Post by Watchman on Dec 29, 2005 13:58:20 GMT -5
The fear of the YHWH is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do His commandments: his praise endureth for ever. Psalms 111:10
Billions of human beings have been deceived from understanding God's Truth. Underlying this deception is the "spirit of Antichrist"- the wrong approaches and false doctrines perpetrated by 'religious leaders' throughout history!
"How so?" you ask.
Because there is a very real Satan the Devil! Jesus twice called him the 'prince of this world' (John 12:31; 14:30). Satan is the great deceiver. The father of lies! The Apostle John made it clear that Satan deceives the vast majority of mankind: "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." (Revelation 12:9)
"But I am not deceived!" you might say. Do not be to sure!
Do you understand the major deception that Satan has palmed off on mainstream Christianity? Are you awake to the worldwide religious deception carried out in the name of 'Christianity'? This deception is so thourough that thousands of professing Christian ministers and priests are themselves deceived and do not even realize that they are perpetuating a lie! Jesus described the religious leaders of His day, the same holds true in our age: "Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch." (Matthew 15:14)
This mass deception is so widespread and so believable because many of it's tenents "look good" on the surface. Most of it's practitioners will say that we must believe in Christ. They say that Christians should exhibit love, kindness, mercy and patience, and that Christians should "do good" to their fellow man- give support to hospitals, charities, the homeless, to orphans and widows. They say that Christians should respond to Jesus's "law of love".
All of this sounds biblical. It all sounds very good!
But these practitioners do not tell you that the laws of God are to be obeyed. They talk emotionally about Christ being 'Lord' of their lives, but they inevitably fail to explain that if Jesus is 'Lord', we must obey Him! They will never tell you that Jesus directly and consistantly taught obedience to all of the Ten Commandmants!
Because of this Satan-inspired deception, many of the bloodiest wars in modern history have been waged by and between professing "Christian" nations! Does this make you a little uncomfortable? It should! More importantly I hope it makes you think! Many of us have grown up in some mainstream church and taken our religious beliefs for granted- assuming that what we hear is true. This is how many have unwittingly come to believe a false gospel, a wrong way of life and another Jesus Christ!
One of the Greek words for "sin" in the New Testement literally means to "miss the mark". Satan is content to let you 'believe in' God and Christ as long as he can still control you, making you "miss the mark". His goal is to keep you out of the Kingdom of Heaven by blinding you to what is really happening! God inspired James to write- "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble." (James 2:19). James then explains how the true Christian must not mearly believe in God, but must surrender to God's will and do what He says (v 20-23). He writes "Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. " (v.24)
"Justified by works?" YES- along with faith! Read it for yourself in your own Bible! It should be clear that true Christianity involves more than just accepting, in faith, Christ's death- which is a free gift from God- as full payment for our sins. When we accept Christ's sacrafice, when we are baptized, we must also make a literal "covenant with our Creator" to quit sinning in the future- to truly surrender to let Christ live His obedient life in us throught the Holy Spirit! God's inspired Word tells us "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law." (1 John 3:4). So we must repent of sin, repent of breaking God's spiritual Law, the Ten Commandmants. This involves a life of humble obedience- the "works" of keeping God's laws and commandments.
I want to be clear that no one can ever earn salvation- it is God's gift! The true grace of God leads to the gift of salvation (Ephesians 2:8-10; Romans 6:23). Those willing to obey God (Acts 5:29, 32) and who are under true grace will be God's "workmanship, created in Jesus Christ for good works" (Ephesians 2:10). God's grace does not eliminate the need for obediance and keeping God's commandments. The Apostle Paul warned that one could receive the grace of God in vain (2 Corinthians 6:1). And while the Apostle Peter exhorted Christians to "gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:13), he continues with the expectation that we do so "as obedient children" (v 14).
But when men led by Satan, cleverly misuse"grace"- teaching a "cheap grace" without real repentance from sin- it is the very essence of the doctrine of Antichrist! This false concept has allowed millions upon millions of professing Christians to go through life regularly and habitually disobeying the Ten Commandments- yet still assuming they are "good Christians"!
Jude was inspired to warn us of this very deception. "Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ" (Jude 3-4).
Notice that he warns of false teachers using the idea of "grace" as a vehicle for "lasciviousness"- unbridled lust, excess, licentiousness, lasciviousness, wantonness, outrageousness, shamelessness, insolence- Licence to disobey the very laws of God!
"Oh, my minister would never do that!" you may protest.
Sorry, friends, but chances are that they will verify what I am saying if you approach them with this question- "Does God require true Christians to keep the Ten Commandments". If you ask this question, in these words, most ministers will begin to mummble something about being "saved by grace". Then they may add that the Ten Commandments are a good moral guide, but that "you need not keep them since you are saved by grace." If you press on and try to pin them down to a staightforward answer, they may try to skirt the issue, or point you to the "new" commandment of Jesus. Or perhaps he will come right out and say what virtually all mainstream theology teaches- that the Ten Commandmants were either "nailed to the cross" or that the Apostle Paul somehow "did away" with them! This is the heart of the doctrine of Antichrist!
How so? And why is this such a serious matter? Because it creats a "lawless society"- a society cut off from God and His plan since the Ten Commandments actually portray His character. God's awsome purpose involves putting His "divine nature" into us throught the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:4). It involves our going through a process of spiritual growth and "overcoming" to reflect the very character of God and to prepare us to be fit to rule with Christ in His soon-coming Kingdom. Jesus directly states:"And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father." (Revelation 2:26-27)
The true saints of God are being prepared by Him to replace Satan and his demon fallen angels in ruling over this earth! Satan is now the "god of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4). He is now the "prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience" (Ephesians 2:2).
The Apostle Paul tells us: "Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? (1 Corinthians 6:2-3)
Why have you not heard a lot more about this awsome purpose of the true Christain? Because the 'father of lies' wants you to stumble!
Among Satan's deceits, surely none is as great as his system of "counterfeit churchianity"! Jesus and His Apostles warned that this would happen!. Paul said " Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come [Christ's return], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition... For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming" (2 Thesselonians 2:3- 7,8). Notice that this false religious system is called the 'mystery of iniquity'-LAWLESNESS! Shortly before Christ's return, it will be headed by a figure called the "man of sin" or the "son of perdition". This man will perform lying wonders (v. 9) and the deception will be so strong it threatens to "deceive the very elect"!
Realize Paul said this false Christianity was already at work when he wrote these verses- even as it is today. The proponents of this lawless system speak about love and about the Lord- but they leave out Christ's powerful instructions to keep the commandments of God! When a young man asked Jesus how to inherit eternal life He answered "if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments." (Matthew 19:17)
Who claims the authority to "do away" with this clear teaching of Jesus Christ? Does your minister? Does your church?
Again Paul warned the Christians of his day "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. (2 Corinthians 11:4)! Unwittingly, to be sure, most of us have grown up hearing about "another Jesus", and "another spirit". and most definitly "another gospel" than the one Jesus and His Apostles preached!
If you are willing to face reality, if you want to fulfill the very purpose for which you were nborn, you need to understand what this doctrine is and avoid it at all cost! Heed the warning in Revelation 18 "Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues."
Jesus Himself warned us "Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many." (Matthew 24:4-5). Note that it is the MANY that will be deceived! How? Because "many" false teachers come "in Jesus name". Get that?! They use Jesus name to deceive people! They come as "Christian" preachers and teachers- yet their message is contrary to what Jesus Himself preached! "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works." (2 Corinthians 11:14-15)
Because "Christian" is stamped on the outside of the package, most unthinkingly assume that Christ approves of what is on the inside of the package! But these deceived people fail to really study their Bibles. They fail to "prove all things" as God commanded, so they are easily deceived by a false "Christianity" based on the doctrine of "Antichrist". They buy into the lie- "because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thesselonians 2:10-12)
Wake up to the Truth!
Billions of human beings have been deceived from understanding God's Truth. Underlying this deception is the "spirit of Antichrist"- the wrong approaches and false doctrines perpetrated by 'religious leaders' throughout history!
"How so?" you ask.
Because there is a very real Satan the Devil! Jesus twice called him the 'prince of this world' (John 12:31; 14:30). Satan is the great deceiver. The father of lies! The Apostle John made it clear that Satan deceives the vast majority of mankind: "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." (Revelation 12:9)
"But I am not deceived!" you might say. Do not be to sure!
Do you understand the major deception that Satan has palmed off on mainstream Christianity? Are you awake to the worldwide religious deception carried out in the name of 'Christianity'? This deception is so thourough that thousands of professing Christian ministers and priests are themselves deceived and do not even realize that they are perpetuating a lie! Jesus described the religious leaders of His day, the same holds true in our age: "Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch." (Matthew 15:14)
This mass deception is so widespread and so believable because many of it's tenents "look good" on the surface. Most of it's practitioners will say that we must believe in Christ. They say that Christians should exhibit love, kindness, mercy and patience, and that Christians should "do good" to their fellow man- give support to hospitals, charities, the homeless, to orphans and widows. They say that Christians should respond to Jesus's "law of love".
All of this sounds biblical. It all sounds very good!
But these practitioners do not tell you that the laws of God are to be obeyed. They talk emotionally about Christ being 'Lord' of their lives, but they inevitably fail to explain that if Jesus is 'Lord', we must obey Him! They will never tell you that Jesus directly and consistantly taught obedience to all of the Ten Commandmants!
Because of this Satan-inspired deception, many of the bloodiest wars in modern history have been waged by and between professing "Christian" nations! Does this make you a little uncomfortable? It should! More importantly I hope it makes you think! Many of us have grown up in some mainstream church and taken our religious beliefs for granted- assuming that what we hear is true. This is how many have unwittingly come to believe a false gospel, a wrong way of life and another Jesus Christ!
One of the Greek words for "sin" in the New Testement literally means to "miss the mark". Satan is content to let you 'believe in' God and Christ as long as he can still control you, making you "miss the mark". His goal is to keep you out of the Kingdom of Heaven by blinding you to what is really happening! God inspired James to write- "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble." (James 2:19). James then explains how the true Christian must not mearly believe in God, but must surrender to God's will and do what He says (v 20-23). He writes "Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. " (v.24)
"Justified by works?" YES- along with faith! Read it for yourself in your own Bible! It should be clear that true Christianity involves more than just accepting, in faith, Christ's death- which is a free gift from God- as full payment for our sins. When we accept Christ's sacrafice, when we are baptized, we must also make a literal "covenant with our Creator" to quit sinning in the future- to truly surrender to let Christ live His obedient life in us throught the Holy Spirit! God's inspired Word tells us "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law." (1 John 3:4). So we must repent of sin, repent of breaking God's spiritual Law, the Ten Commandmants. This involves a life of humble obedience- the "works" of keeping God's laws and commandments.
I want to be clear that no one can ever earn salvation- it is God's gift! The true grace of God leads to the gift of salvation (Ephesians 2:8-10; Romans 6:23). Those willing to obey God (Acts 5:29, 32) and who are under true grace will be God's "workmanship, created in Jesus Christ for good works" (Ephesians 2:10). God's grace does not eliminate the need for obediance and keeping God's commandments. The Apostle Paul warned that one could receive the grace of God in vain (2 Corinthians 6:1). And while the Apostle Peter exhorted Christians to "gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:13), he continues with the expectation that we do so "as obedient children" (v 14).
But when men led by Satan, cleverly misuse"grace"- teaching a "cheap grace" without real repentance from sin- it is the very essence of the doctrine of Antichrist! This false concept has allowed millions upon millions of professing Christians to go through life regularly and habitually disobeying the Ten Commandments- yet still assuming they are "good Christians"!
Jude was inspired to warn us of this very deception. "Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ" (Jude 3-4).
Notice that he warns of false teachers using the idea of "grace" as a vehicle for "lasciviousness"- unbridled lust, excess, licentiousness, lasciviousness, wantonness, outrageousness, shamelessness, insolence- Licence to disobey the very laws of God!
"Oh, my minister would never do that!" you may protest.
Sorry, friends, but chances are that they will verify what I am saying if you approach them with this question- "Does God require true Christians to keep the Ten Commandments". If you ask this question, in these words, most ministers will begin to mummble something about being "saved by grace". Then they may add that the Ten Commandments are a good moral guide, but that "you need not keep them since you are saved by grace." If you press on and try to pin them down to a staightforward answer, they may try to skirt the issue, or point you to the "new" commandment of Jesus. Or perhaps he will come right out and say what virtually all mainstream theology teaches- that the Ten Commandmants were either "nailed to the cross" or that the Apostle Paul somehow "did away" with them! This is the heart of the doctrine of Antichrist!
How so? And why is this such a serious matter? Because it creats a "lawless society"- a society cut off from God and His plan since the Ten Commandments actually portray His character. God's awsome purpose involves putting His "divine nature" into us throught the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:4). It involves our going through a process of spiritual growth and "overcoming" to reflect the very character of God and to prepare us to be fit to rule with Christ in His soon-coming Kingdom. Jesus directly states:"And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father." (Revelation 2:26-27)
The true saints of God are being prepared by Him to replace Satan and his demon fallen angels in ruling over this earth! Satan is now the "god of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4). He is now the "prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience" (Ephesians 2:2).
The Apostle Paul tells us: "Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? (1 Corinthians 6:2-3)
Why have you not heard a lot more about this awsome purpose of the true Christain? Because the 'father of lies' wants you to stumble!
Among Satan's deceits, surely none is as great as his system of "counterfeit churchianity"! Jesus and His Apostles warned that this would happen!. Paul said " Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come [Christ's return], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition... For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming" (2 Thesselonians 2:3- 7,8). Notice that this false religious system is called the 'mystery of iniquity'-LAWLESNESS! Shortly before Christ's return, it will be headed by a figure called the "man of sin" or the "son of perdition". This man will perform lying wonders (v. 9) and the deception will be so strong it threatens to "deceive the very elect"!
Realize Paul said this false Christianity was already at work when he wrote these verses- even as it is today. The proponents of this lawless system speak about love and about the Lord- but they leave out Christ's powerful instructions to keep the commandments of God! When a young man asked Jesus how to inherit eternal life He answered "if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments." (Matthew 19:17)
Who claims the authority to "do away" with this clear teaching of Jesus Christ? Does your minister? Does your church?
Again Paul warned the Christians of his day "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. (2 Corinthians 11:4)! Unwittingly, to be sure, most of us have grown up hearing about "another Jesus", and "another spirit". and most definitly "another gospel" than the one Jesus and His Apostles preached!
If you are willing to face reality, if you want to fulfill the very purpose for which you were nborn, you need to understand what this doctrine is and avoid it at all cost! Heed the warning in Revelation 18 "Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues."
Jesus Himself warned us "Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many." (Matthew 24:4-5). Note that it is the MANY that will be deceived! How? Because "many" false teachers come "in Jesus name". Get that?! They use Jesus name to deceive people! They come as "Christian" preachers and teachers- yet their message is contrary to what Jesus Himself preached! "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works." (2 Corinthians 11:14-15)
Because "Christian" is stamped on the outside of the package, most unthinkingly assume that Christ approves of what is on the inside of the package! But these deceived people fail to really study their Bibles. They fail to "prove all things" as God commanded, so they are easily deceived by a false "Christianity" based on the doctrine of "Antichrist". They buy into the lie- "because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thesselonians 2:10-12)
Wake up to the Truth!