The Gadarene Demoniac

August 19, 2019

bible study

The power on display as others marvel in wonder. Overcoming any adversary with sheer strength without the hint of mercy. Dominating all people and nations leaving trembling victims in his wake. An unstoppable power forcing all to their knees. This is how governments across the world portray themselves. But praise God the Prince of Peace was not so.

Inhabitants of Gadara

In the gospel, according to Luke 8:26-39, (v1), we’ve come to a place called Gadarenes (Gadara) a country on the east of the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River. In the verses, we’re going to look at sets a scene in the hilltops of the country. Before we begin let’s look at what the name means. The Greek word for Gadarenes is Gadarēnos (gä-dä-rā-no’s)

Gadarenes = “reward at the end”

also called Gergesenes, was the capital of Peraea, situated opposite the south extremity of the Lake of Gennesaret to the south-east, but at some distance from the lake on the banks of the river Hieromax

Γαδαρηνός Gadarēnós, gad-ar-ay-nos’; from Γαδαρά Gadará (a town east of the Jordan); a Gadarene or inhabitant of Gadara:—Gadarene.

Luke 8:26-27 And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee. And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs.

How this sounds like each one of us before coming to know Christ as our Saviour. I don’t mean to say every one of us was demon-possessed (while some were), but we all “met him” and each one of us were destitute and naked “and ware no clothes” this man literally had no clothes. We also were dead in our sins keeping company with others who too were dead in their trespasses against God “in the tombs”. The bible doesn’t tell us precisely how long this man was in this state of possession. All we know is that he “had devils long time”. The lifestyle of this man was completely defiling in Leviticus God tells the Israelites to stay away from the dead or they will be defiled.

Leviticus 21:11 Neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother;

The demoniac man was secluded walking among dead people. In the gospel of Mark, we have more details Luke doesn’t tell us about in Mark’s account it says that he was “in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones” (Mark 5:5). The torture and pain felt must have been great, the darkness and despair caused him to inflict wounds upon himself. This could be a glimpse of the darkness the book of Revelation refers to in chapter 16, God’s “fifth angel pours out his vial upon the seat of the beast” this caused the people to “gnawed their tongues for pain” (Revelation 16:10).

Jesus, thou Son of God Most High

Luke 8:28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not.

The demoniac man falls down before the feet of the Saviour, in the gospel of Mark it says that the man ran to Jesus and worshipped Him (Mark 5:6). Does the Lord Jesus tell the man to go away? No. The grace of the Saviour He sees a man in desperate need and helps Him. I hope we all learn from the Lord’s example to help those who are in need. I can only imagine this man must have been dirty and smelled rancid. And the Lord never turns him away.

Notice the demon cried out saying “What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not”. This is significant as it speaks to the pre-existence of Jesus Christ as the Word (John 1:1, 1:3) the one who created all things (Psalm 102:25-27, Isaiah 44:24, Ephesians 3:9, Colossians 1:16, Hebrews 1:10-12, Revelation 4:11). The demon acknowledges by saying “thou Son of God most high” he knew that Christ is the Son of God, God manifests in the flesh (1 Timothy 3:16).

In the gospel according to Matthew, he says “Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?” Legion knew that there was a time when all the demonic forces would be tormented forever in the lake of fire with the devil (Matthew 25:41, Revelation 19:20, 20:10) and begged the Lord Jesus not to be tormented.

Luke 8:29 (For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.)

What is thy name?

The power of the Word of God in all its splendour with all authority Jesus Christ commands the unclean to depart and the sprit has no choice but to come out of him. This man was completely in spiritual bondage incapable of being free even though they attempted restraining him with fetters he would brake them but was never truly free from bondage. Before Legion is cast out the Lord asks “What is thy name?”

Luke 8:30 And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him.

This demonic spirit seems to be comprised of many devils as the name Legion implies. If we dive into the Greek the meaning of Legion is:

legiōn

I. a legion, a body of soldiers whose number differed at different times, and in the time of Augustus seems to have consisted of 6826 men (i.e. 6100 foot soldiers, and 726 horsemen)

λεγεών legeṓn, leg-eh-ohn’; of Latin origin; a “legion”, i.e. Roman regiment (figuratively):—legion.

From this, we can conclude there were many devils in this man.

Luke 8:31 And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep.

The devils were terrified at the fact of being cast out “into the deep” deep is another word if we take a look at the Greek meaning:

abyssos

I. bottomless

II. unbounded

III. the abyss

A. the pit

B. the immeasurable depth

C. of Orcus, a very deep gulf or chasm in the lowest parts of the earth used as the common receptacle of the dead and especially as the abode of demons.

ἄβυσσος ábyssos, ab’-us-sos; from G1 (as a negative particle) and a variation of G1037; depthless, i.e. (specially) (infernal) “abyss”:—deep, (bottomless) pit.

The bottomless pit is also spoken of in the book of Revelation there’s an angel who is given the “key of the bottomless pit” (Revelation 9:1) he proceeds to open the pit and smoke comes out like a “great furnace” (Revelation 9:2) and locusts came up from the heart of the earth (Matthew 12:39-40). These locusts which are released to wreak havoc upon sinful mankind have a king over them according to Revelation 9:11 an angel who goes by the names Abaddon in Hebrew and Apollyon in Greek. These names give us more insight as to who this angel is when looking at these names in the original languages.

Abaddon in Hebrew

I. Abaddon = “destruction”

A. ruin

B. destruction

C. the place of destruction

D. the name of the angel-prince of the infernal regions, the minister of death and the author of havoc on the earth

Apollyon in Greek

I. Apollyon = “Destroyer”

A. the angel of the bottomless pit, the Destroyer

Herd of many swine

Luke 8:32 And there was there an herd of many swine feeding on the mountain: and they besought him that he would suffer them to enter into them. And he suffered them.

Here we see that the people of Gadara kept a herd of swine, it’s been said that the country of Gadara was a Hellenistic people those who were influenced by the Greek culture. The reason why they are considered to be Hellenistic is that according to the Old Testament Law God commands the children of Israel not to touch any swine for it’s unclean (Leviticus 11:7, Deuteronomy 14:8).

Also, notice that the devils had no authority before the Lord “they besought him that he would suffer them to enter into them. And he suffered them”. They asked permission to enter into the swine and the Lord Jesus allowed them to enter into the swine. This is more proof that believers who have the Spirit of God indwelling inside them cannot be demon-possessed, there are Christians who believe a devil can co-inhabit a person with the Holy Ghost. This belief is erroneous and not possible for the true child of God. After the Lord permits the devils to depart this man it says in the following verse.

Luke 8:33 Then went the devils out of the man, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake, and were choked.

The devils knew there’s coming a time in which they will be destroyed in the lake of fire, the time is not yet I supposed the devils were just buying time and just wanted to escape their judgement for the moment. The response of the people in the Gadarenes was unwelcoming, they only cared for the swine it was most likely the way they made profits herding swine. They should have rejoiced at this miracle performed by the Lord Jesus, seeing that God was in their midst and that this man was made whole again (Luke 8:34-37).

What Jesus has done for you

Luke 8:38 Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him away, saying,

The response of this man is how every child of God should respond because we also have been saved and had those bonds removed from us. The Demoniac man wanted to continue to stay in the presence of the Lord but was sent away “but Jesus sent him away, saying, Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee”. Just as the Lord Jesus has sent us out to proclaim the good news of salvation to the lost, this man also was sent to bring the glad tidings to others that they may know the saving power of God.

The remarkable highlight of these verses is that while a miracle was performed, a man released from demon possession the Lord Jesus says: “Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee.” the man goes out to proclaim “how great things Jesus had done unto him”, can you see the connection?

More proof that Jesus Christ is God, rest well in knowing that the one who made all things is inside of you believer and He will continue to uphold you till the day He comes for His bride.

Luke 8:39 Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him.

Some other verses proving that Jesus Christ is God (Isaiah 9:6, John 1:1, 1:3, 8:58, 14:9, 20:28, 1 Corinthians 8:6, Colossians 1:15-17, 1 Timothy 3:16).

Jeffrey Epstein Dead by Suicide at Manhattan Jail.

August 10, 2019

Jeffrey Edward Epstein

Numbers 32:23 …behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.

A man by the name of Jeffrey Edward Epstein (January 20, 1953 – August 10, 2019) committed sucide today in a Manhattan jail. Epstein was an American financier and convicted sex offender, best known for his alleged sex trafficking of minors and close connections with many of the world’s elite.

“Over the course of many years, Jeffrey Epstein, the defendant, sexually exploited and abused dozens of minor girls at his homes in Manhattan, New York, and Palm Beach, Florida, among other locations.” – Town and Country Magazine

Epstein started his career in banking and then opening his own firm running it from the U.S. Virgin Islands for tax reasons. In 2008, Epstein pleaded guilty to a felony charge of solicitation of prostitution involving a minor and since then has been a registered as a sex offender.

The guilt must have been tremendous for Epstein to take his own life due to the horrible acts he’s committed. Perhaps he thought it was a way out but how wrong he was. Epstein will now have to stand before the Judge of the universe God Himself, to give an account of all that he’s done.

Ecclesiastes 12:14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

The Lord Jesus spoke of those who would offend these little ones who believe in Him.

Matthew 18:6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. (Mark 9:42, Luke 17:2)

These are hard truths, this man who took his own life is now eternally separated from God with no hope. Why you may ask? Because he died in his sins he never trusted in Christ in order to be forgiven of his sins. And how easy it is for us would it be to point the finger at him, yes the crimes he committed are horrible no child should have to go through what Epstein forced upon them. But when talking about God none of us are better than him because we all have sinned against God.

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

How tragic Epstein could have had forgiveness for his sins by coming to Christ, realising that he needed a Saviour and only the blood of Jesus Christ would have been able to cleanse him from all unrighteousness. How about you are you cleansed from your sins? Have you trusted in Christ that you may have newness of life and a home in heaven?

This is not some game Christians preach to you the gospel because currently if you’re without the Saviour then you’re already dead and on your way to a burning furnace called hell. God doesn’t want you to perish in our sins and tells you to flee from the wrath to come (Luke 3:7), to come to the Saviour of sinners the Lord Jesus Christ. He’s the Ark which will save you for all eternity.

Here’s a wonderful verse from the word of God read it and think hard about it.

1 Timothy 1:15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

Are you a chief sinner? Because that’s exactly who the Lord Jesus came for!!! The Pharisees thought of themselves better than everyone else and here’s what the Lord Jesus said to them.

Mark 2:16-17 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners? When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Another soul has been lost for all eternity don’t suffer the same fate as Jeffrey Epstein did come to Christ trust in Him for the forgiveness of your sins.

Common Traits Among The Cults #4

August 9, 2019

Cult Literature Worldwide

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Prove All Things

We as Christians are to prove all things and to hold fast that which is good (1 Thessalonians 5:21) if we hear something which doesn’t agree with God’s word then we are to reject it, for God cannot lie. Therefore we can conclude that anything that’s against God’s word is a lie straight from satan himself the father of lies (John 8:44).

If the Christadelphians truly believe in God’s word then they would have to agree on that point that God’s word is the final authority, not a man or group of men; but God Himself. That being said let us look at God’s word to see if the beliefs held by the Christadelphians concerning the Lord Jesus Christ and His knowledge is accurate or not.

Another point: God is all-knowing, Jesus learned (Luke 2:40, 52) during his life, which implicitly means acquiring knowledge or wisdom not previously possessed. In fact, there were some things Jesus never knew until after his resurrection – like the date of his return (Mrk 13:32). Traditional Christian thought (see above) has it that he never ceased to be God, so how did he learn? Did he just ‘forget’ for a while, while on earth? Did he later “remember” that he was omniscient? Again, omniscience and humanity are mutually exclusive characteristics. And if you are omniscient, you can’t shed that quality temporarily. – Christadelphians

The problem with cults such as the Christadelphians is that they try to reduce the Lord Jesus to a mere human being. The carnal mind cannot comprehend the things of God (Romans 8:7) nor receive the Spirit of God because they are spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:14). The mistake the Christadelphians make is that they refused the deity of Christ but they are more than willing to accept the humanity of Christ, this is common among the cults. More on the Christadelphians beliefs.

The Two Natures of Christ

Any group which believes that Jesus Christ is a created being falls into this grave error because they have adopted the Arianism heresy. The true biblical Jesus Christ of the bible has 2 natures. He always existed as God because He (Jesus) is the Word or the Logos from the Greek. Here’s the Greek text which is very precise and powerful.

1:1  Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος

The Greek text reads “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was toward the God and God was the Word”

Additionally, the epistle written to the Philippians is also a great text which proves both that the Lord Jesus was fully God and fully man.

Philippians 2:5-6 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

2:5  τοῦτο γὰρ φρονείσθω ἐν ὑμῖν ὃ καὶ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ

2:6  ὃς ἐν μορφῇ θεοῦ ὑπάρχων οὐχ ἁρπαγμὸν ἡγήσατο τὸ εἶναι ἴσα θεῷ

this for LET-BE-beING-Disposed In You Which and In Anointed Jesus WHO IN FORM OF-God belongING NOT Snatching Deems The To-Be Equal to God.

The rest of those verses tell us what Jesus Christ did while He was still God.

Philippians 2:7-8 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

He took on the form of a servant and humbled Himself going to the cross paying for our sins that we could have eternal life. Those verses in Philippians shows forth both natures of the Lord Jesus, He being both fully God and fully man. Jesus Christ as the man was at times hungry (Luke 24:41-43) and wearied or tired (John 4:6), He didn’t know the hour because of the human nature of the Lord Jesus. But that in no way negates the fact that He’s God in the flesh (1 Timothy 3:16).

The Christadelphians cannot understand this they place God in a box and are saying He can’t be both; God can do anything He wishes, you and I cannot. It’s not hard to understand that God came in the likeness of sinful flesh (Romans 8:3).

As for the Lord Jesus’s knowledge as God. The disciples clearly said He (Jesus) knows all things. Did Jesus ever rebuke the disciples saying no He doesn’t know all things? No, He did not. Because He clearly did, this is why Christ could tell Simon Peter “thou shalt deny me thrice” (Matthew 26:34, Mark 14:30, Luke 22:61). Peter remembered this after he did deny the Lord (Matthew 26:75) no mere man can do the things the Lord Jesus can. Here are the supporting scriptures proving Christ knew all things.

John 16:30 Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God.

John 21:17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

As for why the Lord Jesus said He didn’t know the hour only further proves the Triune Godhead (Trinity). The Father reserves certain things unto Himself, the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost are all co-equal and co-eternal but it also displays the distinct persons in the Godhead as being the one true God. I know that may be hard for Christadelphians to understand but it’s true. And the reason why they don’t understand it is that they’re not saved. Just like Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses and Unitarians. If you trust in a God that’s different from the God of the bible you just cannot have salvation; and if you’re not saved how can you know God? You just cannot.

Mark 13:32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.

The Father the Son and the Holy Spirit all have different roles. The Father calls or draws the sinner to His Son Jesus Christ, the Lord Jesus redeems the sinner by the sacrifice on the cross covering our sins by His blood and the Holy Spirit indwells the believer sealing him unto that day marking those who have received salvation and signifying those individuals who are redeemed and belong to God; empowering us to live a life pleasing to God through His Spirit.

Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

Revelation 7:3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

Texas bloodbath: El Paso Shooting Today

August 4, 2019

shooting 1

A man armed with a rifle opened fire at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas, on Saturday, killing 20 people and wounding 26 others as panicked shoppers and employees scurried for cover before the gunman surrendered to police at the scene.

Our prayers go out to those families who’ve lost loved ones at this extremely difficult time. As Christians we go out to preach the gospel, the gospel means good news. So what’s the good news? Well before we give you the good news we have to give you the bad news first, by doing so then you’ll understand why it’s good news.

The Bad News

The bible tells us that from the garden mankind has fallen because of sin. When Adam and Eve sinned all of mankind fell into sin also because we were in Adam when he sinned.

Romans 5:12, 14 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: … Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.

This tells us that death came upon all men because of Adam’s transgression “even over them that had not sinned after the similitude” this portion in quotes is saying death reigned upon us too even though we had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s sin. That word similitude in the Greek means.

homoiōma

  1. that which has been made after the likeness of something
  • a figure, image, likeness, representation
  • likeness i.e. resemblance, such as amounts almost to equality or identity

ὁμοίωμα homoíōma, hom-oy’-o-mah; a form; abstractly, resemblance:—made like to, likeness, shape, similitude.

Things are not looking good for us, we sinned because Adam sinned, and because Adam sinned death came into the world. Another verse I’d like to bring to your attention is also in the book of Romans.

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

It clearly says that “For all have sinned” meaning we all fall short of God’s glory proving that God alone is perfect but we, unfortunately, are not perfect by any means. And what’s the penalty for sin? Well the bible has an answer for that again in Romans.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death;…

God is going to “pay” us what we deserve for our sins which is death. Things look really bad friend, we all sinned therefore death and God’s wrath is upon us and He’s going to pay us the full penalty for our sins. But there’s hope!!!

The Good News

God provided a way out for us to escape the wrath and judgement of God. He sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ came and lived the perfect life under the law of God that you and I are not capable of doing. Jesus Christ is perfect and without sin, the bible says concerning Chirst.

2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

The verse here is saying that for He (God) hath made Him (Jesus) to be sin for us (man) that we could have the righteousness of God through Jesus Christ. How wonderful is that? It’s great news!!! Here’s another verse that speaks of Christ taking our punishment from the book of Isaiah.

Isaiah 53:3-5 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Again, He (Jesus) was wounded for our transgressions (sin), He (Jesus) was bruised for our iniquities (sin) the chastisement (discipline) of our peace was upon Him (Jesus) and by Jesus’s stripes or wounds we are healed. The Lord Jesus became a ransom sacrifice giving Himself on the cross for guilty sinners like us, He came out of Heavenly glory and stepped into His own creation so that He could save us from going to hell. That’s true love a love that’s willing to be a sacrifice for you!!!

When Jesus was nailed to the cross He cried out “it is finished”, in other words the debt has been paid on the cross. Remember the verse from Romans “For the wages of sin is death”? Jesus paid that debt in full on the cross satisfying the requirement of God. The rest of that verse says “but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”.

John 19:30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

And if you receive the free gift of salvation by placing your trust in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins God can forgive and give you everlasting life. You’ll know where you’re going when you die, you’ll have a home in heaven. Jesus Christ was victorious over death and hell because after he was crucified He was buried and 3 days later rose from the dead and is now sitting at the right hand of the Father in heaven. Giving us full assurance of salvation for those who believe.

The Hard Truth

shooting 2

We grieve for all those people who lost their lives today, we hope and pray that those who died had already placed their trust in the Lord Jesus for the forgiveness of sins. But the sad reality is that most likely these people never trusted in Christ, perhaps some were atheist, Muslims, Hindus, Catholics etc. If you’re not a believer then you’re currently dead in your sins but you don’t have to remain dead you can be made alive in Christ. The most popular verse in the bible says:

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

That’s a wonderful gift none of us deserves, God gave His only Son to die for us guilty wretched sinners. The free gift of salvation is offered to anyone, that word in John 3:16 says “whosoever” is a wide word taking in all, the invitation goes out to all will you take it? Today is the day of salvation do not put it off, I’m certain that these people who tragically died didn’t think it was their last day on earth.

The Brevity Of Man

shooting 3

The bible speaks to how short our lives are if we are fortunate to live 90 years or so that would be great, but ask anyone who is that age and they will tell you life goes by fast. You’re not guaranteed to live to 90, hundreds of people die every day and you never know when it’s your turn to die.

Isaiah 40:7 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.

We are the grass spoken of in this verse of Isaiah, we spring up, live our lives and before you know it you’re life is done. O friend trust in Christ today and be saved!!!

1 Corinthians 15:3-4 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

Common Traits Among The Cults #3

August 2, 2019

Why christadelphians are a cult

2 Corinthians 4:3-4 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

This is the third post concerning the erroneous doctrine of the Christadelphians, we are going to visit each doctrine concerning this cult and prove why it’s ungodly and carnal. Here’s another belief from the group which states.

“For the temptations of Christ to have been in any way real, there had to exist the possibility that he could sin. If Christ is God, it is impossible that he could have sinned, for God is perfect by nature. Jesus pointed this out in Mt 19:17, marking the distinction between himself and God (only ONE is good…). If Christ was God, and therefore couldn’t sin, all his ‘temptations’ were faked, and his identification with mankind a cruel sham! And for those affirming the “fully God/fully man” idea, do you really see God locking Himself into a nature that could potentially sin? Finally, James explicitly states that God cannot be tempted by evil (1:13-15).” – The Christadelphians

First, let’s look at the quote from Matthew 19:17 this is when the Lord Jesus was approached by the rich young ruler and he asked a question saying: “Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?” Matthew 19:16 the context of these verses shows forth the truth of these verses.

The Deity of Christ

Our Lord’s deity was not diminished by His coming into the world. However, cults like the Christadelphians attempt to deny this truth. The purpose of this article is to consider Scriptures that they use (or, rather, abuse).

The “rich young ruler” addressed the Lord as “Good Master,” or “Good Teacher” and asked Him, “What good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?” The Lord replied, “Why callest thou Me good? There is none good but one, that is, God” (Matthew 19:16, 17). Some claim that here the Lord Jesus is saying that He is not God, however, the opposite is the case.

The man was mistaken on two counts. First, he thought that he could get eternal life by his own works “What good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?”. Second, he only recognized Jesus as a good teacher, not as God. The Lord’s response points out the inconsistency of what the man was saying. If He is not God, the man cannot rightly call Him “good.” If He is “good,” He must be God. Thus, He is not denying that He is “good” or that He is God. He is showing the man that He is “good” because He is God. Contrary to it being a denial of His deity, it is an affirmation of it.

By fully understanding the context of the scriptures we understand that Jesus Christ is God and was asking the “rich young ruler” in the form of a question, are you confessing that I AM God? After which the Lord guided him through the commandments showing him that perfection is God’s requirements and because this man was trusting in his own works for salvation. The Lord had to show him that he’s not capable of keeping the law since he’s not perfect.

Only God alone is perfect and that in itself proves the Lord Jesus Christ as being God. Only He was perfect without sin just as (2 Corinthians 5:21, 1 Peter 2:22) Paul and Peter affirmed in their epistles. The Lord Jesus is the light of the world and has no darkness in Him (John 8:12, John 9:5, John 12:46).

1 John 1:5-7 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

The Christadelphians argue that because God cannot be tempted and because Christ was tempted therefore He’s not God? Is that really logical to think because something was attempted therefore that’s proof that Christ was not God? This kind of thinking is faulty and irrational. satan was not going to sit back and not try to thwart God’s plan of salvation and just because he tried to do so doesn’t in any way take away the fact that Jesus Christ is God in the flesh.

APOSTLE JOHN’S (4) REASONS WHY HE WROTE THIS EPISTLE 2

1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

It was not possible for the Lord Jesus Christ to sin but satan is still going to try, the same is true with believers, we are purchased by the blood of Christ and belong to Him but satan is still going to try to tempt the child of God and cause us to stumble. And while that may be so we are sealed by the Holy Spirit and kept until that glorious day when we’re with the Lord. We can agree that God cannot be tempted and it’s impossible for Him to sin but that doesn’t mean the enemy is not going to try.

To the Christadelphian

To those who identify as being a Christadelphian, you have a responsibility to look into this for yourself. Don’t allow others to influence/indoctrinate you into false teaching which is leading you away from God’s truth. I hope that you’ll follow these postings as this is not an attack on you. We are reaching out to you because your precious soul is at risk of ending up in hell, separated from God for all eternity. The scriptures speak of the Bereans who were more noble than those in Thessalonica and searched the scriptures daily to make sure those things were so or true (Acts 17:11).

Jesus Christ is God, only God can heal the sick, give sight to the blind (Mark 7:31-37, John 9:1-41), only God knows all things just as Jesus’s disciples proclaimed (John 16:30), only God can give eternal life just as Jesus said He gives to His sheep (John 10:27-30), only God controls weather, the storms and seas (Leviticus 26:2–4, Job 37:9–14, Psalm 89:9, Psalm 107:29, Jeremiah 10:12–13, Nahum 1:3, Matthew 8:23-27, Luke 8:23–25), only He has authority over devils (Matthew 8:29, Mark 1:24, Luke 4:34). The Lord Jesus did all these things and much more!

John 10:27-30 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.

Consider the majesty and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, He alone can lay claims to all of these and more because He is the great I AM. We hope and pray that God will open your eyes to the truth of His word that you may have eternal life. Remember Paul the apostle said that it’s possible for you to fall for “another Jesus” (2 Corinthians 11:4) which is a false Jesus and that’s who the Christadelphians fell for. A Jesus which has no power to save, we want you to come to know the true Lord Jesus of the Bible.

Breaking News: MAN OUTRUNS BEAR

July 27, 2019

Breaking news:

Never before seen or heard of in all of human history: man outruns bear and survives!!!

A New York man was hiking in the wilderness, with just the clothes on his back, a peanut butter sandwich and a water bottle. He said he had escaped the hustle and bustle to go catch frogs. He enjoys frogs and has found a lovely pastime of catching them and keeping them as pets. After spending some time in the great outdoors, he said, “I had just had half my peanut butter sandwich after catching frogs, and was about to preach the gospel to the bears…” the man said it had been approximately 2:52pm when he looked and saw a black bear in the woods eyeing him. “I’ve always been told I should play dead,” the man said with a chuckle, “but I know my running capabilities and that I could easily outrun this bear!” The man started running, dropping the other half of his peanut butter sandwich. “That’s when I looked behind me, and saw the bear charging at me with so much force it was unbelievable!” The man said he kept running and running believing he could outrun the bear. “I had outrun my girlfriend many times while we were trying to snatch a bus, so I know I’m pretty fast” he said. All his time running after busses has paid off, because after a few miles, the bear got tired and turned around to scratch his back on a tree. The man finally made his way back to the city and back home. “It was thrilling to outrun this bear. I know I could outrun the rest! Bears, if you’re reading this, just know you can’t outrun me!” The man is gleaming from his achievement. The government is considering him for the best runner award. Way to go, running man! Way to go. You’ve done what no other can do. Amazing. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” said the man who outran a bear.

Common Traits Among The Cults #2

July 26, 2019

Cult Literature Worldwide

2 Peter 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

“Mortality and Immortality are mutually exclusive characteristics. If Jesus is God, he couldn’t have really died, for God is immortal by nature. Likewise, if Jesus died, he couldn’t really be God, for God cannot die. Immortality is not a fluctuating quality! A being is either mortal or immortal. You can’t have it both ways with this. Either Christ died, and he was mortal during his time of ministry 2000 years ago, or he’s God and could have never died. Pick one alternative, as holding both is simply untenable. Traditional Christians typically respond to this point with the idea stated above in the introduction, that Jesus was fully human and fully God. But look at the next point.” – Christadelphians

Why Jesus Christ is God

Another trait among the cults is the misunderstanding of the nature of Jesus Christ, they cannot wrap their head around the fact that the Lord Jesus before coming into the inhabited world (oikoumenē) always existed as the Word (John1:1) and is God because He shares the same divine nature as God the Father and the Holy Spirit.

The greek word for the ‘inhabited’ world is oikoumenē, here’s a better definition from the greek.

oikoumenē
1. the inhabited earth
2. the universe, the world
οἰκουμένη oikouménē, oy-kou-men’-ay; feminine participle present passive of G3611 (as noun, by implication, of G1093); land, i.e. the (terrene part of the) globe; specially, the Roman empire:—earth, world.

Therefore because of the Lord Jesus not being created as cult members would say, they try to demote the divinity of Christ stating that He was just a “man”. The Bible proclaims differently as we are going to prove right now. The book of Hebrew opens with a dialogue which is taking place between the Father and the Son.

Hebrews 1:1-3 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

Here we read that God in many times and ways spoke in the past to the fathers (first generation of Israel) by the prophets, has in these last day have spoken to us by His Son (Jesus). And Jesus was appointed heir of all things by whom He created the worlds. It goes onto say “when he had by himself purged our sins”. That’s speaking of the crucifixion of Christ when He had shed His precious blood at the cross.

As we continue reading the following verses we’ll come across a statement from God the Father when speaking to the Son (Jesus Christ). God the Father calls the Son God when we simply look at the text there’s no denying this fact.

Hebrews 1:8-9 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

It’s as plain as day we see God the Father tell the Son “But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God,”. If God the Father calls the Son God then why don’t Christadelphians call the Jesus Christ God? Because they’re a cult who masquerades as being Christian; the same is true of Jehovah Witnesses. All cults share this common trait they all deny Jesus Christ as God manifest in the flesh (1 Timothy 3:16).

Let’s keep reading in the same chapter of Hebrews and see what the rest of the text says.

Hebrews 1:10-12 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.

After reading these verses we can see that it clearly speaks of Jesus Christ as the creator. Let’s keep reading in the same chapter of Hebrews because it goes onto say that the Lord Jesus created all things, He “laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands”. This is speaking of the account of creation and it fits perfectly with other scriptures which also say Jesus Christ is the creator (John 1:3, Colossians 1:16).

Keep this in mind that these passages are saying the Lord Jesus created all things. The Christadelphian will disagree saying Jesus is not God. Well, let’s look at another verse because this verse in Hebrews is a direct quote from an Old Testament scripture and we don’t believe that God’s word will ever contradict. The scripture I would like to bring to your attention to is in the book of Pslams.

Pslams 102 is a prayer from David to God as he was troubled.

Psalm 102:1 [[A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before the LORD.]] Hear my prayer, O LORD, and let my cry come unto thee.

It speaks of the LORD being the creator talking about the account of creation, I hope you’re still following along; if you read Psalm 102:25-27 and connect that with Hebrews 1:10-12 there’s no mistaking that God created all things but the writer to the Hebrews applies this to Jesus Christ as being the creator.

Psalm 102:25-27 Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.

IAM
8:58  εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν πρὶν Ἀβραὰμ γενέσθαιἐγὼ εἰμί

This proves that Jesus Christ is God, He’s not the God the Father or God the Holy Spirit; but the 3 persons of the Godhead (Trinity) are all co-equal and make up the 1 God. I know this is hard for cult members to understand therefore they try to dismiss this, but how do you reconcile this? Either you’re willing to say this is a contradiction or you’re forced into believing that Jesus Christ is God Almighty as He said in Revelation.

Why Jesus Christ is man

Now let’s focus on the man Christ Jesus. This is the part all the cults will agree on that Jesus Christ was truly a man. He had to be in order that He would be a perfect sacrifice for us on the cross. That’s why He took on flesh (John 1:14, Philippians 2:8, Hebrews 2:16) He took on human nature. An angel cannot die in our place neither can any other created creature. God Himself had to come into His own creation to redeem us by His blood.

Philippians 2:5-8 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

In the above verse, it’s clear how Christ Jesus came “in the form of God” in addition “thought it not robbery to be equal with God” it was not robbery to be equal with God because He is God. And what did Jesus Christ do? “took upon him the form of a servant”, this is why Jesus would say I came to do the Father’s will. It’s goes on to say “he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross”.

The same verse in the Greek says:
2:6 ὃς ἐν μορφῇ θεοῦ ὑπάρχων οὐχ ἁρπαγμὸν ἡγήσατο τὸ εἶναι ἴσα θεῷ
hos (Who) en (in) morphE (form) theou (of God)

The Greek is very powerful and precise and makes it abundantly clear that Jesus Christ is not a lower form of god as the Jehovah Witnesses or Christadelphians would say. They focus on the humanity of Christ while neglecting His deity as being truly God.

Another reason why Jesus was also truly man was He is our Kingly High Preist, only a man can be our mediator between God and man. The verse I would direct your attention to is in the book of 1 Timothy.

1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

A priest in the Old Testament had to be a man one from the line of Aaron the priestly line but Jesus Christ who is our great High Priest came from the line of Judah, king David. He also was made our High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, the book of Hebrews addresses this all for us.

Hebrews 5:6-10 As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.

Hebrews 6:20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

Hebrews 7:11, 17, 21 If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron? … For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. … (For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec:)

Do you see the great significance in this? If Jesus Christ was not truly a man then we would be without a mediator and in big trouble before God. This is why God (Jesus Christ) was manifest in the flesh, to be a ransom for us. And only a man can give HIs life for men.

1 Timothy 2:5-6 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

Angels cannot die in our place, therefore Jesus Christ is not an angel sorry Christadelphians but Jesus Christ is not Michael the Archangel. The Lord Jesus is the Creator of all things. The Christadelphians say “you can’t have it both ways” that’s just the point you and I are not God. We cannot do what Jesus Christ did which is die for our sins and rise again from the dead 3 days later conquering death and hell. But God can do both God can whatever He wants to do and did.

All cults like the Christadelphians deny that Jesus Christ is God, but Jesus Christ Himself said He’s God and that’s why the Jews picked up stones to kill Him.

John 8:58-59 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

John 10:31-33 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.

The Jews knew exactly what Jesus Christ claimed, that He is the Son of God and is God. Therefore we conclude and see how the cults are in serious error and need salvation. Depending on which cult you’re referring to they either deny the resurrection in some way or will try to put you in bondage under the law like Seventh Day Adventist. One thing all the cults have in common is that they all deny the “Trinity” or Godhead.

If you’re a Christadelphian

If you’re a Christadelphian we tell you out of love to leave the Christadelphians they are dragging you to hell, you’ll be separated from God for all eternity. They believe that it is possible to lose one’s salvation. (What They Believe, p. 212) They deny the doctrine of the Trinity. (What They Believe, p. 84-87) They deny that Jesus is God in flesh. (Answers, p. 22) They deny that Jesus existed prior to his incarnation. (What They Believe, p. 85, 86) They deny the personhood and deity of the Holy Spirit. (What They Believe, p. 115) They deny the substitutionary atonement of Christ. (Answers, p. 25; What They Believe, p. 71).

These are all serious errors among many others they hold too. If you never read the Bible for yourself without Christadelphian glasses, I seriously recommend that you read it for yourself without Christadelphian teachings. And test all things by God’s word, you need to take this very seriously it’s your eternity at stake and where you will be spending it either in heaven or hell you choose.