if you are not careful. The bible itself even testifies to this in…
Jer 31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Jer 31:34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
See… no more are we required to be ‘taught’ the ways of God because His words will be written on our hearts, where no man can corrupt it. No more are we required, like the Jews of old, to know the scriptures inside out, as we now have the Holy Spirit as our guide and teacher. Am I saying we don’t need the bible at all? Well yes and no actually. Yes because there happens to be some texts in the bible, especially the New Testament, that are not completely truthfully translated, and also there are parts conveniently left out that propose a different meaning to what was originally meant. And of course no, because the bulk of the bible is good instruction to the will of God. But let me say this; God judges your heart and not how much you know, and that is why He PUT His will on your heart. Remember, the letter killith sometimes… so beware. I still read the bible for instruction for certain things, and believe most of it is God’s will, but what I don’t still do is claim it is God’s word, because I know for certain some has been corrupted, and can only rely on God’s Holy Spirit to help me discern the difference.
Most today call this bible ‘the word of God’, which to me is a huge call. What if it is not the word of God, will He be angry with those who label it so? I think so! From what I gather, The Lord is not partial to His great and holy name being used in vain. Oh me oh my, the consequences of such a statement that is preached from the highest church steeple for the entire world to know, could very well be horrendous to say the least. What you are saying is that every word in this book comes from the very mouth/finger of GOD. I am sorry, but in my study of several bible translations over the years, I can categorically say this cannot possibly be so. The only possible way that it CAN be so is if you can agree that God makes mistakes, because there are some…no there are many translating mistakes in all versions of the bible, especially the one most revered…the King James Bible.
The other factor in all this is what the bible itself says about this subject. We know that anything recording the words of the prophets is also recording the word of God because He gives the words directly to that prophet, (see Jer 30:1-2 below) but can the same be said about other recordings, especially in the New Testament? Here is what Paul says about this issue;
2Ti 3:15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
All scripture, yes I agree, but please define scripture first before rushing off like wild horses and labelling everything you see scripture just because you are told by so called holy men from the Catholic Church who put it all together. We know from Jeremiah…
Jer 30:1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
Jer 30:2 Thus speaketh the LORD God of Israel, saying, Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book.
… that God’s word does indeed come to prophets of the old testament, and we can certainly give the same respect to Yahoshua/Jesus of the new testament, but from which other of the new testament can we bestow the prestige of prophet? Was Paul a prophet? Some would argue no, but that is another story. Was Mathew, Mark, Luke or John a prophet? Not that I know of. Is this to say what is recorded in the bible is totally false? No siree mate; simply that the word of God comes only from recognised prophets, and any other form can be a true saying, but NOT the word of God is all I am saying, and therefore should not necessarily be used and taught as such.
For instance, in the book of Matthew 16:23 where Jesus calls Peter Satan, and later Peter attacks a soldier with a sword and cuts off his ear, and even later where Perter denied Yahoshua/Jesus three times. Is this the man God would choose to use as His spokesman? I mean he denied the son of God for goodness sake, and yet people want to insist all he said was Gods words!
The Holy Spirit
As mentioned earlier, as Christians who believe through faith in the resurrection of Messiah Yahoshua/Jesus and His sacrifice for the sin of all who believe in Him, we receive as pure gift from Yahweh, His Holy Spirit to show us the way in His will. Now, with this firmly planted in our minds, let’s consider the following;
1/ Why do we need the Holy Spirit?
2/ What does the Holy Spirit do for us?
3/ Why do we need anything more?
We need the Holy Spirit (HS) to simply lead the way, for on our own we are carnal, lacking wisdom (for wisdom is of God), and totally incapable of pleasing. The HS convicts us when we are wrong and thus bringing us to repentance, righteousness and perfection before God. Remember, the HS is God in spirit, so what better way is there to know right from wrong? For example, we can argue all day about whether or not we should continue to keep the Sabbath according to scripture. Even the best of scholars today cannot agree on which is the case, but when we sincerely ask God to show you, you will soon have the answer through the Holy Spirit…God Himself. I am not going to say here which I believe to be the correct answer, for it will cause havoc and division, so for now let’s leave it there. My point is this; the HS is 100% reliable, and the bible I am sorry to say, even though mostly correct, is not 100% correct, and therefore less reliable. Again, this is another story we can catch up on later.
Another perfect example of this is when God said in…
Gen 9:11 And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there anymore be a flood to destroy the earth.
Now the bible tells us literally that God will never destroy the earth by flood again, and many use this verse to suggest that God will destroy the earth by fire next time to bring the world to an end, but what does the HS say concerning this? To me it says never will God ever destroy the earth…full stop. The HS says to me this…
… do you really think that I will destroy what I have created? Do you really think that because I said I would not drown you in a flood that I might cook you in a fire? I am a life giver, not a life destroyer. Do not use my name in vain!
Do you get my point now? See now how the letter can killith if taken straight without the HS? On it’s own it is just words and letters that show only a portion of the truth to a carnal mind, but throw in a Father, a Saviour, and a Holy Spirit, and voila…the whole truth and nothing but the truth. So to use the bible on it’s own for doctrine is like putting all one’s faith in those people who put the bible together and translated it, opposed to putting one’s faith ALL in God. How often I hear that…”oh God would not allow the bible to get corrupted”, but how silly is that? Did God prevent the original Greek texts from being totally destroyed? Did God stop the disciples from being murdered by the Jews and Romans? Did God save the Christians from the lions? Then what makes you think He would save the New Testament writings? What I believe He has done is rediscover New Testament times in the form of the Nag Hamadi Library and the Dead Sea Scrolls, where many parallel writings of the bible NT are found. Not only do they reveal that most of the bible to be true, but at the same time reveal parts that have been removed from the original Greek texts. Wow, what a great and powerful God we have in Yahweh.
Anyway where in the entire bible does it say “the bible” is the only way to salvation? If Sola Scriptura is true, then why do we need the HS of God at all? By definition it Sola Scriptura does say…’nothing outside of the bible is allowed’, so what if The Lord tells a later day prophet to write down a revelation, are we not within the bounds of God’s will to call it scripture…the word of God? Of course we are if God used this person as a prophet to pass on His message, so what then with Sola Scriptura? Who decides what is to be included in God’s word? And by the way, if the bible is indeed the infallible word of God, and I emphasize the word infallible here to make a very important point, then WHICH bible is the true word of God? I say this because every single translation of the bible all the way back to Wycliffe differ in some shape or form, one way or another. So if the bible is called the ‘word’ of God, and the bible is infallible (meaning 100% correct) then it can only be ONE bible, making all the other translations just ‘approximately’ the word of God, or in error. Does God make errors? Will the true bible translation please stand up!
Now we got that sorted out, all we got to do is figure out which of the many bibles out there is the real one. Many say the KJV bible is that one, but an average eye can see it has more mistakes from the Greek than a two year old sitting a uni degree exam. And if we did indeed prove one bible to be the word of God, then what of all the poor souls who lived and died according to another? See? See how confusing it becomes calling the bible ‘the word of God’? For goodness sake, this is why the letter killith, just look around Christian circles for 10 minutes and you will see all the squabbling over bible doctrines. It should NOT be a bible doctrine…it should be a GOD’S doctrine, straight from the heart where He said He would put it via His very own Holy Spirit.
We need no more than the Holy Spirit of God to live by. Through faith we receive It, and through faith we abide in It, and by faith we follow It. If this were not so, then there would be literally billions of lost souls who actually believed in God/Christ but never had a bible. How can you face these poor souls in heaven and tell them…sorry dude, you never read the bible so you’re going to hell. It is just so shallow minded to believe in Sola Scriptura. God does not judge by what you know, but rather by what you believe and do. He judges the hearts of men where there treasures are. Where their deepest desires are that reveal their true nature. Anyone can read a book and claim the prize, but with God there is no escaping the heart and soul. Amen!
Brief Bible history
Timeline of Bible Translation History, compliments of http://www.greatsite.com/timeline-english-bible-history/#timeline
1,400 BC: The first written Word of God: The Ten Commandments delivered to Moses.
500 BC: Completion of All Original Hebrew Manuscripts which make up The 39 Books of the Old Testament.
200 BC: Completion of the Septuagint Greek Manuscripts which contain The 39 Old Testament Books AND 14 Apocrypha Books.
1st Century AD: Completion of All Original Greek Manuscripts which make up The 27 Books of the New Testament.
315 AD: Athenasius, the Bishop of Alexandria, identifies the 27 books of the New Testament which are today recognized as the canon of scripture.
382 AD: Jerome’s Latin Vulgate Manuscripts Produced which contain All 80 Books (39 Old Test. + 14 Apocrypha + 27 New Test).
500 AD: Scriptures have been Translated into Over 500 Languages.
600 AD: LATIN was the Only Language Allowed for Scripture.
995 AD: Anglo-Saxon (Early Roots of English Language) Translations of The New Testament Produced.
1384 AD: Wycliffe is the First Person to Produce a (Hand-Written) manuscript Copy of the Complete Bible; All 80 Books.
1455 AD: Gutenberg Invents the Printing Press; Books May Now be mass-Produced Instead of Individually Hand-Written. The First Book Ever Printed is Gutenberg’s Bible in Latin.
1516 AD: Erasmus Produces a Greek/Latin Parallel New Testament.
1522 AD: Martin Luther’s German New Testament.
1526 AD: William Tyndale’s New Testament; The First New Testament printed in the English Language.
1535 AD: Myles Coverdale’s Bible; The First Complete Bible printed in the English Language (80 Books: O.T. & N.T. & Apocrypha).
1537 AD: Tyndale-Matthews Bible; The Second Complete Bible printed in English. Done by John “Thomas Matthew” Rogers (80 Books).
1539 AD: The “Great Bible” Printed; The First English Language Bible Authorized for Public Use (80 Books).
1560 AD: The Geneva Bible Printed; The First English Language Bible to add Numbered Verses to Each Chapter (80 Books).
1568 AD: The Bishops Bible Printed; The Bible of which the King James was a Revision (80 Books).
1609 AD: The Douay Old Testament is added to the Rheims New Testament (of 1582) Making the First Complete English Catholic Bible; Translated from the Latin Vulgate (80 Books).
1611 AD: The King James Bible Printed; Originally with All 80 Books. The Apocrypha was Officially Removed in 1885 Leaving Only 66 Books.
1782 AD: Robert Aitken’s Bible; The First English Language Bible (KJV) Printed in America.
1791 AD: Isaac Collins and Isaiah Thomas Respectively Produce the First Family Bible and First Illustrated Bible Printed in America. Both were King James Versions, with All 80 Books.
1808 AD: Jane Aitken’s Bible (Daughter of Robert Aitken); The First Bible to be Printed by a Woman.
1833 AD: Noah Webster’s Bible; After Producing his Famous Dictionary, Webster Printed his Own Revision of the King James Bible.
1841 AD: English Hexapla New Testament; an Early Textual Comparison showing the Greek and 6 Famous English Translations in Parallel Columns.
1846 AD: The Illuminated Bible; The Most Lavishly Illustrated Bible printed in America. A King James Version, with All 80 Books.
1885 AD: The “English Revised Version” Bible; The First Major English Revision of the KJV.
1901 AD: The “American Standard Version”; The First Major American Revision of the KJV.
1971 AD: The “New American Standard Bible” (NASB) is Published as a “Modern and Accurate Word for Word English Translation” of the Bible.
1973 AD: The “New International Version” (NIV) is Published as a “Modern and Accurate Phrase for Phrase English Translation” of the Bible.
1982 AD: The “New King James Version” (NKJV) is Published as a “Modern English Version Maintaining the Original Style of the King James.”
2002 AD: The English Standard Version (ESV) is Published as a translation to bridge the gap between the accuracy of the NASB and the readability of the NIV.
When you study the above bible history you can see that all seems genuine prior to AD 315 when Athenasius, the Bishop of Alexandria, identifies the 27 books of the New Testament. From around 400 BC onwards the Jews traded immensely with the Romans and so of course they would eventually almost share their language to an extent which is a type of slang for the original Greek language, and this language was called Koine Greek. If the Jews could not use this language to trade with Rome, then they simply could not trade… as simple as that. So this language one could say was the universal language of the time for the “known” world, and it was this language which the Old Testament was translated from the Hebrew into and called the Septuagint. There is some argument that the original scriptures of the New Testament were translated first into Aramaic, but that is doubtful considering Koine Greek was the language of the known world, and translating into Aramaic just because Jesus spoke it would be a foolish assumption in my opinion. The purpose of the NT books were to spread the Good News to the whole world (the known world that is) so it is acceptable to reckon it would be in a language understood by the whole world. To say it was Aramaic is to say it would be acceptable to print instructions for a Sanyo television only in Japanese, and then sell it mostly to the west who only speaks English; it’s just not sensible.
Now to trace the tracks of the bible during this time, say between 300-600 AD, we need to know a little about the history of that age. There was quite a lot happening in religious circles especially between 200 and 400 BC where the initial Christian (or rather Jewish for the want of a better word) faith was going through a huge transformation not inspired of God one would imagine. If the true followers of Christ early teachings who were predominately Jewish, were not being oppressed and slaughtered by the Romans, they were being oppressed and murdered by their own kind… those Jews holding on to their old testament laws and beliefs that Messiah came to destroy. All the original books of the New Testament were actually written by these oppressed people who were directly or indirectly associated with disciples apostles and other followers of The Lord and Messiah Himself. Their writings could be considered true and accurate and inspired by God.
Now when you imagine the religious turmoil at this time, with those Jews that had escaped the destruction of Jerusalem in AD70, together with the new distorted Roman Catholic cult arising from the true faith of Christ, and then throw in the many Pagan religions of Rome and also those of the true faith mainly called the Essenes and Nazarenes, then you have one huge melting pot of religions all striving for top spot and power. Unfortunately, and I have much trouble understanding why, those loyal to the true teachings of Yahoshua/Jesus were the first to disappear, and yet those not loyal to Christ who brought with them ulterior motives, were the ones who rose up in power prestige and fame, through a mixture of Christ teachings stolen from the true followers, and the many pagan practices of the sun worshipper Constantine as is with Christmas and Easter celebrations. It was almost a perfect mix; enough truth from Messiah Christ to keep people honest, and enough lies to keep people interested. You see people are not interested in anything that deprives them of their own personal pleasures of life, and these religious hooligans of the Catholic Church knew this and so were able to develop a worldwide church that was able to accommodate such human carnal desires. Even today, with the protestant mix that so boldly preach their distance from the evil Catholic Church, still use their evil manifestations. Its a joke of the simplest terms.
You really need to know and fully understand the weight of Romansh rule at this time. They were in charge, not this new rising cult out of the true Christianity, and so for the Roman Catholic faith to survive above all the many other religious groups manifested from Christ teachings, they had to compromise their rules to conform to Constantine who was a Pagan sun worshiper. You can’t escape this truth and to do so, you undermine any true teaching that was meant to reach the souls of men inspired to follow Christ. So they committed the most horrendous crimes of mutilation and murder to promote their cause, and to change and in many cases, destroy the inspired word of God written in the first century and replace it with their own. It was during these early years where Gods true inspired manuscripts were all but totally lost and destroyed, but not before this evil Roman Catholic cult was able to forge its own copy of these scriptures into Jerome’s Latin Vulgate in 382 AD.
Now that the early Catholic Church had their own edited copy of the true inspired manuscripts, the next step was to make sure all others prior, that were genuine, were utterly destroyed. Reason? Because the old originals testify clearly to the error of the new, and this would foil the plans of this evil cult to controlling the world. What they did not count on was the ability of God to keep them secretly in safe keeping through the Nag Hamadi library and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Those with the true spirit of God within have no problem at all today accepting them as authentic teachings of Yahoshua/Jesus and hold credence over our modern bibles of today. So, what we have now is a religious cult who has the favor of Constantine the ruler of the then known world, a mixture of Messiah teachings and pagan teachings, all of the original human association with Christ and His followers completely wiped out, and all the original writings, for now, destroyed and lost forever. This evil Catholic cult had nowhere now to go but onward s and upwards, all the way to this day in the year 2014, where every single protestant and Catholic traditional institutionalised church follows the false teachings, celebrations, and practices of the Catholic doctrine and even hold great reverence for their false god and Pope.
There is much in-between that I will only touch on briefly, where the Latin was latter translated back into Greek with mistakes and deliberate forgeries and all, and called, and even today refereed to, as the original Greek scriptures. It is from these erroneous writings that our current bibles today have manifested, and we so dearly and boldly boast as the “word of God”. This is in particular very stressing and sad for me, because I know from my research and study that this is not so. Some will be authentic and some not, but to weed out the false from the true is a huge task now and even then there would be no absolute derived I believe. Even today there are probably millions of poor deceived souls who will fight to the death to defend their precious King James Version bibles as the only pure and unadulterated word of God, but when the truth is known and proved, it is this version which host more error than any other version. What a sad state of affairs the modern Christian world is in today… nothing in writing authentic enough to hold onto in defence of their Catholicized Jesus and His false teachings portrayed by this evil Roman Catholic Church. If only they could realize that they play right into the hands of Catholic rule by keeping their lies and traditions. Lord have mercy!
Bible translations
Why all the different translations and where did they all come from? Can there be more than one truth? If there can be only one truth, then there can therefore in the case of Christianity, only be one bible translation. If all bibles differ from each other, then only one can be the truth (if indeed any for that matter), and therefore the rest liars. You can play and work with that all you want, make accusations and justifications all you want, even lie through your teeth if you want, but the fact remains that the bible per say cannot in the remotest way ever be considered the absolute truth and therefore be deemed the word of God. What is God thinking while His people are calling a book His word for goodness sake; and a many times over translated book for that matter. Where is all the wisdom gone from God’s people? Have we progressed at all from the Pharisees from 2000 years age?
What actually is the word of God anyway? The real word of God is The Lord Yahoshua, who laid down His own life that many might live, and the real reason for this label is because He is the only one that can be called holy, and therefore have the absolute truth. To assimilate the Lord with a book written by man (many men for that matter) is not only openly degrading our Lord and saviour, but nowhere near the truth. This book called the bible has been translated and transliterated that many times, and even corrupted at certain times by the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) to maintain their doctrines that it bares only a small resemblance to what was originally written in the first place. Sure, it is not wrong to suggest the original writings were God inspired, but to even remotely suggest that those very writings of old have been translated one hundred percent correct for us today, is pure fantasy, and should not be tolerated by a sincere truth seeker.
I have twenty-seven different bible translations on my computer and I can boldly tell you this; not one single copy says everything that the next translation says. Sure they may be close, but not completely the same, and it’s these small changes here and there that are made for one reason I assure you, and that is doctrine. Can you honestly state with complete assuredness that the Bishops bible for example was not made to justify RCC doctrine? Can you honestly say with conviction that the KJV was not made to hide the side notes of the Geneva bible (among other reasons)? Do your history homework first and the do your own sums; there is agenda behind every bible translation. To label all these new testament books and letters “scripture” as in the old testament scriptures, is a huge call and not one I would want to acclaim before my all inspiring and all judging God and creator, but to actually label them the word of God is almost blasphemy, and something definitely not to be taken lightly.
Here are some of the bibles I study from:
MSG, NASB, NSB, RV, WEB, WEBSTER, WNT, ALT, BBE, CEV,DARBY, ESV, GENEVA, ISV, AV, KJV OLD, KJV NEW, IGNT, NLT, NRSV, WEY, YLT, LITV, and of course everyone’s favourite the good old corrupted the NIV. When you compare verses and meanings with all these translations, quite often the point in case can differ. Whether you consider that important or not, the fact must remain that these all can’t be truth unless they all agree. Now when you also consider that there are many different ‘Commentaries’ on these different versions, it’s no wonder the world is full of Christians with different doctrines. Surely this must be confusing for the newbie and/or the seeker, and in some tragic cases even critical as it can lead one in one direction or another, and tragically again, even turning them away completely. The Muslim religion also suffers greatly from this dilemma, but theirs is of a different nature; at least they got the translations correct, it’s just their interpretations are what causes such division in their camps.
Answer me this; if you were to call your trusty KJV (just an example) bible the true word of God, and later being found guilty before God of falsifying His message according to this KJV bible, would you then claim ignorance to God for your blasphemous statements? I can see you now; “Oh Lord, I believed it was all the truth because I could not accept that You would allow your truth to be contaminated and corrupted, but instead believed You would preserve your scriptures for all mankind through the history of the world.” And The Lord God Himself will turn to you and say; “You fool, if I wanted to provide you with my written word for you to live by, why then would I then send you The Holy Spirit to live by? With the scriptures of old came the endorsement of My prophets and kept in good stead by my servants, but with the books and letters you call the New Testament scriptures, even though the might be inspired by Me, fell into the wrong hands as history testifies to, and have been corrupted many times over. If you indeed seek truth as you profess, then you should know this by now.”
To really put all the different translations of the bible into perspective one needs to at least know the history of such a revered book. Firstly the original writings of the New Testament were a compilation of small books and letters that were deemed to be accounts of what people said before, during and after the sacrifice of The Lord Yahoshua/Jesus. Many were written but only a few chosen for inclusion of the bible; why was this I wonder? If you study and research hard enough you will mostly find agenda behind every translation, and that agenda is not always a righteous one. What most Christians don’t know is that the compilation of the protestant New Testament bible is actually given them by the RCC who they traditionally despise because of their failing to comply with the laws within. For example, the bible is adamant against the keeping of idols, and yet the RCC promotes idols. Now, would you trust a book given you by the RCC knowing their doctrine is clearly antichrist?
The last point I want to make is this; with so many different copies of the original writings, why is it that so many were thrown out for disbelief, and who gave these adjudicators the authority to do so? Many original writings that may very well have been God inspired, were destroyed because some people did not agree with them…doesn’t this sound suspicious to you? Their only right to do so was given them from some few hierarchies regarded as holy enough to do so. And what religion did they belong to? Yes, it was the RCC who gave the protestant what they so dearly call the word of God. That’s like saying to a Protestant that the very Devil gave them this book. The bible even testifies that the Devil can come dressed as an angel, and so of course the bible is almost full of truth, but it takes only a tiny bit of poison to kill the whole essence of this book originally ordained through the writers by God. You can walk 200 miles, but if it is in the wrong direction, what good is it to you? I have seen many a Christian led astray by the commentaries of some of these bibles. Put your trust and faith in the Holy Spirit and not something that may or may not be true.
(From The Way web site….rewrite for this chapter)
While most Christians believe that the Bible is the Word of God, what they fail to understand is the fact that the scriptures are the Key of Knowledge that when properly applied and turned within, enables the disciple to enter through the inner Narrow Gate and learn from the Living Word that is beyond man’s misinterpretations and ability to corrupt. The modern Christian perpetually argues over which biblical translation better represents the original text — without recognizing that none of them at present do. The modern Christian erroneously maintains that God would not permit the scriptures to become corrupted, because then mankind would not know what to believe. If modern believers were truly the disciples of Yeshua, then they would not be dependent upon other men to teach them — they would not be dependent upon the church of this world — they would not be dependent upon the Bibles that men publish — they would not be dependent upon the commentaries and doctrines of men — because as disciples of The Way, they would be permitted entrance into the inner Kingdom, and the Lord would be their Teacher.
Original translations
The very first books and letters of the New Testament were written for either eye witness accounts, or friends and relatives of eye witness accounts. For instance, one might have been written by the son of a man who received the account from his father. So the original account could even be in error for that matter in this case. So this son who recorded it would put it away for safe keeping for who knows how long before another friend or relation decides to want a copy, so he then copies the original record and no doubt, unless he is a genius with the pen, will again copy this manuscript with errors of his own. He may even, because he is not partial to the odd passage here and there, alter it slightly to fit in with his own paradigm of religion. Don’t forget that there were no printing presses, computers, or scanners back then, so the errors had to flow like a river one would think, and of course within a few centuries by the time the RCC got it’s filthy hands on it, these stories recorded by these early believers would have to be a fair distance from the truth. Another thing to consider is that intellectual readers and writers back then were far and few between. Most of these manuscripts were not what we would deem even reasonable compositions, but full of mistakes that could even further be wrongly interpreted/translated later on down the track.
And then came the early Catholic Church, who by the way had previously and currently killed off many true followers of Messiah Yahoshua/Jesus in the name of heretics. By this time these murderous Catholic priests and bishops had already compromised their already compromised doctrines, to jive with Constantine and Pagan sun worshippers. They argued between themselves for many years until the Nicene Council where both the RCC and Constantine (reservedly) put together the bible cannon.
From Wikipedia…
The First Council of Nicaea was a council of Christian bishops convened in Nicaea in Bithynia by the Roman Emperor Constantine I in AD 325. This first ecumenical council was the first effort to attain consensus in the church through an assembly representing all of Christendom.
It was here where the original copies were put together to form the bible.
From the book: The greatest Lie ever told:
In the third century CE, Clement of Alexandria, whilst head of the Christian Church, wrote about the works of Hermes and in particular the importance of cosmology and measurement. 5 Although this might seem like an odd subject for a literalist orthodox Christian and forerunner of the Roman Popes to discuss, it would be entirely understandable if Clement had been a Gnostic Christian, as his writings have led many academics to believe. Unfortunately, by the next century, another Bishop of Alexandria, Theophilus, in 391 CE, arranged the destruction of all pagan temples as well as the great Library of Alexandria. With that, thousands of crucially important books were lost forever. This barbaric act was typical of the atrocities perpetrated against civilization and humanity as the rampaging literalist Christians of the Church of Rome suppressed any opposition.
Reputedly, a few works escaped the holocaust and were safely hidden away,
including copies of the original Hermetic works, preserved and guarded in
places such as Haran and Edessa.
Why did the early Roman Catholic Church (RCC) burn all other scriptures they could find? Because they had already altered the original scriptures they once had, to suit their own pagan/Jewish/Christian religious mix and so they did not even have to read the writings of others that they were destroying, because they knew they would be different to their own. Because they had altered the original scriptures, they were then in a position to destroy ALL others they could find, to promote their new version of the Gospel as the ONLY ones available. So easy to do for them; just burn all other writings, sentence to death all others who disagree with them, and soon they will be the universal religion they set out to be. And how is it they could do all this; i.e. us against the world? Because they sucked up to the Roman Empire, allowing some of their pagan rituals and beliefs, to contaminate the true gospel message brought by Yahoshua. With Rome on their side, they then had the power to rule all nations, and eradicate all other religions under the umbrella of cults.
Because of the Catholic Church’s rule in the early days, there now are no original scriptures available today except the fragmented copies of the Nag Hamadi Library, and the Dead Sea scrolls. Because these new found writings contradict what Christianity calls the bible, and the only true word of God, they are deliberately categorized as cultish writings and kept in low profile away from those who would benefit most by it’s message. While Christianity continues to proclaim the bible as the only true word of God, the true message of Yahoshua will never be taught. The Lord Himself even prophesied this in one of the writings saying to the best of my recollection… soon after my death and resurrection, will there be a group claiming to be of God, who will take the message that I have brought, and change it into what I have not said, and proclaim this to be the truth. Many will follow them, and many will die who do not follow them.
Because of the butchery of the original New Testament scriptures by the RCC, and the destruction of all scriptures that even slightly resembled the truth, today there is but a few that hold to the truth because of the gift of discernment given them by Yahweh as reward for their dedication to the seeking of truth. The rest are lost in the melting pot of religious anarchy, where brother hates brother, and war is realized as the only way to prove their point. Christianity is made up of so many denominations and doctrines, that it seems a perpetual debate on who has the real truth. Islam is close behind with their bloodletting religion in the name of Allah. Theirs, much like Christianity, is no more than an off-shoot of Judaism with a few “do nots” here, and a few must do’s there.
Why did God allow all these original writings to be lost and destroyed I don’t know, except to say God’s wisdom is so far above our own, that we can only trust in what happened in the past regarding such things, to be a part of His almighty plan for the perfection of mankind. Many will speculate, and some may even be right, but we can never be sure, and so we do well to trust in His wisdom and live the best we can with what we know for sure to be the truth. And how can we be sure we have the truth? For the true truth seeker the truth is made obvious to them through discernment and the good fruit of the message. For example, many believe in the bodily return of Yahoshua to rule His Kingdom here on earth. The obvious is this; Jesus not once said He would ever do this, and in contrast He actually preached the opposite where the Kingdom is within you. He even said not to look here or there for HIM, in the sky or in the sea, because His kingdom is not of this world. And yet people still wait for a physical return. This is not wise discernment at all; it borders on wishful thinking only.
There is a book written by a man called Bart D. Ehrman who once being a Christian, left the church after many years researching the authenticity of the bible. I have followed much the same path except poor Bart left God as well whereas the truth that I derived from my own research which by the way included many books written by Bart also, not only kept my faith in tact, but made it a hundred fold stronger. Where before I was a happy go lucky typical sinner who went to church each Sunday to get forgiveness for my weekend rages with women, alcohol and drugs. Now, after finding the truth, I am much better for it and can now see the error of the church and why it can never succeed in the kingdom of God. Anyway, Bart provides a great historical timeline of the birth and death of the bible for any interested. Just because he now considers himself an atheist, is no reason not to read his work. One thing he said at a function that has never left my head… “Funny that Christians put so much faith in a book they no absolutely nothing about”, or in similar fashion. The point is he is correct… people can read the bible forward, backward and even sideways as the happily quote verse after verse (and I still do on occasions) but they have no idea where it came from. Oh they say, its the word of God and God would not allow it to be compromised. Haha, what a laugh that is.
This topic is so huge there is no point in spending too much time here on it except to encourage you to seek it yourself; eventually I shall write a book on it I guess as it is so important that sincere God seeking people do not get caught up in it’s false dogma that leads them into a false sense of soul security called “luke warm” as the great Man Himself said. For now it goes a little like this…
– Original writings were written between approximately soon after the death of Christ to 200AD.
– These writings were done by either followers of Christ or close friends.
– Over a period of 100 years or more, different sects were called upon to take possession of these writings and were often times altered to suit the current believe of the translators who generally were not educated people.
– Later as the Catholic Church got momentum through the aid of Constantine and lawlessness, these writings were gathered and destroyed by the church and corrected to suit their own doctrines that were greatly influenced by Paganism.
– It is supposed that a true copy of all these original copies of ancient books were in the possession of the Egyptian Library of Alexandria some time later, but these records were all destroyed by fire, of which some believe was secretly lit by the RCC.
– So after the wild rampaging RCC had killed off almost all true followers of the Christ story (except for a few hiding in caves) and burned all their sacred writings about Yahoshua/Jesus, they later translated the only copy of the Koine Greek book collection into Latin, and then either destroyed the only copies alive that were in their possession, of have them hidden somewhere, probably deep in some corner of the Vatican archives.
After this later they then translated the corrupt version of the originals (i.e. the Latin Vulgate) back into Koine Greek which today everyone seems to think is the original texts for some crazy uneducated reason. Even your pastor and piers think so also, even though really know the truth if they are even half awake.
So where does this leave us today? Well hopelessly lost because the truth has been compromised into so many different translations the text can virtually say almost anything you want it to say. I read books where Scriptures that are quoted are taken from several, up to 4 or 5, different bible translations. When asked why they do this, invariably the answer is … because different translations say it better for me. Wow, what a distortion of truth that is? All is not lost though, thanks be to the awesome wisdom and planning of our Mighty God, some original texts had been preserved by Him for the best part of 1800 years and only recently discovered as late as 1947 and kept in safe keeping away from the truth destroying RCC. These books you can find very easily now on the internet in electronic form for download. Look for the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hamadi Library and also google sacred ancient writings for even more.
Bible tampering
If you ask any Roman Catholic Priest where the bible came from, and he was to answer truthfully (many loyal to the cause will deliberately lie), he will gladly and boastfully tell you that it came from them…the Roman Catholic Church (RCC). Well you might say …”so what, it don’t matter who gave it, so long as it is the truth”. But I say…can anything good, especially truth, come from anything that is bad? Any man worth his salt knows the doctrines of the RCC are way out of court when it comes to the truth that Jesus was talking about concerning salvation, and if you are not aware of the horrific sins of the RCC over the first 1500 years of Christian history, not to mention it’s collaboration with Hitler during WW11, then you are in dreamland my friend, and seriously need to beg God in prayer for at least one ounce of discernment. It is only over the last 100 years that the RCC has mellowed somewhat, but not for the sake of the truth, but because their numbers were dropping due to exposure. In other words; because of modern technology and the spread of knowledge through the internet that has widely proven the shortcomings of the false Catholic Church, they needed to show themselves more ‘acceptable’ to the world. Don’t for one minute believe the RCC hierarchy has repented, no fear, they just do what they have to do to appease those watching, while in secret, things are still the status quo… business as usual my friend.
When you consider all the 27 books of the new testament in the bible were supposedly finished prior to the end of the first century AD, and then take into account when the new testament was actually formed post 315 AD, then we know also from our math that it means there is a huge gap of at least 115 years where these books of the bible circulated the different Christian sects that had formed from the teachings of Yahoshua/Jesus. The fact that there were in fact many different sects of which the early Catholic church was simply one of, tells us clearly that there were of course many different doctrines consisting of many different beliefs and opinions. Yes of course, this should not be the case, but we also know human nature on religious opinion when we simply take a moment to contemplate the massive amount of diversity in modern Christianity today even, so surely we should not judge the early believers when we ourselves are guilty of the same crime.
I have mentioned earlier of the many copying and translating errors done by the early scribes that really we are unable to prove today due to the “convenient” destruction of all ‘apparent’ ancient writings of Christ of the time. I copy the following from Wikipedia…
Possible occasions for the partial or complete destruction of the Library of Alexandria include a fire set by Julius Caesar in 48 BC, an attack by Aurelian in the 270s AD, and the decree of Coptic Pope Theophilus in 391 AD.
After the main library was fully destroyed, ancient scholars used a “daughter library” in a temple known as the Serapeum, located in another part of the city. According to Socrates of Constantinople, Coptic Pope Theophilus destroyed the Serapeum in 391 AD.
There is much discussion on when and by whom this great library housing such manuscripts of ancient knowledge is the real date. I tend to look at number one; the evidence… and then number two the motive, and when I do this I come up with the latter the most plausible date. There is solid evidence for the destruction during the Coptic Popes reign, but thats not the clincher for me; it’s more about the motive. By this time, the Catholic Church is trying desperately to distance itself from the pagan association to their doctrines because of Constantine’s insistence, and the destruction of this “daughter” library which certainly would have contained much of these heresy doctrines, would be a huge help to their cause. Not only that, but included in the heresy writings and doctrines declared by the Roman church was the writings of many of those considered the “first Christians” who actually walked and talked with the messiah and/or His disciples. You have to realize that this new Roman Catholic Church was not the church of Christ, but rather the church of Simon (Peter) Magus spoken of in Acts, so to destroy the writings of all these real followers of Christ via this library was a huge coup and a real opportunity to wipe the true teachings of Christ totally (almost as it turned out because of the Dead Sea Scrolls etc) once and for all they thought. So you see there is none greater a motive for the false church that Christ actually prophesied, to fully take the reins of the new religion initiated by Christ.
So what’s all this got to do with bible tampering? Well I like to refer to it more like “truth” tampering, and because so many today falsely regard the bible as the “Word of God”, then I can legitimately call it bible tampering can I not? Well once you can finally agree that is is very possible, if not very plausible and even probable, that all the original ancient writings had been destroyed, then you can then much easier discern the motives of the church to further their own doctrines that would later make them the most favored religion in the world. Don’t for a second think that because it is the most favored by the world that it is the most true. Oh God I wish that were true, but alas it is well known that “many are called but few are chosen” purely on the premise that many are more easily misled by the more favored doctrines of devils. Admit it yourself people; would you feel better kneeling down to a statue of Christ hanging dead on a cross to pray than to a blank wall? Of course you would if you were honest, and this is how the multitude is fooled into believing false doctrines. Exactly how the multitude today in protestant circles are more at home with the likes of Brian Huston of Hillsong and also the likes of Benny Hinn and his crazies… because it is great entertainment.
So now we have the most popular religious galvanization of the modern era, because of the destruction by fire of what they thought was the total records of Yahoshua/Jesus, with a license to change the true religion of Christ which was gnostic, into a physical statue worshiping, priest forgiving, and scribe altering religion that would be so easy to convert the world; and that’s basically what happened. And for those who were already bound to the truth of Christ and refused to convert; they were tortured to death and any surviving manuscripts confiscated for burning. But was all the manuscripts burned or were some kept secret first by the Roman church? The latter surely sounds the more reasonable but certainly no proof is available of course. At least not available to the world outside of the Vatican that is.
Now I don’t want you to get confused between bible error and bible tampering. Bible error is more about common mistakes made that can usually be found by latter scribes and therefore corrected, but tampering is something done (in this case) with the motive of twisting a doctrine from one that you don’t like because it does not fit well with your own personal belief or even that of an organisation like the RCC. This type of tampering can be therefore committed by either/both the private scribe copier, or that appointed by the church, and it is historically proven that this has indeed been the case from both parties.
It is my opinion, along with many religious scholars also, that not all original manuscripts were destroyed by fire, but rather some were first stolen by the church or in some other devious and dubious way attained, before the destruction by fire. It is my belief that from these original Greek Hebrew and probably Aramaic manuscripts, they were able to translate into the Latin of which was deemed by the church to be the only true reliable source for such text. It is from this Latin that it was translated back into Greek again to be posed as the original Greek which carries with it all the tampering done by the RCC while being translated into the Latin. So it is in this way I believe that the RCC was able to make the original “Word of God” agree with the new word of the false church. You only have to read the original unadulterated books of the Nag Hamadi library and the Dead Sea scrolls to see the huge difference between these books and the twisted version of the bible we have today. Science can verify that these ancient writings are authentic from as far back as 400 BCE and up to 300 CE so we know they can be much more regarded as original that can be the bible we hold in our hands today.
This topic is a huge one and I have merely scraped the surface of what would normally be considered a long and arduous task of “proving” bible tampering. If you are not willing to accept my written opinions here then instead of leaving it there, and if you are really concerned about where your bible came from and what God you worship, then I would strongly advise you to make it a chapter in your life to find out. After all, if you are going to worship a God that is described in a book, then is it not reasonable to ask just how reliable that book is according to its history? As I have said many times; I do not can the bible at all and even read it myself often because it has much good advice for life, but I simply do refuse to give it the title of: The Word of God” because it is far from it. A better title might be: “The doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church”.
You really think that all God’s instruction for life is included in this book? Of course some are, but certainly not all. I know this by the way some instructions have been removed and replaced with others that oppose those removed. It’s no small matter when one interferes with God inspired writings so as to conform to one’s personal agenda or doctrine.
Reliability of modern bibles
When the subject of which bible is the most reliable arises, invariably the answer one assumes is that the oldest would of course be the best, and when you ask why is this so, they will shoot themselves right in the foot… you try it and see. Why would I say this? Well they will almost always boast their ignorance with their answer when they proudly admit that their own bibles that they again so proudly proclaim to be the Word of God, has been contaminated with errors over the years so the oldest original scriptures are the best. Well I concur with that no problem, but the problem I do have is that the oldest and best originals have been lost and/or destroyed purposely over 1500 years ago. All we have today is the copy of a copy of a copy of a copy and so on. It has been translated from Hebrew to Aramaic to Koine Greek to Latin and then back to Koine Greek again (with deliberate forgeries along the way) and then professed by the offending scribes of the Constantine/Catholic church to be the oldest and the best translation. It is not even close to the inspired “Word of God” and is an offense to God to be called such.
In this light, contrary to my first impression that the oldest translation must be the most reliable, I have no choice but to engage plan B and jump ship to the latter day translations that can pick up on the most obvious errors and even paraphrase to give a more accurate explanation of the truth. This does not mean that latter day bible translations are absolutely correct, but simply to say they are the closet to the truth available to us. I would probably suggest the NASB bible or even the Good News Bible as being closest to the mark. Of the older bibles available today you would do well to stay away from the KJV which has more errors than the rest put together. If I was more inclined to choose and older bible, I would probably go for the Geneva Bible used by England prior to King James. In general though, no bible is good enough to build a truthful religion on. When you know that the original manuscripts were lost or destroyed, then your mind surely boggles at the corruption possibilities within the pages of what we have today and falsely call “The Word of God”. The forgeries are endless.
Is there enough truth still remaining in the Bible? Yes, there is still plenty of good stuff remaining to en-richen and even enlighten the souls of mankind. The essence is still there for the sincere spiritual truth seeker, with the aid of the Holy Spirit is able to discern the deeper mysteries even from the altered texts. The reasons for altering the texts from the originals was to support the doctrines of the early Roman Catholic Church overseen by Constantine, but for the advanced spiritual truth seeker with a keen eye for agenda and a real zest for truth, these alterations can become manifest. When certain texts were altered, there almost always were other similar texts left behind in a different place to contradict the alteration, and it is this contradiction that reveals the truth. Some really intelligent preachers and teachers will invariably make excuses for such contradictions to fool the multitude and lead the blind sheep astray, so my advice is; when you see such potential errors, pray to God who never lies for discernment, rather than take the word of deceiving men. At least you do not have agenda blocking your way with God.
I would further advise you to seek out as many ancient manuscripts as you can, and fill your mind with the original texts only. The Nag Hamadi Library manuscripts are all original as is also the books of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Sure many are so old they are barely readable and much text is missing, but at least the words within are not forgeries like we have in modern bibles. I have personally found much truth from such writings as these that have lifted my spirit to much greater heights than traditional bible so called scriptures. It is amazing how much more powerful the words of truth reign over falsified scriptures. Even without proof, and no other tool except the Holy Spirit, I am able to traverse the pages of the New Testament books pointing out errors and forgeries of both old and modern bibles at will. God rewards sincere truth seekers with discernment from within to expose anything not partial to His perfect ways, and it was by this most gracious gift of God that I was able to first notice contradictions and errors in the bible.
Where did todays bible text come from
I guess it was this question that I had asked many of my brethren so many years ago, that got me so interested in the authenticity of the Bible. I was flabbergasted at why so many had no idea, and the rest was sold on the lie that they came from the original text. The problem with the latter was for me at least, that when asked the question of where I could see these original texts, the answer was invariably you can’t because they were lost. How convenient I thought. This led me many years later to research the origins of the bible myself, which took me a few years at my slow pace combined with my work of income. It is my honest opinion that these original manuscripts were not lost by accident, but they were deliberately searched out and destroyed by the early Roman Catholic Church of Constantine. For it was together, Constantine and the early Catholic church, who formed what we have today as the “church built on St Peter” (Not Yahoshua/Jesus as it was supposed to be) which was a mix of the early true church doctrines/scriptures and the Pagan doctrines and rituals of Constantine.
This new church institution was not built upon the truth of Christ at all, but was designed to attract people; not save them. Constantine wanted numbers to support him as empower of Rome, and this rising false Catholic Church wanted numbers to swell it enough to be the universal church of the world. This would of course mean that all references to the true gnostic spiritual teachings of Christ would have to be either removed or altered in such a way as to promote the more physical doctrines of Pagan worship as opposed to the more spiritual teachings of Christ. For example, Yahoshua would be made God as part of the Trinity (which is a prior pagan doctrine) and His return at a second coming would be in a physical human form, which totally contradicts everything Christ came to teach and said. But these doctrinal teachings were what attracted members and the more members the more power and wealth, and in this way is how this false church came to what it is today. Its true founder was not Simon Peter the Apostle, but rather Simon (Peter) Magus, the evil trickster looking for fame and fortune.
I am not talking here only of the Catholic Church by the way, but also of all the other denominations sprouting from it and still today carrying all the marks of guilt. Yes, I am talking about most, if not all Protestant church organizations still celebrating the rituals of the Pagan/Catholic alliance such as Sunday Sabbaths, and Christmas and Easter celebrations; not to mention the wedding ring. Every Pastor, Catholic priest, minister, and teachers of Christianity all know the truth of the origins of the bible, but they refuse to do anything about it. Well not all actually; there are the odd few who were brave enough to stand up against the might of the Christian community and produce the proof required to show the unreliability of the bible. One such brave soul was Bart D. Ehrman, who is an American New Testament scholar, currently the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina. Although his plight is more to expose the false Christian church, he certainly does a good job of proving the errors of our current bible, of which there are too many to count here.
Its coincidental I suppose that what I thought twenty years ago about the bible which was “If I am to base my religious future on a book, then I have to know where it came from”, is exactly almost to the letter of what Bart says in his book when confronting an audience on these issues. He said something like this: If you base all your beliefs on what is written in the bible, then wouldn’t you think you need to know a bit more about where it came from?”. Please don’t quote me; it’s been a few years since I read that book. But surely you get what I am on about here. I mean we call this best seller the “Word of God” and yet we are prepared to take for granted as blind sheep if you will, what others say about the origins of the bible instead of doing your own homework. There is no excuse today with the use of modern technology to make our lives much easier, so why is it that so many refuse to seek the truth, but rather put all their eggs in the one basket created by another man?
Unfortunately, from what I remember, this Bart Ehrman tossed in his faith altogether after finding the truth about the origins of the bible and false Christianity. This is his mistake indeed, but not hard to figure on the evidence he was able to produce. For me though, finding out these truths only proved to strengthen my faith which is now based partly on the bible (those parts I deem true by spiritual discernment) but more from the ancient writings of the Nag Hamadi Library and the Dead Sea Scrolls, which paint a more spiritual Yahoshua/Jesus than does the bible. A critical message of Christ that seems lost in today’s more materialized form of Christianity, is that the Kingdom of God is not, and was never meant to be, a physical place for eternal flesh and blood as the Christian church would have you believe. It is for this reason partly, that most references to such spiritual doctrines were removed from the bible to make way for the teaching of a physical kingdom and a flesh Jesus to reign forever. Ooops, off track a bit I’m sorry.
Sometime around 140 AD there was a new style of Christianity emerging at the hand and mouth of a man called Marcion who is regarded by some as the “inventor” of Christianity. His doctrine was almost built purely on the writings of Paul the Apostle, and reputed just about anything that pertained to the lifestyle and teachings of Christ. He was happy to use Christ as the pinnacle of his doctrine as Paul indeed did, but obviously just did not like the teachings of Yahoshua/Jesus is all, and referred to all such activity as Judaizers. There were actually many such sects around back then but sadly only one true religion built on the teachings of Christ by His followers; namely the Nazarenes, Ebionites, and Essenes, but let’s not go there just yet as the origins of the bible are our focus at the minute.
There was quite a battle for supremacy between Marcion and Constantine’s Christian doctrines, both of which were way off track from Christ’s teachings. Nevertheless, it was from these two doctrines that the bible eventually manifested to what we have today. It has just enough truth from Christs teachings to keep it somewhat acceptable, mixed with enough of Constantine’s pagan practices to appease the Romans, and topped off with enough of Marcion’s Paulism to make the way to salvation broad and easy to traverse, all of which is anti-Christ. At least that is what we have today in our bibles, but it was never like that in the beginning before the early Constantine/Catholic church killed off all the true followers of Christ and burned their truly “inspired” writings. It is just so ironical that Christianity accepts the false translations of our Messiahs teachings as the “Word of God”, but rejects the true writings of the true followers of Christ as heretical. A blind child can see the error, but oh no, not the minds of supposedly mature physically orientated Christians of today. A sad tale indeed.
Aramaic verses Greek text
Even today, 1900 years after the New Testament (NT) was originally written, we still have no agreeance on which language the NT was written; Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic. If the scholars who specialize in the authenticity of the bible scriptures cannot all agree on its original text language, how on earth can we be expected to even believe what the NT scripters say is true? Can I not myself write a book on Strategies of War and sign it Adolf Hitler, and in 500 years’ time a group of no gooders find it and publish it as Hitler’s authentic writings? Of course I can, and there is also nothing stopping anyone from altering my writings to suit their motives, just like was unfortunately done to the NT scriptures in many places. But anyway, for the sake of truth I will do my best to add some light on this subject of which language the NT was originally written.
I suppose different books could be written in different languages like say Matthew in Hebrew (which I personally believe), the other Gospels in Aramaic, and perhaps the rest in Greek. Although this is a perfectly reasonable supposition, I don’t think so when I consider the times and life styles of the day. We already know that the Septuagint (sometimes abbreviated LXX) was the Greek version of the Old Testament (OT) which manifested some 300 years before Christ, but what many don’t know and don’t seem to care, is why it was written. The answer is rather obvious really, and that is so others in the known world could read it… right? Well wrong actually because this is/was a Jewish religion and they were not partial to other outsiders, especially Romans, reading their dear OT scriptures that were their pride and joy and even protected.
So why this LXX translation in Greek then? Because many of the Jews traded with Rome and were losing their language to the Greeks and therefore spoke better Greek than Hebrew. To add to these we have the converts to Judaism who although were few in comparison, would certainly have their say, just as many minority groups throughout history seem to get their way. Just take homosexuals for instance; say no more. With such immense trading going on, if you did not speak good Greek in those times, you simply went hungry, so it was beneficial for all traders (which was the majority of Jews) to speak Koine Greek. It would be prudent to agree that there were much more Jews who spoke Greek than Romans that spoke Jewish Aramaic in the first century, so again we should be able to assume with confidence that the common language of the “known world” at this time would surely have to be Koine Greek.
From http://www.septuagint.net
Septuagint – What is It?
Septuagint is the name given to the Greek translation of the Jewish Scriptures. The Septuagint has its origin in Alexandria, Egypt and was translated between 300-200 BC. Widely used among Hellenistic Jews, this Greek translation was produced because many Jews spread throughout the empire were beginning to lose their Hebrew language. The process of translating the Hebrew to Greek also gave many non-Jews a glimpse into Judaism. According to an ancient document called the Letter of Aristeas, it is believed that 70 to 72 Jewish scholars were commissioned during the reign of Ptolemy Philadelphus to carry out the task of translation. The term “Septuagint” means seventy in Latin, and the text is so named to the credit of these 70 scholars.
So here we have a the four synoptic gospels and Revelation of John that were written for the Jews and converts who all spoke Greek as a second language, and then we have the rest of the NT scriptures written for the Gentiles who “only” only spoke Greek, so why would any writer even consider any other language but Greek? Even if some were originally written in Aramaic it would not be long before many Greek versions would appear; like months or years… not decades. For these reasons and more, it is my opinion and also that of the majority of scholars that the original NT scriptures were written in Koine Greek, or at least very early in the peace that is. You need to remember that most of the NT is letters, and so you would certainly not write a letter to your friends in Aramaic if they only spoke Greek.
A perfect example of why I believe the NT is in Greek is this one verse that is absolute proof.
Mar_15:34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani is Aramaic for “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me” right? So if this is true, and the rest of this book of Mark was also in Aramaic as some believe, then why is there a need to include the phrase “which is, being interpreted”? This is for me the defining reason why the Greek is the original language of most if not all of the NT scriptures.
Other writings
Those many millions that do indeed support Sola Scriptura unfortunately cannot and will not even entertain a mere thought that there might be truth in any other writings apart from their precious bibles or what they falsely call the “word of God”. To me this is somewhat blasphemy of the Holy Spirit when you consider that many parts of the New Testament has been altered for the sake of manmade doctrines, and they continue to promulgate that all scripture in this book is inspired by God when some is clearly inspired by the devil. To insist this is true by one’s ignorance is forgivable, but once you have attained the knowledge that none of the books of the New Testament are alive today in their true form, and that history not only proves spurious tampering with these books, but also gives the reasons (false doctrines), then this one is supporting adverse spirits and not the Spirit of truth.
I have said it before and I will say it again; if anyone wants to put their precious soul on the line based on a book, then surely they would want to know more about the making of such a book.. yes? No it seems, and only about one in a million Christians are at all interested in such research, and only about two in a Billion Christians actually do anything about it. Yes, that’s only about four Christian (or ex-Christian) people in this whole world have really done the maths on this best ever seller and found it too badly interfered with to base ones dogma on. People in general are simply too lazy for such research and would rather accept the words of man than the truth. Also, to admit the error in the bible would mean having to change their paradigm of life and frankly that’s just too much trouble for them. Easier to accept the status quo and forsake the truth for their own comfort zone.
When one seriously considers the current state of bible scriptures today, knowing the full timeline and historical events surrounding their tampering’s, one has to ask “why does Christianity put so much faith in a book that is as far departed from the truth of God as is the east is to the west, and yet refuse to accept the ‘original ancient writings” of the Nag Hamadi Library (NHL) and also of the Dead Sea Scrolls? (DSS).I mean we have on one hand the bible used to base modern Christianity on which has been over 1600 years translated and copied by hand more times than I have had hot dinners, losing a huge amount of truth and substance whether by honest mistakes or the hand of evil, and on the other we have (although not in perfect condition of course) the original ancient writings from those days of the apostles almost 2000 years ago of which nobody seems to seriously take note of even yet base ones faith on. I can tell you now, and you probably won’t give a hoot I suppose, that my faith today is built mainly on these latter writings than the former. Many things my Savior (I say my as opposed to ours because if you are a traditionalist, then our Christs are worlds apart) said that are key factors in the salvation and betterment of the soul are not even remotely mentioned in the bible.
It is common knowledge in the world of religious scholarship that the text in our bibles have too many errors and have over the years had integral teachings removed in places and in others had tradition and manmade teachings added. This is a no brainer; history and in some cases even the perpetrators admit it. What is not commonly known though is that many Priests, Pastors and teachers know this, but prefer to continue teaching a lie. I ask myself why this could possibly be so, and all I can think of for such Antichrist behaviour is money. What else could it be? The proof of bible corruption is so blatantly obvious, and yet these guys are still happy to teach it as the “word of God”. I am totally perplexed as to their thinking. Either they are teaching something that they have accepted from their own teachers as truth, and this is ignorance personified, or they are motivated by mammon. Whichever the case, there is no spiritual profit for leading Gods children to the slaughter; only recompense in the form of punishment to one’s own soul.
From memory the history of the Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS) goes like this: they were discovered around 1947 by a Bedouin shepherd in a cave close to the northwest shore of the Dead Sea, in Qumran. After much tooing and froing the Israelis ended up with them (Jerusalem: Israel Antiquities Authority), and chose to release them to a group of so called experts to translate them and prepare them for the public viewing. This group consisted mostly of Catholic scholars and two or three others outside of the church. The names of these experts escape me except for one particular translation by J. R. Wilkie and Stuttgart: W. Kohlhammer, around 1960, but if you really need to know it is easy to find on the internet. A must read however is a book called… The Dead Sea Scrolls Deception that will definitely fill in all the holes and answer all your questions.
Now initially it was expected that within five to seven years most of these scrolls would be translated into English for publication, but this was not to happen because of the underhanded tactics of the translation team of Catholic scholars that were deliberately going slow and stalling, and it was not until another thirty years before complaints from media and other involved interested parties forced the hand of these DSS translators entrusted with the job. Even to this day there has not been given (to my knowledge at least) any punishment for this miscarriage of religious justice by these unscrupulous so called men of God. My suspicions however hold much credence to the fact that these writings that can be dated to before Christ, prove without a shadow of doubt that the Christian tradition, that has been built upon the dogma of the Roman Catholic Church since the fourth century, is in great and grave error, and for these scrolls to gain any publicity would kill this church lock stock and barrel, and is of course why they keep such low profile.
It is my opinion, which is also that of many other sincere God fearing truth seekers and scholars of religion, that there is more in the pages of these ancient writings of the DSS and the NHL to reveal the true life and teachings of Yahoshua/Jesus Messiah than anywhere else on the planet including of course the so called “Word of God” bible. When one who is sincerely driven by the desire for truth, and who is also open minded enough to forsake their tradition should truth itself dictate, reads these DSS and NHL ancient writings, they will be revealed a whole new world of revelation that will fill all the voids, nooks and crannies of their unanswered religious questions. Only then, after reading these ancient hidden teachings of Christ, was I able to accept Yahoshua fully as the Son of God because all my questions had been answered. If you have any doubt about what I speak of here, at least please ask yourself this question: Why would the Antichrist RCC via these Catholic translators, want so much to keep hidden the truth from within the writings of these old ancient gospels? This calls for discernment and wisdom.
Here are some important facts about these ancient writings …
When were the dead sea scrolls discovered? It is agreed they were written somewhere between 150 B.C. and 70 A.D. According to the modern theory, they were written by Jewish sect that lived at Qumran until Roman troops destroyed the settlement around 70 A.D.
Why are ancient writings other than the Bible so important? When we consider the likes of the above writings authenticity, i.e. they are original and not contaminated and compromised by time and corrupt religious groups, and compare them with the Bible that has undergone a multitude of changes, some for good, but mostly for evil purposes, it should be the belief of the prudent to give more credence to these ancient wirings before the Bible. There are many passages from these original ancient writings, that when correlated/compared with the Bible, it is plain to see the error of the bible translators. A perfect example is… What happened in Jericho that is fully explained in The Gospel of the Holy Twelve; Lection XLI, that has been removed from the bible. Yes, the story of the caged birds here was removed from the bible to promote the RCC’s love of meat rather than life of all God’s creatures that Jesus promoted here in Jericho.
What language is the Dead Sea Scrolls? The majority of Dead Sea Scrolls were written in Hebrew, but some also include Aramaic and Greek texts, as well as the odd Arabic text and Latin.
Below is copied from … http://www.centuryone.com/25dssfacts.html
1.The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in eleven caves along the northwest shore of the Dead Sea between the years 1947 and 1956. The area is 13 miles east of Jerusalem and is 1300 feet below sea level. The mostly fragmented texts, are numbered according to the cave that they came out of. They have been called the greatest manuscript discovery of modern times. See a Dead Sea Scroll Jar.
Cave 1 2. Only Caves 1 and 11 have produced relatively intact manuscripts. Discovered in 1952, Cave 4 produced the largest find. About 15,000 fragments from more than 500 manuscripts were found.
3. In all, scholars have identified the remains of about 825 to 870 separate scrolls.
4. The Scrolls can be divided into two categories-biblical and non-biblical. Fragments of every book of the Hebrew canon (Old Testament) have been discovered except for the book of Esther.
5. There are now identified among the scrolls, 19 copies of the Book of Isaiah, 25 copies of Deuteronomy and 30 copies of the Psalms .
6. Prophecies by Ezekiel, Jeremiah and Daniel not found in the Bible are written in the Scrolls.
7. The Isaiah Scroll, found relatively intact, is 1000 years older than any previously known copy of Isaiah. In fact, the scrolls are the oldest group of Old Testament manuscripts ever found.
8. In the Scrolls are found never before seen psalms attributed to King David and Joshua.
Torah 9.There are nonbiblical writings along the order of commentaries on the OT, paraphrases that expand on the Law, rule books of the community, war conduct, thanksgiving psalms, hymnic compositions, benedictions, liturgical texts, and sapiential (wisdom) writings.
10. The Scrolls are for the most part, written in Hebrew, but there are many written in Aramaic. Aramaic was the common language of the Jews of Palestine for the last two centuries B.C. and of the first two centuries A.D. The discovery of the Scrolls has greatly enhanced our knowledge of these two languages. In addition, there are a few texts written in Greek.
11. The Scrolls appear to be the library of a Jewish sect. The library was hidden away in caves around the outbreak of the First Jewish Revolt (A.D. 66-70) as the Roman army advanced against the rebel Jews.
12. Near the caves are the ancient ruins of Qumran. They were excavated in the early 1950’s and appear to be connected with the scrolls.
13. The Dead Sea Scrolls were most likely written by the Essenes during the period from about 200 B.C. to 68 C.E./A.D. The Essenes are mentioned by Josephus and in a few other sources, but not in the New testament. The Essenes were a strict Torah observant, Messianic, apocalyptic, baptist, wilderness, new covenant Jewish sect. They were led by a priest they called the “Teacher of Righteousness,” who was opposed and possibly killed by the establishment priesthood in Jerusalem.
14. The enemies of the Qumran community were called the “Sons of Darkness”; they called themselves the “Sons of Light,” “the poor,” and members of “the Way.” They thought of themselves as “the holy ones,” who lived in “the house of holiness,” because “the Holy Spirit” dwelt with them.
15. The last words of Joseph, Judah, Levi, Naphtali, and Amram (the father of Moses) are written down in the Scrolls.
Cave 4 16. One of the most curious scrolls is the Copper Scroll. Discovered in Cave 3, this scroll records a list of 64 underground hiding places throughout the land of Israel. The deposits are to contain certain amounts of gold, silver, aromatics, and manuscripts. These are believed to be treasures from the Temple at Jerusalem, that were hidden away for safekeeping.
17. The Temple Scroll, found in Cave 11, is the longest scroll. Its present total length is 26.7 feet (8.148 meters). The overall length of the scroll must have been over 28 feet (8.75m).
18. The scrolls contain previously unknown stories about biblical figures such as Enoch, Abraham, and Noah. The story of Abraham includes an explanation why God asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac.
19. The scrolls are most commonly made of animal skins, but also papyrus and one of copper. They are written with a carbon-based ink, from right to left, using no punctuation except for an occasional paragraph indentation. In fact, in some cases, there are not even spaces between the words.
20. The Scrolls have revolutionized textual criticism of the Old Testament. Interestingly, now with manuscripts predating the medieval period, we find these texts in substantial agreement with the Masoretic text as well as widely variant forms.
Section of the Psalms Scroll 21. Some of the Dead Sea Scrolls actually appeared for sale on June 1, 1954 in the Wall Street Journal. The advertisement read – “The Four Dead Sea Scrolls: Biblical manuscripts dating back to at least 200 BC are for sale. This would be an ideal gift to an educational or religious institution by an individual or group. Box F206.”
22. Although the Qumran community existed during the time of the ministry of Jesus, none of the Scrolls refer to Him, nor do they mention any of His follower’s described in the New Testament.
23. The major intact texts, from Caves 1 & 11, were published by the late fifties and are now housed in the Shrine of the Book museum in Jerusalem.
24. Since the late fifties, about 40% of the Scrolls, mostly fragments from Cave 4, remained unpublished and were un-accessible. It wasn’t until 1991, 44 years after the discovery of the first Scroll, after the pressure for publication mounted, that general access was made available to photographs of the Scrolls. In November of 1991 the photos were published by the Biblical Archaeological Society in a nonofficial edition; a computer reconstruction, based on a concordance, was announced; the Huntington Library pledged to open their microfilm files of all the scroll photographs.
25. The Dead Sea Scrolls enhance our knowledge of both Judaism and Christianity. They represent a non-rabbinic form of Judaism and provide a wealth of comparative material for New Testament scholars, including many important parallels to the Jesus movement. They show Christianity to be rooted in Judaism and have been called the evolutionary link between the two.
Forgeries.
What most of Christianity refuse to accept is that the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) “gave” us the doctrines and belief system that Protestant Christians use today. They even gave us the bible for goodness sake, and yet they believe in their hearts that all Catholics are going to hell. Unfortunately for Christians of today, the RCC does not today and never ever did, follow and preach the original teachings of Yahoshua/Jesus. Instead they and all Christians today teach manmade doctrines that emanated from a mixture of early teachings of Paul the apostle and Paganism the religion of Constantine. This is how they did it.
The original followers of Christ were almost all converted or soon to be converted Jews. These included mainly those of the Essene, Nazarene, and Ebionite sects. Now after Yahoshua/Jesus had returned in Judgment to destroy Jerusalem and the temple in 70 AD, these members that had already left Jerusalem because of the prophecy of Yahoshua/Jesus (see Matt chapters 23 – 24), began to live in caves and just about anywhere they could find amongst the hills of the region. It was at this time and place that they kept record of these times and inspirations from God, and put them in writing. Of course most of those who did not heed the warnings of our Lord died in this main event in the Jewish history that the historian Flavius Josephus described as the most horrific one could imagine; the few surviving were taken prisoner and served as slaves to the Romans and some very few even dispersed to other countries. The fact is … there is not one single pure Jew alive today; they are all pretenders who are the descendants of mixed breeds. Go ahead and ask anyone claiming to be Jew for their historical background and you will see for yourself.
Just how Christianity actually initiated nobody can tell fo0r sure, but there is one thing certain; it was not from any of these original sects that followed Messiah. It is most likely as many scholars agree, Simon (Peter) Magus who was the one in Acts trying to buy the Holy Spirit from Peter. I put it to you that it is this Simon Magus who was the first Pope of Rome and not Simon Peter the apostle who was of course commissioned to the Jews in Jerusalem and not the gentiles in Rome. This commission was in fact given to Paul the apostle as the bible clearly states, but for some strange reason the RCC want to make Peter the first Pope instead. This is the one leg of the RCC three legged stool that causes its whole belief system to fall in a heap.
So during these early years these RCC impostors of the true teachings of Christ, set up their belief system via hundreds of forgeries claiming to be authentic records in letters and such from original followers of Christ, but of course were instead their own concoction designed to attract the gullible and less wary poor soul looking for truth and salvation. What they would do is first kill or put in jail the authors of these priceless ancient writings, then confiscate all the writings, and then either re-write them with their own connotations or simply destroy them. Then they were free to forge their own writings claiming them to be authentic writings of the followers of Messiah and thus form over time what we call the “word of God” or Bible of today. There is no proof of original text surviving today; only the word of the RCC and their corrupt forgeries over 2000 years. Even today text within this so called “word of God” is corrupted by replace words which might be politically incorrect with a more general word which in turn can change the true meaning.
To verify scriptures that were deliberately composed to compliment RCC doctrine, they word forge letters from eye witnesses to the travels and teachings of Christ, just to support their evil claims. This is not idle chat and can be researched and found to be true if one so has the inclination. I cannot prove all this to you in a short essay as this because of space limitations, but if you really do seek truth as you claim, you should seek the value of what I say here. There are many recorded events of RCC forgeries and bible tampering throughout history; one only needs to seek and they will find. When Christians would approach the RCC of old on doctrinal issues, more often than not they used forged documents to prove their claims. This is why for hundreds of years the Greeks back then referred to Rome as “the home of forgeries” ( Ref: De Rosa, page 59).
Once we accept that the RCC which is indeed responsible for Christian doctrine of today and also the integrity of the bible that Christians base all their faith upon, has indeed over a long period displayed total unscrupulous behaviour in forming the church or today, surely we need to rethink our assessment of the bible and all of Christianity for that matter. Am I saying not to read the bible? For goodness sake no; it contains many good teachings and instructions on how to be righteous and kind people and so is a very good tool for today’s life. Am I saying not to have anything to do with Christianity or even attend church? Again no because all churches teach good morals and ethics to produce good people in a world of utter chaos it seems. What I am saying though is based on the evidence of historical spurious letters, manuscripts and scriptures; we all need to adjust our paradigm if we indeed seek the truth about the kingdom of God that Yahoshua/Jesus brought to the people of Israel 2000 years ago. You owe it to yourself and the future of your soul to always seek the truth, and so anything less can only surely be a hindrance to such. If you do seek ancient writings to base you faith upon that has not been tampered with since the day it was written; try the ancient writings of the Nag Hamadi Library and also the fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls. At least we know them to be scientifically dated and therefore authentic
2Peter 3:16
2Pe 3:15 Look on our Lord’s patience as the opportunity he is giving you to be saved, just as our dear friend Paul wrote to you, using the wisdom that God gave him.
2Pe 3:16 This is what he says in all his letters when he writes on the subject. There are some difficult things in his letters which ignorant and unstable people explain falsely, as they do with other passages of the Scriptures. So they bring on their own destruction.
2Pe 3:17 But you, my friends, already know this. Be on your guard, then, so that you will not be led away by the errors of lawless people and fall from your safe position.
Most of Christendom are guilty of what Peter warns here. Paul, if in fact he is chosen of God, “appears” to speak very much contrary to Peter and other disciples of Yahoshua/Jesus, including His brother James. Paul even admitted he is stretching the truth when he said…
1Co 9:19 I am a free man, nobody’s slave; but I make myself everybody’s slave in order to win as many people as possible.
1Co 9:20 While working with the Jews, I live like a Jew in order to win them; and even though I myself am not subject to the Law of Moses, I live as though I were when working with those who are, in order to win them.
1Co 9:21 In the same way, when working with Gentiles, I live like a Gentile, outside the Jewish Law, in order to win Gentiles. This does not mean that I don’t obey God’s law; I am really under Christ’s law.
1Co 9:22 Among the weak in faith I become weak like one of them, in order to win them. So I become all things to all people, that I may save some of them by whatever means are possible.
1Co 9:23 All this I do for the gospel’s sake, in order to share in its blessings.
Do you realize that by doing what he says here that he cannot be totally in the truth? I do believe it is a good strategy to win souls, but are these souls for Paul or God? How can we know for sure? I mean if God is a God of truth that in His own words… I change not, then all of Pauls teaching cannot possibly be correct. That is, IF you understand Pauls teach incorrectly. In my opinion though, I don’t believe Paul is talking about Gods laws. You notice Paul says… Jewish law? Did he say Gods law? No, definitely not; and it is this play on words that cause 99% of Christians to choose the wide easy path of excluding themselves from Gods Ten Commandments that were written in stone by Him alone symbolizing they would stand forever.
Don’t you think that with such an enormously important subject such as the “commandments of God”, that Yahoshua/Jesus would have mentioned it if they were to be done away with? I often times ask myself; what are people thinking when they so blatantly go against Gods will, and the only motive I can find every time is this. People are genetically lazy and blind to anything that interferes with their own personal space, time, financial status, and entertainment, and to be forced to keep all ten commandments of God, this encroaches on all of these. This is why God tells us we should be “in the world but not of it”. You must use wisdom here to see into the bosom of God; you cannot have your cake and eat it as well… its either one or the other.
The bible, the so called word of God, even tells these poor weak greedy Christians they must keep these commandments of God if they desire to be in His will…
Rev_12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Rev_14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Rev_22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
How blatantly plain and simple can it be? I mean God “inspired” his prophets to write His thoughts via the pen, but when it came to His Ten Commandments that are the blueprint to life, He did not trust His prophets and wrote it with His own finger and chose rock instead of paper to symbolize its eternal and perpetual status. When you look at these Ten Commandments there is only one that Christians choose not to keep, and that is the seventh day Sabbath. Why? Because it interferes with their day, just as I wrote above. This proves that those who ignore their error in these most important matters of God’s business are lukewarm, and guess what; by ignoring the Seventh Day Sabbath you are ignoring the first and most important commandment which is to love God. If you do indeed love God with all your mind , heart, soul, and strength as you say you do, then you will keep His commandments that were made to last for ever. Even Yahoshua/Jesus said it….
Mat 22:36 “Teacher,” he asked, “which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Mat 22:37 Jesus answered, ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
Mat 22:38 This is the greatest and the most important commandment.
Mat 22:39 The second most important commandment is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as you love yourself.’
Mat 22:40 The whole Law of Moses and the teachings of the prophets depend on these two commandments.”
So you can clearly see that these two commandments of Yahoshua/Jesus encompass every other law, so how much more do they encompass the Ten Commandments written by the very finger of God Himself? This does not call for wisdom, or intelligence, or even understanding for that matter; it merely calls for everyday common sense, to know that Gods commandments are eternal in His kingdom. To prove this we know that some of the laws include what food to eat and what animals are clean, and what sexual acts are legal, which are all laws made for the flesh on earth which is temporal, but the Ten commandments of God’s finger were made for eternity in God’s Kingdom where eating and sex will not be needed. Why? Because God’s Kingdom is spiritual; not physical as most poor souls in Christendom figure.
Why do I mention all this in this chapter? To show how easy it is for Christians to twist scripture to suit their own motives and belief system. I mean Yahoshua lived three years with His 12 disciples and never even met Paul on earth, and yet the majority want to build a religion on what one mortal man says instead or the immortal Son of God Yahoshua? This is why James was at such odds with Paul, because James was not only the brother of Messiah, but the one chosen by Him to take the helm after His departure to heaven, and Paul just would not listen to him. Am I saying Paul is totally out of line here? Not quite; he did what he did (stretched the truth) to gain souls for Christ, but I am not sure this is the right way to do it. If I was God, I would rather one soul to obey me with their hearts than one thousand that obey only with their mouths. Meaning, its easier to go with the lies of the multitude than the truth of the few. Many are called but few are chosen.
So potential children of God, please for your own eternal sake, and for God’s sake, do not misinterpret scripture for ulterior motives, and do not mistake Gods Commandments for the law of Moses… they are indeed worlds apart. One is temporary for this material/flesh world, and the other is made for eternity in God’s world. Let’s face the truth here; life is not about the opinions of any man, albeit just one man called Paul, its about the wisdom and desire of one God who sent His only Son to teach us the right way, so why would we chose to follow Paul when we have the Son of God to follow? It’s often said in Christian circles; “Oh don’t worry too much about that wayward teaching because at least they are being saved”. But I say… what are they being saved to? Is it heaven or hell? Do not be too hasty to put less credence on truth.
Paradigm shift
The following paragraph is borrowed from my introduction at the beginning of this book:
I often speak of a paradigm shift for those with an open mind; you know, the not so dogmatic kind. For those not knowing; a paradigm is an example serving as a model; pattern. In short…a model that you base your belief/view on. For me up until a few years ago my ‘paradigm’ was orthodoxy in modern traditional Christianity. It was the way I was raised and believed a team of wild horses could not change my mind. Yes I was as dogmatic as the next guy and was willing to die for my loyalty to tradition within the church. One day, and to this day I know not why, I forgot to take my meds and my mind was miraculously opened, and my paradigm soon shifted. Some say I am wrong to leave tradition, but I am more interested in what the truth is than what The Lord says, as opposed to what is tradition, and if I still journeyed with a closed mind, then He would say nothing because I would never be able to hear Him. Most people’s paradigm must fit with what makes them comfortable, and for traditional Christians, they expect the world to come to an end one day and so base their paradigm on that fact, but what if they are wrong and God has no intention of ever destroying the earth (which is my belief), would they then have a paradigm “shift” if they were to open their minds enough to learn this truth? Well it certainly would be a spanner in their works that’s for sure. I intend in this book to be exactly that; a spanner for every honest and open mind to confront at least, and then to choose which way to go. Remember, a closed mind is not available to learning and certainly out of reach to the voice of God.
Now by refusing to open our minds to change, we not only become over dogmatic and proud, and even hard line in many cases, but we miss our chance at the truth. To be this way is declaring boldly to the world that you know all the truth and can never be found wanting. How proud is that? But unfortunately it is a very common place in religion, and many millions of lives have been lost for this very reason. People just believe wrongly that they are pleasing God, and therefore are very comfortable continuing in such a poor and sorry state before God. It’s really a huge issue that needs much attention throughout ALL religions.
OK, so what has all this to do with the bible? Actually nothing directly, but indirectly has all to do with what you perceive the bible to be saying to you. The bible is written FOR us and mostly not TO us, and therefore if you believe it is in fact written to you like the bulk of Christians today, then what you get out of it will be totally different from the others who do not believe the same. Can you see it now? Your truth is not their truth, and why is this so? Because both your paradigms differ because of one simple fact…whether or not the bible is written TO or FOR you. Makes a huge difference right? So what I am saying is this; get it right from the beginning and be ‘open’ to interpretation of the bible instead of taking on someone else’s paradigm to influence your beliefs. Remember, your relationship with God is between you and God, and not you and a church denomination or teacher or friend, or even your parents. While you continue to ride the wing of others instead of God, you will always remain outside of the truth, unless of course they know everything like they make out, and we all know this is extremely unlikely.
When I was first converted, I was told by my pastor (God bless him) to start by reading only the first four gospels of the New Testament. Lying awake the first night pondering this instruction, I decided not to follow his advice, but instead took the view that all that is written in this book is from God one way or another, so I would begin at the beginning. Yes, it was hard to comprehend at first, but after praying The Lords help in understanding…it soon became a breeze. By starting at the beginning I was able to learn FIRST of all the nature of God, and this helped me later to better understand the nature of the New Testament. Had I did it the other way, there is a good chance I might of took a slight disliking to the ‘apparent’ nature of God, but as it was, I learned the ‘true’ nature of God, thus setting a good and true foundational basis for my paradigm, albeit only part thereof as it turned out as I was still available at that time to doctrinal influence from others around me.
The idea of learning from the bible is to read first and let the Holy Spirit form your OWN paradigm within your mind, otherwise the one you might follow is in fact not yours, but another person’s or church, and let’s face it brothers and sisters, there are hundreds of Christian doctrines out there waiting to influence your innocent mind. If you open your mind to the Holy Spirit while reading the bible instead of the advice of others, then you also allow the bible to form your paradigm, but what most do today is in fact allow others to form your paradigm first, and then force the bible to say what makes you feel good rather than the truth. Yahoshua/Jesus said to the disciples, and I believe is also for us today, and that is He would never leave or forsake us as we take up our own cross in His name. I believe this as my basic foundation to learning from God rather than from man; it’s called faith. With faith like this we are assured of the truth because it is from God. Think about it, if you put your faith in God to provide the truth like Yahoshua/Jesus teaches, then how can He refuse? What would He say to you on judgment day when you trust in Him for the truth and He did not supply? Oh sorry mortal man… I was taking a nap? God would then have to apologise to you and find a reward to make up for His sleeping on the job. Oh my, what a weak and pathetic that god would be. My God never sleeps and His Law is written on my heart.
What do I know?
So should you trust me on material presented here in this book, and what do I know anyway? I can categorically insist that you do not trust me one iota for any material whatsoever in this book; I am not here to brainwash you like the Catholic Church has brainwashed this world, but rather to encourage you to do your own research and studies to seek the truth. There is only one truth but many impostors, and it is available for all that seek it. It is better to believe nothing at all that you read and hear, than to believe a lie.
And what do I know? Very little to be honest. I wagged school as a teenager and learned a trade to survive on. Absolutely no education outside of my trade. So how come I seem to portray myself as knowledgeable now in my old age? Simply because when I realized there was so much contradiction and mystery in Christianity and the bible, I decided to put aside everything I had been taught (brainwashed) by my church, and pretty much most of what I learned from the bible, and go it alone in finding out for myself. Research, study, more research and more study, for the best part of 17 years now, has brought me to a place where I can be surer of myself and where I am going.
The good part is I have never lost even one inch of ground in faith along the way as many others have that have found the answers I have found. In actual fact I have gained enormous ground because the answers to the mysteries along the way have equipped me with the power to see past the shallow dogma of the church and harness the true value of God’s Holy Spirit. In a nutshell… I see more clearly now without the church dogma and tradition that was blinding me. For some strange reason, when others in the past have found what I have found, the give up the faith. Seriously, why is that? It has worked the opposite for me. Whereas I was shakable before because of all the hypocrisy, errors, and tradition not privy to the bible, now having found the truth, I am un-shakeable. Nothing can break me now.
I encourage all to at least question what man has provided for you and what you accept as true then keep it close to your heart always, but what you find as false, be bold, and discard it forever from your life as it is an obstacle preventing your maturity. You think because you know your bible back to front, and have done 10 years in traditional theological studies that you are mature enough? You are delusional my friend; wisdom, understanding and discernment comes from God, not from reading a book over and over. All that will do is fill your mind with the dogma of other men who got it from other men, and so on. Remember, The Lords sheep here His voice, and blind sheep only here the voice of man. Be adventurous and give it a try… you have nothing to lose but much to gain.
So where do you start then? You start by first obeying God because without Gods guidance you will never find your way in this dark place. God lightens the way for those who trust in Him only, and not men. When you accept that you cannot hide even one single random thought from God, you will then be sincere with God and of course He will see this and be your personal guide. Be careful though, that along the way you do never credit yourself for your new found wisdom and knowledge, but always acknowledge it is your Father in Heaven who leads you to it. And never ever think you are wasting your time no matter how long you spend seeking these things, and remember also that these are treasures built up in heaven and will go with you when you depart this dark world. When you are totally honest with yourself and with God, you are now ready to begin this most important leg of your soul’s long journey back home to God.
The first step toward obeying God is putting what He says ahead of all others. You first pray that God will give you the gift of discernment so that you can separate the word of God from the word of man. This may sound frivolous to you but believe me this one time, it is very hard to know the difference. Man will tell you…. were of the new testament do not require to keep the law, and in fact they are right, but what they do not tell you is that the Ten Commandments are NOT the law that Moses gave to Israel, they were the only words we can be assured are the words of God because He actually wrote them in stone by His own finger to be everlasting… not just for a little while as you are taught at Sunday school. God did not write the 613 laws given to Israel, but He did the Ten Commandments. Revelations if you are to believe it, tells you clearly that only those who keep these commandments of God, and the revelations of Christ, will be saved. Keep all ten of these commandments of God; not nine, or eight or seven, but all of them with all your might, and I personally will guarantee that in no time at all you will notice the change in your soul and the delight in your spirit as God lifts you up as if on the wings of an eagle, and you see His kingdom in a whole new light. By the way, I am solo, not involved in Jewish or SDA church affairs in any way.
Once you have established this new footing stronghold in your walk with God, you are now ready to embark on your all important work of truth seeking. If you are not prepared with the backing of God that comes via obedience, you will not succeed; you must be on one accord to be receptive to the gifts that will guide you. The amount of time it takes to reach this stage will not depend on your ability, but rather your eagerness to submit to the will of God and obey Him. If you cannot obey the simple things as is His Commandments, how then can you expect to obey and understand the deeper things? I cannot emphasise this enough; obedience is the key that will unlock the way to Gods kingdom, and without it you cannot enter in. If you do these things right, you can expect to be ready within a year or two based on my own experience, to begin your new journey to this heavenly treasure. Maybe sooner under special circumstances.
While you journey toward seeking these things, be persistent and consistent… do not leave large gaps in-between. Being ill is no excuse; as a matter of fact it can be an advantage that will a lot you more time on the matter. Work hard to overcome your short comings as they will only impede your progress. Never stop at least trying to overcome; when you fall and stumble, rise and battle on. Never feel sorry for yourself, but rather be bold in all you do for the sake of the kingdom of God. No matter what you have in this world, it will eventually disappear, but what you are seeking now will last forever, so work hard and long for the victory prize that will await you when the time comes.
Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling and put man’s interpretations aside. God has promised to put His laws (truth) on the hearts of men who belong to Him, so you are much better off to put your faith in Him than in a book that might not be totally on accord with His will. The safest way is to trust in God, through obedience, to lead you without the interference of man who when considered honestly, is no better off than yourself. The greatest man ever to set foot on this dark place once said… seek and you will find. Its rather ironical I think that we prefer to trust in others seeking than our own. So my friend, do not trust in what I know because I am just another man; trust in The Lord to show you personally by seeking Him in righteous motive as He guides you to the truth. Amen!
Life sapping Deceptions
The second Coming of Christ
Now, did The Lord not say that the New Jerusalem (or new world) would be a place of continuos light (meaning truth) and with outside in the darkness (meaning living a lie)? Why do teachers of the Gospel continue to put aside such important matters that hold the spiritual truth of the whole meaning of the Good News? If this new Jerusalem that “comes down from heaven” (meaning spiritual because flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God) is indeed forever as the word says, then the outer darkness which is of course a part of the whole deal, must also be forever. What this means in simple plain english is that believers and non believers will always be a part of this physical world until they receive the gospel of truth that will forever lighten their way. Simple as that folks. This apocalyptic language used here is never used for physical explanation by the Jews, but rather in a spiritual sense that is intended for spiritual people only. Messiah used it and His followers, including John of Patmos, used it so non believers had no clue what they were talking about. This is why we as believers and as receivers of the Holy Spirit understand the written bible, but others who don’t believe and therefore don’t receive the Holy Spirit also don’t understand; it is given you to understand by God via the Holy Spirit. It is imperative to recognise and understand the whole gospel message, and that it is spiritual. The soul is our hearts desire, and it’s this very part of us that requires saving, and not our flesh. The sooner you accept this, the sooner you can get into learning the ways of The Lord, and in turn follow Him, instead of following the fairytale you have been taught by your teachers and pastors.
This world will never be destroyed ever again according to God and the bible, and yet so many want to believe He will go against His promise and destroy the world. Was the world destroyed in the days of Noah? Well not according to the scriptures as you already should know, and besides, when I look out my window I still see the world. Now from what I remember The Lord says ‘as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be when I come. (Mat 24:37). People don’t realize that it was The Lord Yahoshua who came the first time when He came to destroy the inhabitants of the world because of their gross disobedience, so in actual fact He has come many times, but only one time in the flesh to pay the ultimate price to save the world. He had to come this way to pay the legal price for the sin of mankind; no flesh equals no sacrifice, and it’s the sacrifice that was the payment. Lets look at the three main similarities with the days of Noah and the days of the Coming of The Lord.
1/ Wrath: Both times He comes in wrath and judgment on the disobedient. In the days of Noah they had become so sexually immoral and with so little regard to life, that God could no longer look upon His creation. It was all contaminated and needed cleansing, and He did this cleansing by washing it all away with a flood. Now when The Lord says He will come again in judgment he will come as a fire (Mat 13:40), and so He already did when He destroyed the old Jerusalem in 70AD. So here we have God’s wrath and judgment present in both the days of Noah and the destruction of Jerusalem.
2/ Taken away: In the days of Noah, who then were taken away? Yes, it was those bad people who disobeyed The lord. They were all destroyed in the flood because they refused to obey the prophecy of God through Noah, and all those who did believe were left behind and saved. And so it was the same at the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple AD70 when all the disobedient were burnt by the fires as Jerusalem burned and thus taken away.
3/ Saved: As it was with those who believed and joined Noah on the ark, so it was with those who believed The Lord and deserted Jerusalem when the signs of war became evident. They ran to the hills as The Lord said they should and were thus saved, or left behind while the unbelieving Jews were burned in the fire.
So you can see if you have eyes, that when The Lord came in judgment in the days of Noah…Noah prophesied, the good were left behind when they were saved by the boat, and the bad were taken away, and in the days of Jerusalem destruction, Jesus prophesied, the god were left behind when they were saved by running to the hills, and the bad were taken away (died) when faced the Romans fire in Jerusalem. The event of the flood cleansed the world physically of sin, and the event of Jerusalem destruction at the 2nd coming of The Lord cleansed the world of sin spiritually. In both events, The Lord Yahoshua/Jesus came in judgment.
Now when you consider that The Lord Yahoshua said His kingdom is not of this world but a spiritual world, combined with the many times He said He would return “soon” in judgment, you must take Him for His word and believe He did exactly that, and the only way you can accept that, is to agree the destruction of Jerusalem AD70 was that time He prophesied. The Lord is not the author of confusion, and so there is no way He would tell the disciples and those others present at that time, that He was coming soon if He meant 2000+ years in the future, especially since He also said that some present at that time would still be living when that time comes. If you continue to twist what He said, and make excuses for the clear cut verses in the bible testifying to an AD70 return, then you are in danger of doing exactly what the unbelieving Jews did 2000 years ago, and that was and I quote…not recognise The Lords visitation. That is the very reason why Yahoshua/Jesus destroyed Jerusalem and the Jews; because they refused to believe He was Messiah and/or His prophecy of their imminent destruction.
While I believe we are now the new Israel in the new Jerusalem, I still accept that their is still to be evil in the world. Many times I get the question, “if Jesus has returned, why is there still evil in the world?” Well in a perfect world I would like it that way also, but The Lord said that when the new Jerusalem comes down from heaven (the new covenant with the Holy Spirit ), that there would be no night (darkness) because His light would always shine, BUT, those unbelievers would always still be around outside in the outer darkness. We see the light (the truth) because the Holy Spirit reveals it to us, but the unbelievers of course are blind to the truth without the Holy Spirit, or Yahoshua/Jesus if you like, and therefore always in darkness. This is not rocket science, it is all there plainly in the bible for us to see, but unfortunately, many, confused by the modern day false teachings, together with their own selfish desires, become easily brain washed into believing fantasy.
You know folks, when I was a newbie to Christianity, the first thing I did was go out and buy a bible and read it. There was so much within these pages that I did not understand, and among other questions needing answering, none was greater than this; “why did Jesus not come back when He said He would?” Fellow Christians would look at me with such amazement as if the term “second coming” was enshroud in enigma. They would invariably say.. oh this doesn’t mean this…it means that, and that doesn’t mean that…it means this! What they were doing was, the same as most teachers since Darby about 180 years ago, was adding their OWN meaning and opinion to what the bible actually said. Like all the flock, I followed their false shepherds interpretation of the bible because I was so new to the scene, but let me tell you; it never did sit well with me, just like many other false teachings of modern Christianity. And why do I stipulate modern Christianity? Because Christianity today is definitely and obviously, not the same taught in the beginning. It’s almost as if a degree in theology these days gives one the authority to change the meaning of what God ordained.
So I was told, and I believed, that Jesus was going to come again in the flesh to this earth and rule His people as His own in a Kingdom of God on earth, even though thats not what the bible says. The bible says He was coming soon, to the people of Israel (Jews), in the same generation as the disciples, and not sometime in our own future. I was told we would lay with lions and no more evil would be in the world, and a Physical Jesus would rule us in our resurrected physical bodies, even though, the bible never ever says this. As a matter of fact it says the opposite…
1Co 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
Luk 17:20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
What all this means is that God’s Kingdom is not physical and cannot be seen with the physical eye, but rather it is spiritual that is only seen with the spiritual eye within you. So why do we go with the flow of false teaching these days, and expect to be someday a part of a physical heaven, when God is Spirit who abides with all His angels who are spirit, and also with His Son who is Spirit, and in a heaven (kingdom) that is spirit? It just doesn’t make any sense at all.
As Jesus never ever tells us He will return in the flesh, and for that matter, nowhere in the bible is it written that He would return and rule in the flesh, why then does public opinion hold to such an event? Well here it is, one lousy ambiguous to some, verse in the bible. where two angles ask the disciples why they are so surprised as they watched Yahoshua/Jesus ascend….
Act 1:11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
Ask yourself this; why is it that such an important event, i.e. the foundation of Christian belief, balance on such a ambiguous statement, and also why Yahoshua/Jesus never ever said it Himself? Also, please consider this. If the words “in like manner” indeed do mean in exactly the same physical way as He left, then…
• How does Jesus come from heaven riding on a white horse (Rev. 19:11) if He didn’t leave that way?
• How does He come “with ten thousand of His saints” (Jude 14) if He didn’t leave that way?
• How does He come “as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west” (Matt. 24:27) if He didn’t leave that way?
• How does He come “with a loud command [shout]…and with the trumpet call of God” (1 Thess. 4:16) if He didn’t leave that way?
• How does He come “in blazing fire with his powerful angels” (2 Thess. 1:7) if He didn’t leave that way?
• How does He come “with his angels in the glory of his Father…to repay each person according to what he has done” (Matt. 16:27) if He didn’t leave that way?
Even the word “coming” is taken out of context. The greek word used to describe the second avent of Christ is Parousia, meaning…Presence. This is a spiritual condition if kept in context with the story line. Even Paul uses the same greek word here in the same context…
2Th 2:9 The Wicked One will come with the power of Satan and perform all kinds of false miracles and wonders,
Does this mean the devils presence was in Physical form? Do I really need me to answer that for you?
This subject of the second advent of Christ needs a book of its own, sim[ly because of the modern day paradigm created by modern day preachers, to brain wash Christians into believing in such rubbish, for reasons I can’t say for sure, except to suggest it might be as an enticement to the pews. It shouldn’t need to be this way if people would just receive the bible as a child and they would naturally see that soon mean soon and quickly meant quickly when The Lord said He would soon come in judgment on Jerusalem. Gods beef was with the Jews who had gotten out of righteous control, and so Jesus was sent to fulfill that judgment, in His second coming, when Jerusalem was destroyed in AD70 and along with it the old covenant as the temple where sacrifices were performed was also destroyed. This one historical event is the greatest of all biblical history, and even until today, when you look at it in the scheme of things. This one event was the end to Israel as Gods people under the old covenant. The new covenant involved not only the Jews, but anyone anywhere who was willing to accept Yahoshua/Jesus as Messiah and therefore Savior. Can you think of any greater event in Jewish history than the end of their world?
Christmas and Easter
Most of the world celebrate Christmas and Easter all in the name of Christ, but was it always that way? Most of us truth seekers know where these pagan celebration’s originally came from, but only a few rebuke them for the sake of Gods Kingdom. If you follow a certain religion then you would normally believe the God of that religion to be the most High God and so your aim is/should be to obey and please that God right? Well according to the Christians of this world, their most high God is not as important as Tradition. They will go on and on about how their dear holy Bible is the word of God, but they only obey it when it suits them, and leave out all the important traits of God that don’t suit them. Lets fight fire with fire here; Christians use their bible as the only instruction to life, so lets use this so called “word of God” to show their wicked and selfish error.
Deat 12:30 says this:
Deu 12:30 Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.
Deu 12:31 Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.
Deu 12:32 What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.
This is exactly what the Romans did 2000 years ago, and the same tradition has been allowed to flow all through the ages (Thanks to the RCC) till today even. What this means is that not only do we celebrate the days of other religions, but we do not accelerate the days of God. When confronted with this truth, invariably they will say to me; “But Mike, on this special day we celebrate the birth of our Messiah Christ, and besides this, we share ourselves with the poor, the hungry, and the sick of this world, showing through us the love of Jesus”. Well do you really need a single day to do all these things? I personally would prefer to use every day to share and celebrate the birth of Christ. You say every day is your sabbath day, so why not make every day your “sharing Christ” day also?
Do you really think this known erroneous behaviour has no effect on God? You already know God is a very jealous God, and yet you want to provoke Him to anger by using anti-Christ days to celebrate the birth and resurrection (Easter) of God’s only Son? Do you really think God cannot choose another day apart from these pagan worship days to His full glory without having to share it with false god days? Where is your heart in all this; you know you can’t have both as Yahoshua/Jesus clearly said:
Here are some verses from the Christian “Word of God” regarding Gods disproval of tradition.
Col_2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
Mar_7:8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.
Mar_7:9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.
Mar_7:13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.
Cant you see the magnitude of your error here? You think God can tolerate such perpetual error knowing full well you are aware of your error but continue in it in the name of Christ under false pretense? Shame on you to regard your own personal feelings above those of God! You think you are pleasing God by sharing Santa Clause and Xmas trees and little babies in mangers with worldly people who gladly accommodate your generosity to party, get drunk, and then beat up on their partners. There is no other day that has more violence in the family than Christmas day; did you know that? And that’s exactly what that day deserves!
Matthew 15:7 – “Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:
8 `These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with [their] lips, But their heart is far from Me.
9 And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”
This verse should shake the foundations of every Christians faith each time they read it, but to almost all of them it simply fly’s past without hardly a whimper. Ignore the will of God at your own risk I say because He is not partial to those turning a deaf ear to Him. Let it be known that God almighty hates it when you allow the traditions of man to soil and dilute the pure and holy ways He has provided for you. You know too well that there is no mention in your precious Bible relating to Christmas and yet you continue to give this one day a year your highest regard? Are you really filled with the Holy Spirit or is it a different spirit taken up residence within you? You say the bible is Gods word, but you refuse to follow it. You know it back to front and proudly boast by reciting this and that verse, but you can hardly follow a single will of God? Time to get real or get lost; it’s your call folks.
Christmas was never celebrated by believers or the disciples or the Apostle Paul until sometime after 300AD when the early church teamed up with the Pagan Constantine. It was after all given the date of a pagan celebration of which he already celebrated. Christians regard these two days of the calender the most holy and dear to them, and yet God does not even mention them in His “word of God”? Are you kidding me? This leads me to believe you just are not serious enough about your love of God. yeah sure you have faith, but the foundation of that faith is simply to have faith… and nothing else. Sheesh man, even Satan has faith in Christ as the son of God. Again… so get real folks!
If you do insist on keeping these as a western tradition with believers and unbelievers to give presents, exercise your gluttony, sit on Santas knee, and erect pine trees indoors and decorate it and you house in lights, then please feel free to do so, but please, please, please folks, do not do it in the name of Christ. If you can sincerely picture Yahoshua/Jesus in your minds eye being present at these drunken parties and encouraging Santa and his reign deer and elfs etc, then I would be seriously thinking about evaluating your faith, because for me I just cannot picture Him there anymore than I can picture Him at a local strip club.
So from where did Christmas originate? I give you an extract from…
2000 Encyclopædia Britannica, Volume 11 ; page 390.
“During the later periods of Roman history, sun worship gained in importance and ultimately led to what has been called a ‘solar monotheism.’ Nearly all the gods of the period were possessed of Solar qualities, and both Christ and Mithra acquired the traits of solar deities. The feast of Sol and Victus (open unconquered Sun) on December 25th was celebrated with great joy, and eventually this date was taken over by the Christians as Christmas, the birthday of Christ.”
So it is clear that Christmas is born from pagan origins. I am not saying you have to cease celebrating on this day, that’s up to you and your conscience, but what I am saying is this; do not keep this tradition in the name of God is all.
The more you dig into the bible (your word of God) you find bits here and there convicting you of your error in celebrating not only Christmas, but any sacred pagan/traditional days. Here we see more on such things that have a striking resemblance to western Christmas celebrations….
Jeremiah 10:1-4 – Hear the word which Yahweh speaks to you, O house of Israel.
2 Thus says Yahweh: “Do not learn the way of the Gentiles; Do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven, For the Gentiles are dismayed at them.
3 For the customs of the peoples are futile; For one cuts a tree from the forest, The work of the hands of the workman, with the ax.
4 They decorate it with silver and gold; They fasten it with nails and hammers so that it will not topple.
How much more profound can this instruction from God be to Christianized today? I mean it spells it out for you, surely you cannot allow this to escape your desire for truth. Surely I do not need to continue as so far you should already be convinced of your error, but for the sake of the weak I will tarry on.
go here for more….
http://www.eliyah.com/paganexp.html
So by now you should be certain that Christmas is at the very most a mere tradition of men without even a hint of the way of God attached to it, and for all intents and purpose should not be tolerated by sincere truth seeking people of God. Your bible tells you to…
Ephesians 5:11 – And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
… and this is why I essentially left the church as an institution way back in 1996 when I discovered this knowledge through my own research. Of course now that you have been shown this truth that you should check for yourself, it is now incumbent upon all Christian readers to cease from such abominations in the name of God, and concentrate on keeping only the days He says are holy. Surely if God wanted us to keep such days as Christmas and easter holy then He would have instructed any number of prophets, including His Son Yahoshua, to teach such important issuers to His people! But alas, within all the thousands of pages there is not even one lousy mention of such days, and yet Christians insist on making it their most holy of days. This shows me indeed many are called but few are chosen.
The Church Institution
Challenge a brain washed church going Christian on the requirement to regularly attend church buildings to tithe and worship God and invariably they will throw this verse from the bible at you as their proof that it is mandatory.
Mat 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
Like most things in their doctrines of tradition that are explained away by one (usually short) verse taken out of context in their so called Word of God bibles, this subject is no exception. Look more at the context…
Mat 18:15 `And if thy brother may sin against thee, go and show him his fault between thee and him alone, if he may hear thee, thou didst gain thy brother;
Mat 18:16 and if he may not hear, take with thee yet one or two, that by the mouth of two witnesses or three every word may stand.
Mat 18:17 `And if he may not hear them, say it to the assembly, and if also the assembly he may not hear, let him be to thee as the heathen man and the tax-gatherer.
Mat 18:18 `Verily I say to you, Whatever things ye may bind upon the earth shall be having been bound in the heavens, and whatever things ye may loose on the earth shall be having been loosed in the heavens.
Mat 18:19 `Again, I say to you, that, if two of you may agree on the earth concerning anything, whatever they may ask–it shall be done to them from my Father who is in the heavens,
Mat 18:20 for where there are two or three gathered together–to my name, there am I in the midst of them.’
Here you can clearly see if you are honest, that our Savior is merely teaching them how to behave. He is talking directly to the disciples about the authority given them from now on if they have the faith He has instilled in them. If one believes that this is talking about a future church institution, then they deceive themselves and indicate they are capable of believing literally anything, as do the poor souls that follow the likes of Benny Hinn, Joel Olsteen and even Brian Houston. They have no confidence in the power that is within them and rely on outside influences to teach and guide them. They actually have little faith in God on the inside, but outwardly (attending Sunday worship in a church) they portray much faith. Its a dilemma they really need to confront and overcome.
Its strange how in the KJV and many other bibles the word “church” is mentioned 80 plus times, and yet in the Young’s Literal Translation (YLT), that is not paraphrased, it is not mentioned even once in the whole bible. I wonder why? It is because the word church (ekklésia in the greek) can form the wrong paradigm in the minds of the ill-informed as it certainly has done today. When you speak with religious people, or even non believers for that matter, using the word church, almost all baring a select few will vision a building that is a meeting place for people to come to worship God. The deception is therefore, that the church is an institution when it’s true meaning has nothing even in the remotest form, to do with such things. The true meaning is in fact “assembly” or “gathering”, and this is why the YLT refuses point blank to use a word that gives a false impression.
So, what is Yahoshua/Jesus really saying in this following verse…
Mat 16:18 `And I also say to thee, that thou art a rock, and upon this rock I will build my assembly, and gates of Hades shall not prevail against it;
…. upon this rock ( i.e. himself or this truth) He will call his people together as one. Do you really think in all honesty The Lord talking about a building or institution? No, He was talking about a whole new way to God which involved for the first time possession of God’s own Holy Spirit that writes His Laws (the truth) on the hearts of men. This was more about a type than an institution; no church buildings, no denominations, no other doctrines, and no pastors or priests who are paid to teach it. There was now no need to teach it because God’s ways were from now on given directly to those who believed in Him and proved it by repenting of their own wicked ways. I tell you the truth, for the first 12 years of my Christian life I learned very little in the scheme of things from several pastors/reverends/ministers I uncounted during those times of regular Sunday worship in a building; what I did learn came from God directly as reward for my desire for truth and my sacrifice in repentance, and not from a preacher or a book.
The early assemblies holding to the faith of Christ gathered in homes and outdoor places to worship God together. They would of course preferred the Holy Temple but were shunned and oppressed by the Jewish authorities and even feared for their lives. By the time things really got moving in Rome around the third century, they were still being persecuted for keeping the 7th day Sabbath instead of the 1st day Sabbath that the new fake Christian movement had adopted from the pagans and Constantine himself. So you can see on reflection according to history and the Bible, that the true Christians, that is those who followed Christ and those soon after His resurrection, actually had no church buildings to visit at all because the Jews banished them from the Temple at Jerusalem, and the fake Christians in Rome accused them of Judaizing by keeping the true Sabbath.
Yahoshua/Jesus did not teach of a future church institution/building; in fact He symbolized the eradication of such hypocrisy by the prophecy of the temples destruction… not one stone upon another. This was the most significant time of all history as we know it as the shift from the Old Testament into the New Testament… what could be more historically famous? By the destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem in 70AD, the new covenant was fulfilled. The old covenant required animal sacrifice for sins and this was not possible without a temple and in case you missed the point… do you see any Jews washing away their sins with animal blood today? All we need today is a faith in the teachings of Christ and repentance from all bad things that the Spirit of God has convicted (written on our hearts) us of. Nothing more and nothing less. Do this and you will be saved by God Himself without the intervention of pastors and preachers leading an exuberant lifestyle and inflating their bank accounts by selling God.
When you vision Almighty God who was the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, and who claims He will always be the same, and then try and reconcile that vision with a vision of all the types of Christian faiths and doctrines, if you are honest and sincere, you actually find them literally “worlds apart”. There is no comparison at all; they disagree on every front. God hates idols and yet all churches and Christians persist to have them. God said He made the Sabbath for all generations to come and yet today almost all have abandoned it. God says repent of all sin, but modern Christianity allows it so long as you pray to your Jesus for forgiveness. The list is endless and its all because of disobedience to the one truth that God gave us… love Him with all your heart. The Jesus worshiped today is a pagan Jesus with pagan tradition and values and teachings… not the truth that Yahoshua/Jesus and Messiah brought to the world 2000 years ago. Not even remotely simular.
In summary it can be truthfully said, that the church institution itself, that is apart from the people who attend it’s meetings, is grossly in error compared to the teachings of Yahoshua/Jesus. Christ said He and the Father are one, and the ignorant people of this world took that to mean they are both the same entity… that Christ is God. What this means is that He and the Father ore on ONE accord on all things… nothing more and nothing less. It means that the Son loves the Father and the Father loves Son, and because of this oneness the Father gave all authority to the Son, knowing full well that His will will always be done through the Son. Because the Son and the Father are one ( i.e. in agreeance) this means Gods will is done through Christ, and so this then means that what the Father says… the Son says also. And what does the Father say? he says “keep my commandments” and this is why Revelations in the bible says… those who keep the commandments of God AND the testimony of Yahoshua/Jesus.
So does the church institution as a whole keep the commandments of God? No, they break the very first commandment by not respecting (love) Gods desires, and also the forth by not keeping the Sabbath day holy. There is one church called the Seventh Day Adventists who do keep the Sabbath holy, but unfortunately they miss the mark in other areas which is another topic too long to mention here. Really there are only a few Jews that keep the commandments of God but unfortunately for them they do not keep the testimony of Yahoshua/Jesus, so they two miss the mark. However there are a very few remnant who do keep both and are pretty much one accord with Father and Son, and can truthfully be called “sons of God”, but you wont find them in buildings listening to false preaching on a Sunday… you will find them at home listening to Gods preaching directly to their hearts. You can look but you wont find them, for they do not cast pearls to swine and look for people to convert. If it’s in the hearts of men, they will leave these institutions and seek the truth themselves from God just like these few remnants. Indeed, many are called but few chosen.
Tithing
This is not so much a contentious issue with Christians who pay their tithes, but rather it’s an issue more with me, and I feel I need to put it on the table. The problem I have to reconcile in my head is a matter of the Law. Traditional Christians are so sure they are not “under the curse of the law” so to speak, and so are basically free to escape all God’s judgments regarding such things. Its like I said in the chapter earlier where all they think they have to do is keep the “testimony of Christ” without keeping the “commandments of God” as very plainly stated in the book of revelations in the Bible. They call the bible the “word of God” but then go on to openly disobey it. To me that is not only a sign of arrogance and disobedience, but clearly hypocrisy in the highest form. But that’s another story, so lets move on with the topic here.
Another form of hypocrisy is this; they openly and proudly I might add, throw out the commandments of God when it does not suit them, but when it does suit them, they hold fast to it. For example, nobody wants to keep the Sabbath Holy because it interferes with their social life, but they hold tight to Old Testament laws of Moses by insisting Christians need to tithe. Are you on board with me here? It’s utter hypocrisy I tell you, and guess who are the teachers of this law of tithing? Yep, you got it… the very ones who benefit from it; the teachers themselves. I wonder how much Yahoshua/Jesus got a week for His efforts?
Am I saying that they should not tithe? No, but firstly the tithing should be received more by those who need it more, and second it should not be regarded as mandatory like these charlatans insist. I mean if they insist that tithing is law, then they should also insist that Sabbath keeping is law also. Can you see where I am taking you here? The hypocrisy jumps right out at you like a raging bull. Its almost laughable that such goings on are accepted and tolerated by the blind sheep that follow such false teachers.
Mar_7:7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
I often wonder about all the monies that are raised in these antichrist institutions and where it all goes. I still see literally millions of starving people in this world and at the same time I see fat Christians and fat Christian teachers/pastors driving the best cars and living in the best houses. I am an ex plumber and I seen it all I can tell you. The hypocrisy regarding mammon is so great it’s disgusting and I have to wonder what our Lord in Heaven is really thinking about all this. He said don’t even take a bunk roll; just take yourself and the shirt on your back and spread the good news, but these vipers of the Christian world take their fat stomach’s and nice cars and reap the income of many poor people while all the time babies die of hunger. I am highly angered at not only by the hypocrisy of the leaders of the Christian world, but more so of the acceptance of such by the blind sheep following them.
I have seen with my own eyes the likes of Joel Olsteen ,Benny Hinn, Brian Houston and even Billy Graham at times, preach to the multitudes how it is just so important to give your 10% each week and even at times ask for more on special occasions. Then when they are asked to be transparent with their income records they flatly refuse. Why do people continue to follow and support these con men? They deserve what they get because they are not innocent; they know to well in there hearts that these unscrupulous men (and women nowadays) are ripping off the poor to pay the rich. It is so blatantly obvious that blind men can’t miss it.
I been going to a local Baptist church for the last 6 months to see if things are changing ( I been absent from churches for almost 20 years now) but its much the same thing. I see a factory worker on $600 a week with a wife and kid hand over $50 (almost 10%) each week while the female Paster gets $870 for a three day working week. Does she do a good job? Well reasonably yes, but does she earn it? Not quite I say. I think of the great men of the past like Smith Wigglesworth who continued to work for many years in the building trade and preached on weekends to many thousands of faithful followers for free. He like myself, feel you don’t need to be paid to spread the good news. he finally had to give work away and live of his savings because he eventually became in such demand.
Now this man Wigglesworth had power to all sorts of miracles and discernments given him by God because he was innocent and righteous in God’s eyes. Why do you think today there is no more power in churches? Go there an get healed and you will only get fooled into believing it is you who is the problem and not them, for the lack of healing. There is hardly a righteous teacher left in the church, and this is why there is no healings. They want to continue to take you money and give you nothing back in return. Do you really suppose you have been given reward from God for giving your money to unscrupulous men? You think it does not matter because you believe its the thought that counts? Think again friend… God don’t reward blind faith and supporting the devil with your good intentions; if you have discernment, discern where your money is better used, like giving the money to those who really need it. Go to the spastic center and donate a wheel chair or something. Make it all worth while.
Pro_15:29 Far is Jehovah from the wicked, And the prayer of the righteous He heareth.
Jas_5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
So, what do we do now? Its a problem because teachers are indeed needed to spread the Gospel, but should they be so generously rewarded? I live comfortably on a $800 a fortnight pension in my own home, but this Baptist pastor in the same financial position as myself gets $1700 a fortnight and I have seen inside her house… its a mansion compared to mine. I have always said I will never charge for any service I provide for God and His people because He has provided a 100 times more for me. Gods story is not a business. I think we should go to church if you really need the social Christian activities (unlike myself) but scale down your tithe by perhaps by 75% and instead give that 75% directly to those in need. For example, it’s no good for me to give to world vision because 90% of donations are eaten up by costs, so I give directly to local charities for the blind, abused children and women, and so on. At least I know for sure where its going and for what cause. Ask yourself this… why are big Christian institutions like the above mentioned so scared of revealing their income books? I rest my case. Tithe to the wrong people and get no reward from God.
Tongues
Is the doctrine of “tongues” that most Christian denominations believe in today, and spoken of in the bible, still current for today? This question is fiercely debated within Christian circles all around the world. I have my own thoughts on this, which I have to believe are a combination of Christ within, and also the teaching of the bible. There are questions relevant that we need to answer first, like…
What was the gift of tongues?
It was a miracle/gift of God, given to the 120 Disciples gathered, in order to speak other languages.
When was the gift of tongues given?
It was at Pentecost , after Yahoshua/Jesus was resurrected, when all believers began to “speak in tongues” when the Holy Spirit came. See Acts 2:1-4
Why was the gift of tongues given.
Many were gathered at Pentecost, consisting of some believers, disciples, and more so unbelieving Jews. This gift of tongues had many advantages for God including… firstly as a miracle to unbelievers, secondly so those unbelievers present and yet to come, would here the gospel in there own native tongue, and thirdly to bring God glory and also to attract the attention of Jews visiting Jerusalem at that time from all around the known world.
For whom was it given.
Only for those who had been given the Holy Spirit.
What was proof of tongues.
Somebody must be present to interpret the words to be correct, and therefore of God. If there was nobody to interpret, then there is no proof the speaker is of God, because even a child of Satan can speak gibberish.
For how long was it required.
(YLT) The love doth never fail; and whether there be prophecies, they shall become useless; whether tongues, they shall cease; whether knowledge, it shall become useless;
This gift was never meant to last; it was at a certain time, for a certain people, and for a certain reason; it was never meant for today. Actually, its only in recent times that it has re-emerged along with the Pentecostal movement, that spread to the rest slowly over time.
Is Tongues required today?
Speaking in tongues today, that you will frequently see from what I call the “stage” because it is all an act to entice you to their particular church organization so you will help fill their bank accounts of tax free dollars, is not even remotely like the gift of holy spirit given to Jesus’ disciples and followers of that age. Even soon after that age, there is no historical evidence of any believer speaking in tongues. As mentioned above, even Paul apparently thought it would end.
Conclusion
It is my opinion, from what evidence I find in the bible, together with historical evidence, that most people I see speaking in tongues today, especially all those fake Hollywood Preachers on TV, are not what I call “true” believers. I believe they have ADD or ADHD, together with a desire to seek the attention and also the money of those looking on. They want to appear holy through their foolish act of deception, and therefore gain the confidence of the audience for whatever evil they pursue. Not all of course are like this who “try” to speak in gibberish, because they are so brainwashed into believing it comes from God that they sincerely think its true. They say its their personal prayer to God so the Devil cannot hear what they are saying. Ok, so why then are they screaming it out in public for so all can hear; is it for self glory? I have witnessed many accounts of “on stage” speaking in tongues and holy laughter and fake healings both live and also more so on the internet chat rooms. It was in these chat rooms (12 years ago) when the true Holy Spirit showed me the truth about these luke warm Christians. I call them “wannabe” Christians, because they really do want to believe in the true Christ for salvation, but like seed cast in rocky ground, they are smothered by the ways and laws of the world. They just get swallowed up by the spectacle and hype which is absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with Gods ways. People flocking to worship in such environments might well suppose they are saved, but my question must therefore be; what are you saved to and from?
Today there is no need for a lot of things that happened during the first centaury like prophets, miracles, tongues etc, simply because we have the bible as a record and proof of all these things. Besides, Yahoshua/Jesus did say… happy are those who believe without seeing. The Bible is printed in every native tongue in the world and free for anyone to read, so now, tongues is not needed today and has not been needed since the scribes made available the new testament, and was translated into Greek (and many others since) for all the “known” world of that time to view. These writings were used by Gods servants to teach and preach to others as the gospel spread.
What I find very strange indeed is; I have met many people professing and speaking the gift of tongues, and yet in all my travels I have only ever met one who “apparently” interpreted what was being said into english at a Pentecostal meeting in a room above a shop in Mt Gambier way back in 1993, and she was not speaking a language per se, but just gibberish like… yayaya, dah dah dah and such rubbish as a child in arms would speak. How do you interpret that as a language? You just cant do it. . As it turned out, his interpretation was supposed to be a prophecy from the Holy Spirit given to the speaker of tongues, that, you guessed it folks, never came true. So much for the credibility of tongue interpreters. I do welcome all those who have evidentially been blessed with this gift from God to interpret tongues. My imagination explodes when I realize that if this gift was indeed true for today, then there should really be almost as many interpreters as speakers… but you will be hard pressed to find even one. What does all this mean? It means there are really a lot of fakes out there parading as sheep in wolf clothing.
To all those who still believe they have such a wonderful gift from God, I really do not want to burst your home made bubble for fear of “hurting even one of these little ones”, but I do ask/advise you to reconsider your stance before God and judge yourself honestly. If you think your gibberish is a direct language to God in prayer, then can you please show me your power? Show me what advantage you have gotten from it, otherwise you may as well scream at the clouds for all its worth. Language by itself is a Gift from God and is always in some way interpreted, but gibberish is of no good to anyone… especially those so foolishly performing their act on stage for millions to see how foolish they look. There is no merit at all in that.
1Co 14:6 Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine?
1Co 14:7 And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped?
Come on people, get a grip and behave as Christ would behave. Could you really imagine Yahoshua/Jesus behaving in like manner? Emotion is cool sometimes in the right place, but foolishness is never cool in any place. There was never a case for chanting or anything remotely like is portrayed on the Pentecostal stage of modern Christianity. Tongues was initially given as a tool to help spread the good news when that situation arose during Pentecost, and not for the modern entertainment of so called Christians seeking hype instead of truth. To me, its just a gimmick by unscrupulous greedy men to win the youth of today as insurance for their ever growing bank accounts. Nothing more than that I believe.
So in the present day, it would theoretically be a very simple matter to discover whether or not someone is really “speaking in a tongue” according to what the Bible says is legitimate. Let me say that I personally know of no instance where what passes for “tongues” as it is presently practiced in some groups is actually a case of someone speaking forth an intelligible stream of words in a real human language which is understandable to those who do speak that real language, but one which the speaker-in-tongues does not understand (i.e., if I were to pray out-loud in another language I have studied extensively like biblical Hebrew, reciting a Psalm I had memorized, for example, that might sound like “speaking in tongues”, but it would not be true “tongues”).
Please do not misunderstand: we do not doubt the power of God. All things, indeed, are possible with Him, and, it is true in the early Church that the gift of tongues was a common and important gift which was apparently being liberally distributed by the Holy Spirit – but it was not a universal one. Not everyone spoke in tongues, even in the early Church:
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? 1st Corinthians 14:27-30 NIV
So just because God can do something or has done something in the past does not mean that He is doing it now, no matter how much we may want this to be the case. God has spoken directly to certain men in the past, appointing them prophets and commissioning them to proclaim His Word and to be instruments for writing it down in inspired form (for example, Isaiah: Is.6; and Ezekiel: Ezek.2). That does not mean that He has done so in my case or in your case (the Bible, after all, is now complete – no more chapters are being added, and no one else is being commissioned by God to write more of it). It is the same for tongues. Certain gifts were extremely important in the early Church, when there was as yet no collected New Testament, no stabilized Church organization, no system of education for the preparation of teachers. In the first century, the gifts of apostleship, healing, miracles, tongues, interpretation, etc. were of great importance in establishing the incipient Church of Jesus Christ. But it is easy to understand why they are not (apparently) functioning today: we have the Bible and men to teach it, a situation which is in truth most blessed and not to be exchanged for any number of miraculous gifts:
1Co 13:1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
1Co 13:2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
1Co 13:3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
1Co 13:4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
1Co 13:5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
1Co 13:6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
1Co 13:7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
1Co 13:8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
1Co 13:9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
1Co 13:10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
1Co 13:11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
1Co 13:12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
1Co 13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
Above is the whole 13th chapter aimed at the temporal value of tongues, and also its relative value in the scheme of things. Its almost as if Paul is saying its so insignificant that it really is not needed, and no wonder because by this time, the gospel had already gone to most of the “known world” already, which was then the middle east, Rome and thereabouts. If there was by that time, not much use for tongues (as it was initially given to spread the gospel in other languages), how more so is it certainly not required at all today in our advanced world. Remember, back then there were no computers, no printers, no telecommunications, and not even a type writer, so the gift of tongues was very much needed then to spread the word to all tongues. Today it is not.
To think that some denominations actually insist that if you do not speak in their vain imaginations of tongues, then you are not even saved. This is so weird that intelligent man can have such retarded views of God. A Christian was not even evidenced back then by his ability to speak in tongues, so why now? Its laughable. Jesus even said… know them by their fruits; is a whole lot of gibberish displaying good fruit? Even a sheep can go bah bah like some of these charlatans using tongues in Gods name to lure them into their own den of thieves. I used to feel sorry for those poor souls following such rubbish, but now I see they get what they deserve for believing such junk. Besides, those true to God will be drawn out of her as I was. I did not come out of those churches on my own… Christ in me pushed me to the door… all I did was make the last step.
Tongues was the least of all gifts, and yet the Pentecostal movement attaches most credence to it.
Paid Preachers
Oh what such a contentious issue this is! I am alone on this topic, with not only every money hungry teacher selling God against me, but all their blind sheep as well.The excuses I hear for making money on Gods name are numerous and weak; mostly from misinterpreted scriptures taken out of context. Blind sheep think everything in the bible was written just for them, and so miss the message because they deem context and audience relevance unimportant. Being blind physically is a medical condition we cant do anything about, but blind sheep are caused by laziness and foolishness that can be overcome only if you want to. Thats the operative word here… want. Unfortunately, lazy people just don’t want to do anything for their advancement and claim the “salvation by faith alone” false doctrine of devils. If their so called once saved always saved doctrine was true through the “faith alone” doctrine, then Satan would be the first saved. What you “do” according to faith, determines the origin of that faith. Doing is essential to believing, and believing is the integral part of faith of course.
My first point of defence in my claim against teachers ( Pastors, priests, ministers, etc) is this verse from the bible.
Jer_31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people
Jer 31:34 And they do not teach any more Each his neighbour, and each his brother, Saying, Know ye Jehovah, For they all know Me, from their least unto their greatest, An affirmation of Jehovah; For I pardon their iniquity, And of their sin I make mention no more.
Heb_8:10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
Let me tell you straight… what I learned in the first 12 years of my Christian life from the bible and teachers was next to nothing of real value to my soul; it was all about faith, but no action; just believe and you’ll be right mate. All things of value I have learned has come from my God within, not the church and bible on the outside, but rather from that which is within. And what I learned convicted me to leave the church that was going astray, and listen to God Himself from within. He lead me like a little boy lost in the quagmire of religious corruption and apostacy, and ministered directly to me… and I listened. Was I obedient to His voice? Not initially because my mind was just so awash with tradition taught me by the church, and it was extremely hard to let go of. My mom taught me as a toddler, my school taught me as an adolescent, and the church taught me as an adult… it was so ingrained it felt like (and will feel like to you also) it was in stone and nobody, even God to change it. It took time, about two years before I finally took the first step of obedience and began my new life celebrating Gods creation through His holy Sabbath. I love it now like my greatest asset; I can’t wait for it to arrive each Saturday. I delight in it and am renewed in strength each time I rest in it. God’s Sabbath is the greatest gift I have ever received outside of His mercy and grace.
People say… God spoke to me, and I ask.. what did He say? And they then point to a scripture from their man made bibles (inspired originally but since corrupted) and say that is Gods voice. Oh no it’s not, because the voice of God is only heard from within, just like your bibles tells you so. The ironical thing is, people want to believe that the bible is the “Word of God”, but they just won’t trust/believe in it, and do what it says. For goodness sake, if one is to ignore the “voice within” then how can God communicate with His people? When a voice from within speaks to a Christian, and that voice does not agree with their man made bibles, then they say the voice comes from the devil. Its laughable sometimes because their error sticks out like a dogs hind leg. They in fact commit the unforgivable sin… Blaspheme of the Holy Spirit of God, because they call God’s Spirit Satan. What more offensive to God can this be?
So what am I on about now? It’s not so much about wether preachers should be paid, but more about who is your teacher. For me God is my teacher so why would I turn to someone so much inferior? I don’t need one, and mixing with such people and their followers is so stressing to me because they profess to know it all by tradition, and make themselves un-approachable. Instead of seeking to learn from me the deep wonders of life that God has revealed to me as reward for obedience, they seem to think it’s their duty to teach me instead as set me back on the right path. They would rather have faith it what another man (preacher) says, and put all their faith in a doctrine born from a book they have no clue about where it came from, than trust in that wonderful truth that lies within just waiting for them to let go of tradition. I can tell you this; once you have renounced religion born from tradition, as is Christianity, and sincerely seek the truth directly for the source of truth within, then you will never be sorry.
It is my humble opinion that teaching religion in all forms must be done for free; it is the only way corruption can be kept at bay, and besides, all the money raised could then be diverted to places of need, instead of places of want. For instance, I receive a pension now, and have plenty of time to spare if I was needed to preach to a group of people. Would I want to be rewarded for my efforts? Of course I would, but would there be a need for that reward? Absolutely not; for I already receive from the government enough to live on (contrary to those ungrateful people who complain). Whenever this topic arises, I think of the many great men of the past who gave their time for free to preach the gospel, and none stands out more than Smith Wigglesworth, the British Plumber who did two jobs; plumbing for income, and preaching for God.
On closing I would like to pose three questions:
Who are you more inclined to believe… a man being paid to teach the truth or a man doing it for nothing?
Who is God more inclined to give the truth to… a man being paid to teach the truth or a man doing it for nothing?
How is God most likely to give the truth… from a book or the Holy Spirit from within?
Your opinion should be drawn from your answer to these questions, and believe me, it is my experience that not all will choose the right answers here. To help you get the right answer I offer this thought; did Yahoshua/Jesus, or Moses, the prophets, and the disciples get it from another man or a book? Its your call fellow truth seekers.
Modern day Prophets
Not only the Christian world, but the whole world has witnessed many times in the last few hundred years of so many false prophets that it makes the church look like criminals. The likes of…
Paul Crouch, Pat Robertson, Rick Warren, Chuck Smith, Benny Hinn, Brian Houston, Oral Roberts, James Swaggert, Joel Osteen, John Hagee, Hal Lindsey and the list just goes on and on… Ellen White os the SDA whose endtime prophecies failed. Billy graham who sent many to spiritual death via the RCC. Tim LaHaye and his false “left behind” junk that netted him over 80,000,000 bucks in book sales I was told. He even told me in one book when I was a newbie in Christ that masturbation was fine if you did not lust while doing it. Maybe it is, or maybe its not, the point is that it gives over to lust in the end. The list is so great that I have no room to mention them all. Even Oprah Winfrey had a go with her show endorsing homosexuals and (hearsay) denying Christ rose from the dead.
I have no time or space to go into details of how all the above and many more are contaminating the truth of Christ with their false teaching and prophecies; the fact is though, they all failed one way or another. I have to ask why people would go to so much trouble to spread such lies and turmoil through Christian circles all around the world. Why would they make up such trash? I know exactly why… they are wolves in sheep’s clothing deceiving even the elect. They are very good at what they do. They first appear as angels from God by their gentle demeanor and butter would not melt in their mouth innocence, then when they have your confidence, they infiltrate your heart and such you in like a black hole, stripping you of all your money before you enter. The two main reasons are souls for the devil, and to boost their bank accounts. Trust me, these sons of devils do not believe in God at all… if the did, they would part with all their excess dollars to those who need it more.
There was one true teacher I can remember reading about from England, who continued in his trade as a plumber for many years while taking on the enormous workload of a preacher and healer. He never accepted any money for all his efforts except when in later years the job got too much for him in the church and had to retire from Plumbing. But still he only took what was needed to survive. I never ever heard of a bad word against this true God fearing man who sacrificed his life in the world for the children of God. Why are all the above not behaving in like manner? They all have millions of dollars tucked away, and all drive mighty cars, fast private jets, and live in lavish houses. Imitate Christ the good book says… what a joke these charlatans make of the gospel.
There is no need for prophecy today as all prophecy was completed in the bible new testament which prophecies up to the return of Christ. Why would we need to know anymore? Yahoshua/Jesus is back leading us in righteousness for all eternity… what else do we need to know? False prophets try to predict His date of return, but the bible says that is not possible, so already these evil people are condemned by the bible before even their prophecies fail! They do it because they know the desires of man; they know what keeps them hyped up and encourages them to attend their huge den of thieves to fill their already swollen bank accounts. They know that most will fall into their deceit and lies because most are easily led like blind sheep to the slaughter. They know this, and prey on these blind sheep who will believe anything man tells them by twisting a piece of scripter, instead of themselves asking God to teach them. The bible says…
Jer_31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
See, you don’t need prophets anymore, not even teachers, and for that matter not even a bible, because God will tell you directly to your heart if you are truly His and hear His voice. If you are indeed not His, then yes, frequent these halls of hell filled with hungry demons, and ask them to teach you what you know, and soon enough you will be there along side them as partners in crime. It will be sooner than later too my friends.. believe me, they are very good with words and say exactly what you want to hear instead of what you need to hear. They are experts at deceiving and defrauding you. If you fall into their trap it will be hard to escape. You will have all their cohorts joining forces against you to keep you in their clutches forever. They will have a deceitful answer for every sincere question you ask. They will have a deceitful interpretation for every clear scripture of God condemning their actions. You must be aware of the little voice within that says… hey, what about this that they are teaching me; it just don’t seem right. When you listen to this voice, and react to it, only then will it enter your heart and mind with the sound of a thunderbolt that leaves you absolutely certain of their evil ways. If you refuse to react, that quiet voice of God will retreat because you refuse to listen.
Now please allow me to pick on one false prophet and teacher who is a pet dislike of mine. I remember watching him on TV here in Australia for the very first time early one morning long before he was exposed by 60 minutes as a rip off merchant and false healer and prophet. I only did so because a good friend of mine from Tennessee USA was telling me what a great man he was. Even way back then it took me only a few minutes to discern his falseness. His beautiful clean cut look with smart attire and stance, prancing around the stage like a rock and roll singer, yelling and screaming, talking in gibberish, pointing the finger, and making up pretty stories to impress the listeners. It was clear to me even then, that no matter what this man said, it would not be of God. He was too much into himself to be into the truth of God. He once visited Australia back in the eighties or early nineties, and held a huge convention in Sydney where he had packed a house every meeting of thousands of gullible Christians traveling thousands of miles to see him. He apparently healed many people, but was asked to visit the hospital across the road and heal a young boy dying of cancer. He said he did not have time. He had all the time in the world to entice the gullible into his evil den, but not 20 minutes to pop in close by to heal a dying boy. He knew if her did, he would be found out to be false, because he knew he had no power of God, buy only the power of the devil that cannot heal.
I have often wondered, why is it that some can instantly see through the shallow sheep’s clothing to reveal the wolf inside, but so many, the great majority, cannot? I mean even my most valued friends from Melbourne here in Australia, in whom I love and adore more than my immediate family, still hold that this evil man is of God. They say, but Michael, whats your problem; thousands are saved through this man. I say, what and where are the saved from and to. Do I say these people who continue to frequent these dens of devils are not saved? Mercy no, not because I don’t have the authority or the ability to know for sure as thats Gods business not mine, but I came from the same place once. Yes, I was initially saved in a UNC church and attended for 12 years, before I became serious about my faith and was soon lead out of her by God.
I tell you it was not easy; I stood to loose all my dear friends and there were still unanswered questions, but it was either the church or God, and this was clearly defined on my heart. After I left I was regarded as lost. Yeah, Michael has lost his way and gone astray… please pray for him. Well 15 years after my dear close friends accused me of going south, they too left the very same church for the very same reason. I ask, why did I know it sooner, and then much later? How can I know, but if put on the spot I would say they treat Yahoshua/Jesus too lightly; there can be no other reason. It never ceases to amaze me that the majority quote Paul to justify their faith, when it was Yahoshua/Jesus who provided that faith. So I guess the Lord says… my sheep hear my voice alright, but the translators forgot to add the those who refuse to react are the real losers.
The Cross
I don’t think there is a greater abomination to God that the sight of a dead Jesus hanging limp and head down on a cross. For me, it’s a disgusting sight hard to behold and makes me cry each time I see it. Unfortunately I see it everywhere I go. I see this dead Jesus on a cross hanging around the necks of professing Christians and also totally unbelieving people as well. I see it on the mantel piece and bedside cabinets of homes I visit. I see it in books and all over the internet websites of people trying to sell Jesus and God because they are too fat and lazy to work. I see it on so many sports people as the reach to serve a ball at the tennis or bowl a ball at the cricket, or kick a ball at the soccer. But what hurts most is when I see it in the very buildings where it is believed is Gods dwelling place; the local church.
I wonder how the real living Yahoshua/Jesus feels about this? I would think He is very unhappy that the world pictures Him that way; after all, is He not the “living Word”? Is He not the “living King” of creation? When I see such painful sights in my travels I am very saddened, not only by this dismal image, but more so by the extremely immature thoughts and actions by the very same people who profess to believe in a living God. Sometimes I actually feel ill at the sight of such images. Not only is this such a bad thing to do, but it is written in black and white plainly and clearly in the Ten Commandments of God.
Exo_20:4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
And also….
Lev_26:1 Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God.
Deu_4:16 Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female,
There is ship loads of more scriptures showing Gods immense displeasure of such images, but if Christianity can build a lie on one small verse, then it needs only one small verse to tell the truth also.
Blessings from God i.e. spiritual blessings, not money or possessions, come only through obedience to the living Word of God which is Yahoshua/Jesus who by the way is ONE with God, and only destruction can come from disobedience. I was “born again “according to the church the day I professed my faith and was baptized, but believe me, I know myself well, and this was not so with me. One lonely night as I lay in my bed alone (as I was then) about three years after turning to God, I read the above passage in the bible and contemplated as I had done several times before. I just could not in the past, bring myself to throw out my dear blessed dead Jesus on a marble cross with a spear in his side. But this time I had plenty of time to think, and not just skim over it and not allow the Spirit of God to minister to me. I lay there a long time, and God told me in my heart that my dear dead Jesus was a brick wall between me and Him, and if I was to draw nearer to Him, it must go. I got out of bed and grabbed that piece of marble and smashed it into a thousand pieces. For a split second I felt I had done the wrong thing, but then; the world of God opened up to me and His mercy and grace came down on me like cool spring water on a hot summers day. I never felt so good.
Later my girl friend at the time came to visit and she saw my dead Jesus was gone and said… what have you done Michael; have you lost faith? I told her the truth and she was very much saddened that I could do such a thing, and not long after we parted ways. From this moment on, which was really my very first act of obedience because I did something for God that I really felt I did not want to do, my life took on a totally new meaning and direction. It was another seven plus years when my next big act of obedience took place, changing my Sabbath day from the pagan Sunday to the true Saturday Sabbath which then opened a new door to host of knowledge and mysteries of God for me. Had I stayed within the tradition of the church I was in back then, I would still be at the same level as they still are now twenty years later, and eating the same old baby food they eat.
So my friends (and enemies by now I guess), I believe what I did was somewhat akin to what Abraham did with is son Isaac. It was a huge test of faith for me as I lost many friends in doing so, especially through the keeping of the 7th day Sabbath, but glory to the only wise God, my soul and my spirit never stops rejoicing in the truth of God that I have been blessed with ever since. So my friend, when you next read the commandments of God, do not take them lightly, and act upon that soft voice within that encourages you and convicts you, and do away with any material image of God in your possession. The cross is not only an image, but a real offensive image to your Savior in heaven. Make peace with Him now and do the right thing by Him; after all, He did die for you true, but now He is risen and sits at the right side of God as a “living King” and with all authority to judge you. If you continue to have in your possession such an image, then at your time of reckoning, He will say to you…
Luk_13:27 But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.
When I see this horrific image of our Savior stuck up on walls and in front of the pulpit, and on stain glass windows, and even worse, on the staff of pompous outwardly pious priests parading around in their pompous religious garb, holding it high in the air for all to see how religious and holy they are… I bleed inside for my dear Lord Messiah. I apologize to Him saying… Forgive them Jesus, they are but blind sheep; give them sight that they may know you.
In this day of technically advanced communications, the church can no longer keep you chained in darkness any longer because the truth is only a click away. There is no excuse for ignorance any more as more and more of God’s children rise up above the traditional and backward church of brick and mortar, and bring to light the true desires of God to all who have an ear to hear and an eye to see.
Sabbath sabotage
The subject of the Sabbath is enough on it’s own let alone what day it should be held. Many don’t believe it is even required to be kept at all, so which day it falls on is of no consequence to them of course. Before I get into the which day it should be kept, first let me touch on the ‘whether’ it should be kept just briefly. It seems there is no question that Jesus/Yahoshua said we are to keep His two commandments of love God and love our neighbour, but it’s what comes after that commandment that needs to be identified to elevate all this controversy.
Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
It seems one word, “hang” is causing all this trouble for millions of debating Christians. I could go into all the OT verses that categorically say that God’s people are to keep the Sabbath day forever, but this seems to not even put a small dent in the brick wall that Christians have built up against the Sabbath day. I mean they will say there is no need to keep the sabbath anymore, and yet they will say Sunday is their new sabbath day. Either you keep it and have a dedicated day, or you don’t keep it and call no day your sabbath. Make up your mind. Ok now, lets define “hang” in context with the verse. I mean we are not trying to hang someone from a tree (although I feel many of you would like to do that to me), so we need to keep everything in context.
John Gill, bible commentator writes on the word hang…and so the word is used in many other places (e). The sense is plainly this, that all that are in the law and prophets are consistent with, and dependent on these things; and are, as the Persic version renders the word, “comprehended” in them, and cannot be separated from them,
So unless I am mistaken, Yahosua/Jesus is not in any way ‘canceling’ any of the ten commandments at all… not even one! This is just as I comprehended it in the first place. For instance, if I were to say;
For some strange reason Christians think that “hang” means the law is done away with. beats me how they come to that conclusion, but when questions are asked, they simply cannot give a decisive answer at all. Invariably its… “Oh this means that by loving God and your Neighbour you have fulfilled the law” but it does not. Well literally it does not at least, but spiritually it does. does this mean we are excused from the Ten Commandments of God because all we have to do is love Him? Well if you sincerely believe that confessing love for God simply means lip service, then sure, you are absolutely right and can continue in the status quo like billions of others, but if you believe your actions must be married to your believes i.e. not a hypocrite, then spiritually more is expected of you. for instance, you can say you love your mother and in reality you really believe that (as do Christians in their faith), but if you do not respect you mothers moral wishes and desires, do you “really” love your mother? I rest my case! So now you are suddenly enlightened in the truth of love “for God”, you are now qualified to make decisions based on Gods truth because He always reveals to the family of truth. Remember, there is only one truth and that comes from God; what man promotes as truth invariably differs for the lack of understanding.
So now there is only one decision decisive enough to fit the facts so far, and if you have not figured it out yet it is this; “DO AS GOD WANT AND NOT WHAT MAN WANTS. How do we know what God wants? Well there are three main sources starting from the lessor to the greater.
1/ Your soul has come into this world from a past existence with knowledge of right and wrong. This is not only proven scientifically, but also for the keen eye it is found in the Christian bible and other religious records including the recent finds of the Nag Hamadi Library and the Dead Sea Scrolls.
2/ The Christian bible shows in hundreds of places and times in within where God clearly states His desires and holy character, and this topics reference to an “everlasting” sign of His people is clearly printed in black and white for all to see regarding His sabbath. Remember because He declared it a rest day for HIMSELF, He also declares it a rest day for all humanity.
3/ Since the doing away with the sacrificial and ceremonial laws ( let it be known, this is not the moral laws that remain forever.) we are now under a new covenant with God that above all, He has written His laws on the minds and hearts of those who REALLY LOVE HIM. This means if you show even the slightest restraint to this truth, you will be exempted from this most wonderful gift from God. You think you love God? Well Satan deceives you if you do not keep Gods ten commandments fully. This is not a law whereby you get punished by the loss of your cattle as a sacrifice to God, these are commandments written by the finger of God, and written also on rock to symbolize they are forever. These few words are the ONLY words God ever wrote…. heed them to the max my friends. Its also strange how keeping the sabbath is the easiest of all commandments, and yet greed, indulgence, and the letter of the law has provided argument not to keep it. Strange that…. really strange. Gods desires are not even contemplated… its all about therm.
Now, for the matter of which day it is. First we have to recognise that Yahoshua/Jesus is the LORD of the Sabbath, and if anyone at all has the right to change it, it must only be him, and not some fake Roman catholics in the second or third century who were killing off the true followers of Christ by the thousands. It was bastardism that changed the true sabbath of our Father in Heaven and put the word out that any others Judaizing by keeping the true Sabbath would be punished with anathema or even death.
Christians today use such a pathetic excuse to not keep the Sabbath I nearly puke every time I hear is and my heart is deeply troubled by their lack of faith in God that leads to this lack of LOVE they portray for Him by not even considering His feelings in such an import shift. My heart literally cries out for them to stop their cruel actions against the One they claim as their Savior. When I correct them they (even those who teach) will almost always say… “well the disciples met on their Sunday and called it the Lords day because He rose on that day”. Oh God forgive those who don’t know what they are doing, but condemn those who do know. For goodness sake hypocrites, what has all that got to do with Gods sabbath? So what they met on the Sunday; did they meet to call it the sabbath? No, they met in fear of the Romans and even some Jews looking to kill them. Don’t you read your bibles?
Not one single disciple stopped keeping the Saturday (or 7th day) sabbath, and all the early followers of Yahoshua/Jesus did the same until they either succumbed to the Romans who had Sunday as their worship day, or were killed off for keeping the truth Sabbath; otherwise they did as Christ taught them to do; ran to the hills where they kept the Sabbath in peace. These are not my own thoughts or feelings, these are the actual facts of history, a history an old friend of mine seems to think is not important, but history is our most important teacher my friends… learn by it now and save yourself. The longer you disrespect the feelings and nature of God, the longer you rellish in the outer darkness with those whom He does not “know”. Remember, many will be shocked that even though they cast out devils in His name, He still does not know them. Don’t think you are so special that you can escape the truth of God.
Idols
What a subject this is for the fervent Christian. Almost anything can become an idol at some stage or another in one’s life. In todays world of technology we have the television, radio, internet, webcams, and even the humble phone for some poor narrow minded souls. Then there is the “proud to be a Christian” people who wear the old cross around their necks to show how much they love God while they openly sin against Him. In most cases they wear it as jewellery as opposed to symbolic imagery of Christ. Also we get the images of the Catholic church that are too many to list here, but for now images like their giant crosses, statues of a dead Jesus, statues of a live Mary (see, they portray Jesus as dead while Mary alive), pictures of their pope (God on earth they say), and their rosary beads. And what do I see when I attend a church building in almost any denomination? Yes, stain glass windows with imagery of angels and all sorts of heavenly things, along with their tall and majestic steeples pointing toward the heavens in all their pagan splendor.
In ancient times, a steeple together with a place of worship was a feature of ancient paganism, oriented to sun worship and fertility cultus. Very few Christians today would even know this let alone admit it as it is so close to their tradition ways. A common form especially in Egypt followed the geometric figure known as obelisk, which in places served also as a phallic symbol. Such pagan symbols are inappropriate in Christian churches. The Bible presents in much detail the struggle of Israel to preserve the place of traditional worship of Yahweh in face of the influence coming from surrounding pagan religions. Many biblical passages warn of the danger that these elements posed to the faith of Israel. These warnings are applicable today as churches are tempted to use symbols, the steeple being one of them, whose origins are pagan.
What does God say about these things and how much weight does He put upon the making of idols? Well it’s been a while since I read the OT of the bible, but what does jump out at me and smack me right dead center is that it is saturated with verses warning His people of this sin. I would say the greatest gripe The Lord had with His people was ‘worshiping other Gods, but to do so they would invariably have to build an image of it. So I guess the making of idols was really only second to the great commandments to love God and love your neighbour. I would have to say The lord hated other gods, but hated their images even more. To make sure His people did not create such images, He made it a commandment….
Exo 20:4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
Now, just to be more specific so His people would have no excuse to make such things, He included … ‘in heaven or the earth below’, so nothing could be more clearer for those interested in pleasing God, and lets face it; this is what it’s all about. Yahweh knew that once they made idols it would only be a matter of time before they turned from Him and worshiped them as gods.
It doesn’t always have to be an image that becomes an idol. For instance, just like mentioned above, anything can be an idol if worshiped in even the slightest form. For example, sport used to be my idol at one stage in my life. I literally worshiped football and would play it, watch it, bet on it, and celebrate it. An idol is anything that you give most of your life to. Even sex can take that place in one’s life. I once knew a man who lived and breathed it. All he would talk about was his sex life. Even as a fellow man and friend, it would irritate me sometimes that he focused so much of his life on it… and he was a Muslim for crying out loud. They are supposed to be the most ardent of God fearing people, and yet sex was still his number one idol. Ironical as it might seem, they do say that their efforts on earth are rewarded with 72 virgins in heaven. Huh? What are they going to do with them virgins? I thought heaven was a spiritual place only.
I guess the whole point of this subject is that we are to worship God our Creator only, and if we find we are worshiping something more than Him, or even worshiping anything at all for that matter, then it can be said we worship an idol. This can not be taken too lightly! If we are sincere about our faith, then anything that ‘takes away’ from that faith can be considered a sin in my book. Time given to something of the world is time we are robbed of God. I remember when I used to sit every spare moment watching television, and how I could not wait to get home from work to sit down with a beer and soak up all that idiot box had to offer. What an idiot I was. I loved that TV and I worshiped it by letting it steal away all my spare time. Now that The lord opened my eyes to this fact, I now regard the TV more of a commodity to gather important information rather than a necessity that filled my mind with junk. Nevertheless, it still in a subtle way remains an idol.
I believe Yahweh God wants us to know the truth about all things, but because of the laws He used to create all things, we cannot receive this truth unless we fall inside those laws. By putting other things before God only puts us outside those laws and robs us of life giving truth that can guide us in the right way. Sure we think we already have that truth, but if we are not committing to full one on one relationship with our Creator, and that means putting aside all other things that would make that relationship incomplete, then we only fool ourselves. Yahweh wants all of us… and not just bits and pieces when ever we feel like it or have the time to spare (i.e when the football has finished on TV), so in order for this to manifest we must sacrifice certain pleasures in life that bare no profit in terms of spiritual advancement. Yes, if we want more of God we need to show/prove it by putting Him first and all other idols last, so He can enter in and go about His business with you. God will never try to persuade of force you to give Him your time…leaves it all up to us, and thats the way it should be.
Marriage ring
Mat 15:1 Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,
Mat 15:2 Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.
Mat 15:3 But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?
Mat 15:4 For God commanded, saying, Honor thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.
Mat 15:5 But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;
Mat 15:6 And honor not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.
Mat 15:7 Ye hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying,
Mat 15:8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoreth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
Mat 15:9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
I could very well of just listed the above verse Mat 15:3 or Mat 15:9, but we need more to get just how important God’s will is for mankind. It is too easy to skip over verses and dogma and not get the core meaning of God’s intentions. Much is said in the bible and by the prophets, but the importance of God’s instruction can vary sometimes, so it is my belief, we as dedicated brethren of the flock, should discern correctly the meaning and importance by fully understanding and deciphering all scripture. For this reason I often include much more verse than the average writer who is content with superficial meanings that can be taken out of context and seem slightly ambiguous.
The two most important messages from The Lord here are in my opinion the commandments of God and the traditions of men. God is very serious about His commandments that we should follow and by these verses we see they were at the time of Yahoshua/Jesus often mixed with the doctrines of men…or the laws of the Pharisees. Does this remind you of the modern traditions of man and the church today where much of the tradition mixed with bible scriptures is actually from pagan origins. Yes, it is true my friend; just study the history of the wedding ring, church steeples, easter, Christmas, and many many more traditions we westerners live by today, and you will be shocked. The wedding ring is just a small part of pagan Christianity. Pure Christianity as it was in the beginning before the catholic church commandeered it, was not even a shadow of what it is today. The disciples would be crucified all over again by todays church if they were to be reincarnated.
This pagan tradition existed way before Christianity with the Egyptian Pharos and even adopted by the Roman Empire as well. In Roman times it was an established tradition to give a ring as a public pledge that the marriage contract between a man and a woman would be honored. Some time later around the fouth century I believe (dont quote me) the early Christians also adopted this custom and the ring became an integral part of the marriage service. I believe this was just one of the many customs that were merged with the early (but not original) church of Rome to help the new religion of catholicism take off in the new world. Rome was built on pagan tradition and worship of pagan gods, so to be accepted by Rome the Catholic church had to accept their ways also, and so became the twistianity today we call Christianity. A true mixture of pagan doctrine and dogma, together with just enough truth from the scriptures, to form the most powerful religion on earth today called Christianity.Even the name itself can be traced to pagan tradition through the Latin word Christos
There are a number of explanations to the origin of the Wedding ring, but the one with the most weight of opinion points towards Egypt. The oldest recorded proof of the wedding rings appeared there nearly five thousand years ago. Ring-money or hemp as it was called, twisted into a ring, was given to the Bride and placed on the fourth finger of her left hand (just like it is today). Apparently the round shape of the ring was linked to the supernatural, with those who chose to wear it believed the unbroken ring led to everlasting love, whilst the use of ring-money indicated that the Bride was endowed with her husband’s wealth. Later on, in Roman times, a ring’s acceptance by a lady was viewed as a legal agreement and a symbol that she was now taken and therefore no longer available for marriage. Neither gold nor silver was used, but instead the Romans favored the romantic metal of iron with it’s world famous ability to rust – what a loving bunch they were! At the same time in Ancient Rome, another trend was emerging – this time with key rings. Following the ‘carry over the threshold’, the new Bride would be presented with a ring with a key on it. The key would be used to access a form of safety deposit box where the Groom’s valuables were kept. The presentation of the key was seen as a token of confidence in the relationship and that a belief that all that they had, they shared.
And so why have I included discussion on the wedding ring? Simply because, like the marriage certificate itself, I don’t see any requirement for it within the bible. To me, and I suspect God also, the wedding ring is a pagan image that merely symbolizes the joining of one to another, and has no real meaning at all to do with marriage. True, it does advertise the fact that one is indeed married, but that’s about all. If that is all one would wear it for, then they might just as well continue to wear it, but if one believes it holds some special power in the marriage, then they waste their time, money and faith. As a Christian I believe of course in the Ten Commandments of God, and one of these commandments forbids the making of any graven image, and a ring is certainly that. It may seem a frivolous matter for some, but a matter worthwhile others…it all depends on how much credence one puts in the commandments of God.
All grace and no work
There is a wealthy land owner running a huge business in a small town…lets call him Jesus for the want of a better name. You are a man known all around the town for your womanizing, drunkenness, stealing and violence. You have been thrown out of every job because of your untrustworthy and deceitful ways, and also no roof over your head anymore for failing to pay your rent. Lets call you Looser. Now one day while you the Looser are feeling rock bottom and sitting beside the roadside all cold and shivering, looking very gaunt and hungry for the lack of food which is the product of your own failings, Jesus passes by in his prized bright yellow Lamborghini and notices you. He is on his way to the employment office to hire a new worker for his business but has already been informed that you the Looser are too unreliable for the job and not to hire you. As he passes you on the road your eyes meet briefly, both knowing where and why he is going, and suddenly your heart sinks even hopelessly lower bringing you to the point of despair. After he has passed by you briefly reminisce your past hating yourself for the way you have lived and are now totally helpless and at the point where most weak and hopeless people find themselves sooner or later…suicidal.
As you continue to sit shivering in the cold and wondering how you will best do yourself in, this man Jesus returns with a car load of bright, strong and healthy looking workers on his way back to his business. You now wish you had been a better man and sorrow over your wicked ways of the past, and with all your heart you decide then and there you are in great need of help and want to mend your ways. As Jesus draws nearer you muster all your strength to stand up in the freezing wind and wave him down in his bright yellow Lamborghini and ask him for a job in his business. You know for certain by now that if he refuses you it will be the end for you, but in your heart you want sincerely to mend your ways so you give it one last try.
Jesus asks why you, such a wicked and ruthless man should flag him down while he is on such an important mission to build up his business and really hasn’t got the time to be talking with such useless men as yourself. But with all your pride now hidden by your desire to make good, and all your courage mustered from who knows where, you ask… Please Jesus, I was like you once, I had much wealth albeit from the wrong sources, and now I have nothing. I am cold and hungry with nowhere to find a bed even, and have now decided to mend my ways; please Sir, give me a job in your business that I might survive these cold nights of hunger and go on to make a new life…an honest life. Jesus takes a moment to think and then replies… Why Looser should I hire you…everyone knows of your wicked ways and your lack of compassion for mankind…why now should I have compassion for you. Please give me just one reason why I should hire you. Now you are lost for words because you know very well what you are and therefore cannot find any reason that would not be a lie, and you have already decided to be good from now on so a lie is out of the question. At this point, for the first time in your life you answer truthfully… Jesus, you are a righteous man everyone around here knows that, and I have been a wicked man all my life and everyone also knows that, so I cannot find even one reason that you might want to hire me except that I really want to be good from now on. I sincerely want to be righteous like you, and this is the only reason I have, so please Jesus, save me from my wicked ways and give me a new start.
On hearing this and sensing the sincerity in Looser’s heart, Jesus moved his briefcase from the front seat beside him and said …here my friend, I give you a special place beside me in the front seat, and as well I give you a new start that you ask for, but from now on you will be called Victory because you have this day won a great battle over the devil your previous master and king, and will now live in My House and live as I live; in paths of righteousness. From now on I will be your master and savior, and you will be subordinate only to me. Today you have made the most important choice in your entire life; to seek goodness over evil, and I believe you are sincere so I Jesus, give you Victory, a new life. You will never be cold and hungry again. You will never be sad and destitute again. From now on you will always be happy and satisfied so long as you reside with me under my rules of righteousness, but remember, if you go back to your old ways, that will be a sign to me that you desire the evil ways of this world over the righteous ways of God, and therefore will be cast out of this new home I have given you forever…never to return again. You agree with these terms and are forever grateful to Jesus for a new chance to make good your life and because you know this Jesus has saved your life from suicide, you have a strong desire within your soul to show him just how grateful you really are. You want to obey his every word and please him. This is the new desire of your heart.
The above story is fictional, but at the same time a good example of probably every man woman and child who has sought salvation through The Lord Yahoshua/Jesus Messiah. The same “reaching out” and the same “mending of ways” is evident in all mankind associated with The Lord and Messiah. Who knows exactly why this is so except to acknowledge the same spiritual connection The Lord has with all of us as we cross over from evil to good with sincere love of God in our hearts and souls. Its an enormous relief that is encountered due to the forgiveness of all your past sins no matter how horrendous they were, combined with the true love that comes with knowing the mercy and kindness of a never forsaking God; in a word it is known as GRACE, and it is this grace that brings every knee to bow before The Lord and every heart to shed tears of joy and happiness, knowing only too well that you deserve not one single ounce of this love and mercy from such a great and powerful creator. You know in your heart and soul that you deserve death rather than this life freely given you with no catches or tricks. All you have to do is say thanks, no more and no less, and all that God requires of you will come in good time…His time. You are now forever saved from your sins if you remain in Him. Oh, what a feeling.
Now, with all this under your belt so to speak, what is your reaction to this free gift of salvation that The Lord has offered you? I say offered because many think it is a done deal to the end, but thanks be to God that He has given us all free will, and with this free will we are free to change our minds when ever and if ever we choose to do so. It is not a contract that we are bound by…it is merely a promise by God that IF we live according to the way of Yahoshua/Jesus Messiah, we are promised eternal life after this one ends, BUT, we can at anytime change our minds and go back to our old life if we want to. For some strange reason there are some out there who think it is a contract that God cannot break…no, it is an agreement with God and mankind that has rules, and the two main rules are to love God and love your neighbour, break these and you break your agreement with God. Thankfully these rules are not by the letter, but rather on the inward parts (heart) of every believer in Messiah, and are continuously a reminder of the ways of God that keep us on the straight and narrow path, convicting us of the ways of the world that threaten our safety in Christ, and forever leading us in righteousness. What more would we so desire?
So again I ask; what is your reaction to this free gift? Do you simply say thanks God and get on with your normal life? Or maybe you feel that the odd Sunday visit to the local church is in order to keep your conscience clear! Some may insist that now you are born again it requires consistent church attendance…but where is this written? On the other hand some may insist you wear a cross around your neck and a few christian bumper stickers on you car to proudly advertise your new faith like the Catholics do! And finally some say you need to be educated in Christianity by attending a certain bible program or college to receive a piece of paper that says you are now qualified to know all about God. Do I need to produce a bible verse that will tell us exactly what we should do… or can I rely on the Holy Spirit that is within every true believer to advise me the correct reaction to the greatest gift on earth? Well for me at least, I can boldly say I choose the later; to react to what The Lord puts on my heart in lew of a bible verse.
Firstly, speaking from my heart, I have a profound and deep gratitude that God would, like Jesus in the story above, forgive me totally of all my evil past ways and give me a new start. I ask myself; would I do the same for a criminal just out of jail? Could I trust, forgive and employ an ex-con? You bet your sweet bippy I would not. I would be thinking once a thief always a thief…right? So now I judge myself fairly and acknowledge what I am really like… I would not do the same for me as what The Lord has done for me. I would not forgive others totally, and I would not love my neighbour as myself by employing this man, and I certainly would not willingly lay down my own life for another as The Lord Yahoshua did for you and me. That’s the honest truth I must sadly admit. So how does this leave me feeling when I know The Lord not only forgives me totally and gives me a new chance in life, but He also died for me? Pretty darn low to tell you the truth. I know myself, and therefore know also I fall way short of the mark expected by those who trust in The Lord Messiah, and so am truly ashamed.
Imagine the fallen Looser in the story above if he only lasted a few days and then left his new masters life and went back to his old ways once he was well fed and warm again. Would that not be the greatest kick in the guts to the one who saved him from his misery? Would that not be spitting in the face of the one who loved him the most? Surely it be so, and surely it be also so if I leave the one who loves me the most…my Lord and Savior Yahoshua. How could I do such a thing? I would have to be the lowest of the lowest right? Well not so to some shallow minds of this world. Some would say once saved always saved, and so just get back to normal and believe it to be true. Well again for me, this act of ungratefulness would be totally unacceptable and undeserving of any more mercy and grace from The Lord, and so Looser would left to wallow in his own mess and cast out by The Lord. According to scripture, it would be near impossible to get back from there. Oh, and isn’t it ironic that those of the OSAS crowd would say that in this case Looser was never saved in the first place. What an easy cop out, and how could they possibly know the truth about the hearts of men with simple minded answers like that.
So at last I ask the question; is our life in The Lord Yahoshua/Jesus all grace and no work? If so, then I can go back to my old ways without the worry of being left behind…right? Wrong my friend, there has always been an IF in all The Lords promises… He made no absolute promise to anyone accept not to destroy the world again. No, for me I need to show gratitude to the one who saved me from my sins and set me up on the narrow road to life. After all, who do I love most of all in this world? Is it my mother or father or brother or sister or wife or son or daughter…who is the one I thank the most? Who is the one who gave me life? Who is the one who died for me? Did my parents or siblings die for me? No, but The Lord Yahoshua did, and that is why I love Him most of all, and that is why I also am prepared to sacrifice albeit it in a small way, some of lifes pleasures in order to become closer to Him. Draw near to Him so He will draw near to you. You must make the first move… it is you seeking Him and not the other way round!
So no, it is not all grace only, there has to be some outward acknowledgment other than words to show your love and gratitude to the one who laid down His life for you. It’s called being grateful, or in search of a better term….good works. Some form of sacrifice to show The Lord you are fair dinkum about your faith in Him. James said that faith without works (good works) is dead, and I say if you want to show me you have faith, then first let me see it in action. Put your faith into practice by serving The Lord… i.e. imitating Christ or taking up your own cross, call it what you like but whatever you call it, at the end of the day it is good works. First comes grace, then comes faith, and then comes the proof of the faith…good works. To see it in any other light ( or should I more accurately say darkness) is to demerit the sacrifice of The Lord for your very own salvation, and that is about the silliest notion one could ever have.
Those responsible for the OSAS doctrine who also promote the saved ‘by faith only’ issue, usually do so because of the following verses from the bible;
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
You only have to mention works and you are labeled by protestants to be evil or Catholic who require works to be saved. But do you know the most ironical thing about all this? They stop at the end of verse nine and wont mention even one letter of the next verse that breaks one leg of their three legged stool;
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
See, the very next verse says we should do them, so if we in fact are “not doing them” could this mean we are not saved? Think about that. And besides all that, the bible new testament is littered with other verses promoting good works. To me it is weird that people should push this ‘no works please’ attitude, except that they be unbelievers who are also very lazy. So what does this mean? Do the math here; “It says … we are saved… to do good works.” So me friend who is lazy and quick to judge… if you do not “good works” you are not saved. Remember, Christ did say to “take up your own cross”. Do you want me to spell this out for you also? Good night all!
Church music
I was an ardent church goer for 12+ years until my church, the Uniting Church of Australia decided to go blatantly against God and permit practicing homosexuals enter the pulpit to teach God’s children the truth. They failed to see that nothing good can come from anything evil, and in doing so has allowed these people to be contaminated with filth, when their real job was instead to protect them from such immorality outside the church of God. It was the best experience of my Christian life as it was this life changing experience that lead me away from the wide path of false teaching to the narrow road leading to the narrow gate of heaven.
Soon after I left this evil church, I went looking for another. before too long I found myself in the Richmond Temple in Melbourne, and then the Revival Centre also in Melbourne, and then again later in another Pentecostal church in down town Dingley, but unfortunately none provided the free flowing living truth that I had experienced in the UCA before it turned bad. Sure all the people seemed happy and satisfied, but even criminals are happy and satisfied when they get what they want, so this meant little to me. There was one thing that all these churches had in common, and that was large rock bands blasting out a rhythm and noise that made me feel uneasy spiritually. Sure it excited my spirit and soul, but was it a righteous excitement? I mean I get excited when I see Michael Jackson belt out some rock… does this mean God approves? Am I satisfying my flesh soul or my spirit soul? Do you know the difference? Sex satisfies my flesh soul the same way Michael Jackson’s music does…whereas a soft gentile sincere hymn touches my spirit soul so much I weaken at the knees and cannot stop the flowing of sorry tears for my lord. There is the difference. Rock Christian music does nothing for the movement of the Holy Spirit within, and if you think it does, then you owe it to your eternal self to find out the truth..why is it so? The devils children seek devilish things, and Gods children seek Godly things, and NEVER the twain shall meet…get that straight now before you waste your time here in the flesh.
I firmly believe that nothing good can come from anything bad, and so also must believe that no good spiritual blessing can come from something, and in this case rock music, that excites the body and moves it to extreme reactions. Put simply, rock is bad for the spirit and soul. I know, I was a rocker for along time. I see not the slightest resemblance between rock music that moves the body and gospel or hymn music that moves the spirit. I have seen a video taken of the “back stage” antics of so called christian rock bands and I can tell you it ain’t pretty folks. No need to go into the gory details except to divulge that drugs were involved and a lot of drinking and being merry. If you are in favor of this, then I must ask you…where do you draw the line? Oh I get it…so it’s ok to look at naked women, but just don’t touch right? You superficial and hypocritical fool… you walk a wide path my poor friend. That’s right, you are my friend, otherwise I would not be showing you what you really are. I would not waste my time with you if I did not love you in The Lord. On the other hand, if you are not aware of the going on’s within the Christian rock circle, then do your own investigations and when you see for yourself, then ask yourself…is this good or bad for Christian people?
Anything of the world is a cancer to the true truth seeking Christian. I say “true” because many are called of God, but only a few are sincere in their hearts for the whole truth. There is only one truth…there cant be more than one. If one says music of the world is good for Christian spiritual health, and one says it is not…then they both cannot be right…right??? We as matured children of God need to make a decision on this, and not just put it in the too hard basket or just leave the status quo in place. There must be truthful answers available for Gods children who are newbies and so sincerely relying on them for future growth. What if you tell them ..oh it’s just a matter of choice mate; if you like that sort of thing then it’s ok with God. No, that could be spiritual suicide for some who follow that path; consider the ramifications here.
Supposing a newbie seeking truth believes you and gets involved in such activities as some of these rock singers/players do, and becomes comfortable with the lifestyle… what then of their calling? What if God called them to a ministry of strict obedience and devotion or even to the mission felids, and thanks to your lack of spiritual discernment you send him down the wide path of the world to destruction? Who is more accountable..him or you? Well my friend, you will end up with many more stripes than he because you proposed a lie, and all he did was follow your guidance in that lie. He may or may not be saved, that’s God’s business, but you my friend will be lost in your foolish ways forever. You are the one who took on the responsibility and authority to advise this child of God, and so you are the one also responsible for that child’s welfare.
Moving right along and getting down to the nitty gritty part of christian rock music, there is probably three very important questions we need to consider before giving it the thumbs up;
1/ Have the lyrics been screened and certified by the right people?
2/ Are the songs being performed by the right people?
3/ Does the beat/rhythm encourage worldly behaviour?
1/ Especially with the young folk, the lyrics of rock music play a huge part in their behaviour because they are more inclined to listen to the same lyrics over and over many times in a short time, and therefore having the meaning more ingrained in their souls. If the words are good and don’t disperse biblical doctrine or the Holy Spirit, then there should be no problems, but if the contrary is true in any way shape or form, then instead of being a tool of God as intended, can actually be a great tool of Satan who would be the one telling you that what you do is Gods will…and not God. See how easy it is to contravene Gods ways? I mean you might think you are doing God’s will, but thats not good enough when you are teaching other people His ways…you must be sure, otherwise you could end up unknown to God. If words are put into songs to encourage believers in the truth, then they better be the right words and so better be scrutinized thoroughly by the right people before passed on to the innocent bystanders.
2/ Just like in the world, christian people look up to those entertaining them with whatever talents they happen to have. Especially the young folk, and its these very young folk that are more likely to be easily lead astray. Its just like the television today, how many times have you heard it said… “gosh Mom, it was on TV so it must be ok”? Well it’s no different with these Christian rock entertainers; whatever is sung and performed by these rock groups is deemed by the audience to be kosher with the doctrines of Christ. No what, if’s or but’s about it…the young especially are so easily lead by this worldly behaviour and could also end up on the wrong path by emulating the same. Ask yourself, why are there so many Christian people getting into trouble; like drugs, molestation, greed and such? Is it all their fault… or could some blame go to their teachers? What better teacher than a Christian rock band blasting out lyrics of destruction to gullible blind sheep to follow and be brain washed? Fine if it’s all good, but what of the consequences if the contrary?
3/ When I see a group of people professing to be Christian, and swinging their hips, arms, legs, and sometimes even their pelvis to the beat of rock crazed music, I must immediately question their faith. We all know that this kind of movement, wether we like it or not, gets the juices flowing in many men. I cannot be sure about women, but I am absolutely positive about men…it categorically excites more than not. I know you might think this frivolous, but in the big picture it is very serious and important for the souls journey. Once these feelings take root, it’s like a cancer that spreads so fast, and before you know it… you are somewhere you never intended to be. I cannot stress this enough my friends, I know because I been there before many times in the past; little snow ball can grow really big when going down hill. Beware and be wise; evict this devilish behaviour from your hearts and teach others to do the same.
The answers to all three of these questions have to be, if you have spiritual discernment, in the negative. There is no question about that, and is why so many sincere loving true Christian people are so concerned about it. I have learned one very important lesson in my short stay here in this body… just because a belief is the majority, doesn’t mean it is right! Now let me leave you with this quote from Michael Jackson singer and entertainer.
During a 1993 Oprah Winfrey interview, Michael Jackson, explained the reason for some of his filthy sexual gestures during his concerts:
“It happens subliminally. IT’S THE MUSIC THAT COMPELS ME TO DO IT. You don’t think about it, it just happens. I’M SLAVE TO THE RHYTHM.”
(The Evening Star, Feb. 11, 1993, p. A10)
You see folks, it is not just the lyrics we need to look out for, its also the music itself and the beat of the drum. It seems to have some evil control over some people in worldly circles, so why should Christian circles be exempt? Be honest in you hearts… how could the God of the bible use such wicked behaviour to lead people to truth and righteousness? I don’t think so.
Happy truth seeking friends of Christ.
Priest garb
Who in all of the world’s history do you as a Christian think is the greatest and highest priest of all? I can only answer for myself right now, and that would be Yahoshua/Jesus who came into the world in a horse stable and left the world hanging on a cross, and to my knowledge never ever wore anything but rags and sandals. There was none higher a deity, none better a preacher, or none better son of God than this man Yahoshua/Jesus, and yet he looked like a poor man and lived like a lowly beggar traveling from town to town preaching salvation to any who would listen. Some say He was God incarnate and some say He was merely a prophet, but all that know of Him say He was the greatest man to ever grace the earth by foot, but did He dress up in all the false religious garb that the pompous priests of all religions dress up in today? Even the new age Pentecostal pastors and teachers now dress up to look more authoritative to the brethren. It’s nothing more than a con to gain respect from the multitudes who follow these money sucking vultures. I would not be surprised if there were none called of God to dress like this as He is not a respecter of persons, no matter how they look, and if it’s good enough for the creator then it’s good enough for me too.
The Pharisees 2000 years ago were just like the priests of today. They would look good and speak well and strut like kings, but inside where the flock could not see was full of filth and evil. Today with child molestation and homosexuality rife in the church organizations, they seem no different and surely will share the same fate, and is only testimony to the motives of such pompous behaviour. The Lord painted a perfect picture of them by saying… Mat 23:26 Blind Pharisee! Clean what is inside the cup first, and then the outside will be clean too!
Many times I have wondered if the flock would even recognise The Lord if He were to come today in the flesh. I am certain they would look for a man dressed in the same garb todays false preachers and priests appear in as they parade before their flock to gain their respect. The Lord dressed as a poor man in rags and sandals would be passed by, in favor of the pompous church leaders we have today. No wonder The Lord said…Mat 21:42 Jesus … ‘The stone which the builders rejected as worthless turned out to be the most important of all… It amazes me…no let me re-phrase that.. it scares me to death that over a billion people worship and cry tears of joy for a man dressed like a king and paraded like fine jewels before the masses, who profess to be Christ on earth and yet has no clue about Him. If this carnal man called pope was indeed god on earth, then why the need for bullet proof cars? Hypocrite! These foolish people deserve what they get because of their shallow and selfish faith in a man rather than God Almighty. They say they believe in God, but any baby can see they don’t. And not just the catholics are guilty of this, but probably over half of the Protestants of this world behave similar. Already after only 30+ years of existence, the Uniting church of Australia are now dressing up in the black, white and scarlet dress to make them look more important than what they really are.
Of course I can only speak for myself and of He who is in me ( you be the judge of who that is), that I would never even contemplate fancy dress and fancy buildings and stain glass windows to attract truth seekers to my presence. No, I would use only the words and actions given me in spirit, which I assure you would not include any of the above. I would stand boldly before the people seeking The Lord and tell them as it really is, even though it may not be pretty. Yep, I would tell ’em straight that either you do as The Lord says, and don’t listen to the false teachers who like to gain your confidence and money instead of your salvation, or follow them to their eternal graves along with their lies. When I see such men trying to appear like angels preaching from the pulpit like they were God Himself, and dressed up like play school characters in all their fancy dress, I get a sick feeling in my stomach from all the garbage coming from their lips. It is always about how much God loves us, but never about how much we are to love God.
When I see such men and even such women today, I see hypocrisy. Take off their fancy preaching garb and they are naked just like us underneath. They know no more or no less about God than you or I do…they simply went to a school ruled by men and were taught doctrines composed by men and passed an exam corrected by men…all just to say they are now qualified by man (not God) to teach Gods message to you. Rarely do I hear much from these people about the Holy Spirit in you…its more about the supposed holy spirit in them, because to suggest otherwise is to suggest also that you don’t need them. Jer 31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. My good friend and truth seeker..you are the new Israel. You have been grafted into God’s family. You don’t need false teachers…you have a direct line to your maker who has all the truth you so desire and the greatest teacher of all. If you don’t know Him yet, then seek Him personally with a genuine sincere heart, and I promise you WILL know Him.
Is Church mandatory?
Although going to church may certainly be good for us so long as that church teaches the truth, it is nowhere written that it is compulsory for salvation. I am at pains to condemn the church institution in any way as it is where it all began for me, but at the same time, I feel it my duty as a lover of souls to bring forth the truth which I am given. I also know that many others follow my path, i.e. begin in the church and out grow it sooner or later as I have, but at the same time, many or if not most, tend to remain there content that they have already earned their way to eternal life with The Lord. They fail to see that salvation is a gift from God and not something earned by visiting a building once a week and put their money in the plate. This dogma will be like a cancer to them preventing their spiritual growth and thus keeping hidden the great mysteries of God that is meant for all mankind who seek them enough.
There were churches around in the first century mainly started by Paul the apostle according to the bible, so there must be some credence to it, but did Paul himself regularly go to these churches?
Act 17:2 According to his usual habit Paul went to the synagogue….
In this verse it states that Paul regularly taught in the synagogue, but this has very little in common with what we today call a church. Yes, it was a meeting place, and that’s where it ends in likeness as it was not for Christians; it was specifically for Jews. And this synagogue of the Jews had certain powers not even close to the powers of todays church. Paul went to these synagogues for one specific reason and it was not to worship God, but to teach the message of Christ in them because there were God fearing people there who were more likely to listen than those outside. Paul did this mainly in his early days of his mission though, and later of course as we know he traveled to preach the gospel and build the body of Christ all over, and not just Jerusalem, which was more Peters territory. The synagogues of Jerusalem were more of a launching platform for Paul to gather momentum for the Gentiles to receive him, so for the rest of Paul’s commission to the Gentiles he did not regularly attend the synagogue.
A synagogue was never to be like a church of modern days, i.e post Christ; It had much more power and rules. In Nave’s Topical Bible dictionary a synagogue is listed as :
1. Primarily an assembly:
General references
Act_13:43; Jam_2:2
Constitutes a court of justice
Luk_12:11; Act_9:2
Had powers of criminal courts
Mat_10:17; Mat_23:34; Act_22:19; Act_26:11
Of ecclesiastical courts
Joh_9:22; Joh_9:34; Joh_12:42; Joh_16:2
2. Place of assembly:
Scriptures read and expounded in
Neh_8:1-8; Neh_9:3; Neh_9:5; Mat_4:23; Mat_9:35; Mat_13:54; Mar_1:39; Luke 4:15-33; Luk_13:10; Joh_18:20; Act_9:20; Acts 13:5-44; Act_14:1; Act_15:21; Act_17:2; Act_17:10; Act_18:4; Act_18:19; Act_18:26
In Jerusalem
Act_6:9
In Damascus
Act_9:2; Act_9:20
In other cities
Act_14:1; Act_17:1; Act_17:10; Act_18:4
Built by Jairus
Luk_7:5
Jesus performed healing in
Mat_12:9-13; Luk_13:11-14
Alms given in
Mat_6:2
Of Satan
Rev_2:9; Rev_3:9
As you can see; the modern church of today and the ways of our Lord have very little in common with the synagogue of the Jews 2000 years ago, and was even mentioned by Yahoshua/Jesus that it was a synagogue of Satan. So for me at least, the word synagogue can not be used in defence of the modern church in which many purport to be the bride of Christ and therefore a mandatory requirement of salvation through the sacrifice of The Lord.
Now what about the word “church”… what does this mean and does it appear in the bible? Lets see the definition according to the only concordance I have which unfortunately it is the most un-trusted source out there.
KJV Strongs Concordance:
ἐκκλησία
ekklēsia
ek-klay-see’-ah
From a compound of G1537 and a derivative of G2564; a calling out, that is, (concretely) a popular meeting, especially a religious congregation (Jewish synagogue, or Christian community of members on earth or saints in heaven or both): – assembly, church.
Total KJV occurrences: 115
Well here it says its a “assembly” of people especially religious people. Now that’s interesting because Yahoshua/Jesus says He will will build “His” church etc etc. Now the question I ask is this; which of all the assembly s of religious people who worship their particular god is in fact belonging to Him? Is it the JW’s over there in their pretty building or is it the Catholics over the other side who meet in a building that assimilates to a man’s penis facing the heavens? Or maybe its those dancing all around in their meeting places playing with snakes and eating poison in the name of Jesus? I could go on all day here and probably part of tomorrow as well, with all those groups who meet in buildings they call their “church” because it is an assembly of religious people worshiping their god. But my friend, is this the so called church Yahoshua/Jesus is talking about? Well sure if you want to believe the RCC, in in truth and in Spirit it has nothing whatsoever about these meeting places, and is all to do with people who follow Messiah Christ. So it is I, who never meets in these so called church buildings, who is fact part of the church of Christ, and anyone else who truly believes in Him and His ways. And I mean that in the strictest sense as 99% of these so called church goers hardly believe a word Yahoshua/Jesus said. So this definition above does absolutely nothing to strengthen my desire to meet in a building of a pagan Sunday to worship God.
Now I tell you what is strange about the word church. It is not found even once in the Old Testament of the bible in all versions I check out, and although it appears many times in most versions of the New testament, it does not appear even once in the Youngs Literal Translation. Is that because Youngs uses a different more accurate and older version of the original texts? Could be, but I don’t think that is the real reason. I think its because the YLT being Literal, could not paraphrase (use their own imaginations) and so leaves it up to the reader to make up their minds as to what it means. lets see a few examples of the YLT V’s KJV with the word church.
(KJV) And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
(LITV) And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My assembly, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against her.
(YLT) `And I also say to thee, that thou art a rock, and upon this rock I will build my assembly, and gates of Hades shall not prevail against it;
You can see that the KJV uses the word “church” as do most bible versions, but the YLT and LITV both use the word “assembly”. This is a much closer meaning to what Christ was saying when you keep it in context. For sure He was not talking about buildings and institutions, He was talking about a “group” or assembly of people to be “called out” from the rest to belong to Him. Nothing at all to do with a church institution, and the YLT has got it right in both context and translation.
The right church can do wonders for those people in need of it, but the wrong church can also take you further away from the truth of God. The diversity of the church denominations and doctrines is testimony in itself that not any particular church has got it all right. If you think you have found the right church, then it is only because you agree with it’s doctrine, and not because that church is completely in God’s favor. For an outsider looking in, there would have to be nothing but total confusion as he briefly studied the different doctrines of many churches. He would have to be asking….” Blimey, which is the real church of the real God?” What is that famous saying … together we rise and divided we fall? Well if that’s the case the church is doomed for sure, besides, Yahoshua/Jesus also said… Mat 12:25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: … so this should be proof all church institutions of the world are desolate.
All we have to do is seek a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, and if by going to a church is helpful to you or satisfies your religious desires, then of course you do well to attend, but do not ever think/say/preach that your salvation depends on it. Your salvation depends on your obedience to The Lord Jesus in repenting of your former ways and keeping His commandments.
The church as an institution is controlled by people who are not perfect and of course can make mistakes, and God knows there has been many, but our Father for that matter is perfect and Holy in every way, and if we are sincere in heart and have pure motives, we will find God’s truth with or without the church. One must remember the church of Christ is a spiritual church. That is to say all those in Christ ARE the church (bride) of Christ, meaning we belong to Him… and not a brick and mortar organization run by fallible people. The Kingdom of God was always, and will always be a spiritual state of being, and has never been taught to be a place to be observed like a building, organization, or even another planet somewhere that some freaky people imagine; no, it is being one with God spiritually that brings one to righteous perfection… not being in building made by the hands of men. That would be kinda like idolism.
We as Christians are what we are because of what Yahoshua/Jesus done on the cross, and not because of what we done or do for Him. Am I saying not to go to a church at all? Absolutely and categorially not! Sure going to church, tithing, bible study and praying are all good and sometimes a necessary part of our Christian walk, but these things do NOT save us … The Lord has done that already and there is nothing we can do to change that. Paul did say not to forsake gathering together to be an encouragement to each other and help us grow and so on, so yes, if you want to go to church for help then go, and if you find you grow more away from the church then don’t go. It’s all academic which ever way you go in Christ.
Jesus said that when two or more are gathered together…He is there with them. We can do this at home, on the street, in the park…and yes, in a church building if it is better for you, but please do not limit Jesus to any particular building or institution…He is everywhere.
From what I see today in the church, through the media and occasional visits here and there, the main teaching these days from the pulpit is usually how much wealthier God wants to make us physically instead of spiritually. Hardly ever do I hear preaching on deeper spiritual things, but rather always on the fleshy things that disappear in contrast to spiritual things that never disappear. It is these spiritual things that I crave for and personally develop closer relations with my God from the privacy of my home. I could be strange but I never get the rewards from church the way I do privately. I am free privately but constrained at church, and this could be the reason why.
Jesus went on the Sabbath before He went on His mission…
Luk 4:16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read… But later, on His mission of bringing the Gospel (NT), there is no record of Him doing so.
So no, I don’t believe church is compulsory and therefore not a salvational issue. Does this mean I say it is wrong to go to church? Let me make this absolutely clear; the answer is of course no. It is a place where some get comfort and learning, and a place of refuge for the less fortunate. It is a place where friends in Christ can meet up and reminisce and join in prayer and seek healing and give thanks to The Lord and raise money for the poor. But, let me also make this absolutely clear; all the above (and more) can be done in the comfort of your own home with exactly the same consequence. If you are the type that feel you must have company to do all this then sure, go to a meeting place, and if you are not that kind of person, then sure, stay at home, go to the seaside, in the park, or even climb the highest mountain, because as I sit here typing I assure you and stake my own salvation on this; there is nothing you can get from a church building that you can’t get elsewhere.
The things that are compulsory though are the things that you rarely ever hear coming from the pulpit, and that is important things like repentance, keeping Gods Commandments, and taking up your own cross. Oh no, if week took up our own cross we might be accused of trying to work our way to heaven. Could have that now could we? I will add to this later.
OSAS doctrine from hell
Many, or rather most Christians support the doctrine of faith and grace only, and technically this is true, but the problem arises when some can’t see the technical side of it. God is not technical I hear you say! Well you are right, He is not technical, but you make Him technical when you don’t listen to what He says, and so I must call Him technical simply to show you the true meaning of what He says. Sounds confusing right? But it should not be so if you are careful to listen properly. Let me try to explain by example.
Paul says; Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Now is this enough information to go out on a limb and scream out at the top of your voice that you are now saved because you THINK that is what The Lord is telling you through these scriptures? If you do this, believe me you do it at your OWN peril. Of course salvation is a gift of God that we all don’t deserve, and of course it is through our faith in God that we receive this free gift, BUT my dear truth seeker, if you do not act upon your faith then you are a liar and hypocrite. Paul is only saying that it is a gift of God, and that you did not save yourself by your actions before you believed, this has nothing whatsoever to do with what action you take after you believe and receive the Holy Spirit of God. Is it not dead faith that James speaks of in; Jas 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone? What works is James talking about? It’s the reaction works of your faith for crying out loud. It’s the good works that is the commission of every believer in Christ. It is the conviction of the Holy Spirit to take up one’s own cross and do as He did. It is putting your faith into ACTION.
So what I am saying in plain and simple terms is this; if you believe in The Lord Yahoshua/Jesus, and do what He commands i.e. repent and sin no more and take up your own cross…then yes, you are saved through faith (belief in Christ) forever because by DOING what He says, shows you declare your faith by your actions and not just lip service as many Christians prefer…remember the parable of the Three Servants? To whom has much will receive more, and to whom has little…even that will be taken from them. If you say you believe in God and take no steps in that direction, then you are no better than the Pharisees of old, and according to The King you must be BETTER than them to be saved, otherwise The Lord will not know you even if you cry from the roof tops that you know Him.
The key word here though is”believe”. If you truly believe in Christ, the bible say’s you cannot sin, because that sin is against God. If you continue to sin against God then the bible is clear that you do not have Christ in you. Now what does this mean? It means you do not BELEIVE. If you are convicted by the Holy Spirit not to sin, then you go against your own feelings and choose to follow those of God. This means you do BELIEVE. Can you see the value of the word believe now? If you truly do believe you don’t sin. If you truly believe you take up your own cross. If you truly believe you lay down your own life for Him. One must remember that even Satan believes in God, and where is he going to? Yes, the lake of fire forever. So if all you have to do is say you believe, then Satan should go to heaven along with all of us right?
Speaking of the devil, he is the one most happy about the currant form of OSAS doctrine taught from the pulpit today. He is elated that people think that all they have to do is profess their beliefs in Christ and move on with their life; usually the life they were leading before they made that commitment to The Lord. Even Satan believes in Christ, does that mean he is saved? It is written somewhere in one of the gospels that the Catholic church deemed not good enough for the bible; And The Lord replied; If you can’t be obedient in the little things of God, how can you receive the greater things? So, do you need a full explanation of this? Is it not obvious by these words of Christ that there are certain commitment’s required to be saved and receive the knowledge of heaven? Like repentance and good works? Surely this be so…how else can the Lord know the level of faith one has in Him? God tested Abraham, and He tests all of us much the same way. He needs to know how far you will suffer for Him. This is the greatest form of knowing. Oh, The Lord would say… you say you love me, but you wont even obey one of my commandments.
You say you don’t have to keep His commandments anymore because Christ nailed them to the cross? What superficial nonsense from such shallow minded people. People who are just not prepared to travel one mile with The Lord. You say you only gotta keep the two commandments of Yahoshua/Jesus, and that is to love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and to love your neighbour as your self… right? OK then, what hypocrites and foolish people who cant see clearly past their own selfish carnal mind and their deep hidden fleshy desires. Tell the truth then. Go on, admit you don’t want to keep the Ten Commandments of God because that means you would have to keep the Sabbath too. Oh deary me, that would mean you could not go to the football match on Saturdays, and that would also mean your boss wont be happy if you refuse to work on Saturday. Both deep hidden selfish desires I am afraid. Not a darn single thought to what God might desire, just so long as your boss wont sack you and the door is always open for a good football match. And you say you are saved through faith. What faith? You are prepared to obey mans interpretation of Gods words rather than the words of God Himself. God says plainly that He never changes, but you announce boldly before the world that He does. Woe unto you scribes and pharisees… and woe also unto the shallow minded hypocrites of today who think they know God. You may think you know God, but He says… He ” … never knew you.”
I am not one for using scripture all the time to prove a point, but rather rely on the wisdom given by God through faith instead. Scripture is good there is no doubt about it but the Holy Spirit is better, and so that’s why I prefer to use what God has given me to reason truth. But, having said all that, I will use scripture when I have exhausted all I have to give to help guide those who appear slightly off the rails so to speak, and this is one of those situations where doctrine can play a huge role on the life and times of a soul searching truth and salvation through The Lord Yahosua/Jesus.
Paul said….
Heb 10:26 For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
What we really need to do hear is understand the significance of this short verse that carries with it so much weight. Firstly it is obviously talking about souls who would at this time consider themselves saved right? Of course, because we see the words… after that we received the knowledge of the truth… which means after being born again. OK now, so at this point we are saved… right? Now when we go back a tad we see…if we sin willfully. What does this mean? It may seem stupid to ask such a question, but some pea brains out there fail to appear to know what it means, so I am here for them ok… not you 🙂 This simply means if you make a conscience decision to commit an offence that is known by you to be a sin against God. Nothing more and nothing less. So what we have so far is this: A person who knows Christ and at this point is forgiven, and who also makes a decision to go against Christ. OK so we know what we have thank God, now what happens to this poor ungrateful soul? It is clear…he has totally lost his salvation.
Wow I hear you say…that’s a bit heavy. Well you are the one who believes in Christ, and you are the one who believes the bible is true, so you have to be the one who admits it to be true also. Its very very clear and for once it has absolutely no other possible meaning for the false teachers and prophets to twist it into something misleading. It says my friend… there is no more sacrifice for sins. In other words mate…your toast. Hey, I don’t make the rules…I just straighten them out from whence they have been twisted. So in this pure and clear example, according to the bible, you can loose your salvation… IF… you sin willfully after knowing God.
Now I can’t be sure of the extent of loss here except to say it is possible to loose your salvation. If you have a change of heart and The Lord sees that, then who am I to judge what The Lord might do. He knows you too well and so is the only one capable and qualified to do that, so lets leave it there. Maybe you will repent or maybe you wont, but the truth about salvation will not go away just for your own personal beliefs and feelings. Ask yourself about the likes of Judas who turned in Yahoshua/Jesus, or again the likes of Solomon whom God loved so much before he turned to other gods. Can you in confidence say what happened to those? I rest my case now!Put in three words…prove your faith.
The Rapture
The Rapture topic is probably the greatest Christian topic of all because 99% of believers follow this doctrine from hell; no wonder these Christians are lacking and luke warm. To be honest, I think their heart is in the right place, and God judges the heart more than anything else, so I feel that believing in this lie may not have great consequences, but what believing in this lie does do is rob one of the truth, and be assured that this is one enormous truth to be robbed of. The treasures or blessings are not found in lies; it is the truth that sets one free and its truth that reveals the true nature of God. For this reason it is very important I believe to hold onto all truths, no matter how small they may seem, that you will benefit fully from all the gifts of God. So even if you consider something not important to your salvation, still seek it out to know God more fully. Unfortunately it is human nature to desire things pleasant, and there is nothing more desirable and pleasant than the picture painted by the false Christian preachers, of a magical fly away rapture into the arms of their bodily flesh Jesus. It makes no difference that The Lord Jesus said the Kingdom of God is not seen, or that Paul the Apostle said flesh and blood cannot enter the kingdom of God, just so long as their Pastor says so, then it’s ok for them.
People try to make the Rapture out a mystery for some reason; maybe to receive the glory in teaching it…who knows, but the 2nd coming of Yahoshua/Jesus could not be more simpler if it was written in stone like the Ten Commandments. The first mistake is using the word “coming” as in the return of Messiah. The Greek word used here is parousia meaning “presence, as in the presence of the Holy Spirit. Why do people desire so much to falsify the words of The Lord? Did He not say that the kingdom of God is not a physical place? In this case then, our here after must be spiritual … right? Can flesh live forever? Can flesh and blood inherit the kingdom of God? No sir, so the here after The Lord speaks about is not of this world. The place we go to meet the Lord in the air must be a spiritual place then, the place we call heaven or the kingdom of God has always been and always will be a spiritual place. Its our soul that is saved while the flesh rots and is eaten by worms. The bible says that for goodness sake, so why so many desire a flesh kingdom I will never know.
For nearly 1800 years after the resurrection of The Lord there was no sign of this feel good rapture; it is a modern day thing promoted by John Nelson Darby and C.O. The bunny was a woman called Ellen White who apparently dreamed all this up in a vision that she later confessed to her best friend that she was not sure whether the vision was from God or the Devil. On thing is for certain, if a vision is given of God, there would be absolutely no doubt, so it was obviously from the Devil. The question any sincere God fearing person must ask; why in the world did God wait 1800 years to suddenly reveal all this? This would not be fair to the many who did faithfully waiting to be a part of it all. As it turned out, all the predictions since Mac Donalds supposed vision from God have not manifested as yet. So it seems that the “soon” from Jesus is the same “soon” used by Mac Donald. Ever since that prediction from Margaret Mac Donald around 1030, many modern day “so called” prophets have put a year and even a day in some cases, on the return of Jesus, but all have failed to come true. Does this mean these preachers of the past are false preachers because they failed in their prophecies? You bet your sweet bippy it does, and while you are digesting that sad fact, also consider all those poor souls who followed these false prophets.
Why did the angel ask the disciples
Ac 1:11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
When asked for proof of a physical flesh return of the Lord, those supporting the rapture will always use this verse as their only support. If the Lord was indeed to return in the flesh, He would certainly not use such ambiguous grammar as this. Is Yahoshua incapable of simply saying He will return in the flesh? Nowhere in all the scriptures of old and new testaments is there any such word that He would do this. Imagine the image of The Lord ascending into heaven after defeating the devil on the cross…put yourself in the shoes of those disciples viewing it all. Now, do you think for one second the fact that Jesus was in the flesh had anything to do with this moment? No way in the whole universe…it was all about glory, and it would be in glory again when He came back in judgment on the Jews in AD70.
If Jesus was going to return “the same way” then when Jesus comes everyone should look up right? Then why do the angels question them for looking up? Because He will NOT come in the flesh as The Lord Himself stated and therefore there is no need to look anywhere for that matter because you can’t see Spirit., Besides, heaven is not up, it’s all around you and within you as Yahoshua/Jesus told his followers. So what were the angels on about then? To know this you need to put yourself there at that very moment in time as The Lord ascended. Here we have Yahoshua/Jesus, who had just won the greatest battle of all time by willingly laying down His own life for the sake of the world and thus defeating Satan and sin forever.Now it’s all over and He is rising in triumph to meet the Father in heaven. Now, ask yourself this very important and paradigm changing question…what was the “like manner” the angels would have been talking about? Do you really believe it was the bodily form of The Lord in question here? If you do, then I have to say that is a very shallow and Spirit void reactive thought, and totally missing the essence of the conversation. The “like manner” that you should have perceived was indeed the Glory of it all. The greatest seen and unseen battle of all time had just been won by Yahoshua, and the glory and radiance of it all was what kept the disciples gazing in awe…not a body rising in the sky. Any so called rapture will of course be the same; in Spirit only. At the time of The Lords return, all those in the grave and asleep, and all those alive who believe in the Lord, will rise spiritually to meet the Lord in the air (spirit), and forever be with The Lord.
To believe it any other way is to believe The Lord Yahoshua/Jesus told a few fibs, and those who know Him, know also that is not possible. The Lords Kingdom is not of this world, and as He said, it cannot be seen, meaning life eternal is in the spirit, not in the flesh as some lacking folk suppose, or should I say…desire. Our Lord Yahosua/Jesus stated His coming would be as it was in the days of Noah, and of course in those days it was the lost who were taken away ( raptured ) and the saved were left behind, so again, if you believe The Lord, don’t be in a hurry to be raptured, or taken away. If you bare in mind the way Jerusalem was destroyed in AD70, you will see clearly that it was exactly this way, where the lost were burnt to death and therefore taken away, and the faithful escaped to the hills outside Jerusalem and left behind. For full details on this please read the works of Flavis Josephus who documented in full the escape of those who believed in The Lords prophecy in Matt 24 to run to the hills…and they did.
In His Name
For almost all who try to follow the teachings of Yahoshua/Jesus, to believe ‘in the name of Jesus’ simply means just that, but there is much more to it as the name means nothing. Goodness me, if it did, then all those many called Jesus today would be cult figures.To ask of God something by just blurting out those words is so ridiculous and stupid that I cant believe so many fall for it. You see it everywhere…I cast out that demon in Jesus name…woosh! I heal you in Jesus name…bingo! But, do you ever see the demons go? Do you know someone that has ever been raised from the dead of had their sight made good? Sure, you hear about it everyday, but I don’t even know anyone who knows someone else, who then knows someone else again…who has had such things done. And my friend, do you want to know why? Simple as it seems the reason is because words have absolutely nothing to do with it my friends; it’s by your actions that you heal and raise the dead. Its by your actions that you drive out demons. And what actions are they? Again simply, that you do as Christ did and live as Christ did, and teach as Christ did.
The term ‘in my name means in the same “way” as. For example, when a policeman comes to your door and claims he comes “in the name of the law”, what is he telling you? He is telling you that he comes in the ‘manner and ways’ of the law. In other words he must be seen to be doing a lawful act as he instructs you. If he was smoking drugs and appearing nude…would you accept his authority? Well only if you were a dope head and pervert you would, but for most I say..no you would not. The same goes for Christians. If you are a righteous person and living as The Lord lived in the flesh and taught as He taught, then your righteous prayers (notice I said righteous) will be answered and your authority over demons will given. But, should you smoke dope and rob people blind as the likes of Benny Hinn and c.o. do, the demons will laugh at you and God will not hear your prayers. This I am sure of; that those not “in the way” or “in the name” of Yahoshua are powerless in the Kingdom of God.
Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Just because you perform acts ‘in the name of Jesus’ using only words, does not mean you are saved obviously. On the television and in the christian meeting places I see literally thousands of impostors using the name of Jesus in vain. They claim victory but you never see a single legitimate healing. Sure, I hear of millions but see none. Many a time I hear them say…”Oh we have seen people get their site back, and people cured of cancer, and people raised from the dead”, but I challenge you to prove a single one. They use the name of Jesus to gain the confidence of their prey, so as to fill their swiss bank accounts. Its down right robbery, and that’s why Yahoshua/Jesus does not know them…He knows only the righteous.
Am I saying there can be no more miracles? Absolutely not! What I am saying with boldness though, is that when you heal in ‘Jesus name’ you do so by walking as He walked. You must be seen by God to be a righteous person and keep all the commandments of God, otherwise you are an impostor and a hypocrite.
1Pe 3:12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.
When you are righteous, you are “in Jesus name” already and there is no need to say the words ‘in Jesus name’. You do need to claim authority over the sickness though by praying.
Jas 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
When you are righteous, and you live “in Jesus name”, and you pray pray in like manner, you then have the power from God to heal and perform miracles. I hear you ask…Michael, do you have that power? The answer is absolutely no, but that does not mean it is out of my reach. It is something I am continually striving for, and can only hope I can have this victory in this life time. Yes, my prayers are fervent, and yes, I love The Lord with all my heart, and yes, I do keep the Lords commandments, but no, I am not a righteous man yet. Am I also saying God has not healed me? Absolutely not! Through faith I have been healed several times, but through sin I have also become sick several times. The healing is God’s doing, and the sinning is my own doing, so for me it is easy; stop sinning.
All this is a good lesson for the newbie’s in Christ who are so excited they can’t begin to imagine that there are false teachers and greedy liers looking to trap and rob good people. They are vulnerable and virtually trust anyone who mentions the word Jesus. As already mentioned, when Jesus said ‘in my name’ He is saying ‘anyone who walks as I walk’ and so when you see crazy men not leading by example, or running around a stage before an audience and doing strange things that are not becoming of Jesus, or having a love for this world and money, then do not believe one single word that man says. He is not of God and will only be detriment to your growth in Christ. If you do not discern the false teachers, then you may very well end up one of them, and woe unto the poor sole of such a person. His cup of suffering will be greater because he teachers other children of God the wrong thing.
The prosperity doctrine from hell
Why would Yahoshua ask the rich man to give all he has to the poor and follow Him if He also endorsed the get rich prosperity message that so many modern preachers of today preach? It just does not make any sense at all. If you cannot see the evil in the message, then you will never see the evil in the eye.So, are we to follow Christ like He asked the rich man, or do we only profess Him with our lips? Jesus once said …
Mat 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
Mat 6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
Mat 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also
Does this mean Jesus is talking about treasure like diamonds and rubies and golden crowns like we see in the comic books and cartoons? What actually is The Lord talking about here? I can’t say it any plainer; He is talking about any material possessions that are not required to sustain life. This includes excess savings, fancy cars and expensive homes that are more for boasting than for living. Keep only what you need and give to the poor. Am I saying to cash in your superannuation and givee it all away? No, for you need that for your old age when you cant work, but if I was to see a professing Christian with more than he/she needs, then I would have to question their faith. For every living soul that has too little, there is one that has too much, but blessed are those who are born poor, for they will find comfort in The Lord who gives freely.
There is none worse in my eyes, than one who has been blessed of God with revelation for free, and then cannot wait to write a book about their experience with God, and then charge like a wounded bull for it. We received freely from God, so we should also freely give. There is no mistake about that unless you see it from the other side of the fence; God’s opposition side! We see the Roman Catholic Church making billions on memorabilia through agency’s and internet. We see the Pentecostals like Benny Hinn and Joel Olsteen in America, and Brian whatshisname Houston in Australia, all selling God like there is no tomorrow, claiming they get it because they believe God wants them to have it. No, they get it because gullible and foolish suckers give it to them. Sheesh, I mean they are the poor ones, and they are giving it to the rich ones; isn’t it supposed to be the other way around for goodness sake? Sure these leeches claim they give to the poor, and they are right, they give about 10% to the poor so they can feel justified in asking others to give 10% to them. They say God will magnify their commitment 7 fold. Well I am still waiting to see this happen after nearly 30 years of watching these hypocrites.
For goodness sake your poor simple minded people who follow these low scumbag hypocrites and fuel the fire by financially supporting them, didn’t Jesus say…
Mat 19:23 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 19:24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
… then why are you so darn blind? For my way of thinking, God would see that as ‘aiding and abetting’ and so would not reward you in the slightest. In fact, God, knowing your heart, and therefore knowing you true desire for money, would take from you the little you have. And my friend, that would be justice personified, because in your heart you only give so that you will receive, and that is not within the way truth and life that God rewards with kindness. The more you greedy foolish and simple minded people fill their booty, the more they will push it. You are as guilty as they are and will be punished with the same amount of stripes.
These money hungry low lifers (yes of course I am angry) with a salesman like sermon, could con their own mother into handing over her life savings with their greedy deceitful tongues. They will invariability quote…
Pro 3:9 Honor the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:
Pro 3:10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.
…. as the bible verse to support their evil doctrine. Of course the sincere Christian can see straight away that this verse is not even in the slightest suggesting God wants you to be rich. It is merely an extension of what Jesus said, what you sow, so shall you reap. In other words, help others and others will help you.
Let me quote you from the former Australian AOG general secretary….
Philip Powell, a Pentecostal preacher and a former general-secretary of the AOG, is concerned by the more flamboyant Pentecostal churches. “It is my conviction that the present Pentecostal leaders like Brian Houston [pastor of Hillsong] and Phil Pringle [pastor of Christian City Church] have hijacked the godly movement, which was simply a fellowship of churches. They have turned it into a hierarchical denomination for selfish purposes and ends. It has become a fellowship of ministers, not churches,” he says. “Many of these ministers have made themselves multi millionaires. They are no more than business magnates who benefit from the tax-free status of corporations that they lead. They are not ‘pastors’ but business managers who have cashed in on a loophole in the Western governmental tax system.”
You see, the AOG used to be a good place to go; I visited several back in the late eighties, and found the Pastors very reasonable and humble people, not like the dynamic outgoing pride in today’s pulpits. Its a sad case of … “well if they are so stupid as to give it, then somebody has to play devils advocate and be greedy enough to take it” and that’s fair enough I think. Although I feel sorry for the true sincere Christian that gives to these scumbags through ignorance and no desire to receive back, I have no sympathy for the majority who give in order to get rich like they have been brainwashed to believe.
How do I know I speak the truth? Because the very second I saw all these above con men on TV, I instantly received from God their fake status. I can not heal, I cannot speak in tongues, and I cannot raise the dead or walk on water, but I do claim the gift of discernment given me of God. Through the Holy Spirit I was able to see into their hearts of these low lifers and know their motives. I can tell you much more, and expose many more fake preachers, but I have already upset enough people with the truth so far, and would only be asking for trouble should I push my good fortune much further. Already I fear reprisals from what I have said here, but at the same time, I am ready and armed to meet any of these wanna be prophets of their god, to debate their actions and doctrines. I don’t need any money, or bible verses, or fancy sales talk; I have Spirit of Truth.
Now for those still walking a thin line on this subject, allow me to remind you of past great men of God who walked humbly and truthfully in His way. Firstly there is none greater than Yahoshua/Jesus who in the end sacrificed His own life for the truth, that many may live. Did he have a limo? For goodness sake, He entered Jerusalem on that fateful day on a donkey wearing sandals and the shirt on His back as His possessions. And then there is John the Baptizer who even possessed less. And as you meander through history you see the likes of the disciples who also gave their lives (mostly) for Christ and left nothing behind, as did Paul the Apostle did also. The history books also reveal the likes of the early Jewish Christians known as the Essenes and the Nazerines who lived in caves for crying out loud… where was Benny Hinn back then? They sure could have done with his load of tripe doctrine to get them rich back then. Moving along again we read of the Waldenses during the Middle Ages who were about the only true followers of Christ back then, lived intentional poor lives away from the mainstream bogus Catholic Church who ended up wiping them out mostly because they had the audacity to want the truth and read it. The Inquisition goes without mentioning really as we all should know of the millions who sacrificed their lives in poor conditions willingly for the sake of the truth. They even lay down their own lives for the sake of the truth at the hands of the Roman Catholic Church. Moving on past the likes of the Pilgrims and Quakers up to more modern times (1800>2010) with the early Baptist and Salvos and the like. A perfect example of modern time heroes in my eyes are the likes of Mother Theresa (RCC believe it or not) and a humble man called Smith Wigglesworth. Now here is a man all preachers should model themselves on. Smith was a Plumber in England during the mid 1900’s who served God with one hand while continuing to support his family with the other. he charged nothing to preach the truth about God, and worked separately for a living. What a great man.
When one compares the works of Smith Wigglesworth to the likes of Benny Hinn, Joel Olsteen, and the Oral Roberts family and such, you can clearly see who is the real teacher of the true gospel. If you cannot, then surely you need to re-evaluate your own commitment to Christ. I mold my own life on Christ, and when I can see the Christ in someone like Wigglesworth, then I can feel comfortable molding my life of such a man also. In this case, is why I spend many years writing this book for not a penny reward; my reward is that some may see the truth in what is present in these pages to guide them in the ways of God and not man. That is all I ask. I will die penniless so that some might gain food for their soul.
Paul verses Yahoshua/Jesus
What did Paul teach?
I write the following not as a huge believer in the writings of Paul mainly because of his many apparent contradictions to the teachings of Jesus, but also because of the skimpy evidence of Pauls testimony on the road to Damascus when he apparently met The Lord in Spirit. So, with reservation I write the following, taking into account that the writings of Paul found in the Bible are in fact true and he was indeed commissioned by Jesus unto the gentiles.
The Lord gave Peter and the disciples the job of preaching the gospel to the circumcised i.e. the Jews, but according to Pauls own testimony He gave Paul the job of preaching the gospel to the uncircumcised, i.e. non Jews or Gentiles. Although the Jews were mostly not partial to The Lords gospel, it was still much easier to present it to them because the Jews already had prior knowledge of the Law of Moses and scriptures concerning the ways of God. But with Paul the commission was so much harder as the subjects were not at all familiar with the scriptures and ways of the only true God. Not only this, but of the gentiles there were many different types and pagan doctrines around making Paul’s job even harder. He had to have many different varieties of teaching in order to get the message across, and this is why he said in his letter to the Corinthians…
1Co 9:20 And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;
1Co 9:21 To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.
1Co 9:22 To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.
So in other words Paul had to be all things to all men in order to lead them to salvation in Christ. Imagine a Catholic Priest all dressed up in his hypocritical and pompous garb, barging into a Hells Angel biker’s meeting preaching the gospel. Why they would laugh at him and send him on his way if indeed they didn’t kill him. Although somewhat exaggerated, the same would be with Paul; he had to bring a gentle gospel to the Romans and other pagans in order to be accepted into their society, and once this was achieved, then upon repentance of the new believer, the Holy Spirit could then take over. Paul was obviously more accustomed to the ways of the Greeks than most, and knowing the ways of the people because he had lived there already, used a totally different angle of attack than did the disciples who were mainly of the Jewish way.
And Paul goes on to explain why…
1COR 10:33 Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.
Paul understood the gentiles more, and so was able to devise a better way to get them to listen to him and so present a slightly different gospel than the Disciples. Paul was ripe for the job and obviously why The Lord might have chose him. Not only had he experienced life as a Roman, but also knew the Hebrew scriptures better than any other man alive. The perfect mix to present a new gospel to an imperfect people. Paul often is found to contradict himself, especially regarding God’s Law, but this is only to get the people interested and so make a commitment to God, and then The Lord could minister to them. The initial step in faith is a willingness to believe, and Paul knew this and so brought the people to God in this belief. To me it is an ingenious way to maximize the numbers and in turn the saved. If the gospel presented to these Gentiles was in fact acceptable to God, then Paul could be said to be the Father of Christianity. But if not acceptable, then it could be said he is the devils advocate. Strong words, but nobody can deny them to be true; not even the pope.
Some I know will scoff at this idea saying…oh, God never changes and so it should be the same message to all, and this could be true in a sense also, but it could also be displaying a slight lack of maturity. We all should know that the ‘New Covenant’ to which we belong today, is spiritual right? So why not allow the spirit to do it’s job for goodness sake. The problem today is most forget this, and so use ‘Sola Scriptura’ as the only way to Heaven when in actual fact it has very little to do with it. The Kingdom of God is spiritual, and salvation is by faith…and so it has nothing to do with what you know or don’t know. That type of salvation was of the Jews, and look where it got them; almost total annihilation through the judgment of God in 70AD. No, this new salvation is all of the Spirit, and this is why The Lord said… I will send you the Comforter (or Holy Spirit), to minister to those who believed. Although the bible is a great way to learn some things about God and His ways, true pure believers do not need a book or doctrine to save them, all they need to do is believe in what The Lord says to their heart and act upon it. Oppps a bit off topic sorry.
Anyway, basically what I am trying to say is there are many ways to skin a cat so to speak (as Aussies say), and so for this reason we need to understand Paul’s dilemma a little deeper, and so then understand why he taught as he did. When Paul spoke to the wild gentiles he says the Law is no more, but when he spoke to Jews he acknowledges the law to be still applicable. Of course we are not talking about the whole law; the sacrificial and ceremonial laws went with the old covenant. It’s the commandments and laws of Messiah which are in question here. This is too great a subject to expand on here now so lets move on.
So, did Paul teach anything different to Christ Yahoshua/Jesus and the disciples? Yes I think he did. Is what he taught against Gods commandments? Yes it is. But more importantly, is Pauls teachings acceptable to God? Good question, and I cannot give a categoric absolute answer to that question, so I say only what I think. I think the end result is what counts most of all. It matters little which way I eat my food, so long as it causes me no ill effect and comes out the other end minus the nutrients. And so it is with the gospel teachings I think, so that in the end, whether we walk 10 miles or 100 miles, we arrive at a place acceptable to God. If I can feed God’s children 7 days a week at the expense of keeping the Sabbath, then I see that more important and therefore acceptable to God than keeping the Sabbath and letting His people go hungry. It’s the end result that counts, and I again only think, that this might have been Pauls way of teaching, and therefore hope it would be blessed by God.
I think he merely taught a different way in the scheme of things yes, but he did so in the hope that God through His Holy Spirit could then do the rest. All we have to go by with Paul is the bible, and so if the bible we have today is indeed the unadulterated text of the original authors, and the testimony of Paul is true, then Paul taught one way or another much the same as The Lord, but not exactly. There is definitely discrepancy between the two, but if my theory on the Holy Spirit is true, then the end result should be the same, and this is the important thing. No man showed such a great desire to save souls than did Paul apparently. He came so close to crossing the line between truth and not truth simply to bring more souls before the Lord, but as mentioned earlier, Paul was just the door man for those willing to pass through; The Lord is the essence behind the door who ministers to the soul… not Paul, or any other man on earth for that matter. Too many think they must have a pastor or preacher minister Gods power to you. No, your relationship is with God. Do you think He can’t hear you? This is the downfall in almost all believers; instead of believing in God they believe in a man instead, which was the fatal mistake of the old covenant Jews. These type will never grow up because they simply cant while looking to others for the truth. The truth is something we acquire from God through faith, and not something we access through another. We either have it or we don’t, and if we do have it, then we are free.
What did Christ teach?
The gospel of Jesus is so simple a baby could understand it. He made it this way so there would be no excuses come judgment day. The Lord Yahoshua taught that all one needs to do to be saved is to repent of your sins, sin no more, and follow Him. What could be easier than that. Some get mixed up by the “follow Him” bit though. Why I’ll never know, but to follow Him is to do as He did basically with one difference…The Lord made it clear that the new covenant would include only two commandments that all the law and Prophets hung on; love God and love your neighbour. Again this teaching has been twisted and shaped into all sorts of dogma that The Lord never intended at all, and is probably why He said….
Mat 7:22 When the Judgment Day comes, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord! In your name we spoke God’s message, by your name we drove out many demons and performed many miracles!’ Mat 7:23 Then I will say to them, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you wicked people!’
These are really damming words from our Lord. Few take notice, thinking they are doing the right thing, and preach according to what they THINK, rather than from what The Lord actually said. If there is one thing I have found of value in my life’s experience, it is that those who are weak, will use any means they can to justify their weakness. How can one be forgiven if they don’t admit they have done something wrong? What hope has one got if they continue in error doing the opposite to what The Lord teaches in plain and simple terms? Some people never try to overcome their sins due to their pastor or friends telling them they will be forgiven for every sin they ever commit. This is only partly true in the sense that willful sin for a practicing Christian is definitely a no no boys and girls. Both Paul and The Lord are clear about that, and yet so many are happy to preach against the teaching of Christ. Ask yourself, why would Yahoshua say to many… that they are wicked people? Because they continue to sin thinking/expecting God will forgive them. This is modern day false teaching only, and not the teaching of Christ. No wonder many are called but few chosen.
Yahoshua/Jesus also taught one thing that separates Him from all men separates and all other religions from Christianity, and that is to love your enemy. I know of no other religion in the whole world that teaches this. Why is this teaching of Christ so different from all the rest? Could it be because He really IS the Son of God? `He often said He was not of this world which if true, means He thinks radically different from us. Could it be that He uses all his capacity of mind whereas we are told we use but 10% only? If this is the case, then I can truly understand why He taught to love thy enemy. When you read His simplistic teachings and study His character, one is left no other choice but to believe He is special, above all other historical great men, and the wisest of all. Someone truly worth following in confidence and assurance of salvation. When someone asked Yahoshua what is required that he might enter heaven, He replied…
Mar 12:29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
Mar 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
Mar 12:31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
Mar 12:32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:
Mar 12:33 And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
Mar 12:34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.
There is no talk from The Lord about rules and regulations here.; it’s all about love. He knew the power of love and therefore knew that in love there is no greed, no hate, no murder, no adultery and so on. He also knew that if one loves God; they would automatically keep His commandments. Now when the scribe also acknowledged this truth from The lord, what did He say to Him? You are not far from the kingdom of God. This was a most powerful message from the Lord that is all but neglected today.
Again also, when The Lord confronts the rich man …
Mar 10:19 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.
Mar 10:20 And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.
Mar 10:21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me….
Here Yahoshua/Jesus indicates that this man is close to perfection by keeping the commandments of God. Only by giving all he has to the poor is needed to be regarded perfect according to The Lord. Although this rich man did not follow the Lord’s instructions, it does not take any away from the meaning that the commandments were required.
Yahoshua?Jesus taught that He was the “way” but what does this mean?
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Well we should already know what He meant by the truth and the life which is self explanatorily, meaning everything He says is the absolute truth from God which will lead to spiritual life eternal, but what exactly did He mean by the way? This is very interesting and I believe it is deliberately put here by The Lord to warn others against believing in any other way. The new testament is clear on the ways of Yahoshua/Jesus and really there is no need to elaborate on this here except to say that He taught to believe that He is sent by God and that we should repent and sin no more, and to keep the commandments of the Father in heaven which are also encompassed in “Love God and love your neighbour”which Yahoshua/Jesus preached. Does it mean we have to suffer as He did and perform miracles as He did? I doubt that very much, but what He did say is to “Take up our own cross and follow Me”; your cross being separation from the world, and to follow Him is to put His teachings into practice. If we do this, i.e. follow His “way” then we can enter into the Kingdom of God which is where the Father is.
I think the most important thing Yahoshua/Jesus was trying to convey was that by “being in the world but not part of it” is the only way we can follow Him truly. If we say we believe in Him, but do not follow His teachings, then we are saying our faith is superficial and only believe so we can save our own bacon in heaven. The Lord knew that this would be the case with most Christians because we are basically all self centered to a degree, so that is why He later added that not all who believe in Him will be saved.
What did the disciples say about Paul?
According to the bible, all the disciples were pretty much in agreement with their understanding on what Yahoshua taught on salvation. Although it is somewhat different to what Paul taught, it has to be remembered that Paul’s commission was to the uncircumcised (unbelieving gentiles) and the disciples, especially through Peter, were to preach to the circumcised (Jews). I can only give my own personal opinion on why this was so, because there seems no concrete reason for this in the bible. Paul had quite a task to preach the gospel of Christ to a people that knew nothing at all about Him and who were mostly used to worshiping pagan gods of the sun and moon etc, whereas the disciples really only had to preach the fulfillment of prophecy from the scriptures to a people very well educated in the God of Moses already. I believe Paul had to first gain the acceptance of the gentiles in a gentle way, and then allow them to grow from there in knowledge through the Holy Spirit. To blatantly go out preaching to the gentiles the same way John the Baptist and the disciples preached, would only prove to either get Paul killed, or thrown out of town. This in my view, is why Paul’s teaching differed from the rest.
There was a time when Peter indicated this difference in….2Pe 3:15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
2Pe 3:16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other Scriptures, unto their own destruction. Note here that it says ” those unlearned and unstable” have trouble understanding these writings (epistles) of Paul. In other words, what Peter is saying here is before we take what Paul says literally… first understand his way and method, and then you can put his true meaning into context. As Christians now living in a new heaven and new earth 2000 years later, it is too easy for us to take Paul’s writings literally without understanding the true situation back then.
Another interesting difference is the teaching by Paul about grace compared to that of James about works. This appears to be a major problem for many scholars arguing back and forth who is right and who is wrong. They ultimately come to the conclusion, or agreement for the want of a better word, that Paul’s teaching is for gentiles and James is for Jews, but this don’t sit well with me. I just cannot accept that The Lord would have two sets of rules for salvation, so again, I must give my opinion on this verse….Jas 2:20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
To understand this verse one really needs to read the whole chapter to put it in perspective. James here is not talking about ‘getting saved’, he is talking about proof of faith. Its easy for anyone to say they believe in Christ, but note earlier James says even Satan believes? The point James is making is that yes, we do indeed come to know the Lord through faith just like Paul says, but after this we grow by doing the will of God which in simple terms is ‘good works’. When you are out delivering free bibles, or preaching the good news, or visiting the sick or even just staying at home and writing a book about God like I am now, you are doing ‘good works’ in the name of Yahoshua/Jesus. When you are doing the will of God you are doing good works. This is the evidence of the Holy Spirit within you… it’s proof of you devotion to the ways of The Lord. Judge them by their fruits The Lord says…huh? What fruits? Good works and good behavior is what fruits.
If you want to stop reading Paul’s epistles at….. Gal 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified….. then go right ahead, but you will miss the full meaning, and therefore the essence in this case. I don’t mean to make this a chapter on faith versus works, but it is relative to the teachings of both Paul and the disciples. Paul is not speaking of “good works”, he is speaking of the works of the law. There is a difference. The Lord spoke of the works of the law also when He said the Pharisees force the law on people that they themselves cant keep. This is the same works that Paul is speaking of…not good works for crying out loud. Heaven forbid; if there were no good works, i.e. the evidence of Christ in you, then many suffering people of the world would never have come to know grace. Open your spiritual eyes and see for yourself… and read ALL that Paul writes and get into context.
So contrary to what most think, James is not contradicting Paul at all because Paul says the same thing more or less many times.
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. And…
1Ti 6:18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; And still again….
2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
And on and on Paul goes speaking of good works. So are Paul and James teaching different gospels? For goodness sake people, not even an inkling of difference to those who read the whole book instead of only a few words. If I want to, by taking only a few words, I can paint God as a murderer, but you and I both know He is not.
All in all the teachings of both parties is much the same when one totally understands the context of the scriptures and why different ‘strategies’ are used to get the same results. That’s all it is in the end folks….strategy and result.
Which gospel sounds right?
The gospel that sounds right is the one taught in the churches, but that does not mean it is the right gospel. The church institution has completely twisted the true gospel of Christ to mold it into a money making gospel. The once saved always saved doctrine, or more commonly known as the Pauline gospel that is taught in all modern churches today, has done more damage to more souls than any other single teaching. For some strange reason the very people responsible for teaching the gospel are instead giving false hope to those new to the faith by teaching this doctrine of devils. Even James the brother of Yahoshua/Jesus tells us so …
Jas 2:19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
What sounds good is usually what people will follow. People love to dream of fly away raptures, and a new world where they can live forever in their flesh bodies and be with a flesh God forever; it feels good to them so they follow easily like lambs to the slaughter.
The sound of once saved always saved tickles the ears of most who are not partial to suffering and sacrifice. Well nobody likes to suffer, but as Christians we are meant to suffer. What do you think taking up your own cross and denying the world means? It means doing what Jesus did…not Paul (although Paul does say to follow in his foot steps). To separate from the world causes much pain, but if you are sincere about your faith, and prepared to suffer for it, you do it! The narrow way is a hard way. I have heard it in chat rooms on the internet, I’ve heard it from the pulpit, and I’ve heard it from the tea rooms after the church service; non stop preaching the grace of God but nothing about good works, overcoming sin, and purification and such as The Lord taught. Like things that are supposed to happen as we grow in Christ and do as He did. No wonder The Lord said…
Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Can you not see it? People think they are saved by what man teaches, but are really not saved by what Christ teaches. Many like to believe in what sounds good because it suits their modern day life. To overcome sin and the world would mean they would have to stop doing what they love most, so by believing the lie, they feel justified by their selfish actions. The love of the flesh will cost them greatly in the end. Yahoshua many times spoke of the kingdom of God and how it is within us but not of this world, so by believing and following these man made rules of the man made church we distance ourselves from the very truth that The Lord said will set us free. According to the prophet Jeremiah, modern day Christians don’t need teaching from man because God will place His laws on our “inward parts” through His Holy Spirit, so why do we not put into practice what the bible and the Spirit say?
When it’s all boiled down, and all the facts are on the table in clear view, the Jesus gospel is hard to follow, and the Pauline gospel is easy. No matter which camp you come from, you have to agree. Jesus preaches the narrow way which entails taking up your own cross, total repentance, and removal from worldly things in order to follow Him. Of course nobody wants to follow such a hard road like that taught by our Lord, but if you love Him enough…you will, and you will do it with ease as He is with you, lightening the load. What you must also remember is that this gospel message of Yahosua is direct from God (see John 5:30), and so should be digested with much more weight. To fulfill the gospel of Jesus/Yahoshua requires great sacrifice and much suffering to the flesh, but He assures us that those who endure it will receive their rewards at the end.
Now the gospel that Paul teaches is almost contrary in substance and meaning. Paul admits he has to be all things to all men (1Cor 9:18 – 22), i.e Jew to a Jewish person or a Gentile to a Gentile person, and so his gospel differs considerably depending on who he is with at the time, and if you follow Acts you see this in action. What does this mean? Well for me it means Paul was more into getting people to accept God no matter what they believed His law was, whereas Yahoshua wanted people to accept God on condition of His laws. Paul taught one could be saved in sin, while Yahoshua taught salvation only through repentance. And so the different gospels continue, a few following The lords gospel, and many following Pauls.
Paul taught the Commandments of God were not required anymore, and The Lord taught they would stay until heaven and earth were gone. Paul taught a wide and easy way, and Jesus taught the narrow way. Paul taught women to cover up and be silent, and Jesus never taught such doctrine. Paul taught from himself and Jesus taught from God. Paul taught many gospels according to the region he was at at that time, and Jesus taught only one gospel. Paul teaches we are justified by faith alone, and Jesus taught faith and works.
For eternal life Yahoshua/Jesus said:
“if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” (Matthew 19:15-17 – Which is exactly the same message as all of the previous prophets)
For eternal life Paul said:
“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”(Acts 16:31)
To be saved Jesus said: Mar 16:16 He that believeth (IN THE GOSPEL) and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
To be saved Paul said:
“If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9) (Nothing about the gospel that The Lord brought)
Much contrasting differences in Pauls gospel to Yahoshua/Jesus’s gospel. Which one sounds right to you? I guess that depends on where you are at right now; fully obedient to the gospel that The lord brought from heaven with Him from the Father, to save the world, or that of Paul, just a man. Remember this; Jesus warned of “false teachers”… could Paul be one? What really scares me is that Paul taught his way was the only way….lets see.
2Co 11:4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.
Paul is saying his Jesus is the only Jesus and was obviously afraid of loosing his flock (ye might well bear with him…meaning to prefer another teaching) because some were hearing of a different Jesus… the one taught by the disciples probably. One thing is for sure though; history testifies to the anointing of the disciples by Yahoshua to… go forth and preach the gospel to the world. They walked and talked with The Lord…they lived with Him for three years and received the Holy Spirit from the Father through Him, and were told directly of all the mysteries of God for goodness sake…what is Pauls claim to fame? A vision…. right! No wonder Yahoshua said..
Matthew 7:21-23
21″Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
22″Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’
23″And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me you who practice lawlessness.
Friend, I ask you, what is the will of the Father in heaven? THAT which was spoken of Yahoshua/Jesus…
Mat 11:27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father… We know then what Jesus said must be true.
Joh 8:28 Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things… Again, Jesus says only what God in heaven tells Him to.
Joh 5:43 I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive… Paul, an under achieved Pharisee; did he come in his own name?
Common sense is all that is needed to know which gospel is the gospel of life eternal, and that is the gospel that The Lord Creator sent, and the gospel He sent was the one given to Yahoshua/Jesus…not the one Paul taught.
Yahoshua/Jesus was one with God and brought only one gospel, the true gospel, but Paul brought many as he admitted in his letter to the Corinthians…
1Co 9:20 And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;
Does this mean I can teach Voodoo to gain them into our fold? God forbid, there is only one truth from heaven, and that is the one gospel sent by Him who created it.
Peace.
What do I personally think?
So what do I personally think about the apparent difference in the teachings of Yahoshua/Jesus and the disciples compared to that of Paul? Well I pretty much said it all in above text, but I would like to expand a little more here mainly because of the controversy it has caused throughout the whole world in different Christian circles. Blimey, outsiders must think we are mad the way we argue and fight over doctrines and scriptures the way we do, and its all in my opinion, for the lack of knowledge and understanding gained mainly from getting the right perspective on a situation. There seems to be three main belief systems in Christianity these days … Paulism, Judaism, and the truth. Sadly few have the latter. Oh here we go I hear you thinking, this guy thinks he knows it all. Who does this man think he is telling me I might not have the truth. And you are probably justified in what you are thinking, but nothing can delete the fact that most Christians today are either following a poorly understood teaching of Paul, or a misunderstood teaching of the disciples and Yahoshua/Jesus.
Ten years ago I would have said that all we have to go on is the bible we have today, which put quite frankly is corrupt, but today we have the original writings found in the Nag Hamadi library and the Dead Sea Scrolls, and probably a few minor other writings. Again, this could be another chapter on its own, but let me just say this; we know these new writings date back to the late first century and onward, compared to our bible of today that, believe it or not, only dates back to around the 4th century, and even then has been added to and removed from the original texts via translations and corruption of the texts. All versions of the bible today are NOT translations of the original texts. Now which writings are you more inclined to believe…the original texts or a grossly changed, rearranged, twisted, and corrupt text that so many believe falsely is the preserved word of God? I know where I stand…definitely more on the original texts that’s for sure. But, for the sake of the simple minded (God bless them) I will use this corrupt text to manifest my conclusion because frankly it agrees with the same conclusion I get from other text, albeit from a different direction maybe.
From the bible we are told that the letter killeth, and yet we fight tooth and nail for this letter we falsely call the word of God. The bible also tells us that no more do we need to be taught anything about God from a book, a pastor or teacher, or even another person like myself, but in fact ….
Jer 31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. Jer 31:34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
Is it not a touch hypocritical of us to promote more the places of learning from men rather than from God when He says this?
For me there is certainly no condemnation in the words of Paul for they speak mostly the Truth, but all the truth and all the salvation do not come from Paul; they categorically come from Yahoshua/Jesus, who came to bring the gospel to the world. The disciples teach and preach the exact same gospel as The Lord, but for me, Paul preaches another gospel, although closely related, breaks down in the critical area of repentance, which is the main stay of Jesus’ gospel. You can mess with it all you like, but clearly there is a slight difference between the two.
When I first thought about all this talk I was hearing from both sides, and reading about it in books and all over the internet and in chat rooms, I was indeed somewhat confused. First one side and then the other; I just could not make up my mind. Tradition had taught me over the last 25 years that Paul was number one of the bible. Anyone who wants to justify sin, or any preacher who wants to make people feel better and take the emphasis off their sin, will always, and I repeat always, quote Paul. Why is this so? Because Paul says what we want to hear, whereas Christ says the truth which is not really what we want to hear because the truth hurts our ears, and causes us to walk the straight and narrow. The straight and narrow is too hard for us; it takes from us all the joys of the world that we so much love to be in.
Paul also taught in the bible that women are to cover up and be silent in church which no such rule was taught from The Lord. As a matter of fact He promoted women by His attachment to Mary Magdalene. There have been many great women of the past who set the example for men to follow like Mother Teresa of our day and Sarah, Esther, Ruth,Rebekah, Martha and Mary from the bible. And who could forget Deborah, the wife of Lappidoth, who was actually a prophet of God who had become a judge in Israel. A prophet? Come on now Paul, where are you coming from? If women were to be silent in church and covered up as Paul says, then it sure must have been hard for the likes of those above to have their say in God fearing circles, let alone be a prophet. This was a Pauline teaching that probably stemmed from traditional Pharisee beliefs that were at the very heart of what Yahoshua/Jesus came to destroy and replace with His own; one that put all on a level playing field.
After mulling over all these mitigating circumstances from both sides I bowed before the Lord to guide me in the truth about such matters. I soon came to the following conclusion; if I totally took Paul out of the bible, would the testimony and gospel of The Lord alter in any way? My answer was a clear and categorical no. For this reason only, I have decided that any writings of Paul are OK for so long as none of them contradict the teachings of Our Lord in any way shape or form. For crying out loud folks, Yahoshua/Jesus, in His own words said He came… to bring the gospel of salvation to the world; so you think He forgot some of it and had to appear to Paul and pass it onto him to tell it? Common my intelligent Christian folk, surely you are not so lame as to think that.
So why would God include Pauls wittings in the bible if they were not needed? Well, the simple answer is this; the bible is not the word of God in the first place, and secondly the Roman Catholic Church through their corrupt hierarchy chose to include them to support their self imposed doctrine. Think about it; if we were all supposed to repent and sin no more as Jesus taught and Paul did not teach, then what would be the good of those pompous Catholic Priests who are there to take the place of Yahoshua/Jesus and forgive man of their sins. Tell me; which Catholic Priest died on a cross for the sins of man that they earned the right to forgive and judge mankind? Pauls teachings keep this evil doctrine alive, and until man wakes up and puts their entire faith in Messiah Yahoshua, and not a man called Paul or the Catholic Church, it will continue to stay alive. And by the way, Pauls teachings also keep the protestant preachers fat also by their evil and wicked teachings on prosperity and once saved always saved doctrines. Oh Lord, who out there is righteous?
I do confess however, that the writings of Paul are of value to the babe in Christ as it is super easy to follow in a materialistic world as we have today. There is virtually no rules…just say you believe in Jesus and the deal is done. This might sound crazy to a mature Christian who knows t5hat it is much more to it than that, but should you flood a newbies mind with too much restrictions, the fear is that they will turn away from the faith earlier rather than later or not at all. I see it as a transition period whereby Gods grace abounds but there must come a time when each child of God must take up their own cross and be obedient to the Master Yahoshua/Jesus who after all is the One who saves us… not Paul. Having said all that, I am mysterfied as to why a more mature teaching is not taught more in church circles i.e. to follow the Gospel of Jesus as opposed to Paul. When people attack me on this, I am convicted to say… “did Jesus not bring all the gospel with Him? Or did He leave some behind to be preached by Paul? I personally believe, mainly by putting into practice the teachings of Christ, that anyone can be brought to all the truth through the teachings of Christ alone, and there is no real need for any of the books of Paul. The primary difference between Christ and Paul is this: Christ commands that we should repent and sin no more, whereas Paul preaches that grace is limitless virtually, and if this latter doctrine is not taught in the fullness of Pauls meaning, then it could be very damaging indeed to a newbie in Christ. having said that though, if one is sincere in Christ, he will prosper spiritually and no matter what he is taught, Christ will lead him in the right direction. You don’t have to believe everything your pastor teaches you, remember, Christ is in you and it is He who is the truth.
Follow Yahoshua/Jesus not Paul!
Let common sense prevail at least, and do the maths. Christianity is fully based on the death and resurrection of the Son of God Yahoshua/Jesus, who was the one prophesied as Messiah mainly in the books of the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Psalms, and all prophecies were fulfilled in Christ, so we can be assured that He is indeed the highest ranked man to ever set foot on our planet. So why I ask, in the name of truth and common sense, do most Christians (Twistians I call them) chose to put more faith and trust for their soul in a mortal man such as Paul who never ever even met Yahoshua/Jesus in his flesh life? I mean it would not be so bad if they put all their eggs in the one basket of a disciple of Christ because at least they spent three years living eating and sleeping with Him, but for goodness sake, why jeopardize ones eternity by neglecting the words spoken by Christ Himself who is Messiah and the only Son of God, and taking up instead those of a man that history shows never knew Christ? The math just doesn’t add up and I am perplexed by the huge following Paulism has as apposed to Christianism.
Christ said my sheep here my voice. I ask you, do those who neglect the ten commandments of God hear His voice, or do those who treasure these commandments hear His voice? These two groups are worlds apart and one needs to make up which group is right. Do you follow the wide easy path (that many travel) of traditional orthodox Christianity, or take the narrow hard path that Christ says leads to the narrow gate? The narrow gate leads to the words of Yahoshua, and the wide gate clearly does not. Many shall be called but few will be chosen, is shouted out by The Lord as He stands ready to receive His souls at the gate to His Kingdom that the Father gave Him. I can see Him now as He points in the opposite direction as those who chose not to take up their own cross and follow Him, saying, “you chose to follow words that were not mine but instead those of the apostate church of tradition, so now I do not know you; go the other way you who chose the easy way”.
A bit harsh? Not at all really. There is only one truth, and if anyone choses to twist, manipulate, change, add to, take from, and in the end totally make it un-recognizable, and then chose to believe in this half truth for their salvation, then in my eyes and I also suspect the eyes of God, they get what they deserve because grace comes from God… not Paul. Paul is not a bad man because he gave up a lot to promulgate his paradigm which he believed to be at least an honest one if not totally the truth, but facts are facts, and there is only one truth, ant that is the truth Christ brought to us… not Pauls slightly misguided truth. I mean all the disciples were at odds with Paul and it is my opinion that they had good reason. People say the disciples never understood the deep thinking of Paul, but gee wiss, they had received the Holy Spirit and the blessings and teachings of Yahoshua/Jesus for goodness sake;. Is this not enough deep understanding required to preach the truth?
I believe paul had a good reason to do what he did, and that is because his commission being to the Gentiles required a different approach because they were not familiar with Israels God, so he had to be tactical rather than truthful. he even admits this by saying hew was a jew to the Jews and a Roman to the Romans in order to win their souls. Once they were on board, I can only hope he would then be more specific with them and correct them according to Christs teachings. Unfortunately I hold less hope for this happening simply because I can clearly see the wayward paths of modern Christianity all in the name Of their Jesus who is not the same Yahoshua/Jesus as mine. Its a double for Christ just like those who stand in for actors; not the real one. Looks like, acts like, smells like; but not the real one. Remember, the devil knows very well the real Messiah and Son of God, so he is delighted that most follow a false Christ; the one portrayed by paul and modern Christianity.
I do not believe most Christians follow the wrong Christ on purpose, but rather in ignorance because of the teachings of the traditional church from almost the beginning. For 200-300 years at least man was on the right track until being derailed by the RCC and the emperor Constantine. The tradition created by such apostacy has bound Christianity in false teaching that has managed to have been accepted as truth. It will be hard for any long term modern day Christian to correct the error of their ways because of this; they have been born into it and any teaching other than this is false to them. Their spiritual eyes and hearts have been sealed up by this false teaching and tradition; its not really their fault, and I believe Gods grace will abound in these circumstances, but I also believe that once this error has been exposed, and one still choses to ignore it (mainly for convenience), then this grace is exhausted. Sad but if Gods Holy Laws mean anything at all, then it must be true.
All that is needed for those willing to open their dogmatic minds eyes and ears, is to pray to God the Father of Yahoshua/Jesus and admit your error, and ask Him to help you on the right way which is the narrow path leading to the narrow gate of His Kingdom. It is not a sin to be “not of the truth” because of ignorance, but once you know the error of your ways, it will be counted as sin if you refuse to correct it and go the right way. According to Christianity there are many truths; all you have to do to visualize this is check out the many denominations, doctrines, and dogma of all these church institutions whom all claim precedence over the others, but there is only one truth of God… not many, or even two. Just one my friend.May grace and peace follow you always as you seek Gods only truth. Amen!
God’s Law
Law of Moses
The Law of Moses is just that; his own law that he set up in the name of God, but it was never God’s Holy law, but instead laws added by Moses to help alleviate the complaining Israelites during his time. Sure, they were mostly good healthy laws that would be kept in faith, but again, not the original Laws of God. I’ll show you why. Later in New Testament times the Pharisees approached Jesus on the topic of divorce…
Mat 5:31 it hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:
Mat 5:32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
So the Law of Moses stated divorce was OK with God, but Yahoshua/Jesus says it isn’t. Who you want to believe? If not convinced, then try this for size….
Mat_19:3 Some Pharisees came to him and tried to trap him by asking, “Does our Law allow a man to divorce his wife for whatever reason he wishes?”
Mat_19:7 The Pharisees asked him, “Why, then, did Moses give the law for a man to hand his wife a divorce notice and send her away?”
Mat_19:8 Jesus answered, “Moses gave you permission to divorce your wives because you are so hard to teach. But it was not like that at the time of creation.
Here again we have discussion on the topic of divorce and The Lord states although Moses allowed it, it was not that way at creation. So what we have here is a time span from creation to where Yahoshua/Jesus makes it clear divorce is not allowed in AD33 which is about 4000 biblical years that divorce was not in the accepted rules of God. So what does this tell us? It’s clear to even the least of spiritual people that the Law of Moses is certainly not the Law of God. If for some lame idea you want to insist it is because it’s written in the bible and all that is in the bible is God’s Holy Word, then what you do is call Yahoshua/Jesus a liar. There is no way around this truth that the Law of God was separate from Moses’s law that was influenced by winging Israelites.
Now some poor souls lacking in spiritual food will say … “hey wait a minute, what about the Ten Commandments then; were they not part of the Law of Moses?” And the simple answer is no, certainly and absolutely and categorically no. All the bible might be or not be inspired of God, but there is one thing certain, and that is the Ten Commandments is the only part of all the bible that God wrote by Himself, and not only that, but he signified they were to be eternal by writing them in stone. So again, we see that Gods Law is not the Law of Moses. Moses might have carried them down off the mountain but even an ass could have done that, and would that mean they belonged to that ass?
So, why was the Law of Moses so traditionally revered so much by the Jews? Because firstly they themselves had a lot to do with the wording of it, and secondly it gave them a physical way of feeling good about their own salvation. When you look at the 613 laws of Moses, it does not take a Rhode scholar to see they are mostly just plain ridiculous, and contrary to the ways of God. I mean for 1500 years after creation it was given man by God to only eat that which grows from the ground, and yet Moses deemed it ok to kill and eat meat, and in some cases kill innocent animals just to pay for their disgusting sins, but what did God say about that? He said take your disgusting smelly sacrifices and throw them away, and that He was sick of them. Why? Simply because firstly He never ever ordained such things in the first place, and secondly that system obviously was not working as sin abounded still, and thirdly because innocent blood was being spilt for deliberate acts of man’s sin. How can anyone for goodness sake, justify innocent blood (i.e. blood of an animal that had done no wrong) to pay for the sins of man (who had done wrong).
These laws of Moses were allowed by God to shut the winging Israelites up; that’s all, and is why Christ said that Gods Laws were not like this in the beginning. Who knows the full story because The Lord was not comprehensive in His answer within the pages of the bible, but in other writings that have not been edited like those of the bible, it is written in much more detail. I could tell you now what is said, but would prefer you look for yourself as it will open up a whole new understanding for you when you see in these writings what the church has taken out of the bible to give them authority over the brethren. The early Catholic Church is responsible for 99% of the division in Christianity because of crucial text changes in the bible.
So it is true that this Law of Moses was indeed done away with through the sacrifice Christ made on the cross, but what Christianity refuses point blank to believe is that not all law is the law of Moses; God did have some Holy Laws of His own you know. Yes, it is these Laws or Commandments as Yahoshua/Jesus prefers to call them, that have never been done away with, and as The Lord preached…
Mat_5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Many say, oh but Jesus has fulfilled everything, so this law is gone now. Oh blimey, my poor intoxicated Christians, is heaven and earth gone yet? Besides, if God is going to be making Holy Laws and commandments and then changing His mind and throwing them away again later, then He is stating the He is NOT the unchanging God He has previously said He was.
Mal 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
Jas 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
For me, if people want to justify their lack of faith by misinterpreting scripture, then they better get it right, because should they mislead Gods children in such false doctrines, then they might just end up with a millstone around their necks. Say no more. The main reason Christianity is in such a divided state today is because those very men who have been given authority to guide and teach the children of God, are interpreting (or trying to) the scriptures all literally. Sure there are some parts that are literal, but there are also parts that are only to be understood spiritually, and these so called preachers need to understand these meanings before they go misleading those less informed of the flock.
A perfect example of this is when Yahoshua/Jesus said…
Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.
Mat 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Now 99.99999999999% of Christians are led to believe by their spiritually void Pastors to believe that that only these two commandments are required today. And guess what folks… they are absolutely correct What is not correct though, is that they leave it there without further teaching, expecting the poor babes in Christ to work it out themselves. You see, there is nothing new under heaven folks, because The Lord said the same of the Pharisees 2000 years ago….
Mat_23:13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
Now can you see it? Christianity is overflowing with false teachers that know the truth, but do not teach it. The true meaning of this statement by Christ regarding the Law is this:
IF you love God as you say you do, then you will naturally keep all His Laws (not Moses Laws) that He wrote in stone. This means you will loose your desire to sin, your desire for money, your desire for violence, your desire for sexual immorality, and your desire for self gratification. These are all signs that you love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. This is the spiritual message that is not taught. In place of these natural sins of the flesh, we then have a greater desire to please God by keeping all His commandments and purifying our minds.
And the same goes for the second commandment of Christ… love your neighbour as yourself. This is very explicit folks; as yourself it says. When you see a poor fellow in need of something, do you always look to help him? Or do you think… “oh he will find a way” and leave the scene. I tell you the truth, I have seen unbelievers show more love for their neighbour that some Christians. If you love your neighbour as yourself, will you plan to kill him, rob him, desire his wife, watch him go hungry? Of course not, then my next question is; why is there so many hungry children in this world? If you really loved them as yourself, you would share your wealth with them… yes? Now there is over two billion professing Christians in this world, and only …
Worldwide, the number of hungry people has dropped significantly over the past two decades, but 805 million people continue to struggle with hunger every day.
… copied from http://www.bread.org
So my friends, there is less than half the amount of hungry people in this world than there are Christians, so why are they not loving them by feeding them? When you consider the cost to each Christian, it’s appalling that such a case of starving children should still exist. I call upon all who read this to deduct half of their weekly tithes to their local church, and instead direct it to the hungry of this world, and show the world that yes, you indeed do love your neighbour. This my friend is the true Law of God that is forgotten and not taught.
Now, have I said anything here that is not taught from the bible? Do the math yourself, and see if there is any of Gods Ten Commandments that are not covered by these two commands of Christ. When Yahoshua/Jesus said; On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets, He is saying that ALL what is taught by the prophets depends on these two commandments. This means they are all connected… not done away with. The ironical thing is that those who profess that it is the Holy Spirit that teaches the Law of God is not for us today, are the very ones who lack the Holy Spirit to see the truth in His Laws.
Law of Yahoshua/Jesus
Oh dear brethren, this is one of my favourite, if not my absolute favourite topic of my faith. Sometimes I will sit reading the bible and while paying particular attention tho what Yahoshua/Jesus says, I will think to myself… “Gee, I am just like my Lord, because I agree with Him. Haha, you might chuckle to yourself at what seems a childish and immature statement, but if you take the opportunity to meditate on this you might come to the conclusion there is more to it than meets the eye.
You see, Christians have got this strange idea that Yahoshua/Jesus came to re-write the Law of God and replace it with His own new laws, but that is so far from the truth it is not funny. For goodness sake, why would The Lord want to do that? No my friends, what Jesus came to do was first do away with the shedding of innocent blood to pay for sins of the guilty, and then to put right the original Laws of God that mankind had messed with over 2000 years and now used by the Sadducee and Pharisees of Yahoshua/Jesus’ time.If you really think that God had a whole lot to do with the 613 laws of Moses, then you are missing much bible teaching and lacking spiritual discernment my friends. I already showed you in the previous chapter that God never made those laws… He only tolerated them to save the human race. Christ made that clear…
Mat 19:8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.
So there you go… it was Moses who allowed this, and God tolerated it, and Christ has not changed it. His law of “no divorce” is the same as what Gods law was in the beginning. See how easy it is to get confused when false teachers get behind the pulpit and brainwash the blind sheep? You have now been shown the truth, so repent of your ways lest a more dreadful thing happen to you. And while we are on the subject, you cannot find any difference whatsoever between the Laws spoken of by Christ, and the Commandments given by God in stone. Remember also, that the stone here represents two things; one being a symbol of eternity, and the other being Christ Himself. This is critical teaching and you must understand it, otherwise you will face your Savior at some point in time and He might tell you He does not know you. Why? Because you continue to do what the Scribes and pharisees of old did… you find excuse to sin, and you justify it by professing there is no law anymore. Bigggggg mistake mate!
The Holy Law of Yahoshua/Jesus is simply the same as the Fathers, but with a spiritual edge to it to give more understanding is all. Lets look at these laws of our beloved Christ.
Mat 22:36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.
Mat 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Simply put…. Love God and love mankind.
May I ask you friend… how do you love your father and mother? I will answer for myself and hope it is on your behalf also. I loved my father (he has passed) by pleasing him. I would do as he says, and often times do things for him not because he told me to, but because I desired to please him. When you do the latter, that shows you are not doing what is “required of you” but rather because you “desire to”. For the want of a better word.. because you “love” him. And I buy things for my mother to please her.. why? Because I love her. I kiss her and hug her and obey her because I love her. So the simple answer is… I love my parents by pleasing them. If I did not love them, then I assure you I would not want to please them.
Al-righty then, how do I love God? You got it; I must desire to please Him. Not “have” to please Him; rather “desire” to please Him. There is a huge difference. Do you insist your wife or child has to love you… or do you hope they desire/want to love you? The same it is with God. Ok now that’s sorted, how do we please God then? We have millions of ways to do this, but to narrow it down to one; we imitate Him. Yes boys and girls… we do the same things the He likes to do. Now what a surprise that is. How easy was that? You must be a genius to figure all that out all by yourself 🙂 So by reading the Old Testament, which we are told as Christians by our teachers and preacher is not all that important, we learn to get a real good idea in our heads what God is like and not like. Just for instance, He hates hypocrites… so don’t you be one. he hates sinners, so don’t you be one. He only made seven days in a week, and yet He still made one day a rest day, so don’t forget that. Most of all, to make all doubt obsolete, He wrote Ten rules down with His very own finger on stone to signify its importance and eternal status. So don’t you forget that either my friends. Get my drift now people?
Moving right along to the second commandment of Christ; love your neighbour as yourself. As a child growing up my dear departed mother often said to me… Michael, there is good and bad in all of us, so just because you encounter a bad person does not mean you should be bad back to them, no, treat them as you would like to be treated. That comment from my mother stuck with me all my life. Whenever I see someone in pain, mentally or physically, I cry inside for them as if I am the one suffering. So when I became born again at age 35, and read these commandments of Yahoshua/Jesus, I immediately remembered all Mum had said. When you love your neighbour you do not treat them bad in any way, you don,t steal from them, or attack them, of desire their partner, of slander them… no, you love them as yourself.
So my friends, what does Yahoshua/Jesus mean when He says; all the Law hangs on these two commandments? It means simply that if you keep these two commandments you will automatically desire to keep the rest. Notice I said “will” and not have. Yes, if you love your neighbour you will not kill him, steal from him, commit adultery with them, covet them, and you will honor your mother and father right? And if you love God you will not make idols, or sin, and will keep His holy Sabbath days, or use His name for wrong reasons right? Of course I am right because the bible clearly says this, but for some strange reason I will never figure out is that the bulk of Christians, probably 95% or more, chose only to keep nine of the ten commandments.Why is that do you suppose? I think they use many reasons albeit it shallow ones, but what they are covering up is their own laziness and desire for tradition over Gods will.
Mar_7:7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
And you are so sure that you are not one of these that Christ speaks of, but if you fail to believe in your heart the true will of God, which is that you would love Him with all your mind, heart soul, and most importantly your strength, then yes, you are definitely worshiping God in vain. Sorry to be the one to tell you. If you are humble and sincere on your journey to Enlightenment, then you will have to agree.
You know what really bothers me about Christianity? Well if a whole religion is built on the coming, death, and resurrection of the Son of God Yahoshua/Jesus, then who would you think the followers of such a man would seek to listen to? The very one who died for their sins and was later resurrected, right? That certainly makes good sence to me, but to the majority of Christians, He is the last one they listen to. Firstly they build their whole doctrines around a man who never ever even met Christ for goodness sake, and secondly they are happy to send their Savior to the cross all over again every day they say, because they are sinners. This just does not make sense to me when I read the bible and not the teaching of this man called Yahoshua/Jesus.
He says to repent and sin no more, right? So how many have done this? Are we not supposed to be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect? Are we not supposed to love our Father with all our hearts, minds, souls, and strength? Are we not supposed to help the less fortunate? Are we not supposed to love our neighbour? These are all things Christ taught, but Christians are more at home sinning because their dear paul tells them its ok because they have Jesus to die for them again. It is strange that Paul never talks about what Jesus taught; but rather only what He did i.e. lay down His own life that many shall live. I am not saying Paul is wrong, I only say he is misinterpreted by the teachers of Christianity, and hence Christ saying in….
Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
So my friend, can you see it yet? Our Lord and Judge is telling us that those who “work iniquity” do NOT know Him. And, it is also written in Hebrews who some say Paul wrote (not me though)……
Heb_10:26 For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
Both these scriptures are clearly showing us that the Laws of Christ are the same as the Laws of God, which basically tell us that we are to love God, love our neighbour, and repent of sin. So if you chose to continue to sin in the notion that you will still be saved to heaven, then the Judger of heaven will refuse to know you. Stop listening to teachers who falsely lead you in a pampered Christianity that is built on the false interpretation of Pauls writings, which are clearly contrary to those of Yahoshua/Jesus’ teaching. I once asked a good man in whom I trusted ( he is passed now); how am I supposed to interpret Pauls writings that appear so different from our Lord Yahoshua/Jesus? He said… oh that’s easy, the teachings of Christ are easy to discern, so if Pauls appear to contradict Him, your interpretation of Paul is wrong… not Christ. And again I asked him… how do I know what sin is? He replied, imagine Jesus standing beside you in all that you do, and if you feel comfortable, it is not sin, but if you feel shame, it is sin. This is the Law of Jesus that I still live by today. It has never failed me so far.
It was prophesied long before Messiah came what would follow His sacrifice and resurrection regarding the Law of God.
Jer 31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Peace to all in the name of love.
Law of Paul
Oh dear, this “apparent” law of Paul really requires a separate book title as it is so complicated for the less spiritual of the flock, and that unfortunately is the majority. The first point you need to understand is that Paul’s job commissioned by God, is much different from that of the disciples. The disciples were to preach to the Jews, and these Jews already had a fair idea on faith in the true God, so in relative terms, their job, although dangerous, was still somewhat easy. All they had to do was quote Christ to the masses. However, with Paul he not only had to convert gentiles ( all that are not Jews), but most of them already believed in other gods and doctrines, so relatively speaking, Pauls job was so much harder that there really is little comparison.
Also, another important reality needs to be understood in terms of who wrote what in the New Testament. There are apparently 14 books that can be attributed to Paul, but most scholars do not agree on the book of Hebrews. Even so, there are some scholars (and also myself who is not a scholar) only attribute about seven books, so in this case then, when analyzing the writings of Paul, we are not really comparing apples with apples. In some cases it’s more like apples with prunes, because of the appearance of different messages coming from them.
Getting back to Pauls commission to the gentiles, he would preach the same message initially to all, but as infighting soon became apparent, he had to change tact a little in order to stop the massive falling away that was looming in the church he set up in Rome. Paul knew that these poor souls were trying hard to do the right thing, but were just so backward compared to the Jews, for the lack of learning. The true believer in the God of Abraham knows that sin leads to death (of the soul not the body) unless there is a sacrificial animal to pay for it, and because Jerusalem, the place for sacrifices, was destroyed in 70 AD, then Yahoshua/Jesus becomes this sacrificial Lamb of God to pay for all sin past (not future if willful). Now because these newbies of Rome were not established as was the Jews, they would tend to hold less credence to the Law of God, and so would of course sin more. Taking into account the doctrines of their previous Pagan religion that often times included sexual immorality, then teaching a strict moral doctrine as is with the Jews, would need some adjustments or else all hell would break loose and the flock would get lost in the confusion.
So Paul knew all this and had an enormous task to keep the flock together. he would have to lighten their loads by being less stringent with his teachings, simply to help keep them together in Christ. He knew also the power of the Holy Spirit which would eventually guide them in paths of righteousness as they matured in Christ and distanced themselves from their old ways with the Pagan church. This is why Paul also said he would be a Jew to the Jews and a Roman to the Romans, meaning he would teach what appeared to be two completely different doctrines, depending on who he was teaching. Some will say… “there is only one true doctrine”, and I would have to agree, but I would also have to use the brains that God gave me to know that should I teach this one truth, then the flock would be small indeed. So what Paul has done here, is merely put them on the first step in the progression toward salvation in Christ, and trust in The Holy Spirit to do the rest. In this way, and I believe it to be fair, many more are able to be saved. Remember though, there are many steps to the Kingdom of God and it is only he who endures to the end is saved.
But we mature Christians of today know that God never changes and is the same today as yesterday. We know that there is a Law of God that will not lose its authority until heaven and earth pass away, which interpreted simply means… forever. Had my pastor taught me that when I first inquired about God back in 1985, then I am sure it would have frightened my off, and I would have missed the bus totally. But no, I remember him saying about cigarettes… well it’s not a sin to smoke, look, I have a puff myself on my pipe now and then. Had I been told I had to give up smoking back then I would not have attended church at all. Did this mean I could smoke the rest of my life? No mate, because the Holy Spirit of God convicted me of the habit many years later when I was ripe for repentance. So you see, it’s a kind of paradoxical situation, where it is ok to smoke at one time, and not ok to smoke at another, depending of your status in God.
Every time when you read where Paul seems to allow sin of some sort, or a slight deviation from the ways of God taught by Yahoshua/Jesus and the disciples,, soon after you will inevitably read where he has corrected a false interpretation of his words. For example,
Rom 5:21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
Paul is saying here that even tough we continue to sin all our lives until we die, so too will the grace of God through Jesus death on the cross, forgive our sin. Taken on face value and out of context, it surely appears that Paul is saying we can sin our heads off because God will always forgive us, and sadly, this is the view of the luke warm church, but in the very next chapter Paul clarify s his meaning by stating….
Rom 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
Rom 6:2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
… so you see that one minute it appears we can continue to sin without consequence, and the next he is saying we should not sin at all. Don’t feel bad that you get confused with Pauls writings,; even the disciples had trouble understanding him. Pauls agenda, and believe me he did have one, was to get as many converts as he could, at any cost to the truth, and hope then that the Holy Spirit of God could take over and guide them the rest of their journey. This sounds fine from those sitting on the fence, but to those deep in the mix as myself, I disagree with Paul, because in my travels I see only a very small percentage of converts going all the way, whereas if they had the full truth from the beginning, as did all the disciples teach, then even though some would definitely find the going too hard and fall by the wayside, the majority would at least be better off for this teaching.
So what exactly is Paul saying? Simply that when you are in Christ and Christ is in you, there is no room for any sin at all, and that’s final. But however, should you indeed slip up (note I said slip up and not willful sin), you can be redeemed and start afresh. That’s the message paul is sending if you have spiritual eyes, and not the message twisted and falsely interpreted by the church of Rome. Remember, Paul never quotes Jesus, because their teachings are so far apart, but instead teaches only by what Christ did. If you are sincere about your faith, and love God with all your mind, heart, and soul, then you will forget about the teaching of Paul if you have trouble spiritually discerning it, and live by every word of Christ only. This way you cannot fail, if you love God with all your strength also as Yahoshua/Jesus says.
Law of God
So much is written, and so much is speculated, about the Law of God. We have the Jews clinging to the law of Moses, and we have the Christians saying there is no law at all anymore. So what are we supposed to do; anything? For me it is easy because I am a very spiritual person. That is to say I make my own set of rules that I feel from within is coming from God. Although for many years I followed the tradition and doctrines of the church until I saw the hypocrisy that stood out like a sore toe, and yet others did not see it. Was I right or wrong to leave the church and go my own way? Well to be truthful, I find it hard for anyone to prove me right or wrong, because there is no absolute truth available to judge me; only God. If someone does want to come forward and declare me a heretic, then he/she does at an enormous risk to their own salvation, so they would want to be sure and bring along a whole lot of proof.
When I first left the church back in 1996, I did so not because of any laws or breech of doctrine or even tradition; it was purely on my own inner feelings that said… get out of here fast before you get sucked into the evil that is being promulgated. At this time the issue of gay ministers had been on the agenda for a few years and nobody really expected that within my own church, which is called the Uniting Church of Australia, would allow it to ever happen. But around 1996 it actually did happen, and “practicing” homosexuals were given the right to be ordained by the UCA to preach in church. That’s when I said to myself; “I don’t care what others are saying, and even what the bible says about it, my heart tells me this is a doctrine from the depths of hell” and I got out immediately. I lost all my friends, and even my closest friends Bill and Janet discerned falsely that I had lost my way and turned my back on God.
Many years later, maybe fifteen I guess, my dear friends Bill and Janet also left the church. It took them all this time to realize they were wrong to be unevenly yolked with the devil, and so followed my earlier lead. Since they left this evil church, I visited them more often and we have a real close bond now between us. There was no need for apologies, or “see I told you so”, as we all felt the truth in our hearts now and that’s all that mattered. We realize confidently that we have made the right decision to have nothing to do with promoting evil practices in the name of God, and seek our own salvation at the feet of our Lord God and Savior. We realize there is no need for a church organization to save us, because they are fallible and of course do not always have God with them as the gay movement shows clearly within some denominations. No, it is our Lord God who will judge us according to His own Holy laws, and not the letter of tradition that the church prefers to follow.
So, do I have the right to make such a statement? If so, what gives me this right? It is common sense together with the Law of God written within the pages of the bible and other ancient writings recently discovered. We wont go into those ancient writings because so few are familiar with them, so just lets us focus on the bible for the time being, and that should suffice to subdue those assassins after my scalp for spoiling their party. So first we need to categorize these laws mentioned in the bible simply to know where we stand before God as to where we stand before man.
First we have the ceremonial and sacrificial laws that were given by Moses (according to the bible) and then we also have the Moral Law that was given by God and written in stone to signify eternal status. The proof we have is very simple; Moses gave the people a law to wash away their sin by killing an innocent animal and eating its flesh, and later God through His prophet Jeremiah made known that He never gave such a law. Either God is forgetful, or Moses made a huge error of judgment, or else maybe Moses never made such a law either and it simply crept in afterwards through unscrupulous religious rulers out to promote their own agenda. Whichever the case, we need to discern the difference between Gods Laws and mans. Note the following verses…
Jer 7:21 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Put your burnt offerings unto your sacrifices, and eat flesh.
Jer 7:22 For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices:
Jer 7:23 But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.
Jer 7:24 But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.
Most of that is clear as a bell, but take special note of the last verse, which in fact is saying that by implementing such laws (according to Moses remember) gods people were actually walking in the laws of man and not His Laws, and so were going “backwards”. This should be a warning sign to all those who think God gave Israel all 613 laws to abide by. I always saw this as nonsense and now it is confirmed nonsense.
To top all this off, and to give further encouragement to those still clinging to the letter of the law of man, God makes it clear what His intentions would be for the new generations to come…
Jer 31:31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
Jer 31:32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
Jer 31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Jer 31:34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
Wow, so we do not need anymore teaching from man to know what God wants of us? Better tell that to all the religious Institutions out there making huge profits from those who put their faith in God. Better go tell Benny Hinn and Brian Houstan and Joel Olsteen that there is no need for all those poor ignorant man worshipers to go give ten percent of all their hard earned dollars to fill the coffers of gluttons and Antichrists. Go tell all the denominational church institutions accumulating their own wealth instead of feeding the poor. Go and tell all the church ministers, pastors, reverends and priests who get fat on the income from poor people in the name of God, who put their trust in every word they say.
I will show you the Holy law of God, and it is not written in any book, because it is from within your heart and mine. When yo see a hungry person, feed them. When you sit beside a smelly street beggar, love them. When you see a splinter in your brothers eye, don’t judge them until you are sure your own sight is perfect. When you are down to your last dollar and see a poor man with no bus fair to get home, give him your last dollar. And when your brother does wrong to you, do not repay him in kind, instead repay him with kindness. And don’t be like the hypocrites who have pet animals who they love and would never do injury, and yet eat the flesh of other animals that have been tortured and slaughtered. These are the Holy Laws of God, amongst many others, that are written on my inward parts. What about you; what is written on your heart?
The whole Law is summed up in the two commandments of Yahoshua/Jesus;
Mar 12:29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
Mar 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
Mar 12:31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
Lets deal with the first one first. How do we love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength? I have asked this question a thousand times, and even the most qualified of their class has not been able to answer it, so I doubt you the reader could either unless God has given it to you as He did to me. Many will say… Oh easy, feed the hungry and give shelter to the poor, and help the widow and so on. Well thats fine, but even though it is true that when you do for one, you do for God also, it is not loving God per se’, its merely following your own mind and traditions rather than something God would instruct you. This is how you love God.
Lets say you are a man, and you love your wife very much… how do you prove your lover for her? Well for me, and I expect many others, I seek what satisfies her most of all. If she loves flowers, then you bring her some flowers on your way home from work. If she loves candle lit dinners, then take her out. If she likes to watch Discovery channel on TV, then forsake your football game so she can watch it. What does all this add up to? It means if you “Truly” love your wife, then you aim to please her, and you do this by your actions according to her preferences. My friend, God who is your wife, and husband, and brother and sister, is no different; just seek to do what pleases Him. Study His Character and act according to His likes and dislikes. You should clearly know these by what you read from your bible or whatever you use, and also from what God tells you within your inward parts. This is what God tells me; maybe you might want to compare.
I see from the old testament most of what God likes. The only thing that God wrote down Himself without having to inspire someone else was the Tern Commandments in stone. Firstly we must acknowledge that this is the only writing God ever did personally, and so we ought to hold it in the highest esteem and reverence. If we don’t, then we allow the only true teaching of God that was eternally meant as guidance for His people, to fall by the wayside in disregard. That is not pleasing God and not something He would like that’s for sure. The secondly we know that from the beginning God never meant for us to eat meat or divorce our wives. This is sacred to God because it involves the spilling of innocent blood ( the sustainer of life) and also the breaking of a marriage which involved two becoming one which is the blue print of life. I don’t expect all to understand that, but for the moment please trust me that God hates adulterers with a passion, and blesses and admires those true to their promises.
So there is a good start to know how to love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and let us not forget all our strength, as in most cases it requires much strength to resist the temptations of lust and glutenous. Keep the Sabbath day, don’t eat meat, follow Gods commandants, and treat all life as you would have life treat you, and you will be showing God just how much you love Him. Anyone can believe, and anyone can say they love you, as also the devil can do, but only a few are able to show their love for God by obeying Him and pleasing Him.
And what about Loving your neighbour as yourself? That’s easy and surely needs no explanation, but if I was to say it in a word? Empathy. Without love there is no empathy and without empathy there is no love. You do the maths on that yourself; I am sure you are capable. I was married to a woman for 13 years before she walked out on me when I got sick and all our savings ran out. She took with her all our life’s savings that I had worked a lifetime for as superannuation in the form of another house. She left me sick, lonely, depressed and broke, and at the same time professed to love me and still hold onto me from a distance just ion case I happened to come in to some wealth. I always looked after her well and supplied much help to her children from another failed marriage because of my love for her which was supported by a whole lot of empathy. I never was violent to her or laid a hand on her. How can someone do this when the facts are so clear cut? Simple; a lack of, or void of… empathy.
And why empathy?Where does it come from? Lack of empathy is not so much a trait on its own, it breads from self-centeredness. As I have said a thousand times, always judge from others perspective. When you climb into the shoes of a mean old man, you may find it is because he has an illness that affects his tolerance, or maybe in the shoes of a bully you find their dad beat the crap out of them as children. The list is extensive, but does not mean we make excuses for these perpetrators of Gods Laws, but with love and empathy we are able to help them instead of condemn them. When these people receive help, there is a good chance they will repent and in turn realize Gods Holy Law of Love is the greatest of all laws, and they will become an advocate of it rather than a stumbling block to it. Remember, when you do for one of Gods children, you are doing for God Himself.
So in short, to live in perfect harmony with the Law of God, and love Him with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, you do what pleases Him. Not only do it, but “desire” to do it. If pleasing God is a work for you, then you miss the whole concept of Gods law; no, it must be a desire, a want of love, and not a need to love. There is a difference, and when you have this deep desire to please God as a child does to his worldly father, you develop also a desire to be like Him, just as your worldly father also. As a child I adored my Dad and always wanted to be just like him when I grew up, and so it is with my Father God; I want to be just like Him. Be one with Him even as Yahoshua/Jesus is also one with Him.
To end this most important topic of life, I want to add one more important thing that you need to realize and understand. Gods Law did not just appear out of nowhere; it is the Holy and pure Law that whole universe was created by. Can you imagine if the Universe was created “without” a governing body of Laws, just how it would look like? Instead of the perfect harmonization that keeps it together as one, we would have anarchy in all forms that surely would wipe out existence. There is no problem with this Law of our Creator in itself; the problem is when some individuals, out of self-centeredness and greed, feel that God should change, or at least rearrange His Laws just for them.So they tell the world that there is no Law of God and that anything goes… just have faith in Jesus and all will be fine. In essence of course this is true, but they soon forget what Yahoshua/Jesus said and follow doctrines of men instead and end up on the wrong side of truth in Gods laws. It is then when God turns His back on them because of their desire for self pleasure as opposed to pleasing Him. And what pleases God? Read the Bible and listen to your heart through faith. It’s really that simple. For me it is the purifying of my mind and keeping the Ten commandments that are the only writings in history that God performed with His own hand.
Epilogue
My message to all
Why do I insist this is the greatest lie ever told? Supposing I told you, and you only, that the only true wise God lives in a church building down on the street corner near your home, and you believed me although this is not true… that would be a great injustice to you right? I would then be held accountable to Father God for misleading you and would surely pay the consequence for such a soul destroying act. You on the other hand would go on believing such a lie until either I repented of my selfish act to get you into my church and pay tithes to it, or, your faith in God was so pure that He himself led you away from the lie (like He did with me). Now supposing I told 20 people the same thing, and they too believed me, that would be an even greater injustice you agree? I mean I would be held accountable for leading the twenty souls away from the truth. Oh, what a terrible thing that would be. But my friend, what a great injustice it would be to lead over two billion innocent people simply desiring a closer walk with God and truth, away from that very God and truth they were seeking. Oh, what a travesty indeed. This is why I am so determined to do what I do; for the sake of God’s Kingdom, and also those who sincerely desire God’s truth. The truth is this; Almighty God of Creation lives within you and is not in any building in the universe.
There is not one single living thing on this earth I believe, that knows all the truth. Even though there is of course an “absolute truth” that the universe is created upon, it would be impossible for any one person to have it all in it’s fullness. Nobody can even be sure all will be revealed in God’s Kingdom; that is God’s business. I see so many over dogmatic people of all different religions who claim that their very own truth that they have (handed down to them by the way) is the only truth that will save you. They tell you that without it you will go to hell and suffer the torment deserving you for your refusal to follow the truth “that they have”. They pester you, and they try to shame you, and they preach to you, all to gain brownie points from their self professed only true god. And, in some cases now and also in the past, they torture you to force you to believe, and once you declare your new religion, they threaten you with hell, or even death within some religions like Islam, if you ever leave it or teach others to leave it.
And then there are those who say because they have spent a life time studying historical religions and served their time in Theologian school, that this is their authority to claim all truth within themselves and therefore have the credentials to teach others what they believe. They prance around with head held high as they walk with utter confidence amongst their brethren who they regard as lessor intelligent and at a lower level than themselves in their own little self made untruth with their own little fake Jesus they have placed in a box and labeled it…”The only true Jesus”. Yes, it is everywhere… in the Cathedrals, and in the Mosques, and in the Temples and even in the hills with the ancient tribes of Tibet… they all claim they have the absolute undeniable truth, but why do they say this? Well they have a book that tells them so is why. Sadly their god is in fact a book.
For the Christians it’s the KJV bible, and for the Catholics (no matter what they call themselves, they are not Christians per se) it’s the Catholic bible, and for the Mormons its the book of Mormon, and for the Muslim it’s the Koran and Hadith, and so on it goes…all claiming to have the unadulterated (what a joke) and infallible words of God in their safe keeping. Some even say without their book they are lost forever and will suffer eternity in hell. The ironical thing here is that all these books have been translated out of their original form into a new language, and some even lost/destroyed the originals, and translated back into what they now call the original text again, and loosing many critical true meanings along the way. It’s a travesty that nobody is man enough to stand up to these so called men of the cloth and put these truths to them and challenge them to prove the infallibility of their precious book. Am I saying these books are worthless? Absolutely not; I am saying they are fallible because of translation and origin. Actually, all religious books of all religions hold some truth and great teachings, but just not all of it all of the time. Even in the bible it is written that not all the Jesus/Yahoshua spoke was in these pages as it would require many books to accommodate everything He said.
There is no doubt that the Christian bible has truth issues and is this is well known among many theologians around the world, but am I saying this so called “Word of God” is totally void of truth? Absolutely not, and if I did believe this, then why would I use some excerpts from it throughout my writings here? If that were so then I would appear as a hypocrite and all my work then regarded as unreliable to say the least. So yes there is much truth in fact there within the pages of the Christian bible, but no, it is not all truth as has been shown here in this book due to the many alterations added and taken away by each translator over the best part of it’s 2000 years existence. Even today this evil practice still goes on with each new publication of the bible that they call the Word of God. If you really are concerned about written truth, try reading the writings that have not yet reached the hands of profit seeking people as is with the RCC and most Protestant institutions. Such writings are found in the Nag Hamadi Library and the Dead Sea Scrolls.
So, what’s my point I hear you say? Well it is this; I want to challenge anyone in the world to show me they have the only way to heaven and the only absolute truth of the only true God who created heaven and earth. I stand boldly and say this to you; Who in God’s name do you think you are? Who died and made you king of heaven? Why are you so dog gone sure you know everything? What will happen to you if you are wrong…or even partly wrong? This is what I say to all those who are so sure they follow ALL the TRUTH. Suppose you are wrong on just one aspect of everything you know…can you still be guaranteed life after death if this one thing was very important to God, and thus your salvation? Let me just show here a couple of examples of the many thousands in a barrel of possible false beliefs.
Supposing you are Catholic (or any else that does the following), and you knelt down to a statue of Jesus hung dead on a wooden cross and prayed to that wooden representative of Jesus every day of your life… can this save you to God? Some will say (because they are not sure) that they don’t do this, or when they do do this they only do it out of respect or whatever, and many will be of the firm opinion that the answer to my question is YES!
OK, you have just died and meet the gate keeper at the gate of the kingdom of God and you try and get passed him but he wont let you because their is no seal on your name. You argue and try to fight your way in because you are sure you belong there, and then Jesus hears all the commotion and comes over to check it out. You say to Jesus, oh Lord, please tell the gate keeper to let me in, but the reply from Jesus is like a 1000lb weight dropping from the sky fair on top of you… Jesus says, sorry sir/madame, but do I know you? And you say to Jesus…sure you do Lord, I knelt and prayed to a statue of you everyday of my life, and I gave to the poor, and I cast out devils. And then you hear the cruncher as Jesus says, oh yes little johnny, you did do all that, but not for me…you did it for that hunk of marble hanging on your bedroom wall. I was jealous of it and tried to tell you through many of my disciples, but you were so sure you had the right God. You could see your God and they could not, so you thought you had the right one. Sorry little Johnny, you have to go find that marble Jesus and ask it for his forgiveness and salvation, besides, I am a living Jesus…not a dead one on a cross. Go away now…I have never known you.
And here is another for the Muslims who claim their allegiance to Jihad and the killing of innocent unbelievers and even their own kind. Suppose you have killed even just one person in the name of your god Allah; lets say for not believing the way you do, or for standing up against your barbaric and ungodly ways. You are so sure you are in God’s truth by killing others because of unbelief that you are prepared even to sacrifice your life to please God. Or could it be that your piers have told you that your god will be so pleased at your bravery and give you 70 virgins to have your way with in heaven? Or is it just simply you get satisfaction out of the spilling of innocent blood? Ok now, you feel, because of all your experience of life, and all you have been taught by your parents and teachers, that you are sure what you have in your mind and heart is the whole truth and nothing but the truth; the truth that can save you and all who follow it. You are so sure that you are prepared to die for it.
Now, supposing your are wrong also on just one critical point of faith, and lets say it is the spilling of innocent blood. The following is what the true God of heaven and earth might say to you as you seek Him after blowing yourself up or killed fighting in the so called name of Allah. You are running in the spirit, naked and excited at the prospect of 70 virgins at your service, and also of all the people you have killed for a present to God, and all the souls you have forced to follow your religion. This is what God might say:
You fool says God in heaven. I am the creator of life, why are you hell bent of destroying life…the very life I have created? You fool and ignorant hypocrite, do you really think I work so hard to create life just so you can destroy it like this? Who died that you might be made judge and jury to my poor innocent servants, to have authority over life and death? You think you know me? You fool and hopeless ignorant man, you have no idea about life and what it means to Me. Everyone of those dear souls you killed in the name of your false Allah are waiting to judge you. I have given them the right over heaven and earth to judge all those who spilt their innocent blood. Every drop of their blood that you spilt will be bought back for them, by the suffering that is to come for you.
If you are so sure you have the truth that was given you by the mouth of men, rather than from Me who has abided in your heart, then lets see how far it gets you. Many times I have spoken to your heart and told you what you are doing and thinking is wrong, but you did not heed my advice, but preferred the advice of men. Now your heart has been contaminated with the deceit of men and their evil ways, so I will now hand you over to them and their evil ways. Let your parents be god and see if they can save you. Let Muhammad be your god and see how much he can do to save even one lousy hair on your head. Let your teacher from the Mosque see if he can save you and give you a clear path through the gates of heaven into life again. You have chosen to listen to man who is ignorant instead of Me your creator, so your fate will be the same as them….much suffering for the payment of those you have killed and spilt their life giving blood all over the land I gave your fathers. And I tell you also, not only those who kill by hand are guilty of these heinous crimes against Me and My people, but also those who do it by mind and mouth will suffer no less punishment.
Dear reader,there is one law that if kept strictly, can cover every other sin of ignorance, and guarantee you a place in God’s plan of redemption for all those who believe in Him as creator; and that is the holy Law of Love. It matters not what you believe, but how you believe. Some believe by the sword and so they will one way or another die by the sword. A famous catch phrase I know, but a very true one. Some believe by their works, and so will be judged by their works. And finally some very few believe by their love for God and also one another, and so love will save them and cover a multitude of sin and false belief. If you love everyone you don’t kill them…that’s one blessing from God for your collection. If you love someone you help them in times of trouble…another blessing to store up. If you love someone you don’t desire what they have … and that’s another blessing for your glory box. And if you love someone you never hurt them in any way … yet another blessing. Finally, if you love the only true God of heaven and earth, the greatest of all blessings bestowed you … the revelation of truth in it’s fullness. A whole new world opens to you with a new understanding of what life is all about. A truth that will astound you.
So my friend and reader, my message to you and to the world of all religions is this; love all things created by God in heaven. Love his people who are your brothers and sisters sons and daughters, mothers and fathers. Love His animals who He also created with soul. Don’t be hurtful in any way to either, and when you see them in trouble…help them, man or beast, and God who is your spiritual Father will in turn help you in your hour of need. And more than this, love God Yahweh, the God of creation, with all your heart mind and soul, and with all your strength also, that you will be pleasing to Him and thus be in His favor, which is a great place to be my friends. We all will be judged not so much by what we think or believe, but more by what we say and do, so for your own eternal salvation, try to be more sure of what you think so what you will say and do will be more favorable with God. There may be not much I am sure of, but of this I am sure… love is the cornerstone of the soul pleasing to God.
Allow me to reiterate one more final time on Gods purpose for us. It is not about what you know, or what religion or denomination you are affiliated with, and even to a lessor degree, its not about what you think… its more about what you do for goodness sake. If you want to label that “works” then by all means do so if it justifies your lack of actions in your faith, but that won’t deny the fact that it is by your “reaction” to your faith that counts, and not what you think. It never ceases to amaze me, especially in the Christian and Islam faiths, that they all believe those who do not believe in their only truth, will go to hell. They really think God our Creator is heartless and void of a deeper love than they have. Their shallow closed dogmatic minds proudly show their lack of intelligence, love, and wisdom, and they are just so proud to advertise that condemning fact. They really believe that God created billions and billions of souls outside their paradigms to go directly to hell and suffer eternal torture. What a sickening train of thought that is; totally throwing out the baby with the bath water. Is that the love of God in action? Please, think long and hard on this premise; If it was indeed God’s purpose for us to be molded into better souls for His glory, why would He destroy so many good candidates simply because of their ignorance? Did God make all the Australian Aborigines, or the American Indians, or the New Guinea natives just for His pleasure, and later watch them burn in hell? You poor senseless people who think such baseless and disgusting things. God have mercy on you in your final hour of need.
What all seem to forget, or in fact just not realize in this world, is that our Creator God is a God of love. He would then have no interest at all sending His creation to suffer endless time in hell for little more than ignorance. It is never going to happen I am sure because the God I believe in, Yahweh the God of Abraham who is my creator is merciful, and so would never destroy a soul in the name of mercy grace and love. It’s just not the God I believe in I’m sorry. My God would never create in order to destroy; no indeed, He creates to give life experience to souls He has always known. Yes, He is a God of life; not death.
For me the greatest things I have learned in this life have mostly come from the man Yahoshua/Jesus, who said this which sums up this life I believe;
Joh_13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
There is no more greater advice than that because if you do love one another sincerely, you will not steal, hurt, kill,covert, or give false witness to… anyone you love. So why not love all mankind? And remember that whatever you do for one another, you also do for your Creator God., for you are a part of Him and in His image. As said previously, this life is a test for you which will determine your future, so make the most of this physical life to pave the way to the rest of your life eternal. Our Creators home is the infinite universe and in it Her has also many “mansions”; some good and others not so good. To those with an ear for truth let him understand … things are not what they seem. This world is full of lies and deceptions, so use your God given wisdom to discern the truth when you hear it.
I think that’s a good note to leave you with to contemplate and build a foundation on, that you can surely advance your soul in the ways and will of your true Father and God Yahweh.
Grace peace and love to all who seek truth. Amen!
Query Letter
This book is all about religion; or more aptly put; what religion is all about, from an open minded sincere seeker of spiritual truth and original dogma. Mainstream religions all have a set of rules that all differ, so the question ought to be from sincere seekers of truth; which is the right one. I take the time to give unbiased answers to many of the questions asked by those who dare to question church tradition and their piers. Although I speak about several religions, I try to center my book as much as I can around the man Yahoshua whom most call Jesus, because He seems to me the only true teacher of truth, worship, and righteousness that I can feel totally confident promulgating his teachings. Some others have good teachings for sure but you will always find some controversy within, whereas with this man Yahoshua I can not find even one letter out of place.
What is this book about?
It’s all about religion
This book is about 310 pages of Word processor, depending on how the page is configured. I have no idea of book size but would only imagine that it would equate to about 600+ pages of a standard book size. Why so big? Simple, there are just too many subjects in religion to put in one book normally, so what I have done is briefly talk about each subject just enough to point out in my opinion where and why the worlds religions have gone wrong and what I think best to do about it. There is no proof of any religion known to man so all that is written is opinions of man, and I am just one more man in the mix is all.
My main concern is centered around Christianity and it’s different denominations, as although I do not regard myself as a practicing common Christian, I do however remember my humble beginnings and still have that Christian feel about how study and research religion. Over the last 30 years I have been privileged to witness many religions, but for the most part the three main ones… Islam, Christianity, and Buddhism. I do not regard the pages of this book to be an expert analysis as I did not do any schooling at all in the field of religion, but if spirit has anything to do with it, and lets face it; religion is all about the Spirit world, then I have more than enough in the bank to account for the text within.
Other similar books in this field.
Many books in this field have written on Religion, but not many have done really well. To name a few though I would begin with Bart Ehrman’s collection including Jesus Interrupted and Miss Quoting Jesus, both of which talk mostly about mankind’s blind faith in the authenticity of the Bible. Another is The Greatest Lie Ever Told by W. H. UffingtThe Greatest Lie Ever Told by W. H. Uffingtonon which questions the validity of the Christian religion amongst other things. One simply needs to google Religion to see the huge demand for just about anything to do with it… Good or bad, there is always a plethora of interested parties willing to buy.
So what makes my book unique compared to others?
The only difference is that I dare to go against the grain of modern day traditional religion. Unlike others who are very ready indeed to call all those with faith in the unseen foolish, I however are more about the “way” they put into practice this faith. Just about all writings on religion is based on one of two things; the authors absolute belief that all religion is false, or the authors adherence to only that which has already been written i.e books such as the Christian Bible, the Islam Koran, the Jewish Torah, and the Buddhist Tripitaka (Pali Canon), Mahayana Sutras and the Tibetan Book of the Dead, to name a few. With myself though, although I will occasionally quote from such books of all religions, I rely more on what all these books actually pertain to… and thats the unseen and untouchable Spirit. To me it is but common sense, but unfortunately to most it’s nonsense, so it is my endeavor to share what the Spirit has shared with me so that those lacking will possibly see some truth in what is written here and seek what I have already attained; a more realistic view of religion based more on fact and faith than what is otherwise written by man elsewhere.
My qualifications?
As an author I have no qualifications at all except the enormous appetite for truth and my God given talent to share what I learn through such a book as this. It is my first and probably my last as my time is nearing the end. Some may read and sense my ignorance in the writing field, and others might simply enjoy the somewhat different approach and unique style I use to get my point across; more like a “street wise” approach. I have had only 30 years experience in religion which is relatively short considering others in the field, but the difference is with me though, I probably spent 25 of those years with my head down and bum up as I continued to research and test the authenticity of modern day religion. One could safely say that my 30 years experience in religion has at large been quality time which hopefully makes up a little for my lack of experience in writing.
Because of my unrelenting desire for truth I am not one to “go with the flow” as is with all mainstream religions today, namely Christian, Islam, Catholic, and Judaism. As much as many will disagree, the truth is that all these religions have money as the core motive for their existence today, although I must agree it was not always that way in the beginning. As sure as I could create a sincere religion based on faith and truth today, tomorrow those that follow can just as sure add and take away from my teachings to their monetary gain. As sure as the sun will rise tomorrow; this is the truth. Only those that are spiritually mature can see the truth in what I say and therefore acknowledge my qualifications to say so.
Church Lies and Deceit 
How do I download this book?
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Hi Sherri,
What you are reading is actually the book; could you please copy it all and paste it into a doc file. Or you could convert the webpage to a PDF file. Failing that, I could email it to you if I could have your email address.
Peace… Mike
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