Category: Christianity versus World Religions

People of the Book

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

“The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD” (Jeremiah 23:28 KJV).

If we are to be “People of the Book,” we must first be able to identify “the Book.”

According to The Oxford Dictionary of English, Muslims know Jews and Christians as, “People of the Book.” Muslims understand that the Holy Bible plays an integral role in the lives of Jews (Old Testament only) and Christians (both Testaments). I am not a Jew and thus cannot comment from their standpoint, but I, a Christian, can remark that I depend on the Holy Bible in all matters of faith and practice. No, I do not appeal to scientific consensus, denominational tradition or approval, and humanistic opinions, to form my worldview and conduct my life. My conviction is to compare what I hear and see to the Holy Scriptures, before I believe what I hear and see.

The Holy King James Bible proves itself to be trustworthy and inerrant. Thus, I rely on it. Whenever someone offers me another book and says, “Many scholarly translators used older and better manuscripts to produce this version,” I gladly take it and evaluate it with an open mind. In the last seven years of doing just that with numerous modern versions, I have discovered that Bible scholarship has not waxed better, but worse. Apostasy has not waned, but proliferated exponentially. May the Lord help us if we are so naïve and irrational as to believe that He is using today’s religious leadership to produce better Bibles!

In the context of today’s Scripture, some 600 years before Christ, false prophets had infiltrated Israel. Israel could not distinguish God’s pure Word from counterfeit “bibles,” and vice versa. The Church the Body of Christ finds itself in the same predicament today… confused, weakened, defeated! Even today, people are still “perverting the words of the living God” (Jeremiah 23:36).

As today’s Scripture says, if we have God’s Word, let us speak it faithfully. If we do not know what is God’s Word, may we be silent until we locate it!!

Jesus Christ, Preeminent One

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

“…that in all things he might have the preeminence” (Colossians 1:18c KJV).

Behold, the Person who alone will have preeminence in all things!

A celebrity once questioned why people had to talk about Jesus Christ “so much.” (Perhaps people should be talking about her instead?) Beloved, such people are actually indicating that they have no clue as to why they exist. They are so self-absorbed that they are thoroughly shocked when they learn it is not “all about them.”

Imagine the pride that filled Lucifer’s heart when he saw his own reflection, and the envy that filled his heart when he realized that God was on the throne rather than he! These two emotions—pride and envy—permeate the sinful human soul; hence, the Bible calls lost mankind, “children of the devil” (John 8:44), “[those] of that wicked one” (1 John 3:12), and “children of disobedience” and “children of wrath” (Ephesians 2:2,3). No wonder God has to kill that awful nature before He can let us into heaven!

The mystery of God’s will is to have all of heaven and earth under Jesus Christ’s authority (Ephesians 1:9,10). Colossians 1:16-20 says that Jesus Christ will have preeminence over all things, all the governments of heaven and earth. Throughout eternity future, Jesus Christ will have preeminence in everything, and He will use us to glorify Himself in heaven and redeemed Israel to glorify Himself on earth.

Philippians 2:9-11 says that all creatures in heaven, in earth, and under the earth (lost mankind and all the fallen angels in hellfire), will bow before Jesus Christ one day. Although the lost are permanently severed from Him, they will admit and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of Father God. All of the world’s religious leaders—popes, preachers, seminary professors, imams, gurus, “prophets,” Dalai Lamas, priests—will be forced to bow to Jesus Christ and give Him all the worship He alone deserves.

“Wherefore God hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow… and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11).

That is why we talk about Jesus Christ “so much!” 🙂

Our latest Bible Q&A’s: “Did the Church the Body of Christ Begin in Acts 2?” and (our special 50th Q&A) “When Did the Church the Body of Christ Begin?”

Eye Service

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

“But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, and love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi” (Matthew 23:5-7 KJV).

Jesus Christ rebukes apostate Christendom with these same words even today.

Religion (Christendom) teems with people performing ceremonies, rites, and rituals to gain God’s attention and acceptance. However, Christianity focuses not on what we do for Jesus Christ, but what Jesus Christ did for us at Calvary, and what He will do in and through us if we, by faith, allow Him.

In today’s Scripture, Jesus condemned the religion of His day. Judaism was once the pure religion that JEHOVAH gave to Israel through Moses. In the 1,500 years since Moses, Israel’s religious leaders had polluted that God-given religion. Israel’s clergy were generally divided between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, although the Pharisees dominated (according to verse 2, Jesus is speaking mainly of them in today’s Scripture). Law-keeping was not about honoring JEHOVAH God who gave it, but rather rule-keeping for rules’ sakes. In fact, they added to the 600-plus laws God had given!! They largely preferred man-made rules, “the commandments of men” (Mark 7:1-13; cf. Colossians 2:8). Israel was burdened by and buried in laws (Matthew 23:4; Acts 15:10; cf. Galatians 4:9)!!!

The Apostle Paul admonished Christian servants (employees) not to work with “eyeservice” (Colossians 3:22-25). It was not to be showy, put-on, eye-catching work done diligently just for the sake of praise; it was to be honest, genuine labor from the heart, whether someone was watching or not.

In today’s Scripture, Jesus exposed how the watered-down “Jews’ religion” (Galatians 1:14) enabled Israel’s religious leaders to brag about their “broad phylacteries” (large boxes that held many scraps of “paper” with Old Testament verses on them, worn on the forehead or wrist). They loved to wear special clothing (long robes with large fringes; Luke 20:46), to be seen and praised of men because of their “long prayer” (Matthew 23:14), to be commended for their “pious” appearance and dedication.

Beloved, avoid those who make such “a fair shew in the flesh” (Galatians 6:12)!

A Saviour Who Will Save

Thursday, January 2, 2014

“…Jesus Christ of Nazareth… Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:10,12 KJV).

Today’s Scripture tells us who alone can save man from the everlasting hellfire he deserves!

A frequent objection made against Christianity is that every religion has “good” members, and to ignore them and limit heaven to a few Christians is unfair. This is a defected notion. How does one arrive at a definite conclusion when there is no one standard to gauge everyone’s “goodness?” They are “good” according to whom, according to what standard? Remember, relative morality actually does not help the sinner—he may be a “better” sinner than another, but he is also a “worse” sinner than yet another, and whether “better” or “worse,” he is still a sinner!

The God of the Bible has a simple method for determining righteousness. Today, He sees two types of people—saints and lost people. While both groups were born in sins (Ephesians 2:1-3), “shapen in iniquity [in the womb]” (Psalm 51:5), and “condemned already” (John 3:18), only the saints have come to realize their lost state. Job asked in Job 9:2, “How should a man be just [righteous, acceptable] with God?” Saints have come to the acknowledgement that they needed God’s righteousness, that they had a massive sin debt that they could never satisfy, that their “righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6), that they could never possibly make themselves right before a holy God (He is the standard; Romans 3:23). The lost people, however, do not realize they are lost, for they believe their religious works “score points” with God and make up for their sinful deeds (2 Corinthians 4:3,4). They ignore the finished crosswork of Jesus Christ as sufficient payment for their sins (1 Corinthians 15:3,4).

Saints have come by faith to Jesus Christ, whose name literally means, “Anointed Saviour” (cf. Psalm 2:2; Matthew 1:21). As the writer of the book of Hebrews said, “[Jesus] is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him” (7:25). Literally, no world religion has such a “Saviour” as Jesus Christ!

Tips to Timid Timothy to Tolerate Troubling Times #2

Monday, December 2, 2013

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7 KJV).

We have often heard the expression “timid Timothy,” but have you ever wondered why he was timid?

Originally, Satan (formerly, “Lucifer,” the “light-bearer”) was “full of wisdom” (Ezekiel 28:12): Lucifer was created as an extremely wise creature, someone to devise ways to glorify His Creator, Jesus Christ. Yet, Lucifer was only interested in glorifying himself, and he corrupted his wisdom (leading to his fall from heaven). Thus, the Bible portrays Satan (“adversary”), the devil (“slanderer; accuser”), as a very sneaky character.

Satan has devised a very ingenious plan to accomplish his own goals in creation—he wants worship that God alone deserves (Matthew 4:8-10; Luke 4:5-8). The devil wants us to focus on anything and everything, as long as we are ignorant of what God desires us to know. In 2 Corinthians 11:3, we read about “the serpent [who] beguiled Eve through his subtilty.” Genesis 3:1, the verse Paul quoted, says, “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made….” Scripture also speaks of Satan’s “cunning craftiness” (Ephesians 4:14), “wiles” (Ephesians 6:11) and “devices” (2 Corinthians 2:11).

This satanic policy of evil has operated on earth for 6,000 years now (ever since Adam chose to follow it; Romans 5:12). We observe it in the world’s governments, religions, educational systems, and so on (Galatians 1:4; 2 Corinthians 4:3,4; Ephesians 6:12). Upon considering the contents of the entire Bible, we can conclude that when a saint of God does not give in to this policy of evil—that is, when Satan attacks the message but the saint refuses to compromise God’s Word—then Satan will attack the messenger (the saint). Imprisonment, torture, and even the death penalty, were some of the awful consequences for the saints of old who unapologetically believed God’s Word (Hebrews 11:32-40).

Concerning today’s Scripture, Timothy has not compromised the message of God’s Word, so, as we will see, Satan has switched to personally attacking Timothy and his Christian brother and closest friend, Paul….

Good Riddance! #3

Thursday, April 11, 2013

“Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you” (1 John 3:13 KJV).

God’s people have never been welcome here in “this present evil world” (Galatians 1:4) because He has never been welcome here. In short, if lost people could utter two words to us Christians after we have been raptured out, it would be, “Good riddance!”

Our sinful world despises absolute standards concerning morals and ethics (it does demand them regarding finances). Christians preaching and teaching sound Bible doctrine are a dam that holds back Satan from having complete control over every person. While the devil has fooled much of the world with all sorts of carnal and religious errors, unfortunately for him, those Christians who are King James Pauline dispensational Bible students are not so easily persuaded. Satan can only rule over ignorant people. Thankfully, we are well aware of what is occurring in this world. Man thinks he is on the rise (in actuality, his thinking is upside-down!).

For nearly 20 centuries, both the professing church (Christendom) and (sadly) the genuine, Holy Spirit-indwelt Church the Body of Christ, have allowed the errors of the world to creep into their assemblies, desensitizing them to ungodliness. This is to be expected when sound Bible doctrine is willfully ignored. What is the hallmark of lukewarm Christianity? The member of the average “Christian” church is just as “godly” as the average heathen of the evil world system, resulting in “Christians” siding with and defending the heathen and his social preferences! The heathen and the phony Christian alike hate the true Christian (today’s Scripture)—he, his God the Lord Jesus Christ, and his Holy Bible, are threats to “progress.”

Indeed, we Christians are viewed as “hindrances to progress.” Young earth Bible creationism, monogamous heterosexual marriages, owning weapons for self-defense, having a job, and driving a fossil-fueling-burning vehicle are respective threats to foolish pagan philosophical evolutionary theory, sexually-perverted lifestyles, pacifism, slothfulness, and “mother earth.” In this world, it seems like every belief is to be “tolerated”—except anything from God’s Holy Bible! As the context of today’s Scripture will demonstrate, this was true in the past, and it will be true in the future….

Replacement Terminology Theology #7

Monday, February 11, 2013

“For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) 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” (1 Corinthians 8:5,6 KJV).

Satan deceptively employs terms that the Bible uses—“God,” “Lord,” “Jesus,” “Christ”—but he does not always apply them to the same individuals the Bible does. What ingenuity!

The modern “bible” versions entirely remove “JEHOVAH” from their texts and insert the less specific “LORD.” They extensively utilize the term “the Christ,” which New Agers apply to someone/something other than God’s Son Jesus. Adding insult to injury, they haphazardly eliminate “Christ,” “Lord,” “Jesus,” and “God” from their texts dozens of times! Little by little, these terms of Deity are being excised from books that claim to be “the Bible.” Consequently, they blur the stark contrasts between the true God and the counterfeits of today’s Scripture. Unfortunately, they do it with such craftiness and inconspicuousness that modern “bible” readers usually never discern the omissions!

While there are many “gods” and “lords” in this pagan world, our King James Bible enables us to avoid worshipping them. It is our lifeline to the true and living God of heaven and earth. As today’s Scripture teaches, faith (trust) in that Holy Bible leads us to conclude, “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.”

The judicious eye can see the spiritual warfare reflected by these studies of “replacement terminology theology.” Satan utilizes Bible terms—especially names of Deity—to actually lead people away from the true God and away from His written Word, the Bible. How clever! No wonder religion has fooled billions in the past and will continue to deceive them indefinitely.

Beloved, our salvation from this widespread spiritual deception is to study and believe our King James Bible rightly divided. Let us not be “tossed to and fro” by “replacement terminology theology.”

Replacement Terminology Theology #6

Sunday, February 10, 2013

“For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) 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” (1 Corinthians 8:5,6 KJV).

Satan deceptively employs terms that the Bible uses—”God,” “Lord,” “Jesus,” “Christ”—but he does not always apply them to the same individuals the Bible does. What ingenuity!

Have you ever called a religious leader “reverend?” What about “father” and “monsignor” (pronounced mon-seen-your)?

The title “reverend” is only found once in the King James Bible, and it applies to the true and living God, not some fallible, sinful man! Psalm 111:9 says: “He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name.”

The term “monsignor” is French for… perhaps you guessed it… “my lord!” Although “lord” itself is not an evil word, using it for a religious leader is blasphemous. No church leader is our “lord.”

Our Lord Jesus Christ forbade His disciples to call religious leaders “father,” for they had one Father—His heavenly Father (Matthew 23:9). Interestingly, in ancient Israel, a Jewish man asked a younger man, an apostate Levitical priest, to be unto him “a father and a priest”—he agreed too (Judges 17:7-13). Would you call a younger man “father?!” It was clearly used in a spiritual sense, not a physical one. Furthermore, “Holy Father” is a title of Father God (John 17:11), so why is this the pope’s title? Even the term “pope” is derived from the Latin papas, meaning… what else?… “father!”

Why is this serious?

The Holy Bible speaks of a future time—the seven-year Tribulation—when religious deception will be at an all-time high (Matthew 24:24). We can see the world preparing for it even today: the confounding of Bible terms and applying them to Satan’s counterfeits (see today’s Scripture). Modern “bibles” and many so-called “Bible-believing” churches and “godly” church leaders are paving the way for the antichrist’s satanic, one-world religion. Beware!

Replacement Terminology Theology #5

Saturday, February 9, 2013

“For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) 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” (1 Corinthians 8:5,6 KJV).

Satan deceptively employs terms that the Bible uses—“God,” “Lord,” “Jesus,” “Christ”—but he does not always apply them to the same individuals the Bible does. What ingenuity!

In 2 Corinthians 11:3,4, the Holy Ghost through Paul expressed concern that the devil uses Bible terms to deceive people: “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 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.”

It is not enough that someone preaches “the gospel,” but that they preach the gospel that the Apostle Paul preached (2 Corinthians 11:4)—the Gospel of the Grace of God (Acts 20:24): Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day for our justification (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). There are other gospels in Scripture (Matthew 9:35; Galatians 2:7; et al.).

It is not enough that someone preaches “the spirit,” but that they preach the spirit that the Apostle Paul preached (2 Corinthians 11:4)—we have not received the spirit of bondage, law (Romans 8:15), but we are rather under grace (Romans 6:14,15).

It is not enough that someone merely preaches “Jesus,” but that they preach the Jesus that the Apostle Paul preached (2 Corinthians 11:4)—we do not know Christ “after the flesh [His earthly ministry]” (2 Corinthians 5:16), but rather after His heavenly ministry through Paul (Ephesians 3:1-11).

God’s Word says, if we are not careful, Satan will even corrupt us using Bible terms. (Today’s Scripture demonstrates how Satan misuses scriptural names of Deity.)

But, there is much, much more deception in “replacement terminology theology….”

Replacement Terminology Theology #4

Friday, February 8, 2013

“For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) 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” (1 Corinthians 8:5,6 KJV).

Satan deceptively employs terms that the Bible uses—“God,” “Lord,” “Jesus,” “Christ”—but he does not always apply them to the same individuals the Bible does. What ingenuity!

For instance, the name “Jesus” certainly sets God’s only begotten Son apart from the world’s religious leaders, for it means “Saviour” (Matthew 1:21). There are many rabbis, philosophers, gurus, imams, popes, and ministers, but there is only one Saviour—Jesus Christ. “Jesus Christ… neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:10,12). But, there are false Jesuses too. Paul spoke of “another Jesus” (2 Corinthians 11:4), one whom Satan would use to corrupt our minds. Even today, we hear about a “Jesus” in religious circles—one who is “too loving” to send anyone to hell, one who dwells in the church “sanctuary,” one who appears in the form of common bread for his followers to consume, one who died for only some rather than all, one who will come to usher us into Israel’s earthly kingdom, one who gives all of Israel’s blessings and promises to us, et cetera.

Another example is Satan’s corruption of the term “Christ,” which is the name and title of Jesus, a unique office that He fulfills in God’s purpose and plan for heaven and earth. The Bible warns of “false Christs” (Matthew 24:23-26). Even today, some religious leaders claim to be “Christ;” some male religious leaders claim to be “the Son of God!” (Blasphemy!)

Using the Bible’s terms, redefining them, and/or completely eliminating them are Satan’s most effectual methods to deceive mankind, especially regarding references to Deity that distinguish the God of the Bible from pagan “gods” and “lords” (today’s Scripture).

But, there is much, much more deception in “replacement terminology theology….”