Tag: Truth

Iddah Waiting Period 65:4, 33:49

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The majority of human civilisation agrees that a 54-year-old man shouldn’t have sexual relations with minors. Most countries have strict laws against child paedophilia and surprisingly there are countries which have no laws against child paedophilia.[1]

Ever wondered what certain groups thought of when it came to adults having intimate relations with young children? What would you think if there were a religion which believed child paedophilia was proper? Even more so, how would you perceive this “religion” if their “Holy Book” actually taught such practices?

Well, my friend, it might shock you, but Islam is the second-largest religion in the world behind Christianity. And their Qur’an teaches paedophilia [2] don’t believe me? No problem, We’ll provide the references for you to go research yourself, if you have an Imam perhaps you can ask him to explain these verses in the Qur’an?

The first verse we’ll look at is Surah 65 sūrat l-ṭalāq (The Divorce) in this verse there are 3 types of females in view, (1) women who are experiencing menopause, therefore, they no longer expect menstruation (2) those who have not menstruated this group 2 will be the main focus, and (3) those who are pregnant.

Surah 65:4

Another rendition of this same ayat (verse/sign) by Yusuf Ali reads:

[Yusuf Ali] Such of your women as have passed the age of monthly courses, for them the prescribed period, if ye have any doubts, is three months, and for those who have no courses (it is the same): for those who carry (life within their wombs), their period is until they deliver their burdens: and for those who fear Allah, He will make their path easy.

Surah 65:4

It goes without saying that if a woman is menopausal then it’s safe to say she’s experienced menstruation before, even though she no longer receives her monthly period. As for the women who are pregnant it’s obvious they’ve had that time of the month otherwise they wouldn’t be pregnant. The second group is surprising as this group never had any menstruation before and the chapter this verse is found in is called “The Divorce” which means this group was married.

This is the Surah which teaches Muslim men what they’re to do if they are looking to divorce their wife(s) but have to wait for a 3-month period in order to make sure the wife is not pregnant. In Islam, this is called the Iddah, known as the waiting period.

Arabic grammar, syntax and morphology (iddah)

Muslim websites such as Islam.QA agrees when it comes to the waiting period between a Muslim man and a woman to make certain she’s pregnant or not is 3 months. I’ve extrapolated the most relevant portion, I’ve provided a link to the article as they went into multiple waiting periods.

Islam Question & Answer (‘Iddah After Divorce)

According to Surat l-aḥzāb (The Combined Forces) 33:49, it states that if a man divorces his wife before having sexual intimacy with her then there’s no waiting period, in other words, there’s no Iddah. This agrees with the above quote from Islam.QA.

33:49 … you have no period to reckon against them; …

In the word-for-word Arabic grammar and syntax for this verse, the word ʿiddatin (عِدَّةٍ) translates to “waiting period.”

Arabic grammar, syntax and morphology (iddah)

Now here’s the shocker! Early Muslim scholars that lived closer to the time of Muhammad would know how these verses are to be understood. What’s their interpretation for verse 65:4 in regards to the second group who never had menstruation, in verse 65:4? Well, their scholars tell us about this group (please remember this is from the official website of the kingdom of Jordan; this is a Muslim site). You can read the interpretations for yourself below, links are provided if you want to visit the site.

Tafsir Ibn ‘Abbas 65:4
Tafsir al-Jalalayn

Both Ibn Abbas and al-Jalalayn said this group cannot have menstruation because of their young age. Those who are young are to also observe the 3-month waiting period, which means the Muslim man had sex with this young girl and must wait to see if she’s pregnant. This is what Islam teaches child paedophilia.

According to their own laws in Sharia known as Fiqh we have the general consensus or ruling on men having sexual intercourse with young girls. Once again this is an Islamic website here’s what they say.

Fiqh Encyclopedia

If we’re to judge Islam it’s only fair to judge from the source, which would be their own prophet who according to the Sunnah (sayings of the prophet) married a 6-year-old Aisha and consummated the marriage when she was 9 years old. Also, note how the Muslims try to hide this fact, look at how they worded it above in the blue text, they never mention the words “consummated the marriage.”

“Second: From the Sunnah on the authority of Aisha, may God be pleased with her: ((The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, married her when she was a girl of six years, and she was married to him when she was the daughter of nine, and she stayed with him for nine years.))”

Fiqh Encyclopedia

Here’s how the actual Hadith text reads which exposes Muhammad as a filthy child paedophile.

Sunan an-Nasa’i 3255

Conclusion

No matter how hard Muslims try to hide these disgusting facts concerning their prophet, the truth will come out exposing Muhammad and his ungodly teachings. Light and darkness cannot exist in the same place, light always shines out the darkness. If you’re a Muslim reading this for the first time we would love for you to leave a comment. Have you heard of this before, does your Imam hide this from you, have you asked your Imam questions about this? If not I would encourage you to look into this for yourself, this concerns your own eternity.

The Lord Jesus Christ is always willing to receive you as He loves you and offers the free gift of eternal life to you. Come to trust in the Son of God who was crucified, buried and rose from the dead. He’s alive and seated at the right hand of the Father. Believe in Christ Jesus the Saviour of sinners.

Footnotes

[1] Daily Star Online can reveal perverts can legally have sex with children as young as 12 in the likes of the Philippines and Mexico. But deliberately vague laws in other countries – such as Saudi Arabia and Yemen – put children of ANY AGE at risk of rape. Dailystar (20, July 2019). REVEALED: Shocking list of countries where child sex is legal. Retrieved from https://www.dailystar.co.uk/

[2] Moroccan activist Najia Adib has made a controversial claim, arguing that pedophilia and the sexual abuse of children are more “prevalent in Arab and Muslim countries” than others. During her participation in a recent Hespress seminar on “pedophilia and the enforcement of the death penalty,” Adib defended calls for the death penalty as punishment for perpetrators of sexual assault against children. The news outlet held a seminar to discuss the issue of pedophilia following the murder and rape of Adnane Bouchouf, an 11-year-old boy from Tangier. On September 11, Moroccan police found the remains of Adnane, who had been missing since September 7. A 24-year-old man murdered Adnane in cold blood after kidnapping and raping him in his apartment, not far from the victim’s home. Safaa Kasraoui (2020, September 14). Moroccan Activist Claims Pedophilia More Prevalent in Muslim Countries. Retrieved from https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/

The Crucifixion of Christ from Internal and External Sources

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Truth will always be able to stand the test of scrutiny, since the first century the death, burial and crucifixion of Christ has been attacked countless of times by the Gnostics and others. But truth can never be refuted, the Lord Jesus said that He is the Truth, this is why He will always be above all.

Internal Evidence (Biblical)

The Lord Jesus Christ said about His own crucifixion:

Matthew 20:17-19 And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify [him]: and the third day he shall rise again.

Mark 10:33-34 [Saying], Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles: And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again.

Luke 18:31-33 Then he took [unto him] the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: And they shall scourge [him], and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.

Matthew, Mark and Luke informs us that Christ was not secretive about His death, He (Jesus) plainly mentioned to His disciples that He would be “condemn to death” by being delivered “to the Gentiles”. As we know Pontius Pilate was the Roman (Gentile) governer in Judea at the time, the Jewish leaders persuaded Pilate to crucify the Lord Jesus.

The Jews crying out crucify Him in the Gospel of John:

John 19:6, 15-16 When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify [him], crucify [him]. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify [him]: for I find no fault in him. … But they cried out, Away with [him], away with [him], crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar. Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led [him] away.

The apostle John fills in some information we see Pilate replied “Shall I crucify your King?” the Jews answering Pilate said “We have no king but Caesar.” (John 19:15). The Jews rejected Christ as their Messiah (King) the didn’t recognise the time of their visitation from the Lord.

All four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) record the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus. We have the words of Christ Himself and the testimony of the Jews and Pontius Pilate. All the verses are explicit that the Lord Jesus would be crucified. In the epistles we are given more scriptures concerning Christ crucifixion.

The apostle Peter:

Acts 2:22-24 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.

We have another apostle (Peter) of the inner circle also mentioning the crucifixion of Christ. How wicked men laid hold on Christ, crucified and slain Him. And how God raised up Christ from death, as it was not possible for death to keep the Lord Jesus from rising from the dead.

The apostle Paul:

1 Corinthians 2:7-8 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, [even] the hidden [wisdom], which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known [it], they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

Paul the apostle to the Gentiles tells us they (the Jews) wouldn’t have crucified the Lord of Glory if they would have known beforehand who He was. It was ordained by God that Christ should taste death for every man (Hebrews 2:9). Moving backwards into the Old Testament the Prophets also spoke about the One to come who would suffer.

The prophet Isaiah:

Isaiah 53:4-10 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. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither [was any] deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put [him] to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see [his] seed, he shall prolong [his] days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

The prophet Isaiah mentions he was (speaking in the singular tense) bruised for our iniquities, he also mentions this individual having stripes and with them we are healed. This gives a picture of the flogging the Lord Jesus endured. Isaiah goes unto say the LORD laid on this individual the iniquities of us all. As we know Christ bore our sins in His body (1 Peter 2:24). How he was cut off out of the land of the living, he never done violence, neither was any deceit in His mouth; This is speaking of Christ.

The prophet Zechariah:

Zechariah 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for [his] only [son], and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for [his] firstborn.

Here we see the LORD is speaking and says they (those who crucified Christ) shall look upon the LORD who they pierced. The Jews don’t deny that Christ was crucified, they just don’t accept Him as their Messiah.

The Psalmist king David speaking by the Spirit of God says:

Psalm 22:15-18 My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell all my bones: they look [and] stare upon me. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.

We can see a common theme running through the pages of scripture which speak of the One who would come, He would be “pierced” the Lord Jesus had His hands and feet pierced, in addition the Roman soldiers had cast lots for His (Christ) garments (Matthew 27:35; Mark 15:24; Luke 23:34; John 19:23,24).

External Evidence (Non- Christian)

The next 2 sources have no sympathy for Christianity yet both agree that Christ indeed was crucified, which further proves what the Bible says.

The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus:

Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man; for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day.

Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews

Note that Josephus speaks of Jesus Christ as being “a wise man”, “a doer of wonderful works” etc. We know that in our Bible Christ spoke with the Jews in the temple as a child and they were amazed at His wisdom (Luke 2:46-47). Josephus continues saying Christ drew both Jews and Gentiles to Himself, these would be recognised as believers. Flavius even mentions He was called The Christ which means “the anointed One”. Pilate is also mentioned as the one who condemned Him to the cross because of “the principal men”, he even speaks of Christ resurrection saying “for He appeared to them alive again the third day”. And lastly followers of Christ are called Christians which he also mentions.

Roman historian Cornelius Tacitus, The Annals

But all human efforts, all the lavish gifts of the emperor, and the propitiations of the gods, did not banish the sinister belief that the conflagration was the result of an order. Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judæa, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular. Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind.

Cornelius Tacitus, The Annals

Also Cornelius Tacitus speaks of those who were called Christians, and he used the Roman name for Jesus “Christus”saying He suffered the extreme penalty. Once again Pontius Pilatus is mentioned as the one who carried this penalty through. As we’ve seen that outside sources also testify of the crucifixion of Christ.

The death, burial and resurrection of Christ cannot be denied, and its wonderful when we see the truth stand high above all the lies. The Lord Jesus is risen and He conquered death and hell.

Was Muhammad a Prophet of God?

On By Whatsoever Things Are TrueIn Islam3 Comments

The entire Islamic religion is contingent upon if Muhammad was a “true prophet” sent by God. Muslims compassionately profess that Muhammad was the last prophet sent by God, but is this true? Can we test this claim?

Each prophet from the beginning spoke about the One who would come. The prophets successively followed after another proclaiming the same message without contradiction from Genesis 1445-1405 BC, until the Messiah’s arrival, James 44-49 AD till the book of Revelation 94-96 AD which closes the door on anyone claiming to be a prophet afterwards.

Muhammad arrives on the scene hundreds of years later being born in 571 AD and started Islam in 613 AD (7th century). That’s 580 years after Christ, additionally, Muhammad was “illiterate”, therefore, the Qur’ān was written by his companions. Muhammad died in the year 632 AD the companions completed the Qur’ān at least 200 years or more after Muhammad’s death.

No text of the Qur’ān was compiled during Muhammad’s time according to Sahih al-Bukhari4679, take notice of the highlighted portion below.

Sahih al-Bukhari 4679

Here’s further proof from the following traditions.

[Zaid b. Thabit said:] “The Prophet died and the Qur’ān had not been assembled into a single place.” (Ahmad b. Ali b. Muhammad al ’Asqalani, ibn Hajar, Fath al Bari [13 vol., Cairo 1939], vol. 9, p. 9)

With that background let’s compare Muhammad to the prophets who came since the time of Moses until Christ and see if Islam’s message lines up with them.

Muhammad claims to follow the same footsteps of the prophets before him.

Here, the Qur’ān claims Allah inspired Noah, the prophets after him, Abraham etc. Notice: one of those names doesn’t seem to fit among the rest.

Surah 4:163

The Arabs wanted a prophet so badly that they inserted the name of Ishmael among them. If you’re familiar you’re aware that Ishmael was not a prophet according to the Torah. In fact, God told Abraham to bring your son your only son Issac.

Genesis 22:2

The God of the Bible never claims Ishmael to be Abraham’s son even though he was the firstborn of Abraham biologically. Ishmael was not part of the prophetic line in which the Messiah would come. God did tell Hagar He would multiply her seed (Genesis 16:9-12) through Ishmael, but this is not the line in which Arabs came.

What Muslims are unaware of, like most people, is that the Arabs are not the descendants of Hagar through Ishmael, they are the descendants of Keturah found in Genesis 25:1-6.

Muslims claim Muhammad is of the line of Ishmael and try to assert his “prophethood” in this way. But Ishmael was cast out and was never part of God’s plan.

Ishmael lived in Paran and married an Egyptian woman and had twelve sons (Genesis 21:13-21). The scriptures locate Paran near Israel and Egypt, below Judah. If Muhammad is born in Mecca this would place him nowhere near Paran.

Muhammad is told to follow and to confirm his message with the scriptures that proceeded.

Surah 42:15

Therefore, Muhammad’s message must be in agreement with the previous prophets before him, right? The problem is Muhammad’s message contradicts the prophets before him. The Bible says Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that all prophets must speak in his name or authority and preach the Gospel.

Daniel 3:25
Isaiah 9:6

Because Muhammad contradicts the message of Jesus Christ, denying He’s God, therefore, Muhammad cannot be a prophet from the true God. Muhammad in essence is calling God a liar thereby he’s an antichrist.

1 John 2:18, 22

Muslims it’s quite obvious that Muhammad contradicts the Lord Jesus Christ. The Qur’ān is a book riddled with plagiarism taking sources from the Jewish Talmud, Targums and Bible. Muhammad gets all the facts wrong further proving he’s not a messenger from God but instead a false antichrist prophet.

My Muslim friends Jesus Christ calls you to repentance, to place your faith in the One who has holes in His hands and feet. The only One who came into His own creation to save sinners from hell. The true God of the Bible, come to Him in faith and He will save you from the darkness of Islam. The Lord Jesus says:

John 5:39-40

Conclusion

What’s the message? The Qur’an was not compiled during the lifetime of Muhammad which is confirmed by their own traditions. Muhammad’s name is not even among the prophets spoken of in 4:163 and they deceptively inserted Ishmael into the prophetic line when he doesn’t belong there. Issac was the son of Abraham was chosen by God not Ishmael. Muhammad is commanded to follow the previous scriptures before him, namely the Torah and Injil (Bible). And lastly, Muhammad is called an antichrist as he denies the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The suicide attempts of Muhammad

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Muslims believe that Muhammad was a “prophet of God”, yet Muhammad’s message contradicts every prophet (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel etc.) before his time which came with the consistent message of Jesus Christ. For example in Isaiah we read that the one who would be born through a virgin is called God.

Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Muhammad and his followers reject that Jesus Christ is God, yet their Quran tells them the Torah, Psalms and Gospel (Injeel) are from Allah (Surah 2:87, 4:163, 3:3, 5:46) and its preserved because the Quran says Allah’s words cannot be changed (Surah 6:34, 6:115, 10:64).

Why Did Muhammad Attempt Suicide?

The point of this article is to prove Muslims follow a man who was demonically influenced to the point that he wanted to commit suicide. Early Muslim sources dictate that Muhammad attempted to commit suicide. Sahih al-Bukhari tells us that Muhammad attempted suicide on more than one occasion. The various accounts agree on how Muhammad tried killing himself (jumping off a cliff), they fail to agree on why. Here are the different narrations.

…But after a few days Waraqa died and the Divine Inspiration was also paused for a while and the Prophet (ﷺ) became so sad as we have heard that he intended several times to throw himself from the tops of high mountains and every time he went up the top of a mountain in order to throw himself down, Gabriel would appear before him and say, “O Muhammad! You are indeed Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) in truth” whereupon his heart would become quiet and he would calm down and would return home. And whenever the period of the coming of the inspiration used to become long, he would do as before, but when he used to reach the top of a mountain, Gabriel would appear before him and say to him what he had said before. (Ibn `Abbas said regarding the meaning of: ‘He it is that Cleaves the daybreak (from the darkness)’ (6.96) that Al-Asbah. means the light of the sun during the day and the light of the moon at night). — Sahih al-Bukhari 6982

Sahih al-Bukhari 6982, Book 91, Hadith 1, Vol. 9, Book 87, Hadith 111

Sahih al-Bukhari explains how Muhammad became sad (depressed) and several times tried throwing himself of a mountain. This is obviously not the acts of a sane man.

On the authority of Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah (the biographical account of the life of Muhammad), the “prophet” attempted to end his own life because he believed he was possessed by an evil spirit. After a terrible nightmare about a spirit attacking him while forcing him to recite the Quran. Muhammad thought hurling himself off a cliff was the best thing to do.

Ibn Ishaq, p. 106—[Muhammad said,] “So I read it, and he departed from me. And I awoke from my sleep, and it was as though these words were written on my heart. (T. Now none of God’s creatures was more hateful to me than an (ecstatic) poet or a man possessed: I could not even look at them. I thought, Woe is me poet or possessed—Never shall Quraysh say this of me! I will go to the top of the mountain and throw myself down that I may kill myself and gain rest. So I went forth to do so and then) when I was midway on the mountain, I heard a voice from heaven saying, “O Muhammad! thou art the apostle of God and I am Gabriel.”

https://archive.org/stream/IbnIshaqMuhammad/Ibn%20Ishaq%20-%20Muhammad_djvu.txt

Al-Tabari also provides narrations depicting Muhammad’s suicide attempts in Ta’rikh al-Rusul wa’l-Muluk. Apparently Muhammad tries to kill himself before receiving the first Quranic revelation. During Muhammad’s yearly pagan retreat, a spirit came to him and said, “Muhammad, you are the Messenger of God.” Muhammad then fled to his wife Khadijah and begged her to cover him. After this Muhammad considered killing himself.

Al-Tabari, Volume VI, p. 68—He (Muhammad) said: I had been thinking of hurling myself down from a mountain crag, but he appeared to me, as I was thinking about this, and said, “Muhammad, I am Gabriel and you are the Messenger of God.” Then he said, “Recite!” I said, “What shall I recite?” He took me and pressed me three times tightly until I was nearly stifled and was utterly exhausted; then he said: “Recited in the name of your Lord who created,” and I recited it. Then I went to Khadijah and said, “I have been in fear for my life.”

Muhammad was not a stable individual he was depressed and tried killing himself on several occasions. How are followers of Islam comfortable following a suicidal man? None of the prophets found in scripture thought of killing themselves. As we continue to critique the teachings of Islam we will realise more how Muslims are blindly following someone who was demonically possessed.

Our Muslim friends need their eyes open to the reality that Muhammad was nothing but a self proclaimed false prophet. The path of Islam only leads to a lost eternity. There’s only hope in the one who has the nail prints in His hands and His feet, the Lord Jesus Christ who is God and offers all Muslims eternal life.

John 11:25-26 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

Islam a religion of peace?

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The Quran presents Muhammad as the perfect example Muslims are to emulate. We’ve heard from Muslims that Islam is the religion of peace, but is this true? Most non-Muslims don’t understand how Islam works. There are underlying rules as to how Islam goes about in establishing itself.

Islam is a 3 stage approach, to have a deeper understanding a quick history lesson is in order. When Muhammad first received his “revelation” from angel “Jibril” as being “the last of the prophets”, he preached in his own city of Mecca. It was not well received only Muhammad’s closet friends and family followed his new religion.

Muhammad then went to Medina as he intended to bring his new religion to the Jews who lived in Medina which at the time was a Jewish business hub. He thought if he could get the Jews to follow his religion this would give him more authenticity, respect and stature among the Arabians which would make them more willing to accept him.

Muhammad then plagiarised from the Old Testament, this is why you’ll find similar stories in the Quran for instance verse 5:45 in the Quran says:

Pickthall: And We prescribed for them therein: The life for the life, and the eye for the eye, and the nose for the nose, and the ear for the ear, and the tooth for the tooth, and for wounds retaliation. But whoso forgoeth it (in the way of charity) it shall be expiation for him. Whoso judgeth not by that which Allah hath revealed: such are wrong-doers. — Surah 5:45

Does this sound familiar? It should if you’re familiar with your Bible you’ll know that this comes from the Torah, in Exodus we’re given this verse.

Exodus 21:23-25 And if [any] mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

There are verses and stories such as these plagiarised in the Quran as it’s a book which takes from the Bible and Talmud. Muhammad did this in order to make his religion more palatable to the Jews, hence why you’ll find similarities with Judaism and Islam like Yom Kippur and Ramadan, kosher and halal.

Muhammad went to Medina trying to recruit the Jews into his religion but was rejected. This is when Muhammad started to wage war killing Jews and non-Muslims.

Islam’s Model of Dealing with Enemies

Stage 1: Preach tolerance when outnumbered by unbelievers/No retaliation stage. In this stage Muslims will preach “tolerance” quoting “peaceful” verses. These verses are usually referred to as the Mecca verses, this is when Islam was more peaceful as Muhammad didn’t have an army yet. This is why you’ll hear Muslim’s who live in non-Muslim countries saying “there’s no compulsion in religion”, “To you your religion, and to me my religion!”.

Pickthall: There is no compulsion in religion. The right direction is henceforth distinct from error. And he who rejecteth false deities and believeth in Allah hath grasped a firm handhold which will never break. Allah is Hearer, Knower. — Surah 2:256

Pickthall: Unto you your religion, and unto me my religion. — Surah 109

Stage 2: Permit Defensive Fighting when there are enough Muslims and weapons to successfully carry it out. Muhammad at this stage bought his time building an army but stood on the defensive. This is what you’re currently seeing in countries such as the United Kingdom or in the United States (Dearborn Michigan)

This is when verses teaching Muslims to fight back is instituted such as Surah 2:190-194 which says:

Fight in the way of Allah those who fight you but do not transgress. Indeed. Allah does not like transgressors. And kill them wherever you overtake them and expel them from wherever they have expelled you, and fitnah is worse than killing. And do not fight them at al-Masjid al- Haram until they fight you there. But if they fight you, then kill them. Such is the recompense of the disbelievers. And if they cease, then indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. Fight them until there is no [more] fitnah and [until] worship is [acknowledged to be] for Allah. But if they cease, then there is to be no aggression except against the oppressors. [Fighting in] the sacred month is for [aggression committed in] the sacred month, and for [all] violations is legal retribution. So whoever has assaulted you, then assault him in the same way that he has assaulted you. And fear Allah and know that Allah is with those who fear Him. — Surah 2:190-194

Do you see the progression? Islam becomes more violent as the Muslims become more in number in any particular place. This is why we see Sharia zones in the UK.

Stage 3: After amassing a large number of soldiers and resources permission is given to carry out Offensive Warfare in order to kill the pagans and humble the Christians and Jews. This is when the true face of Islam is on display, countries like Saudi Arabia and other Muslim countries treat non-Muslims as second class citizens.

[This is a declaration of] disassociation, from Allah and His Messenger, to those with whom you had made a treaty among the polytheists. So travel freely, [O disbelievers], throughout the land [during] four months but know that you cannot cause failure to Allah and that Allah will disgrace the disbelievers. And [it is] an announcement from Allah and His Messenger to the people on the day of the greater pilgrimage that Allah is disassociated from the disbelievers, and [so is] His Messenger. So if you repent, that is best for you; but if you turn away – then know that you will not cause failure to Allah . And give tidings to those who disbelieve of a painful punishment. Excepted are those with whom you made a treaty among the polytheists and then they have not been deficient toward you in anything or supported anyone against you; so complete for them their treaty until their term [has ended]. Indeed, Allah loves the righteous [who fear Him]. And when the sacred months have passed, then kill the polytheists wherever you find them and capture them and besiege them and sit in wait for them at every place of ambush. But if they should repent, establish prayer, and give zakah, let them [go] on their way. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. And if any one of the polytheists seeks your protection, then grant him protection so that he may hear the words of Allah . Then deliver him to his place of safety. That is because they are a people who do not know. — Surah 9:1-6

The message is clear in Islam the call is to overtake anyone who’s not a Muslim, to capture and to kill them; these are the teachings of Islam. Muhammad was not a man of peace but one of war.

Contrasting the Bible and what the Lord Jesus Christ taught from that of the Quran and Muhammad, we are given a completely different message.

Matthew 5:43-48 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, 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, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more [than others]? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Christians are commanded to love our enemies, bless them, do good to them and pray for them. Our LORD shows mercy to our enemies, therefore, we should also. He gives them rain and sunshine. If we only love other Christians then we are likened to a Publican; they only love those who love them.

Christ commands us to love them unconditionally, this is how we become perfect in love.

Luke 6:27-36 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the [one] cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not [to take thy] coat also. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask [them] not again. And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. And if ye lend [to them] of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and [to] the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

Again we are to love our enemies, do good to them and lend wishing for nothing in return; as well as we need to show mercy as our Father in heaven shows them mercy. We also read in the Gospel of Luke about The Good Samaritan.

Luke 10:30-37 And Jesus answering said, A certain [man] went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded [him], and departed, leaving [him] half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked [on him], and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion [on him], And went to [him], and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave [them] to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

Notice how this man who was most likely an Israelite was beaten and left for dead. Those who first saw him were prominent “religious” individuals who didn’t show love. They were involved in outward appearances. Then a Samaritan man the least likely person to help being that the Jews and Samaritans had very poor relations. The Samaritans were viewed as a lower class, yet the Samaritan man was willing to help by bounding his wounds and taking him to an inn.

The Bible teaches compassion, love, grace, mercy and truth. The Old Testament does have violent passages we can’t deny that, but it was not because of the God of the Bible. Violence in the Old Testament was on the account of the sin of man. Moving into the New Testament which is where Christians derive all of our foundational teaches like the beatitudes and how we’re to treat others.

The Quran is the opposite, a have a sinful man named Mohammad commanding his followers to rape, murder, lie, marry young girls, idolatry, jihad and polygamy. Muslims are trapped in an ideology which teaches to slay unbelievers everywhere. Muslims leave the darkness of Islam and come into the Light of the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.

Should You Believe in the Trinity? (3/9)

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Is It Clearly a Bible Teaching?

If the Trinity were true, it should be clearly and consistently presented in the Bible. Why? Because, as the apostles affirmed, the Bible is God’s revelation of himself to mankind. And since we need to know God to worship him acceptably, the Bible should be clear in telling us just who he is.

Should You Believe in the Trinity? pg 5

The Watchtower Society claims the doctrine of the Trinity is not “clearly and consistently presented in the Bible.” Before we prove this statement to be untrue we have to understand how the Watchtower is structured. The governing body (8 men) are the ones who call all the shots, they’re responsible for disseminating Watchtower doctrine to its members.

The everyday Jehovah Witness in my personal view are people who are sincere, but in all their zeal they are sincerely mistaken. In fact they are kept in the cult by confusion and manipulation of the scriptures. On the other hand the governing body in my opinion are deceivers and are fully aware of what they are doing. For this reason when dealing with Jehovah Witnesses I try to view the every day Witness as someone who’s lost and deceived by a group of deceivers. Therefore, a little compassion goes a long way in dealing with the JW’s at the carts.

Why are the JW’s confused about the Trinity doctrine, well first and foremost is because they’ve failed in knowing who the Lord Jesus is; if you get Christ wrong then all your doctrine will be erroneous.

Let’s go through some scriptures which lays out the Trinity doctrine. And we will aim to make it consistently clear and present it for our Jehovah Witness friends.

God is the Creator of the heavens and the earth:

Isaiah 44:24 Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I [am] the LORD that maketh all [things]; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;

Jesus Christ is the Creator of the heavens and the earth:

Notice the LORD created the heavens alone and spread abroad the earth by His self. Let’s move on, if God created everything then what do Jehovah Witnesses do with John 1:1-3, 10.

John 1:1-3, 10 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

Colossians 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether [they be] thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

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.

This passage in Hebrews is speaking of Jesus Christ as the Creator and its a direct quote from Psalms 102 almost verbatim.

Psalms 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.

Is this a contradiction when God says He’s created all things alone? Well if you’re a Jehovah Witness it is because according to their theology Jesus is not God yet Jehovah used Jesus to create everything other than Himself.

Question if Jesus is a created creature as Watchtower teaches that would place Jesus in the created category with everything else besides God who is uncreated/eternal. But wait the scriptures especially Colossians 1:16 which says Jesus created all things. This means Jesus Christ can’t belong in the same category otherwise Christ would have to create Himself.

Watchtower takes Colossians 1:16 and instead of saying “all things” they altered the scripture to say “all other things” in order to fit with their own theology claiming Jesus is a created lesser god. Can you see how adding the word “other” completely changes the meaning of this text? these are just 1 of the sneaky tricks the Watchtower is known for.

This would make Jesus Christ God because He created the heavens and earth.

God the Father is Creator

1 Corinthians 8:6 But to us [there is but] one God, the Father, of whom [are] all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom [are] all things, and we by him.

Act 17:28-29 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

The Holy Spirit is God the Creator

The Bible is clear that the Holy Spirit is God. We can determine the Holy Spirit is God in the following ways: (1) He’s called God. (2) He’s treated on an equal basis with God the Father and God the Son. (3) He has the attributes of God. (4) He does the work of God.

Genesis 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

Job 33:4 The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.

It certainly clear the Trinity can be seen in just these few verses and there are many more found in our Bible. This is a big dilemma for Jehovah Witnesses, and because this information is damaging to the Watchtower theology JW’s are instructed by the governing body not to research in order to keep them in the dark.

Watchtower Flip Flops (Worship Jesus)

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The Watchtower taught to worship Jesus until 1954, afterwards they changed their beliefs saying to worship Jesus Christ was idolatrous. Now The Jehovah Witness religion is in reality a polytheistic religion claiming Jesus is not God but a god.

Most Jehovah Witnesses are ignorant of the history of the Watchtower and what they taught. Charles Taze Russell taught the worship of Jesus Christ in the initial Watchtower Charter’s. In the 1950’s and onward worshipping the Lord Jesus Christ became viewed as idolatry.

First, we have to understand what Paul meant here by worship. He used the Greek word pro·sky·neʹo. Unger’s Bible Dictionary says that this word literally means to ‘kiss the hand of someone in token of reverence or to do homage.’ An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, by W. E. Vine, says that this word “denotes an act of reverence, whether paid to man . . . or to God.” In Bible times pro·sky·neʹo often included literally bowing down before someone of high stature.

Is It Proper to Worship Jesus? Awake! April 8, 2000

προσκυνέω proskynéō, pros-koo-neh’-o; from G4314 and a probable derivative of G2965 (meaning to kiss, like a dog licking his master’s hand); to fawn or crouch to, i.e. (literally or figuratively) prostrate oneself in homage (do reverence to, adore):—worship.

  1. to kiss the hand to (towards) one, in token of reverence
  2. among the Orientals, esp. the Persians, to fall upon the knees and touch the ground with the forehead as an expression of profound reverence
  3. in the NT by kneeling or prostration to do homage (to one) or make obeisance, whether in order to express respect or to make supplication
    1. used of homage shown to men and beings of superior rank
      1. to the Jewish high priests
      2. to God
      3. to Christ
      4. to heavenly beings
      5. to demons

The Watchtower changed the word “worship” which all bibles use in order to show Jesus Christ is to be worshipped as God, and replaced it with “obeisance” in the verses which speaks about Christ deity.

Here are Watchtower quotes which prove they used to teach to worship Jesus Christ as God.

“Question. The fact that our Lord received worship is claimed by some to be an evidence that while on earth he was God the Father disguised in a body of flesh and not really a man. Was he really worshiped, or is the translation faulty? Answer. Yes, we believe our Lord Jesus while on earth was really worshiped, and properly so. It was proper for our Lord to receive worship in view of his having been the only begotten of the Father and his agent in the creation of all things, including man.”

Zion’s Watch Tower 1898 Jul 15 p.216

Russell’s understanding of who the Lord Jesus Christ is was incorrect because he thought Jesus was God the Father. That aside Russell did teach Jesus was to be worshipped. When Russell died the new president Joseph Franklin Rutherford continued teaching the same.

“Jehovah God commands all to worship Christ Jesus because Christ Jesus is the express image of his Father, Jehovah, and because he is the Executive Officer of Jehovah always carrying out Jehovah’s purpose (Heb.:3-6).”

Watchtower 1939 Nov 15 p.339

In the 1950’s, the Watchtower organisation changed their teaching on Jesus to correspond with their manipulated the New World Translation. In opposition to other scholarly translations, the Jehovah Witness “bible” translates the word proskuneō as obeisance rather than worship when pertaining to Jesus Christ. Every other occurrence, in the New World Translation translates the word proskuneō as worship.

“Should we worship Jesus? Consequently, since the Scriptures teach that Jesus Christ is not a trinitarian co-person with God the Father, but is a distinct person, the Son of God, the answer to the above question must be that no distinct worship is to be rendered to Jesus Christ now glorified in heaven. Our worship is to go to Jehovah God. However, we show the proper regard for God’s only-begotten Son by rendering our worship to God through and in the name of Jesus Christ. Even now when we kneel in prayer, as Paul did according to Ephesians 3:14-19, we offer prayer in the name of Jesus Christ in obedience to his own directions (John 15:16; 16:23-26), but the prayer itself is addressed, not to Jesus, but to God his Father. In this way we keep things in their relative positions.”

Watchtower 1954 Jan 1 p.31

With all the flip flops in doctrine we can clearly see that the Watchtower is not being used by God in anyway. We have verse upon verse which proves the Lord Jesus is to be worshipped as God.

Matthew 2:11 And when they 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.

Luke 24:49-52 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy:

John 9:38 And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.

Hebrews 1:6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.

It’s abundantly clear the Lord Jesus Christ is worthy of all our praise and worship as God. God bless.

Atheism The Condition of The Human Heart

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Sin has been the downfall of mankind ever since the first man and woman sinned in the garden. All it took for Adam and Eve to sin was the first doubt/lie to be sown. The devil approached Eve in the garden and asked “Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” this was the first seed of doubt.

After Eve answered him the first lie ever told was spoken “Ye shall not surely die” then satan appealed to her temptations saying “For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”.

For the entire account you can read it here Genesis chapter 3

Notice satan told Eve you shall be like gods, and because they believed the lie they ate the fruit which God told them not to do and sin entered the world ever since and has been our downfall.

This lie continues on today as we see a world which rejects God, a world in which people indulge in sin, a world which prides itself on unrighteousness. As morals decline with each passing moment love dwindles away only to give rise to false love. A “love” that says “do what thou wilt”, not only that but also a world which claims there’s no absolutes.

In that statement alone we find contradiction and hypocrisy to claim “there are no absolutes” or “all truth is relative”. A claim as such in essence is making an absolute truth claim. Where mankind truly deviated and was lead astray was with the embrace of Atheism.

Atheism is, in the broadest sense, an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities. Atheism is contrasted with theism, which, in its most general form, is the belief that at least one deity exists.

wikipedia.org

I think it’s quite interesting when you start to look into the history of Atheism and it’s roots. It started in India during the Vedic age. The name is derived from the Vedas which comes from the Hindu text. It’s ironic Hinduism a religion with the most “gods” has any relation to a religion which rejects the idea of any deity.

Atheistic schools are found in early Indian thought and have existed from the times of the historical Vedic religion. Among the six orthodox schools of Hindu philosophy, Samkhya, the oldest philosophical school of thought, does not accept God, and the early Mimamsa also rejected the notion of God. The thoroughly materialistic and anti-theistic philosophical Cārvāka (or Lokāyata) school that originated in India around the 6th century BCE is probably the most explicitly atheistic school of philosophy in India, similar to the Greek Cyrenaic school. This branch of Indian philosophy is classified as heterodox due to its rejection of the authority of Vedas and hence is not considered part of the six orthodox schools of Hinduism, but it is noteworthy as evidence of a materialistic movement within Hinduism.

wikipedia.org

Atheism at Work

As Christians it’s normal to have Atheist upset at the notion of mentioning God, The Lord Jesus Christ, morals and sin. I wanted to take the time to look at some alarming responses from Atheist.

“As these ChristoTalibans sow? So should they reap. Here are a whole bunch more of your psychotic, ChristoTaliban Christian preachers of hate and death. All of them crying for the brutal murders of lgbts based on their bibles.

I wonder how Christians would feel if LGBTS had a book that said all Christians should be put to death, how fast Christians would call that hate speech?

Or I wonder how Christians would react if all LGBTS stated that as Christians want to do unto us? The same shall be done unto them, how fast you Christians would cry that LGBTS are persecuting you?

But as all these Christians sow? So should they reap and as they want to do unto lgbts? The same should be done unto them”—Anonymous Atheist

Atheist comment # 1 Ever since the attacks on 9/11 when planes flew into the WTC and Pentagon buildings the term Taliban has been tossed around. Nowadays if you disagree with someone you’re automatically labeled. In the case of this person they think all Christians are “ChristoTalibans”. I don’t understand how someone who doesn’t believe in God would try to quote from the Bible?

I guess by using this term they are trying to say that Christians are chopping people’s heads off, shooting people in the head and tossing their bodies in a ditch? In my response to this individual I said that as Christians we don’t hate anyone that includes individuals who identify as LGBT.

I went on to say that I don’t agree with the sin of homosexuality but that doesn’t mean I hate them, I desire for them to be saved the same as I have the desire to see a heterosexual saved. I’m not certain what kind of “Christians” this atheist has come across? I’ll be the first to say that anyone who claims to be a Christian and looks to inflict harm even to the point of death is not a Christian! Perhaps they think the Westboro Baptist cult are “Christians”?

“Again, you fool, telling a native American they should become a Christian? Is like telling a Jew to join the Nazi party or a black person to join the KKK” —Anonymous Atheist

Atheist comment # 2 This comment shows the lack of knowledge of what Christianity stands for. This individual keep on insisting that “Christians” were responsible for the Crusades and other atrocities which are attributed to the Roman Catholics. This is common between atheist and unbelievers in general in which try to place Christians in the same boat as Catholics.

No, Christians were not responsible for the Spanish Inquisition, sorry to break the news but Christians were persecuted by the Roman Catholic Church. The Pope at that time Pope Clement VII was against the people to own a personal copy of the Bible in english. The clergy wanted to remain in power by keeping the Holy Scriptures written in Latin, by doing so no lay person would be able to read God’s word without the church’s interpretation.

Praise be to God for men like William Tyndale who translated most of the Bible in English. He played a vital role in the production of the Authorised King James Bible first published in 1611. Tyndale while in a discussion with a clergyman who made this blasphemous statement “We had better be without God’s laws than the Pope’s.” responded saying:

“I defy the Pope, and all his laws; and if God spares my life, ere many years, I will cause the boy that driveth the plow to know more of the Scriptures than thou dost!”

William Tyndale

As I digress I’m not certain how telling anyone regardless of race would take offence to being told they should become a Christian. If we truly believe salvation is found only in the Lord Jesus Christ then wouldn’t we want others to come, taste and see that the Lord is good?!

Psalm 34:8 O taste and see that the LORD [is] good: blessed [is] the man [that] trusteth in him.

“Stop lying you fake Christian. Enjoy the same judgment you have given unto me and others”—Anonymous Atheist

This was in response to my comment “I love you and hope you don’t get the Coronavirus. God help you and your soul.”

Atheist comment # 3 In loving kindness we pray for those who are outside of the Ark (the Lord Jesus Christ). In this particular discussion I made reference of staying safe, praying this person would remain healthy from the Coronavirus. And in turn they felt the need to say “stop lying you fake Christian” as well as being hatful saying “enjoy the same judgement”.

I’m uncertain of what judgement this person is speaking of because I never declared judgement upon anyone. So how can this atheist say “Enjoy the same judgment you have given unto me and others”?

Just goes to show how depraved humans have become when you reject the God who made you. It brings a verse to my mind in Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 17:9 The heart [is] deceitful above all [things], and desperately wicked: who can know it?

How true the word of God is which exposes the sinfulness of our hearts. We have to pray for atheist because while they may shake their little fist up to the sky. Wholeheartedly angry at the God they claim doesn’t exist which makes no sense.

We need to show these people who have been indoctrinated to believe that everything came from nothing, a scientific impossibility. May the Lord open their eyes and show them they were created in the image of God, and their lives do have meaning.

That their lives are not “star dust” that “evolution” is completely false, that abortion is murder; and that outside of God they have no basis for their moral standards. Anything outside of the existence of God is meaningless.

Mankind has been trying to be god ever since the downfall of man and the tragic fact is many have fallen for this lie of the devil. Souls are at stake and therefore we must speak the truth in love to these lost individuals.

Psalm 3:8 Salvation [belongeth] unto the LORD: thy blessing [is] upon thy people. Selah.

Breaking Through To Jehovah’s Witnesses (Jesus Saves​—How?)

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In this article we’re going to examine the Watchtower’s teaching on how does Jesus save? If you missed the previous post Breaking Through To Jehovah’s Witnesses (Salvation) feel free to read it.

The Bible’s answer

Jesus saved faithful humans when he gave his life as a ransom sacrifice. (Matthew 20:28) Thus, the Bible calls Jesus the “Savior of the world.” (1 John 4:​14) It also states: “There is no salvation in anyone else, for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must get saved.”​—Acts 4:​12.

The Watchtower — Bible Questions Answered

The Watchtower uses such terminology as ‘ransom sacrifice’ in reference to the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ at Calvary. Talking with Jehovah’s Witnesses or other cults can sometimes be a bit confusing. They will use similar vocabulary with different meanings.

Packaged in the words ‘ransom sacrifice’ the Jehovah Witnesses say Adam was created as a perfect man but because he sinned in the garden he lost the perfect life for all humans. Sounds straight forward right? They then say Jesus was Jehovah God’s ‘first created creature’ as Michael the archangel. Then ‘Jehovah transferred Jesus from heaven to earth, and Jesus was born as a perfect human, without sin’. Meanwhile Michael the archangel ceased to exist while Jesus was on the earth. When Jesus went back to heaven Jesus ceased to be and Michael the archangel was recreated in heaven.

The Watchtower would insinuate this by inserting their own meaning into the text. Just as a side note Jehovah Witnesses have their own manipulated bible called the New World Translation, this bible (using the term loosely) was created in order to fit their doctrine. It’s a false bible just so you’re aware. Back to the point is Jesus a created creature or God Himself? We’ll let the Bible answer this for us.

1. The book of Hebrews tells us that Jesus Christ created the worlds.

Hebrews 1:2 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;

2. The book of Colossians also tells us that all things were made by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Colossians 1:16-17 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether [they be] thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

3. The Gospel of John tells us nothing was made without Jesus Christ.

John 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Jesus ‘tasted death for everyone’ who exercises faith in him. (Hebrews 2:9; John 3:​16) Thereafter, “God raised him up from the dead,” and Jesus returned to heaven as a spirit creature. (Acts 3:​15) There, Jesus is able “to save completely those who are approaching God through him, because he is always alive to plead for them.”​—Hebrews 7:​25.

The Watchtower — Bible Questions Answered

Groups such as the Watchtower place an emphasis on works by taking John 3:16 adding the word ‘exercises’ give the notion of working for salvation. If you visit the Watchtower’s Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures someone at the organization goofed. They didn’t realise their kingdom interlinear doesn’t agree with their New World Translation if you compare them.

You’ll also notice in the above quote that they claim Jesus ‘returned to heaven as a spirit creature’. In the book of Luke chapter 24 we have the account when Jesus Christ showed Himself to the disciples after His resurrection.

1. The Lord Jesus Christ appears to His disciples and they were afraid and thought Jesus was a spirit.

Luke 24:36-37 And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace [be] unto you. But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit.

2. The Lord then corrects them showing His disciples He is not a spirit. How does He do this? By showing them His hands and feet which bore the prints of the nails proving it was the same body which hung on the cross. They also physically touch Him and Jesus said He has flesh and bones. A spirit doesn’t have flesh and bones.

Luke 24:38-39 And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.

Clearly the Watchtower made the same mistake the disciples made in thinking Jesus was a ‘spirit creature’.

Why do we need Jesus to plead for us?

We are all sinners. (Romans 3:​23) Sin puts a barrier between us and God, and it leads to death. (Romans 6:​23) But Jesus serves as “an advocate” for those who exercise faith in his ransom sacrifice. (1 John 2:1, footnote) He pleads in their behalf, asking God to hear their prayers and grant forgiveness of their sins on the basis of Jesus’ sacrificial death. (Matthew 1:​21; Romans 8:​34) God acts on such pleas made by Jesus because they are in harmony with His will. God sent Jesus to the earth “for the world to be saved through him.”​—John 3:​17.

The Watchtower — Bible Questions Answered

It’s interesting that the Watchtower would claim Jesus Christ serves as ‘an advocate’ for those who ‘exercise faith’ in His sacrifice. While this sounds nice and it is true that Jesus is the advocate for all believers, that’s what the Bible teaches.

In Watchtower theology it’s just not that simple. You see they teach that Jesus is the mediator only for ‘anointed Christians’ who number 144,000. The Greek word for advocate is paráklētos

παράκλητος paráklētos, par-ak’-lay-tos; an intercessor, consoler:—advocate, comforter.

The Biblical usage for advocate is as follows.
A. one who pleads another’s cause before a judge, a pleader, counsel for defense, legal assistant, an advocate.
B. one who pleads another’s cause with one, an intercessor.
i. of Christ in his exaltation at God’s right hand, pleading with God the Father for the pardon of our sins
C. in the widest sense, a helper, succourer, aider, assistant.
ii. of the Holy Spirit destined to take the place of Christ with the apostles (after his ascension to the Father), to lead them to a deeper knowledge of the gospel truth, and give them divine strength needed to enable them to undergo trials and persecutions on behalf of the divine kingdom.

This is very similar to what a mediator does, here’s the Biblical definition for mediator.

μεσίτης mesítēs, mes-ee’-tace; from G3319; a go-between, i.e. (simply) an internunciator, or (by implication) a reconciler (intercessor):—mediator.

I. one who intervenes between two, either in order to make or restore peace and friendship, or form a compact, or for ratifying a covenant.
II. a medium of communication, arbitrator.

Both of these roles are fulfilled by Christ as our mediator and advocate. Unfortunately most Jehovah Witnesses are not part of the New Covenant according to Watchtower theology therefore this leaves them without a mediator / advocate. Here’s a few quotes from the Watchtower concerning this teaching.

In what sense does Paul use the term “mediator” when referring to Jesus at 1 Timothy 2: 5, 6? In this text, Paul uses the Greek word m esi’tes for “mediator,” which term has a legal significance, so he is not using this word in the broad sense common in many languages. Hence, Paul is not saying that Jesus is Mediator between God and all mankind. Rather, he is referring to Christ as legal Mediator of the new covenant, which laid the basis for Christ’s anointed followers to share with him in his heavenly Kingdom. (2 Corinthians 5:1, 5; Ephesians 1:13, 14; Hebrews 8: 7-13)—8/15, pages 30, 31. (Watchtower, December 15, 1989, p. 30)

Watchtower, December 15, 1989, p. 30

“He mediates the new covenant between God and those taken into the new covenant, the congregation of spiritual Israel. The total number of those who are finally and permanently sealed is revealed in Revelation 7:4-8 as 144,000.” Insight on the Scriptures, Volume 2 p.362 Mediator

Insight on the Scriptures, Volume 2 p.362 Mediator

The society robs the Jehovah Witness of all the promises given by God because the general Jehovah’s Witness has no clue Jesus is not their mediator. And because they don’t have a the Lord Jesus as mediator being an advocate for them they don’t have salvation.

Lastly, the Jehovah Witnesses believe you must perform works in order to be in a ‘good standing’ when you see ‘exercise faith’ this is what it means. This means they believe by going good deeds they are proving to Jehovah they are worthy of being saved or savable. This teaching is contrary to what God’s word says.

Galatians 3:1-3 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

Is belief in Jesus all that we need to be saved?

No. Although we must believe in Jesus to gain salvation, more is required. (Acts 16:30, 31) The Bible says: “Just as the body without spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.” (James 2:​26) To be saved, we must:

The Watchtower — Bible Questions Answered

There you go, the Watchtower teaches believing in Jesus Christ is not sufficient that ‘more is required’. They cite James 2:26 as a proof text but the Watchtower entirely misses the meaning of the verse. The apostle James is not contradicting Paul (Ephesians 2:8-10).

Ephesians 2:8-10 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

James is telling us that true faith produces genuine works but those works have no baring on our salvation. Works are the by product of real faith not a means of acquiring salvation.

James 2:21-24 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

“The point you need to convey to Jehovah’s Witnesses is that genuine Christian faith does produce righteous works, but the works have nothing to do with saving us or with making us righteous.

Explain to the Witnesses that James’ comments also address the fact that although God can see the faith that is in our hearts without seeing works as proof—as he did with Abraham in Genesis 15—human beings cannot.

Although we are justified by faith alone before God, we are justified before men through works that they can see. That is, the only way people can see that someone has actually had an inner transformation by God based on his faith is by that person’s changed attitudes and behavior. (James 2:18)

Jehovah’s Witnesses think that their works prove that they are “exercising faith” and are therefore “in the truth.” Don’t accuse them of anything, but do point out that when we think about works, we need to be cautious in our evaluation. People who have not experienced an inner transformation by God can, through self-effort, produce religious works that appear righteous to us and to others, but those works will be rejected by God because merely human-generated righteousness is like filthy rags in his sight. (Isaiah 64:6).” — David Englund

daenglund.com

Jehovah Witnesses must understand that we are not against them personally, our heart goes out to those who are trapped in the Watchtower and afraid to leave because they will lose their families, jobs, friends etc. We understand it’s giving up a lot. But the Lord Jesus said:

Luke 9:62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

Your soul is on the line, our desire and more importantly God’s desire is that you come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour. In doing so by trusting in Him for the forgiveness of your sins you can have the free gift of eternal life. You can know right now presently that you have eternal life.

1 John 5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

God bless and hope you’ll trust in Christ Jesus alone for salvation.

Disclaimer: Thank you for sharing your comments. Please no foul language or insults. The topic of this article is Jehovah’s Witnesses (Jesus Saves—How?). If you get off this topic comments will be deleted.

Watchtower Lies and Deceptions May 2020

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Once again another Watchtower has been released for the month of May in which we find the following quote.

At some time during the second century C.E., the true Christian congregation began to be overrun by false Christians, who had adopted pagan teachings and who were hiding the truths found in God’s Word. From that time until the late 19th century, there was no organized group of God’s servants on earth. The weeds of falseChristianity flourished and hid the identity of true Christians.(emphasis added)

watchtower-study-may-2020 pg 3

Please note the Watchtower is claiming that during the second century A.D. the Church Jesus Christ established was “overrun by false Christians”. This is a blatant contradiction to the Lord Jesus words in which we read concerning this found in the gospel of Matthew.

Matthew 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

What does our Lord mean when He says “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (the Church)”? It’s pretty simple to understand that Christ was saying nothing will be able to go against His Church.

κατισχύω katischýō, kat-is-khoo’-o; from G2596 and G2480; to overpower:—prevail (against).

Yet the Watchtower is saying the Church was “overrun”? Who are we to believe the Watchtower or Jesus Christ? I’ll trust in the words of Christ. Watchtower goes on to say “From that time until the late 19th century, there was no organized group of God’s servants on earth”.

The early Watchtower came into existence in the 1800’s during that time other “restoration” movements began. If there were no true Christians until Charles Taze Russell founded the bible students which later became known as the Watchtower/Jehovah Witnesses under Joseph Franklin Rutherford then the Church Christ created died out according to this article. Who was God using before the Watchtower came to be?

Who was a Christian then between the ascension of Jesus Christ until Charles Taze Russell came? Do you see the significance of such a statement? The Watchtower is saying they alone are the only “true Christians” in the world. We see that in this next portion of the statement “From that time until the late 19th century, there was no organized group of God’s servants on earth”.

In essence they’re saying God had none who were “true Christians” and are calling Jesus Christ a lair because Christ said “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (the Church)”? The Watchtower says “false Christianity hid the identity of true Christians”. If you’ve ever spoken with a JW before you might hear them say “what other group do you know in the world is preaching from door to door”.

The mindset of a Jehovah’s Witness is no one is preaching, no one is fulfilling the great commission the Lord Jesus has commanded for us to fulfill found in the Gospel of Mark.

Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

The Watchtower fails to see that Christian missionaries have been going to other countries preaching Christ for centuries. An easy search for Christian missionaries history will bring up a slew of information on this subject. Christian missionaries have preached all over the world including Ghana (David Livingstone), Guatemala, Japan etc.

When Christian missionaries arrived in Japan more than 450 years ago they were more successful there than in any other country in history. Despite the culture shock, which included having to eat with “two small pieces of wood” and encountering a strange new drink called “char”, they won hundreds of thousands of converts. The reaction of the ruling Japanese Shogun was a ferocious crackdown against this new religion which eventually resulted in the country being completely closed to the world for more than 200 years. That legacy remains today and Japan is one of the toughest destinations for missionaries.

Edward Stourton – BBC

Anyone who follows Jesus Christ is a true Christian, it’s quite amazing that the Watchtower denies so many biblical truths which Christianity has believed and taught throughout the centuries. The greatest truth being of Jesus Christ deity as God, yet Jehovah’s Witnesses claim to be “true Christians”? How can one be called a Christian if they deny Christ?

The very word Christian bears the name of Christ, to be a Christian means you’re a follower of Jesus Christ and proclaim His name to a dying world. Have you noticed Jehovah Witnesses never pray in the name of Jesus Christ, they rarely mention His name.

Χριστιανός Christianós, khris-tee-an-os’; from G5547; a Christian, i.e. follower of Christ:—Christian.

The only name that comes forth from a Jehovah’s Witness is “Jehovah” not Jesus Christ. Isn’t that interesting?

Christadelphians “Doctrines to be Rejected” 2

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If you’ve been following along, last time we took a look at one of the Christadelphians core beliefs. The Christadelphians deny that God is three persons, a common error you’ll find with groups such as these is they deviate from fundamental Christian beliefs. If you missed the article you can read it here: Christadelphians “Doctrines to be Rejected” We reject the doctrine that God is three persons.

We reject The Son of God was co-eternal with the Father.

This article is to compare the Jesus of the Christadelphians with the Lord Jesus of the Bible. Paul the apostle said to the saints in Corinth that it was possible to be deceived by an another Jesus, another spirit and another gospel. We endeavour to seek the truth of God’s word so that we’re not deceived into believing in a Jesus which cannot save us from our sins.

2 Corinthians 11:4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or [if] ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with [him].

As Christians it’s simple to know when a religion tries to pass off their version of Jesus as being “just a prophet” or “just a good teacher”. We can agree Jesus Christ is a prophet and teacher but to believers He’s much much more! Identifying non-Christian cults is more tricky as they tend to use the same biblical terminology but with different meanings, that’s what makes them dangerous.

Some religions have suggested that their gods have sexual relations with mortals. The account of the birth of Jesus is not like this at all. The one true God, who created all life, created His Son in the womb of Mary. Jesus was truly the son of Mary and truly the Son of God; a child miraculously formed in her womb by the Spirit power of the Creator Himself. — Who is Jesus?

(christadelphia.org)

Please pay close attention to the quote, notice the Christadelphians believe that Jesus Christ was “created in the womb”. They deny His pre-existence, what this article will seek to prove is that Jesus Christ indeed pre-exist before the incarnation. A classical way to prove this would be to start where most would in the Gospel of John but we’re not going to do that, we other scriptures which prove who is Jesus Christ.

The book of Psalms gives us an answer when compared with other scriptures, king David a man after God’s own heart was also called a prophet (Acts 2:29-30) he prayed to the LORD saying:

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’s a prayer to God how do we know? Because he says “Hear my prayer, O LORD”. We established this is a prayer to God later on in verses 25-27 we’re told about the attributes of the LORD.

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.

The verses above tell us that God “laid the foundation of the earth” and created the heavens. The immutable unchanging eternal LORD God will never perish and will remain forever, but the earth and heavens will perish. Keeping our place turn with me to the book of Hebrews chapter 1.

In Hebrews the focus is the Lord Jesus Christ, Hebrews chapter 1 talks about how Christ is better than all the angels, therefore Christ cannot be an angel (sorry Jehovah Witnesses). The chapter tells us that God spoke to us in various ways, those ways are through the Old Testament prophets and fathers but in these last days was spoken by His Son (Hebrews 1:1-2)

Continuing down in verse 8 the Father calls the Son God saying the Son’s throne will last forever.

Hebrews 1:8 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.

Notice that the writer of Hebrews is quoting from Psalm 45:6-7 and is directly applying them to Jesus Christ in verses 8, 9 but that’s not the main point, it’s the next 3 verses we’re interested in.

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.

Please note the quote from Psalm 102:25-27 and Hebrews 1:10-12 are word for word the same. This shows that Jesus Christ created the heavens and the earth because He’s God. The final nail in the coffin of the Christiadelphian beliefs is found in the book of Isaiah in which we have the LORD saying He created everything alone by Himself.

Isaiah 44:24 Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I [am] the LORD that maketh all [things]; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;

Now if Jesus is not God but created as the Christadelphians would suggest then that would be a contradiction in God’s word. We know that God’s word never contradicts even if it seems like one, therefore, we know that Jesus Christ did in fact pre-exist. There you have it straight from God’s word, Jesus Christ is God!

Other scriptures which prove His deity are: John 1:1-3 (All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.), Colossians 1:15-17 (…For by him were all things created,…), John 8:58 (…Before Abraham was, I am.).

As always feel free to like or comment and until next time God bless.

Learn more about the Christadelphian cult from these sites:

Christadelphians “Doctrines to be Rejected”

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A Little history

The Christadelphians are a non-Trinitarian, millennial non-Christian group which was started by Dr. John Thomas who was born in London England. He immigrated to the United States in 1832. Thomas was a member of the Campbellite group known as the Disciples, after leaving the Campbellites he started Christadelphian movement.

Read up on previous post concerning the Christadelphians: Examining Cults (Christadelphians) | Why The Christadelphians Are A Cult. | Common Traits Among The Cults | Common Traits Among The Cults #2 | Common Traits Among The Cults #3 | Common Traits Among The Cults #4

Marks of a cult

A group that states they believe in the Bible and are Christians but in some way divert from the biblical teaching of Christianity aren’t Christian at all. In-fact all cults will in some way try to include “works” as a means of obtaining salvation.

“Doctrinally, the Christadelphians are unique in Christendom in our understanding of the nature of Christ, and the way in which we are redeemed by his death. We reject as unbiblical the idea that Christ could die as a replacement sacrifice for us, thus covering all our sins forever with that one act. Certainly it is through his sacrifice that we may be forgiven, but only if we walk the path of self-denial that he marked out for us.” — (christadelphia.org)

As the late Dr. Walter Martin put it “the Christadelphians a very small cult, …but very influential”. This quote from Martin given at a talk he gave about the Jehovah Witnesses and the doctrines the Watchtower absorbed from the Christadelphians through Charles Taze Russell. Jehovah Witnesses are one of the worlds largest cult behind Mormonism so we can see how a small cult influenced another. Both cults deny the Trinity or Godhead and this is where our focus will be.

We reject the doctrine that God is three persons.

The Christadelphians are a “restorationist” group, this Movement began in the United States during the “Second Great Awakening” (1790–1840) of the early 19th century. A lot of cults developed during this time due to much confusion of what the Bible teaches and claims of “new revelation” from God, some notable mentions are Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses and Christian Science.

Getting to the doctrine of the Trinity this is what one of their online pamphlets “One God or a Trinity?“ has to say.

“So far in this booklet everything that was said was supported by quotes from the Bible, and only the Bible. However when discussing the Trinity that will not be possible, because the Trinity is something that originates from outside the Bible. Nowhere in the Bible do we find the word ‘Trinity’, nor do we find the Trinitarian terms ‘God the son’ or ‘God the Holy Spirit’. Religious historians and commentators, who believe in the doctrine of the Trinity, admit that the doctrine is not a teaching from the Old Testament:” — One God or a Trinity? (christadelphia.org)

Must the words “God the Son” or “God the Holy Spirit” be expressed in this exact same way in order for the Trinity to be true? The word “Bible” is nowhere to be found yet we all agree to the word of God as being the Bible. The doctrine of the Trinity (Godhead) is found all throughout the scriptures.

To start John the apostle says “no man hath seen God at anytime” in the Gospel of John.

John 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared [him].

John 6:46 Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.

1 John 4:12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.

John is very clear no man has seen God, but what does that mean? In the second verse quoted John says “Not that any man hath seen the Father” and we can all agree that the Father is God, I don’t think anyone would disagree on that. If that’s so does the Bible contradict itself? Absolutely not, not by any means therefore let us consider other passages in scripture.

Adam and Eve were the first man and woman created by God yet they walked with God in the garden (Genesis 2:15-3:24). They enjoyed direct fellowship with God before being removed from the garden after they sinned.

Abraham saw God and even had a meal prepared by Sarah for Him Genesis 18:1 “And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;” read Genesis chapter 18 for the entire account.

Genesis 18:6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead [it], and make cakes upon the hearth.

Hagar also saw God when she ran away and encountered the LORD in the desert (Genesis 16:9-16) God then told her she would have a son and to call him Ishmael.

Moses saw God and spake with him mouth to mouth (Numbers 12:8). Others who saw God include Jacob, Isaiah, David, Job, Gideon, Manoah and his wife. Plenty of accounts in the Old Testament with people seeing God, yet in John’s Gospel we read “Not that any man hath seen the Father…”. The question must be asked, who then did they see?

Old Testament and New Testament quotations

The Christadelphians affirm that the Father is God, as do all Christians but they are stuck logically when we compare verses such as in the book of Isaiah and the Gospel of John we read:

Isaiah 6:1-4 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, [is] the LORD of hosts: the whole earth [is] full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.

Here we have the vision of Isaiah seeing the Lord sitting upon His throne. If you could ask Isaiah who did he see Isaiah would say he saw God Almighty. Keeping this in mind and reading in John’s Gospel the apostle answers the question of who Isaiah saw on the throne.

John 12:41 These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.

John tells us that Isaiah saw Jesus Christ in that vision and Isaiah says he saw the Lord. We must come to the conclusion that if the Bible has no contradictions which we believe does not. Then it’s straight forward to see Jesus Christ is God Almighty just as the Father and the Holy Spirit are also God Almighty.

It is a serious error on the part of the Christadelphians and the position they hold to is one concerning salvation. As they reject the fact Jesus is God then they cannot be saved no this premise alone as well as many other heretical beliefs they hold.

We beseech you if you’re part of this cult be aware you’re being mislead by false doctrine. We will be examining point by point more of the beliefs of the Christadelphians. The Bible tells us to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them (Ephesians 5:11). The Christadelphians teach another gospel which is not another and are accursed because of it.

Galatians 1:6-8 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

You can still come to know the true God of the Bible, Jesus Christ can be your redeemer if you place your trust in Him and in Him alone. We hope you enjoyed this reading, feel free to leave any comments. God bless and praise the Lord Jesus our Lord and our God (John 20:28).

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.

Additional sites to research Christadelphianism

  1. allaboutcults.org
  2. christianlibrary.org
  3. evangelical-times.org

Kobe Bryant dies at 41

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NBA legend Kobe Bryant, 41, died Sunday in a helicopter crash. Fatal crash: Bryant was one of nine people who died when the helicopter they were in crashed on a hillside in Calabasas, California. Among the victims was Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter Gianna.

What a tragic event it is when a soul is lost for all eternity. I’m sure Kobe Bryant enjoyed the fame and publicity which came from being a basketball star, but if he could speak right now I’m certain it wouldn’t be about basketball. It would be about knowing his Creator knowing Jesus Christ before passing away.

Here’s a man who had everything going for him yet with all the wealth accumulated, fame and fortune what did it profit him in the end? He couldn’t take any of it with him and if Kobe never got saved by trusting in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of his sins; then as sad as it is to say Kobe is forever separated from God.

I hope that when he was alive he trusted in the Lord Jesus and was saved, as far as I know Kobe Bryant was not a believer in Jesus Christ. And if not then tragically he’s in hell. This reminds me of what the Lord Jesus said about the rich man and Lazarus in the Gospel of Luke. Read it for yourself and determine if being rich is worth more than knowing Christ.

The Rich Man and Lazarus

Luke 16:19-31 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that [would come] from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

It is with out sincerest condolences that our hearts go out to the Bryant family. While this is a great tragedy perhaps this will wake up his family that they may see that life is fleeting. One day you’re here and the next moment you’re not. May we all take heed to the words of the Lord Jesus.

Luke 13:1-5 There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Please it is our hope that you would trust in Christ Jesus and live by receiving eternal life as the free gift offered to you through Jesus Christ.

Answering Jehovah Witnesses Objections (Heaven)

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The following quote from the Watchtower (Jehovah Witnesses) is concerning who will be in heaven. According to Jehovah Witnesses they believe that there are 2 groups, the first group is the “anointed class” of Jehovah Witnesses; the second group is referred to as “the great crowd”.

The Jehovah Witnesses teach that only 144,000 anointed Christians will be in heaven ruling with Jesus Christ as kings and priest. The great crowd will remain to live on paradise earth for all eternity.

WHERE WILL THE GREAT CROWD LIVE?

Here’s what the Watchtower says:

Christendom generally does not teach the Scriptural truth that one day obedient humans will live forever on earth. (2 Cor. 4:3, 4) Today, most religions in Christendom teach that all good people go to heaven when they die. It was different, however, with the small group of Bible Students who were publishing the Watch Tower in the late 1800’s. They understood that God would restore Paradise on earth and that millions of obedient humans would live here on earth​—not in heaven. However, it took time for them to discern clearly who these obedient humans would be.​—Matt. 6:10.

What Jehovah Witnesses do is they will say that “the light is getting brighter” to cover up any false teachings they have and then will change their teachings to another belief. They derive this from the book of proverbs.

Proverbs 4:18 But the path of the just [is] as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.

They misinterpret and take this verse in proverbs to say that understanding of God’s word gets brighter. Thereby they can retract false prophecies and teachings at their own leisure. Is that what this verse means?

If we read scripture in context and read the verse before and after we will see the true meaning of Proverbs 4:18

Proverbs 4:17-19 For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence. But the path of the just [is] as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. The way of the wicked [is] as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.

Notice the context is a contrast between a wicked person and a just or righteous person. It has nothing to do with understanding God’s word because the light gets brighter but I digress.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT WHO WILL BE IN HEAVEN?

The concept of the great crowd comes from the book of Revelation, the Watchtower takes this verse in Revelation saying only 144,000 (Revelation 7:4-8) will be in heaven.

Revelation 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

If we read past Revelation 7:4-8 to the end of the chapter we are actually given the location of the 144,000 and the great crowd.

Revelation 7:9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;

In Revelation 7:9 it says both the 144,000 and the great multitude/crowd is standing “before the throne”, this is a vision of heaven. They are also standing before God who’s on the throne and the Lamb. That’s not all we also are told the angels, elders and four beast worshipped before the throne.

Revelation 7:10-12 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and [about] the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, [be] unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

It’s very important that when we witness to cults to read the context of the verses as cult like to remove a text and try to put their own spin on it to support their own theology.

What do you think is the Watchtower right or the Bible? Study the scriptures for yourself and see what’s the truth, here are some verses on the subject.

1. Heaven is reserved for:

RighteousMat 25:34, 37
Changed, saved1Cr 15:51; Jhn 3:5, 18, 21
Called, obedient2Pe 1:10, 11; Rev 22:14
All members of one Body, not heavenly class and earthly class1Cr 12:12-31
All in one Fold with one ShepherdJhn 10:16

2. Believers In Heaven Are:

Citizens of HeavenPhl 3:20
Partakers of the Heavenly callingHbr 3:1

3. Old Testament Believers Are There:

Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in HeavenMat 8:11
All the prophets with themLuk 13:28
Desire a better country, a heavenly oneHbr 11:8-16

4. Christ Dwells Among Them:

Four beasts and twenty-four eldersRev 5:8-10
One-hundred and forty-four thousandRev 14:1-5
Great multitudeRev 7:9-17

5. The 144,000 Will Not Be Chosen Until The 6th Seal Is Broken:

The 6th seal is brokenRev 6:12
Day of wrath comesRev 6:17
After the day of wrathRev 7:1-3
144,000 are sealedRev 7:4-8
The 7th seal is brokenRev 8:1

6. Heaven And Earth Will All Be One:

New Heavens and EarthRev 21:1
The overcoming ones shall inherit all things including Heaven and EarthRev 21:7; Eph 1:10

As you can see heaven is not only for the 144,000, it is for everyone who has trusted in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins. Feel free to leave your comments and thanks for reading. God bless.

The Greek Septuagint

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The Greek Septuagint named for the 70 Jewish men who translated the Hebrew Old Testament scriptures into Greek around 300-200 BC was written for Hellenistic Jews living outside of Jerusalem in parts of Greece. This Greek translation was produced because many Jews dispersed throughout the empire were beginning to lose their Hebrew beliefs. These Jews who were living among Gentiles were accustomed to reading in the Greek tongue and it was important for the men who wrote the Septuagint that it would be understandable to those Jews living abroad.

Additionally, the Greek Septuagint gave Gentiles insight into the beliefs of Judaism being that it was written in their own language. The Septuagint was also a source of the Old Testament for early Christians during the first few centuries AD. Many Christians at that time spoke and read Greek, thus they relied on the Septuagint translation for a majority of their understanding of the Old Testament scriptures.

The New Testament writers also relied on the Septuagint, as a majority of Old Testament quotes are cited in the New Testament and are quoted directly from the Septuagint. When it came to referencing God the Septuagint writers took the name κύριος (kyrios) which is only reserved in praise and worship of God Almighty translating it to LORD. 

In the New Testament there are verses which use the phrase “call on the name of the LORD” or “calling on the name of the LORD”. This phrase “called upon the name of the LORD” is found in the Old Testament the references are (Genesis 4:26; Deuteronomy 4:7; 1 Chronicles 16:8; Job 27:10; Psalm 18:3; Psalm 55:16; Psalm 99:6; Psalm 105:1; Psalm 116:13; Psalm 145:18; Isaiah 12:4; Zephaniah 3:9).

The New Testament writers understood the Old Testament scriptures very well, remember in the time when Jesus Christ walked with His disciples they didn’t have any of the New Testament writings yet. For Christ was not yet ascended, after His ascension is when the New Testament was composed by the apostles.

Saul of Tarsus started as a pharisee before he was converted and became the apostle Paul. He would have known the Old Testament scriptures very well yet when Paul wrote his epistles he took the phrase “called upon the name of the LORD” and applied this same phrase to the Lord Jesus.

Romans 10:12-13 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

1 Corinthians 1:1-2 Paul, called [to be] an apostle of Jesus Christ … Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called [to be] saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, …

This is just more strong evidence for the deity of Jesus Christ as being the Almighty God who created all things (John 1:3; Ephesians 3:9; Colossians 1:16-17; Revelation 4:11). If you don’t know Jesus Christ as you’re Lord and Saviour then you’re without life as Jesus is the source of life. Jesus said speaking of Himself.

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Sin separates us from God and we’re told in God’s word that if we die in our sins we will be lost for all eternity, all unbelievers will be cast into the Lake of Fire the Bible says; which is the second death. We all sinned against God but not all of us will end up in hell because we’ve trusted in Christ for the forgiveness of our sins. Will you do the same?

In the book of John it says that if you receive the Lord Jesus then you can become a son or child of God. You’ll be adopted into the family of God and will be given eternal life.

John 1:12-13 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

You’ll be born again and God will dwell in you making you a new creature, at this time you’ll begin to love the things of God, and you’ll love people by sharing the truth of what Jesus Christ came to do and that’s to save sinners. As the apostle Peter said you’ll have a “lively hope”.

1 Peter 1:3 Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

God bless.

Jesus Christ is God (Psalm 102:25-27; Hebrews 1:8-12)

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God created the heavens and the earth, the creation account is found in the very first verse in our Bibles (Genesis 1:1). The LORD wanted to be certain that we would understand this right at the offset. Bearing this in mind among those who believe in God’s word (Christians), we would agree that only the Almighty God created everything. As it relates to Jesus Christ let us see what the Bible has to say in regards to creation.

See the last post: Jesus Christ is God (Psalms, Jeremiah, Revelation)

Psalm 102

The Psalmist king David started prayer a to God in Psalm 102:1 the opening heading says“[[A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before the LORD.]]” notice it says the prayer is to the LORD, this is in reference to Almighty God. David then says “Hear my prayer, O LORD, and let my cry come unto thee.”

We establish from the beginning that it’s a prayer to God in worship. Going down we read in (v25) “Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens [are] the work of thy hands” God created the earth and heavens just as we see in (Genesis 1:1).

David then tells us that God is unchanging or immutable (v26) and he compares that attribute of the Almighty God to creation itself “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:” God outlives all of His creation for He alone is eternal.

The man after God’s own heart David once again lets us know the LORD remains forever the same (v27) “But thou [art] the same, and thy years shall have no end”.

Hebrews Chapter 1

As we read in the New Testament the book of Hebrews actually quotes the same set of scriptures and applies them to Jesus Christ. Hebrews 1:10 “And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:”. Here we have the writer to the Hebrews attributing the creation of the earth and heavens from Psalms 102:25 to Christ.

Continuing on (v11) states “They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment;” as we can see Jesus Christ remains while creation will wax old or decay. This speaks once again of the unchanging or immutable Almighty God we serve.

We then finish up with (v12) “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.” The Lord Jesus Christ is the Almighty God just as the scripture say in Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever”.

Answering Jehovah Witnesses Objections

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Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Believe in Jesus?

All cults (Christadelphians, Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons, Baháʼí, Hare Krishna, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam) reject Jesus Christ is God, the Bible calls them antichrist (1 John 2:18, 22, 1 John 4:3, 2 John 1:7). According to the Watchtower they believe that ‘Jehovah’ is Almighty God and Jesus Christ was the first being created by ‘Jehovah’. In-fact Jehovah Witnesses are taught from the Watchtower to believe Jesus is Michael the archangel. The following is a statement from their FAQ in regards to who Jesus is.

Yes. We believe in Jesus, who said: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) We have faith that Jesus came to earth from heaven and gave his perfect human life as a ransom sacrifice. (Matthew 20:28) His death and resurrection make it possible for those exercising faith in him to gain everlasting life. (John 3:16) We also believe that Jesus is now ruling as King of God’s heavenly Kingdom, which will soon bring peace to the entire earth. (Revelation 11:15) However, we take Jesus at his word when he said: “The Father is greater than I am.” (John 14:28) So we do not worship Jesus, as we do not believe that he is Almighty God. – Watchtower

What does the Bible really teach about Jesus?

The Bible teaches that God alone is the creator, an angel doesn’t have the power God alone possesses because God created the angels also. When you examine the Jehovah Witnesses theology you’ll see how there are many problems.

1 They say Jesus was created by Jehovah and through Jesus Jehovah made everything else. If that were so then why does God tell us otherwise?

Isaiah 44:24 Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I [am] the LORD that maketh all [things]; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;

Reading carefully we see that Isaiah 44:24 says that God created the heavens and earth by Himself. This proves that God didn’t use an “agent” to create “all other things” as the Watchtower teaches. Yet we see that Jesus created all things in the book of John chapter 1 reads (speaking of Jesus Christ).

John 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

The Conclusion

The verse in John says “and without him was not any thing made that was made”. Nothing was made without Jesus Christ making it. Therefore, the Jehovah Witnesses have a contradiction because they say Jesus Christ is not God yet they say Jesus helped God in creation. But clearly the Bible says only God created all things alone.

Read it and make the decision for yourself who you think is correct, the Watchtower or God’s Word the Bible. Jehovah Witnesses do not believe in Jesus at least not the Jesus Christ of the Bible.

Jesus Christ is God (Psalms, Jeremiah, Revelation)

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In this article we’ll take a look at how God has the ability to see what no one else can. If you’ve ever asked someone if they’re living a life for God you may hear this phrase “God knows my heart”. And He sure does know our heart, He created us and knows every last detail concerning His creation. Previous article Jesus Christ is God (Galatians Chapter 1)

If only God knows a person’s heart, then what do the scriptures say concerning the Lord Jesus Christ; does Jesus have the ability to know our heart? That’s what we’re going to establish by looking at the text of scripture.

The Psalmist David wrote that God tries our hearts, God knows our motives and with His divine eyes can see right into our hearts.

Psalm 7:9 Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.

The Psalmist goes unto say in Psalm 26 “Examine me”, just like an x-ray the LORD knows the inner dwellings of your heart.

Psalm 26:2 Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.

The prophet Jeremiah proclaimed the LORD will judge righteously and will test or try the reins of our heart.

Jeremiah 11:20 But, O LORD of hosts, that judgest righteously, that triest the reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them: for unto thee have I revealed my cause.

Again Jeremiah tells us the LORD searches the hearts of men but not only will He search our heart, He will also give us according to our ways. This means God knows if a person is wicked and not saved. If that person dies without salvation the LORD will give the individual what they deserve which is eternal judgement in the lake of fire.

Jeremiah 17:10 I the LORD search the heart, [I] try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, [and] according to the fruit of his doings.

The LORD will try every man and woman there’s nothing that’s hidden from God He sees it all.

Jeremiah 20:12 But, O LORD of hosts, that triest the righteous, [and] seest the reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them: for unto thee have I opened my cause.

The last verse is from the apostle John here the context is speaking of Jesus Christ and the second coming of Christ. Jesus says “I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts:”. Wait hold on one minute, we read that only God can “search the reins and hearts” and now we see that the Lord Jesus can do the same.

Revelation 2:23 And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.

We are forced to believe the only logical conclusion is that Jesus Christ is God. No one else besides God can see into the heart of man. There you have it Jesus Christ is God because He can do the same as the Father. And if you haven’t trusted Christ for salvation do so now. Because tomorrow is not guaranteed. One day Jesus Christ is going to search your heart and if you’re found outside of Christ then hell awaits. Therefore give your life to Jesus Christ today and you’ll be given eternal life.

The Law of Moses

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There are faiths in the world that adhere to “keeping the Law”, exactly what does that mean? When asked the question do you keep the Law, the individual is asking do you keep the Law of Moses which was given at Mt. Sinai. You can find details to this in the book of Exodus chapter 20 in which God gives the children of Israel commandments to observe.

It’s worth mentioning that while most recognise this as “The Ten Commandments” in actuality there are 613 commandments God gave at Mt. Sinai, the Ten Commandments are a condensed version of all the 613 commandments.

An important question to ask is are Christians are required to keep the Law? To clear up any confusion in regards to the topic at hand, I will be straightforward in saying, New Testament Christians we are not required to “keep the Law” allow me to explain.

The Purpose Of The Law

Believers do not disregard the Law as “not important” the Law is important and serves its purposes. For instance, the Law is Holy and good (Romans 7:12) it shows forth God’s moral character of perfection. The God we serve is a thrice Holy God (Isaiah 6:3). The first 5 commandments give us clear understanding of who God is and our relationship to God Himself (Exodus 20:3-11). The remaining 5 address our relationship with our fellow man (Exodus 20:12-17).

Another purpose the Law serves is to show us our sin, like a mirror it reflects ourselves back at us. God commands us to never lie and we can all agree that we’ve all lied at some time in our lives. If we had to think about how many lies we’ve told during the course of our lives it would be too many to remember. We’re told that the Law was not made for the righteous but for ungodly sinners.

1 Timothy 1:9-10 Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;

The Law exposes sin and makes sin exceeding sinful (Romans 7:13) and death comes through the transgression of the Law. The book of Romans is great to read concerning how the Law applies to our transgression of the Law.

The final purpose of the Law serves as a tutor or schoolmaster to bring us to Christ (Galatians 3:24). By seeing ourselves through the Law and the fact that we can’t keep it because none of us is perfect an alarm should go off in our head. Our conscience should be screaming “I’m in trouble with God!”, this would show you the need for a Saviour. The Law is there as a reminder to the children of Israel also to show them the need for a Christ.

Law vs Grace

Believer, take heed if you ever come across someone who tells you that you must keep the Law of Moses or any strict rule-keeping for salvation know this is false. There are cults who teach you must believe and adhere to “keeping the Law”. Groups who teach these things either upfront or subtly are Seventh Day Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, Islam, Christadelphians, Black Hebrew Israelites etc.

They won’t admit it but they all depend on a works-based salvation, it’s Jesus plus their good deeds. The Bible is clear that salvation is by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-10). These groups look to gain God’s favour by working for it and the Bible is clear that there’s nothing you can do to merit salvation (Isaiah 64:6).

Legalism

The term legalism is similar in that it’s still “works-based” even though you may not be referring to “The Law of Moses” as a basis but the individual is still depending on themselves to do certain things in order to remain in right standing with God. This is also called strict rule-keeping.

A group that comes to mind is a cult based in Australia (Exclusive Brethren), all men must wear white shirts with white buttons. Another rule they have is a member’s home must not share the same drainage or their home cannot touch an unbeliever’s house (adjoining walls).

The Seventh Day Adventist cult also falls into this “rule-keeping” they have strict dietary rules such as vegetarian diets and keeping the Sabbath. Here’s a quote from the SDA website concerning proper health in the eyes of the Advent movement.

“Exercise and avoidance of harmful substances such as tobacco, alcohol and mind-altering substances lead to clear minds and wise choices. A well-balanced vegetarian diet that avoids the consumption of meat coupled with intake of legumes, whole grains, nuts, fruits and vegetables, along with a source of vitamin B12, will promote vigorous health.” – SDA

Notice in the above statement “A well-balanced vegetarian diet that avoids the consumption of meat” Adventists are to avoid meat, this is a perfect picture of legalism and any group you come across who do such things should be avoided.

Christ the End of the Law

The Lord Jesus said in the synoptic Gospels while giving the sermon on the mount indirect reference to the Law, He said: “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.” (Matthew 5:17). The Law condemns sin and is used to stop every mouth or person who would seek to exalt themselves; proclaiming a person guilty before God (Romans 3:19).

We see the importance of the Law that it’s Holy and good, it exposes sin and causes sinners to come to a knowledge of themselves that they would repent and trust in Jesus Christ for salvation. The Lord Jesus rescued us (believers), He lived a perfect life under the Law fulfilling all the requirements of God which you and I could never do; redeeming us that we may be adopted into the family of God (Galatians 4:4–5).

The Lord Jesus Christ is the believers’ ark in the same way Noah and his family were saved when they entered the ark by faith (Hebrews 11:7) before the world was flooded for its ungodliness (2 Peter 2:5). The Law should move you to fear that you also would take refuge in the ark which is Christ Jesus.

Believers Relationship To The Law

Therefore, anyone who’s saved in Christ is not condemned under the Law (Romans 8:1) through Christ we establish the Law (Romans 3:31) while not being affected by the Law. As Christ has “abolished in his flesh the enmity, [even] the law of commandments [contained] in ordinances;” (Ephesians 2:15). The unbeliever is not as fortunate because they are still condemned by the Law not being saved.

When a person comes to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ it’s never because of what they can do for God, it’s what God has done for you. Salvation is given freely by God’s grace to the one that does not work (Romans 4:4-5). If you really don’t understand how a person is saved without works/the Law my recommendation to you is to really study the book of Romans and Galatians.

Romans deals with how the Law condemns all sin making everyone guilty before God and in need of Jesus Christ, while Galatians teaches that we cannot mix our works with the saving grace of God. God does all the saving, that said in the post will be focusing on the Law of Christ in contradistinction to this post; Lord willing. God bless.

Jesus Christ is God (Jeremiah 2:13, John 4:5-14)

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Jesus Christ is God

The LORD God Almighty made a proclamation that the children of Israel have forsaken Him and identified Himself as “the fountain of living waters”. This should ring a bell bringing your attention to a particular event that we’re taught in the Bible found in the New Testament. Previous article Jesus Christ is God Psalm 27:1, John 1:5

Jeremiah 2:13 For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, [and] hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

In the New Testament, we have the account of the Samaritan woman. When the Lord Jesus sent His disciples into the village He spake with the woman at Jacob’s well. After asking the woman for a drink of water she said: “How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria?”. He told her that He will give her “living waters”. This is textual proof that shows the Lord Jesus is Almighty God because only God Almighty can give “living waters”.

John 4:10, 13-15 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. … Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.

Now do not be mistaken, I’m not saying that Jesus Christ is God the Father, neither is He the Holy Spirit. But as you can see from the plain reading of the text the Lord Jesus can do the same as the Father. Jesus said again in the Gospel of John “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink”, once again this is proof of the deity of Christ.

John 7:37 In the last day, that great [day] of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.

We then conclude with the book of Revelation the universal call to all which says “whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely”. Anyone who would like to have eternal life is told to come to Jesus Christ to drink of the water of life.

Revelation 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

It is our hope and prayer that you would take of this living water, the water of life which the Lord Jesus would freely give unto you if you would come to Him.