Dr. Lorraine Day’s Online Answers to Spiritual Questions
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39. Q. I cannot locate your teaching on the Transfiguration of our Lord, Matt 17, Mark 9:2 and other references, where Moses was Identified as talking to Jesus. At a prior time, Moses died and was buried, Deut 33:5. Since we know that death is a “sleep” and the dead know nothing, Eccl 9:5,10, how was it possible for Moses to be seen talking to Jesus?
I would appreciate help in understanding this passage since I have trouble with the thought that Jesus would be seen with a Satanic imposter.
A. Moses had obviously been resurrected at some later time by the Lord after he died and was buried by the Lord.
The passage describing this is in Jude, verse 9, where Michael the archangel (who is God/Jesus in angel form - just as Jesus is God in human form), was disputing with Satan over the body of Moses. Obviously Satan was disputing Christ's plan to resurrect Moses because Satan was pointing out how Moses had sinned. But obviously, "Michael" (Jesus) DID resurrect Moses (who had, before his death, confessed his sin and been forgiven) because we see Moses on the Mount of Transfiguration.
You are correct that death is a “sleep” in which the person’s body is in the grave and he knows nothing. There are at least 25 texts that say, "When you're dead, you're dead." You're not "alive" wafting around in spirit form. You are dead in the grave until the resurrection, either the first resurrection for the righteous, or the second resurrection for the (as yet) unsaved. Please see my Bible study entitled, “What Happens When We Die?” http://www.goodnewsaboutgod.com/studies/whenwedie.htm
It is very dangerous to try to build a doctrine on ONE text - and yet the "church" does it ALL the time.
38. Q. In Psalm 121:1, the Bible says “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help.” Weren’t the “hills” the places of pagan worship in ancient Israel? What does this mean?
A. God repeatedly told the kings of Israel and Judah to tear down the “high places” – the groves on high hills where the Israelites had built alters to pagan gods. Over eighty-five times in the Old Testament, God spoke of His abhorrence of this pagan ritual practiced by the wayward Israelites. Below are just three of the numerous texts in which God revealed His displeasure against Israel’s sin of pagan idolatry.
“And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcasses of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you.” Lev 26:30
“Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places.” Numbers 33:52
‘And there they burnt incense in all the high places, as [did] the heathen whom the LORD carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the LORD to anger.” 2 Kings 17:11
Would the author of Psalms believe that “his help” would come from the “hills” where the Israelites built alters to pagan gods, places that God abhorred? It seems highly unlikely.
Then what does this text mean?
Let’s look at the passage again, adding the second verse from the King James Version:
“ I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
“My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1,2
We know that the Bible was originally written without verses, or even punctuation – no periods and no question marks.
This passage sounds much more like a question followed by its author’s own answer, as in the following:
“Will I lift up mine eyes unto the hills? From whence cometh my help?
“My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.”
It is interesting that even in the Hebrew/English Interlinear Bible, a question mark has been placed after the word help in the second phrase. And that would be correct.
The author of this text in Psalms is challenging the idolatrous custom of looking to the “hills” for help from pagan gods. He is stating that he will not do that because his help comes from the Lord.
Again, the translators have apparently missed the essence of the truth of the Word of God. By their erroneous translation, either purposely or inadvertently, the Bible translators have endorsed pagan worship.
37. Q. Are We Justified by Faith – or Works?
A. “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified. . .” James 2:25
One of the main premises of the Protestant Reformation is that we are justified by faith – not by works – yet James 2:25 tells us that “by works a man is justified. . .”
Every Christian claims to “believe.” But what does that really mean? What does he or she believe?
Christians believe that Jesus died for their sins so “we don’t have to die” – but, in spiritual terms, they don’t believe much else. If one truly believes, his actions will correspond to that belief.
If a person says that he believes God’s promise to “heal all our diseases” Psalm 103:3) IF we “follow His laws, commandments, and decrees” yet goes to the doctor for his healing, he is clearly demonstrating that he does NOT believe God’s promise of healing.
If a person believes God’s promise that He will be with us through trouble, yet that person decides to participate in self-defense with the potential of killing or maiming another individual, that person does NOT believe.
If a person worries himself sick over finances when things are beyond his control, he is not believing in – or trusting – God, because God promises to “supply all our needs.”
The Greek word pistis (#4102 in Strong’s Concordance) is translated faith, belief and trust, by the decision of the translators. They are all the same word in the Greek.
“Faith without works is dead.” James 2:17
Faith without the actions that correspond to that faith, is useless. A Christian can claim he has faith, but if his actions do not correspond to that faith, he is deluding himself. He may call himself a believer, but he does NOT believe.
36. Q. When the Bible says, “All Israel Shall be Saved” Romans 11:26, does that mean that all Jews will be saved, just because they’re Jews?
A. ALL Israel shall be saved! That is true!
But WHO is “Israel”?
As we have studied, “Israel” is the Spiritual name given to Jacob, after Jacob gave up his life of deceit and fraud and finally became upright and God-fearing. He became “one” with God and man. He learned to know God and live a righteous life, so God changed His name to “Israel” which means “prince of God” or “at one with God and man.”
The offspring of Jacob, and those who worshiped the God of Jacob (who was now re-named “Israel”), also became known as “Israel” (the nation) or “Israelites.” But their genes did NOT change. They did not become a particular ethnicity. They did NOT become “Jews”! The name “Israel” is a Spiritual name. It denotes a change in the HEART – NOT a change in the “genes!”
“There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:” Romans 11:26
The “Deliverer out of Zion” is God in the form of Jesus Christ, Who, indeed, “took away the ungodliness from Jacob.”
The Bible says the following:
“Now in Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith NOT, And to seeds, as of many: but as of one, And to they seed, with is Christ. .
And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:16,29
Paul, the author of Galatians, is very clear that the “seed of Abraham” and thus the “seed of Abraham’s son and grandson, Isaac and Jacob, respectively, are those who are Spiritually “in Christ” – the true believers in Jesus Christ. This is the true “Israel” of the Bible.
So when the Bible says, “All Israel will be saved,” it is not speaking of today’s Jews. Far from it! The vast majority of Jews do NOT believe in Jesus Christ. The Bible is, in fact, speaking of “Israel” as the true followers Jesus Christ.
An appropriate translation of Romans 11:26 would be:
“All the true followers of Jesus Christ – will be saved.”
35. Q. Are Christians too Dumb to Understand the Bible? Must the Bible be Interpreted for Rank and File Christians - by the Leaders of the Church?
A. This Bible phrase is often used - out of context - by the organized church to support the teaching that Scripture must be interpreted by an organization, a committee, or a group of scholars, a “church” and its leaders – if you will. No individual, it is taught, can interpret the Scriptures for himself, with just the help of the Lord.
Obviously, this is a self-serving doctrine for the churches in which the pastors, theologians, and Bible scholars have put themselves in the “driver’s seat” and the individual church member must go to the “leaders” for their knowledge and interpretation of the truths of the Bible.
But this text is erroneously translated in the King James version and just about every other version of the Bible.
Following is the literal translation of this passage from the original Greek as found in the Interlinear Bible.
“And we have the more established prophetic word, in which you do well to take heed (as to a lamp shining in a dingy place, until the day dawns and the morning star should be rising) in your hearts;
“Knowing this first, that every prophecy of Scripture did not come into being of its own interpretation;
“For not by the will of man was prophecy carried on at any time, but, holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit (God’s breath of holiness).” 2 Peter 1:19-21
This passage tells us plainly that prophecy is from God – and not from man - as God’s spirit moved on the hearts of the Bible writers.
This passage is not discussing the assumed need for supposedly educated and erudite “leaders” of the organized church to explain the meaning of the Bible to the “unwashed herd” of rank and file Christians.
On the contrary, the point of the passage is that prophecy – and the whole Bible - is from God – NOT man – and God moved by His spirit on the hearts of holy men to whom God spoke, to write the various books of the Bible.
In fact, the Bible clearly states that God/Jesus Christ is our Teacher.
"These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. But the anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in Him." 1 John 2:26,27
"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, without finding fault; and it shall be given him." John 1:5
In ways such as this, the organized church becomes a major hindrance to a member finding God because the church demands that everyone think like the church leaders think, and believe what the church leaders believe. This discourages independent study and independent thinking, and the “church” ends up being dumbed-down, the same thing that is happening in the schools.
The Bible says, “Study to show thyself approved unto God. . .” 2 Timothy 2:15
It is diligent, daily Bible study and prayer, alone in our room – just us and God – that puts us in a position to know God, up close and personal.
34. Q. “Baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.” Matt 28:19 Doesn’t that text prove that the Holy Ghost is an actual “Being”?
A. Here is the complete text:
“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” Matt 28:19
First of all, the word mistranslated Ghost, is the Greek word pneuma, which means breath. It does not mean Ghost and not Spirit. Our English word, pneumonia, arises from the Greek root word pneuma. And, of course, pneumonia is a disease of the lungs that is obviously associated with the breath.
When Jesus gave the disciples this command in Matt 28:19 to “teach all nations” what was the message? The word “name” in the Bible means character. The converts were to be baptized into the “character” of the Father, the Son and God’s breath of holiness.
God is invisible. (1 Tim 1:17) Jesus (which means Savior) is the visible form (image) of God. (Col 1:15) Jesus and God are the same person, just in different forms. One form we can see, the other we can’t. And God’s breath of holiness is the way Jesus transforms our character to be like His.
God breathed physical breath into Adam’s nostrils to bring him alive physically, and God breathes spiritual breath into humanity (God’s breath of holiness) to bring us alive spiritually.
When one is baptized into the character (“name”) of the Father, the Son and God’s breath of holiness, that is the entire Plan of Salvation – the entire gospel - in its briefest form. (1) God created us, (2) Jesus saves us (3) by breathing into us His character and disposition – His breath of life, His Breath of Holiness.
In no way does this text suggest that the “Holy Ghost” is a person.
For more information see, “What or Who is the Holy Spirit?” at http://www.goodnewsaboutgod.com/studies/theholyspirit2.htm
33. Q. In Matthew 18:18, the Bible says, “Whatsoever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven.” Doesn’t that mean that human beings, like priests and ministers, can forgive sins, and then God will confirm that “forgiveness”?
A. This is the text often used by the Catholic hierarchy as proof that human being such as, Popes, Bishops and priests, and sometimes even ministers, have the authority to forgive sins. As translated in the King James Version and most other translations of the Bible, it states that we human beings can tell God what to do.
Here is the way the King James Version reads:
“Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever he shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Matt 18:18
If we bind it on earth, then God must bind it in heaven, or so the mistranslation reads. This puts “man” in the driver’s seat, instead of God. This translation says that we can tell God what to do. Obviously, there’s something drastically wrong here. And what is wrong is the translation from the original Greek. This text should be translated as follow:“Verily I am saying to you, Whatsoever you should be binding on the earth shall be those things having been bound in the heavens, and whatsoever you should be loosing on the earth shall be those loosed in heaven.”
This accurate translation of the text from the original Greek Scriptures puts God back on His throne.
32. Q. Wasn’t the Old Covenant “done away with at the cross” so we don’t need to keep the Ten Commandments any more?
A. Most Christian denominations believe the Old Covenant – the Law (the Ten Commandments) – was “done away with” at the cross, and that Christians don’t need to keep the Commandments anymore because “We are under grace, and not under the law.”
Yet, Christians believe that NINE of the Commandments should be kept. Which one has been dropped? The Fourth Commandment,
“Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work, but the Seventh Day (Saturday) is the Sabbath of the Lord they God. In it thou shalt not do any work; thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservent, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger (including unbelievers) that is within thy gates.
“For in six days, the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea and all that in them is (God is our Creator therefore He has the authority to command worship), and rested on the Seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and made it holy.” Exodus 20:8-11
To begin with, what God has made holy, man has no authority to change. God has declared the Seventh day – Saturday – holy, a day that we are told to worship Him. No man-made authority can change this.
In addition, God explains the difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant in Hebrews 8:8-10
“Behold the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a New Covenant with the house of Israel and with the House of Judah (the true believers):
“Not according to the Covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the Land of Egypt (that Old Covenant was the Ten Commandments written by God with His own finger in stone, because the Israelites would not allow God to speak to them directly and put His character and disposition in their heart); because they continued NOT in My Covenant (they couldn’t keep the Ten Commandments under their own power), and I disregarded them, saith the Lord.
“For this is the (New) Covenant that I will make with the house of Israel (the true believers) after those days, saith the Lord; I will put My laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts; (I will change their heart, they will become a new creation in Christ and thus will be able to keep the Ten Commandments) and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a people.” Hebrews 8:8-10
The Old Covenant was the Ten Commandments written on stone by God at Mt Sinai AFTER the people refused to allow God to speak to them directly and change their hearts.
“And they said unto Moses, You speak with us, and we will listen; but don’t let God speak with us, lest we die.” Exodus 20:19
The Israelites were afraid of God because they didn’t know Him. They wanted a human intermediary – Moses – to speak with God, then Moses would speak with them. But because they refused to let God lead their life directly, God had to write the Ten Commandments on stone, rather than in their hearts (by changing their nature to be like His) and they had no power to keep them.
That was the Old Covenant – the Ten Commandments on Stone – a situation where the believer has no power to keep them.
The New Covenant is the same Ten Commandments, but now written by God on our hearts, so we have the power to keep them, because Jesus Christ is now running our life.
The Ten Commandments were NOT done away with at the Cross. Jesus said,
“I came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill it.” Matt 5:17
Jesus showed humanity how to keep the law. His life was a perfect example of the keeping of every commandment. He was the “walking, talking, Ten Commandments, and thus showed us, also, how to “fulfill the law.”
31. Q. I hear Christians often saying “Occupy till I come” meaning that we must “Take America back for God” because God wants us to “occupy” this country until He comes back. Is that what that verse really means?
A. Many Christians, particularly evangelical Christians, quote the last four words of Luke 19:13, to support their belief that God wants them to do everything possible politically to “take America back.” Those four words, “Occupy till I come” is their Battle Cry, believing that America can be changed by more legislation.
Christians, who obviously claim to be followers of Jesus Christ, have forgotten that when Jesus was on earth He never tried to change the political laws. He never met with the political leaders or the religious leaders, except when they came inquiring of Him. Most of His time was spent in Galilee, with the common people “who heard Him gladly” rather than with the Pharisees and scribes in Jerusalem who wanted to kill Him.
Jesus came to change hearts – not laws.
The superficial “scholarship” – if it can even be called “scholarship” - that reaches the conclusion of those who use this slogan, is truly appalling. One wonders if they have even read the passage from which this phrase was taken.
The first problem is that the word “occupy” is an incorrect translation of the Greek word pragmateuomai (#4231 in Strong’s Concordance) that means, “Trade (or “go into business”) until I return.”
The second problem is that the context in which these words were spoken has nothing whatsoever to do with political or legislative matters. Jesus was telling the parable of the Ten Talents beginning in Luke 19:11.
“And as they heard these things, He (Jesus) added and spake a parable, because He was near to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear.
“He said, therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.
“And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten talents, and said unto them, Go into business (mistranslated “occupy”) until I come back.”
“But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.
“And it came to pass, that when he returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.” Luke 19:11-15
This time the same Greek word (now a combination of #4231 and #1223), has been translated correctly as trading, or doing business.
Then Jesus continues the story revealing that the first servant had gained ten talents above what he was given, the second had gained five talents, and the third had gained nothing, because he had wrapped the money in a handkerchief and had not increased his treasure at all. The third man added,
“I feared thee, because you are a severe man: you collect what you did not deposit and reap what you did not sow.” Luke 19:21
The nobleman was angry and asked the third man why he didn’t at least put the money in a bank so he could get interest. The nobleman then ordered that the one talent given to the third man be taken from him and given to the one with ten talents. Then Jesus continued with the parable:
“For I say unto you, that unto every one which hath shall be given (more); and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken from him.” Luke 19:26
A similar parable told by Jesus is recorded in Matthew 25:14-30. In the Matthew version, the word “occupy” is not even used. It is obvious in this Matthew version that the nobleman wanted the servants to increase their talents by trading them in business.
It is clear that there is no suggestion whatsoever that Jesus is telling present-day Christians to “Take back America” or any other country, for God, particularly when the English word “occupy” is a mistranslation of the Greek word for trading or doing business.
Many Christian pastors interpret this parable to mean that God wants us to use our own abilities, our talents (our “spiritual” gifts?) to work for Him. But that is a “sense knowledge” interpretation.
One reason for our life on earth is for God to take us from the physical (literal) to the spiritual. What is the spiritual interpretation of this parable?
In 2 Thessalonians, Paul tells us what will happen if we reject truth. If we reject truth, we will lose even the truth we once knew.
“And with all unrighteous deception among them that perish: because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved,
“And for this cause God shall send them a strong delusion, that they should believe a lie,
“That they all might be condemned who did not believe the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 2 Thess 2:10-12
If we reject the new truth that is brought to us from the diligent Bible study we should be doing, eventually we will lose even the truth we once knew. Paul says something very similar in Romans, Chapter 1.
You can see this amazing deterioration occurring right now in the Christian churches, rock bands, speaking in tongues, lack of reverence for God among the young and middle-aged alike, compared to the reverence observed in the churches fifty years ago.
“Because that when they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, neither were they thankful: but became futile in their thoughts and their foolish heart was darkened.
“Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.
“And they changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and (then) to birds, and (then) to four-footed beasts, and (then) to creeping things.” Romans 1:21-23
As those who call themselves Christians today do not glorify God as God with the submission and reverence that He deserves, they begin the slippery slide to abject apostasy. They start worshiping humanity (secular humanism and the New Age philosophy that we can become our own “god”), then as they sink deeper into darkness, they worship the things of nature (birds and beasts) as the church now celebrates “Earth Day” and worships the creation rather than the Creator.
And finally they will worship “creeping things” such as scarabs (beetles) and other bugs, considered to be divine by the pagan Egyptians thousands of years ago.
When they sunk so low,
“God gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves,
“Who exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and serve the creature (creation) rather than the Creator, who is blessed for the eons: Amen. Romans 1:24,25
What is the result? Lesbianism and male homosexuality.
“For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did exchange the natural use for that which is against nature.
“And likewise also the males, leaving the natural use of the female, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men, working that which is shameful, and receiving in themselves (in their body and mind) the recompense (penalty) of their error which was due.” Romans 1:26,27
They “received in themselves” the recompense of their error, meaning they reap what they sow, which includes AIDS, gay bowel syndrome, syphilis and other venereal diseases, a high rate of suicide, and sad, dysfunctional lives.
Paul continues:
“And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting.
“Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; whisperers (gossipers)
“Backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
“Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, unforgiving, unmerciful
“Who knowing the righteous judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.” Romans 1:28-32
This is the life that results from rejecting God and His word. Rather than devouring God’s word and “studying to show ourselves approved unto God” America and the world are rejecting Jesus Christ. Both the U.K. and the U.S. are considered to be pagan countries. The people have become their own “gods.”
They, like the servants in the parable of the talents, have said about Jesus Christ,
“We will not have this man to reign over us.” Luke 19:14
30. Q. What did Jesus mean when He said to Peter, "On this Rock I will build My church." Mathew 16:18
A. The Catholic church claims that Peter, the disciple, was the first Pope, and was given the authority by Jesus to found what they refer to as the “true” church, based on the following Bible passage:
“He (Jesus) saith unto them (His disciples), But whom do you say that I am?
And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father which is in heaven.
“And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter (petros = a stone), and upon this rock (petra = a large rock) I will build my ecclesia (mistranslated church) and the gates of the unseen (the grave – NOT “hell”) shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:15-19
The Word “Church” is NOT in the Bible
Let us first dispense with one issue. The word “church” does not appear in the Bible – even in the New Testament! The word consistently mistranslated as “church” in Greek is ecclesia. It does not mean “church.” It means the “Called ones” or the “Called-out ones.” It has essentially the same meaning as the “Chosen people” in the Old Testament and the “Elect” in the New Testament.
King James ordered the translators to improperly translate the word ecclesia as “church” for political reasons. The word ecclesia has no hierarchical implications. It just means “believers” with no suggestion of buildings, memberships, leaders or any organizational structure.
Next, the word Peter means Stone (even a rolling stone) – not Rock. Jesus is the Rock.
During the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt through the wilderness, they were accompanied by Jesus, as it states in 1 Corinthians 10:4,
“And they did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.”
But even more than Christ being the Rock – the foundation of His ecclesia, His followers - Christ would build His ecclesia on a specific principle – the principle that God would teach us directly.
After Peter declared that Jesus was “the Christ, the Son of the Living God,” Jesus said to Peter:
“. . . flesh and blood hath not revealed this to thee, but My Father which is in heaven. . . and upon this Rock (this Principle – the Principle that God – not man – will teach us directly) I will build My ecclesia.” Mathew 16:17
Jesus was proclaiming that His true followers would be taught directly by God – NOT by man – “flesh and blood.”
What is God's chosen method for imparting truth? Who is our Teacher?
God's plan at Mt. Sinai was that everyone personally hear the voice of God. The people's plan required God to initiate a complicated system of laws, rituals, and a human priesthood.
"These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. But the anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in Him." 1 John 2:26,27
"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, without finding fault; and it shall be given him." James 1;5
"And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams." Acts 2:17
God desired to speak to the people directly. See Ex:19:9
But the people were afraid for God to speak to them. Ex 20:18-21
Having rejected direct communion with God the people remained at a distance and looked for a human intermediary to impart moral direction. But the introduction of a human system to bring about the proper spiritual condition was useless to prevent sinning.
The Creator had offered to every member of the Israelite community the moral benefits of personal communion with God. But this invaluable blessing was rejected by the congregation. In order to preserve some contact with Divinity, the Lord instituted the Levitical priesthood. This priesthood was abolished as ineffective after Christ, through His death, resurrection and ascension, re-established direct teaching through the Holy Spirit.
Where did the people turn when Moses was gone for so long? Ex. 32:1 (Back to the Egyptian pattern of leadership.)
Individuals and groups demonstrate their rejection of direct communion with God by trusting humanity to authenticate truth. Read the tragic story in Exodus, chapter 32. The molding of the "Golden Calf" represents man's efforts to fulfill his responsibilities to God through commitment to a human structure.
Let the Lord summarize for Himself the flaw in the old covenant. In the book of Hebrews, the question is posed:
"For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second." And what is the second or new covenant? Is it abolishing the first covenant (the law)? No, it is putting the law into the hearts and minds of the people. Hebrews 8:7
"I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts." Hebrews 8:10
The people did not want to be challenged by direct contact with God, but they feigned allegiance by agreeing to submit to a human leader. But the Lord recognized that their words did not reflect the condition of their hearts. They were a people who drew near with their lips while in spirit they remained at a distance. See Deut 5:25,27-29.
The plan of the people rejected the Divine concept of direct teaching. The people opted instead to place their trust in a human agency and to make that agency responsible for their enlightment. Because of this arrangement the people did not experience the fear of God, and ALL but two of them, Caleb and Joshua, failed to reach the promised land.
How did such a concept of a superior humanity originate? What series of human initiatives set in motion the theory that the congregation is a mob knowing nothing? Where was it first established that spiritual perception was an innately possessed quality of those appointed by human decree? Matt 21:23 "And when He was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto Him as He was teaching, and said, By what authority do you do these things? And who gave you this authority?"
It was the fallacious arrangement of the old covenant that led to Jesus being rejected as the Messiah. The Pharisees, "sitting in Moses' seat," directed the people to refuse the Light that had come down from heaven. The "leaven" of the Pharisees had distorted truth and made it error; yet the people still accepted their words as the very commands of God!
That same "old covenant" is practiced today, and there is no lack of those to covet "to sit in Moses' seat." People still commit their spiritual direction to human channels, and man-made authority is obeyed as the voice of God. In this age, human position and structure are honored as surely as the "Golden Calf." After bowing in respect to human councils, the people feel at liberty "to give themselves to revelry."
Conclusion:
The “Rock” on which God would build His ecclesia (His group of true followers) was Christ, and the Principle that Christ (NOT the “Organized Church”) would teach us directly.
29. Q. What is the definition of “Grace”? One of your studies I believe has a complete definition of "grace", which the minister of my church as "getting what we don't deserve." Which of your studies is that in?
A. The Bible study title is "What Does it Mean to be Saved by Grace?" It's in the Monthly Home Bible study section on my website at www.goodnewsaboutgod.com
What "Grace" actually means is that GOD does EVERYTHING to save us. We do NOTHING. A lot of people define "Grace" as "Unmerited favor" but they completely misinterpret the issue at hand.
They think that all we have to do is say that little insipid paragraph and somehow we're “saved.” They have no idea that Jesus is going to CRUSH us with trials and temptations to make us "broken bread" and "poured out wine" (crushed grapes) to make us completely over - into a NEW Creation in Christ.
Just like the Potter and the Clay story in Jeremiah 18:
The Potter is making a vessel out of clay on the wheel. (The clay represents humanity - we are made from clay - soil. How much "FREE WILL" does "clay" have?) The vessel was marred IN the hand of the Potter! The Potter then CRUSHES the vessel (with trials and tribulations) and makes it NEW – perfect. But the vessel NEVER leaves the Potter's hand.
Then God says:
"O house of Israel (those who are true believers in Jesus Christ), cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord, Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel!" Jeremiah 18:6
God does it ALL. He is in charge of everything - including all our thoughts and all our circumstances. ALL is of God. If our salvation were left to us - to "make the right choice" NONE of us would be saved, because the Bible says,
"There are NONE righteous, NO NOT ONE." (Romans 3:10), and
"There are NONE that seek after God." (Romans 3:11)
In order for us to be saved, we must understand our need for God to run our life – completely. The ONLY way that can happen is for us to have trials and tribulations.
Then God puts in our hearts the desire to turn to Him. As Jesus said,
“No man can come to Me unless the Father DRAWS Him.” John 6:44
28. Q. Worshiping God “in spirit and in truth.” How do you respond to members of the "contemporary" church that is sweeping the country about what it means for Jesus' TRUE worshippers to worship Him “in spirit and in truth. “
A. The actual word is "breath" - NOT Spirit. The translation "Holy Spirit" is incorrect. The true translation is God's Breath of Holiness. The "Holy Spirit" is NOT a "person" - a Ghost separate from God.
God breathed PHYSICAL "breath" into Adam's nostrils which gave Adam (and all the rest of us) PHYSICAL LIFE (the word psuche in the Greek).
And God breathes SPIRITUAL "breath" (His breath of holiness) into us (when we diligently pray and study His word with Spiritual understanding) that gives us SPIRITUAL LIFE - Eonian life - the life of Christ in us (the word zoe in the Greek)
BOTH psuche and zoe are translated "life" in English and no distinction is made between the two words. But they mean very different things - a distinction that the translators totally missed because they, themselves, did not understand Spiritual things.
"The natural man (the unspiritual man - the literal word in Greek here is "soulish" - one who only understands with his five senses) does NOT understand the things of the Spirit (Spiritual things). They are foolishness to him. Neither can he know them, because Spiritual things are (ONLY) Spiritually understood." 1 Corinthians 2:14
After Jesus' resurrection when He was meeting with His followers, the Bible says,
"He breathed on them and said, Receive the Holy Ghost." John 20:22
(the word is NEVER "Ghost" - it is always "breath") The ONLY time the actual word "ghost" is used in the Bible is when the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water and the Bible says they thought they were seeing a "ghost.” That word is phantasma in the Greek, a totally different word from "breath" – which is routinely mistranslated as Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost.)
That is an incorrect translation. It should be (and very logically):
"And when He had said this, He breathed on them and saith unto them, Receive ye the BREATH."
We are kept alive physically by breathing physical breath continuously - and the breath, the oxygen, must be delivered to EVERY cell in our body. God is telling us that the ONLY way we can "stay alive" spiritually, is to breathe in "spiritual" breath continuously. It must invade our entire body - just like physical breath.
We eat PHYSICAL food every day in order to sustain PHYSICAL life. And we must eat SPIRITUAL food (we must devour God's Word every day) in order to sustain SPIRITUAL Life.
Remember, one absolute rule of biblical interpretation is that the FIRST is ALWAYS physical and the SECOND is ALWAYS Spiritual (1 Cor 15:44-49 and John, Chapter 3)
This concept (of the “Holy Spirit”) has been SO distorted in the Bible (and has become so seemingly complex BECAUSE of "man's" distortions - for the very reason that your friends are so misled - so they can have an "exciting" "spirit-filled" (as they call it) STUPID and inane "experience" - rolling around on the floor and participating in ridiculous and Satanic "holy laughter" like imbeciles - rather than spending time calmly studying and devouring God's Word in diligent Bible study and prayer.
When the demoniacs came to Jesus, they were rolling around on the ground and exhibiting total insanity BECAUSE they were demon possessed (like the people in the "church" who are being "led by the Spirit"). But when Jesus healed them, they were of sound mind and body, sitting calmly, understanding what He was saying. Their demons were GONE.
So, when people act like the demoniacs, they are actually filled with SATAN - NOT God.
27. Q. Did God “love” or “rebuke” David because he shed so much blood? I came across a passage in I or II Chronicles where God rebukes David for having murdered/having been a "warrior" & won't let him see the Ark or something. I've never heard that taught but actually the contrary, about what a "man's man" David was because he killed so many "evil" men. This is a great passage to demonstrate your study that God is not a "killer" God.
A. God told David he could NOT build the temple because he was "a man of blood." It was left for David's son Solomon to build. David helped collect some of the materials, but he was NOT allowed to build it.
But even MORE than that - The Ten Commandments say,
"Thou shalt NOT kill." Exodus 20:13
Is individual killing wrong? But “Corporate killing” is O.K.? In other words, if you kill ONE person, you can go to the electric chair. But if an Army kills hundreds of thousands, or millions of people, each soldier – who is really a murderer - becomes a HERO?
I guess when the Corporation (the U.S. Government) orders one to kill – somehow it’s O.K. with God???
"The wisdom of man (this world) is foolishness with God." 1 Corinthians 3:19
Also, I'm still struggling with the whole self defense & nation vs nation issue. The USA was founded to avoid tyranny,
So - - - to "avoid tyranny" we DESTROY our enemies. Right?
We make the world "safe for democracy" by KILLING the people in the country that is not Democratic.
Our government "saved" the children at Waco from (false charges) of child abuse, by BURNING THEM TO DEATH!
We're a "really great" country! - - - "Christian" to the core! Right?
“Christians” have taken the name of Christ – but seem to have forgotten that He says, “Thou shalt NOT kill.”
Here is the REAL POINT that God is trying to teach us. When human beings are allowed to control other human beings, they can't handle the power and they ALL go BAD!
God is trying to show humanity that man is unable to govern himself or others.
When Jesus' disciples wanted to set up a Hierarchy (an "organized church") and wanted to be the GREATEST in His kingdom, Jesus said to them,
“Ye know that the princes of the Unbelievers (pagans, heathen, mistranslated “Gentiles”) lord it over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.
“But it shall NOT be so among you (who are believers in Christ): but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your servant.” Matthew 21:25,26
Jesus wanted NO “Organized Church” – that is for the pagans. JESUS is our Leader. HE is our Teacher. HE is the ONLY One who has the right to “lord it over us” – NOT ministers, pastors, or theologians.
What is your stance on attackers on this country?
My stance is to do what Jesus did when He was attacked - NOT destroy the attackers.
Jesus said,
"LOVE your enemies, do GOOD to them that hate you, PRAY for those who despitefully use you." Matthew 5:44
If our country gets attacked, God can protect those who are obedient to Him. But even if God allows us to die, we must still stand for Him and stand for Truth.
What did Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego say about NOT bowing down to the image of Nebuchadnezzar when he threatened to (and DID) throw them in the fiery furnace?
"Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
“But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will NOT serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” Daniel 3:17,18
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego said, “Our God CAN deliver us. But even if He doesn't, we will NOT bow down."
26. Q. Speaking in tongues. What is your interpretation of the passage that says something about "your old men will see visions; your young men and women will dream dreams"? I have charismatic friends who go wild with this and other passages like the first part of I Corinthians 13 where Paul says, "If I speak in the tongues of men AND of angels but have not love..," They run with that angels part and claim that to be a big part of their strange syllables and noises in "tongues." How does one respond to that?
A. Please see my Bible study on "Speaking in Tongues" on my website at www.goodnewsaboutgod.com I explain that in detail.
25. Q. Doesn’t the word “lost” in the Bible ever mean “destroyed”? I agree with the definition of destroy, as being “lost.” You didn’t seem to give an answer for how it was used when Herod was seeking to destroy the child, Jesus. We know he wanted Him dead. Is that word the wrong translation there, or is there something I’m missing? Could you please help me with this?
A. Here is the answer. Please bear with me as it takes a little “ground work” to get there.
Why did God say He “hated” Esau?
“Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? saith the Lord; yet I loved Jacob. And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the jackals of the wilderness.” Malachi 1:2,3
“As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.” Romans 9:13
The first very important truth we must understand is that God has told us: “I’m NOT like you.”
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than you ways, and My thoughts (higher) than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8,9
God is NOT like “man.
God does not “hate” like man “hates.”
God’s “wrath” is nothing like man’s wrath.
God does not love as man loves.
God’s ways are far above “man’s” ways.
God’s Wrath:
God’s wrath is nothing like human anger. God defines His wrath in the first Chapter of Romans;
“For the wrath of God is revealed, from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness;
“When they knew God they glorified Him not as God, neither were they thankful; but became vain (futile) in their thoughts, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools
And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image like to corruptible man . . Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their bodies between themselves,
Who exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature instead of the Creator, who is blessed for the eons. Amen.
For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections for even their women did exchange the natural use into that which is against nature;
And likewise as the males, leaving the natural use of the females, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men work that which is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;
Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness: whisperers.
Backbiters, haters of God, violet, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
Without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affections, unforgiving, unmerciful. . .” Romans 1:18, 21-31
God’s Wrath is nothing more than allowing us to do what we want to do – and reaping the consequences of our sinful deeds.
God does not Love as man loves:
You have heard it said, Thou shalt love they neighbor, and hate thine enemy, but I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. . .
For if you love them that love you, what reward have you? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? Matthew 5:43-46
Love thy neighbor as thyself. Matthew 22:39
If you love Me, keep My commandments. John 14:15
And this is My commandment, That you love one another, as I have loved you. John 15:12
But God commends His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:35, 38-39
“Man’s” love is selfish. We love those who love us back.
God’s love is unselfish. He loves the unlovable. He loves us even when we don’t love Him. NOTHING can separate us from the love of God.
“I’m not like you,” God says.
The story of Jacob and Esau.
Let’s look at the whole story of Rebecca giving birth to her twins, Jacob and Esau, by Isaac: (Romans, Chapter 9)
“When Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac:
(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand not of works, but of Him that calleth)
The children had not even been born when God chose Jacob over Esau. They had done nothing good or bad for God to have chosen Jacob over Esau. God did so to show that He does not operate the same way “man” operates.
In the world of the time, the oldest (Esau was born first) inherited the birthright. But God was going to show that Jacob (the younger) would get the birthright, although God did not intend that Jacob would get it by deception. Rebecca and Jacob deceived both Jacob’s brother Esau and their father, Isaac, because Rebecca and Jacob did not trust God to give the birthright to Jacob in GOD’S way. They chose to do God’s work their OWN way – which led to nothing but trouble for Jacob his whole life.
It was said unto her (Rebecca): The elder shall serve the younger.
As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
(God did not “hate” Esau the way human beings hate one another. He had chosen Jacob over Esau to prove that He can chose whomever He wants, and that He does not play by “man’s” rules. He had a lesson to teach everyone involved in this story – and all the rest who have read the story since that time -and in the end both Jacob and Esau were blessed by God.)
What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.
For He said to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
“Since I created humanity,” God says, “I own them and I can do with them as I please.” The Good News is that God always has the BEST interest of ALL His children at heart.
So then it is NOT of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that shows mercy.
It’s NOT a question of what we want (not of him that willeth), and it isn’t a question of what we do (nor of him that runneth) it’s up to GOD – ALONE!
For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might show My power in thee, and that My name might be declared throughout all the earth.
Therefore He has mercy on whom He will have mercy, and whom He will, He hardeneth.
God hardened Pharaoh’s heart.
“And the Lord said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might show these My signs before him.” Exodus 10:1
GOD hardened Pharaoh’s heart to show God’s great signs and wonders.
Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth He yet find fault? For who has resisted His will?
If God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, then how can God hold Pharaoh responsible for what he did, since no one can resist the will of God?
Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to Him that formed it, Why have you made me thus?
God does the same with us. As noted above, the Good News is that God has our BEST interests at heart at all times and
“He is the Savior of ALL mankind.” 1 Timothy 4:10
Has not the Potter power over the clay, to make of the same lump one vessel for honor, and another for dishonor.” Romans 9:10-21
When God said He “hated” Esau, He meant that – for a special purpose – He was temporarily choosing Jacob over Esau to prove a point – to prove that God is not bound by the rules of man.
God says, “I’m not like you.”
“My thoughts are higher than your thoughts, and my ways (higher than) your ways.” Isaiah 55:9
The word “Apollumi.”
Does it mean “lost – waiting to be found – or does it mean to be destroyed - annihilated?
The word Greek apollumi is correctly translated “lost” in the story of the lost sheep and the lost coin. The sheep was found alive, and the coin, even though found, never had life. It was an inanimate object.
So the Greek word apollumi cannot mean to deprive of life in these instances. Yet when the same word is used to describe the “wicked” the Bible translators use the word “destroy” – implying that the wicked will be annihilated.
The Lord preserveth all them that love Him: but all the wicked will He destroy.” Psalm 145:20
Thus, virtually ALL Christian churches teach that the wicked will burn in hell either forever – or as long as they deserve.
And what about the passage in Matthew, Chapter 2?
It states that Herod was seeking to destroy the child (Jesus). We know Herod wanted the child Jesus dead. Isn’t that the SAME Greek word apollumi? If so, then how can the word not mean to kill or be annihilated?
And when they (the wise men) were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshipped Him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto Him gifts: gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
And being warned of God in a dream that they, they departed into their own country another way.
And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and His mother, and fell into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy Him.
When he arose, he took the young child (Jesus) and His mother by night, and departed into Egypt. . .
Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceeding angry, and sent forth, and slew all the male children that were in Bethlehem and in all the districts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time he had diligently enquired of the wise men.
Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not. Matthew 2:11-18
Clearly Herod did want to kill the young child, Jesus, and while attempting to do so, killed many other innocent children. The Greek word used here is apollumi – the same word that is used for the sheep that was lost – NOT dead – and the coin that was lost – an inanimate object that NEVER had life.
So, isn’t it reasonable to assume that when the Bible uses the word apollumi in regard to the wicked that it means that God will annihilate the wicked just like Herod wanted to annihilate the child, Jesus, and, in fact, DID annihilate the other male children in Bethlehem?
But we are forgetting one important fact.
God says, “I’m NOT like you.”
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than you ways, and My thoughts (higher) than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8,9
The shepherd in the story of the lost sheep (the sheep who did NOT die) represents God. The woman with the lost coin (the object that never had life) represents God. The One who will “destroy” (apollumi) the wicked is God.
Herod, who wanted to “destroy” Jesus (the word is apollumi), was a human being – a man!
But God says, “I’m NOT like you. I am NOT like humanity.”
I will NOT execute the fierceness of mine anger, I will NOT turn back to destroy Ephraim, for I am GOD, and NOT man. Hosea 11:9
When God “destroys” – it is by fiery trials with a goal of making us a New Creature in Christ. It is NOT annihilation.
When “man” destroys – he annihilates (at least temporarily), because he is unable to “make ALL new” as Christ does.
That’s why God says,
“Vengeance is mine. I will repay.” (Romans 12:19)
Man’s “vengeance” annihilates – at least temporarily – until God ultimately resurrects the dead – whether in the first, or second, resurrection.
Only the Lord can inflict “vengeance” that will ultimately result in a “new creature in Christ” (2 Cor 5:17) through the “fiery trials” that we bring on ourselves by our wrong decisions, culminating in our reaping what we have sown.
Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you. 1 Peter 4:12
We glory in tribulations also, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance (patience); and perseverance (produces) character; and character (produces) expectation (mistranslated hope).
And expectation does not disappoint; because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by God’s breath of holiness which is given unto us. Romans 5:3-5
Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature (creation); old things are passed away, behold, ALL things are become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17
“Fiery trials” produce a mature and Godly character!
The word hope denotes uncertainty. The actual word in the original Scriptures is expectation (not hope) – which removes ALL uncertainty. What God has promised, we CAN expect to happen – without any doubt.
God refers to His law – the Ten Commandments – as His “fiery” law – because it will ultimately “burn” the sin out of our life.
And this is the blessing wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death.
And he said, The Lord came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them: He shined forth from mount Paran, and He came with ten thousands of saints: from His right hand went a fiery law for them. Deuteronomy 33:1,2
God’s fiery law burns the SIN out of our life, it does NOT burn up those who, as yet, do not know God.
When Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were thrown in the fiery furnace with their hands bound, the fire did not burn them. They didn’t even smell of smoke when they were removed from the fire.
Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury (because the three men would not bow down to his pagan image) and the expression on his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace seven times more than it was already heated.
And he commanded the mighty men of valour that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
Then these men were bound in their coats, and their legs, and their turbans, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
Therefore because the king’s commandment was severe and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that cast in Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
And these three men fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his advisors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.
He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of he fire, and they are not hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.
Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace, and spake and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth from the midst of the fire.
And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counselors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was even a hair of their head singed, neither were their garments affected, nor was the smell of fire on them. Daniel 3:29-27.
The only thing that the fire burned up were the ropes that bound them – the ropes that symbolized bondage to sin.
God’s fiery law burns the SIN out of our life. It does NOT burn us up.
God is the Potter; We are the clay.
The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,
Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear My words.
Then I went down to the potter’s house, and behold, he wrought a work on the (Potter’s) wheel.
And the vessel that he was making of clay was ruined in the hand of the potter: so he (the Potter) made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.
Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter: saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel. Jeremiah 18:1-6
Notice that the vessel was ruined while it was IN the potter’s hand. The potter then crushed it (by fiery trials) in order to make a new vessel.
But He (God) shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge (refine) them as gold and sliver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. Malachi 3:3
God sits as a Refiner, purging the sin out of our life through our fiery trials, which we must go through in order to be a righteous offering for the Lord.
God’s purging does not annihilate us, it purifies us from sin.
But throughout all the fiery trials, the vessel never left the Potter’s hand, because God makes this promise:
“I will NEVER leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5
We are not “destroyed” by “fire.” We are SAVED by fire! We are SAVED by going through fiery trials – which eventually develop in us a character like the character of Jesus Christ.
Every man’s work shall become evident; for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire (fiery trials); and the fire shall test every man’s work of what sort it is.
If any man’s work endures which he has built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: But he himself SHALL BE SAVED: yet so as through fire. 1 Corinthians 3:13-15
We are SAVED – NOT annihilated – through FIRE – God’s fiery trials!
When man destroys – his goal is to annihilate.
When God destroys – his ultimate purpose is to make a “new creature in Christ.”
“Behold, I make ALL new.” Rev. 21:5
From the Physical to the Spiritual
God is transforming us from the “physical” to the “spiritual.” That doesn’t mean we turn into an angel or a ghost. It means that He is bringing us to the place where we can interpret what is happening in our life and in the world from a spiritual – rather than a physical – view.
He is teaching us to see things from HIS point of view. Instead of only understanding the world and our lives through our five senses – sense knowledge - what we can see, hear, touch, taste and smell, God is teaching us to understand things through revelation knowledge – spiritually.
The natural (soulish) unconverted man or woman can only understand his life, the world, and the Bible, using the five senses. He or she cannot understand spiritual things. That is why so many religious denominations only understand the Bible – including Revelation – in sense knowledge terms – in literal terms.
The natural man receives NOT the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because spiritual things are spiritually discerned (understood). 1 Corinthians 2:14
In John, Chapter 3, when Nicodemus, a Pharisee – a leader of the “Organized Church” of the time, came to see Jesus (at night, because he didn’t want to be seen talking to Jesus), Jesus said to him:
Except a man be born from above he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Nicodemus said unto Jesus, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?
Nicodemus had no concept of Spiritual re-birth, something that cannot be seen with the five senses as a physical birth can. He could only understand physical things.
Jesus said to Nicodemus, Marvel not that I said unto you, You must be born again (born from above).
The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound thereof, but you cannot tell from when it comes, and whither it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit (has received God’s breath of holiness – inaccurately translated “Spirit” or “Holy Spirit”).
Jesus was pointing out to Nicodemus that the results of the wind can be seen, but not the wind itself.
When a baby is born physically, one can see it, hear it, touch it, etc. One can understand the birth using the five senses. Every human being can understand this.
But when one is born from above – Spiritually – the change in the heart that takes place cannot be seen or perceived with the five senses. It takes Spiritual perception to understand what is going on. It cannot be understood with the five senses; it can only be understood spiritually – by revelation knowledge – by God opening our minds and hearts to understand spiritual things.
Nicodemus answered and said unto Jesus, How can these things be?
Jesus answered and said unto him, Are you a Master of Israel, and you don’t know these things? John 3:3-10
Like the leaders of the “Organized Church” of today, Nicodemus – a leader of Israel - had no perception of spiritual things. He only understood with his five senses.
God wants to take us from understanding only by the five senses – man’s way – to understanding HIS way – the spiritual way – so we will have spiritual discernment.
When “man” destroys – he kills and annihilates – the sense knowledge way.
When God destroys – He “crushes” us through fiery trials in order to make us “new creatures in Christ” – Spiritually. We become “born from above.”
Man lives and acts through his five senses.
God works through the “heart” – spiritually.
When we learn to understand our lives and our world from God’s point of view, we will understand Spiritual things. This is the process of sanctification.
It can only come by daily fervent Bible study and prayer, alone with the Lord.
24. Q. Is Baptism an Unnecessary Ritual?
A. In the Great Commission, Jesus commanded us:
“Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples of) all nations, baptizing them. . .” Matthew 28:19
And Jesus, Himself, was baptized by John the Baptist.
“Thus cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.
“But John forbad Him, saying, I have need to be baptized of Thee, and comest Thou to me?
“And Jesus answering said unto him, Allow it to be so now; for this t is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. Then He allowed him.
“And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water. . .”Matthew 3:13-16
The Greek word baptism is baptizo (#907 – in Strong’s Concordance). It means to whelm or to cover wholly with a fluid. In other words, to immerse fully in the water.
The word baptism means to immerse fully in water. It does NOT mean “to sprinkle.”
When Jesus was baptized, He was immersed fully in the water, from which “He came out of.” (Matthew 3:16)
The Bible says nothing about “sprinkling” associated with Baptism. Most “Christian” churches have chosen to ignore the Great Commission of Jesus in Matthew 28:19 by doing God’s work our OWN way.
Jesus tells us to “baptize” – to fully immerse in water. Jesus, Himself, was baptized – fully immersed in water. But apparently that is too inconvenient for those in the “church” who have chosen to “sprinkle” for their own convenience. They have chosen to do it their way, rather than God’s way.
In addition, Jesus was 30 years old when He was baptized. He was considered a mature man, certainly old enough to understand why He was being baptized. The Bible does not endorse the baptism of a baby or anyone too young to understand the Plan of Salvation.
Infant baptism is a pagan ritual, embraced by the Catholic church, then carried on by the Protestants.
Parents can rightfully dedicate their children to God, to bring them up in the fear and admonition of the Lord, as did Mary and Joseph with Jesus in the temple soon after He was born.
The Parents are certainly old enough to know what they are doing. Infant dedication by the parents is very different from Infant Baptism.
Who can Baptize?
Many churches say that an ordained pastor, credentialed by the state government, must perform the baptism. But the Bible makes no such designation. John the Baptist had no government credentials, nor did the disciples, yet they baptized many in local rivers.
What does Baptism mean? Is it a ritual or a relationship?
Baptism is an individual’s public declaration that he or she has now chosen to follow Jesus Christ. It is a symbolic washing of the outside of one’s body. But it is the “fire” that cleanses the inside - the heart and mind.
“If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved: yet so as by fire. 1 Cor. 3:15
“Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. “ 1 Cor 3:13
“That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 1:7
Just as the earth was washed first with literal water during the flood, so it will be cleansed with fire right before Jesus comes.
“Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat.” 2 Peter 3:12
“But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” 2 Peter 3:7
Of what is Baptism a memorial?
Baptism – NOT Sunday-keeping - is the memorial of Christ’s death and resurrection.
“Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death?
“Therefore, we were buried with Him by baptism into death that just as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
“For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be united in the likeness of His resurrection.
“Knowing this, that our old man (of sin) is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed (rendered inoperative), that henceforth we should not be slaves of sin.” Romans 6:3-6
Easter is a pagan holiday – a festival to reproduction (bunnies and eggs) – a festival to nature (creation – the pagan god Gaia) rather than to God the Creator!
In addition, Jesus was NOT resurrected on Sunday. He was resurrected on His day – the Seventh day Sabbath – Saturday.
“For the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath Day.” Matthew 12:8
(Please see, “Was Jesus Really Resurrected on Sunday?”) at the website www.goodnewsaboutgod.com
Baptism in whose name?
“. . . baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.” Matthew 28:19
First, the word “Ghost” is always inaccurate when linked to “Holy.” The Greek word used here is pneuma (pneuma, as in pneumonia - #4151 – meaning breath). The Greek word for “ghost” is phantasma (#5326 in Strong’s Concordance).
“And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a ghost (phantasma); and they cried out for fear.” Matthew 14:26
Every time the word “Holy Spirit” is used in the Bible it is a mistranslation of the words “God’s breath of Holiness.”
God breathed physical breath into Adam and Adam became alive (a living soul, a living human being who had the five senses: sight, smell, touch, hearing, and taste).
“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul.” Genesis 2:7
God breathes physical breath into us to give us physical life.
God also breathes “spiritual” breath into us give us spiritual life.
After Jesus’ resurrection, He appeared to His disciples.
“Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things unto her.
“Then the same day at evening, being the Sabbath (sabbaton) in the Greek - NOT the “first day of the week”) when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and said unto them, “Peace be unto you.
“And when he had so said, He showed unto them His hands and His side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.
“Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you; as My Father has sent Me, even so send I you.
“And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said unto them, “Receive ye the Breath of Holiness” (NOT - “Receive ye the Holy Ghost.”) John 20:18-22
When Jesus Breathed on His disciples, they obviously “received” the “Breath. He did not breathe a “Ghost” on them! They received God’s Breath of Holiness.
Jesus gives us HIS life, by putting His “Breath of Holiness” in us – His character - so we can exhibit the life of Christ.
"I will put My Breath (not “spirit”) in you and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments and do them.” Ezekiel 36:27
We are told to baptize in the name (character) of the Father, the Son (God in human form – Jesus Christ – our Savior) and God’s Breath of Holiness, which is His life (His spiritual breath) manifested in our life.
Is it Necessary to be Baptized in order to be Saved?
No, it is not absolutely necessary. The Thief on the Cross who was being crucified with Jesus was saved (Luke 23:43), but because of obvious circumstances, he was unable to be baptized.
Baptism: Ritual or Relationship?
Infant baptism in any form, and sprinkling “baptism” of a child or an adult is nothing but a ritual and NOT endorsed by God’s word.
Baptism by immersion is commanded by Jesus Christ, and is a public confirmation by the individual of a beginning relationship with Him. It is part of a Relationship with the Lord.
23. Q. Isn’t Communion mandatory for a Christian? If one is not a member of an Organized Church, how does one participate in Communion?
A. Is Communion nothing more than a ritual? If not, how does it change one’s character to that of Christ’s?
Matthew version:
“While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to His disciples, saying, ‘Take and eat; this is my body.”
“Then He took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for (the) many for the forgiveness of sins.” Matthew 26:26-28
Luke version:
“And He took bred, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is My body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of Me.
“Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.” Luke 22:19,20
Analysis:
Please notice that “they were eating.” This was a regular meal of Jesus and His disciples. It was not a ritual. They were eating a meal of food to nourish their physical body, as one does every day.
What is it Jesus wants us to do “in remembrance of Him”? Drink a thimble full of grape juice and eat a cracker? Or devour His Word, the Bible - which He says is represented by His flesh and blood?
“And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” John 1:14
Which will help us become more like Christ?
Jesus was illustrating to His disciples – His friends - that a person need’s physical food to maintain physical life (Greek word psuche - #5590 in Strong’s Concordance), just as we need Spiritual food (diligent, personal, study of the Bible) to maintain Spiritual life (Greek word zoe - #2222 in Strong’s Concordance).
There are numerous times during Jesus’ ministry that He used physical food and drink to represent the need for Spiritual food and drink. In the following passage Jesus clearly states His message.
“Verily, Verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, hath eonian life (the life of Christ in us).
I am that bread of life.
Your fathers did eat manna (physical food) in the wilderness and died.
This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die (He will have eonian life – the life and character of Christ that will, eventually, allow him to live forever.)
I am the living (zoe – spiritual life) bread that came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for the eons: and the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life (zoe – spiritual life) of the world.
The Jews (literal: Judahites) therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, How can this man give us His flesh to eat? (They could only understand with their five senses – literally. They could NOT understand spiritual things.)
Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life (zoe – eonian life) in you.
Whoso eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, has eonian life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
He that eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, dwelleth in Me, and I in him.
As the living (eonian life) Father hath sent Me, and I live (eonian life) by the Father: so he that eateth Me, even he shall live (eonian life) through Me.
This (Jesus) is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live (zoe) to the eon (have eonian life.)
Many of His disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is a difficult saying: who can understand it?
It is the Spirit (breath) that makes alive (zoe): the (physical) flesh profiteth nothing: the WORDS that I speak unto you, they are spirit (breath) and they are (eonian) life (zoe).” John 6:47-63
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” John 1:1,14
Jesus is the “Word” – the Scriptures. The WORD was made “flesh” and we must “eat that flesh” as Spiritual food and “drink His blood” as Spiritual drink through daily study of His Word, diligently and fervently. That is the way Jesus speaks to us. That is the way Jesus changes us into His image. That is the way Jesus fills us with His life – eonian life – the life of Christ in us, so we can exhibit His character.
“But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory (little by little) even as by the Spirit (breath) of the Lord.” 2 Cor 3:18
By beholding Christ, we become changed – into His image!
When God breathes His (Spiritual) breath of holiness into us (mistranslated Holy Spirit) by our diligent study of His Word, He gives us eonian life (routinely mistranslated “eternal” life) – the life of Christ in us.
Conclusion on Communion:
It is nothing more than a ritual to eat a tiny cracker and drink a thimble-full of wine. It does nothing to change one’s character or make one closer to Jesus Christ. It is nothing but a ritual.
God became angry with Israel when they made the sacrificial system into nothing more than a ritual and had no understanding of what the system symbolized – the coming of Jesus, the Messiah, to die on the cross and “take away the sin of the world.”
Here is God’s response to Israel’s continuing sacrificial rituals – that had taken the place of obedience to God. This is what always happens when believers become obsessed with rituals – because rituals are much easier, and more convenient, than obeying God’s Word.
“Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the Lord hath spoken. I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against Me.
“The ox knows his owner, and the donkey his master’s trough: but Israel does not know, My people do not consider.
“Ah sinful nation, a people weighed down with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are turned backward. . .
“Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers. . .
“Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.
“Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.
“To what purpose is this multitude of your sacrifices unto Me? saith the Lord: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I do NOT delight in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.
“When you come to appear before Me, who has required this at your hand to trample My courts?
“Bring no more futile sacrifices: incense is an abomination to Me: the new moons and Sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot endure them: it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.
“Your new moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates: they are a trouble to Me: I am weary to bear them.
“And when you pray, I will hide My eyes from you: yes, when you make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of bloodshed.
“Wash yourselves, and make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes; cease to do evil;
“Learn to do well; seek justice, reprove the oppressor, defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.” Isaiah 1:2-17
It is clear that God wants obedience, NOT rituals – whether they were Old Testament sacrificial rituals that had become meaningless by their repetition – or whether they are New Testament rituals, such as Communion, something easy, that the people love, rather than the hard work of obeying God’s command to study (devour) the Scriptures fervently and diligently – and daily – alone with God!
Fermented wine?
“In addition, most churches serve fermented wine. Fermentation of anything always signifies sin. That is why during certain Feasts, the Israelites were told to put all leaven out of their houses. Leaven refers to yeast – the fermentation process – which, in the Bible, always symbolizes sin. They were to eat only unleavened bread.
So when a church uses fermented wine as a symbol of Christ’s blood, they are guilty of blasphemy. In essence, they are saying that Christ’s blood was sinful – that Jesus Christ was a sinner!
Only pure, unfermented grape juice (the fruit of the vine in its pure form) can represent the blood of Christ.
Unfortunately, the entire Christian church has embraced the physical interpretation of Communion – eating a cracker and a few drops of alcoholic wine - which certainly cannot make anyone holy. Yet the pastors and church members are totally oblivious to what Christ is trying to teach us – the Spiritual interpretation of Communion: to be committed to daily, in-depth, personal, diligent Bible study and prayer so Christ can put His Spiritual life in us.
22. Q. Destruction of Christianity and the demeaning of Christ. Thank you very much for all the information that you have made available to the public in regards to Health, political and spiritual truth. I visit your website www.goodnewsaboutgod.com a lot and also have directed friends to it in order for them to read about what is going on in the world!
There is a movie called Zeitgeist and the part I've seen (it was showed to me by my husband) is very disturbing!
Of course I do not believe it, but I feel especially upset that a friend of mine is possibly buying into it. Its accusation is that Jesus Christ is nothing more than a copycat of other Egyptian gods (that lived before him). They speak about one with almost identical similarities -- the god Horus. They were showing similarities of their lives. Some articles are even saying that Horus was crucified between two thieves. I have searched the internet in this subject and I see that others are claiming that Jesus’ story is a copy from pagan gods. I have found a few articles disputing that also.
It would be great if you can have information covering this subject on your website. Do you have any information or know a good, credible website that you can direct me to in order to show people that these claims are not true?
A. Let's first start out with some excellent quotes from some wise philosophers.
1. "It is impossible to warn a pleased person." (If they are happy the ways things are, they have no need of anything else - and are not interested.)
2. "A man convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still."
3. "Man prefers to believe what he prefers to be true."
And then, from the wisest "Man" who ever walked the earth - Jesus Christ.
"Do not cast your pearls before swine." Matthew 7:6
"And this is the condemnation, that a light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil." John 3:19
The Bible tells us that the vast majority of people – including “Christians,” will be led astray by deceptions in the latter days. In fact, Revelation 13 tells us that virtually the WHOLE WORLD will be deceived, except for a very few TRUE followers of Jesus Christ.
The reason a severe time of trouble is coming - and is almost here - is that it will force people to make a decision either FOR Christ, or AGAINST Him. The coming One World Government will take everything away from the people – around the world - including jobs, food, water, and shelter, unless they deny Christ.
But in order for the majority of people, including Christians, to feel their need for Jesus Christ and to know truth, they must hit “rock bottom.” Christians today THINK they have a relationship with Jesus, but they really have a relationship with their "Church" – and that will NOT help them when the crisis hits! When it comes to really trusting Jesus, they will fall like a row of dominoes.
Look at what they do when they get sick - they rush to "man" - the doctors. They pray to God to lead them to the "right doctor,” when it is JESUS Who has made the Promise of healing (Psalm 103:3). And the ONLY One who can fulfill a promise is the One who made it.
Jesus heals ALL our diseases (Psalm 103:3) but ONLY if we follow HIS ways (Deut 7:11-15) and NOT "man's" (the doctors') ways.
The Bible says that when man rejects truth, God will bring on him a Strong Delusion, so he will BELIEVE a lie.
When Jesus was on earth, He just talked to the people and told them truth. If a person turned away from the truth, He didn't go after them and try to convince them of the truth.
All we can do is live our life God's way and witness to anyone who really wants to know. But if they don’t want to know – if they prefer to be in darkness - then whatever we say will fall on deaf ears anyway.
It's quite easy to tell by the facial response and body language of a person, if he or she is interested in knowing truth or not. Jesus said, "No one can come to Me unless the Father draws him." John 6:44 God must put it in their heart to WANT to know Him, before they are really interested in knowing truth, and seeking after God with all their heart. And the way God does that is to allow them to make enough bad decisions on their own that results in enough serious trouble for them that they eventually will WANT to know truth.
With some people, that will happen in this lifetime. But with the majority, that will not happen until the second resurrection and the judgment - when they will then reap what they have sown, and learn that THEIR decisions go wrong every time, and lead to severe consequences.
All we can do is tell the people who WANT to listen. And the rest, we just pray for. We also pray that God will bring to us people who WANT to know, and that we will be aware when those people come along and that we will not miss the opportunity.
I know exactly what you mean. It's very hard to know the truth when no one seems to want to hear it. But that's the same thing Jesus went through when He was on earth. By the time He was crucified, almost everyone had turned against Him. There were only about five people at the Cross with Him, and those five included His mother, just one disciple - John - and Mary Magdalene - who was the only one who really understood what was going to happen to Jesus.
It doesn't matter what website you might try to send these people to, "Man prefers to believe what he prefers to be true."
Just keep praying for them. God knows what He is doing in their life. He's certainly up to the job of saving those He has created.
There will be many more - and many worse - films than Zeitgeist. After all the Jews own Hollywood - and the Jews Run the World - and their Plan (as detailed in their "holiest" book - the Talmud) is to ELIMINATE Christianity and EXTERMINATE ALL CHRISTIANS. (For this documentation, please see my website www.goodnewsaboutgod.com and the article entitled "Now the U.S. Government Can Legally Kill Christians" written by my husband, former U.S. Congressman Bill Dannemeyer.)
21. Q. “Some standing here will not taste death till they see the Son of man coming in His kingdom.” Matthew 16:28 That was 2,000 years ago and all those people are dead. Isn't that proof that the Bible contains errors?
A. Jesus said,
“Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in His kingdom.” Matthew 16:28
It has been 2,000 years since Jesus made that statement. Obviously, none of those people are still alive. Isn’t that proof that the Bible contains errors?
Indeed, a superficial reading of the Bible might lead to that faulty conclusion. That is why we are told to diligently study God’s Word and ask God to open our mind so we can understand truth.
As all Bible scholars agree, the Bible was originally written without chapters or verses, both of which were arbitrarily added hundreds of years later. And in the case at hand, the insertion of a new Chapter division is the cause of the problem.
If one removes the heading of Chapter 17, this passage now reads in the following way:
“Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in His kingdom. And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain by themselves.
“And was transfigured before them: and His face did shine as the sun, and His clothes were white as the light. And behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elijah talking with Him.” Matthew 16:28, 17:1-3
Jesus was not speaking of the Second Coming as the “coming in His kingdom” but of His transfiguration in His glory. The disciples saw Jesus in His “kingdom” glory within one week of the statement made by Jesus.
So, indeed, the Bible is true. Unfortunately, it is the uninspired Bible scholars who placed the Chapter division in the wrong place, that are responsible for the seeming contradiction. When this problem is sorted out properly, the mystery becomes totally clear.
20. Q. Why was Jesus "sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel"?
A. Jesus had traveled with His disciples to the pagan cities of Tyre and Sidon. He was approached by a woman who cried out asking Him to heal her daughter who was demon-possessed. At first, Jesus did not answer her and His disciples, obviously believing that she was beneath them because they were Israelites and she was a heathen woman, urged Jesus to send her away.
But Jesus answered and said,
“I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
“Then came she and worshipped Him, saying, Lord, help me.
“But Jesus answered and said, ‘It is not good to take the children’s bread and cast it to puppies (literal translation).
And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the puppies eat of the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.
“Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt.’ And her daughter was made whole from that very hours.” Matthew 15:21-28
What did Jesus mean when He said,
“I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel”?
Who is “Israel”?
First we must define the term “house of Israel.”
And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. Genesis 32:28
When Jacob fought with the angel after Jacob had decided to give up his life of deception and tell the truth, his name was changed to Israel. Jacob had no change in his genes. The new name given to Jacob, now Israel, was a “spiritual” name that revealed that Jacob was now a child of God. He had peace with God and men. That is the meaning of the name of Israel. It was a spiritual change in Jacob – NOT a change in his ethnicity. Jacob did NOT “become a Jew.”
Others who also worshiped the One True God of heaven were also called “Israel - - ites.”
In Romans 9:8, Paul concludes by saying, "That is, they which are the children of the flesh, these are NOT the children of God; but the children of the promise ARE COUNTED for the seed."
Galatians 3:16 says: "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He does not say, 'And to seeds, as of many, but as of ONE,' And to your Seed,' who is Christ."
Again Paul says in Galatians 3:29 "And if you are Christ's, then YOU ARE Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."
The Bible defines Abraham’s seed as those who worship Jesus Christ. These are the true Israel of the New Testament.
Who are the “lost sheep” of the House of Israel.
In the parable of the lost sheep and the parable of the lost coin, both the sheep and the coin were found. Being “lost” was – and is - the prelude to being found. If someone is not lost, he doesn’t need to be found.
Only when a person recognizes that he is lost, does he wish to be found.
The promise of a Messiah was given to Adam and Eve, the parents of the whole human race. The Israelites – the believers in the true God – as opposed to the heathen nations (mistranslated “Gentiles”), were given many prophecies about the coming Messiah so they would recognize Him when He appeared
. He was the "seed of a woman" -- prophecy: Genesis 3:15 and fulfilled: Galatians 4:4.
. He was a descendent of Abraham -- prophecy: Genesis 12:3 and fulfilled Matthew 1:1.
. He was from the tribe of Judah – prophecy: Genesis 49:10 and fulfilled: Luke 3:33.
. He was the heir to the throne of David – prophecy: Isaiah 9:7 and fulfilled Luke 1:32-33.
. His birth place in Bethlehem – prophecy: Micah 5:2 and fulfilled: John 1:2, Luke 2:4-5, 7.
Born of a virgin – prophecy: Isaiah 7:14 and fulfilled: Luke 1:26-27, 30-31.
The duty of the Israelites was to share this information with the rest of the world – the heathen nations.
But instead, the Israelites became exclusive and arrogant and kept the information to themselves. They believed they were special to God – that they were God’s “chosen people” – not realizing that they were “chosen” to exhibit the character of God to the surrounding nations and to share with them the Good News of the coming Messiah and Savior – Jesus Christ – who came to be “the Savior of ALL mankind.” 1 Timothy 4:10
But instead, the Israelites kept these wonderful prophecies to themselves and believed that they were “chosen” to be above all other people, to rule over them, to make all others their slaves. By believing this deception, they became the followers of Satan, yet thinking they were following God.
While claiming to be righteous, they became so wicked that when Jesus came the first time as the Messiah, the leaders of the Organized Church of the day – the Pharisees, Sadducees, scribes and their followers – did not even recognize Jesus as the Messiah. In fact, they eventually called for His death by torture (beating, crown of thorns, slapping His face and ridiculing Him) and crucifixion.
That same evil attitude prevails in the Jews of today – the “cultural and spiritual” (but NOT physical) descendants of the Pharisees. Here is just a small sample of their vicious hatred of the non-Jews of the world.
Former Prime Minister of Israel, Menachem Begin, said the following:
“Our race is the Master Race. We Jews are divine gods on this planet. We are as different from the inferior races as they are from insects. In fact, compared to our race, other races are beasts and animals, cattle at best. Other races are considered as human excrement. Our destiny is to rule over the inferior races. Our earthly kingdom will be ruled by our leader with a rod of iron. The masses will lick our feet and serve us as our slaves.” Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin (1977-1983) (in a speech to the Knesset [Israeli Parliament] quoted by Amnon Kapeliouk, “Begin and the Beasts.” New Statesman, June 25, 1982).
This is not the isolated sentiment of one Jew. These horrible racist views of the Jews are found throughout Judaism’s “holiest” book – the Talmud – which contains the same false doctrines of the Pharisees of Jesus’ time that resulted in Jesus calling the Pharisees the “synagogue of Satan,” vipers, liars, hypocrites, and “of your father, the Devil.”
Nothing has changed in the last 2,000 years. The Jews of today are behaving in the same way as did the Pharisees of Jesus’ time.
The heathen nations (mistranslated “Gentiles”) were unaware of these Messianic prophecies and would not have been able to identify Jesus as the Messiah, so it was only reasonable that Jesus would come to the group that should have recognized Him. That is why He came to the “House of Israel.”
But the Israelites had drifted so far from God and God’s Truth and their hearts had become so hardened, in large part because of their arrogance and exclusiveness, that they did not even recognize their own Messiah.
And they murdered Him!
But why did Jesus come to the “lost sheep” of the House of Israel?
If a person is self-sufficient, if he believes he can run his own life, if he believes he has little or no need for Jesus to run every aspect of his life, then he does not recognize that he is “lost.” His misguided self-sufficiency blinds him to his own need.
Jesus said He came to:
“. . . seek and save that which was LOST.” Luke 19:10
“They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.” Luke 5:31
Until a person realizes that He is “lost” without the Lord, until he recognizes his need for a Savior, he has no ability to understand who God is. He remains in darkness.
At the time that Jesus first came to earth, there were very few who were studying diligently and praying for the coming of the Messiah. Most were following the wicked Pharisees and their false doctrines of the “Organized Church” of the time – the synagogues – the counterfeit of God’s true followers.
God’s presence was in the Temple in Jerusalem, a place where no one except the Priests were allowed to enter. If anyone else entered, the penalty was death. The presence of God resided in the Most Holy Place of the Temple. So none of the TRUE followers of God “went to church.” They were not even allowed to go inside the building.
God was trying to show the Israelites that Christianity is NOT a religion. It is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
God’s presence does NOT dwell in “temples made with hands.” Acts 7:48; 17:24
The Bible tells us:
“Your BODY is the temple of God’s Spirit.” Corinthians 6:19
The enemies of Jesus Christ, those who would eventually cry out “Crucify Him” “Crucify Him,” were the leaders of the synagogues, the buildings where people went inside and sat down, the buildings that housed the counterfeit, false religion at the time of Christ. God’s presence was NOT in the synagogues. God’s presence was in the Temple before it was destroyed.
After the temple was destroyed, God said that His presence now dwells in us – His followers.
Conclusion: Jesus came “only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel” because the word “Israel” defines those who were truly looking for the First coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. And only those who recognized their need – their “lostness” – were able to understand that Jesus truly was the Messiah.
When those of the heathen nations recognized their need for a Savior, as did the heathen Canaanite woman with the demon-possessed daughter, they automatically became part of the “lost sheep of the House of Israel.”
19. Q. Was the "Curse of Ham" a Curse on the Black Race?
A. Many religious leaders have said, Yes.” Clergymen Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown, in their Bible commentary, assert: “Cursed be Canaan [Genesis 9:25]—this doom has been fulfilled in . . . the slavery of the Africans, the descendants of Ham.”—Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, on the Whole Bible.
It is claimed that not only the slavery of blacks was in fulfillment of this Biblical curse, but their black skin color is too. Thus many whites have been led to assume that blacks are inferior, and that God meant for them to be the servants of whites. Many blacks became embittered by the treatment that they received as a result of this religious interpretation. One observes:
“It was in the summer of 1951 when I, as an inquisitive seven-year-old, sat on the steps of the First Baptist Church in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, and cried. I had tried diligently to rub off the blackness of my flesh, because my white girl companions had remarked about its offensiveness. The rubbing with Ajax cleanser left only a reddened, puffy spot that ached, almost as much as my childish heart, when I began to ponder why a God of love would make a person black, unless he really did not love me.
“I had heard that it was due to a curse put on our race by God. But I still didn’t know or understand what we had done to God that merited such punishment. And I think, in reflection, that deep in my heart I had always harbored a private grudge against God for making me black and putting me into a white world.
“In the crushing disturbances of my playmates’ taunts and racial epithets, such as: ‘If you’re White, you’re all right, if you’re Brown, stick around, if you’re Black, get back,’ a marked condition ensued, wherein I began to seethe, particularly at white girls my own age.”
What about this Biblical curse? Are people black due to a curse that God placed on some ancestor of theirs? And did blacks suffer centuries of slavery in fulfillment of this curse? Does the Bible really teach such things? Let us see. The Bible account in question reads:
“[Noah] drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren . . . And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him. And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.”—Gen. 9:21-27, Authorized Version.
It has been claimed that this Biblical curse singles out blacks for perpetual servitude. In fact, in 1838 the antislavery crusader Theodore Weld wrote in a popular tract: The “prophecy of Noah [quoted above] is the vade mecum [constant companion] of slaveholders, and they never venture abroad without it.”—The Bible Against Slavery, page 66.
But, first of all, please note that nothing is said in this Bible account about anyone’s being cursed with blackness of skin. And note, too, that it is Canaan, not his father Ham, who was cursed. Canaan was not black skinned, nor were his descendants who settled in the land that became known as Palestine. (Gen. 10:15-19) The Canaanites were, in time, subjugated by the Israelites, descendants of Shem, and later by Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome, descendants of Japheth. This subjugation of the Canaanites fulfilled the prophetic curse on their ancestor Canaan. The curse thus had nothing to do with the black race.
From where, then, did the black race come? From Ham’s other sons, Cush and probably also Put, whose descendants settled in Africa. But, as we have seen, the Bible says absolutely nothing about the black descendants of these men being cursed! Yet it was incorrectly assumed that they were. When did church commentators begin applying the curse to Ham?
A churchman of about 1,500 years ago, Ambrosiaster, applied it thus, saying: “Due to folly Ham, who foolishly ridiculed the nakedness of his father, was declared a slave.” And John F. Maxwell observes in his recent book Slavery and the Catholic Church: “This disastrous example of fundamentalist exegesis [explanation] continued to be used for 1,400 years and led to the widely held view that African Negroes were cursed by God.”
Even up to a hundred years ago the Catholic Church held the view that blacks were cursed by God. Maxwell explains that this view “apparently survived until 1873 when Pope Pius IX attached an indulgence to a prayer for the ‘wretched Ethiopians in Central Africa that almighty God may at length remove the curse of Cham [Ham] from their hearts.’”
Yet even before Christendom’s beginning over 1,500 years ago, yes, possibly even prior to Jesus Christ’s life on earth, Jewish rabbis taught a story about the origin of black skin. The Encyclopædia Judaica claims: “Ham’s descendant (Cush) Is black skinned as a punishment for Ham’s having had sexual intercourse in the ark.”
Similar “stories” have been manufactured in modern times. Defenders of slavery, such as John Fletcher of Louisiana, for example, taught that the sin that prompted the curse by Noah was racial intermarriage. He claimed that Cain was smitten with a black skin for killing his brother Abel, and that Ham had sinned by marrying into the race of Cain. It is noteworthy, too, that Nathan Lord, president of Dartmouth College during the last century, also attributed Noah’s curse upon Canaan partly to Ham’s “forbidden intermarriage with the previously wicked and accursed race of Cain.”
But such teachings have no foundation whatsoever in the Bible. And there were persons in past centuries who showed that the curse uttered by Noah was wrongly being applied to blacks. For example, back in June 1700 Judge Samuel Sewall of Boston explained: “For Canaan is the person cursed three times over, without the mentioning of Cham [Ham]. . . . Whereas the Blackmores [Black race] are not descended of Canaan, but of Cush.”
Also, in 1762 a John Woolman published a treatise in which he argued that the application of this Biblical curse in such a way as to justify enslaving people and depriving them of their natural rights “is a supposition too gross to be admitted into the mind of any person who sincerely desires to be governed by solid principles.”
What great harm has resulted from the misapplication by churchmen of this Biblical curse! The slavery of African blacks, and their mistreatment since the days of slavery, can in no way be justified by the Bible. The truth is, blacks are not, and never were, cursed by God!
Who “decided” that Blacks were cursed?
The origin of the theory that the “Curse of Ham” resulted in the black race being supposedly “cursed” with black skin and that the blacks were to be made perpetual slaves to the white race actually came from the Jewish Talmud – the “holiest” book of Judaism. It was the Jewish rabbis who promoted this racist idea.
“A number of early Jewish writers have interpreted the Biblical narrative of Ham in a racial way. The Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 108b states "Our Rabbis taught: Three copulated in the ark, and they were all punished — the dog, the raven, and Ham. The dog was doomed to be tied, the raven expectorates [his seed into his mate's mouth], and Ham was smitten in his skin." {Talmud Bavli, Sanhedrin 108b} The nature of Ham's "smitten" skin is unexplained, but later commentaries described this as a darkening of skin. A later note to the text states that the "smitten" skin referred to the blackness of descendants, and a later comment by rabbis in the Bereshit Rabbah asserts that Ham himself emerged from the ark black-skinned.[6][7] The Zohar states that Ham's son Canaan "darkened the faces of mankind".[8]” Wikipedia – Online Encyclopedia
References:
6. Solors, Werner, Neither Black nor White Yet Both: Thematic Explorations of Interracial Literature, 1997, Oxford University Press, p. 87
7.The Midrash: The Bereshith or Genesis Rabba
8.Solors, p. 87
18. Q. Doesn't the Bible say that if Adam and Eve ate of the forebidden tree, they would die THAT day? Can the Bible be trusted?
A. “And the Lord God commanded the man saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die. Genesis 2:16,17
Is this evidence that the Bible is not true? Everyone knows that Adam and Eve did not die the same day they ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
If one believes there are inconsistencies in the Bible it is the result of very superficial scholarship. One must study diligently and deeply, and return to the original Scriptures in Greek and Hebrew.
God has preserved His Word, but NOT in the translations. The original writers of the Bible were inspired by God, but the translators were not. In fact, it is apparent that the translators did NOT – and do NOT - understand “Spiritual things” as 1 Corinthians 2:14 tells us:
“But the natural man (the unspiritual or “soulish” man - the person who only understand with his five senses) receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they (spiritual things) are spiritually discerned (understood).”
The Bible translators made decisions by consensus – not by having revelation knowledge from a close, personal relationship with God.
The literal translation of Genesis 2:17 from the Original Hebrew reads as follow:
“But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof, dying you shall die.”
The day that Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden tree they lost their light that covered them, because in that moment they began to die. They tried to cover themselves with fig leaves because they realized they were naked. They were ashamed.
They had been created to live forever, but as soon as they sinned they began to die. Their cells and organs began to die, culminating in their literal physical death over 600 years later.
And because of their sin, they passed death on to the whole human race.
“Wherefore as by one man (Adam) sin entered in to the world, and death by sin: and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” Romans 5:12
The moment we are born, we begin to die. Only when we become like Jesus when He puts His life in us – eonian life - the life of Christ manifested in us (mistranslated “eternal” life in ALL versions the Bible), are we safe to save. Only then will we be “changed” into His image.
As Romans 5:12 tells us, it was not sin that passed upon all men – but death. It is true that every person on earth, except Jesus Christ, has been a sinner, but we sin because we are dying. And we are dying because we are separated from Jesus Christ.
The reason we must have eonian life – the life of Christ in us – is that is the only way we will be able to live forever. Christ eventually will make us perfect through the trials and tribulations we encounter and overcome.
“Ye shall be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:48
Because the “Christian” church believes that “Nobody’s perfect” the translators have incorrectly translated this text in the following way:
“Be ye perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
But God has promised to make His children – ALL of the children that He has created – Perfect, so they can live forever with Him.
17. Q. Didn't God tell Peter that it was fine to eat any type of animal - both clean and unclean meat?
A. Didn’t God tell Peter that Peter could eat ANY type of animal, and that they are ALL clean? Isn’t it true that God has allowed us to eat every type of animal, no matter how filthy it is or what filth it eats?
This is lightweight, superficial “scholarship” and should be an embarrassment to anyone who quotes it.
Read Acts 10:9-16 – and read to the end of the story!
Peter, in Joppa, is on the housetop praying. He’s hungry, and is waiting for the meal to be prepared.
He has a vision or a dream: Heaven opens, a vessel descends like a sheet, containing wild beasts, creeping things and fowls of the air.
A voice says, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat!” Peter said, “Not so, Lord; for I have NEVER eaten anything that is common or unclean.”
Notice that Peter was refusing to eat unclean animals after Jesus was resurrected. Peter was still not eating unclean animals even after the Cross. Peter had forsaken Phariseeism, which later became “Judaism,” and had become a Christian - a follower of Christ! Peter was not a “Jew.” He was an Israelite – a Judean – which meant he was a follower of the One True God, as opposed to the “Nations” (mistranslated “Gentiles) who worshipped many pagan gods.
Jesus’ death on the Cross did NOT cause unclean animals to become “clean” animals. Scavengers – animals that ate rotting, decaying, filthy dead flesh BEFORE the Cross, were STILL Scavengers – eating rotting, decaying, filthy dead flesh - AFTER the Cross! God does not want our body (His temple – 1 Cor. 3:17) defiled in this way.
“The Voice spoke again, “What God has cleansed, do NOT call common or unclean.” This happened three times. Then the vessel was received up again into heaven.
Vs 17: Peter wondered about this vision, “What did it mean?”
Men from the house of Cornelius (an Italian from Caesarea) were at the gate. The Spirit said, “Arise and get thee down and go with them, doubting nothing, for I have sent them.”
Vs 28: Peter went to Cornelius’ home and said, “You know that it is an unlawful thing for a Judean (incorrectly translated “Jew.” The correct translation is Judean – meaning “believer” in the true God) to come unto one of another nation (incorrectly translated Gentile – one who believes, or HAS believed, in pagan gods), but God has shown me that I should not call any MAN common or unclean.”
Here is the Issue: “Don’t call any MAN common or unclean.” It is an issue of RACISM of so-called Jews AGAINST so-called Gentiles -- NOT an issue of what food to eat!
Vs 34: Peter said, “It is the TRUTH, I perceive that GOD IS NO RESPECTER OF PERSONS!”
THIS is the answer! God loves everyone the same!
For hundreds of years Christians have interpreted Peter's vision as God's permission to kill and eat any animal they wish. But that vision had nothing to do with what God wants us to eat. It is a vision to let Peter know that God loves everyone the same, that God is NO “respecter of person” (Acts 10:34), and that no one is better than anyone else.
Let's take a closer look at this passage.
1 There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band,
2 A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always.
It is important for us to understand that God truly hears the prayers and sees the intent of the heart of all people, even if they are not Jews or Christians; and in His grace, He reaches out to them as he is doing here with Cornelius.
3 He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius.
4 And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.
5 And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter:
6 He lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea side: he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do.
7 And when the angel which spake unto Cornelius was departed, he called two of his household servants, and a devout soldier of them that waited on him continually;
8 And when he had declared all these things unto them, he sent them to Joppa.
Cornelius listened to the angel of God, but now the Lord must prepare the heart of Peter to go back with the men that he sent to Joppa, for the Judeans (Israelite believers in God – mistranslated “Jews”) had a tradition that they would not enter the home of a non-Israelite (one of the “nations” mistranslated Gentiles), for to enter would somehow contaminate them or make them unclean.
F. F. Bruce writes,
But Peter must be prepared for the interview as well as Cornelius, and there were scruples to be overcome on Peter's side as there were not on Cornelius's. A God-fearer had no objection to the society of the Jews, but even a moderately orthodox Jew would not willingly enter the dwelling of a Gentile, God-fearer though he were. No doubt some of Peter's inherited prejudices were wearing thin by this time, but a special revelation was necessary to make him consent to visit a Gentile.1
Peter's vision:
9 On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour:
10 And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance,
11 And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth:
12 Wherein were all manner of four-footed beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.
13 And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.
14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.
15 And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.
16 This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.
God had used His dietary laws to bring the point home to Peter, and Peter never gave in to the temptation, even though the Lord had said that what He had cleansed would no longer be considered unclean.
Peter knew that God would not change His word or the Law. He might explain it or show it's true meaning as Jesus often did, but Peter knew that the Lord would not abolish the Law - there must be another explanation.
The meaning of the vision:
17 Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean, behold, the men which were sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon's house, and stood before the gate,
18 And called, and asked whether Simon, which was surnamed Peter, were lodged there.
19 While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee.
20 Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them.
21 Then Peter went down to the men that were sent unto him from Cornelius; and said, Behold, I am he whom ye seek: what is the cause wherefore ye are come?
22 And they said, Cornelius the centurion, a just man, and one that feareth God, and of good report among all the nation of the Jews, was warned from God by an holy angel to send for thee into his house, and to hear words of thee.
The vision was only to attract Peter's attention. Peter knew that he was not to kill and eat the animals that were upon the sheet. And now he knew, or at least highly suspected, that the vision was about the salvation of those of the nations, those who were NOT Israelites. God was not cleansing unclean animals and making them clean. He was showing Peter that he loved everyone the same and the Israelites (Judeans – mistranslated “Jews”) were no better than anyone else.
God's timing is always perfect. Just as Peter was wondering about the true meaning of the vision, the men from Cornelius showed up at Simon's home.
Peter goes to Cornelius:
23 Then called he them in, and lodged them. And on the morrow Peter went away with them, and certain brethren from Joppa accompanied him.
The very fact that Peter invited them into Simon's home is further proof that Peter truly understood the meaning of the vision, and that it had nothing to do with food, but only about the salvation of those of the nations (the heathen, the unbelievers – mistranslated “Gentiles”). And we have even greater proof that Peter understood the true meaning of the vision, for he immediately went with the men to the home of Cornelius.
24 And the morrow after they entered into Caesarea. And Cornelius waited for them, and had called together his kinsmen and near friends.
25 And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him.
26 But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man.
27 And as he talked with him, he went in, and found many that were come together.
28 And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath showed me that I should not call any man common or unclean.
This is proof that Peter understood the true meaning of God's vision.
29 Therefore came I unto you without gainsaying, as soon as I was sent for: I ask therefore for what intent ye have sent for me?
30 And Cornelius said, Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and, behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing,
31 And said, Cornelius, thy prayer is heard, and thine alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God.
32 Send therefore to Joppa, and call hither Simon, whose surname is Peter; he is lodged in the house of one Simon a tanner by the sea side: who, when he cometh, shall speak unto thee.
33 Immediately therefore I sent to thee; and thou hast well done that thou art come. Now therefore are we all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God.
Peter begins to preach the Good News:
34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.
This is the true meaning of the Lord's vision to Peter. Peter is relaying what he has learned – that God loves everyone the same and salvation is for everyone. There is no difference between the Israelites (Judeans – mistranslated “Jews) and the nations (mistranslated “Gentiles”).
36 The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (He is Lord of all:)
37 That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism that John preached;
38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
39 And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree:
40 Him God raised up the third day, and showed him openly;
41 Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead.
42 And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he that was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.
43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.
44 While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them that heard the word.
45 And they of the circumcision (Israelites) that believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles (“nations”) also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost (God’s Breath of holiness).
46 For they heard them speak in languages, and magnify God. Then answered Peter,
47 Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost (God’s breath of holiness) as well as we?
48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.
And just in case that Peter or any of the Jews (Judeans – Israelites) who accompanied him might still have some doubt, the Holy Spirit (God’s breath of holiness) confirms that salvation has indeed come to the Gentiles (nations).
Others hear of the salvation of Cornelius and his whole household:
CHAPTER 11
1 And the apostles and brethren that were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God.
2 And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision contended with him,
3 Saying, Thou went in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat with them.
This is why God gave the vision to Peter. He knew that others, such as these men, would doubt and question and He knew that Peter would tie the two occurrences together for the glory of God, that others would continue to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to the “Gentiles” (correct translation = Nations, the non-Israelite Unbelievers).
Again, this has nothing to do with killing and eating unclean animals or flesh of any kind.
4 But Peter rehearsed the matter from the beginning, and expounded it by order unto them, saying,
5 I was in the city of Joppa praying: and in a trance I saw a vision, A certain vessel descend, as it had been a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came even to me:
6 Upon the which when I had fastened mine eyes, I considered, and saw four-footed beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.
7 And I heard a voice saying unto me, Arise, Peter; slay and eat.
8 But I said, Not so, Lord: for nothing common or unclean hath at any time entered into my mouth.
9 But the voice answered me again from heaven, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.
10 And this was done three times: and all were drawn up again into heaven.
11 And, behold, immediately there were three men already come unto the house where I was, sent from Caesarea unto me.
Peter understood God's message to him.
12 And the spirit bade me go with them, nothing doubting. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered into the man's house:
13 And he showed us how he had seen an angel in his house, which stood and said unto him, Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, whose surname is Peter;
14 Who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved.
15 And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit (God’s breath of holiness) fell on them, as on us at the beginning.
16 Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit (God’s breath of holiness0.
17 Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God?
18 When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles (nations) granted repentance unto life.
The eating of flesh has always been a concession (Genesis 9:1-4). It never was God's intent (Genesis 1:29-30) because eating flesh food encourages the development of disease and shortens life expectancy. But salvation is always greater than food or tradition, and thus through the vision of unclean animals, God showed Peter that “God is the Saviour of ALL mankind. . .” (1 Timothy 4:10)
God has NO favorites!
1 Bruce, F. F., The New International Commentary on the New Testament - Commentary on the Book of the Acts, Grand Rapids, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Reprinted, June 1984, 217.
16. Q. Was Jesus a Jew?
A. Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, so He was a Judean by birth (NOT a Jew), but he lived his life in Nazareth, in "Galilee of the Nations (Gentiles)" so He was a Nazarene. Isa 9:1
Jesus was a child of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:34,35). He had no lineage from His stepfather, Joseph. Many claim that He had to have genes from His mother, Mary, or He wouldn't have been able to fulfill the prediction of the Scriptures - - to be "tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin." (Hebrews 4:15) Yet Adam and Eve were created by God, with no genes from an earthly mother or father, and they were not only "subject" to sin - - - they ACTUALLY sinned! So having earthly genes from an earthly parent is not a requirement in order to be "subject" to sin.
Is "Salvation of the Jews" as the King James Bible translates John 4:22? The prepositions in the Greek are far more specific. The word here used in the Greek "Ek" (#1537) means "origin" or "out of." Since Jesus was born in Judea and since He identifies Himself as the "Saviour of ALL mankind" (1 Tim 4:10), the phrase should be translated, "Salvation is OUT OF Judea." Salvation is found ONLY in Jesus, Who was born in (came OUT OF) Judea!
Look at Matt 2:6 "And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah; for OUT OF thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule My people Israel."
Micah 5:2 "And thou, Bethlehem, house of Ephratha, art few in number to be reckoned among the thousands of Judah; yet OUT OF thee shall one come forth to Me, to be a ruler of Israel; and His goings forth were from the beginning, even from eternity." (From the Greek O.T.)
Heb 7:14 "For it is manifest that OUT OF Judah has sprung our Lord..."
Jesus NEVER identified Himself as a Jew
In fact, He was ALWAYS at odds with Jewry
Jesus was taunted, baited and hated by the Jewish Pharisees and Rabbis because He taught a TOTALLY DIFFERENT religion from what the Pharisees and Rabbis taught. His message was the Antithesis of that day's Jewish religion.
Jesus NEVER identified Himself with the "Jews." He always referred to them as separate from Him.
John 7:1 "After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He would not walk in Jewry (Judea), because the Jews sought to kill Him."
Luke 11:47, 48 "Woe unto you! for you build the sepulchers of the prophets, and YOUR fathers killed them."
John 6:58 "I am the Bread which came down from heaven; YOUR fathers ate manna and are dead."
John 8:56 "YOUR father Abraham rejoiced to see My day; and he saw it and was glad."
Mark 7:9 "And He said unto them, Full well, you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep YOUR OWN tradition."
Matt: 15:3, 6 "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God by YOUR tradition?...."Thus you have made the commandment of God of none effect by YOUR traditions."
Galilee was an Ethnic "Melting Pot"
The area of Galilee had been conquered by foreign invaders twice and each time the majority of the population were killed or taken prisoner to the conqueror's homeland. The area was then repopulated with people transported in from the conquering nation.
The first conqueror was Assyria, which came against the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 722 B.C. Samaria was captured and its people exiled, bringing the northern Kingdom to an end. The area was then repopulated with Assyrians.
2 Kings 17:5,6,17,18 "Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years. In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes...
The Lord was "provoked to anger because Israel "caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments... Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of His sight; there was NONE left but the tribe of Judah ONLY."
2 Kings 17:24 "And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof."
The second conqueror was Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, in 586 B.C.,when Daniel and his three friends were taken into captivity along with thousands of others. The area of Israel was ravished and became almost a wasteland.
2 Kings 24:1,2,14,15 "In his days, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant three years; then he turned and rebelled against him. And the Lord sent against them (Jehoiakim) bands of the Syrians, and bands of the Moabites, and bands of the children of Ammon, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the Word of the Lord, which he spake by his servants the prophets.
"And he carried away ALL Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valor, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths; none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land."
2 Kings 25:11 "Now the rest of the people that were left in the city, and the fugitives that fell away to the king of Babylon, with the remnant of the multitude, did Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, carry away."
So Judah, as well as Galilee, had been depopulated of Judeans and repopulated with non-Jews.
In addition, we are told repeatedly in the Bible that when the Israelites came into the land of Canaan, they inter-married with the Canaanites, rebelling against the Lord's specific directions.
Also, Rahab, the (NON-Jew) Canaanite prostitute, was an ancestor of Jesus. Rahab was Boaz' mother. (Matthew 1:5) Boaz married Ruth and they were the grandparents of Jesse, the father of King David, through whose line Jesus came. (Rahab was King David's great grandmother!)
One more thing, when the Israelites initially left Egypt, when they were an infant nation, they were already a MIXED MULTITUDE! Ex 12:38 says, "And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children. And a MIXED MULTITUDE went up also with them;..."
It's abundantly clear that there was no ethnically pure "Jewish" heritage in Israel hundreds of years BEFORE Jesus was born, much less when He arrived. Even MORE so today, with all the intermarrying, there is really no such thing as a "Jew" by heredity, only by social culture.
This is dramatically confirmed by Arthur Koestler, a "Jew", in his amazing book, The Thirteenth Tribe. Koestler reveals that approximately 80% of all the "Jews" in the world today, the Ashkenazim "Jews", are really Khazars , originating from Khazaria, an area that later became Russia. The vast majority of "Jews" in the world today, have NO Semitic blood in them. They are in reality, "Gentiles.".
In his book, Koestler "traces the history of the ancient Khazar Empire, a major but almost forgotten power in Eastern Europe, which in the Dark Ages became converted to Judaism. Khazaria, which flourished from the seventh to the eleventh century, was finally wiped out by the forces of Genghis Khan, but evidence indicates that the Khazars themselves migrated to Poland and formed the cradle of Western Jewry. . ."
"The Khazars found themselves in a precarious position between the two major world powers: the Eastern Roman Empire in Byzantium and the triumphant followers of Mohammed. As Mr. Koestler points out, the Khazars were the Third World of their day, and they chose a surprising method of resisting both the the Western pressure to become Christian and the Eastern to adopt Islam. Rejecting both, they converted to Judaism. . . The story of the Khazar Empire, as it slowly emerges from the past, begins to look like the most cruel hoax which history has ever perpetrated."1 The Jews are not Jewish. Alas, "anti-Semitism" can no longer be "anti-Semitism" if the "victims" are NOT "Semitic" - - - if the "Jews" are NOT "Jewish"!
Under his chapter heading RACE AND MYTH, author Koestler states: "The Jews of our times fall into two main divisions: Sephardim and Ashkenazim. The Sephardim are descendants of the Jews who since antiquity had lived in Spain (in Hebrew Sepharad) until they were expelled at the end of the fifteenth century and settled in the countries bordering on the Mediterranean, the Balkans, and to a lesser extent in Western Europe. They spoke a Spanish-Hebrew dialect, Ladino, and preserved their own traditions and religious rites. In the 1960s, the number of Sephardim was estimated at 500,000.
"The Ashkenazim, at the same period, numbered about eleven million. Thus, in common parlance, "Jew" is practically synonymous with Ashkenazi Jew....Summing up a very old and bitter controversy in a laconic paragraph, Raphael Patai wrote:2
"The findings of physical anthropology show that, contrary to popular view, there is no Jewish race. Anthropometric measurements of Jewish groups in many parts of the world indicate that they differ greatly from one another with respect to all the important physical characteristics - stature, weight, skin color, cephalic index, facial index, blood groups, etc."
According to Koestler, a "Jew" himself, as well as other "Jewish" authors, there is no such thing as a Jewish race. There is no such thing as a Jewish ethnicity. There IS a Jewish culture - a way they look at the world, a way they treat others who they consider Non-Jews, a way they raise their children to think of themselves, a way of doing business - a Jewish culture, but NOT a Jewish race.
There is NO evidence that any "Jews" can trace their ancestry to Abraham.
Christians base their support of the present-day State of Israel and the present-day "Jews" on Genesis 12:1-3,
"Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from they kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee:
"And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
"And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall ALL families of the earth be blessed" (Not just "Jewish" families). This is interpreted by many Christians to mean that God will bless those who bless the Jews and curse those who curse the Jews. Nothing could be further from the truth. We have just shown that Abraham's "seed" are those who follow Christ, true Christians! The Jews in general and the Jewish religion HATE Christ! God said He would bless ALL families of the earth because Jesus, the Saviour of the world, would be born in Abraham's lineage.
First of all, the present day "Jews" CANNOT trace their ancestry to Abraham as has just been shown.
In addition, the Bible clearly states that being the offspring of Abraham is based on spiritual, NOT physical, factors.
In Romans 2:17,25,26,28,29, Paul points out that someone who is "called a Jew" because he is a physical descendant of Abraham, and yet who lives as a breaker of God's law, "is NOT a Jew."
Romans 9:7 "Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called." Abraham had two sons. The first, Ishmael, was born after the flesh. He was a son of "unbelief." Abraham didn't believe that God could give a son to his wife, Sarah, and himself in their very old age.
The second son was Isaac, who was born when Abraham had faith in God's promise (Gen 16:1-3, 15; 21:1-3; Rom 4:18-21). In Galatians 4:22-31, Paul reveals that Ishmael represents unbelievers, while Isaac represents both Jews and Non-Jews who have faith, who believe!
In Romans 9:8, Paul concludes by saying, "That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are NOT the children of God; but the children of the promise ARE COUNTED for the seed."
Another text often quoted to support Jesus being Jewish, is Matt 25:40 where Jesus says, "And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me," claiming that Jesus is referring to His "Jewish" brethren.
Jesus is GOD. (John 1:1,14) God is NOT Jewish. Jesus wasn't, and isn't, Jewish. In this text Jesus, as a human being, is speaking of His brothers (and sisters) of the human race. Paul, considered to be a Jew of ALL Jews, writes to the "Gentiles" in the books of Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians and the other epistles, and over 100 times refers to them as his "brethren." That DOESN'T mean they were "Jewish." They were his brethren in Christ!
The present-day State of Israel is populated by a group of people who are NOT the descendants of Abraham and have NO right to the area of Palestine based on Bible promises nor any other factor, other than their indiscriminate use of military force.
On the contrary, it appears that the Palestinians and other Arabs may well be able to trace their lineage back to Ishmael and thus to Abraham, Ishmael's father. They then are the TRUE Semites - and ANY words or actions against THEM (the Palestinians), must be considered Anti-semitism! It would follow then that the State of Israel and the "Jews" around the world are guilty of the most intense and abhorrent anti-semitism against the Palestinians.
15. Q. Was Paul's "thorn in the flesh" - Blindness?
A. "Well, how about Paul's "thorn.” God didn't heal Paul completely of his blindness, did He?
In 2 Cor 12:7-9 Paul says:
"Lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the evelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
“For this thing I sought the Lord three times, that it might depart from me. And He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you. For my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
The expression "thorn in the flesh" is used in both the Old and New Testaments as an illustration. But the "thorn in the flesh" NEVER indicated sickness or personal disability.
Wherever the expression is used in the Bible, it is specifically stated what the "thorn in the flesh" was.
Numbers 33:55 the expression "thorns in your sides" illustrated the inhabitants of Canaan.
In Joshua 23:13, the expression referred to the heathen nations of Canaan (The Canaanites.)
Paul states exactly what his "thorn" was. He says it was "the messenger of Satan" or as translated by others, "the angel of the devil, Satan's angel"
And what was the purpose of Paul's thorn? "To buffet him!" To buffet means to give "blow after blow."
Remember after Paul's conversion, God sent Ananias to Paul with the information, "I will show him (Paul) how great things he must suffer for my name's sake." Acts 9:16 which came to pass in the following ways.
1) He was mobbed and expelled from Antioch, Iconium, Thessalonica and Berea.
2) He was stoned in Lystra and left for dead.
3) He was beaten and jailed at Philippi.
4) He was mobbed at Corinth and Ephesus.
5) He was seized by angry Jews, mobbed, tried in court five times, shipwrecked, and bitten by a poisonous snake.Who but Satan's angel could be responsible for all these sufferings and buffetings? In enumerating them, we see that Paul mentions almost everything one could think of except sickness or an eye disease.
Certainly Paul's "thorn" could not have been defective sight, because Paul's eyes were healed of blindness. He received his sight, according to Acts 9:18:
"And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales: and he received sight at once and arose and was baptized."
Certainly the Bible would not say this if Paul's eyes were as poor as theologians would have us believe.
Pastors have preached entire sermons suggesting that God only partially healed Paul’s eyes, as if God is incapable of healing completely. They often quote the following text to “prove” that Paul’s vision was impaired.
“Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand.” Galatians 6:11
In many KJV Bibles, the margin will read “with what LARGE letters I have written unto you with mine own hand” suggesting that because of poor eyesight, Paul had to write BIG letters, apparently so he could see them.
But the original Greek Scriptures read:
“Lo! With what size letters I write to you with my own hand!”
Paul’s epistles are in fact his “letters” to the different Christian groups that he was visiting and encouraging. The word letters always referred to Paul’s correspondence in general – not the individual “letters” in a word.
At that time, the custom was to dictate one’s correspondence (letters) to a secretary who did the actual writing. In this instance, Paul is telling the Galatians that he is writing the long letter himself, without a secretary present. In no way is he suggesting that because of poor eyesight he must write BIG letters like a young child learning to write.
So we have every reason to believe that Paul’s eyes were perfectly healthy. God NEVER heals “half-way!”
14. Q. Doesn't the Bible endorse the "Organized Church" by saying, "Don't Foresake the Assembling of Believers?"
A. Doesn’t the Bible tell us NOT to “forsake the assembling of believers”? Doesn’t that mean that we should have worship services in Organized Churches? Didn’t God ordain the “Organized Church”?
“Let us hold fast the confession of the expectation without wavering: for He is faithful that promised.
“And let us consider one another to incite to love and ideal acts:
“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves, as the manner of some is; but entreating one another: and so much the more, as you are observing the day drawing near.” Hebrews 10:23-25
To whom was the book of Hebrews written?
“The letter was addressed primarily to Israelite converts to Christianity who no longer followed the Pharisees who were the leaders in the synagogues – the “Organized Church” of the day. These Israelites were familiar with the Old Testament and were being tempted to revert to Phariseeism and/or to pervert the true gospel by the infiltration of Phariseeism. (Galatians 2:14)
“Some have suggested that these professing Israelite Christians were thinking of merging with a sect, such as the Essenes at Qumran near the dead Sea, who lived an ascetic life. The accounts by Josephus and Philo show that the Essenes (Philo: Essaioi) led a strictly celibate and communal life — often compared by scholars to later Christian monastic living.
The Theme of the book of Hebrews
“The theme of Hebrews is the absolute supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus Christ as revealer and as mediator of God’s grace. The prologue (1:1-4) presents Christ as God’s full and final revelation, far surpassing the limited preliminary revelation given in the Old Testament. The prophecies and promises of the Old Testament are fulfilled in the New Testament (New Covenant), of which Christ is the mediator. From the Old Testament itself, Christ is shown to be superior to the ancient prophets, to angels, to Moses and to Aaron and the priestly succession descended from him. Hebrews could be called “the book of better things” since the two Greek words for “better” and “superior” occur 15 times in the letter.
“Practical applications of this theme are given throughout the book. The readers are told that there can be no turning back to, or continuation in, the old system of Phariseeism, which has been superceded by the unique priesthood of Christ. God’s people now must look only to Him, whose atoning death, resurrection and ascension have opened the way into the true, heavenly sanctuary of God’s presence. Resisting temptations to give up the struggle, believers must persevere in the spiritual contest to which they have committed themselves. Otherwise they may meet with judgment as did the rebellious generation of Israelites in the desert.” Introduction to the book of Hebrews, New International Version of the Bible, pg 1857,1858.
Apparently some of the Israelite (Hebrew) Christians were in danger of joining a sect that believed in a celibate, monastic life of repeated fasting – a plan of salvation by works - something the Bible condemns.
“Now the Spirit speaks expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits, and doctrines of devils:
“Speaking lies in hypocrisy: having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
“Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from eating foods (NOT “meats”) that God has created to be received with thanksgiving of them that believe and know the truth.” 1 Timothy 4:1-3
The author of the book of Hebrews warns against this ascetic, monastic life by saying:
“Let us hold fast the confession of the expectation without wavering: for He is faithful that promised.
“And let us consider one another to incite to love and ideal acts:
“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves, as the manner of some is; but entreating one another: and so much the more, as you are observing the day drawing near.” Hebrews 10:23-25
“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves, as the manner of some is (such as the Essenes and their ascetic, monastic, life of “salvation by works”) but entreating one another. . .”
In this passage, the author of the book of Hebrews is NOT endorsing a system of “Organized churches” as the “assembling of believers” as that would be like the Pharisees were doing in the synagogues, a system that Jesus strongly rebuked which undoubtedly culminated in His being put to death by these same leaders of the “Organized church” – the Pharisees. Instead, the author of Hebrews is denouncing the idea of living a celibate, monastic, life far away from the masses of humanity who need to learn of the perfect Life of Jesus and God’s marvelous grace and salvation. They were – and we are – to be “lights” in a dark world.
The Israelite Christians and those who had converted from paganism (the nations) were meeting in homes and in groups along the riverbanks, worshiping on the Seventh-day Sabbath (Saturday) – the Lord’s Day. The pagans, on the other hand, worshiped their gods in gorgeous temples of stone with magnificent adornments, even though the Bible says:
“Howbeit the most High dwells NOT in temples made with hands. . .” Acts 7:48
“God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth, dwells NOT in temples made with hands.” Acts 17:24
God does NOT dwell in temples (churches) made with hands. Our body is the temple of God’s spirit. He dwells in us.
“What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (God’s breath of holiness) which is IN YOU, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own
“For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. 1 Corinthians 6:19,20
When Jesus was on earth, He made no attempt to set up an Organized church. Even when He was soon to be crucified, he strongly rejected His disciples’ desire to be part of a hierarchy (“Who will sit on your left and your right?” they asked Jesus). Jesus said,
“The Unbelievers (Gentiles) lord it over each other, but it shall NOT be that ay among you (the Believers).” (Mark 10:42,43)
Again, the pagans (the heathen – the unbelievers) had a strong hierarchy, but Jesus instructed His followers to reject that system because when “man” lords it over man, his “power” always corrupts him.
Shutting oneself off in a monastery makes one useless to God in addition to the secret sin of self-righteousness, in which one concentrates only on his own life and his own salvation, rather than being concerned for, and working for, the salvation of others.
When the author of Hebrews warned against “forsaking the assembling of ourselves together” he was not endorsing an “Organized Church” but instead he was warning the Israelite Christians NOT to sequester themselves away from life and civilization by pursuing a monastic, ascetic, self-centered existence.
See www.goodnewsaboutgod.com for more information on the “Organized Church.”
13. Q. Doesn't the story Jesus told of the Rich Man and Lazarus Prove that there is a Hell?
A. In the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus, the rich man goes immediately to hell and Lazarus goes to heaven. How does one explain this story told by Jesus if the dead are sleeping in the grave and NOT alive in heaven? (Luke 16:19-31)
The story of the Rich Man and Lazarus is a parable. Jesus identifies it as a parable in Luke 15:3. Remember that the Bible was not written with chapters and verses. Chapters and verses were added many centuries later.
Luke 15: 3 begins by stating, regarding Jesus:
“And He spake this parable unto them, saying. . .”
Then Jesus proceeds to tell one parable consisting of the following five parts.
In Luke, Chapter 15:
a) The lost sheep
b) The lost coin
c) The lost son (the Prodigal son)
In Luke, Chapter 16:
d) The unjust steward
e) The rich man and Lazarus
In addition, it is obvious that the story of the Rich man and Lazarus is part of the parable (and not to be taken literally), because,
a) the previous four stories are all part of the same parable,
b) if a person were really consumed in flames in hell, the water on the tip of a finger would do nothing to cool his tongue (Luke 16:24), and
c) the word translated hell in verse 23 is the word hades that means the grave or the unseen. It has nothing to do with burning.
This parable is the fifth in a series of five parts beginning with the parable of the lost sheep, Luke 15:3, where this is clearly identified as a parable. (Remember, verses and chapters were added hundreds of years AFTER the Bible was written, and they were designated by uninspired translators, not by inspired Bible writers.)
The five parts of this parable are: the lost sheep, the lost coin, the lost boy (prodigal son), the unjust steward and the rich man and Lazarus. Each part of the parable is designed to teach a different aspect of the same theme.
Two groups of individuals are the objects of this 5 part parable. On one hand are the Pharisaic aristocrats. On the other hand are the "tribute collectors and sinners", downtrodden and despised, the objects of contempt and loathing from the Pharisees.
In the first part of the parable, the "tribute collector and sinner" are the principal subjects. In the second, the sinner alone is seen. The fourth section parallels the second inasmuch as there the Pharisaic class is also seen by itself without any reference to their group. As the lost piece of silver demonstrated the utter helplessness of the sinner, so in the case of the Unjust Steward, the true character of the Pharisee is vividly portrayed.
The third and fifth sections of the parable group together both of the classes mentioned, and bring to a climax the great disparity which existed between them.
Jesus was using stories familiar to many in His audience. They were stories, parables, illustrations only. The story of the Rich man and Lazarus demonstrates clearly that it is a story only, and not fact. People do not actually have conversations between heaven and hell. Abraham must have had a very large bosom to contain all the individuals who go there. Do people from heaven actually visit people in hell? How could a finger tip, dipped in water, cool the tongue of a person who was being tormented in the middle of a fire?
12. Q. Jesus ate Fish and Lamb, so why shouldn't we?
A. Jesus ate fish, and He also ate lamb at the Passover. If He ate meat (flesh food) - why shouldn’t we?
We must go back to the beginning. God’s original, ideal diet given to Adam and Eve before sin was fruits and grains, in their natural form (Gen 1.29).
After sin, God added vegetables as well to His Ideal Diet for mankind (Gen 3:18).
It was only after the flood that God allowed humanity to eat flesh food, but even then, man was forbidden to eat the blood or the fat. (How many Christians obey that directive of God? Flesh food eaters agree that without the blood or fat it tastes like shoe leather!)
“It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings, that you eat neither fat nor blood.” Leviticus 3:17
Yet, many hundreds of years after the flood, when God brought the Israelites out of Egypt, before He gave them the Ten Commandments (in Exodus, Chapter 20), He cleared the minds and bodies of the Israelites so they could understand the Ten Commandments. He gave them a totally vegan diet - - - MANNA! (In Exodus, Chapter 16 – four Chapters earlier.)
And what was the Israelites’ response? Total ingratitude! Speaking of the Manna they said, “We loathe this light bread!” and they pleaded for the fleshpots of Egypt.
So God gave them exactly what they wanted - - all the quail they lusted after. And thousands died! Many died with the flesh still between their teeth. And not one of those who lusted after flesh food entered into the Promised Land. They ALL died in the wilderness!
This is a perfect example of “God’s wrath!” Giving us what we want – what we desperately whine and complain for, and then letting us reap what we have sown.
God’s IDEAL diet is a totally vegan vegetarian diet.
This is the diet God gave Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
He confirmed it when He gave it (manna – a vegan diet) to the Israelites when he brought them out of Egypt through the wilderness into the Promised Land.
And God tells us that a vegan vegetarian diet will be the only one available in heaven and the New Earth (because nothing will die). Even the animals will be vegan vegetarians.
“And the cow and the bear shall graze: their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.” Isaiah 11:7
Some incorrectly believe that the saved will not be eating anything in heaven or in the New Earth. But that is not biblical! We have already seen that the animals will eat straw. And in Revelation 22:2, we learn of the “tree of life that bears twelve manner of fruits, and yields her fruit every month.”
After Jesus was resurrected He was in His “resurrection body” and He ate food. Luke 24:40-43. Notice that when Jesus was resurrected, He was not a “spirit.” He could be seen and felt, and he ate food. He referred to His body as “flesh and bone.”
So if Jesus ate flesh food, why can’t we?
Jesus came to change hearts. When we truly love Jesus, we will want to follow the IDEAL diet He gave mankind in the Garden of Eden, in the Wilderness during the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, and the diet He has designated for heaven and the New Earth for eternity.
Jesus was against slavery:
When Jesus was on earth, He was against slavery, but He never organized a march to “Free the slaves.” He even told slaves to work hard for their masters.
Jesus was against licentious behavior:
Jesus was against fornication and adultery, but he told the adulterous woman thrown down in front of Him by the Pharisees, “Neither do I condemn you. But go and sin no more.”
Jesus was against divorce:
When the Pharisees asked Jesus if it was acceptable to divorce one’s wife, after all, Moses said it was, Jesus responded by saying, “Moses said you could divorce your wife because you are a stiff-necked, hard-hearted people. But it was not like that in the beginning. It was to be one husband and one wife, for their whole life.”
The answer is this:
When Jesus came to earth He met the people where they were but He did not leave them there. He came to change hearts, to turn the heart of mankind back to Him. Once that happens, then all else will follow. When we truly love Jesus Christ, we will want to follow His precepts.
Eating Flesh Food Lowers Life Expectancy
After the flood, when the eating of flesh food was allowed (not commanded – but allowed) by God, the life expectancy dropped dramatically - from Methuselah at 969 years (Methuselah died the year the flood came) - to a life expectancy of 400 years within 4 or 5 generations after the flood. By the time of King David, the life expectancy had dropped to around 70 or 80 years – only TEN PERCENT of the original life expectany!
Of course, the flood changed other things as well; the water canopy surrounding the earth was destroyed leading to extreme seasonal changes in temperature, and the oxygen content was lower. Both of these things contributed to the decrease in life expectancy. But the eating of flesh food was a major factor, as well.
Even as recently as 2001, studies show that vegetarians live approximately 10 years longer than meat eaters. (See Archives of Internal Medicine 2001:161:1645-1652)
Why would God allow the human race to eat something that would be harmful?
Remember, God’s wrath (Romans 1:18, 24, 26, 28) is giving us over to “our own desires” to reap what we have sown.
It took only 1400 years, from Creation to the Flood, for wickedness to “fill the earth.” During that time, men often lived to be over 900 years old. With that lifespan, a person could become very wise – or desperately evil.
God promised never again to destroy the earth by water. But Jesus tells us (Matthew 24:37-39) that before He comes again, the earth will become as wicked as it was “in the days of Noah” and eventually the earth will be destroyed by fire (2 Peter 3:10). It appears we are now entering that general era of “End-Times.”
But it has taken over 4,000 years to “achieve” the same level of wickedness that was attained in only 1,400 years before the flood. Why has it taken so long?
The most likely answer is the difference in life expectancy. Man, if he is so inclined, can become much more wicked in 900+ years than he can in 70 years. And because God has an appointed time for everything: for Creation, for the Flood, for His Appearing on earth as a man 2,000 years ago, AND for His Second Coming, the earth had to last an additional 4,000+ years so wickedness had to be restrained to some extent.
How could that be accomplished? By shortening the lifespan!
But notice that God did not command mankind to eat flesh food. He left it up to the individual. If carnal man lusted after flesh food, he would significantly shorten his life span. He would reap the consequences of his own decision. He would reap what he had sown.
But a diligent student of the Bible can easily discern from the diet given by God a) in Eden, b) to the Israelites in the wilderness (which represented God delivering each of us from sin – Egypt – and taking us to the “Promised Land), and c) in heaven and the New Earth, that God’s IDEAL diet is a vegan vegetarian diet!
In ALL three instances, God designates a vegan vegetarian diet!
The Israelites in the wilderness were griping and complaining about having nothing to eat but manna, God’s miraculous “bread from heaven”, the perfect food that represented the coming Jesus Christ, instead they wanted the flesh pots of Egypt.
And the mixed multitude that was among them yielded to the intense craving and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, “Who shall give us flesh to eat?”
We remember the fish which we did eat in Egypt freely; . . and now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all beside this manna, before our eyes.
And Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent: and the anger of the Lord was aroused greatly. . .
And the Lord said unto Moses, “Say unto the people, ‘Sanctify yourselves again tomorrow, and you shall eat flesh: for you have wept in the ears of the Lord, saying, “Who shall give us flesh to eat? For it was well with us in Egypt;” therefore the Lord will give you flesh, and you shall eat.
You shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days;
But even a whole month, until it comes out your nostrils, and it becomes loathsome to you; because you have despised the Lord that is among you and have wept before Him, saying ‘Why came we forth out of Egypt?” (Numbers 11:4-6, 10, 18-20)
So God “gave them what they wanted”, flesh food – quail, for a whole month - until it came “out of their nostrils!” And thousands died “while the flesh was still between their teeth!”
And there went forth a wind from the Lord, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day’s journey on this side, and as it were a day’s journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth.
And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp.
And while the flesh was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord smote the people with a great plague.
And He called the name of that place Kibrothhattaavah (literally – Graves of Craving): because there they buried the people that lusted (yielded to craving). Numbers 11:31-34
And not one of those Israelites who lusted after the flesh food entered the Promised Land. They ALL eventually died in the wilderness.
How prophetic it is for those longing to go to the “Promised Land” of heaven. Everyone must get rid of his appetite for meat, poultry and fish – while here on earth! God is not going to wave a magic wand when you die in order to remove your desire for flesh food. That is a habit you will have to develop during your life on earth.
All Flesh Food is Filthy Today
Flesh food, including fish, was clean 2,000 years ago, compared to today.
Can you imagine the following being stated about the fish in Jesus’ time?
“The FDA has issued warnings to pregnant women, nursing women and children, to limit their intake of fish. They are warned not to eat ANY fish of these four types: swordfish, king mackerel, tilefish and shark, because they could contain enough mercury to damage an unborn baby’s developing brain.”
Tuna is also a problem because of its mercury content.
Generally, the bigger the fish, the more contaminated they are because the little fish eat (contaminated) algae, the larger fish eat the little fish, and the biggest fish eat the moderate size fish. The fish, like other animals, concentrate the metals, pesticides, and other contaminants in their muscle, therefore, a fish can be a thousand times more contaminated than the water from which it is taken.
Farmed fish are also dangerous. Salmon raised on “farms” can contain up to 10 times more pesticides and chemicals than are usually found in wild salmon. Toxins discovered in farmed fish include PCB’s that can attack the nervous system causing learning disabilities in children and suppression of the immune system in all ages.
The problem is thought to lie in the food fed to salmon which is made from fish trawled from the ocean and concentrated into pellets, multiplying the toxins in ocean fish into more significant, concentrated doses. The oceans and rivers are grossly contaminated from the dumping of industrial waste and human sewage. The human sewage contains huge amounts of prescription drugs that are causing disease and death in the fish.
None of these problems existed in the fish from the Sea of Galilee when Jesus was on earth.
Sheep have a disease called Scrapie, which is “Mad sheep disease,” because they are being fed pellets formed from ground up animals who died from disease. Sheep and cows are vegetarians. When they are fed meat – ground-up animals – they become sick! Vegetarian animals get sick when they eat flesh food!
The sheep in the time of Jesus were grazing in the field. Sheep, NOW, are factory farmed, mass-produced in close quarters in barns, fed huge amounts of hormones to make them grow abnormally fast, antibiotics, because they’re all sick, and ground-up dead animals, even though sheep are created by God to be vegetarians.
This is why they are sick with Scrapie, a fatal disease that can be transmitted to other animals and to human beings.
Then the diseased, dead sheep are ground up and fed to cattle - - - giving them Mad Cow Disease!
Chickens are no better. Here is a quote from a newspaper, the Atlanta Constitution, on 5/26/91, given by a USDA Chicken Inspector:
“Every week millions of chickens leaking yellow pus, stained by green feces, contaminated by harmful bacteria, or marred by lung and heart infections, cancerous tumors or skin conditions are shipped for sale to consumers, instead of being condemned or destroyed.”
If a reasonable person cannot understand the difference between the condition of fish and meat in Christ’s time, compared to the condition of fish and meat today, - - - - - - - they need our fervent prayers!
11. Q. Does the Bible Endorse Vegetarianism? Didn't God say after the flood that mankind could eat meat?
A. A large segment of Christianity believes that vegetarianism is not only unnecessary, and even unwise, but they believe it is spiritually WRONG, the result of a “deceiving spirit and a doctrine of devils,” according to 1 Tim 4:1-5. Doesn’t the Bible say to beware of those who command you to abstain from eating meat (1 Tim 4:3)?
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing (deceiving) spirits, and doctrines of devils:
“Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
“Forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from meats (The Greek word here is broma and means “food” – not “meat” - as in flesh food.) that God has created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.
“For every creature (created thing, or creation) of God is good, (Everything God has created is good - including marriage and natural food - fruits, grains and vegetables originally created as food) and nothing is to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:
“For it is sanctified (consecrated - set apart) by the word of God and prayer.” 1 Tim 4:1-5
This passage describes a group who depart from the Biblical truth in the latter days. According to 1 Tim 4:3, they teach two twin errors. This group, 1) forbids marriage, and 2) commands to abstain from the food that God has created to be received with thanksgiving.
The word “commanding” is in italics, denoting that it is an added word and does not appear in the original Greek Scriptures.
The word “meat” here refers not to flesh food, in particular, it refers to food, in general. The same word (broma = food) is used in the Greek version of the Old Testament (the Septuagint) in Genesis 1:29:
“Every herb-bearing seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree in which is a fruit of a tree yielding seed to you shall it be for “meat” (broma = “food”).
Obviously, herb-bearing seeds and fruit are not literal meat – animal products. The correct word is food.
Certain religious groups throughout the ages have endorsed asceticism. Declaring the world as evil, they forbid their spiritual leaders, such as priests and monks, to marry, and they have looked on the enjoyment of the food God created for us to eat “with thanksgiving,” as a sin. Excessive fasting and a close-to-starvation diet are encouraged as part of a religious program of salvation by works.
But marriage and food are both created by God. They both were created in the beginning, in the Garden of Eden. They both are part of God’s good plan for the human race on this earth. According to 1 Tim 4:4,5, those created things sanctified by the word of God are good and not to be refused when received with thanksgiving.
The “foods God has created to be received with thanksgiving” are clearly described in Genesis 1:29: “every herb-bearing seed and every tree yielding fruit” -- grains and fruits. Vegetables were added later, after sin (Genesis 3:18).
“Paul here is arguing against the fanaticism that declares all physical pleasure as evil. He reveals that God’s creation is good. God desires that His creatures heartily enjoy the food He has created for them. The issue here is NOT clean or unclean foods, but whether food itself is part of the material world to be rejected through monastic life. Paul says, “NO! God’s creation is good.” Studying Together, Mark Finley, pg 46,47
10. Q. Were the Nephilim giant off-spring of demons who co-habited with human women?
A. “And it came to pass, when humanity began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,
That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair, and they took them wives of all when they chose.
And the Lord said, My spirit shall not abide in man for the eon, in that moreover he is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years (until the flood and the destruction of all humanity except Noah and his family).
Now the nephilim (#5303 in Strong’s Concordance - mighty men – of large stature – giants?)) come to be in the earth in those days; and moreover, afterward coming are those who are sons of God to the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, they are the masters, who are from the eon, mortals with the name (men of renown?).” Genesis 6:1-4
Again, we will let the Bible define its own terms:
a. Who are the “sons of God”? Are they human beings or (fallen) angels (demons)?
There are more than seven texts in the Bible where the designation “sons of God” is used. Only two of those texts, both found in the book of Job, use the phrase “sons of God” to refer to heavenly beings, but almost certainly they refer to heavenly beings that follow God.
Satan, a word that means the Adversary (of God) comes along with the “sons of God” but he is, in both cases, referred to separately. He is not included as one of the “sons of God” and he apparently “presents himself” separately from the “sons of God.” See below:
“Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and the Adversary (Satan) came also among them.” Job 1:6
“Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord.” Job 2:1
All of the other texts obviously refer to human beings, but again they are all followers of God. See the following texts.
“For as many as are led by the Spirit (Breath) of God, they are the sons of God.” Romans 8:14
“And because you are sons of God, God has sent for the Spirit of
His Son in your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.” Galatians 4:6
“That you may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom you shine as lights of the world.” Philippians 2:15
“Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed on us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not.” 1 John 3:1
“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.” 1 John 3:2
One must conclude that the term sons of God, whether applied to angels or humans, are those who are followers of God – and not the enemies of God, as are Satan and his demons.
b. What does the Hebrew word Nephilim mean?
Does it define a half-demon – half-human alien-like being, or does it refer to an all-human person of large stature? What does the Bible say?
When Caleb, Joshua, and the others who were sent to spy out the land of Canaan, returned from searching of the land after forty days, they reported to Moses, Aaron and all the congregation of Israel:
“We came into the land whither thou sent us, and truly it has an abundance of food; and this is the fruit of it.
“Nevertheless the people are strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there.
“The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.
“And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and take possession of it; for we are well able to overcome it.
“But the men that went up with him said, We are not able to go up against the people: for they are stronger than we.
“And they brought up a bad report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search, is a land that devours up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.
And there we saw the nephilim (translated giants #5303 in Strong’s Concordance) the sons of Anak, which come of the nephilim (giants – mighty men – large stature); and we were in our own sight as mere insects, and so we were in their sight. Numbers 13:26-33
There is no question that the Israelite spies had seen warriors of large stature to whom they (the Israelites) appeared as “mere insects.” Obviously, that was God’s plan – to remind the Israelites that they could only conquer the land of Canaan if God was with them! They could not do it alone.
But the Israelites, as usual (except for Caleb and Joshua), were not able to trust God, so they refused to go in and take the land of Canaan. Thus, God turned the Israelites back into the wilderness for forty years – until that entire generation (again, except for Caleb and Joshua) had died.
These sons of Anak are referred to in Numbers 13:33 as nephilim (#5303 in Strong’s Concordance), are obviously human beings – mighty men of large stature – compared to the Israelites who appeared in their own sight “as mere insects.”
The same word, nephilim, is used in Numbers 13:33 as in Genesis 6:4, leading us to firmly conclude that the “giants” in both cases are human beings and NOT the offspring of demons and human beings.
One more important point is that we have no Biblical evidence that angels (whether holy or fallen) can reproduce. We have every reason to believe that each angel was individually created by God, as opposed to the human race where God created only two beings – Adam and Eve – who then produced offspring.
It is possible that one of the major reasons Satan wants to destroy humanity is that God has given human beings the ability to reproduce. Satan views this as co-creation with God, something he is unable to do. Thus, his major goals are to destroy the family, debase sexuality, promote promiscuity, promote death through abortion – the murder of innocent babies by their own mothers – and euthanasia of the sick and elderly.
Conclusion: The phrase sons of God refers to human beings who were followers of God – probably the offspring of Seth – whereas the daughters of men describe the Unbeliever – pagans (heathen) – women who were NOT followers of the true God – possibly the offspring of Cain.
The term Nephilim refers to human beings - mighty men of large stature - NOT to half human-half demon alien beings.
9. Q. Did Jesus really go down to hell when he was crucified?
A. “Preaching to the spirits in prison” - Please explain 1 Peter 3:18-20 where it speaks of Jesus preaching to the spirits in prison. Here is the passage, as translated in the literal Concordant version of the Bible:
“For it is better to be suffering for doing good, if the will of God may be willing, than for doing evil,
“Seeing that Christ also, for our sakes, once died concerning sins, the just (righteous) for the sake of the unjust (unrighteousness), that He may be leading us to God; (It is the KINDNESS of God that leads us to repentance). Being put to death, indeed, in flesh, yet vivified in spirit (the flesh was crucified – He was vivified – made alive - spiritually) (God takes us from the carnal – flesh – to the spiritual),
“In which, being gone (preached?) to the spirits in prison also (those locked in sin),
“He heralds (proclaims) to those once stubborn, when the patience of God awaited in the days of Noah while the ark was being constructed (120 years), in which a few that is, eight souls, were brought safely through water,
“The representation of which, baptism, is now saving you also (not the putting off of the filth of the flesh, but the inquiry of a good conscience to God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 3:17-22
There has been considerable misunderstanding of these verses of Scripture. It has been preached that Christ actually descended into the lower regions of the earth (“hell”) and preached to lost souls who were in prison in some type of purgatory or limbo or hell.
Let’s let the Bible define the terms in this passage.
a. To whom was the preaching done?
Those who were “in prison” - referring to those bound in sin.
Throughout the Bible we find this terminology used in describing those who are bound in the prison house of sin. David prayed,
“Bring my soul out of prison, . . .” (Psalm 142:7)
Paul spoke of his experience in these words, “bringing me into captivity to the law of sin.” (Romans 7:23)
When Jesus stood up in the synagogue in Nazareth to proclaim that He was the Messiah, He quoted Isaiah 61:1:
“The spirit of the Lord God is upon Me; because the Lord hath anointed Me to preach good tidings unto the poor, He hah sent Me to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening (literal = jubilee) of the prison to them that are bound;
During the jubilee – ALL slaves were set free.
b. How was the preaching done?
The preaching was done through the Spirit of God (pneuma in the Greek – meaning Breath) – God’s Breath of holiness (mistranslated Holy Spirit).
For the prophecy came in not old time by the will of man; but holy men of God spake as they were moved by God’s breath of holiness.” (Holy Ghost – Holy Spirit) 2 Peter 1`:21
God spoke through the prophets – including Noah, who prophesied of the coming world-wide flood – through God’s Spirit (Holy Spirit = God’s Breath of holiness – the spirit of God in the individual prophet, one who speaks for God).
“Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of (the prophesy concerning) the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit (breath) of Christ in them was pointing, when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.
“It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by God’s Breath of holiness (Holy Spirit) sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things. 1 Peter 1:10-12
c. When was the preaching done?
The answer is plainly given in verse 20: “when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being constructed.”
So the preaching was actually done while the ark was being built - - during the preaching of Noah to that wicked antediluvian world.
Conclusion: What Peter is telling us here is simply that Christ, through the “Holy Spirit” (God’s Breath of Holiness) was – through Noah, His prophet – speaking conviction to the hearts of those alive at that time, appealing to them to believe in God and come into the ark.
The three questions are clearly answered in the text itself: 1) that Christ preached by God’s Breath of Holiness (Holy Spirit), 2) that the preaching occurred while the ark was being built, and 3) Christ preached to the “spirits in prison” – those individuals whose sinful lives were bound in the prison house of sin.
Jesus did NOT physically go to “hell” (a word that NEVER appears in the Bible in the original manuscripts) to preach to those who had died and “gone to hell.” This could NOT in any way be the interpretation of this text, because Jesus Himself said that Death is a sleep in which the dead person knows nothing.
“Our friend Lazarus sleepeth: but I so, that I may awake him out of sleep.
Then said His disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.
Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that He had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.
Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.” John 11:11-14
“The living know that they shall die, but the dead know not anything.” Ecclesiastes 9:5
8. Q. What was the Devil’s big sin?
A. The same as everyone else's "big sin" - preferring to trust in ourselves rather than trusting in God. We want to be our own "god." We want to make up our own rules rather than living our life by God's rules. The bottom line is we want to do what WE want to do, rather than what God wants us to do. We think WE know better than God.
7. Q. Cremation. Is it against God's Law to be cremated?
A. No. But Cremation (the body being burned after death), in the Old Testament, was reserved for the very wicked people, such as a daughter of a priest who became a harlot. It is interesting that in the Bible, there is no record of God commanding that anyone ever be burned alive, even though the Christian Church believes that the "God" they worship will burn the majority of His children - ALIVE - FOREVER!
When the Israelites had drifted so far from God that they were sacrificing their children to Molech by placing the child in the burning hot hands of the huge pagan statue and being burned alive, God said:
“And they built the high places of Baal, which [are] in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through [the fire] unto Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.” Jeremiah 32:35
God said that He did not command them to do such an abominable thing. In addition, God said that thought never even came into His mind. So if the idea of burning people to death “never came into God’s mind” then how can the Organized Christian Church ever believe - and teach - that God is going to burn people alive forever (or “as long as they deserve”) in hellfire!
6. Q. Tithing. What is your take on the doctrine of tithing? I have heard all sorts of things about it (Yes, it’s for today, No it’s not, Yes just give it to the needy, Yes but give it to your church etc.)
Also, there is this idea that if one tithes and gifts from their income God will bless in return.
But something does not sit right with me about that. I think we should just trust God and not try to “force” him to do this or that by following some rule.
What are your thoughts?
A. God asks us to give back to Him 10% of everything we make. Indeed, He does promise to bless us if we do.
But God also promises to bless us if we keep His commandments. (Deuteronomy 5:29)
Have you decided to lie, steal, murder and commit adultery (breaking the commandments) so you won't "force" God to bless you?
We don't "force" God to "bless us" when we behave the way He specifies. God does NOT punish us when we do wrong things. When we make bad decisions, the consequences of our own acts come back to hurt us. We reap what we sow.
If you have children, I assume that you disciplined them as they grew up because it is obvious that an adult who is joyful, peaceful, filled with patience, goodness, kindness, appropriate meekness (rather than brash arrogance) and one who has self-control (does NOT have a quick-temper, telling people off all the time), will have a far better life than one who does NOT have these characteristics. THAT is the way God "blesses" us, by allowing us to reap what we sow.
When we live our life God's way, the "blessings" come naturally because we "reap what we sow."
If we love God, we are more than happy to give back to Him what He has asked - 10% of everything we earn. If we want to keep everything for ourselves, even though God has PROMISED to "supply all our needs" if we TRUST Him, then that demonstrates selfishness, and that bad characteristic will overflow into the rest of our life - and we will "reap" the consequences of being selfish with other people in our life.
We can't "force" God to do anything.
He is like a loving Father who says (just like a loving human father would say to his children), if you live your life exhibiting the "fruits of God's spirit" in your heart - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith in God, meekness, unselfishness, and self-control - your life will be a lot better than if you are filled with arrogance, anger, hatred, being argumentative about everything, selfishness, unforgiveness, etc.
God created us. He loves us. Jesus died on the Cross for us. If we are unwilling to give back to Him the 10% that He asks for, there is something wrong with our relationship with the Lord.
Christianity is NOT a religion. It is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ - a relationship of a "son" or "daughter" with his or her heavenly Father. It has nothing to do with a "church."
And I do NOT give my tithe to an "Organized Church." I have a list of groups that I give my tithe and offerings to who I personally know are using the money wisely and are truly helping the less fortunate.
5. Q. Essene Gospel. I was wondering, what is your standpoint on the Essene Gospel of Peace, from a historical, and authenticity, perspective?
A. 1 Timothy 4:1-3 says the following:
"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from foods (the word is "foods" in the original scriptures - NOT "meats) which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth."
The Essenes of Paul's times were like the Catholic monks of today - those who want to sequester themselves away from society so they can focus on their own salvation - salvation by works - by frequent and regular fasting and by abstaining from marriage, believing that by denying themselves the things that God has created and endorsed, that we can somehow "work our way to heaven."
God wants us to understand that the salvation of everyone in the world should be as important to us as our own and we should be living among other people to exhibit the character of God to them, and that we cannot obtain salvation by our own works.
Paul is saying that that is a "Doctrine of Devils." And THAT is what the Essenes believed in.
The Essenes certainly did not have the truth about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
4. Q. Are there true prophets today, in this era? What information do you have regarding a true Bible prophet, and do you know anything about the background of _________ who claims to be a prophet?
A. First of all, I do not believe there are ANY "true prophets" around today.
Please let me explain.The meaning of the words "prophet" or "prophesy" in the Bible does not necessarily include foretelling of the future, as most people today think it does. It just means "one who speaks for God,” one who brings the message of the gospel to others. So in that respect, anyone who believes in Jesus and shares it with someone else is "speaking for God."
But, there is no more prophecy (foretelling of the future) that will come from any human being now. God has given us His Word - the Bible - and that is ALL we need. There is NOTHING that needs to be added to it.
In Hebrews 1:1,2, God says:
"God, who in sundry times, and in many ways spoke in times past unto the fathers by the prophets (that is the Old Testament), has in these days spoken unto us by His Son (that is the New Testament), whom He has appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the ages (literal: eons – meaning “specific periods of time")."
That tells us that God first spoke through people (the Old Testament writers) - who WROTE the Old Testament Scriptures - and afterwards God spoke to us through Jesus Christ - the writings of the New Testament Scriptures.
And the Bible says that Christ will be our Teacher, directly. (Please see www.goodnewsaboutgod.com) for my Bible study: “Who is Your Teacher?”)
So we have everything we need in the Bible. All we have to do is share the GOOD NEWS with others.
But, regarding people who claim to be "Prophets" these days - who claim to be able to foretell the future – in my opinion they are getting their "information" from the same source as psychics and fortune tellers - Satan - even though they are masquerading as "Christians."
I believe in the Bible - and the Bible only. But I define what I mean by that in "How to Study the Bible and Find Truth" - also on the same website.
3. Q. How should we keep the Seventh-day Sabbath (Saturday) holy? I want to keep the Seventh-day Sabbath (Saturday) holy as the Ten Commandments tell us, and as Jesus did when He was on earth. Can you please give me some help in learning how it should be kept.
A. The Bible tells us how to keep the Sabbath holy. We are to spend it with the Lord, not doing our own routine things that we do during the week. We are to put all our usual things aside and focus on the Lord. He is to be the center of our thoughts, our words and our actions. It is NOT a day to “do our own pleasure.” We are to spend it “at the pleasure” of God.
a. The Sabbath is our special day to spend with the Lord. It is a delight.
If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thine own pleasure on MY holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shall honour Him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words.
Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high hills of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it. Isaiah 58:13,14
b. The Sabbath is a memorial of Creation – God’s Creation of us and the world. It is the Fourth Commandment.
Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days you shall labour and do all your work. But the Seventh Day (Saturday) is the Sabbath. In it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor the visitor that is visiting you (stranger within your gates).
For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea and all that in them is, and rested (stopped) the Seventh day: wherefore the Lord BLESSED the Sabbath day, and made it HOLY! Exodus 20:8-11
We are not to do our regular work on the Sabbath, nor are our sons, daughters or any hired help, nor our visitors. Even our animals are not to be working on the Sabbath.
The Bible tells us we are to WORK SIX days – Sunday through Friday - but not on the Seventh-day (Saturday) Sabbath, because God made that day HOLY! And if God made the Sabbath holy, no human being can change it.
c. The Sabbath is a memorial of Re-Creation – Our Redemption from sin.
Keep the Sabbath day holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labour, and do all your work: but the Seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your ox, nor your ass, nor any of your cattle, nor your visitor within your gates so your manservant and your maidservant may rest as well as you.
And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord your God brought you out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore, the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day. Deuteronomy 5:12-15
The reference to our being a “slave in Egypt” and God’s deliverance of Israel symbolizes God delivering us from sin – our Redemption through the death of Jesus on the Cross.
d. “It is lawful to do GOOD on the Sabbath.” Mark 3:4
e. The Sabbath was made for ALL mankind. It is NOT “Jewish.”
The Sabbath was made for man and NOT man for the Sabbath. Mark 2:27
The Sabbath was not made for the “Jews.” The Sabbath was made for mankind – ALL mankind! The word used here is anthropos in Greek, the root word for Anthropology – the study of humanity.
f. The Sabbath was given to Adam and Eve and to their offspring. Everyone on the earth is the offspring of Adam and Eve. The Bible says, after He had finished the 6th day of creation:
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on he Seventh day God ended His work that He had made, and He rested (stopped) on the Seventh day from all his work which He had made.
And God BLESSED the Seventh day, and made it HOLY because that in it He had rested from (Stopped) ALL His work which God created and made. Genesis 2:1-3
God was not tired. He did not “rest” in the usual terms. God “stopped” his work because it was finished – because His work was Perfect!
God made the Seventh-day Sabbath HOLY as a memorial of His creation of the world and everything in it – including us.
g. The Sabbath rest (stopping) is the day that we put away all our own efforts for one day and just spend it with the Lord. The Sabbath looks forward to 7th 1000-year Millennial rest (stopping) when we will completely rest in the Lord.
If we are unable to stop our work for ONE day of the week – and rest in Him – how will we be able to learn to give our lives completely over to God for eternity?
In 2 Peter, Chapter 3, Peter is speaking of the Second Coming of Christ. In the midst of the chapter he states:
“But beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” 2 Peter 3:9
God created the earth in 6 days, but the 7th day is for the Lord. Each day of creation represents a thousand years. There are 6,000 years for mankind, then Jesus will return to take the righteous to heaven. The destroyed earth will remain dormant for the 7th 1,000-year millennial rest.
“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night: in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” 2 Peter 3:10
The earth must rest for 1,000 years because God ordered humanity to rest the earth (a sabbatical year, when no planting or sowing was done) every seventh year during the 6,000 years since creation. But this did not happen because of the rebellion of man. So now the earth must rest for 1,000 years.
The earth will be uninhabited during the millennium, except for Satan and his demons who will be “chained” (by circumstances) to this earth, to live in the death and chaos they have “created.
h. The Sabbath is NOT to be burdened down with numerous irrelevant rules as the Pharisees did during the time of Jesus, nor as the Orthodox Jews do today. It is meant to be a wonderful day of communion with the Lord.
“Jesus said, The scribes and the Pharisees . . . bind heavy burdens hard to bear and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves wlll not move them with one of their fingers. All their works they do to be seen of men. . . “ Matthew 23:2-5
i. God set aside a particular, specific, special day to spend with us. If we don’t spend that day every week, learning about Him, studying His Word, and learning to trust Him completely with our very life, we will NEVER be able to stand for Christ in the soon-coming time of trouble.
“Watch therefore, for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.” Matthew 24:42
j. The Sabbath is the Fourth Commandment. If we keep God’s commandments, God promises that it will be well with us and our children.
“Oh that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear (reverence) Me, and keep ALL My commandments always (including the 4th Commandment – the Sabbath commandment) that it might be well with them, and with their children forever! Deuteronomy 5:29
Suggestions on what to do on the Sabbath:
1. Have friends over for lunch. Do the major part of preparing the meal on Friday so you can focus on Spiritual things on the Sabbath. Make the meal Special – for a Special day. Spend the afternoon studying God’s Word with friends.
2. Plan a Picnic and/or Hike – appreciate God’s wonderful creation.
3. Take appropriate books along on your outing. Learn to identify differentflowers, plants, trees, fish, and birds by name.
4. Study about fish and birds, learning their names, their habitat and their life cycles. Studying each of these groups (in No. 3) thoroughly will keep you busy for years.
5. Study different types of rocks, or if you live on the coast, find and identify different types of shells.
6. Identify edible plants.
7. Study the sky and different types of clouds and how they form.
8. Plan a trip to a Planetarium. Study books about the sun, moon and stars.
9. Study about different animals, learning their behavior and how they care for their young.
DVDs/Videos appropriate for Sabbath viewing.
1. Incredible Creatures that Defy Evolution by Dr. Jobe Martin - a series of four or five videos/DVDs. Try www.aofl.org The Art of Family Living in Dallas, TX. or Amazon.com
2. Mt. St. Helens: Explosive Evidence for Catastrophe Institute for Creation Research, El Cajon, CA
3. Creation Seminars: A whole series of videos/DVDs (including some on dinosaurs) by Dr. Kent Hovind
www.drdino.com4. Creation vs. Evolution. A DVD by Ralph O. Muncaster
www.harvesthousepublishers.com5. Gods of the New Age. A DVD/video
at www.jeremiahfilms.com6. Harry Potter: Witchcraft Repackaged.
A video at www.jeremiahfilms.com7. Fingerprints of Creation
Search the internet. Try Amazon.comThen of course, there are my nine DVDs on Health available on my website www.drday.com On www.goodnewsaboutgod.com - my other website - I have two additional DVDs (plus the books that go along with them), "What Happens at the Judgment?" and "Was Jesus Really Resurrected on Sunday?" as well as several other books on important spiritual matters.
All of these can be watched or read more than once in order to understand them fully.
Plus, of course, there are well over 100 in-depth Bible studies on my website at www.goodnewsaboutgod.com and more are being added every month. Click on “Spiritual Truth” on the home page.
2. Q. Wasn’t Luke a doctor? I began reading your article entitled “Are Doctors a Gift from God?” I agree with what you have written, but a question came to mind. What about Luke? Wasn’t he a physician and follower of Jesus Christ? How do you categorize his physician status as he is mentioned in the Bible?
A. You will notice that Jesus NEVER sent anyone to Luke for healing. Jesus did NOT say, “Go see Luke, I heal through doctors.” When someone came to Jesus for healing, Jesus did it HIMSELF - either through His "Word" - which we have today in the form of the Bible - OR through Natural Methods (water, clay, etc).
Luke is referred to as a "healer" in the Original Greek – NOT a physician. The word used is #2395 In Strong's Concordance (which is derived from #2390 in Strong's Concordance) which means "to make whole." It is the TRANSLATORS that have translated the word “healer” as physician, because they - the translators - (erroneously) have supposed that doctors make people well - which they DO NOT! Doctors give people HARMFUL DRUGS that cover up their symptoms. They do NOT make people well!
Luke may well have healed people by using natural methods. But nonetheless, Jesus NEVER sent a single person to Luke for healing. Jesus ALWAYS healed the person Himself, just as He does today - through HIS word (the Bible) and through Natural Methods - the things that HE has made - in the form that HE made them. This is exactly the same way I got well - by using God's Totally Natural Ten Step Health Plan.
Remember, the proper food is important, but it takes a whole lot more than just eating the right nutrition in order to Get Well and to Stay Well. That's why the Health Plan has TEN Steps - and NOT just one.
1. Q. The Sacrade Name groups: What is your opinion of the sacrade name groups out there. I am sure you are aware of them, but just in case, they are the ones who say Jesus couldn't have been His name since "J" did not exist until about 500 years ago, and it was derived from the letter "I". While I have come to believe the name Jesus is indeed of pagan origins, the fact is that these groups all seem to have a different spelling or pronunciation for the so-called sacrade name. So far, I am undecided as to who is correct, so I figure it must not be important enough to keep one from entering a relationship with Christ since so many seem to have done exactly that with Jesus as the Christ. Any thoughts on this?
A. Your question is legitimate, but what these “sacrade” groups are saying is all NONSENSE!
It is TRUE that the letter "J" was not introduced into the alphabet until about that time. That is also the reason that the word "Jew" is NOT in the Bible in the original Greek, even though the translators have incorrectly “written” it in. The word is Iudean or, subsequently, Judean, meaning someone who worshiped the true God of heaven whose presence was in the temple in Jerusalem - in Judea - as opposed to the heathen, the nations, who worshiped many pagan gods.
The word Judean does NOT mean a person of a certain race. And certainly is does NOT refer to a present-day Jew. It only refers to which God (or gods) they worshipped. I explain that in detail in my Bible studies on www.goodnewsaboutgod.com
The name Jesus is not of pagan origins. It is the word Savior in Latin. Just because it is a Latin word, that doesn't mean it is pagan. It's just a different language.
The word Jesus is the Latin form of the Greek Iesous, which in turn is the transliteration of the Hebrew Jeshus, or Joshua, or again Jehoshua.
The “sacrade” silliness is nothing more than evil, Judaistic, Talmudic, nit-picking. This is one more indication of the infiltration of the Christian Church by Jewish Talmudism and the “Judaizing” of the Christian Church. Please see my articles on the Talmud, and the Jews, etc. on my website www.goodnewsaboutgod.com
To suggest that Jesus will not hear us if we don't say His name just right - in the specific earthly language that He demands - makes Him into a petty tyrant who is only interested in irrelevant trivia. I personally stay as far away from as I can get from people who promote such nonsense. This kind of stupidity is the antithesis of Jesus Christ and true Christianity.