Boy, did these scriptures speak to me today!
I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; And you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. - Revelation 2:2-5
Christ in Revelation talks to the churches and here, while He commends the church at Ephesus for their works against the evil and deceits (which sounds so very familiar to me), He admonishes it for forgetting its first love. And that is HIM! And His salvation! And remembering where we would be without Him! Just as easily lost in the deception, and lost in an eternal death! "There, but for the grace of God, go I." Very literally, except for God's gracious gift of salvation and redemption through the blood of Jesus Christ, there I would be! There we would all be! And Jesus wants us to remember that!
The works against evil are important and commendable, but let us not forget WHY we work against evil! It's really all about salvation in Christ! That's the most important thing! That is the only thing! A world lost in sin is lost to Christ and to eternal life. A world lost in sin sins against God! A country based on wicked laws oppress the people and cause them to sin against God!
Think about the laws that allow the murder of unborn babies for the convenience of the mother, or laws that elevate homosexual relationships to God-ordained marriage, or those that remove God from the public square. While some people may have no regard for their Almighty Creator God and wish to purposely blaspheme Him, many people may get lost in a sinful lifestyle being told all the while, they are perfectly right in doing what they do. Why, there are liberal churches that seek to change the word of God! While people are perfectly able to sin on their own because of their own selfish lusts, you can bet that Satan is at the forefront of any laws or ways of thinking that will keep people from the saving grace of Christ! And THAT is the reason we fight against immoral laws!
That is the main reason. A very important one, indeed! It is the great commission of Jesus Christ to bring people to the truth of His salvation. But we must remember (I must remember!) our first love! We can get lost in our work and the work (even the most unselfish work) can become our focus rather than our Savior. Very specifically, from the scriptures above, we can become focused on the work of exposing evil and the lies, and forget our first love. Let us remember why we do what we do and let us remember our first love, our Lord Jesus Christ.
O Lord, bring us back to our first love! Let us remember where we came from and where we would be without you! Let us repent and return to the first and foremost works of love and sharing Your gospel. Let us walk in love with You, in prayer and communion in Your Word. Amen.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Friday, February 11, 2011
We Are Led by Children and Silly Women!
Once again, I am struck by the thought that you can no longer trust the news to be true news. The people are lulled into a false sense of security and encouraged to feel "I'm okay, you're okay", so anything goes. A huge part of it is the misleading media and deceptive leaders, but the people themselves are to blame. Wisdom comes only from God, and godless people basically have no wisdom. They can be led as lambs to the slaughter, which is exactly what is happening in the world today.
The big news of late is about the "democratic revolution" in Egypt. It's quite interesting that Obama praised and encouraged this movement in Egypt, but it's an entirely different story in his own country where the Tea-partiers are rising up against his overreach of power. He praises the young people. Murbarak spoke of the youth uprising. I couldn't help but think about the scripture in Isaiah 3:12:
As for My people, children are their oppressors, And women rule over them. O My people! Those who lead you cause you to err, And destroy the way of your paths.
There is a reason Obama speaks to the youth! They are gullible! As are silly women, unfortunately:
For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with diverse lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. - 2 Timothy 3:6-7
We are seeing a time when youth and silly women (Oprah, the women of "The View", women "news" anchors, many women politicians) are leading this country and changing policy. Oh, they are ever-learning and sometimes can even sound intelligent, and silly godless people eat up what they tell them!
What we are actually seeing in Egypt is a victory for the Muslim Brotherhood, you know, that "peaceful" and "secular" group we are told they are. And what we are seeing in our country is an infiltration of socialism and communism, but somehow silly people have been led to believe these are good things!
We are oppressed by children and silly women and godless people don't even realize it! We are slowly losing our freedoms in our country while the world is taken over by Islam, the "religion of peace". Please see this eye-opening site for just how peaceful Islam is:
Islam: The Religion of Peace
The only way we will know the truth is to get back to God, make Jesus Christ the true Lord of our lives, and study His Word. Only there will we find wisdom and truth!
The big news of late is about the "democratic revolution" in Egypt. It's quite interesting that Obama praised and encouraged this movement in Egypt, but it's an entirely different story in his own country where the Tea-partiers are rising up against his overreach of power. He praises the young people. Murbarak spoke of the youth uprising. I couldn't help but think about the scripture in Isaiah 3:12:
As for My people, children are their oppressors, And women rule over them. O My people! Those who lead you cause you to err, And destroy the way of your paths.
There is a reason Obama speaks to the youth! They are gullible! As are silly women, unfortunately:
For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with diverse lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. - 2 Timothy 3:6-7
We are seeing a time when youth and silly women (Oprah, the women of "The View", women "news" anchors, many women politicians) are leading this country and changing policy. Oh, they are ever-learning and sometimes can even sound intelligent, and silly godless people eat up what they tell them!
What we are actually seeing in Egypt is a victory for the Muslim Brotherhood, you know, that "peaceful" and "secular" group we are told they are. And what we are seeing in our country is an infiltration of socialism and communism, but somehow silly people have been led to believe these are good things!
We are oppressed by children and silly women and godless people don't even realize it! We are slowly losing our freedoms in our country while the world is taken over by Islam, the "religion of peace". Please see this eye-opening site for just how peaceful Islam is:
Islam: The Religion of Peace
The only way we will know the truth is to get back to God, make Jesus Christ the true Lord of our lives, and study His Word. Only there will we find wisdom and truth!
Monday, January 10, 2011
Which Version of the Truth Will You Use?
Recently it was quite comical to see the liberal left in such a turmoil over the Republicans actually wanting to READ THE CONSTITUTION at the start of the congressional session! What a stunt! What a gimmick! The idea that they might actually read the document they were swearing to uphold, was preposterous to the liberals!! After all, they have been trying to render that pesky document "over 100 years old" (so wisely noted by a "brilliant" scholar on the left) irrelevant for a long time. What version will they use, they wanted to know? That was quite telling. There is only ONE constitution. It was deliberately and ingeniously framed by its authors to be able to be amended with a two-thirds majority of Congress. So the one and only constitution is the original one with all its amendments included. Liberals believe it is a living and breathing document that changes with the times. With a two-thirds majority, it can change, but otherwise it is a constant. When they don't have the votes to support the changes they want, liberals then declare it dead, "over 100 years old", and irrelevant. So it's either "living and breathing" or "dead", depending on what they need it to be at the time. Like "global warming" that had to be changed to "climate change" because of some pesky details which indicate we are not warming!! :-)
The episode made me consider again about how there is no truth in media anymore. There is no news anymore. You must investigate every bit of "news" yourself because of such a terrible media bias that will have you drowning in the liberal kool-aid, if you don't. For instance, if you were listening to only the mainstream media shortly after the Tuscon tragedy, you would have believed that the killer was a Tea Party nut job spurred on by Sarah Palin to kill certain targets in Congress! The rush to accuse and make this political, really diminished a very sad and tragic incident in American history. But that discussion is for another day.
My focus here is on "the truth". The one and only constant through all the "living and breathing" chaos of a biased world is God's Word. Recently I was made aware of just how much that is also being manipulated and changed. Oh, I've been aware for some time of the New Age movement and feel-good preaching that makes people feel good with no accountability. But last year I came to realize there has been a subtle attempt to change God's Word for some time!
Every year or two (however long it takes me to read through the entire Bible), I would begin again with a different version to get a "fresh perspective" on the Word of God. I am personally fond of chronologically ordered Bibles that help me to know exactly when certain events took place and when certain Psalms were written, etc. Last year, as I was deciding which "version" to read, I decided to start with a study about different versions and translations to decide which were "the best". Boy, were my eyes opened! I would like to share some of that information now.
There is only ONE Word of God. What He spoke and what He inspired by His Holy Spirit to be written is just ONE Word of God! He didn't say things in a variety of different ways, taking into consideration our changing times, and changing some of His thoughts to accommodate a modern world! His Word was His Word! God's Word is important and He spoke specifically about it not being altered.
You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. - Deuteronomy 4:2
For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book; And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. - Revelation 22:18-19
I learned that is exactly what has been done! What a grave responsibility it would be to translate the Word of God and publish it for the world! That is what was undertaken in 1611 with the King James Version of the Bible. Actually, the work was begun in 1604, "that a translation be made of the whole Bible, as consonant as can be to the original Hebrew and Greek; and this to be set out and printed, without any marginal notes, and only to be used in all churches of England in time of divine service." The idea was to have a Bible that the average person could possess and read for himself. There was a long list of rules to be followed to insure that the English translation stayed true to the meaning of the original Greek and Hebrew manuscripts. The most important aspect of the 1611 King James English translation of the Bible is that it followed the Textus Receptus, the original "received text" as it was received from the Holy Spirit to the original writers. It is the text that has been used by Christians for 2000 years. The King James Bible wasn't written in 1611; it was translated from the 1400-year-old original text. The King James Version translators recognized back then that the Textus Receptus was God's preserved Word. The KJV has been tested and re-tested and proven for many, many years. A couple of important things to remember when reading the KJV that could change your interpretation of the scriptures is that sometimes the English writers added words to aid with understanding or to make a complete grammatical sentence, but those words are always in italics. So when you read and study the Bible, you can know not to put undue weight on words in italics. Nothing is better illustrative of this point than in the verses John 18:4-6. I placed the words that would be in italics in a regular King James Bible in brackets below.
Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am [he]. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them. As soon then as he had said unto them, I am [he], they went backward, and fell to the ground. - John 18:4-6
Jesus didn't say "I am he", as the English translators thought he meant, but because they let us know that they had added that word, we have the advantage of knowing that the original Greek said "I am". And that's why they fell over! This was God Himself proclaiming "I AM". The KJV, although its translators used the same word "Lord" for two different original Greek words, they let us know by using all caps in LORD, when it replaced the name Yahweh, which means "I Am Who I Am" or "I AM". Really the only real problem with the KJV would be when we failed to recognize the original Textus Receptus. If you read straight through, not recognizing when words were added or when the name of the Lord was used, you could certainly interpret things a little differently than the original interpretation. And such is the case with most of the newer translations; they don't differentiate between the original words and the added words. In addition, most all of the newer texts don't use the Textus Receptus, but newer Greek translations, Nestle-Aland and United Bible Society, often seen as "NU texts". One common sense argument for accepting KJV over all other versions is that it is not copyrighted and is meant to be freely copied and shared. Most all other versions are copyrighted. To be copyrighted, a new version would have to be an original document by the writers and display a reasonable amount of their original creativity. In other words, it would have to be re-written!
The ASV (American Standard Version) differs from the original Textus Receptus in over 5700 instances! The ASV was revised (and copyrighted) further with the RSV (Revised Standard Version). That version completely eliminates the word "virgin" in the prophecy of Christ's birth in Isaiah 7:14.
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. - Isaiah 7:14 (KJV)
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Imman'u-el. - Isaiah 7:14 (RSV)
There's a big difference in the magnitude of the miracle when a virgin shall conceive vs. a young woman conceiving and bearing a son! In the Good News Bible, the all-important essential theme of "the blood of Christ" is eliminated in many passages and replaced with "death" or "costly sacrifice". It's not just Christ's death on the cross that was essential, it's the blood covering of the perfect sacrifice, and the only one perfect is God Himself! These subtle changes play down the deity of Christ and is the reason so many people now don't recognize Jesus Christ as God.
The NASV (New American Standard Version) is often touted as the best version because all translations are noted in footnotes, but does this not water down the original with all the different possibilities? Not to mention the cases where it favors newer text with a footnote that says "most ancient manuscripts omit this verse". And worst of all, with all these footnotes, the reader gets the idea they are getting a complete picture of all translations, but it is not the case. Some parts of scriptures are left out with no explanation at all, so the reader never questions it.
Probably the worst translation and one of the most widely used versions is the NIV (New International Version). I will detail some of its horrors a little later, but let me finish with this brief list of the various translations. The NKJV (New King James Version) may come closest to the original because it supposedly did use the Textus Receptus, but it, too, is copyrighted, so it had to change substantially enough to be eligible for copyright. I have personally found that in some instances where it seeks to better explain the original intention of the scripture or to use better modern grammar, it changes the meaning more than with which I am comfortable. It is no wonder some people have trouble accepting the Bible as the inerrant word of God when there are different versions saying slightly different things!
But even worse than just saying things "a little differently", the NIV goes further to actually diminish and destroy some key doctrinal points in the Bible. Whether or not it was a conscious effort on the part of the NIV translators, you can bet it was Satan's intention to marginalize the Word of God, and at the very least, the NIV translators were deceived!
Following are some links with eye-opening information and study on the NIV translation:
Research on the New International Version
The NIV Report Condensed
1611 King James Bible . Com
Why I Read the Authorized KJV Bible
NIV Calls Lucifer, "Jesus"
The links above, especially the first one, outline in detail why the NIV is not to be trusted, but I just want to point out some of the subtle, and maybe not so subtle, changes that have great impact on the meaning! First I will list the scripture as stated in the KJV, followed by how it is written in NIV; I indicated the significant changes in red:
Matthew 6:13
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
It amazes me that NIV translators felt justified in removing actual words of Jesus, and in His model for our prayer, no less! Not to mention, they added a word to it!
Matthew 20:16
So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.
"So the last will be first, and the first will be last."
In the above scripture, NIV translators chose to omit a very important doctrinal issue that not ALL will be saved.
Sometimes entire verses are omitted in NIV, such as:
Matthew 23:14
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
In the following example, NIV chose to ADD words again:
Matthew 24:36
But of that day and hour knoweth no [man], no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
The original Greek text did not say that the Son didn't know. The NIV translation diminishes the deity of Jesus Christ.
Consider the following example:
Matthew 27:35
And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.
When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
It is of monumental importance to know that this was prophesied in Old Testament scripture, but NIV translators decided it was not so important.
The NIV often omits the use of the word "Lord" when it is used in reference to Jesus Christ. This is only one of many such examples:
Matthew 28:6
He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.
The following example is even more remarkable than most in that it is completely in error!
Mark 1:2
As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
It is written in Isaiah the prophet: "I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way."
NIV translators added "in Isaiah", when the quote is actually from Malachi 3:1, not Isaiah!
Consider yet many more examples:
Mark 2:17
When Jesus heard [it], he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
What a small omission, but a very important doctrinal issue, that sinners must actually REPENT! That means to CHANGE from their sinful ways!
Mark 3:15
And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:
And to have authority to drive out demons.
NIV translators omitted a very important mission Jesus intended for His disciples.
Mark 6:11
And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.
And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them.
NIV translators removed a direct quote from Jesus which drove home an important point.
Mark 7:2
And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault.
Saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were "unclean," that is, unwashed.
The significance of the scripture above is not that the disciples were simply eating with unwashed hands, but that the scribes and Pharisees found fault with it.
Mark 7:8
For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.
You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.
Words of Jesus Christ have been removed by NIV translators, words that fully illustrated the fault He found with the scribes and Pharisees, that they nit-picked with their petty laws and totally missed the true commands of God.
Mark 10:24
And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!
The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!"
Why would NIV remove the specific reason Jesus said it is hard to enter the kingdom of heaven?
Mark 11:26
But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
The entire verse above, very important words of Jesus, are flippantly discarded by NIV translators!
Mark 15:28
And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors.
Once again, NIV omits an entire verse. No verse should be completely omitted, but this is an especially important one that shows how prophetic Old Testament scripture was fulfilled.
Mark 16:9-20
Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not. After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them. Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with [them], and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.
WOW! ALL of the verses in the paragraph above were omitted by NIV translators! Quoting the work of the author of "The NIV Report", "The NIV indicates that this passage is not part of the Word of God...What they have not told us is that this passage is missing in only two manuscripts - codex sinaiticus and codex vaticanus. Even in those manuscripts there is evidence from the spacing that it was intentionally omitted."
Luke 2:33
And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.
The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him.
Calling Joseph "the child's father" diminishes the miraculous birth of the son of God to a virgin.
Luke 2:43
And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not [of it].
After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it.
Once again, NIV, in its wisdom, chooses to mortalize Jesus with an earthly father.
Luke 4:4
And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone.'"
Extremely important words of Jesus that tell us exactly how we should live are dismissed and omitted by the NIV translators!
Luke 11:2-4
And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
He said to them, "When you pray, say: 'Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.'"
Very important words of Jesus in telling us how to pray, are omitted by NIV. This was a direct answer to a question on how we are to pray. How are we to know how we ought to pray, when NIV omits parts of the answer?
John 6:47
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.
The entire plan of salvation rests on those two little words, but NIV considered them trivial and unimportant!
John 6:69
And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.
We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.
"THAT Christ, the Son of the living God" is a far cry from "the Holy One of God". After all, many unbelievers in Christ as the only way to salvation, believe He is a Holy One of God - a prophet, a teacher, a man of God.
John 8:59
Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.
At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.
The NIV translation diminishes the miraculous departure in that Jesus did not merely hide and sneak out, but He passed right through the midst of them, but was "hidden" from their view.
Acts 8:37
And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
The above scripture is completely omitted in the NIV! It's a story about Philip preaching about Jesus to a eunuch. As they passed some water, the eunuch asked to be baptized. NIV translators chose to leave out the most important prerequisite to being baptized! It's not a matter of just wanting to be baptized and jumping into the water, which is the way the NIV tells the story.
Hebrews 2:7
Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands:
You made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor.
God set man over the works of His hands; He put MAN in charge of everything He made! Not something the new age religion of Mother Earth wants to admit! NIV translators just left that part out.
1 John 4:3
And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that [spirit] of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
But every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
The scripture above tells us how to identify the spirit of antichrist, very important indeed! Yet NIV takes one little part of it out, so that we don't get the entire picture to correctly identify it. It's a most essential part! Why, everyone can acknowledge Jesus. He is an actual historical figure, a teacher, a prophet! But He is most importantly the CHRIST come in the flesh! Now on that, not everyone can agree, and that comes from a spirit of antichrist!
1 John 5:7
For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
For there are three that testify:
The Father, the Word (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit are ONE, another essential doctrinal point that the NIV omits.
Revelation 21:24
And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it.
Only the nations of those who are saved shall walk in the light! That's a rather significant point left off by NIV translators. Once again, it's a point New Age universalists would like to ignore.
There are so many, many more examples of scriptures that were changed in the NIV, which are excellently researched and listed in "The NIV Report". There is a definite pattern that develops in the scriptures that were changed or omitted. There are many that diminish the deity of Christ, skew the true plan of salvation, and falsely elevate "man's wisdom" and traditions. A case could be made that the NIV promotes a New Age false religion!
Imagine, the Bible itself contributing to false beliefs! It's why many people choose not to believe the Bible as the inerrant and inspired Word of God! You can bet that Satan was at the helm of revising the Bible! God is fully able to lead His people to the truth even through a flawed translation. People who truly accept Jesus Christ's blood sacrifice as the one and only way to their salvation, will see the one true Christ on the pages of the NIV. But there is a danger that people may latch onto the false, feel-good, tickling to their itching ears, kind of teaching that pleases their flesh, and allows them to live according to the world and its pleasures, and not according to the will of God.
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. - 2 Timothy 4:3-4
I believe we are seeing that today. People who profess to be Christians believe they can live as they please, in sexual immorality, homosexuality, drug abuse, and deceit; or they believe even if it's not right for them, they believe it's alright for others to live that way. They feel in their own fleshly hearts that there can be many paths to God and they are open to all ideas and religions that allow them to feel better about themselves. They feel perfectly fine with pushing aside Biblical morals to vote for immoral laws and ungodly men and women to public office. However, the Word of God is quite clear:
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. - 1 Corinthians 6:9-11
Who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them. - Romans 1:32
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. - John 14:6
A fashionable trend in some churches today, and something that is pleasing to the ears and flesh of many, is that the Old Testament is obsolete and should not be used as an authority in this day and age. All through the New Testament, which is supposedly what we are allowed to use as our guide, are references to the scripture used by Jesus and apostles. The Old Testament was the scripture they used and quoted! Jesus himself said that He did not come to earth to change one tiny bit of the scripture.
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. - Matthew 5:17-18
As a matter of fact, if anything, Jesus made things harder for us to do on our own!
You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.' But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire. You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. - Matthew 5:21-22 & 27-28
The law of the Old Testament was based on actions, but Jesus said if we even felt those things in our hearts, we were deserving of hellfire! How can anyone possibly live up to the law of the New Testament?!
When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?" - Matthew 19:25
No one can be saved by his or her own good deeds. There is only one way and that is through God's free gift to those who will take it, salvation through the blood covering of Jesus Christ!
But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." - Matthew 19:26
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. - John 3:16-17
Only THROUGH HIM, the One and only Way to eternal life, Jesus Christ! Make sure you do not miss the Truth, as told in the original Holy Spirit inspired received text, as recorded in the King James Version of the Holy Bible. For more on why the "Textus Receptus" of the King James Version is the best and only translation of the Bible we should be reading, please see the wonderful research at the following links:
http://www.freehousechurchresources.com/bestbible.php
http://www.1611kingjamesbible.com/
There is only one standard measure for truth and that is the Word of God, but it is important to know that we are adhering to the real non-watered down translation of His Word!
You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. - Deuteronomy 4:2
For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book; And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. - Revelation 22:18-19
The episode made me consider again about how there is no truth in media anymore. There is no news anymore. You must investigate every bit of "news" yourself because of such a terrible media bias that will have you drowning in the liberal kool-aid, if you don't. For instance, if you were listening to only the mainstream media shortly after the Tuscon tragedy, you would have believed that the killer was a Tea Party nut job spurred on by Sarah Palin to kill certain targets in Congress! The rush to accuse and make this political, really diminished a very sad and tragic incident in American history. But that discussion is for another day.
My focus here is on "the truth". The one and only constant through all the "living and breathing" chaos of a biased world is God's Word. Recently I was made aware of just how much that is also being manipulated and changed. Oh, I've been aware for some time of the New Age movement and feel-good preaching that makes people feel good with no accountability. But last year I came to realize there has been a subtle attempt to change God's Word for some time!
Every year or two (however long it takes me to read through the entire Bible), I would begin again with a different version to get a "fresh perspective" on the Word of God. I am personally fond of chronologically ordered Bibles that help me to know exactly when certain events took place and when certain Psalms were written, etc. Last year, as I was deciding which "version" to read, I decided to start with a study about different versions and translations to decide which were "the best". Boy, were my eyes opened! I would like to share some of that information now.
There is only ONE Word of God. What He spoke and what He inspired by His Holy Spirit to be written is just ONE Word of God! He didn't say things in a variety of different ways, taking into consideration our changing times, and changing some of His thoughts to accommodate a modern world! His Word was His Word! God's Word is important and He spoke specifically about it not being altered.
You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. - Deuteronomy 4:2
For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book; And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. - Revelation 22:18-19
I learned that is exactly what has been done! What a grave responsibility it would be to translate the Word of God and publish it for the world! That is what was undertaken in 1611 with the King James Version of the Bible. Actually, the work was begun in 1604, "that a translation be made of the whole Bible, as consonant as can be to the original Hebrew and Greek; and this to be set out and printed, without any marginal notes, and only to be used in all churches of England in time of divine service." The idea was to have a Bible that the average person could possess and read for himself. There was a long list of rules to be followed to insure that the English translation stayed true to the meaning of the original Greek and Hebrew manuscripts. The most important aspect of the 1611 King James English translation of the Bible is that it followed the Textus Receptus, the original "received text" as it was received from the Holy Spirit to the original writers. It is the text that has been used by Christians for 2000 years. The King James Bible wasn't written in 1611; it was translated from the 1400-year-old original text. The King James Version translators recognized back then that the Textus Receptus was God's preserved Word. The KJV has been tested and re-tested and proven for many, many years. A couple of important things to remember when reading the KJV that could change your interpretation of the scriptures is that sometimes the English writers added words to aid with understanding or to make a complete grammatical sentence, but those words are always in italics. So when you read and study the Bible, you can know not to put undue weight on words in italics. Nothing is better illustrative of this point than in the verses John 18:4-6. I placed the words that would be in italics in a regular King James Bible in brackets below.
Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am [he]. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them. As soon then as he had said unto them, I am [he], they went backward, and fell to the ground. - John 18:4-6
Jesus didn't say "I am he", as the English translators thought he meant, but because they let us know that they had added that word, we have the advantage of knowing that the original Greek said "I am". And that's why they fell over! This was God Himself proclaiming "I AM". The KJV, although its translators used the same word "Lord" for two different original Greek words, they let us know by using all caps in LORD, when it replaced the name Yahweh, which means "I Am Who I Am" or "I AM". Really the only real problem with the KJV would be when we failed to recognize the original Textus Receptus. If you read straight through, not recognizing when words were added or when the name of the Lord was used, you could certainly interpret things a little differently than the original interpretation. And such is the case with most of the newer translations; they don't differentiate between the original words and the added words. In addition, most all of the newer texts don't use the Textus Receptus, but newer Greek translations, Nestle-Aland and United Bible Society, often seen as "NU texts". One common sense argument for accepting KJV over all other versions is that it is not copyrighted and is meant to be freely copied and shared. Most all other versions are copyrighted. To be copyrighted, a new version would have to be an original document by the writers and display a reasonable amount of their original creativity. In other words, it would have to be re-written!
The ASV (American Standard Version) differs from the original Textus Receptus in over 5700 instances! The ASV was revised (and copyrighted) further with the RSV (Revised Standard Version). That version completely eliminates the word "virgin" in the prophecy of Christ's birth in Isaiah 7:14.
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. - Isaiah 7:14 (KJV)
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Imman'u-el. - Isaiah 7:14 (RSV)
There's a big difference in the magnitude of the miracle when a virgin shall conceive vs. a young woman conceiving and bearing a son! In the Good News Bible, the all-important essential theme of "the blood of Christ" is eliminated in many passages and replaced with "death" or "costly sacrifice". It's not just Christ's death on the cross that was essential, it's the blood covering of the perfect sacrifice, and the only one perfect is God Himself! These subtle changes play down the deity of Christ and is the reason so many people now don't recognize Jesus Christ as God.
The NASV (New American Standard Version) is often touted as the best version because all translations are noted in footnotes, but does this not water down the original with all the different possibilities? Not to mention the cases where it favors newer text with a footnote that says "most ancient manuscripts omit this verse". And worst of all, with all these footnotes, the reader gets the idea they are getting a complete picture of all translations, but it is not the case. Some parts of scriptures are left out with no explanation at all, so the reader never questions it.
Probably the worst translation and one of the most widely used versions is the NIV (New International Version). I will detail some of its horrors a little later, but let me finish with this brief list of the various translations. The NKJV (New King James Version) may come closest to the original because it supposedly did use the Textus Receptus, but it, too, is copyrighted, so it had to change substantially enough to be eligible for copyright. I have personally found that in some instances where it seeks to better explain the original intention of the scripture or to use better modern grammar, it changes the meaning more than with which I am comfortable. It is no wonder some people have trouble accepting the Bible as the inerrant word of God when there are different versions saying slightly different things!
But even worse than just saying things "a little differently", the NIV goes further to actually diminish and destroy some key doctrinal points in the Bible. Whether or not it was a conscious effort on the part of the NIV translators, you can bet it was Satan's intention to marginalize the Word of God, and at the very least, the NIV translators were deceived!
Following are some links with eye-opening information and study on the NIV translation:
Research on the New International Version
The NIV Report Condensed
1611 King James Bible . Com
Why I Read the Authorized KJV Bible
NIV Calls Lucifer, "Jesus"
The links above, especially the first one, outline in detail why the NIV is not to be trusted, but I just want to point out some of the subtle, and maybe not so subtle, changes that have great impact on the meaning! First I will list the scripture as stated in the KJV, followed by how it is written in NIV; I indicated the significant changes in red:
Matthew 6:13
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
It amazes me that NIV translators felt justified in removing actual words of Jesus, and in His model for our prayer, no less! Not to mention, they added a word to it!
Matthew 20:16
So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.
"So the last will be first, and the first will be last."
In the above scripture, NIV translators chose to omit a very important doctrinal issue that not ALL will be saved.
Sometimes entire verses are omitted in NIV, such as:
Matthew 23:14
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
In the following example, NIV chose to ADD words again:
Matthew 24:36
But of that day and hour knoweth no [man], no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
The original Greek text did not say that the Son didn't know. The NIV translation diminishes the deity of Jesus Christ.
Consider the following example:
Matthew 27:35
And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.
When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
It is of monumental importance to know that this was prophesied in Old Testament scripture, but NIV translators decided it was not so important.
The NIV often omits the use of the word "Lord" when it is used in reference to Jesus Christ. This is only one of many such examples:
Matthew 28:6
He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.
The following example is even more remarkable than most in that it is completely in error!
Mark 1:2
As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
It is written in Isaiah the prophet: "I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way."
NIV translators added "in Isaiah", when the quote is actually from Malachi 3:1, not Isaiah!
Consider yet many more examples:
Mark 2:17
When Jesus heard [it], he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
What a small omission, but a very important doctrinal issue, that sinners must actually REPENT! That means to CHANGE from their sinful ways!
Mark 3:15
And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:
And to have authority to drive out demons.
NIV translators omitted a very important mission Jesus intended for His disciples.
Mark 6:11
And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.
And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them.
NIV translators removed a direct quote from Jesus which drove home an important point.
Mark 7:2
And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault.
Saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were "unclean," that is, unwashed.
The significance of the scripture above is not that the disciples were simply eating with unwashed hands, but that the scribes and Pharisees found fault with it.
Mark 7:8
For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.
You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.
Words of Jesus Christ have been removed by NIV translators, words that fully illustrated the fault He found with the scribes and Pharisees, that they nit-picked with their petty laws and totally missed the true commands of God.
Mark 10:24
And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!
The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!"
Why would NIV remove the specific reason Jesus said it is hard to enter the kingdom of heaven?
Mark 11:26
But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
The entire verse above, very important words of Jesus, are flippantly discarded by NIV translators!
Mark 15:28
And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors.
Once again, NIV omits an entire verse. No verse should be completely omitted, but this is an especially important one that shows how prophetic Old Testament scripture was fulfilled.
Mark 16:9-20
Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not. After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them. Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with [them], and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.
WOW! ALL of the verses in the paragraph above were omitted by NIV translators! Quoting the work of the author of "The NIV Report", "The NIV indicates that this passage is not part of the Word of God...What they have not told us is that this passage is missing in only two manuscripts - codex sinaiticus and codex vaticanus. Even in those manuscripts there is evidence from the spacing that it was intentionally omitted."
Luke 2:33
And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.
The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him.
Calling Joseph "the child's father" diminishes the miraculous birth of the son of God to a virgin.
Luke 2:43
And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not [of it].
After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it.
Once again, NIV, in its wisdom, chooses to mortalize Jesus with an earthly father.
Luke 4:4
And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone.'"
Extremely important words of Jesus that tell us exactly how we should live are dismissed and omitted by the NIV translators!
Luke 11:2-4
And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
He said to them, "When you pray, say: 'Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.'"
Very important words of Jesus in telling us how to pray, are omitted by NIV. This was a direct answer to a question on how we are to pray. How are we to know how we ought to pray, when NIV omits parts of the answer?
John 6:47
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.
The entire plan of salvation rests on those two little words, but NIV considered them trivial and unimportant!
John 6:69
And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.
We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.
"THAT Christ, the Son of the living God" is a far cry from "the Holy One of God". After all, many unbelievers in Christ as the only way to salvation, believe He is a Holy One of God - a prophet, a teacher, a man of God.
John 8:59
Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.
At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.
The NIV translation diminishes the miraculous departure in that Jesus did not merely hide and sneak out, but He passed right through the midst of them, but was "hidden" from their view.
Acts 8:37
And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
The above scripture is completely omitted in the NIV! It's a story about Philip preaching about Jesus to a eunuch. As they passed some water, the eunuch asked to be baptized. NIV translators chose to leave out the most important prerequisite to being baptized! It's not a matter of just wanting to be baptized and jumping into the water, which is the way the NIV tells the story.
Hebrews 2:7
Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands:
You made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor.
God set man over the works of His hands; He put MAN in charge of everything He made! Not something the new age religion of Mother Earth wants to admit! NIV translators just left that part out.
1 John 4:3
And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that [spirit] of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
But every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
The scripture above tells us how to identify the spirit of antichrist, very important indeed! Yet NIV takes one little part of it out, so that we don't get the entire picture to correctly identify it. It's a most essential part! Why, everyone can acknowledge Jesus. He is an actual historical figure, a teacher, a prophet! But He is most importantly the CHRIST come in the flesh! Now on that, not everyone can agree, and that comes from a spirit of antichrist!
1 John 5:7
For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
For there are three that testify:
The Father, the Word (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit are ONE, another essential doctrinal point that the NIV omits.
Revelation 21:24
And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it.
Only the nations of those who are saved shall walk in the light! That's a rather significant point left off by NIV translators. Once again, it's a point New Age universalists would like to ignore.
There are so many, many more examples of scriptures that were changed in the NIV, which are excellently researched and listed in "The NIV Report". There is a definite pattern that develops in the scriptures that were changed or omitted. There are many that diminish the deity of Christ, skew the true plan of salvation, and falsely elevate "man's wisdom" and traditions. A case could be made that the NIV promotes a New Age false religion!
Imagine, the Bible itself contributing to false beliefs! It's why many people choose not to believe the Bible as the inerrant and inspired Word of God! You can bet that Satan was at the helm of revising the Bible! God is fully able to lead His people to the truth even through a flawed translation. People who truly accept Jesus Christ's blood sacrifice as the one and only way to their salvation, will see the one true Christ on the pages of the NIV. But there is a danger that people may latch onto the false, feel-good, tickling to their itching ears, kind of teaching that pleases their flesh, and allows them to live according to the world and its pleasures, and not according to the will of God.
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. - 2 Timothy 4:3-4
I believe we are seeing that today. People who profess to be Christians believe they can live as they please, in sexual immorality, homosexuality, drug abuse, and deceit; or they believe even if it's not right for them, they believe it's alright for others to live that way. They feel in their own fleshly hearts that there can be many paths to God and they are open to all ideas and religions that allow them to feel better about themselves. They feel perfectly fine with pushing aside Biblical morals to vote for immoral laws and ungodly men and women to public office. However, the Word of God is quite clear:
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. - 1 Corinthians 6:9-11
Who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them. - Romans 1:32
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. - John 14:6
A fashionable trend in some churches today, and something that is pleasing to the ears and flesh of many, is that the Old Testament is obsolete and should not be used as an authority in this day and age. All through the New Testament, which is supposedly what we are allowed to use as our guide, are references to the scripture used by Jesus and apostles. The Old Testament was the scripture they used and quoted! Jesus himself said that He did not come to earth to change one tiny bit of the scripture.
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. - Matthew 5:17-18
As a matter of fact, if anything, Jesus made things harder for us to do on our own!
You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.' But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire. You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. - Matthew 5:21-22 & 27-28
The law of the Old Testament was based on actions, but Jesus said if we even felt those things in our hearts, we were deserving of hellfire! How can anyone possibly live up to the law of the New Testament?!
When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?" - Matthew 19:25
No one can be saved by his or her own good deeds. There is only one way and that is through God's free gift to those who will take it, salvation through the blood covering of Jesus Christ!
But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." - Matthew 19:26
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. - John 3:16-17
Only THROUGH HIM, the One and only Way to eternal life, Jesus Christ! Make sure you do not miss the Truth, as told in the original Holy Spirit inspired received text, as recorded in the King James Version of the Holy Bible. For more on why the "Textus Receptus" of the King James Version is the best and only translation of the Bible we should be reading, please see the wonderful research at the following links:
http://www.freehousechurchresources.com/bestbible.php
http://www.1611kingjamesbible.com/
There is only one standard measure for truth and that is the Word of God, but it is important to know that we are adhering to the real non-watered down translation of His Word!
You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. - Deuteronomy 4:2
For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book; And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. - Revelation 22:18-19
Sunday, November 14, 2010
How Can We Really Know the Truth of What Is Going on Today?
In this day when you can no longer trust news media to be actual news, when big money and big agendas can rewrite science and history, how can you really know the truth? There really is a way. There is The Way, and He is the Truth and the Life! Jesus Christ!
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." - John 14:6
When we make Jesus our Lord and Savior, and follow Him, and look to His Word for guidance, we can also know truth! Jesus Christ IS The Word!
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. - John 1:1-4
He is the Word and He is the Truth, and we can only have life through that Word. God really wants us to know the way, to know truth, and to have life! He sent Jesus to us, but He has also given us His Written Word, as well, and He sends us His Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. - John 15:26
However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. - John 16:13
And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever - the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. - John 14:16-17
Note in the last example above, that not everyone can receive the Truth. Those without Jesus as their Lord and Savior cannot have or know Truth.
We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. - 1 John 4:6
We can discern truth from error when we are of God. We can only be truly of God when we accept Jesus's sacrifice for our sins, as that is the ONLY WAY to God. We are sinful creatures, filthy rags, and cannot come before the Almighty God of the universe, except by the Way He made for us, covered by the blood of the perfect sacrifice. There is no other way. There is NO OTHER path to God!
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." - John 14:6
God gives us the Spirit of Truth, and He gives us wisdom through His Word. Wisdom ONLY comes from God!
For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. - Proverbs 2:6
There is no wisdom or understanding or counsel against the LORD. - Proverbs 21:30
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. - Proverbs 9:10
But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—
- 1 Corinthians 1:30
Those without God, meaning also those without Jesus, as that is the only way to God, cannot have wisdom.
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, "He catches the wise in their own craftiness." - 1 Corinthians 3:19
Because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools. - Romans 1:21-22
There is a good reason why we often cannot reason with those without Jesus Christ. It seems they just can't see what seems to us "common sense". It's because God has given us that wisdom, and those without God can't hear it. It used to drive me crazy because I was unable to understand why otherwise intelligent people seem to have no common sense! In a way, it does add comfort to understand why there seems to be such a wide gap between the world views today. On one hand, we have the biblical Christian world view and on the other, the world's view. The latter are led by the god of this world.
They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. - 1 John 4:5-6
I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me. = John 14:30
In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. - 2 Corinthians 4:4
You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. - John 8:44
In which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, - Ephesians 2:2
We either follow the God of the Bible or the god of the world, Satan. One thing that we must always remember is that we cannot follow two gods; it is not possible!
No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. - Matthew 6:24
No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. - Luke 16:13
Many people are unknowingly following Satan because they believe that they can do good and believe in God, but still take into consideration the changing times and culture. They may say that they themselves believe in Jesus and are Christians, but then say that there are many ways to God. They actually think that they can be Christians, but disregard what God's Word said about life, sexual morality, and homosexuality. Jesus said you cannot do it! You are going to be loyal to one or the other, and if you find yourself looking to the world and its customs and culture for your world view, then you are choosing to serve the god of this world, Satan.
Most people following the world's view would get highly offended at the suggestion they were following Satan. But we've read the scriptures showing it is true! God says you can only follow one and there is only one way to Him. Additionally, the god of this world is a liar who is active every day in trying to blind the eyes of the world away from Jesus Christ! Satan may appear as an angel of light, but remember that he is out to destroy.
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. - 1 Peter 5:8
The devil can appear as an angel and he knows scripture quite well. That is one of his best weapons; he can twist scripture out of context and trick people into following him, people who think they are actually doing good and following God. Since the Garden of Eden, Satan has been twisting God's words to deceive us:
Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?" - Genesis 3:1
Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." - Genesis 3:4-5
Note the devil's technique above. It is exactly the same today. First he gets you to question God's word. Is that really what God meant? Then he strokes your ego by telling you things you like to hear. You won't die! You can be as God! Is that not what New Age religion and liberal denominations tell us today? God's laws are constantly questioned or taken out of context. Universalists say all will go to heaven. The religion of Oprah says we are our own gods! Satan's techniques haven't changed a bit, and people still fall for the lies.
Jesus gave us a perfect example of how to fight Satan's deceits:
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: 'He shall give His angels charge over you,' and, 'In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.'" Jesus said to him, "It is written again, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.'" Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me." Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'" Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him. - Matthew 4:1-11
Jesus used the Word of God against the devil. Satan himself tried to use God's Word to trick Jesus, but it was taken out of context, and because Jesus knew God's Word thoroughly, He was able to completely refute Satan.
Think about it! How on earth can people expect to be able to recognize and resist the devil if he knows the word of God better than they do? I don't believe they can. They may think they can, but they are victims of Satan's lies and are "wise in their own eyes". The Bible says those people are fools. The first chapter of Romans details people who become wise in their own eyes, exchange God's truth for what their futile minds think to be true, and the process by which they will destroy themselves and God will turn them over to their debased minds and vile passions. People who do not know God's truth are fools and will fall for a lie that will ultimately destroy them.
We are fools without God's Word, but we are given wisdom in it. We can really know the truth of what is going on in the world today if we truly know the Word of God! That takes more than reading the Bible through one time. It takes a continual daily study of God's Word, and testing everything against scripture.
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. - 1 John 4:1
These (the Bereans) were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. - Acts 17:11
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." - John 14:6
When we make Jesus our Lord and Savior, and follow Him, and look to His Word for guidance, we can also know truth! Jesus Christ IS The Word!
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. - John 1:1-4
He is the Word and He is the Truth, and we can only have life through that Word. God really wants us to know the way, to know truth, and to have life! He sent Jesus to us, but He has also given us His Written Word, as well, and He sends us His Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. - John 15:26
However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. - John 16:13
And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever - the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. - John 14:16-17
Note in the last example above, that not everyone can receive the Truth. Those without Jesus as their Lord and Savior cannot have or know Truth.
We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. - 1 John 4:6
We can discern truth from error when we are of God. We can only be truly of God when we accept Jesus's sacrifice for our sins, as that is the ONLY WAY to God. We are sinful creatures, filthy rags, and cannot come before the Almighty God of the universe, except by the Way He made for us, covered by the blood of the perfect sacrifice. There is no other way. There is NO OTHER path to God!
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." - John 14:6
God gives us the Spirit of Truth, and He gives us wisdom through His Word. Wisdom ONLY comes from God!
For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. - Proverbs 2:6
There is no wisdom or understanding or counsel against the LORD. - Proverbs 21:30
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. - Proverbs 9:10
But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—
- 1 Corinthians 1:30
Those without God, meaning also those without Jesus, as that is the only way to God, cannot have wisdom.
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, "He catches the wise in their own craftiness." - 1 Corinthians 3:19
Because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools. - Romans 1:21-22
There is a good reason why we often cannot reason with those without Jesus Christ. It seems they just can't see what seems to us "common sense". It's because God has given us that wisdom, and those without God can't hear it. It used to drive me crazy because I was unable to understand why otherwise intelligent people seem to have no common sense! In a way, it does add comfort to understand why there seems to be such a wide gap between the world views today. On one hand, we have the biblical Christian world view and on the other, the world's view. The latter are led by the god of this world.
They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. - 1 John 4:5-6
I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me. = John 14:30
In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. - 2 Corinthians 4:4
You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. - John 8:44
In which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, - Ephesians 2:2
We either follow the God of the Bible or the god of the world, Satan. One thing that we must always remember is that we cannot follow two gods; it is not possible!
No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. - Matthew 6:24
No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. - Luke 16:13
Many people are unknowingly following Satan because they believe that they can do good and believe in God, but still take into consideration the changing times and culture. They may say that they themselves believe in Jesus and are Christians, but then say that there are many ways to God. They actually think that they can be Christians, but disregard what God's Word said about life, sexual morality, and homosexuality. Jesus said you cannot do it! You are going to be loyal to one or the other, and if you find yourself looking to the world and its customs and culture for your world view, then you are choosing to serve the god of this world, Satan.
Most people following the world's view would get highly offended at the suggestion they were following Satan. But we've read the scriptures showing it is true! God says you can only follow one and there is only one way to Him. Additionally, the god of this world is a liar who is active every day in trying to blind the eyes of the world away from Jesus Christ! Satan may appear as an angel of light, but remember that he is out to destroy.
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. - 1 Peter 5:8
The devil can appear as an angel and he knows scripture quite well. That is one of his best weapons; he can twist scripture out of context and trick people into following him, people who think they are actually doing good and following God. Since the Garden of Eden, Satan has been twisting God's words to deceive us:
Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?" - Genesis 3:1
Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." - Genesis 3:4-5
Note the devil's technique above. It is exactly the same today. First he gets you to question God's word. Is that really what God meant? Then he strokes your ego by telling you things you like to hear. You won't die! You can be as God! Is that not what New Age religion and liberal denominations tell us today? God's laws are constantly questioned or taken out of context. Universalists say all will go to heaven. The religion of Oprah says we are our own gods! Satan's techniques haven't changed a bit, and people still fall for the lies.
Jesus gave us a perfect example of how to fight Satan's deceits:
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: 'He shall give His angels charge over you,' and, 'In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.'" Jesus said to him, "It is written again, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.'" Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me." Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'" Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him. - Matthew 4:1-11
Jesus used the Word of God against the devil. Satan himself tried to use God's Word to trick Jesus, but it was taken out of context, and because Jesus knew God's Word thoroughly, He was able to completely refute Satan.
Think about it! How on earth can people expect to be able to recognize and resist the devil if he knows the word of God better than they do? I don't believe they can. They may think they can, but they are victims of Satan's lies and are "wise in their own eyes". The Bible says those people are fools. The first chapter of Romans details people who become wise in their own eyes, exchange God's truth for what their futile minds think to be true, and the process by which they will destroy themselves and God will turn them over to their debased minds and vile passions. People who do not know God's truth are fools and will fall for a lie that will ultimately destroy them.
We are fools without God's Word, but we are given wisdom in it. We can really know the truth of what is going on in the world today if we truly know the Word of God! That takes more than reading the Bible through one time. It takes a continual daily study of God's Word, and testing everything against scripture.
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. - 1 John 4:1
These (the Bereans) were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. - Acts 17:11
Saturday, November 13, 2010
What Is the Answer to Every Problem Today?
Isn't it wonderful that there is truly just one answer to every problem? How simple it makes it for us! In a time when life seems so very complicated, it is quite comforting to know that the answer is, always has been, and always will be the same! We need our Lord Jesus Christ! That's it! The god of this world, Satan, has twisted and complicated the issue since the dawn of man, deceiving people away from their one true answer and help, but his actions will never change the truth. God's laws are as absolute and true as gravity, and our beliefs about that will never change it.
My advice for anyone going through anything is simply to READ YOUR BIBLE! That's it! No matter what the problem, I know that God will lead anyone to the truth through His Word. I don't have all the answers, but I know the One Who does! He holds the truth about everything that was; everything that is going on now, and that includes the world, culture, and our own personal relationships; and everything that will be in the future. And His Holy Spirit is alive and well and actively working in the hearts of people on earth right now to do His will. He says that if anyone actively seeks Him with all his or her heart and soul, they will find Him!
But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the LORD your God and obey His voice (for the LORD your God is a merciful God), He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them. - Deuteronomy 4:29-31
When you are in distress, even in the last days, no matter what you have done in the past, when you turn to Him and obey Him, He will be there for you! What a wonderful promise! Often, when we are in distress and at rock-bottom, that is when we finally turn to God in prayer. While an ongoing relationship with God may be the most important relationship we have, I believe it needs to be more than just prayer. That is because we have an active enemy constantly trying to deceive us and lead us away from God's truth. Satan himself can appear as an angel and deceive us!
And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. - 2 Corinthians 11:14
Imagine! If an angel of light were to appear to you and teach you "words of wisdom", you might very willingly be caught up in it all! That is, unless you knew that what the angel was saying was not exactly true. Maybe it sounded good at first, but you knew that it was a lie designed to be enticing, but one that would lead to destruction. There is only one way to really know that, and that is to know the Word of God! That is why my answer to everything is, "Read your Bible."
The real answer for all people is that they need Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and that He is the only way to God because He alone is the perfect sacrifice for our sins. He is the only way that we can come to the almighty God of the universe when we are but filthy rags! But there is a purposeful deception being taught in the world today that all paths lead to God. If all we did was to go to church and pray to the god taught by many churches, we could be worshiping a false god, and be eternally lost. That is why Jesus said there would be people who would call Him Lord, who would believe they had prophesied in His name, who would believe they had cast out demons, and had done wonderful good things, but He would turn them away and they would not enter heaven.
Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' - Matthew 7:21-23
The only people who will enter the kingdom of heaven are those who do the will of God in Heaven, Jesus's Father in Heaven, to be exact! How can we know that will, if there are those who constantly purposely seek to deceive us? We can read God's Word in the Bible! God said He would never forsake us; He would never desert us with no means of knowing what we truly needed in order to have eternal life in Heaven. That is why my advice is always to read your Bible first! The answer to eternal life is found in the Bible. But maybe you don't even know that you need Jesus Christ. Maybe you don't even know enough to care about eternity. Maybe you are more concerned about your daily troubles. The answer is still the same. The Bible holds God's wisdom for living here on earth, and truly living eternally with Him. He will lead you to what you truly need.
Maybe you are a Christian who knows Jesus as Lord, but has lost his or her way because of all the deceptions in the world today. Maybe things seem so difficult today. The answer is the same. Read your Bible! God knows what you need, even when you don't! He is the Creator, the One who knew you before you were born! He knows where you have been and where you will be years from now. He knows your heart when no one else does! He alone can help you! I believe He can and will save people even without their reading of His Word. He can reach His lost sheep by any means, but life could be a lot simpler if they know His will. He has left us a manual for living, so why not use it? If we truly believed that it really did hold the answer to all our problems, I don't think we'd hesitate to use it. Well, it DOES!
My advice for anyone going through anything is simply to READ YOUR BIBLE! That's it! No matter what the problem, I know that God will lead anyone to the truth through His Word. I don't have all the answers, but I know the One Who does! He holds the truth about everything that was; everything that is going on now, and that includes the world, culture, and our own personal relationships; and everything that will be in the future. And His Holy Spirit is alive and well and actively working in the hearts of people on earth right now to do His will. He says that if anyone actively seeks Him with all his or her heart and soul, they will find Him!
But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the LORD your God and obey His voice (for the LORD your God is a merciful God), He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them. - Deuteronomy 4:29-31
When you are in distress, even in the last days, no matter what you have done in the past, when you turn to Him and obey Him, He will be there for you! What a wonderful promise! Often, when we are in distress and at rock-bottom, that is when we finally turn to God in prayer. While an ongoing relationship with God may be the most important relationship we have, I believe it needs to be more than just prayer. That is because we have an active enemy constantly trying to deceive us and lead us away from God's truth. Satan himself can appear as an angel and deceive us!
And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. - 2 Corinthians 11:14
Imagine! If an angel of light were to appear to you and teach you "words of wisdom", you might very willingly be caught up in it all! That is, unless you knew that what the angel was saying was not exactly true. Maybe it sounded good at first, but you knew that it was a lie designed to be enticing, but one that would lead to destruction. There is only one way to really know that, and that is to know the Word of God! That is why my answer to everything is, "Read your Bible."
The real answer for all people is that they need Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and that He is the only way to God because He alone is the perfect sacrifice for our sins. He is the only way that we can come to the almighty God of the universe when we are but filthy rags! But there is a purposeful deception being taught in the world today that all paths lead to God. If all we did was to go to church and pray to the god taught by many churches, we could be worshiping a false god, and be eternally lost. That is why Jesus said there would be people who would call Him Lord, who would believe they had prophesied in His name, who would believe they had cast out demons, and had done wonderful good things, but He would turn them away and they would not enter heaven.
Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' - Matthew 7:21-23
The only people who will enter the kingdom of heaven are those who do the will of God in Heaven, Jesus's Father in Heaven, to be exact! How can we know that will, if there are those who constantly purposely seek to deceive us? We can read God's Word in the Bible! God said He would never forsake us; He would never desert us with no means of knowing what we truly needed in order to have eternal life in Heaven. That is why my advice is always to read your Bible first! The answer to eternal life is found in the Bible. But maybe you don't even know that you need Jesus Christ. Maybe you don't even know enough to care about eternity. Maybe you are more concerned about your daily troubles. The answer is still the same. The Bible holds God's wisdom for living here on earth, and truly living eternally with Him. He will lead you to what you truly need.
Maybe you are a Christian who knows Jesus as Lord, but has lost his or her way because of all the deceptions in the world today. Maybe things seem so difficult today. The answer is the same. Read your Bible! God knows what you need, even when you don't! He is the Creator, the One who knew you before you were born! He knows where you have been and where you will be years from now. He knows your heart when no one else does! He alone can help you! I believe He can and will save people even without their reading of His Word. He can reach His lost sheep by any means, but life could be a lot simpler if they know His will. He has left us a manual for living, so why not use it? If we truly believed that it really did hold the answer to all our problems, I don't think we'd hesitate to use it. Well, it DOES!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)