Chapter
Two
After He was baptized in the River Jordan by John the Baptist, Jesus was
led by the Holy Spirit into the desert to be tested.
He had been fasting for forty days and nights and was therefore hungry.
Satan appeared and said, “... If thou art the Son of God, command that
these stones become loaves of bread.” [St. Matthew 4:3]
Jesus could have answered in many ways.
He could have told Satan that He could create loaves of bread even
without stones. In fact, Jesus
later did exactly that on at least two occasions.
As Creator of the universe and the One having all authority over
everything in it, Jesus could have simply ordered Satan to depart, something He
did several times during His public ministry.
Rather than answer in any other way, however, Jesus replied, “It is
written, ‘Not by bread alone does man live, but by every word that comes forth
from the mouth of God.’” [St. Matthew 4:4]
It is written in Deuteronomy 8:3.
In the second temptation, Satan took Jesus into the holy city of
Jerusalem and set Him upon the pinnacle of the Temple and said, “... If thou
art the Son of God, throw thyself down; for it is written, ‘He will give his
angels charge concerning thee; And upon their hands they shall bear thee up,
lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.’” [St. Matthew 4:6]
Jesus again deferred to Scripture: “It
is written further, ‘Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.’” [St. Matthew
4:7] It is written in Deuteronomy
6:16.
In the third and last temptation, Satan took Jesus to a high mountain and
showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory and said, “... All
these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.” [St.
Matthew 4:9] Jesus replied: “Begone,
Satan! For it is written, ‘The Lord thy God shalt thou worship and him only
shalt thou serve.’” [St. Matthew 4:10]
It is written in Deuteronomy 6:13.
There are several revealing points in the three temptations.
First, Jesus deferred to the written Word of God, the Scripture, in each
response. If Jesus believed the
Scripture is so important that He used the written Word to rebuke Satan, how can
we conclude anything less concerning its importance and relevance to us?
Moreover, He did not dilute His responses with the traditions of men.
He quoted God’s Word exactly as it appears in Scripture.
Second, Satan, in his pride, tries to imitate God.
This is what led to Lucifer’s fall [Isaias 14:13-14].
In the second temptation, Satan wanted to imitate Jesus.
That is why he incorporated the words “it is written” in his second
temptation. He wanted to show Jesus
that he, too, was familiar with Scripture.
Jesus’ response was poignant. By
using the words, “It is written further,” Jesus revealed that Satan has no
spiritual discernment but can use Scripture only to mock God.
In the third temptation, Satan offered Jesus the world and the glory
thereof. The revealing point is
that Jesus did not argue with Satan that the world is his to give [II
Corinthians 4:4 and Ephesians 2:2].
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St. John records in the opening verse of the gospel that bears
his name:
“In
the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God; and the Word was God.”
God’s Word came to earth in human form in the person of Jesus, the
Christ prophesied in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the New.
While walking this earth, He spoke His Word to men.
Shortly before leaving this earth, He promised His Word would remain,
that is, just as in the Old Testament, it would be a testimony forever [see St.
John 8:51]. Thus, through the
Scripture, the Jesus of the New Testament, along with His promises, remains with
men even to this day.
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One reason to study Scripture is to know how to live.
In Ephesians Chapter 4, St. Paul tells those who have been born again -
believers - to put off the old man with regard to their former lives and put on
the new man in Christ Jesus. He
encourages new Christians to stop their sinful ways, to get away from lying,
speaking evil of their neighbors, and letting their righteous anger against sin
cause them to fall into the devil’s snare.
Ephesians 6:10-18 tells the believer to accomplish these things by
putting on the whole armor of God. Romans
1:17 tells us, “He who is just lives by faith.”
In II Corinthians 5:7, God’s Word instructs believers to “... walk by
faith and not by sight.” Hebrews
11:1 tells us, “... faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence
of things that are not seen.” God’s
Word tells believers in Romans 14:7-8, “For none of us lives to himself, and
none dies to himself; for if we live, we live to the Lord, or if we die, we die
to the Lord. Therefore, whether we
live or die, we are the Lord’s.” St.
Paul cautions believers in Ephesians 4:30, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit
of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
Finally, in I Thessalonians 4:18, St. Paul tells believers to “comfort
one another with these words.” These
instructions for righteous living are put in context in subsequent chapters.
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Another reason to study
Scripture is to know how to face death and understand what lies beyond the
grave. In II Timothy 4:6-9, St.
Paul tells us as he is awaiting death in a Roman prison:
“As
for me, I am already being poured out in sacrifice, and the time of my
deliverance is at hand. I have
fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.
For the rest (his eternal destiny), there is laid up for me a
crown of justice (righteousness), which the Lord, the just Judge, will
give to me in that day; yet not to me only, but also to those who love his
coming.”
His remark about being poured out as a sacrifice was a reference to the
libation associated with the daily sacrifice of the lambs at the Temple.
St. Paul knew he was to be executed shortly.
But in facing death, he was not the least depressed.
His remark about this being the time of his deliverance was a
well-understood euphemism. St. Paul
was just as confident about his eternal destiny.
He expressed no fear about where he would go after departing this world.
He knew that he, as well as many others, would receive their rewards,
their crowns [see Apocalypse 22:12]. The
crown is for Christian service. It
will be received at the Bema Judgment Seat where the works of the saved
will be judged. The question,
“Did you build upon that foundation, which is Christ Jesus, with gold, silver,
and precious stones, or with worthless materials like wood, hay, and straw?”
will be answered. This is distinct
from salvation [I Corinthians 3:11-15] and from the Great White Throne Judgment
which is the judgment only of the lost [Apocalypse 20:11-15]. Not all who are saved will receive crowns, but only the saved
can receive them. St. Paul was
looking forward to receiving his reward and going to his mansion to be with his
Lord for evermore [St. John 14:2]. As
he stated in Philippians 1:21, “For me to live is Christ and to die is
gain.” Eternal security and the Bema judgment are addressed more fully in
subsequent chapters.
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The bible has a message in it. In
fact, it reveals many messages. The
high-level message in the Old Testament is that there is only one God:
Yahweh. All other gods are
false. The high-level message in
the New Testament is that there is only one path to salvation and that is
through the Lord Jesus, the Christ of the New Testament.
Most people do not know this. How
many times have you heard sincere and well-meaning people say, “There are many
paths to God and it doesn’t matter which one you take.
We all end up at the same place”?
If this extraordinary claim were true, then one would have to wonder why
Jesus, the Creator of the universe, came to earth as the Son of Man - God in
human flesh - and willingly became sin for us, suffered humiliation at the hands
of His creatures, died an agonizing death on the cross, and let His payment for
our sins separate Him from the Father for the first time in eternity?
[see St. Matthew 27:46]
If you believe what the Catholic Bible reveals, then not only does the
path you take make a difference, it makes a difference for all your eternity!
Jesus reveals:
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life.
No one comes to the Father but through me.” [St. John 14:6]
Jesus’ words do not fit - even badly - with the supposition that all
paths lead to the same place! In
fact, Jesus’ words clearly contradict this Satanic lie.
Moreover, there is no parenthetical to add or substitute any saint,
preacher, work, Church, church, or denomination.
In St. Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus tells us:
“Enter
by the narrow gate. For wide is the
gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many there are who
enter that way. How narrow and
close the way that leads to life! And
few there are that find it.”
The above citation should put to rest any notion that multiple paths lead
to God. In addressing the Sanhedrin, St. Peter boldly proclaimed
salvation through Jesus’ death and resurrection and ended his preaching by
revealing:
“Neither
is there salvation in any other. For
there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
[Acts 4:12]
Also, St. Paul tells us in II Timothy 3:15-17 that:
“For
from thy infancy thou hast known the Sacred Writings (Scripture), which
are able to instruct thee unto salvation by the faith which is in Christ
Jesus. All scripture is inspired by
God and useful for teaching, for reproving, for correcting, for instructing in
justice; that the man of God may be perfect (complete), equipped for
every good work.”
The reason the statement “all paths lead to the same destination” is
called a Satanic lie is because, like all Satan’s lies, it is so nearly
true and so universally appealing. There
are only two destinations taught in Scripture:
heaven and hell. Only one
path leads to heaven. All remaining
paths, and there are many, do lead to the same place:
hell. Thus, while Satan, a
liar and the father of lies, tells us that all paths lead to the same place, the
truth is all paths save one lead to hell [see St. John 8:44].
Notice, too, in the above citation, that God’s Word tells us that the
believer must know the Scripture in order to be equipped for every good work.
Thus, without knowing the Scripture, no good work can be performed.
Moreover, as will be discussed later, apart from God’s Holy Word in
Scripture, one cannot even tell what works are good or where “good works”
come from!
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At this point, you might ask, “What work are we supposed to do to be
saved?” Jesus reveals the
surprising answer:
“They
said therefore to him, ‘What are we to do that we may perform the works of
God?’ In answer Jesus said to them, ‘This is the work of God,
that you believe (trust) in him (Jesus) whom he (God the Father)
has sent.’” [St. John 6:28-29]
Man has a natural tendency to add to God’s Word.
It is hard for us to believe that our work is to believe on
or trust in Jesus. However,
as recorded in St. John 16:9, Jesus tells us that the sin of the world is that
“... they do not believe in me.”
It should be noted that the belief in Jesus discussed in Scripture is not
an intellectual belief such as one might believe that Einstein existed even
though never having met him. Rather,
we are to believe Jesus is whom He said He was and is based on and contained
within Scriptural revelation. If we
have such belief, we will keep His commands [St. John 15:10]. Most believe in a Jesus different from the Jesus of the New
Testament, as will be discussed later.
Because of pride, we add to what is required, thinking, in our hubris,
that we can contribute to our salvation through our own “goodness.”
However, God sees our works of righteousness
as “the rag of a menstruous woman.” [Isaias 64:6]
Moreover, adding our efforts to God’s plan of salvation takes away from
His glory and adds to our own [Ephesians 2:4-7]. God promises curses for those who do such things [Apocalypse
22:18-19]. The only way the
believer can perform works that glorify God will be explained in Chapter Four.
To most of us, it just doesn’t seem credible that our salvation could
be totally independent of our works, our sincere and dedicated efforts.
The reason for this lack of faith is the human experience in a fallen
world. As human beings, we
constantly bargain with each other: husband with wife; wife with husband; both with kids; kids
with parents; employees with bosses; and even with God. “Oh, God, if you will just give me ... I promise I will
....” It is a universal prayer
we’ve all prayed more than once. You
fill in the blanks. Moreover, we
use well established phrases like - “quid pro quo”; “tit for tat”;
“show me the money”; “let’s make a deal”; “everything’s
negotiable”; “no controlling legal authority”; and, “that depends on
what the meaning of is, is” - in our bargaining.
It’s the way of the world. Since,
“There’s no such thing as a free lunch,” we ponder, “how could something
so important as salvation be offered to us free?”
Salvation was not free. It
was purchased with a price, the greatest price that has or ever will be paid for
anything. That price was the death
of God’s only-begotten Son on that cruel cross at Calvary. Jesus, our kinsman redeemer, suffered and died in our place.
According to Scripture, the debt owed to God for sin has been paid.
God now offers each of us the gift His Son has already paid for. Therefore, this purchased gift is free only in the sense that
we don’t have to pay for it. Jesus
already has. That gift is eternal
life, salvation.
Proverbs 14:12 tells us, “Sometimes a way seems right to a man, but the
end of it leads to death!” That
is why we must turn to God’s Word for direction and not rely on our feelings
or every-day experience in a fallen world:
“The heart is perverse (deceitful) above all things and
unsearchable (desperately wicked) ....” [Jeremias 17:9]
We must stand on the promises of God recorded in His Holy Word.
Proverbs 9:10 tells us, “The beginning of wisdom is the fear (respect)
of the LORD,
and knowledge of the Holy One (Jesus) is understanding.”
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Lest you think man’s tendency to add to God’s Word and the
consequences of same are a bit overstated, consider Genesis 3:2-3:
“The
woman answered the serpent, ‘Of the fruit of all the trees in the garden we
may eat; but of the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden,’ God said,
‘you shall not eat, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’”
As can be seen from Genesis 2:16-17, the woman added to God’s Word when
she answered the serpent. To add to
God’s Word is to speak a lie! God
simply commanded they not eat of the tree, but Eve added the requirement not to
touch it. The woman’s reply
revealed that she did not have proper respect for the LORD or His Word. That was all
the invitation Satan needed. And
the rest, as they say, is history! Had
Eve had a copy of the book of Proverbs, she would have known that fear (respect)
of the LORD
is the beginning of wisdom rather than eating the forbidden fruit
[Genesis 3:6].
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You might be asking why you should read the bible. There are many reasons on many levels. First, it is the vehicle through which God speaks to unsaved
mankind and reveals things to His children.
Moreover, it tells us how to become His child. The bible is the only work that reveals at least a part of
the heart and mind of God, who He is, how man came into existence and why, and
that he will exist forever. Moreover,
it tells us what God expects of us. The
writer of Ecclesiastes describes the natural man, that is, a man with a
still-dead (not reborn) spirit as he searches for meaning in his life.
He quickly discovers the problem of vanity, “.... vanity of vanities.
All things are vanity!” [Ecclesiastes
1:2] After considering all human
achievements and possessions, the writer, King Solomon, whom God called the
wisest man ever, concludes:
“The
last word, when all is heard: Fear
God and keep his commandments, for this is man’s all; because God will bring
to judgment every work, with all its hidden qualities, whether good or bad.”
[Ecclesiastes 12:13-14]
It is only through God’s Word that we learn that what separates God
from His creatures is their iniquity, their sin.
Only through God’s Word do we learn that He has a plan for removing
that barrier so that we can become His children:
“‘Come
now, and let us reason together,’ Says the LORD,
‘Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though
they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool (white).
If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land.” [Isaias
1:18-19, NKJV]
It is only through God’s Word that we learn that God wants the best for
His creatures and His children, desiring that all His creatures (lost) become
His obedient children (saved). It
is only through the Word of God that we learn that the only way we can be
obedient and become children of God is by accepting the Jesus of the New
Testament as our Lord and Savior.
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One evening in July 2000, CNN interviewer Larry King had four guests on
his Larry King Live show, two Christian and two Jewish. During a discussion on the bible, whether or not it is just a
collection of writings by men or the inspired, inerrant Word of God, Larry said
he would believe it was God’s Word if it contained some revelation that man
could not possibly have known at the time of its writing, “like the earth is
round, rather than flat.” Unfortunately,
none of Larry’s guests was able to tell him that the exact test case he
suggested for establishing Scriptural authenticity is, in fact, stated plainly
in Scripture. Moreover, the
Christians were not exactly biblical scholars.
In fact, in discussing ecumenicity within the framework of the “many
paths to God,” one of the guests, a Franciscan priest, agreed with Larry that
there are many paths. To support his position, the priest quoted Jesus as saying:
“He who isn’t against me, is with me.”
This makes it clear that Buddhists, Hindus, and others who are not
opposing Christ will find their way to heaven along their own paths.
The problem is that the priest misquoted Jesus [see II Timothy 2:15]. Jesus said just the opposite:
“He
who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me
scatters.” [St. Matthew 12:30]
The priest may have gotten his verses mixed up.
As recorded by St. Luke, following an argument on who would be the
greatest in the kingdom, St. John said:
“‘...
Master, we saw a man casting out devils in thy name, and we forbade him, because
he does not follow (travel) with us.’
And Jesus said to him, ‘Do not forbid him:
for he who is not against you is for you.’” [St. Luke 9:49-50]
At first glance, Jesus’ words here appear to contradict those recorded
in St. Matthew 12:30, above. However,
upon closer inspection of its context, it can be seen that in the St. Matthew
text it was Satan opposing Jesus’ words and actions through the Pharisees.
In the St. Luke citation, Jesus’ followers were arguing over who would
be greatest in the kingdom. An
offense came when they discovered that a man not following along with them
physically was performing the same miracles they worked.
This represented an unknown in their debate on who would be the greatest
because they never considered that someone outside their immediate circle could
be a contender. It is important to
understand that they correctly relayed to Jesus that the man was casting out
devils in Jesus’ name. Therefore,
the disciples correctly understood that he was one of Jesus’ followers.
Jesus confirms this with His response.
In today’s parlance, it might sound something like:
Look jealous children, if a fellow believer is not doing something to
harm you or the kingdom, do not consider his actions to be a threat to your
position. He, like you, is helping
to build the kingdom.
It is very important to know what God’s Word says. Had any of Larry’s guests been well versed in Scripture, he
could have told Larry there are many things revealed in the bible that could not
possibly have been known by man at the times of its writings.
For example, Isaias 40:22 reveals, “It is he (God) that sittith
upon the globe of the earth ....” It
was not until after the voyages of Columbus that men discovered the earth was
round, a globe, not flat, as had been thought.
The last I heard, Larry had not changed his position on the inspiration
of Scripture.
Job 26:7 reveals, “He (God) stretches out the North over empty
space, and suspends the earth over nothing at all ....”
Scientists have believed this only for the last few centuries.
However, the veracity of this verse was first seen only in the
last half of the 20th century. At
about the same time the book of Job was written, around four thousand years ago,
some eastern religions taught that the world was supported on the back of a
turtle floating in the sea. Many
centuries later, the Greeks taught that Atlas bore the earth and the heavens on
his back. This is why we call a book containing maps an atlas.
Plato later suggested that the earth was a living entity.
Many Native American cultures even today hold such views.
I include these diverse beliefs not to belittle them or those who embrace
them but to demonstrate clearly the level of understanding of the natural world
by the natural man (man without God) at any time in history, from the time of
Job to the present.
Hebrews 11:3 reveals “...
things visible were made of things invisible.”
Atoms. Isaias 60:8 appears
to predict that man will one day fly and Nahum 2:4 may well be a prediction of
cars: “ ...the chariots jostle
one against another in the streets: their
looks are like torches (headlights?), like lightning running to and
fro.” Soap operas and television
talk shows seem to have been prophesied by St. Paul:
“But
know this, that in the last days dangerous times will come.
Men will be lovers of self, covetous, haughty, proud, blasphemers,
disobedient to parents, ungrateful, criminal, heartless, faithless, slanderers,
incontinent, merciless, unkind, treacherous, stubborn, puffed up with pride,
loving pleasure more than God, having a semblance indeed of piety, but
disavowing its power (having a form of godliness but denying its power). Avoid these. For
of such are they who make their way (sneak) into houses (through the
television?) and captivate silly women (not all women, but those who are
gullible enough to get interested in the lives of such people) who are sin-laden and led away by various
lusts (that come from watching and listening
to such people); ever learning (believing there is something important to
be learned from these people) yet never attaining knowledge of the truth (that
Jesus is Lord).” [II Timothy 3:1-7]
The above listing of reprobate characteristics looks like those projected
by actors in soap operas and manifested by guests interviewed on day-time
television talk shows!
Skeptics of the notion of inspired writing maintain that the scribes
wrote down their own words. However,
such is contrary to man’s nature. At
the time of Isaias’ writing, it was common knowledge and a “scientific
fact” that the earth was flat! Anyone
maintaining otherwise would have set himself up for ridicule.
It was also known at the time of Job that the earth must be supported by
something, certainly not hung on nothing, because everyday experience confirmed
that things not supported by something would fall. Moreover, St. Paul must have wanted to argue with the Holy
Spirit when told to write that wicked men would sneak into houses and captivate
some of their wives and daughters
and lead them away in their lusts. St.
Paul and the men of his day knew that houses were locked at night and that most
husbands slept in front of the only door to the house to protect their families.
“How could wicked men sneak in and lead these women away?” St. Paul
must have wondered. Such revelations were antithetical to human experience.
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One of the most famous people to have died in this country from having
been bled too much was George Washington. It
was not until some godly physicians read and understood the revelations in
Leviticus 17:11 that they abandoned the practice of bleeding patients.
Verse 11 says, “... the life of a living body is in its blood ....”
Thus, God’s Word teaches and reiterates clearly in numerous places that
the “life of the flesh is in the blood.”
Science caught up to the Word of God in the late 18th century
when physicians finally came to understand that if they removed some of the
blood, then they removed some of the life from the flesh.
As a result, bleeding patients is no longer a part of the practice of
medicine in this country. However,
it is still practiced by primitives in other countries. The cleanliness laws revealed in Leviticus became the
foundation for many aspects of the practice of modern medicine. God told Moses and the Israelites how to fight germs and
their infection and spread more than two thousand years before Pasteur
(1822-1895) and other scientists looked into their microscopes and
“discovered” the little varmints! The
“scientific” theory of Pasteur’s day was “spontaneous generation.”
It was believed among leading scientists that if food were exposed to air
for a critical period of time, it would spontaneously generate microbes.
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The Catholic Bible addresses evolution, a centuries-old Satanic lie that
gained prominence near the end of the 19th century.
In Genesis 2:7, God reveals:
“Then
the LORD
God formed man out of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the
breath of life, and man became a living being.”
The Holy Bible contains not a word on the “big bang” theory.
In fact, scientists announced on May 4, 2000 that the “other half of
the universe had been found.” Most of us didn’t know it was missing! According to news accounts, astrophysicists had been
concerned for some time that the total mass of material identified in the
universe was too small to support the big bang theory of creation. It turns out, according to these same scientists, that the
other half of the universe was there all along.
But since it consisted of interplanetary gasses that could be detected
only with a certain spectrum of light, it had been overlooked.
Stories like this make me wonder what other parts of the big bang theory
are supported by substances thinner than air!
Neither does the bible suggest that our distant ancestors pulled
themselves out of the primordial ooze onto the dry land.
St. Paul reveals:
“All
flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of men, another of beasts,
another of birds, another of fishes.” [I Corinthians 15:39]
Do any of these revelations look to you like they require an
interpretation beyond that which you are capable of giving?
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Sometimes religious organizations feel compelled to give interpretations
on things in Scripture that God is not yet ready to reveal.
You have lived to see how the fulfillment of a biblical prophecy
that was for centuries thought to be impossible and ridiculed by nonbelievers,
scientists, and numerous denominations, has become not only possible, but
routine! Those who took the bible
at its word confessed they could not imagine in their finite minds how it could
be true but, they said they stood by the Word of God. Their position was summarized and denigrated by their critics
as: “God said it, the prophets
wrote it, I believe it, that settles it!”
Can you guess what prophecy that might be?
“Behold, he comes with the clouds, and every eye shall see him,
and they also who pierced him ....” [Apocalypse 1:7] Prior not only to the development of television but also to
world-wide, real-time news coverage, such as was seen during the Gulf War,
fulfillment of this prophecy was, humanly speaking, impossible.
But as Jesus said in his teaching on the difficulty of a rich man
entering the kingdom of heaven, “With men this is impossible, but with God all
things are possible.” [St. Matthew 19:26]
We have yet to learn how another seemingly impossible event will be
fulfilled. Jesus tells us in St.
Matthew 24:15 that by the time the Antichrist rises to power, the Jews will have
restored Temple worship and animal sacrifices. This will require the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple, which
has been destroyed twice before, both times on August 9th.
The first destruction was at the hands of the Babylonians in 586 B.C.,
and the second by the Romans in 70 A.D. However,
the Muslim Dome of the Rock, one of the three most holy sites in Islam,
presently stands on or near where the Jewish Temple twice stood before and where
devout Jews intend to rebuild it. The
Jews believe messiah will come after worship and animal sacrifices have been
restored. Rabbinic schools have
identified male Jews with the last name of Cohen to become priests.
The name Cohen is associated with the descendants of the tribe of Levi,
Jacob’s third son. Levites served
as priests during Temple times. These
priests would be a necessary and integral part of the construction force,
particularly for rebuilding the Holy of Holies within the Temple [St. Matthew
27:51]. The Jews have been working
for the last few years to breed a red heifer without blemish.
The heifer’s ashes are needed for the Temple rededication ceremony
[Numbers 19]. They are getting
closer. As of three years ago, they
had bred a heifer with only three white hairs.
We can only speculate as to how and when this prophecy will be fulfilled.
However, we can be certain it will be.
Daniel 12:4 refers to yet-future prophecies (future from our
perspective): “But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even
to the time appointed (end times): many
shall pass over (travel) and knowledge shall be manifold (greatly
increased).” Do you realize
that we live in an ultra-mobile society? Until
the beginning of the 20th century, few people traveled more than a
few hundred miles from home and even fewer traveled overseas.
Today, we all know people who have sojourned overseas even if we
ourselves have not. There was
little increase in knowledge between the time man began using tools and the time
Columbus discovered the Americas. Knowledge
doubled between the time of Columbus and the industrial revolution. Now experts say our scientific knowledge base doubles every
two years! 1 Daniel
may soon be ready to unseal the book.
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Many world religions teach that only they can provide reliable
interpretations of God’s Word. Doesn’t
it seem strange that God would give us something to bring about His will (that
all should come to salvation) and for our benefit that He knew we couldn’t
understand? Yet, we have many
denominations claiming to be Christian and few seem to be able to agree on most
matters. Some argue that the reason
is due to the many interpretations of Scripture by different individuals.
They argue that a single interpreter, such as a pope, is therefore
necessary. 2 However, a closer examination reveals several things.
First, not all have what the bible calls an eye to see or an ear to hear
[see Ezechiel 12:2]. Scripture reveals truths on several levels.
The natural man can understand the truth revealed on natural matters.
However, the Word of God speaks through the Holy Spirit to the reborn
(regenerated) spirit of man. If
one’s spirit has not been reborn, 3 then
his or her spirit is dead to the Word of God and spiritual things can not be
discerned:
“But
the sensual (natural) man does not perceive the things that are of the
Spirit of God, for it is foolishness to him and he cannot understand, because it
is examined spiritually (spiritually discerned).”
[I Corinthians 2:14]
Chapter 3 of St. John’s gospel begins with Jesus telling Nicodemus that
for one to see the kingdom of God, he must be born again.
In verse 6, Jesus tells a
bewildered Nicodemus, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that
which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” In
other words, one cannot understand things of the Holy Spirit of God with one’s
flesh [see Galatians 3:3]. Since we
are born with a spirit which is dead to the things of God, our spirit must be
reborn before our eyes and ears are open to the things of God.
In Chapter 2, verse 7 of the Apocalypse, Jesus says, “He who has an
ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
God’s Word makes it clear that not all sitting in the pews on Sunday
morning have ears to hear. Jesus
repeats this same admonition in each of His letters to the seven churches.
Only those who have been reborn have ears to hear what the Spirit says
[see Apocalypse 2 and 3]. In Psalms
118(119):125, King David prays, “I am your servant; give me discernment that I
may know your decrees.” As David
makes clear, one must be His servant to have discernment. Spiritual rebirth will be addressed in Chapter Four.
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Differing interpretations usually are based on a desire to have the
Scripture fit tradition or some other teachings of man external to Scripture.
This is seen, too, in virtually all cults, New Age and otherwise. 4 For
purposes of this discussion, a cult is an organization claiming to believe in
and follow the Scriptures but which has isolated and so manipulated selected
verses that their interpretations are not supported by the remainder of biblical
text and, in fact, are contradicted by God’s Word.
Common characteristics of cults include:
a claimed source of divine revelation outside of God’s revealed Word in
His Scriptures; a claim to be the only organization that can lead one to
salvation; salvation based on works, which includes many denominations of
so-called Christian churches; a belief in an afterlife that includes places
other than heaven and hell, the only two possibilities taught by Jesus and His
disciples and documented in the bible; no hell at all; and the belief that only
the head of the organization can interpret Scripture.
The Scripture clearly teaches that, for believers, to be absent from the
body is to be present with the Lord [see II Corinthians 5:8, NKJV].
As mentioned in Chapter One, the Jehovah’s Witnesses do not believe in
the Trinity [see St. Matthew 28:19]. They
do not believe in Jesus’ resurrection. Therefore,
when any member of their Church is asked to comment on Apocalypse 1:18, wherein
the speaker says, “... I am the First and the Last, and he who lives, I was
dead, and behold, I am living forevermore,” the Jehovah’s Witness has to
reply that only the president of his organization is allowed to interpret
Scripture. The Witness is caught
between a rock and a hard spot. Jehovah never died. Jesus
did. Therefore, it is clear that
the speaker in Apocalypse 1:18 is not Jehovah but none other than the
resurrected Christ of the New Testament.
You may be surprised to learn who some of these cults are.
Time and space do not permit a complete treatment, however, neither is a
complete treatment necessary. Let’s
begin with some you might recall.
Remember Jim Jones? Over
nine hundred of the “faithful,” including nearly three hundred children and
babies, committed murder and mass suicide at his “spiritual” encampment in
Jonestown, Guyana on November 18, 1978. After
Jones told his followers he was Christ returned, many of his 20,000 faithful
followed him from his People’s Temple in San Francisco to Guyana to help him
establish a utopia on earth. Instead,
Jones led them to a “poisoned well” from which they freely drank [compare
with St. John 4:13-14]. The
commander of the U.S. forces responsible for clean-up operations happened to
have been a born-again Christian. Upon
his return to the states, he remarked: “The
thing that interested me most about Jonestown is that when we cleaned the camp
out, we did not find a single bible in all of Jonestown.” 5
Jim Jones had effectively substituted his own teachings for God’s Word.
His followers were not familiar with the Christ Jesus of the New
Testament.
You probably remember David Koresh and the Branch Davidians just outside
Waco, Texas. Koresh, too, convinced
his followers he was Christ returned. The
Reverend Sun Myung Moon, founder of the Unification Church, also claims to be
the second coming of Christ. Thus,
it should be evident that while the world tells us that there are many paths,
the cults give us many “christs” to choose from.
This is what Jesus meant, as
recorded in St. John 16:9, when He said, “The sin of the world is that it does
not believe in Me.” To
accept any of these other christs is to reject the Christ Jesus of the New
Testament!
You may recall the Heaven’s Gate crowd from a few years ago.
The cult was led by an older man named Marshall Applewhite, alias Do
(pronounced Doe). Thirty-nine of the faithful followed Do in mass suicide in a
rented, multi-million dollar mansion in the exclusive Rancho Sante Fe area of
California. There were twenty-one
women and eighteen men, ranging in age from twenty to seventy-two.
The group believed that Heaven’s Gate was an extraterrestrial world
populated by aliens and that the Hale-Bopp comet would provide a window for
members to pass through. The
faithful packed their bags, ate poison, and laid down on beds to die in
anticipation of a UFO transporting them to this advanced utopian society.
Applewhite, like most cultic leaders, perverted God’s Word.
He taught that Christ was an alien who came to earth to take over the
body of a man named Jesus. According
to Do, Christ, the deity, entered into the man Jesus’ body at the time of His
baptism. Does this modern heresy
sound familiar? It should.
It is the same heresy put forward by Paul of Samosata, the bishop
(pastor) of the church at Antioch, discussed briefly in Chapter One.
We will see it again in the doctrines of Mormonism, discussed later in
this chapter, and again in heresies among mid-3rd century
churches that caused the first schism in 251 A.D., as will be discussed
in Chapter Five. Applewhite taught
that humans were planted on this earth by extraterrestrials: 6
“... For they have not received the love of truth that they might be
saved. Therefore God sends them a
misleading influence that they may believe falsehood, that all may be judged who
have not believed the truth, but have preferred wickedness (a lie).”
[II Thessalonians 2:10-12]
Does it surprise you that some claim to be Christ returned to earth?
In His Olivet Discourse, as recorded in St. Matthew’s gospel, Jesus
responded to His disciples’ questions on His return:
“Take care that no one leads you astray.
For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they
will lead many astray.” [St. Matthew 24:5]
Jones, Koresh, Moon, and others have done exactly this.
What would you do if someone claiming to be a preacher, an angel,
or even the Virgin Mary appeared to you, performed a great sign, and told you
that Jesus was at a certain place waiting for you?
“... if anyone say to you, ‘Behold here is the Christ,’ or,
‘There he is,’ do not believe it. For
false christs and false prophets will arise, and will show great signs and
wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect (His followers).
Behold, I have told it to you beforehand.
If therefore they say to you, ‘Behold, he is in the desert,’ do not
go forth; ‘Behold, he is in the inner chambers,’ do not believe it.
For as the lightning comes forth from the east and shines even to the
west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.” [St. Matthew 24:23-27]
When Jesus entered onto the human stage the first time as an infant, in a
stable, the world took little note. However,
the hosts of heaven did, as recorded in St. Luke 2:8-15.
Jesus’ first earthly visit was prophesied in Isaias 53:2-9:
“
... there is no beauty in him (Jesus), nor comeliness; and we have seen
him, and there was no sightliness, that we should be desiring of him.
Despised, and the most abject of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted
with infirmity: and his look was as
it were hidden and despised, whereupon we esteemed him not.
Surely he hath borne our infirmities and carried our sorrows:
and we have thought him as it were a leper, and as one struck by God and
afflicted. But he was wounded for
our iniquities, he was bruised for our sins:
the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his bruises (stripes)
we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray, every one hath turned
aside into his own way: and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity (sins) of us all.
He was offered because it was his own will, and he opened not his mouth:
he shall be led as a sheep to the slaughter, and shall be dumb as a lamb
before his shearer, and he shall not open his mouth.”
Jesus makes clear in His Olivet Discourse that His next coming will be
much different. His second coming
will be proclaimed to all mankind from the heavens and as easily identifiable as
lightning in the sky. Moreover,
other verses make clear distinctions between His two comings.
When He returns, “Behold, he comes with the clouds, and every eye shall
see him, and they also who pierced him. And
all the tribes of the earth shall wail (weep and mourn) over him ....”
[Apocalypse 1:7] When Jesus
returns, He will do so not as the suffering servant of Isaias 53, but as King of
kings and Lord of lords. Sitting
upon a white horse, with a regal crown upon His head, He will lead forth from
heaven an army of saints arrayed in white linen and riding white horses
[Apocalypse 19:11-16]. This second
coming is referred to as His “glorious appearing” [Titus 2:13] and is
distinct from His coming in the clouds to catch away His bride (His church),
generally referred to as the “rapture.” [I Thessalonians 4:16-18]
His glorious appearing will provide a visual answer to that part of what
is referred to as the Lord’s Prayer that requests
“... your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven
....” The meaning of the rapture is more fully developed in later
chapters.
The appearance of false christs is not limited to what might be
considered fringe groups. Consider
one of the largest denominations whose members are among some of the most
Christ-like-acting people in the world, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day
Saints (LDS), also known as Mormons. I
have friends who are Mormon and I can tell you that they are as sincere in their
belief as they are wrong. Their
missionary programs dwarf most Christian efforts.
Perhaps you have seen one of their brief promotional adds on television.
It shows a bearded, companionate-looking man wearing a prayer shawl
walking among the people. The man
is easily identifiable as Jesus. Then
a voice over says, “... you can know the Savior through his revealed Word, the
Holy Bible.” Up to this point,
all looks New Testament Christian. But
then the voice adds, “We will also include a free copy of Another Testament of
Jesus Christ, the Book of Mormon.” A
phone number appears on the bottom of the screen.
You may think, “It doesn’t sound bad - a Church with Jesus’ name in
its title offering a free bible and an additional revelation of Jesus Christ to
those who call. What could be wrong
with that?” The answer is:
“plenty!”
While Latter-Day Saints claim to believe the Old and New Testaments, they
don’t confine their beliefs to them exclusively.
They, like many Churches, have added ex-biblical revelations to the
doctrines contained in the Old and New Testaments. Also, like many Churches, they believe these ex-Scriptural
revelations are from God. They are
recorded in the Book of Mormon. While
one could go on and on about what is at odds between the Holy Bible and the Book
of Mormon, it is sufficient to note only a few. Latter-Day Saints teach that Jesus was a created being, as
was the Father; only one of many gods and the half-brother of Lucifer; that the
man Jesus ascended to godhood; and that we can do the same.
However, the Scriptures teach that neither Jesus nor the Father are
created beings [St. John 10:30; Genesis 1:1]; that Jesus created all things that
were created [Colossians 1:16]; that Lucifer, a created being, is a fallen angel
[Ezechiel 28:11-15] and the enemy of man [Isaias 14:12-16 and I St. Peter 5:8];
and that Jesus is God who took on human flesh [St. John 1:1], not flesh who
achieved godhood through baptism! The
problem is not confined to the Latter-Day Saints.
The problem is going outside the New Testament, ex-Scriptural or
post-Scriptural, for additional revelations about the Jesus Christ of the New
Testament. God’s Word warns
against adding to and deleting from the Scripture [see Apocalypse 22:18-19].
The moment one adds to or subtracts from the Jesus described in the New
Testament, one has another Jesus, not the Christ prophesied in the Old Testament
and fulfilled in the New! Most
understand that to believe that He did not rise bodily from the grave gives a
different Jesus from that prophesied in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the
New. What is not so immediately
obvious to the same people is that to believe that He did not pay the sin debt
of the entire world in full, as prophesied in Isaias 53:4-6 (cited above) and
confirmed in St. John 19:30, is to believe in a different Christ Jesus than the
one prophesied in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the New.
Any Jesus different from the all-powerful Christ revealed in the New
Testament cannot save you!
The idea that man could ascend to godhood was a staple in eastern mystery
religions for many centuries before Jesus’ birth and is today prevalent in
many “New Age” cults. Satan
recycles this damnable lie from generation to generation as you may have already
deduced. Therefore, it is puzzling
that two canonized by the Roman Catholic Church, namely, Saints Athanasius and
Aquinas, held positions similar to those taught by Paul of Samosata; Do and
Heaven’s Gate; Latter-Day Saints; and New Age cults.
Moreover, Saints Athanasius and Aquinas’ anti-Scriptural teaching is
endorsed in paragraph 460 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
“For the Son of God became man so that we might become God.” [St.
Athanasius] The paragraph
continues, “The only-begotten Son of God, wanting to make us sharers in his
divinity, assumed our nature, so that he, made man, might make men gods.” [St.
Aquinas] As evidenced by its
inclusion in the Catechism, this teaching on man’s divinity is still
part of Roman Catholic doctrine. However,
it is not preached from the pulpits! This erroneous teaching results in the Catholic Church
mistakenly holding man in high regard, even crediting him with some innate good,
as will be discussed in Chapter
Six. However, this teaching is not
found in the Roman Catholic Bible. Rather,
it is a teaching found among Old Testament heathens, as well as among today’s
New Agers. The Roman Catholic Bible
teaches that there is none who is good, none who ascend to godhood [see Romans
3:10-12]. Moreover, the Roman
Catholic Bible condemns any teaching that man can ascend to godhood.
As recorded in Jeremias 7:18 and 44:19, certain women forsook their
husbands (disobeyed) and made little wafer cakes for the goddess Semiramis.
Jeremias recorded that they made and ate the cakes as offerings to the
“queen of heaven.” These early
feminists believed that when they ate the cakes, they shared in the divinity
of the goddess. Today, witches
practice this same thing. By eating
the wafer at the beginning of the ritual, the witch believes she becomes a
goddess for the remainder of the ceremony. 7
Later-Day Saints is not the only Church that uses New Testament terms to
promote concepts contrary to the bible and the Jesus of the New Testament.
For example, if you were to go into a Christian Science Reading Room and
ask for information on the Trinity, you would be given pamphlets on the three
ethical principles: life, truth,
and love. 8 As will be
discussed in the following chapters, The Roman Catholic Church, The Orthodox
Churches, The Anglican Church, and virtually all Protestant denominations have
incorporated into their theology ex-biblical teachings that are antithetical to
those taught by Jesus and His disciples, as recorded in the books of the New
Testament. One of the most
widespread errors is that baptism regenerates a dead spirit and is thus
necessary for salvation. As will be
shown in later chapters, there is no Scriptural support for this first century
and still-present heresy.
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There are many cults and false religions seeking our attention and
commitment. However, the Catholic
Bible always comes to the believer’s rescue.
Jesus warns:
“Beware
of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are
ravenous wolves.” [St. Matthew 7:15]
Remember, a prophet is someone who speaks the truth.
Therefore, a false prophet is one who does not speak the truth but lies.
And a partial truth is a lie. Jesus
is the Lamb of God, but He warns nonbelievers to beware of imposters who
put on sheep’s clothing but inside are hungry wolves ready to devour
their very souls. In other words,
beware of those who put on a partial, Christ-like appearance or title to deceive
you into believing they are the real thing.
“How can I know?” you may ask. Fortunately,
the Catholic Bible has that answer, too. St.
John exhorts believers:
“Beloved,
do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of
God; because many false prophets have gone forth into the world.
By this is the spirit of God known:
every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, is
of God. And every spirit that
severs Jesus (presents a Jesus different from the totality of the Jesus
preached by His disciples and presented in the New Testament), is not of
God, but is of Antichrist, of whom you have heard that he is coming, and now is
already in the world.” [I St. John 4:1-3]
St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Jude, and St. John all revealed in their
writings that false prophets and false christs had already gone into the world.
How should believes respond to a false prophet who preaches a false
gospel, be he a preacher, an angel, or any other apparition?
St. Paul gives us the answer:
“But
even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel to you other than that
which we have preached to you, let him be anathema!
As we have said before, so now I say again:
If anyone preach a gospel to you other than that which you have received,
let him be anathema!” [Galatians 1:8-9]
The word anathema, as used today, means an ecclesiastical ban.
St. Paul’s meaning was much stronger.
He meant that the offender not only should be cut off from God for all
eternity but also that the one anathematized should become the primary target of
His wrath and destruction throughout all eternity!
It may sound like St. Paul is pretty hard-over.
He and the other apostles would be accused of being mean-spirited,
intolerant, and divisive in today’s politically correct climate that insists
that there are many paths to God. The
disciples would not celebrate the “diversity of paths.”
They would not embrace so-called self-help doctrines teaching
self-realization, karma, enlightenment, out of body experiences, reincarnation,
and the “power” of crystals. They
would condemn the New Age belief that the True Self in man is God and that
ignorance of this fact, not sin, is all that keeps man from realizing that True
Self and becoming a god. 9 The
reason for St. Paul’s adamant attitude toward those who pervert the gospel of
Jesus Christ, as revealed in the New Testament, is simple.
What is at stake is no less than one’s eternal destiny!
And anyone who tells another that there are many paths to God is a liar
and a wolf in sheep’s clothing! Anyone
who tells another that all Churches, churches, and denominations preach the
Jesus of the New Testament is a liar and a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
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While you may never run into a Jim Jones or David Koresh or consider
converting to Mormonism, you are bombarded every day by what St. Paul called the
doctrine of demons [see I Timothy 4:1-2]. All
major daily newspapers and most magazines for men, women, and even some for
teens, carry horoscopes. Nancy
Reagan relied on the services of astrologer, Ms. Joan Quigley, during President
Reagan’s years in office. Psychic
Hotlines are being advertised on television at an ever-increasing rate.
Any number of daytime television talk-show hosts interview witches,
mediums, and channelers who communicate with the dead.
The Clinton White House was caught off guard in 1996 when it was leaked
to the press that well-known psychic spiritualist, Ms. Jean Houston, had taken
up temporary residence in the White House and was leading the First Lady into
“imaginary” conversations with the spirits of Mahatma Ghandi and Eleanor
Roosevelt. Ms. Houston believes she is in spiritual contact with Athena,
the Greek goddess of wisdom for whom the Parthenon (Athens) was built.
Contacting the spirit world is known as necromancy and God’s Word, as
recorded in the Catholic and all other bibles, strongly condemns the practice,
as well as the practitioners [Leviticus 20:27].
Most New Age religious practices are dismissed casually by most as just
so much harmless hocus-pocus. However,
much of it is anything but harmless. In
fact, much of it is based on Satanically rooted pagan religions.
If one believes in the power of an activity, an object, or a person,
Satan can use that to gain an individual’s trust and establish a foundation of
the occult in his or her life. 10
Any attempt to contact or communicate with the dead is strictly
prohibited by God’s Word:
“And
when they shall say to you: Seek
the pythons (familiar spirits) and diviners, who mutter in their
enchantments: should not the people
seek of their God, for the living of the dead?” [Isaias 8:19]
God is asking rhetorically, “Should the living not seek their God?
Why should they seek the dead on behalf of the living?” Saul, the first king of Israel, banished all witches and
soothsayers in accordance with God’s Word.
However, fearing the outcome of a battle with the Philistines, the
previous evening Saul went to the Witch of Endor and asked her to summon the
spirit of the dead Samuel, a prophet whom Saul had trusted.
What materialized was the spirit of a demon. Such a spirit is known as a “familiar” because it
imitates the one being sought. The
event is recorded in Chapter 28 of I Kings.
The LORD
warned the people of Israel against attempting to have any contact with the
dead. Such practices were prevalent
among the heathen nations the Israelites were to dispossess of their lands:
“When
you come into the land which the LORD,
your God, is giving you, you shall not learn to imitate the abominations of the
peoples there. Let there not be
found among you anyone who immolates his son or daughter in the fire (sacrifices
his firstborn child to the gods), nor a fortuneteller, soothsayer, charmer,
diviner, or caster of spells, nor one who consults ghosts and spirits or seeks
oracles (help) from the dead. Anyone
who does such things is an abomination to the LORD,
and because of such abominations the LORD, your God, is driving these nations out of your way.” [Deuteronomy
18:9-12]
While such activities might seem amusing to a lost world, as presented on
television talk shows or as discussed in the morning newspapers, God’s
people are commanded to stay away from such because they are abominations to the
LORD.
Jesus confirms in St. Luke 16:19-31 that there is to be no communication
between the living and the dead. When
the deceased rich man, who was in torment from the flames (hell), found there
would be no relief, he called across the great chasm to Abraham (in Paradise)
and asked him to send a messenger from the dead to warn his five brothers about
“... this place of torments.” Abraham
refused and told him that even if someone were to rise from the dead (a
foreshadowing of Jesus’ resurrection), his brothers still would not believe.
Failure to follow God’s Word leads to a life less than what He desires
for His children (believers) and His creatures (nonbelievers).
Remember the book The Exorcist and the multimillion dollar box
office hit by the same title? Both
were based on the true story of a boy, not girl, who was introduced to the
occult by his favorite aunt. She
taught him how to “communicate with the dead” via a Ouija board. The boy continued this activity after her death.
This provided a pathway for demons, not the deceased spirit of a loved
one, to enter the boy’s life. Demons
use a person’s belief in the occult to manipulate his or her future.
How many times have you heard someone exclaim, “That’s exactly what
her psychic said would happen!”? Why
are psychics and fortunetellers right so often?
Do they know the future? Are
they in league with demons who know the future?
No. Only God knows the
future. However, demons do have
significant influence over many unsaved people, everything from suggestion to
possession. When a demon knows a
person believes the things the psychic or fortuneteller tells him, then that
demon can enter the nonbeliever’s life through the use of another over which
that same or another demon exerts some degree of control.
For example, if a psychic tells a female client she will meet a tall,
dark, handsome man and that she should pursue him and a demon exerts strong
control over a tall, dark, handsome man, then the demons may be able to work
circumstances to bring the two together. The
demon wants the woman to place increasing reliance on the psychic or
fortuneteller because this will result in the demon getting a foothold in the
woman’s life and the client not perceiving the need to turn to God. 11
This explains how demons use so-called psychics in the realm of the
living. But how are some psychics
able to tell the living specific details about
deceased loved ones?
A well known psychic and author appeared on CNN’s Larry King Live
on August 31, 2000. Her
then-current book had been on the New York Times’ best-sellers list for over a
month. Larry allowed some twenty or
so people to call in. Callers asked
the psychic questions about loved ones who had died.
She assured them that their departed relatives were all doing quite well
“on the other side,” where there is no suffering, no pain.
Moreover, she identified the departed by specific physical features,
causes of death, and other details one would not expect a stranger to possess.
She discussed one’s scar and another’s peculiar tic. None of the callers had to correct the psychic’s
descriptions. How did the psychic
know these details? Was she really
looking through the veil of death to the other side, as she claimed, or in
league with the devil, or was it something else?
Understand, there are some alive today who were intimately familiar with
the looks, habits, and peculiarities of the deceased.
Demons. They have been
around since before the creation of man. Thus,
when a client asks a psychic about a deceased loved one, the demon associated
with the psychic gets his answer from another demon who was familiar with the
deceased and he, in turn, passes it along to the psychic in terms of a vision or
a whisper. Satan and his demons can
present images [see II Corinthians 11:14-15].
However, the fact that demons use nonbelievers to do this does not mean
that a psychic has sold her soul to the devil.
In fact, the psychic probably does not have a clue as to how she knows
these details. Many say their
powers are a gift from God to help mankind!
Another psychic anomaly is the psychic portraitist.
In addition to telling patrons about their deceased loved ones, these
individuals give their clients proof in the form of sketches of the deceased.
These are not caricature drawings subject to broad interpretation.
Rather, they are detailed sketches reflecting scars, hairstyle, and other
unique facial features. The
veracity of the artist’s words is measured by comparing the likeness in the
sketch to a photograph or, in some instances, an old portrait.
Psychic portraitists readily admit that some force takes control of their
drawing hand. They believe this
force to be the deceased relative that the client has come to make inquiry
about. Again, demons are the powers
behind all demonstrable psychic abilities.
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God’s Word tells us to test the message of the prophets, whether they
be preachers, priests, bible teachers, Sunday school teachers, television
evangelists, another Jim Jones or David Koresh [I St. John 2:20-27].
To test their messages, we must be familiar with the Scriptures.
Deuteronomy Chapter 13 tells us that the LORD
sometimes allows false prophets to come to us for the purpose of reminding us to
test the message. Moreover, concerning His precepts, the LORD
told the Israelites:
“Drill
them into your children. Speak of
them at home and abroad (away from home), whether you are busy or at
rest. Bind them at your wrist as a sign and let them be as a
pendant on your forehead. Write
them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates.” [Deuteronomy 6:7-9]
The message here is to keep the LORD'S
laws in your heart and on your mind and transfer them to your children.
Be mindful of His laws when you are away from your home, as well as at
home. Be mindful when you are
relaxing, as well as when working. Translated
into today’s parlance it might read something like:
remember to follow the law of the LORD when you are home and your family is watching, as well as when you go
off alone and think no one can see you. See
that in your entertainment, as well as in your work, you are not breaking the
law of God. Have you ever taken
anything from work that you shouldn’t have?
Have you ever snuck around to see or do something you knew was contrary
to the law of God? We all have and
we have all been seen.
Devout Jews follow God’s directive in Deuteronomy 6:7-9. Perhaps you have seen on the news Jewish men wearing prayer
shawls praying at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. You may have observed something unusual on their foreheads,
something that looks like a little box. God’s
Word calls it a “pendant on your forehead.”
It is called a phylactery. They
are also warn on the left arm, which is nearest the heart.
Inside the box is a small scroll of parchment with some verses from the
Torah (first five books of the Old Testament) written on it.
You may have observed also, either with Jewish friends or from watching
older movies, where a devout Jew, both upon entering and exiting his home,
kisses a small ceramic object affixed to the door jamb.
The object is called a mezuzah. Like
phylacteries, the mezuzah has etched onto it words from the Torah.
Direct kissing of the object has been largely abandoned in recent years
due to health considerations. By
kissing the mezuzah, either directly or indirectly, the devout Jew is
symbolizing his intention to keep God’s precepts both in his coming and his
going.
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Have you ever heard someone say sympathetically about a friend, “I
don’t know what he’s looking for. I
just hope he will recognize it when he finds it”?
Many people are searching for happiness.
They change jobs, houses, cars, spouses, religions, and everything else
looking for that one ever-elusive something that can satisfy them.
Such a person is following the desires of his heart.
Sometimes satisfaction with the new find lasts for months, sometimes
years. But more is never enough and
enough seems to be an unobtainable goal. God
has placed a void in the human heart that only He can fill.
Some will spend a lifetime looking in all the wrong places, placing their
trust in all the wrong faces. On
the other hand, have you ever known someone who seemed perfectly content with
what he or she had? Many mistakenly
assume that such a person has found the right house, or spouse, or has the
perfect family. We say these people
are content. Their “wants” and
their “haves” are synchronized. That
is, they want that which they have and they have that which they want. God assures us that we can be in such an enviable position.
The psalmist reveals:
“Delight
yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.” [Psalms 37:4, NKJV]
This verse is sometimes misinterpreted as, “Delight in the LORD,
and He will give you whatever you want.”
However, according to the original Hebrew, the idea is that He will place
into your heart those cravings you feel. When
God places desires in your heart, He only places those which He intends to equip
you to achieve. Thus, your
“desires” and “haves” will be in harmony.
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As with the Israelites in the Old Testament, every New Testament believer
has a responsibility to teach God’s precepts to his children and raise them in
the discipline (respect) and admonition of the Lord [Ephesians 6:4].
Remember, your child’s first impression of what God is like will be
based on his or her experiences with you, the earthly father.
My experiences with my father were such that I was well prepared to
understand the same concepts regarding my heavenly Father:
being his child; living within rules established for my protection and
benefit; receiving gifts and unconditional love; and, when necessary, godly
discipline. My father never
thought: “I’ll watch closely and when he messes up, then I’ll jump in and
criticize him.” Neither does my
heavenly Father think such a thing. Both
my father and my Father want only what is best for me.
Both are rooting for my success. God
could not have given me a better father. Most
are not so fortunate.
Atheist Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) is credited with being one of the
foremost thinkers of the 19th century.
He was the son of a Lutheran minister.
Unfortunately, his father died when Friedrich was only five years old,
leaving the boy to be raised by his mother, grandmother, two aunts, and a
sister. Thus, the lad really had no
exposure to a father. In time,
Friedrich came to believe that his father’s weakness had led to his death.
The man who would later inspire Adolph Hitler, himself the son of an
abusive father, by his concept of an “overman,” which would evolve into an
Aryan superman under the German dictator, concluded that God, like his earthly
father, was also absent. The Prussian-born German philosopher is best remembered for
his startling pronouncement: “God
is dead.” As far as Nietzsche was
concerned, God died when his father passed away. Unfortunately, many erroneously hold God responsible for the
natural consequence of Adam’s sin.
Jean Paul Sartre (1905-1980) presents another example. This 20th century French philosopher and writer
lost his father when he was only one year old.
His mother remarried, but the young Jean Paul hated his stepfather.
Sartre was a leading proponent of existentialism, a false alternative to
worship of the true God. In his
autobiography, The Words (1964), this modern-day atheist and cynic sadly
concluded, “There is no such thing as a good father.”
Dr. Benjamin Spock broke with what, up to that time, had been the
recognized manner of child rearing since time began, literally!
In his first book entitled, “Common Sense Book of Baby and Child
Care,” published in 1946, the pediatrician advocated a radical departure from
biblical principles in raising children to one of more permissiveness. The book
sold thirty million copies in the three decades following its publication.
It sowed the seeds of rebellion against God’s Word in the minds of
millions of parents. Dr. Spock’s
recommended “common sense” permissiveness produced the self-indulgent flower
children of the 1960s and 1970s complete with unrestrained use of drugs, sex,
and rock&roll. These parents
rebelled themselves against the biblical principles of child rearing.
They reaped in the following generation what they had sown in the
previous. In 1972, the father of
“flower power” ran for president of the United States on the left-wing
People’s Party ticket. After
evaluating the harvest his “common sense” nostrums had produced, Dr. Spock
recanted much of what he had previously advocated.
There is another book parents can get by an even more widely known Author
that will give them a head start in bringing up children: it’s the book of
Proverbs. It’s probably located
on a bookshelf in your home between Psalms and Ecclesiastes, all by the same
Author. Here are some of its
“not-so-common-sense” approaches to what traditionally has been called child
rearing. See if you can determine
why the word “rearing” figures so prominently in dealing with children.
Here is a sampling of directives from God’s book on child raising
[Proverbs]:
“He
who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him takes care to chastise
him (beginning from a young age).” [13:24]
But you protest, “I would never strike my child with a rod!”
Yes, and it probably shows! But
hold on. The word rod is defined in Isaias 28:27.
It means what you and I call a switch.
The Lord is quite specific about what He will use to rule the nations of
this world when He establishes His millennial kingdom:
a “rod of iron.” [Apocalypse 19:15]
Thus, the Lord is not directing parents to strike their children with a
rod of iron but with a switch from a tree.
Satan’s lie is “spare the rod and spoil the child.”
However, God’s Word says if you spare the rod, you “hate” your
child! Satan is a liar and the
father of lies [see St. John 8:44].
“Folly
(foolishness) is close to the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline
will drive it far from him.” [22:15]
But you say you would never hit your child in anger. That’s good.
“The
rod of correction gives wisdom, but a boy left to his whims disgraces his
mother.” [29:15]
Thus, one is to discipline a child - never out of anger - but to teach
him, make him wise, and help him remember.
In fact, the LORD
warns against striking a child in anger.
“He
who sows iniquity (anger) reaps calamity, and the rod destroys his
labors.” [22:8]
If you hit your child in anger, you will be sowing within him the seeds
of anger and you will teach him nothing by spanking him. Isn’t it amazing that God knew that a man who was beaten by
an angry father would one day become a child beater himself.
God didn’t list the excuses we have today such as alcohol and drug
abuse. He just warned what would
happen. This intergenerational
curse can only be broken by the grace of God.
We hear a lot about tough love. It’s
especially prominent in dealing with substance abuse among teens.
Tough love is a new, enlightened approach, right?
Hardly. God’s message to
parents is to discipline children with love but only to the extent necessary,
and never out of anger. God’s
measures for dispensing discipline do not include reasoning with a three-year
old not to play in the street. This
is one reason God made trees and placed an “herbal remedy” in your backyard.
“Withhold
not chastisement from a boy; if you beat him with the rod, he will not die. Beat him with the rod, and you will save him (his soul)
from the nether world (hell).” [23:13-14]
How far does God think parents should go to prevent their child from
leading a life that eventually will lead him to hell?
God says to “beat” him if that is what it takes, but points out that
“he will not die” from the experiences.
The word used for “beat” in these two verses connotes leaving stripes
on the area beaten. A child will
not die from having a switch taken to his behind.
It should be noted that this is the only verse in God’s Manual on Child
Rearing to use the word “beat.” Parents’
failure to follow God’s advice in this matter can be measured by the
outrageous stories pertaining to our youth reported nightly on the local and
national news.
To “drill” God’s law into your children, you must first know what
God’s Word says. With regard to why one should train his child, God gives many
reasons, including:
“Train
a boy in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not swerve from
it.” [22:6]
The reward for the parent is reported in 23:24-25:
“The
father of a just man will exult with glee; he who begets a wise son will have
joy in him. Let your father and
your mother have joy; let her who bore you exult.”
God has some good advice for parents who resist His teaching on how to
raise children:
“The
fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; wisdom and instruction fools
despise.” [Proverbs 1:7]
Hopefully you are not counted among the fools.
The underlying purpose behind raising a child to submit to parental
authority is twofold: his future in
this world and the next. Each of us
is under some form of required submission:
worker under boss; military man under commanding officer; and citizen
under local, state, and federal governments.
Those who are taught by parents to obey at a young age generally have
less difficulty learning to submit to other authorities later in life.
Every child is born a Nemord, a rebel.
God’s Word tells us that rebellion is as of the sin of witchcraft [see
I Kings 15:23]. The sin of
witchcraft is what cost Saul, the first king of Israel, his crown and his life
[see I Paralipomenon 10:13-14]. It
is an abomination to God.
Jails, prisons, neo-Nazi organizations, half-way houses, sanitariums, and
graveyards are full of children of adult age who never learned to submit.
If God’s will is that all be saved [St. John 3:16] and He has provided
a way to accomplish our salvation through the death of the Jesus of the New
Testament [St. John 14:6], but we refuse to submit to His will, then we are
rebels. Hell is filled with rebels.
Heaven is populated by those who learned to submit.
If your child learns he can rebel against you in the home and get away
with it, what do you think his behavior will be like when you take him other
places? In later years with his
teachers? With his boss? With the police? With
his spouse? If you do not teach
your child to submit at an early age, society will at least attempt to do so.
The big difference is that you love your child.
Society does not and will use whatever means necessary to make him
submit. One who has led a
rebellious life is not likely to submit to the laws of God or recognize Jesus as
his Master. One day he will stand
before God and answer for his rebellion.
A final reason to know the bible may be politics. In attempting to secure his party’s nomination for office
of President in the year 2000 campaign, Senator John McCain of Arizona referred
to Reverends Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson as “evil men.”
We must conclude from this widely reported appellation that Senator
McCain was not well versed in Scripture. Isaias
5:20 warns:
“Woe
to you that call evil good, and good evil ....”
Certainly there have been some “men of the cloth” whose conduct, as
reported by the national media, has been disgraceful.
However, Reverends Falwell and Robertson have never been identified as
such until labeled so by Mr. McCain. Reporters,
pundits, political analysts, and advisors all blamed McCain’s Super Tuesday
losses on a number of factors, none of which included God’s warning to those
who call good evil!
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In summary, we should do as the Beroeans did.
“But
the brethren straightway sent Paul and Silas away by night to Beroea, and on
their arrival there they went into the synagogue of the Jews.
Now these were of a nobler character than those of Thessalonica (where
Paul and Silas were first run out of the synagogues and later out of town)
and they received the word with great eagerness, studying the Scriptures (the
Law and the Prophets) every day to see whether these things (Paul’s and
Silas’ teachings) were so. Many
of them became believers, and so did no small number of prominent Gentiles,
women, and men.” [Acts 17:10-12]
St. Paul reveals:
“For
the word of God is living and efficient and keener than any two-edged sword, and
extending even to the division of soul and spirit, of joints also and of marrow,
and a discerner of the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” [Hebrews 4:12]
The psalmist tells us how to be happy:
“Happy
(is) the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked, Nor walks in the
way of sinners, nor sits in the company of the insolent, But delights in the law
of the LORD and meditates (pondering upon God’s law and how it relates to
one’s life) on his law day and night.
Not so the wicked, not so; they are like chaff which the wind drives
away.” [Psalms 1:1-4]
Jesus promises believers:
“...
If you abide in my word, you shall be my disciples indeed, and you shall know
the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” [St. John 8:31-32]
To abide in His Word, we must first know His Word.
Finally, as mentioned earlier, we are told:
“Delight
yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.” [Psalms 37:4, NKJV]
To delight in the LORD,
we must first know Him. How do we
get to know Him? Through reading
His Holy Word.
It is my sincerest hope that you will pick up a bible and begin reading.
If you do, the Holy Spirit will convict your heart of sin, of justice,
and of judgment to turn your heart to Jesus
[St. John 16:8-11]. May I
suggest you start with Chapter 10 of St. John’s gospel.
It’s subtitled The Good Shepherd.
You will discover in that chapter that Jesus was not murdered.
Neither is He a victim. He
is not a martyr. His life was not
taken from Him. He makes it clear
that He gives His sheep eternal life (salvation - see I St. John 5:13) and they
shall never perish (a double promise) and no one can snatch His sheep from His
hand or the Father’s hand. This
is a promise of eternal security.
“Use all
care to present yourself to God as a man approved, a worker that cannot be
ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” [II Timothy 2:15]
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Proceed to Chapter 3
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