Almost on a daily basis, I listen to people from all walks of life who belong to one of the more than 41,000 Christian denominations who speak of the Most High God in a negative light, believing themselves to be speaking positively of Him. I do not think that they are conscious of the fact that they are doing it.
They all speak with conviction and most are sincere, but there are two common threads that run through them all: They (1) issue ultimatums. That is, if one does not do this or that or believe this or that – almost always their view of Scripture – then one will either die, be destroyed or will perish. They (2) seek blind acceptance to their viewpoints without question, challenge or investigation.
Some of them will cite God’s past dealings with the peoples of the world as an indication of what he will do to them today.
There are several problems with that view: (1) Jesus had not been sent into the world in those past days. Jesus’ coming and teachings changed everything. The words “Love your enemies” was not something taught back then. Love and forgiveness to those who wrong you were not taught among the people back then. (2) When Jesus asked forgiveness for those who persecuted him, beat him, spat upon him, pierced him and put him to death, where these not the greatest expressions of love one could to an enemy, unbeliever, or evildoer?
So what is this teaching in the world that issues out of the various Christian religious groups that speak of eternal punishment or bad foreboding for those who do not accept their view of God and Christ?
Notice I said their view. Herein lies the real danger. As stated earlier, there are over 33,000 Christian denominations in the world. All of them – even though they have contending teachings – claim that they are right and that God and Christ are with them.
They teach a God who is vengeful. Yet, they seem to forget that the one this God sent, did not describe his Father in heaven in this way.
I would venture to say that if I engaged in the persecution of a people – of any nation – that Jesus would say concerning me as he did his persecutors and executioners at Luke 23:34
Forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.
This is unlike the voices heard issuing out of the various denominations and religious groups. These voices issue warning that if one does not do this or that, one will die.
These are voices of strangers that do not reflect the words Jesus taught.
These religious groups stand up their own god(s). They gave them names such as Jehovah or Jesus. They clothe these gods with hate and vengeance for mankind. Yet God at John 3:16 that loved the world of mankind so much that he sent His only begotten Son to save it from perishing.
The gods that the Christian religious groups have stood up are impostors. They are false Gods who only bear the name of the Most High God. Inside of them is evil.
Back in the days of the Prophets of old, those men spoke as God directed them to speak. They spoke to a particular people, nation, king, or circumstance. Yet, many today still allow what those Prophets spoke long ago take preference over what The Son of God has spoken and taught.
When this occurs, then those who claim they are Jesus’ disciples are disobeying what the Most High God said we are to do with regard to His Son. It is stated at Luke 9:35:
A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.
If we find ourselves listening primarily to the prophets of old rather than to the living one, then we take a rebellious stand against The Most High God and the one He said we are to listen to. Let me give you an example that shows the danger of listening to anyone other than the one The Most High God directed us to.
The Nation Israel Is God Chosen People?
This is a teaching not found anything Jesus or his Apostles taught. I challenge anyone to show where Jesus or his Apostles spoke of this. This is an assumption many make because of what was written long ago concerning Abraham’s seed. It was the seed of Abraham – the Jews – who rejected the Messiah, persecuted and turned the “root of Jesse” over to the Roman authority for execution.
It makes absolutely no sense for a nation of people who rejected Jesus, to be God’s chosen. It is obvious that the entire nation of Israel did not reject The Son of God because his first twelve disciples were Jews, and later, other Jews became disciples. So, it was people of that nation – the nation in which Jesus was born into – that rejected Jesus. A relatively few of the people of that nation did not reject him but became his disciples.
The assumption that God somehow blesses the fleshly nation of Israel is false as well. This is something neither Jesus or his Apostles taught.
What has not been understood is that born into the literal nation of Israel is not what qualifies one as a Jew. Notice what the Apostle Paul (a Jew himself) said:
For he is not a Jew who is one on the outside, nor is circumcision that which is on the outside upon the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one on the inside, and circumcision is that of the heart by spirit, and not by a written code. The praise of that one comes, not from men, but from God. (Romans 2:28-29)
This misleading teaching that the nation of Israel is God’s chosen and blessed people is blasphemous as the Apostle Peter – an Apostle chosen by Christ – teaches that God is not partial to any nation.
At this Peter opened his mouth and said: “For a certainty I perceive that God is not partial, but in every nation the man that fears him and works righteousness is acceptable to him.
If fact, the Apostle John – a Jew – quotes Jesus (through an angel) in The Book of Revelation 2:9:
I know your tribulation and poverty—but you are rich—and the blasphemy by those who say they themselves are Jews, and yet they are not but are a synagogue of Satan.
Did you see that? Those who say they are Jews but are not but are a synagogue of Satan. Who are in Synagogues?
God accepts persons out of all of the nations of mankind. If Jewish persons come to God through Christ just as Jesus first twelve were Jews, God accepts them. If an African, Greek, French, Arab, etc persons come to God through Christ, they are accepted.
All of the talk today about Jews being God’s chosen people is not Jesus-taught. And, we cannot allow what occurred long ago overshadow what Jesus taught.
Jesus is our head and teacher and we must not allow what the Prophets of old spoke to another people lead us away from what he has taught.
If A Lie Is Perpetrated, What Makes One Think That the Perpetrator Of The Lie Will Cease Telling Them?
That the error in a belief that the nation of Israel is God chosen people have been perpetrated in the world, what makes one think that additional error will not be perpetrated from the very sources that started it?
Falsehood does not come from God. He cannot lie. There is no error with Him. Therefore, any teaching or belief system that teaches anything different than from what His Truth (Jesus Christ) has stated, that teaching is not from God.
One of the most disturbing things to me is that when one insists on obeying God and listening to His Son (Luke 9:35), those who are perpetrating the different teachings become agitated at you because you chose to listen to God through His Christ rather than listen to them or listen to God through the Prophets of old.
It is not written anywhere where The Most High God says that the Prophets are “the Truth.” It is not written anywhere The Most High God states that the Prophets of old are The Way, The Truth and The Life. Nowhere is it written that the Prophets of old are The Word of God.
Yet, many in the world today have allowed themselves to be seduced by listening to sources other than Jesus [the] Christ.
If they could hear themselves, they do not speak lovingly, but angrily of mankind; a mankind that Jesus has already forgiven and affords a promised resurrection. (John 5:28-29)
Only love would prompt the Son of God to forgive and give up his own life so that we might live.
Why do so many today who claim to follow him not view the world of mankind in this manner?
It is because the hater of mankind hides in their religion and teaches them thus.
An Entire World Controlled and Misled By Satan
The Apostle John at 1 John 5:19 says:
We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.
It is an entire world of mankind that is under the control of the evil one. The Apostle separated himself and to those in which he was writing to as being Children of God. That is, chosen and taught by God’s Son who gave them this teaching.
The assumption today is that because one says they believe in God and Christ or are members of some Christian religious organization that qualifies them as “taught ones” or the offspring of the teaching Jesus brought them. No!
Jesus at Matthew 7:21-23 said many would confidently claim to be his followers but that he would not recognize them as such.
The greatest deceiver of mankind stands up today and Jesus describes it this way at Matthew 24:4-5:
Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.
Jesus said many will come in his name making the acknowledgment that Jesus is indeed the Messiah but would deceive many.
This Scripture is often misunderstood to mean that individual persons would stand up claiming that they themselves are the Messiah and mislead many. That is not what Jesus is saying.
Jesus is saying here that something will be established upon the earth that will be built upon the basis that Jesus is the Christ. It will teach false doctrines and spread false teachings throughout the earth, claiming that these teachings are from Christ.
The only entity that stands today that claims that Jesus is the Christ is the system of religion men gave the name Christianity too. This is the great deceiver Jesus said would come. Is Christianity many? Yes, it is. As stated earlier, it has more than 33,000 denominations around the world and its influence is strong in the earth.
It is this impostor that tells the world that Israel is God’s chosen people. It is this impostor that tells the world that God is a trinity and that there is a hellfire. It is this counterfeit that has a most murderous history within the human family. Yet, people still believe it to be of God and Christ.
If I were to ask them, “Do you really believe that God would establish such a thing as this?” Their answer would be yes. This answer shows the extent of the deception Jesus said this impostor would have over mankind.
What To Do?
The answer is simple and it is stated by Jesus at John 8:31-32:
To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
Go to a person, not a religious organization or group. The calling is to a discipleship (to be taught by) Jesus himself: A Person.
Only then can truth be known and then a liberation from that which once held you captive.
All too often do I hear individuals use expressions such as “My Church” or “My Group” as if they are the leader. These persons reveal that they do not seek to follow, but to lead. The formation of individual groups is OK as long as that group has no human leader over it but recognize Jesus as their leader and teacher of each in the group. None higher and none lower than the other.
Everything I write in my blog is for the purpose of directing persons to God through the only way possible, His Son. Everything I write in this blog is for the purpose of directing persons to discipleship to the person of Jesus Christ and not to any human or human agency (Religious Organization) no matter what lofty claims they make for themselves.
If you do this, who will find yourself very alone in the world. You will find yourself in a wilderness, for there is where our Lord and Master is. You will find yourself no part of the world.
This I know, the world has magnetism. It pulls and force upon all in it is strong. It will take more than what is humanly possible to resist and free oneself from its influence. It’s attracting influence comes by way of an entity that comes with the truthful acknowledgment that Jesus is the Christ. Beware, it is an impostor and deceiver.
