“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that is given among people by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12
Many Holocaust survivors and their descendants are dismayed at what they are witnessing four generations later.
When they say, “Never again!” they are not just thinking about themselves. Rather, they mean “never again” for all humanity.
These Holocaust survivors understand that although it were people of Jewish heritage that were the targets of the Nazis, their crimes were against all humanity. When they see the pogrom of genocide taking place in Palestine and other places in West Asia, they are sickened by it.
Don’t conflate being Semitic with being a Zionist. It’s an outright lie to claim that the two are synonymous.
This is the definition of a Semite you will find in a common dictionary: Se·mit·ic /səˈmidik/ adjective
1. relating to or denoting a family of languages that includes Hebrew, Arabic, and Aramaic and certain ancient languages such as Phoenician and Akkadian, constituting the main subgroup of the Afro-Asiatic family.
2. relating to the peoples who speak Semitic languages, especially Hebrew and Arabic. Being Semitic is not defined by a political ideology or belief which is what Zionism is.
True to prophecy in the Bible, many Jewish people have become disciples of Christ. I have been personally encouraged by this development and many of them share powerful gospel messages.
There are others who choose to continue to practice Judaism, but who do not support the Zionist movement.
Not all Jews are Zionist, and not all Zionist are Jews. The modern Zionist movement was actually formed in the late 1800’s in Western countries by white so-called Christians. Have you ever asked a Jewish Zionist how they view Jesus Christ? Do they view Jesus as the son of God and the Messiah?
The answer to the second question is NO.
Have you ever asked someone who claims to be both a Christian and a Zionist how they can be true to both? Christian Zionist believe the God has a covenant with Jewish people separate from the covenant initiated by the blood of Jesus. In doing so they deny the very Gospel by which they claim to be Christian disciples.
What does the Bible teach? Note what the apostle Peter declared and whom he declared it to:
Acts 4:10-12
10 be it known to you all, and to all the children of Israel, that in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, in him does this man stand here before you whole.
11 This one is the stone which was regarded as worthless by you, the builders, which has become the head of the corner.
12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that is given among people by which we must be saved.”
Non-Zionist Jews are being persecuted alongside everyone else who doesn’t bow to Zionism and its dream of recreating biblical Israel with its capital and a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem.
Biblically informed Christians understand what the term ‘antichrist’ actually means and who the antichrist actually are.
This is what the Bible teaches:
1 John 2:22
“Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.”
1 John 4:3
“and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.”
2 John 7
“For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist.“
The devil has misled the vast majority into believing that the antichrist would be some kind of half-demon, half- human entity that would appear during the End times. So many have not recognized the presence of the true antichrist according to Holy Scripture.
Zionism is in opposition to the kingdom of Heaven and Christ. It by definition is antichrist. It is the work of the devil and the man in the picture is at its forefront.
“But if that servant should say in his heart, ‘My Lord is delayed’ and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eat and drink with drunkards…” Matthew 24:48,49
The Evil Slave
Jesus’ parable found in the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 24 verses 48 through 51 is a cautionary story that contrast the difference between the conduct of a good servant and a wicked servant that were given the responsibility of caring for his fellow servants within his master’s household.
The good servant lovingly cares for his fellow servants remembering that he is a lowly servant himself and that he and his fellows belong to his master. The wicked or evil servant lords himself over his fellow servants as if he is their master and instead of caring for them, begins to abuse them. The evil slave positioned himself as a lord over his fellow servants…a position his master did not appoint him to.
This is why the apostle Peter counseled church elders:
1 Peter 5:2-3
2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion, but voluntarily, as God wants; a not for dishonest gain, but willingly;
3 neither as lording it over those entrusted to you, but making yourselves examples to the flock. (NHEB)
Jesus’ parable was directed to the anointed or elect members of the church who were to take the lead among their brothers and sisters. Jesus’ parable brings the question to mind, Is there an intermediary between Christ and his disciples on Earth? To answer that question, we should look what the Bible teaches concerning the matter. Let’s begin with the pattern of God’s temple arrangement.
The High Priest has always served as Mediator between God and man. This has been the consistent pattern from the times of the priesthood God established with biblical Israel.
Beyond the High Priest never has there been mentioned a ‘middleman’ or some lessor that serves as a ‘go-between’ or some other ‘channel of God’.
Paul’s words found in 1 Timothy 2:5 are very clear:
1 Timothy 2:5 (KJV)
“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;”
1 Timothy 2:5 (HCSB)
“For there is one God and one mediator between God and humanity, Christ Jesus, Himself human,”
1 Timothy 2:5 (GNT)
“For there is one God, and there is one who brings God and human beings together, the man Christ Jesus,”
Despite what is taught in the Bible on the matter, the Governing Body of “Jehovah’s Witnesses” have placed themselves as the intermediary between God and man.
Not only have they done this, but they have also all but eliminated any reference to Jesus Christ as the one and only High Priest. Thus, they have usurped Christ exclusive role before God.
In ancient Israel, when one needed to offer sacrifices for forgiveness or they needed to appeal to God for aid, they when directly and stood before the High Priest who was the only one capable of making such offerings.
They did not go to a group of temple workers who acted as middlemen, as intermediaries, as intercessors, as go-betweens, as liaisons.
Even within the physical Temples of God’s covenant people there was but one High Priest, but one Mediator.
The Governing Body of “Jehovah’s Witnesses” fulfill the Scriptures that speak of an “evil slave” who while his master was absent, usurped his master’s role and began to behave as the Master himself.
It was Christ himself who spoke of such an “evil slave” that was to appear on the scene in the Last Days.
Matthew 24:
48 “But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
49 And shall begin to smite his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth”. (KJV)
The False Prophet
For those who belong to the Watchtower Society (Jehovah’s Witnesses), the Lord must certainly be delaying. They have been claiming that Jesus returned over 100 years ago, but nothing has happened to match what the Bible says will occur on that day.
He is not delaying all. They, being false prophets, did exactly what Jesus said the false prophet would do and that is to declare his second coming before its true time.
Within this very same discussion that Jesus was having with his disciples, Jesus had previously warned them to be on guard for false prophets who would proclaim his return before its time:
Matthew 24:22-27
22 Unless those days had been shortened, no flesh would have been saved. But for the sake of the chosen ones, those days will be shortened.
23 ”Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Christ,’ or, ‘There,’ do not believe it.
24 For there will arise false Christs, and false prophets, and they will show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the chosen ones.
25 “See, I have told you beforehand.
26 If therefore they tell you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out; ‘Look, he is in the inner chambers,’ do not believe it.
27 For as the lightning flashes from the east, and is seen even to the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. (NHEB)
“Jehovah’s Witnesses” are most noted for declaring the Second Coming of Christ in 1919 A.D. They claim it was an “invisible presence” or coming only discerned by certain men. The Bible teaches nothing about an invisible coming of Christ.
But note both what Jesus says in Luke 17 verse 23 and also what he says that is recorded in the Book of Revelation.
Revelation 1:7
“Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen”.
Since no such events have occurred to fulfill Jesus’ words, it is impossible for his Second Coming to have already occurred.
In the meantime, the leadership of the Watchtower Society has had to fend off questions as to the reliability of their proclaiming Christ has returned. To them, Jesus seems to be “delaying” when in actuality he is not.
They became just as the “evil slave” Jesus described and they began abusing their fellow brothers while wickedly raising themselves above the Lord’s other body members as if they were the Master of their fellow brothers.
The prophecy of Christ has become reality and there is no reason to disbelieve that his last words on the matter will not also be fulfilled:
Matthew 24:
51 “And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth”.
The leaders of “Jehovah’s Witnesses” apply the question Jesus asked as recorded at Matthew 24:45 literally:
Matthew 24:45
“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his lord has set over his household, to give them their food in due season?”
They claim that Jesus returned invisibly in the year 1919 and appointed them to this role. Its very odd that at that time no one was making such a claim.
That false teaching came latter. Just a few years earlier Charles Taze Russell was preaching that the battle of Armageddon would occur in the year 1914. There would have been no expectation nor need for such an appointment in 1919.
Rather than being a “faithful and wise slave”, the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses have proven themselves to be a false prophet and to be the “wicked slave” Lord Jesus prophesied would appear in the Last Days.
To keep control, they have beaten their fellow believers in a spiritual sense, who refuse to treat them as if they are the Master Jesus.
“Now the Spirit says clearly that in the last times some people will abandon the faith by following deceitful spirits, the teachings of demons.”
Calloused Consciences and Hardened Hearts
1 Timothy 4:1-2
1 Now the Spirit says clearly that in the last times some people will abandon the faith by following deceitful spirits, the teachings of demons,
2 and the hypocrisy of liars, whose consciences have been burned by a hot iron.
The phrase “burned with a hot iron” refers to a conscience that has become hardened and insensitive to moral truth. It’s a metaphor for a condition where a person’s ability to discern right from wrong is severely diminished due to repeated exposure to falsehood and sin. Often, it is demonstrated in an apathetic response to a situation that normally should cause a visceral reaction.
The most general meaning of the hard heart is a heart that lacks ordinary feelings of tenderness and compassion. An example is the lack of natural empathy for the suffering of the people in Western Asia due to the persecution of the Zionist entity and other inhumane terrorists minded factions in that region. Another example is the conscious-less devotion to slaughter of hundreds of thousands of otherwise innocent men, women, and children for the sake the greedy/selfish ambitions of the elite ruling classes of world societies in other regions of the world.
Such behavior is sociopathic in nature. ‘Sociopathic’ is a term often used interchangeably with ‘antisocial personality disorder’ referring to a pattern of behavior characterized by a disregard for the rights and feelings of others, a lack of empathy, and manipulative or deceitful tendencies.
In the Holy Bible, the term ‘heart’ is often used to signify the core of a person’s personality, producing the characteristics we ordinarily ascribe to the ‘mind’.
Those who have developed a calloused mind and conscious exhibit a hardened heart. The most common meaning for “hardness of heart” is a heart that cannot be touched and moved and made to feel natural tender emotions (empathy or sympathy) toward suffering. Their figurative hearts have become like a stone; it can’t feel what it ought to feel.
The term ‘hard-hearted is plainly meant to suggest an unaffected heart, or a heart not easy to be moved with virtuous affections. It is similar to a rock; insensible, unintelligent, unmoved, and hard to be impressed.
Its easy to identify the most outrageous manifestations of hard-hearted behavior. But, there are those who manifest sociopathic, callous-minded, hard-heartedness in more passive ways that often go unnoticed. I am referring in this case to what is called ‘bystander apathy’.
‘Bystander apathy’ is a social psychological phenomenon where individuals are less likely to offer help to a victim when other people are present. Essentially, the more bystanders there are, the less likely any one of them is to intervene in an emergency or situation requiring assistance.
In some instances a person may worry about how they will be perceived by others if they intervene. They might fear embarrassment or negative judgment if they interrupt a situation or if their attempt to help is unsuccessful. Intervention may cause them some kind of loss such as peer acceptance or some kind of material loss.
Such a person may stand apathetically on the sidelines as it were, observing horrific things they know are wrong for the sake of continuing to being part of a group. Whatever the reason, this is also a demonstration of a hard heart and a calloused mind. If they were in the same situation as the people they are apathetically watching from a distance, they would undoubtedly want someone to help them.
Instead of empathy, a callous-minded person will often display their apathy. There have been plenty of scientific surveys on this subject. When people are asked whether they would spontaneously assist a person in an emergency situation, almost everyone will reply positively “Certainly!”.
Although we all imagine ourselves heroes, the fact is that many people refrain from helping in real life, especially when they place a high value on the of the reaction other people around them. Status for them becomes the overarching concern. What a shame it is to allow someone to languish in pain or even die for such selfish concerns! And yet, this thinking and behavior is far too common in the world we live in.
The apostle Paul in his Second letter to the disciple Timothy, fore told that many would have a hard heart in the Last Days.
2 Timothy 3:1-5
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
Notice verse three. Paul foretold that there would be a loss of ‘natural affection’ in the Last Days. In addition to the waning of expressions of filial love within the family unit, there has also been the waning of fellow feeling for our fellow human beings. Instead of having some sort of empathy for people we see daily being murdered by bombs,firearms, and starvation in Palestine, most of the world turns its head away and focuses on often mundane, unimportant matters. They seem to be quite fine ignoring these things as a man-made famine is killing people on a daily basis.
Probably the most heinous of all are those who claim to be God-fearing Christians who support this genocide. They have no compunction whatsoever in supporting the slaughter of innocent human beings. And what is even worse, they have convinced themselves that they are doing God’s will. Their minds are seared as if with a branding iron; they have no conscience and their hearts have become stone. To attribute their conduct to the Eternal God is blasphemy of the worse order and they will be judged adversely for it.
The apostle Paul’s statement found at 1 Timothy Chapter 4 Verses 1 and 2 were not directed toward people who do not claim to be disciples of Jesus Christ. Let’s reread this passage:
1 Timothy 4:1-2
1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
Paul is speaking about some who would abandon true faith and turn toward what he called “doctrines of devils”.
Devilish false prophets and teachers have led many to believe falsely (1) that they are Christians and, (2) that supporting Zionism is the will of God. So these people delight in the murder of innocent people, grabbing other peoples land with smiles on their faces. And there are others among them that have not been misled, but are doing what they are doing with full understanding.
The man Titus was a close companion of the apostle Paul. When writing to Titus concerning the proper qualification for church leaders, Paul warned fellow Christians of his day not to be seduced into believing teachings contrary to the Gospel.
Titus 1:7-15
7 For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not self-willed, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;
8 But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate;
9 Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.
10 For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision:
11 Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake.
12 One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, the Cretians are always liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.
13 This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith;
14 Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.
15 Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.
In Titus 1:14, the phrase “Jewish fables” refers to teachings or stories that deviate from the truth of the gospel and promote unbiblical doctrines. These fables are contrasted with the truth of God’s word and are associated with those who turn away from it. Many of such fables arise from rabbinical teachings found in the Jewish Talmudic writings.
The teaching that there exist two Covenants between God and mankind is one of such Jewish fables that Christian even in the 1st century came to believe and promote. But such belief is counter to the Gospel teachings.
Jesus’ clearly has stated:
John 14:6
“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”.
Jesus presents himself as the sole way path to God the Father. This is the Gospel teaching.
The apostle Peter preached this same Gospel he received from Jesus.
Acts 4:8
8 Then Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders:
9 If we are being examined today about a good deed done to a disabled man—by what means he was healed—
10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—whom you crucified and whom God raised from the dead—by Him this man is standing here before you healthy.
11 This Jesus is the stone rejected by you builders,which has become the cornerstone.
12 There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people, and we must be saved by it.”
Because many have believed in what the apostle Paul called “Jewish fables” they have abandoned true faith based solely on the Gospel message. As a result, their consciences have been seared into a unsensitive state and they wholeheartedly support inhumane behavior while convinced they are doing God’s will.
There is only one Covenant and only one Mediator of that Covenant.
1 Timothy 2:5
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
Many, perhaps the majority, of those who support the mass murder occurring in Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria are people the apostle Paul described at 1 Timothy 4: 1 and 2. They call themselves ‘Christian Evangelicals’ or ‘Christian Zionist” inferring that they subscribe to Christian beliefs and ethics. But their actions demonstrate that if they ever truly were Christian believers, they have “abandoned the faith by following deceitful spirits, the teachings of demons,”. As a result, their consciences have become calloused as if seared with a branding iron and their hearts have become hard lacking any natural human feeling.
Others too show a numbness toward the suffering they can see occurring with their own eyes. Their consciences are as numb as the scar tissue that develops when a person suffers a severe burn wound. These show no empathetic concern as they turn their attention toward mundane and unimportant interest. Both of these groups manifest sociopathic tendencies.
As Christian believers the question for us individually is whether or not we will allow ourselves to fall into these two categories or will we hold fast to the Gospel as written in Holy Scripture.
Will we as individuals demonstrate a hard-hearted attitude and a calloused conscience that reflects a falling out of grace with God?
Paul’s remarks referred to here, were specifically directed to the Christian church. But non believers also have show a callousness of mind and a hardness of heart concerning the troubling circumstances outlined in this brief discussion. These also, can benefit by reflecting on themselves and their individual attitudes and behaviors.
The restoration prophecies found in the Old Testament of the Bible were written before an during the period that the Hebrews were either in exile or in captivity in Babylon.
The Book of Lamentations bears that name for a specific reason. It’s wrong to believe that the Books of the Old Testament are positioned in chronological order.
This video examines the time period in which several of the prophets who conveyed the restoration promises God gave to the Hebrews and what those promises were in reference to.
False teachers have led millions into believing that these promises by God are about things that they are not.
“And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.”
How as the term ‘rule with an iron rod been used in the past? How is Jesus ruling the nations with an iron rod? Who is responsible for the tribulations the world is confronted with today and why?
The Lord’s Day began when he started exercising his authority by direct intervention into the affairs of the kingdom of man here on Earth.
This intervention by Christ commenced at the expiration of a period of time commonly called the “gentile times” and the “appointed times of the nations”. What were the gentile times and when did the gentile times actually start and when did they end? What are some of the misconceptions that Charles Taze Russell and the International Bible Students had about what was to occur at the end of the appointed times of the nations?
One must be cautious when thinking about becoming part of any group. Religious groups are no exception. There is the real and present danger of being swept up in groupthink and abandoning the use of one’s own perceptive capabilities to discern right from wrong
Individuality and agency are an essential part of the human experience. These are lost when we give control to the ‘hive’. The dangers of the “hive-mind” as a concept, also applies to religious faith and to religious organizations.
Some religious organizations insist on a groupthink hive mind mentality. Organizations like these discourage what they call ‘independent thinking’. One such religious organization is the Watchtower Society. Yet, its own Bible translation translates Hebrews 5:14 in these words:
“But solid food belongs to mature people, to those who through use have their powers of discernment trained to distinguish both right and wrong.” (New World Translation)
Some level of indoctrination exists in all so-called ‘Christian’ organizations. Many of these groups such as “Jehovah’s Witnesses” as they call themselves, discourage any use of independent critical thinking that allows a person to pose questions. Critical thinking is a product of a trained mind. The trained mind has developed the perceptive power to do the critical thinking to “distinguish both right and wrong” as Hebrews 5:14 states is an indication of spiritual maturity.
Strong faith is developed by critical thinking. One is assuring that they will remain spiritually immature by failing to think critically and failing to ask critical questions. Such a person accepts beliefs that they have no proof of with regard to the validity of those beliefs. They allow the subordination of their own critical thinking in lieu of unquestioning belief in whatever the hive mind tells them they must believe. When a person accepts this sort of thinking, they become vulnerable prey to all kinds of manipulation and gaslighting. Their ‘faith’ is based on the belief that some other human will supply them accurate spiritual understanding and direction.
The Bible teaches:
Psalm 146:3-4
“Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish”.
The hive mind has a corrosive affect that inhibits development toward Christian maturity. The hive mind is often based upon a foundation of fear, and it is maintained by stoking ever increasing fear of any disobedience to the dictates of its leadership.
Since many would be Christian disciples refuse to grow spiritually by training their perceptive powers, they seek certainty and security in the group think of hive mentality. This is exactly what the Psalmist at Psalm 146:3 warns us not to do.
There is another biblical verse that warns against putting one’s trust in another human being’s word that tells us what God’s view is of anyone who does so:
Jeremiah 17:5
“The LORD says, “I will condemn those who turn away from me and put their trust in human beings, in the strength of mortals.” (GNB)
New World Translation
Jeremiah 17:5
“This is what Jehovah says: “Cursed is the man who puts his trust in mere humans, Who relies on human power, And whose heart turns away from Jehovah.”
One ceases to use their own perceptive powers, which can be guided by God’s Holy Spirit, when they put their trust entirely in the reasoning of another individual. This is what happens when a person become a party to hive-minded group thinking. But this is exactly what the Watchtower Organization demands of its members. And as the Book of Jeremiah tells us, God considers such a person accursed.
The Bereans were a group of people in the Bible who lived in the city of Berea in Macedonia. They are known for their humble reception of the gospel message, and for their eagerness to examine the Scriptures to see if what Paul and Silas taught was true. They were commended by the apostle Paul.
Acts 17:10-11
10 The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the Jewish synagogue.
11 Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. (ESV)
New World Translation
10 Paul and Silas to Be·roeʹa. On arriving, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thes·sa·lo·niʹca, for they accepted the word with the greatest eagerness of mind, carefully examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.
Paul did not criticize the Bereans who used their independent perceptive capabilities to examine the teachings that he and Silas were teaching them in the light of what they could read for themselves from the Holy Scriptures. The writer of the Book of Acts actually called them “noble minded” for having done so.
“Jehovah’s Witnesses” discourage any use of independent critical thinking that allows a person to pose questions. Since many would be Christian disciples refuse to grow spiritually by training their perceptive powers, they seek certainty and security in the group think of hive mentality.
“Jehovah’s Witnesses” use Acts 17:10-11 regularly when they are proselytizing in an effort attempting to convert people from their existing religious beliefs to the beliefs of their group. But once they have gained that person as a member, they imply that such Berean-like conduct is negative “independent thinking”.
“Jehovah’s Witnesses” use these Bible verses regularly when they are proselytizing in an effort attempting to convert people from their existing religious beliefs to the beliefs of their group. But once they have gained that person as a member, they imply that such Berean-like conduct is negative “independent thinking”. They only use Acts 17:10-11 as an appealing hook to draw people into their group. Once hooked in, their members are expected to plug into the “Borg”, so to speak, of hive-minded group thinking without questioning whether or not what they are being taught is actually biblically based.
This behavior is so ingrained in the psyche of people who have been members of “Jehovah’s Witnesses” that even after having left the group, they continue to promote hive-minded thinking in the Bible study groups they create after exiting the Watchtower. This is particularly true of those men who were once elders, ministerial servants, and so-called “pioneers” while they were Watchtower members. Their groups almost always resort to a facsimile of the hierarchy and hive-minded mentality that they criticize the Watchtower elite for fostering in its group.
I call this “Elder Syndrome”. Such men have become so accustomed to being in charge and being looked up to that they continue to crave being someone of elevated status among what should be peers. I see videos and blogs in which they proudly advertise themselves as “former elder”, “former pioneer”, etc. as if that is a badge of honor that should make a reader or listener perk up and pay more than the usual attention to their teachings. But, is it really a badge of honor that they once held these titles? Not really.
To rise to the hierarchical level of ‘elder’ or ‘ministerial servants in the Watchtower Organization requires a lot of compromising of Biblical principles and teachings. It is impossible to maintain integrity and at the same time do what is necessary to rise to such roles. If a person doesn’t conform to the groupthink as dictated by the Organization’s governing body, they will not be allowed to be an elder or ministerial servant in the group. Therefore, compromise of Biblical principles and teachings is necessary. Men who rose to such levels of leadership have disgraced themselves even more so than the common congregant. And they bear great responsibility for their treatment of and their misleading of congregation members into an accursed state in God’s sight. But rather being chastened by what they have done, many ex-witness leaders want to start their own study groups and act as if they are reliable teachers as if the past never happened. They lack the ability to understand the gravity of the damage done by their past actions. Rather than attempting to be some sort of leader, perhaps they should be contrite in spirit and behavior letting someone with clean hands lead the Bible study group less people be misled again.
One must be cautious when thinking about becoming part of any group and religious groups are no exception. There is the real and present danger of being swept up in groupthink and abandoning the use of one’s own perceptive capabilities to discern right from wrong, what are accurate biblical teachings versus what are inaccurate biblical teachings. One must avoid becoming part of a hive-mind. When you do this, you cease thinking for yourself and begin to put your trust in the thinking of other imperfect human beings.
Again, the biblical counsel is this:
Psalm 146:3-4
“Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish”.
And:
Jeremiah 17:5
“The LORD says, “I will condemn those who turn away from me and put their trust in human beings, in the strength of mortals.”
Be on your guard and shun hive-minded groups that discourage you from using your own perceptive powers. Otherwise, you will never be led and taught by God’s Holy Spirit, and you will never achieve spiritual maturity.
Be on your guard and shun hive-minded groups that discourage you from using your own perceptive powers. Otherwise, you will never be led and taught by God’s Holy Spirit, and you will never achieve spiritual maturity
Nowhere in the Bible does it describe or even call God’s household an organization.
Is the Christian church an organization or Part of an Organization?
Not according to how it is described in the Bible.
1 Timothy 3:15
“But if I delay, this letter will let you know how we should conduct ourselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.”
Although God’s house has order, it is a family arrangement. At its head of course is God the Father. His firstborn son who we know by the name Jesus serves Him as his Chief Servant. He gave us an example of this family arrangement in the manner in which He established biblical Israel.
God holds out the hope to the church to become His “children”:
2 Corinthians 6:17-18
17 And so the Lord says, “You must leave them and separate yourselves from them. Have nothing to do with what is unclean, and I will accept you.
18 I will be your father, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”
Jesus said that those who did the will of his Father were his brother, sister, and mother…are his family members.
Matthew 12:50
“Whoever does what my Father in heaven wants is my brother, my sister, and my mother.”
In the Bible Book of Hebrews we are taught that in Christ we are “brothers and sisters”.
Hebrews 10:19-20
19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have the confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus,
20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, (Christ body)
These teachings fit the pattern of a family arrangement and not that of an organization don’t they?
Nowhere in the Bible does it describe or even call God’s household an organization. But, the apostle Paul did make a statement regarding a family connection to God.
Ephesians 3:14, 15
14 For this reason I fall on my knees before the Father,
15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth receives its true name.
The family arrangement of God is based on the common love of each family member for one another. An organization is simply a hierarchical operating system in which love is not a requirement.
The Watchtower Organization insist on repeating the term ‘God’s (Jehovah’s) Organization’ because they see things from viewpoint of fleshly men and because they have no part in God’s family arrangement. They are just another man-made organizational hierarchy. This is the kind of language one would expect from a business corporation masquerading as a religion.
As 1 Timothy 3:15 tells, the true church members are part of God’s family household and not part of an organization.
Philippians 1:27 “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the Good News of Christ, that, whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your state, that you stand firm in one spirit, with one soul striving for the faith of the Good News;” (NHEB)
What Will You Likely Be Doing When The Lord Returns?
So many are consumed with the behavior of someone other than themselves. They find it more convenient to pass judgement on others than to judge their own conduct. The apostle Paul highlighted the hypocrisy of a person who does this when speaking to his fellow kinsmen in regard to their conduct.
Romans chapter 2
1 Do you, my friend, pass judgment on others? You have no excuse at all, whoever you are. For when you judge others and then do the same things which they do, you condemn yourself.
2 We know that God is right when he judges the people who do such things as these.
3 But you, my friend, do those very things for which you pass judgment on others! Do you think you will escape God’s judgment?
4 Or perhaps you despise his great kindness, tolerance, and patience. Surely you know that God is kind, because he is trying to lead you to repent.
5 But you have a hard and stubborn heart, and so you are making your own punishment even greater on the Day when God’s anger and righteous judgments will be revealed.
6 For God will reward each of us according to what we have done.
7 Some people keep on doing good, and seek glory, honor, and immortal life; to them God will give eternal life.
8 Other people are selfish and reject what is right, in order to follow what is wrong; on them God will pour out his anger and fury.
9 There will be suffering and pain for all those who do what is evil, for the Jews first and also for the Gentiles.
10 But God will give glory, honor, and peace to all who do what is good, to the Jews first and also to the Gentiles.
11 For God judges everyone by the same standard.
12 The Gentiles do not have the Law of Moses; they sin and are lost apart from the Law. The Jews have the Law; they sin and are judged by the Law.
13 For it is not by hearing the Law that people are put right with God, but by doing what the Law commands.
14 The Gentiles do not have the Law; but whenever they do by instinct what the Law commands, they are their own law, even though they do not have the Law.
15 Their conduct shows that what the Law commands is written in their hearts. Their consciences also show that this is true, since their thoughts sometimes accuse them and sometimes defend them.
16 And so, according to the Good News I preach, this is how it will be on that Day when God through Jesus Christ will judge the secret thoughts of all.
17 What about you? You call yourself a Jew; you depend on the Law and boast about God;
18 you know what God wants you to do, and you have learned from the Law to choose what is right;
19 you are sure that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in darkness,
20 an instructor for the foolish, and a teacher for the ignorant. You are certain that in the Law you have the full content of knowledge and of truth.
21 You teach others—why don’t you teach yourself? You preach, “Do not steal”—but do you yourself steal?
22 You say, “Do not commit adultery”—but do you commit adultery? You detest idols—but do you rob temples?
23 You boast about having God’s law—but do you bring shame on God by breaking his law?
24 The scripture says, “Because of you Jews, the Gentiles speak evil of God.”
25 If you obey the Law, your circumcision is of value; but if you disobey the Law, you might as well never have been circumcised.
26 If the Gentile, who is not circumcised, obeys the commands of the Law, will not God regard him as though he were circumcised?
27 And so you Jews will be condemned by the Gentiles because you break the Law, even though you have it written down and are circumcised; but they obey the Law, even though they are not physically circumcised.
28 After all, who is a real Jew, truly circumcised? It is not the man who is a Jew on the outside, whose circumcision is a physical thing.
29 Rather, the real Jew is the person who is a Jew on the inside, that is, whose heart has been circumcised, and this is the work of God’s Spirit, not of the written Law. Such a person receives praise from God, not from human beings.
The world is full of the kind of hypocrisy that Paul points out in the verses cited above. There are many professed Christians who self-righteously pontificate, judging others while they do not follow the commandments contained in the Bible themselves.
They preach to others “do not steal” while stealing themselves. They preach ” do not murder” when their own hands are covered with innocent blood. They say to others “Be moral”, but they exhibit no adherence to Biblical ethics or godly morality themselves.
Some people like this see themselves as performing a ministry that is “saving souls”. But Jesus made a statement that highlights the folly of such thinking:
Matthew 16:26
“For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”
Jesus was counseling his listeners that they must deny their fleshly desires if they desired to ” pick up their cross” and follow him. This requires focusing on our own self, our own spiritual needs, and our own shortcomings. What good would it be personally to turn others to repentance if we ourselves failed to repent? We would in the end “lose” our own soul.
When the Lord comes, what will he find your conduct to be? Will we have spent so much of our time judging everyone else’s behavior, that we left no time to judge our own behavior and correct ourselves?
We live at a time when many people believe they can be a disciple of Christ, while they at the same time are leading a godless, immoral life. They have convinced themselves this is true and even have had false teachers tell them that they can defy Biblical commandments and still receive salvation through Christ. Since the advent of so-called ‘New Age Christianity’ many have been misled into this false belief.
But, the Bible tells us there is but one faith and only one gospel. And we are told that our conduct in life should reflect our Christian standards.
Philippians 1:27
“Only let your manner of life be worthy of the Good News of Christ, that, whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your state, that you stand firm in one spirit, with one soul striving for the faith of the Good News;” (NHEB)
Here is the same passage translated in more expressive language:
“Most importantly, as fellow believers in Christ, conduct yourselves just like you learned you should do when you heard the message about Christ. Do that in order that whether I come and see you, or whether I am away from you and people tell me about you, what I hear or see will make me happy. They will tell me that you are unitedly and cooperatively resisting those who oppose the message about Christ (OR, oppose you). I will know that you are not allowing others to influence you to believe a message that is different from the gospel about Christ”. T4T
If someone is attempting to convince you that you don’t need to repent from sin and turn to leading a life in obedience to God’s commandments, then they are not teaching you the same gospel found in the Bible. The apostle Paul calls such teachers “accursed”.
Galatians 1:8 9
8 But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should proclaim to you a “good news” other than that which we preached to you, let him be cursed.
9 As we have said before, so I now say again: if anyone preaches to you a “good news” other than that which you received, let him be cursed.
If you follow these false teachers, you will not receive Christ’ approval when he comes.
Stop judging others and start judging yourself as Jesus and Paul admonished us to do. Doings so according to the gospel we learn from the Bible.
When examining the pattern of ancient Babylon and then comparing the traits found in modern day “Babylon the Great”, the subject of reasoning capability plays a significant role. Do you find yourself dazed confused?
Back in the days of ancient Babylon, God put the men who were building the tower of Babel into a ‘confused’ state in order to break up their works. Because they were no longer able to converse with one another because God changed their one language to many different languages, they became confused and could not continue their plan. They were unable to ‘reason’ with one another through conversation. (Genesis 11:1-9)
Later on in Daniel’s time, God caused the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, to go out from his palace and live as the ‘unreasoning’ beast of the fields for 7 years. He exhibited the behaviors of like a ‘wild beast’ and he thought unreasonably. (Daniel 4:25-33)
Today, we see humankind on a grand scale behaving in a confused, unreasoning manner. They think and act as the unreasoning wild beast do. Who is causing the state of confusion that exists today?
In this time, the Last Days, it is Satan and the other fallen angels who are causing mass confusion on a global scale. What occurred at the Tower of Babel and what occurred to Nebuchadnezzar was a result of God’s will. What is happening today is by the devil’s design and will continue to affect all who remain under demonic control.
Many professed Christians claim that they have ‘escaped’ “Babylon the Great”. But reason says that that cannot be true. While many have escaped the clutches of false worship, they have not escaped the global reach of Satan’s influence. His influence effects more than organized religion. The devil’s empire has its tentacles of influence in all aspects of society.
While a person can free themselves from living the lifestyle of the world that follows the devil, they cannot end his empire. It was not until King Cyrus came and overthrew the Babylonians that the captives were truly freed.
There is a big distinction between being ‘free’ from the corruption of the devil’s empire (not touching the unclean thing) and being out from under its global influence and its ability to affect you. Satan’s empire encompasses the entire globe. There is no physical place a person can flee to in order to be totally out of its reach.
Therefore, we remain ‘physical’ captives of Satan’s global empire until the time the “Greater Cyrus”, who is the resurrected Jesus Christ, appears and breaks once and for all times the Babylonian yoke of slavery.
Again, a person cannot just simply, as it were, ‘walk’ out of “Babylon the Great”. One cannot just simply, “get away”. Was that to be expected? Think of Jesus’ words in the Revelation He gave to John.
In the vision Christ Jesus gave to John that is recorded as the Book of Revelation, it opens by stating that John was by Spirit given a vision of things to occur in “the Lord’s Day”:
Revelation 1:10
“I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,” When John tells us that he was in the Lord’s Day, he is seeing events in the Last Days, near the time of Christ return.
At Revelation 1:11 we read:
“Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea”.
Those of the churches Christ is writing these letters to are human souls alive at this time. These are members of the elect or body of Christ.
In His words to the church in Pergamum, Jesus describes their environment and their current living circumstances clearly.
The Letter to Pergamum
12 “Write to the angel of the church in Pergamum: “The One who has the sharp, double-edged sword says:
13 I know where you live—where Satan’s throne is! And you are holding on to My name and did not deny your faith in Me, even in the days of Antipas, My faithful witness who was killed among you, where Satan lives.”
The Lord’s indicate an ongoing struggle against ungodly thinking and behavior in an extremely vulnerable proximity to the center of the devil’s operation.
He did not instruct them to move somewhere else. Just as being under the dominance and control of the city-state world empire Babylon did not require one to be within the city’s ‘official’ walls (where the throne of the king was), a person can still be near the devil’s center on the far-flung edges of his empire Babylon the Great.
Continued close association with godless people makes it impossible to be cleansed from corruption. Jesus likened such behavior as a “dog returning to is vomit. Each time the Lord mercifully cleanses such an individual, they go right back to unclean people with ungodly, unclean practices.
God counseled the unfaithful nation of Israel to separate themselves and quit touching what was unclean in His eyes. The apostle Paul reminded the disciples in Corinth of God’s command:
2 Corinthians 6:17
Therefore, “Come out from among them, and be ye separate,” saith the Lord. “And touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you,
We today must heed these words by separating ourselves from those who practice wickedness. If we do not, God’s holy Spirit will not dwell in us and without it we will be like the vacant house that Jesus describes at Matthew 12:43-45:
43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.
44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.
45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.
When we continue to associate with people void of God’s spirit, we open ourselves to demonic influence. We will share the same unreasonable thinking and behaviors as those who willfully have chosen the mark of the beast.
Until the time when Jesus returns, we must be vigilant in our efforts to resist the devil and stay morally and ethically clean.
“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”Acts4:12
Who Is Your Savior? On Whom Does Your Salvation Depend?
Do you look at your pastor as your savior? Do you look to your religious group or organization for salvation?
If you do, you are not following the instruction found in the Holy Bible and Jesus Christ is not your Savior.
Efforts to exalt fellow human beings instead of the Lord, Jesus Christ as Savior are not a new phenomenon. There were many who were doing this very thing in the first century at the formation of the Christian assembly.
So much was the case that the apostle Paul had to write a sternly worded letter about this subject to the Body members who resided in Corinth.
He had to remind them that they were not baptized in his nor any other man’s name that ministers as a servant to Christ.
He had to remind them whom it was that died in their behalf in order that the door to salvation would be opened to them.
The apostle pointed out to the Corinthians that what they were doing when they claimed to be followers of a specific minister of Christ, was actually attempting to divide Christ.
In 1 Corinthian 1:29, Paul tells them and us, that God purposed things in the way He did so that no human had cause to be boasting in themselves. But rather, that the glory be to God and Christ.
In Chapter 3 verse one, Paul said that their behavior was “self-directed” according to their “fleshly nature” and he said that their actions were based on jealousy.
Lastly, Paul makes clear that it is not the minister that spiritual growth is dependent upon, but that growth is dependent upon the Holy Spirit of God.
Please read the text of the first of letter Paul wrote to the congregation of Corinthian and then ask yourself “Am I looking to Jesus Christ as my Savior, or someone or something else”?
1 Corinthians 1
1 Paul, called as an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, and Sosthenes our brother:
2 To God’s church at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus and called as saints, with all those in every place who call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord—both their Lord and ours.
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4 I always thank my God for you because of God’s grace given to you in Christ Jesus,
5 that by Him you were enriched in everything—in all speech and all knowledge.
6 In this way, the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you,
7 so that you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
8 He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you will be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 God is faithful; you were called by Him into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
10 Now I urge you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, that there be no divisions among you, and that you be united with the same understanding and the same conviction.
11 For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers, by members of Chloe’s household, that there is rivalry among you.
12 What I am saying is this: Each of you says, “I’m with Paul,” or “I’m with Apollos,” or “I’m with Cephas,” or “I’m with Christ.”
13 Is Christ divided? Was it Paul who was crucified for you? Or were you baptized in Paul’s name?
14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius,
15 so that no one can say you were baptized in my name.
16 I did, in fact, baptize the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t know if I baptized anyone else.
17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to evangelize—not with clever words, so that the cross of Christ will not be emptied of its effect.
18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is God’s power to us who are being saved.
19 For it is written: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will set aside the understanding of the experts.
20 Where is the philosopher? Where is the scholar? Where is the debater of this age? Hasn’t God made the world’s wisdom foolish?
21 For since, in God’s wisdom, the world did not know God through wisdom, God was pleased to save those who believe through the foolishness of the message preached.
22 For the Jews ask for signs and the Greeks seek wisdom,
23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles.
24 Yet to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is God’s power and God’s wisdom,
25 because God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.
26 Brothers, consider your calling: Not many are wise from a human perspective, not many powerful, not many of noble birth.
27 Instead, God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong.
28 God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world—what is viewed as nothing—to bring to nothing what is viewed as something,
29 so that no one can boast in His presence.
30 But it is from Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became God-given wisdom for us—our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption,
31 in order that, as it is written: The one who boasts must boast in the Lord.
1 Corinthians 3
1 My fellow believers, when I was with you previously, I was not able to teach you as I would teach people who are controlled by the Holy Spirit. Instead, I had to teach you as I would teach people whom their fleshly nature controls. I taught very simple concepts to you who had recently believed in Christ, as a parent would speak very simple words to a baby.
2 I did not teach you things that were difficult for you to understand, just like a woman does not give her baby solid food that the baby cannot chew and digest. And just like a woman gives her baby milk, I taught you simple spiritual concepts, because at that time you were not able to understand difficult things. And you are still not able to understand difficult concepts,
3 because you are still controlled by your self-directed, fleshly nature. Some of you are jealous and quarreling. Does not that prove your self-directed nature is controlling you? It shows that you are acting like unbelievers act.
4 By some of you saying, “I am loyal to Paul,” and others saying, “I am loyal to Apollos,” does not it show that you are acting like unbelievers?
5 So what you really ought to think about Apollos and me is that we are merely men who serve God. As a result of our telling you the message about Christ, you trusted in him. Both of us are merely doing the work that the Lord appointed us to do.
6 I was the first one who preached God’s message to you. I was like someone who plants seeds. Later, Apollos taught you more of God’s message. That was like someone who waters plants after they start to grow. But it is God who enables people to grow spiritually, just like he is the one who causes plants to grow.
7 So the person who first preaches God’s message to people is not important, and the person who later teaches people more of God’s message is not important, just like it is not the person who plants the seeds or the person who waters the plants who is important. Instead, it is God, who causes plants to grow and who causes people to grow spiritually, who is important.
8 The person who first preaches God’s message to people and the one who later teaches them more of God’s message both are trying to reach the same goal. And God will reward each of them according to how they served Him.
9 Remember that Apollos and I are both working together for God. You do not belong to us. Just like a field belongs to its owner, not to those who work in it, you belong to God, not to us who work for him.
Also, a house belongs to its owner. It does not belong to the man who built it. Similarly, God is the one to whom you belong.
10 Just like a skilled person puts a foundation in the ground before he builds a house, as a result of God kindly helping me, I was the first one who declared the message about Christ to you. And, just like others build a house on its foundation, there were others who later taught you more about Christ. But just like each person who builds a house must be careful about what materials he uses to build it, each person who teaches God’s truth must be careful about what he teaches.
11 Just like people can put in only one foundation for a house, there is only one message that we can give to people. That message is about Jesus Christ. (Translation for Translators)
There is no doubt that a true disciple of Jesus only looks at him as their Savior and only look at him as God’s means of salvation.
Preachers and religious organization that teach that you must be their follower to gain salvation, are lying to you and leading you away from the true Savior, Jesus Christ.
At 1 Corinthian 1:13, the apostle Paul mentions an all-important fact that many professed believers have either overlooked or have chose to disregard.
1 Corinthian 1:13
“Is Christ divided? Was it Paul who was crucified for you? Or were you baptized in Paul’s name?”
A Christian disciple is to make their vow to God at their baptism according to the instructions that Jesus himself left to follow.
Matthew 28:19, 20
19 Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples: baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
20 and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And I will be with you always, to the end of the age.”
Did your baptismal vow include more than the “name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit”? Did it also include the name of a religious denomination? Then was it really a valid baptism in God’s eyes?
Please consider these questions by reviewing the post entitled “Is a Denominational Baptism Scriptural? Is it Valid? Is it a Sin?
“Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?
Luke 18:7-8
7 Won’t God avenge his chosen ones, who are crying out to him day and night, and yet he exercises patience with them?
8 I tell you that he will avenge them quickly. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
These are the words of Jesus Christ. The Lord’s question should cause a professed disciple of his to wonder why he would ask such a question.
Jesus’ statement does not imply that he himself felt that true faith would be abundant among humankind when he returned. In fact, he questioned whether there would be any at all.
Yet, according to the Pew Research Center, in 2015, there were 2.3 billion Christians of all ages living in the world. The Center for the Study of Global Christianity (CSGC) at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, reported that the number of Christians in the world edged past 2.5 billion in 2019. This represents almost one third of the Earth’s population.
Given Jesus’ question, something doesn’t add up does it?
Note also what he is quoted as saying found in the gospel of Matthew:
Matthew 7:13-14
13 “Enter in by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter in by it.
14 How narrow is the gate, and difficult is the way that leads to life. Few are those who find it.
Here he says that “few” are those who truly find and who truly travel the pathway of righteousness.
Paul spoke prophetically about this phenomenon in his first letter to Timothy:
1 Timothy 4:1-2
1 But the Spirit says expressly that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons,
2 through the hypocrisy of liars, branded in their own conscience as with a hot iron;
He is saying that many in the last days would succumb to teachings that do not equate with true Christian discipleship and that their conduct would not demonstrate true faith.
In his second letter to Timothy, Paul specifically described one of two contributing factors that would result in a scarcity of true faith.
2 Timothy 4:3-4
3 For the time will come when people will not tolerate healthy doctrine, but with itching ears will surround themselves with teachers who cater to their people’s own desires.
4 They will refuse to listen to the truth and will turn to myths.
The second main contributor is the infiltration of false teachers into the church brotherhood.
The apostle Peter warned about them:
2 Peter 2:1-2, 12, 17-19
1 Now there were false prophets among the people, just as there also will be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction on themselves.
2 Many people will follow their immoral ways, and because of them the way of truth will be maligned.
12 These people, like irrational animals, are mere creatures of instinct that are born to be caught and killed. They insult what they don’t understand, and like animals they, too, will be destroyed,
17 These men are dried-up springs, mere clouds driven by a storm. Gloomy darkness is reserved for them.
18 By talking high-sounding nonsense and using sinful cravings of the flesh, they entice people who have just escaped from those who live in error.
19 Promising them freedom, they themselves are slaves to depravity, for a person is a slave to whatever conquers him.
These false teachers have a confusing and a divisive effect that stumbles many seeking true faith.
1Timothy 6:3-5
3 If anyone teaches false doctrine and refuses to agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, and godly teaching,
4 he is a conceited person and does not understand anything. He has an unhealthy craving for arguments and debates. This produces jealousy, rivalry, slander, evil suspicions,
5 and incessant conflict between people who are depraved in mind and deprived of truth. They think that godliness is a way to make a profit.
Even though many profess to be Christ’ disciples, the reality is that few truly are. They have not heeded the apostle Peter’s warning found in 2 Peter 2:1.
The apostle Peter pointed out that it is the one who earnestly seeks God that is manifesting true faith.
Hebrews 11:6:
6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Jesus’ question regarding the presence of true faith when he returns, emphasized how scarce it would be and how hard it would be to maintain it.
Will you fight to be one of the few?
What Is Godly Fear?
Godly fear
What does it mean to fear God?
Does the Bible contradict itself on this matter?
Ecclesiastes 12:13 exhorts:
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. KJVlite
Over and over in the Bible we are exhorted to fear God, to have the fear of the Lord, to live in godly fear.
Deuteronomy 6:24
So the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God for our good always and for our survival, as it is today.
Deuteronomy 10:12
And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul
Psalm 31:19
How great is Your goodness,
Which You have stored up for those who fear You,
Which You have wrought for those who take refuge in You,
Before the sons of men!
Psalm 147:11
The Lord favors those who fear Him,
Those who wait for His lovingkindness.
Proverbs 19:23
The fear of the LORD leads to life, then contentment; he rests and will not be touched by trouble.
But why should we fear God? Isn’t God love?
1 John 4:18 clearly tells us that: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.”
Is this a contradiction?
Godly fear isn’t the same as fear of a tyrant, or a dictator. We don’t need to fear His anger, unless we fear punishment due to a bad conscience and an unrepentant heart because of sin. (Romans 2:5-9)
To fear God is absolute reverence and awe for Almighty God, the Creator of all things, including we ourselves individually.
This causes us to fear to sin against Him, because we want nothing else in this world than to be pleasing to Him, and to bring honor to His name. We fear to cause Him sorrow or grief, knowing how incredibly wicked willful sin is, how much God hates it, and how much it hurts Him when we sin.
Please re-read the passage above from Deuteronomy 10:12.
Proverbs 8:13 states very succinctly what the fear of God means:
The fear of the LORD is to hate evil. I hate pride, arrogance, the evil way, and the perverse mouth.
Some attempt to pit Ecclesiastes 10:12 and 1 John 4:18 against each other and claim the Bible contradicts itself. There is no contradiction.
1 John 4:18 is stated to a specific group who obediently accept Jesus as Messiah. Refer to verse two of the same chapter:
1 John 4:2
By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,
These words are specifically spoken to those truly in union with Christ by accepting him. It is not a general statement to all humankind.
These words are directed toward those who love God and keep His commandment out of love for Him. They have no reason to fear.
That cannot be said of all people. There are those who should properly be in fear because they do not obey him out of love.
For them, Paul's words found in Romans 2:5-9 apply:
5 But according to your hardness and unrepentant heart you are storing up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
6 who “will pay back to everyone according to their works:”
7 to those who by perseverance in good works seek glory and honor and immortality -- everlasting life.
8 But to those who are self-seeking, and do not obey the truth, but obey wickedness -- wrath and anger,
9 affliction and distress, on every human being who does evil, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
The Bible does not contradict itself on this matter nor any other matter.
Watch Your Footsteps Carefully
Watch Your Footsteps Carefully…Watch How You Walk
The word ‘Christian’ does not mean an admirer of Christ, nor recipient of Christ’s blessings, nor even one who simply believes in Christ. It means much more than that.
‘Christian’ means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. A Christian is a disciple of Christ.
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, this is the definition of what a disciple is:
“a person who believes the ideas and principles of someone famous and tries to live the way that person does or did”.
Jesus came as a man and left us an example to follow in our conduct of how we are to think and behave.
1 Peter 2:21
For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
Sin has a grip on all people, and we have all fallen short of God’s will in our lives at some time.
Even those of us who attempt to lead a godly life must be honest with ourselves and admit that we are imperfect sinners and must therefore pay constant attention to our behavior.
Consider our thoughts. Are they always so pure and noble, loving and forgiving as we make ourselves out to be? Or do we harbor hatred in our heart?
Consider our words. Are all our words a blessing? Do we offer blessings and yet curse with the same tongue?
Consider our conduct. Are all our deeds unselfish? Do we do things for God’s glory or our own? Are we really following in Jesus’ footsteps?
Because of the perversion of real Christianity you may never have heard of this kind of Christianity, but God’s Word speaks of no other kind. Pick up your Bible today, and rather than reading what Jesus did in your place, read how you can follow in Jesus’ footsteps to become like Him!
Ask yourself, “Am I really a Christian, according to the Bible?” If this is the life you want, don’t hesitate. Pray that God will give you His Spirit, and then start following in Jesus’ footsteps in the way you behave.
We have this Scriptural admonition as a reminder and as a warning:
Hebrews 3:12-14
12 Beware, brothers, lest perhaps there be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief, in falling away from the living God;
13 but exhort one another day by day, so long as it is called “today;” lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
14 For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our confidence firm to the end:
The Holy Scriptures long ago counseled worshipers of the living and only true God to watch their steps in order to maintain pure worship and good standing before Him:
Ecclesiastes 5:1
Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil.
Proverbs 4:26
26 Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
Proverbs 4:12-17
12 When you walk, your steps will be sure. And when you run, you will not fall.
13 Always remember what you have learnt. Do not forget it. The things that you have learnt will give you life. So keep them well.
14 Do not go where bad people go. Do not follow the ways of bad people.
15 Do not do it! Keep away from every bad thing! Refuse it and go on your way.
16 Bad people cannot sleep unless they have done something wrong. They lie awake unless they have caused someone to fall.
17 To do bad things is like food and drink to bad men.
The apostle Paul also offered similar counsel to the 1st century Christian congregation:
Ephesians 5:15-18
15 So, you must be very careful how you live. Live like people who understand what is right and good. Do not live like people who do not understand anything.
16 These are bad times, so use every moment well.
17 Do not be fools. But instead, understand what the Lord wants.
18 Do not drink too much wine, because that will cause bad things. It will stop you ruling yourself properly. But instead, let God’s Spirit fill you.
Everyone is a follower of someone or something. Some people follow in the footsteps of their family and tradition. Others follow their own instincts, drawing from a variety of philosophies, religion, friends, and family. They do whatever they feel is right in their gut. That is doing according to one’s own will.
However, true Christians do not follow any of these paths, but rather the path of Christ as his footstep followers. A true Christian listens to the complete teachings of Jesus and obey all of his commandments. They do not cherry-pick through his teachings and commandments selecting to believe and obey only the ones that appeal to their personal will and desires.
A well known entertainment figure who promoted many different so-called ‘spiritual’ belief systems, would often speak of Jesus Christ in personal perception terms. She would say, “My Jesus is like…”.
Jesus was a real historical person and not some mythological character. There is no my Jesus, your Jesus, or his/her Jesus. There is but the one Jesus and we either choose to accept him or not. We can’t make him into something according to our personal preferences.
We can tell if we’re Jesus’ followers if we live out His truth and walk in the light as He is in the light.
We cannot think and behave like those alienated from God and please Him. There is no fellowship between “light” and “darkness”. There is no fellowship between Christ and the devil.
“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;”
Colossians 3:23
Whose Approval Should We Be Seeking?
Whose Approval Are You Seeking?
“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men”
Colossians 3
1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
6 For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.
8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
18 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.
19 Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.
20 Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.
21 Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.
22 Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eye-service, as men pleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God:
23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.
25 But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.
Often, humans have a propensity to seek praise of their fellow human beings. They judge their good standing based on how much praise they garner from other people. But quite often, they find themselves seeking the approval of men above the approval of God.
Lord Jesus warned against coveting the praise of other people. He said this:
Luke 6:26
“How terrible when all people speak well of you; their ancestors said the very same things about the false prophets”.
But why would people heap praise on a false prophet? The reason can be found in the Books of Isaiah and Jeremiah:
Isaiah 30:10
They tell the seers, “Stop seeing visions!” They tell the prophets, “Don’t tell us what is right. Tell us nice things. Tell us lies. (NLT)
Jeremiah 5:31
The prophets give false prophecies, and the priests rule with an iron hand. Worse yet, my people like it that way! But what will you do when the end comes? (NLT)
Much of the time, what gets the approval of other human beings isn’t a matter of right and wrong but, is a matter of doing what pleases them. So there have been many who corrupted themselves and their teachings in order to appease ungodly people.
The gospel writer John made this comment primarily concerning the chief rulers of the Jews, many of whom believed that Jesus was the hoped-for Messiah, but were afraid to confess him for fear that they would incur ostracism and shame from the Pharisees.
John 12:43
“They loved human approval rather than the approval of God”.
This was not only true of those leaders, but it was also true of many of the common people. In essence, they were more concerned with being approved by other human beings rather than whether or not they had God’s approval. Their concern was driven by fear.
While it is true that often we are taught through a system that uses praise as an incentive for good behavior but uses criticism and often disapproval as a disincentive of bad behavior, getting praise is not the end objective. The end objective is the production of good behavior. To seek praise for praise’s sake alone is wrong.
Whose Approval Should We Be Seeking?
The answer to that question is a simple one. On whom does our existence and life depend upon? God.
The apostle Paul who was the writer of the Letter to the Colossian church, also wrote these words to the brothers in Rome:
Romans 12:1
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
And Paul wrote this in his second letter to Timothy:
2 Timothy 2:15
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
Of the fact that it is pleasing to God that we obediently follow His son Jesus, there can be no doubt. God himself spoke from Heaven and said so.
Recall the transfiguration experience that Peter, James, and John were witnesses of?
Matthew 17:1-5
1 Six days later Jesus took with him Peter and the brothers James and John and led them up a high mountain where they were alone.
2 As they looked on, a change came over Jesus: his face was shining like the sun, and his clothes were dazzling white.
3 Then the three disciples saw Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus.
4 So Peter spoke up and said to Jesus, “Lord, how good it is that we are here! If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
5 While he was talking, a shining cloud came over them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my own dear Son, with whom I am pleased—listen to him!”
God said both that He was pleased with (approved of) His son Jesus and that we should “listen to him”.
It is God’s approval as disciples of Christ we should always seek and many times that will mean the disapproval of other humans.
We cannot become more concerned with the approval of men than we are with living a godly life and seeking the approval of God.
"Your gold and silver are worthless, as though they were corroded". "Remember that when farmers plant a field, they wait for their valuable crops to grow".
Retribution and Reward
James 5:1-8
1 Now I have something to say to the rich people who do not believe in Christ and who oppress and cause others to suffer. Listen to me, you rich people! You should weep and wail loudly because you will experience terrible troubles!
2 Your wealth of various kinds is worthless, as though it were rotted. Your fine clothes are worthless, as though termites had ruined them.
3 Your gold and silver are worthless, as though they were corroded. When God judges you, this worthless wealth of yours will be evidence that you are guilty of being greedy, and as rust and fire destroy things, God will severely punish you. You have in vain stored up and accumulated wealth at a time when God is about to judge you.
4 Think about what you have done! You have not paid wages to the workmen who have harvested your fields for you, with the result that those reapers are crying out to God for him to help them. And God, the all-powerful Lord, has heard their loud cries.
5 You have lived luxuriously, just to have pleasure here on earth. Just like cattle fatten themselves, not realizing that they will be slaughtered, you have lived just for pleasure, not realizing that God will severely punish you.
6 You have arranged for judges to condemn innocent people. You have arranged for others to kill people. And even though those people had not done anything wrong, they were not able to defend themselves against you. My fellow believers, that is what I say to the rich people who oppress you and cause you to suffer.
7 So, my fellow believers, although rich people cause you to suffer, be patient until the Lord Jesus Christ comes back. Remember that when farmers plant a field, they wait for their valuable crops to grow. They must wait patiently for the rain that comes at the planting season and for more rain that comes just before the harvest season. They wait for the crops to grow and mature before they can harvest them.
8 Similarly, you also should wait patiently and trust the Lord Jesus firmly, because he is coming back soon and will judge all people fairly.
“And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not”.
What Does Mark 5:7 Prove?
Mark 5:7
“And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not”.
These are the words of a group of demons called “Legion”. These demons uttered these words just before Jesus called them out of the man they possessed.
While the demons were pleading with Jesus not to send them to their final destination, these wicked spirits acknowledged what many stubbornly deny. The fallen angels clearly called Jesus “Son of the Most High God”.
These demons knew Jesus was not God on Earth in flesh.
This is further proven in the next words by the one speaking in their behalf:
” I adjure (beseech) thee by God, that thou torment me not.”
He did not ask Jesus to withhold from tormenting him in Jesus’ own name, but rather by or in the name of “God”.
Clearly as all the fallen angels know, Legion knew that Jesus isn’t God Almighty, but rather the Son of God.
While lying preachers teach the false doctrine a Trinity Godhead and that Jesus was God on Earth in the flesh, the demons confess knowledge of the real truth that these professed ministers of Christ refuse to accept.
SEARCH
Hot, Cold, and Lukewarm
“I know what you have done; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. How I wish you were either one or the other!" “But because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I am going to spit you out of my mouth!"
Fully Understanding What Jesus Meant
In Revelation 3:15-17, Jesus is talking to the church in Laodicea. Laodicea was a city in Asia Minor, which is now the location of modern-day Turkey. (See map)
In these verses, the Lord uses the terms “hot,” “cold,” and
“lukewarm" (tepid).
He says this:
“I know what you have done; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. How I wish you were either one or the other!"
“But because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I am going to spit you out of my mouth!"
"Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:" (GNT)
To fully understand what Jesus meant when making these statements, it is necessary to examine this text in its original, historic context. Whether or not you get the full understanding of biblical text depends largely on how you read the Bible. There are two ways to read the Bible to develop an interpretation of what you are reading.
One is called ‘exegesis’ interpretation. The other is called ‘eisegesis’ interpretation.
Basically, exegesis relies on the original context of a biblical passage to determine what that passage means, while eisegesis relies on things other than the original context of a biblical passage to determine that passage’s meaning.
Using an exegesis approach to understanding Revelation 3:15 and 16 brings a more in-depth and accurate understanding of what Jesus was referring to and meant. Let’s examine these verses in their historical context. But first let’s examine the conclusions that have been drawn by those not examining the historical context.
In many religious circles, it might be said that someone is “on fire” for the Lord. So, someone might understand “hot” to mean “on fire,” religiously zealous, or completely committed to God.
In many religious circles, it may also be said that someone is spiritually “cold” when they are not religious, or not committed to God at all. So, someone might understand “cold” in Revelation 3:15-16 to mean a non-believer, or someone who is not committed to God.
Lastly, since lukewarm is neither hot nor cold, we might understand “lukewarm” to mean someone who is religious but who is not fully committed to God, or who does not display the outward signs of religious zeal that we associate with someone who is on fire or “hot” for the Lord.
All of this makes sense, in English. It takes contemporary connotations of modern, English expressions for “hot,” “cold,” and “lukewarm,” and brings those connotations to Revelation 3:15-16. It brings meaning to the text, without asking whether this meaning is coming from the original, historical context or not. This is an example of eisegesis. An eisegetical method would use a modern understanding of those terms in a religious context to understand what that passage means.
Exegetical methodology, on the other hand, looks to the original context of these verses. This approach will examine the original Greek words for “hot”, “cold”, and “lukewarm” and then explores how these words would have been understood by the original author (Jesus) and audience of this passage of Scripture.
In this case, references to “hot”, “cold”, and “lukewarm” are probably referring to water temperature, using the water situation at Laodicea as a metaphor for the people’s behavior in the church at Laodicea.
Laodicea was a rich city with many industries thriving in it. For all of its wealth and prestige, however, it also had hard, unpleasant water (Strabo, Geog,). Two neighboring cities, Hierapolis and Colossae, had much better water.
These three cities, Laodicea, Hierapolis, and Colossae, were so close to one another that they are mentioned together by Paul when he wrote the congregation in Colossae:
Colossians 4:12, 13
12 Greetings from Epaphras, another member of your group and a servant of Christ Jesus. He always prays fervently for you, asking God to make you stand firm, as mature and fully convinced Christians, in complete obedience to God's will.
13 I can personally testify to his hard work for you and for the people in Laodicea and Hierapolis.
Archaeological studies of the ancient world tell us that Hierapolis was known for its hot springs. The hot water (zestos) of Hierapolis was used by the Romans as a health spa, similar to the way natural hot springs are used today. The warm water was invigorating.
Archeological studies on the other hand, reveals that Colossae had cold (psuchros), refreshing water. In the intense heat of the summertime, one can appreciate the value of cold water.
Laodicea, unfortunately, did not have enough water for its population. It had to pipe water into the city, and when the water got there it was neither hot nor cold but was lukewarm. It wasn’t useful, hot water for healing, and it wasn’t useful, cold water for refreshing. So, for all their wealth and prestige in the ancient world (v 17), Laodicea had an embarrassing situation with their water. And Jesus as recorded in Revelation 3:15-17, uses that embarrassing situation to make a point about the Christians in Laodicea.
Revelation 3:17
"Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:"
When it says, “I wish you were either one or the other,” Jesus is saying that he wishes they were useful, that they were either healing or refreshing to people. Apparently, based on the rest of this section in Revelation, this rich city of Laodicea was content to be blessed, but they were not doing anything with it. They weren’t being good witnesses on behalf of the Lord. They were not helping other people. They weren’t even looking to Jesus for their provision, but instead boasted in their own capabilities. In other words, they were lukewarm Christians who talked big, but were not producing Christian fruit.
This examination of Revelation 3:15-16 is an example of exegesis. We looked into the original historical context of the passage, and how this passage would have been understood in its original context.
Beware!
The Letter of Jude
The Letter of Jude
1 I am Jude. I serve Jesus Christ like a voluntary slave. I am a younger brother of James, the leader of all the congregations. I am writing to you whom God has chosen to belong to him. You are loved by God our Father and protected by Jesus Christ.
2 I pray that you will continue to experience very much God acting mercifully toward you, causing you to have inner peace, and loving you.
3 You whom I love, I was very eager and very much wanted to write to you about that which we all share and have in common, which is how God through Jesus Christ has saved us. But now I realize that it is necessary for me to write to you in order to exhort you to defend the truth about Christ that we believe. Jesus and his apostles gave that truth once and for all to us who belong to God, and we must not let it be changed by anyone nor revise or change by anyone.
4 Some people falsely teach that because God kindly does for us what we do not deserve, it does not matter and is all right if we continue to sin. Those people show by the way that they conduct their lives that they do not want to admit and accept that Jesus Christ is our only Master and Lord. It was written long ago that God would condemn such ungodly people and people whose lives are displeasing to him. But some of those people have entered like crawling snakes into your congregations and oppose the truth about Christ, so you must resist and oppose them.
5 Although you previously knew all these things, there are certain things about which I desire to remind you. Do not forget that although the Lord rescued His people from Egypt, He later destroyed most of those same people, ones who did not believe in Him.
6 And there were many angels to whom God assigned positions of authority in Heaven. But many did not continue to rule with authority in those positions. Instead, they abandoned the place that God gave them to live in Heaven. So, God has put those angels in chains forever in the darkness. They will stay there until the great day when God will judge and punish them.
7 Similarly, the people who lived in Sodom and Gomorrah and the nearby cities committed sexual immorality. They sought all kinds of sexual relations that differ from what God permits. So, God destroyed their cities. What happened to those people and those angels shows that God will punish people, such as the ones who teach false doctrine, in the eternal fire of Hell.
8 Similarly, these ungodly people in your midst also defile their own bodies by living immorally, because they claim and say that God revealed in visions that they should act that way. They refuse to allow anyone to have authority over them, and they speak evil about God's glorious, wonderful angels.
9 When the devil (Satan) argued with the chief angel Michael about who would take away the body of the prophet Moses to bury it, Michael did not do as these teachers of false doctrine do. Even though Michael has much more authority than they do, he did not disrespectfully, revile, or say evil things to Satan nor accuse or condemn him. Instead, he only said, “I desire that the Lord God will rebuke you!”
10 But the ones in your midst who teach false doctrine revile and speak evil against the spiritual beings that they do not understand. They also do the evil things that they desire. Things that they know about naturally and without needing to think. Things that they just do without considering the consequences like animals. So, they destroy themselves. But they will also be punished by God.
11 God will do terrible things to those who teach false doctrine! They conduct their lives wickedly like Cain, who murdered his brother because he was jealous and angry because God accepted his brother's sacrifice and did not accept his. These false teachers devote themselves to doing wrong things like Balaam, who tried to induce God's people to sin in order to get the money that was offered to him. They will perish like Korah, who rebelled against the authority that God gave to Moses.
12 Those teachers of false doctrine are as dangerous to you as hidden rocks on a reef, like rocks underneath the surface of the ocean are to a boat. When you gather together to eat the meals that help you believers to love each other more and have a closer relationship with each other, they join you and carouse shamelessly, caring only for themselves and not for others. Because they do not do anything to help others, they are as useless as clouds that are blown along by the wind but that do not produce any rain. They are as disappointing as trees that do not produce fruit in the autumn as we expect them to. They are not only spiritually dead themselves, but they are not able to cause others to be alive spiritually, just like trees that have been uprooted and as a result are unable to produce any fruit.
13 They are restless, like the pounding waves of the ocean. Just like waves produce foul-smelling foam on the shore, those teachers of false doctrine do shameful deeds. We cannot depend or rely on them to show us how to conduct our lives, just like we cannot depend or rely on falling stars to show us the way when we travel. God has reserved intense darkness for them forever in Hell.
14 Enoch, the sixth person in the line of people who descended from Adam, prophesied this about those teachers of false doctrine: “Listen carefully to this: The Lord will certainly come with a countless number of his holy angels in order
15 to judge everyone, and to punish all wicked and ungodly people, those whose lives are displeasing to God for all the ungodly things that displease God that they did in an ungodly way, and for all the harsh things that ungodly sinful people have spoken against him.”
16 Those teachers of false doctrine grumble about the things that God does. They complain about what happens to them. They do the sinful things that their bodies desire. They talk boastfully. They flatter and say nice things to people, only in order to get those people to give them the things that they want.
17 But you people whom I love need to remember the things that were predicted by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, the things that the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ said would happen.
18 They told you, “In the final period of time in which we are now living there will be people who will laugh at the truths that God has revealed. They will do the ungodly things that are displeasing to God that their bodies desire.”
19 That describes the teachers of false doctrine well, because they are the ones who cause divisions among believers. They do what their own minds tell them to do. The Spirit of God does not live within them.
20 But you people whom I love, hold and continue to trust firmly the very sacred truths that you believe. Pray letting the Holy Spirit enable and empower you.
21 Keep conducting your lives in a way that is appropriate for those whom God loves. Keep constantly expecting that our Lord Jesus Christ will act mercifully toward you. Keep expecting that until the time when we begin living eternally with him.
22 Mercifully help those who are not certain what teaching they should believe.
23 Rescue others from the influence of those who teach what is false, as you would rescue things by snatching them from a fire. Pity those whom the teachers of false doctrine have completely convinced but beware that they do not influence you. Detest doing or even thinking about the sins that those people commit, just like you would detest touching not only filthy things but the clothes that were stained by those things.
24 God is able to keep you from ceasing to trust in him and from sinning, and he is able to bring you into his glorious presence. As you stand before Him, there will be nothing for which you will be condemned, and you will be rejoicing greatly.
25 He is the only true God. He has saved us as a result of what Jesus Christ our Lord did for us. God was glorious and great and mighty, and He ruled with great authority before time began. He is still like that, and he will remain like that forever! Amen! That is true!
Jude wrote this letter to warn its readers against false teachers. These were teachers who claimed to be Christians but were not as evidenced by their ungodliness. They posed a great danger to the faith of anyone who listened to them.
Jude said they were “as dangerous to you as hidden rocks on a reef, like rocks underneath the surface of the ocean are to a boat”. These false Christian teachers want to shipwreck you and your faith.
He also likened them to uprooted trees saying, “just like trees that have been uprooted and as a result are unable to produce any fruit”. In verse 19 he states, “The Spirit of God does not live within them”.
In this same verse, Jude describes the division they cause because they teach things contrary to the Word of God. “They do what their own minds tell them to do”.
How can one keep from being misled by false teachers?
Verses 20 and 21
20 But you people whom I love, hold and continue to trust firmly the very sacred truths that you believe. Pray letting the Holy Spirit enable and empower you.
21 Keep conducting your lives in a way that is appropriate for those whom God loves. Keep constantly expecting that our Lord Jesus Christ will act mercifully toward you. Keep expecting that until the time when we begin living eternally with him.
Humble Leadership
Following the Example Set By The Apostle Paul
“And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another”.
1 Corinthians 4
1 Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.
2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.
3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self.
4 For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.
5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.
6 And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.
7 For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?
8 Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have reigned as kings without us: and I would to God ye did reign, that we also might reign with you.
9 For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.
10 We are fools for Christ’s sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised.
11 Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace;
12 And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it:
13 Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day.
14 I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you.
15 For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.
16 Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.
17 For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.
18 Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you.
19 But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power.
20 For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.
21 What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?
Resist those who want you to follow them instead of helping you become a better follower of Christ.
Is Belief Alone Enough?
“What must I do to be saved?”
Is belief alone enough?
We find these words in the Book of Acts Chapter 16:
30 and brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31 They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” (NHEB)
Some point to the above verses and believe and preach to others that belief is all that is required.
However that idea is not born out in a thorough examination of the Holy Scriptures.
Two men are mentioned in the Book of Acts Chapter 8. Both came to believe in Christ.
Acts 8:9-24
9 But there was a certain man, Simon by name, who used to practice sorcery in the city, and amazed the people of Samaria, making himself out to be some great one,
10 to whom they all listened, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is that power of God which is called Great.”
11 They listened to him, because for a long time he had amazed them with his sorceries.
12 But when they believed Philip as he preached good news concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
13 Simon himself also believed. Being baptized, he continued with Philip. Seeing signs and great miracles occurring, he was amazed.
14 Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them,
15 who, when they had come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit;
16 for he had not yet fallen upon any of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
17 Then they laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money,
19 saying, “Give me also this power, that whomever I lay my hands on may receive the Holy Spirit.”
20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money.
21 You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God.
22 Repent therefore of this, your wickedness, and ask the Lord if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.
23 For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity.”
24 Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that none of the things which you have spoken happen to me”. (NHEB)
The account does not recount what reply, if any, Peter gave to Simon. However, after this Phillip had an encounter with an Ethiopian man who came to understand that Jesus was the Messiah and then desired to be baptized.
Acts 8:36, 37
36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. (KJV)
Both of these men believed; and yet they displayed contrasting behavior in how their belief effected them.
Simon believed yet his heart and his motives were not pure. He thought he could purchase the Holy Spirit.
Concerning belief in God, the Book of Hebrews has this to say:
Hebrews 11:6
6 Now without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him, for he who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him.
And since God has established his resurrected only-begotten son Jesus as High Preist, he is the only means of approach and reconciliation with Him. We must first believe this to be so.
But is belief sufficient?
The Bible tells us that the fallen angels “believe”.
James 2:19
19 You believe that God is one. You do well. The demons also believe, and shudder. (NHEB)
Clearly their belief is not a saving belief because it does not cause them to obey the Lord.
And in speaking of the “rulers” among the Jews, John 12:42 says:
“Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him”.
More than belief was necessary. Confession is required to be saved and yet confession is something in addition to belief.
Belief in itself is not an end. Rather it is the beginning. It is prerequisite.
The Bible writer James tells us that there must be deeds or “works” consistent with our faith.
We can do things—or can refuse to do things—that disqualify us from receiving the free gift of salvation from God.
We can offer others a ‘free’ gift for example a meal, clothing, or shelter. But even though it is offered without charge, isn’t it true that the recipient has to avail themselves appropriately to take advantage of the opportunity? Consider Matthew 22:1-14.
The fact is, that the Bible shows us that God sets certain conditions for determining whether or not we receive the free gift of salvation. Some conditions enable us to receive that gift, and other conditions disqualify us from receiving it.
Jesus made this clear:
Matthew 7:31:
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.”
Jesus has already told us that merely acknowledging Him as Lord and Master—saying “Lord, Lord”—is not sufficient.
The Bible in the Book of Acts, tells us about a group of people the Apostles had witnessed to concerning Christ and who believed. Note what question they asked the Apostles and what reply was given to them:
Acts 2:37, 38
37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”
38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
We must live a life reflective of our faith. We must live a life of obedience to God’s commandments and submission to His anointed High Preist.
We must repent from our former way of life and become obedient “doers of the word” as the Bible writer James admonished us to be.
James 1:22-25
22 But be doers of the word, and not only hearers, deluding your own selves.
23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like someone looking at his natural face in a mirror;
24 for he sees himself, and goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of person he was.
25 But he who looks into the perfect Law of freedom, and continues, not being a hearer who forgets, but a doer of the work, this person will be blessed in what he does.
If we believe that belief in Jesus alone is sufficient, we deceive ourselves and those who listen to us.
The wicked powers that rule of this world are very active mixing (also known as pairing) everything they can into a confusing mess hoping to befuddle people, so they won't be able to think clearly or know the truth.
Their hope is to have a similar effect of what God achieved when he confused the language of the Babylonians in Nimrod's lifetime. Because He did so, they were not able to complete their project. It turned out to be a failure.
In a copycat reversal in these last days, Satan is causing general confusion by tainting the knowledge and information bases with misleading information. Also, by mixing things that have nothing in common. For one example, oxymoronic expressions like "wicked good". Wicked and good are opposite to one another. What goes on in the mind when you pair them together? It causes mental angst/frustration.
Also, sources of disinformation rule the media sources. While decrying the dissemination of misleading disinformation and propaganda on the part of their adversaries, news sources then hypocritically proceed to do the same thing based on their own social and political agendas. In the course of doing so, they cause more and more confusion. What’s right and what is wrong?
If you observe, virtually every knowledge base has been corrupted from unbiased knowledge to the biased, skewed information one finds on television, radio, and in print today. There is no such thing as “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth”. It is extremely difficult to get any kind of untainted information.
If you do happen to find what seems a reliable news source, it won’t stay that way for long. They all use ‘bait and switch’ tactics to gain your trust. Once you are confident in their coverage, they will turn at some point to steering your thoughts in a specific direction.
Tainting the sources of knowledge is what is described in the Book of Revelation as poisoning the streams and rivers with "wormwood". Many died from drinking from those polluted springs.
Revelation 8:10, 11
10 The third angel sounded, and a great star fell from the sky, burning like a torch, and it fell on one third of the rivers, and on the springs of the waters.
11 The name of the star is called “Wormwood.” One third of the waters became wormwood. Many people died from the waters, because they were made bitter.
Wormwood is highly toxic. High doses of wormwood may result in digestive upset, kidney failure, nausea, vomiting, seizures, and can ultimately be fatal.
Lies and disinformation are toxic too and can also be fatal. This is what the devil is counting on.
The devil believes that if he mixes everything together, no one will be able to separate real from false, truth from lie, fact from fiction, or right from wrong.
Satan is the father of the lie. That is what Jesus said. And his intent from the Garden of Eden until this day is to murder as many humans as he possibly can.
John 8:44
44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
Satan, the devil, is the mastermind behind the present campaign of the dissemination of false narratives and outright lies. Don’t allow yourself to be deceived. Satan is being successful among the apathetic and those who see it as too much hard work to search for the truth.
It’s high time to start thinking outside the mind controlling box the wicked powers that have created for you. Fact-find to verify what you read and hear.
“Rejoice In Our Afflictions”?
Hebrews 5:3-5 3 And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, 4 endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope.
No one normal finds happiness in pain, suffering, and persecution. And the Holy Scriptures do not imply that a disciple of Christ feels pleasure from experiencing pain.
What then is meant by the expression "We rejoice in our afflictions?
The Apostle Paul explains:
We also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance products proven character, and proven character produces hope. This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Romans 5:3-5
Rejoicing in the midst of suffering focuses our attention on the knowledge of what the Spirit produces in us through that suffering. The result is threefold: suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope.
A mother birthing a child often suffers agonizing pain. But the remembrance and joy in what is about to be produced, keeps her from being overcome by the birth pangs she experiences.
So too as disciples of Christ, we understand why we suffer, the cause of our sufferings, and know what will be produced if we endure these various trials and sufferings faithfully.
What are the distinguishing differences between a “sheep-like” disciple and the “goat-like” disciple?
Matthew 25:31-33: “the Son of Man … will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left,”
In several prophecies written in the Old Testament, the coming Messiah is referred to as a ‘Shepherd’:
Genesis 49:24
Yet his bow remained steady, and his strong arms were made agile by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, by the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,
Isaiah 40:11
He protects His flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them in the fold of His garment. He gently leads those that are nursing.
Ezekiel 34:23
I will appoint over them a single shepherd, My servant David, and he will shepherd them. He will tend them himself and will be their shepherd.
Ezekiel 37:24
My servant David will be king over them, and there will be one shepherd for all of them. They will follow My ordinances and keep My statutes and obey them.
Jesus identified himself as the foretold of “shepherd” that would guide God’s obedient children to salvation.
John 10:11,14:
11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know Me,
A drove of sheep is led by its shepherd, whereas a goatherd is led by a lead goat.
A flock doesn’t lead each other. A flock of sheep look towards the guidance of its shepherd to not only lead them, but also to protect them from dangers such as predators or dangerous environments. Quite opposite, goats lead a goatherd wherever THEY wish to go, while destroying the environment around them along the way.
The male goat represents strong-mindedness, singleness of purpose, and leadership rather than following. Goats follow their own will. The Scripture contrast these two distinct character traits found in sheep and goats in order to show the proper disposition of a true disciple of Jesus.
Perhaps this is so because people who exercise these characteristics are frequently offensive to their fellow brothers and sisters by tending to go off in their own direction in their drive to achieve their own will and goals. Unfortunately, often a great deal of self-pride accompanies the desire to lead others.
The goat-like disciple’s thinking and behavior is very different from that of the obedient disciple.
They have little sympathy for God’s way and remain indifferent to their brothers and sisters. Jesus spoke about this sort of indifference when he chastised the church in Laodicea:
Revelation 3:
15 I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot.
16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of My mouth.
If you continue reading the following verses, the Laodiceans were doing just fine according to their own judgment, but not according to the judgment of the Shepard, Christ.
Revelation 3:17-18
17 Because you say, ‘I’m rich; I have become wealthy and need nothing,’ and you don’t know that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked,
18 I advise you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire so that you may be rich, white clothes so that you may be dressed, and your shameful nakedness not be exposed, and ointment to spread on your eyes so that you may see
In reading the context of Jesus’ statements found at Matthew chapter 25, you will see that the goat-like disciples are condemned because of their sins of omission. They are condemned for what they didn’t do.
Matthew 25:41-46:
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Away from me, you that are under God’s curse! Away to the eternal fire which has been prepared for the Devil and his angels!
42 I was hungry, but you would not feed me, thirsty but you would not give me a drink;
43 I was a stranger, but you would not welcome me in your homes, naked but you would not clothe me; I was sick and in prison, but you would not take care of me.’
44 Then they will answer him, ‘When, Lord, did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and we would not help you?’
45 The King will reply, ‘I tell you, whenever you refused to help one of these least important ones, you refused to help me.’
46 These, then, will be sent off to eternal punishment, but the righteous will go to eternal life.”
There are sins of commission which are things we do: and there are sins of omission….sins of failing to act and do what is right in God’s eyes.
Why did Jesus label such people as goats? What characteristics possessed by a goat caused Jesus to use them in such a negative light?
Goats are ‘capricious’. Here are some synonyms for that term:
Goats are impulsive and unpredictable, devious and contrary. When they are not poking their heads through fences, they may be standing on their hind legs, stretching for those tender leaves just out of reach. Goats are never content with what they have.
They are clever in opening gates and squirming through small gaps because they hate to be limited and confined. While a fence will usually handle sheep, cattle, and horses; it will not hold goats. They will work tirelessly to spring themselves from any situation they deem inhibiting.
Consequently, goats are not very good followers. Sheep are ‘gregarious’ in their behavior. This word describes the nature of a flock or herd and is an instinct which is found strongly in sheep, cattle, and horses. Again, this quality is rather weak in goats; they prefer leading or going off on their own.
Goats may have some admirable qualities such as intelligence, sensitivity, playfulness, they are quick to respond to individual attention and affection. While all of that sounds good, they also so have many negative bad traits that will not allow them to be good followers.
Goats possess a stubborn streak. If you attempt to move a goat in a certain direction, say by grabbing its horns or by pushing and tugging, a goat will resist you. While Christ doesn’t force anyone, a goat-like disciple is rarely moved even if force is applied.
Goats are not very good followers; nor are many ‘professed’ Christian disciples of Christ. That is why Jesus compared his disobedient, self-willed followers to goats. Goats seem to want to forge their own way almost as if they are saying, “I don’t need the shepherd! I will do it all by myself”.
What would we call a Christian who is unpredictable? A goat! Or one who thinks he is above it all? A goat! Or one who independently does his own thing? A goat! What would we call a Christian who wants to take over, has trouble functioning in a group, and does not want to be led? A goat!
In contrast, sheep tend to be more cooperative and inclined to stay with the herd while goats tend to be more independent. Sheep tend to be dependent on the shepherd and more inclined to stay with him and near him.
Christ is separating the “sheep” from the “goats” now.
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