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WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE?

Lea Sylvester


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If Jesus of Nazareth were to return to the earth today, would He recognize the religion(s) that are using His name? Not at all! Mankind has twisted Jesus Christ's teachings so that the religion bearing His name has practically no relationship to what He and the Apostles actually lived and believed.

Gasp! Did I actually mean what is written above? Yes, and read on...and open God's Word.

Would He be shocked to find the people claiming to be His followers have been waging war against each other almost continually for the last 1,900 years? That His professed followers believe doctrines totally contrary to what He taught, observing different days of worship, different customs and most importantly – having a totally different concept of God and of His purpose than Jesus and the original Apostles did?

Yet, most genuine religious scholars recognize that vast changes have overtaken professing Christianity – rendering it totally different from the Christianity of Jesus and the Apostles. As respected mainline Protestant scholar Jesse Lyman Hurlbut acknowledges:

“For fifty years after St. Paul's life, a curtain hangs over the church, through which we strive vainly to look; and when at last it rises, about 120 A.D. With the writings of the earliest church fathers, we find a church in many aspects very different from that in the days of St. Peter and St. Paul.” 1

If the leaders, during this time which Hurlbut elsewhere called an “age of shadows,” were filled with and led by God's Spirit, then would the Church suddenly be “very different”? The Bible tells us that Christ is “the same yesterday, today and forever.” (Hebrews 13: . Yet the professing Christian church today is not even remotely the same as the one Jesus founded.

Describing the time period after all the original Apostles and their successors had died out, Hurlbut writes:

“The services of worship increased in spendor, but were less spiritual and hearty than those of former times. The forms and ceremonies of paganism gradually crept into the worship. Some of the old heathen feasts became church festivals with chnge of name and of worship. About 405 AD images of saints and martyrs began to appear in the churches, at first as memorials, then in succession revered, adored, and worshiped. The adoration of the virgin Mary was substituted for the worship of Venus and Diana; the Lord's supper became a sacrifice in place of a memorial; and the elder evolved from a preacher into a priest.” 2

Notice Hurlbut's statement that “some of the old heathen feasts became church festivals.” They “became” that way because God Himself had predicted that evil men and false leaders would take over most of the church. Paul told the Ephesians as well as us, “For I know this, that after my departures savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone day and night with tears.” (Acts 20:29-31). Now, was Paul just addressing the Ephesians, or was he also speaking of our time – and the things that have happened prior to the “Reformation” and afterward? Let us keep scripture in context. Paul was speaking to all of these times and these “believers” and the “church.”

When Paul realized the depth of the apostasy that would overtake most of the church, it hit him emotionally. He then “did not cease to warn everyone day and night with tears! Very few people today seem to be concerned enough about this massive apostasy to even begin to shed tears over this awesome and terrible change.

How did this happen? This occurred because men and women back then, just like today, did not zealously prove to themselves where God's Truth was being taught. That is why the living Christ corrected those near the end of the Apostalic Era: “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 2:4-5)

Remember, God is not the author of confusion. What about today? How can we account for the more than 400 different denominations and sects – all calling themselves “Christian”? And all of them having some type of different ideas, traditions, and approaches and yet claiming to follow the same Jesus Christ? Don't mistake this point. In no way is this pointing to the “eumenical movement” that “all paths lead to God,” “God is love,” or “there are many “gods.” There ARE many “gods” to be sure, but there is ONLY ONE God of Abraham, Jacob and Israel. The path is narrow and FEW will find it – said Jesus Christ! So, who is the author of confusion? The god of this world – satan! Could this “confusion” be caused by satan? Yes!

Part of the answer to these questions is the fact that few professing Christians really study their Bibles. So, they do not “prove” virtually anything they believe by carefully researching it in the Bible. Oh, they may enthusiastically study books and articles on health, on self-improvement or on investing and making more money. But somehow it does not occur to them to thoroughly study the most vital subjects of all: Is there a real God? If so, what is His purpose in creating human belings? And how can we fulfill that purpose? Yet, the Bible commands: “Prove all things, hold fast that which is good.” (I Thessalonians 5:21).

Most people have just “accepted” the religion passed down through their families. Most have just “gone along” with the beliefs and with the traditions taught to them as children. Noting the public's lack of attention to their religion, Los Angeles Times religion writer Teresa Watanabe reported:

“According to one religious research firm, two-thirds of Americans don't regularly read the Bible or know the names of the Four Gospels. More than half of Americans surveyed can't name even five of the Ten Commandments. And the majority say they find the Good Book irrelevant....'We still hold the Bible in high regard, but in terms of actually spending the time reading it, studying it and applying it---that is a thing of the past,' said George Barna. The reasons cited range from changes in American culture to the intrinsic difficulty of the text itself.

Now religious organizations are making a major effort to jazz up ancient Scripture's doddering image. Bible publishers are producing a dizzying array of products, with translations and editions pitched to every conceivable niche market, to convince people that the book is neither archane nor irrelevant.” 3

Of course, the real underlying cause of this massive religious apostasy is that this is satan's world and that he has totally deceived the vast majority of humanity. In the comfortable surroundings of western civilization, most Americans, Canadians and others fail to realize that the overwhelming majority of human beings have never believed in any form of “Christianity” - let alone the real Christianity of Christ. The vast majority of humans are --- and always have been --- Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Shintoists, atheists or agnostics.

The Apostle Paul was inspired to write, “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Jesus Christ, who is the image of God, should shine upon them.” (II Corinthians 4:3-4).

Most importantly of all, satan has injected into “mainstream Christianity” a whole series of totally false ideas about the origin and destiny of man, of what God is like, of what God is like, of what God's awesome purpose is, and how we are to achieve that great purpose. Additionally, satan has confused people about prophecy so much that most professing Christians and even most professing Christian ministers simply throw up their hands and almost totally neglect biblical prophecy. Yet, God devoted almost one-third of His entire Word (the Bible) to the “sure word of prophecy.” (II Peter 1:19).

Instead, mankind has made its own religion that is almost completely different from what Jesus Christ preached and practiced. And, they call that religion “Christianity” as if it were connected with Jesus Christ!

As the philosopher and theologian Soren Kirkegaard put it:

“The Christianity of the New Testament simply does not exist...what has to be done is to throw light upon a criminal offense against Christianity prolonged through the centuries, perpetrated by millions (more or less guiltily), whereby they have cunningly, under the guise of perfecting Christianity, sought little by little to cheat God out of Christianity and have succeeded in making Christianity exactly the opposite of what it is in The New Testament.” 4

Those are strong words, but are hardly unique. Professor Rufus M. Jones concurs, noting how Christ's true teachings were quickly detached from the religion bearing His name:

“If by chance, Christ Himself had been taken by His later followers as the model and pattern of a new way, and a serious attempt had been made to set up His life and teaching as the standard and norm for the church. Christianity would have been something vastly different from what it became. Then 'heresy' would have been as it is not now, deviation from His ways, His teachings, His kingdom...What we may properly call 'Galilean Christianity' had a short life, though there have been notable attempts to revive it and make it live again, and here and there spiritual prophets have insisted that anything else other than this simple Galilean religion is 'heresy'; but the main line of historic development has taken a different course and has marked the emphasis very differently.” 5

We should not be surprised that mankind tried to remake Christianity its own way. Mankind has tried for thousands of years to find its own way. Humanism, materialism, socialism, communism, or capitalism-human society has invented so many philosophies in the vain hope of giving meaning to life without God, and creating through human effort a happy and prosperous society on earth.

Some might say, “so what?” But this is no small matter we are talking about. Frankly, we are talking about the way to eternal life on the one hand, or eternal death on the other (Romans 6:23). For if you do not have the Christianity of Christ, you have no Christianity whatsoever!

Jesus warned, “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). It is important to realize that Christ will say to those failing to do the “will” of the Father: “I never knew you.” In plain language, these deceived churchgoers will be told that they were, in fact, never acquainted with the Christ they claim to serve. They were never really converted. They were never “Christian”!

Direct comments to sylvester.lea@gmail.com

Sources Cited:

1.Story of the Christian Church, p. 41

2.Story of the Christian Church, p. 79

3.Los Angeles Times, July 23, 1999

4.Attack Upon Christendom, Kirkegaard, 1956, pp. 32-33

5.The Church's Debt to Heretics, Jones, 1924, pp. 15-16




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Zechariah 12:3,9:
And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people; And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Disclaimer: Rapture Bible Prophecy Forum, ( http://www.rapturebibleprophecyforum.com ) does not necessarily endorse or agree with every opinion expressed in every article posted on this site. We do however, encourage a healthy and friendly debate on the issues of our day. Whether you agree or disagree, we encourage you to post your feedback by using the reply button.

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WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE?

Part II

Lea Sylvester


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


In Part I of “What Do You Believe,” we saw how Christianity has been “transformed” over the ages. Today, it is hard to determine even WHO is a Christian, much less WHAT Christianity is if we just look at what the various churches are practicing and teaching! A friend from India who is a Christian was so very excited to have the opportunity to move to the United States of America, mainly because she had been told that the USA was a “Christian” nation. She was perplexed, however; when she arrived, to see that she couldn't tell the difference between Christians and others. She said, “Christians in the United States look like everyone else, they talk like everyone else, they live like everyone else, they dress like everyone else , they live like everyone else and it should be easy to recognize them...I am very disturbed about this.” I agree.

Jesus said, “But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things which I say? (Luke 6:46). A “lord” or “master” is someone you obey. But most professing Christian ministers and their followers do not follow the clear teachings and examples of Jesus and His Apostles. And, most of them do not even bother to deeply study their Bibles to find what those teachings and examples are!

The key issue today (and vital to our walk with God), then, is our desire and willingness to get back to the true Christian faith, “the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). We must be willing to genuinely put God's Word first above all things and live His teachings, commandments (all of them) and forsake those things which are not of God. A good way to understand this is to understand those in the early church and how they stood up to outside influences to change the very teachings to which they had dedicated their lives; even put their lives in danger in order to obey. It is essential today to understand how the “reformers” of the church took the paganism of “Babylon”, (as established by Constantine), and left the things of God behind. They didn't reform the church to the teachings of Christ. They further moved away from Jesus Christ. Don't take my word for it, study it. Prove all things by the Word of God.

Frankly, the “little flock” (Luke 12:32); the Body of Christ, has always understood the need to pattern itself after the teachings and examples of Jesus Christ. Although very few have seriously attempted to follow this pattern, many scholars and religious historians have understood the concept of the “Jerusalem Church.” This is a vital concept to understand if we are sincerely interested in contending “for the faith once delivered.” Jesus admonishes us in that same chapter of Luke “...ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding that when he cometh and kocketh, they may be open unto him immediately. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching; verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.” (Luke 12:36-3 .

The Apostle Paul was inspired to write to the Thessalonians, “For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus.” (I Thessalonians 2:14). The Book of Acts makes it clear that the earthly “headquarters” of Jesus' Church, for many decades, was the Jerusalem Church. It was here that the Holy Spirit was originally poured out on the true Christians (Acts 2). It was here where Peter, James and John carried on most of their ministry for many years (Acts 4:1, 8:1, 11:1-2). Later, it was to the leadership at Jerusalem that Paul and Barnabas came to settle the major question of circumcision for the Gentiles and related questions. (Acts 15:4-6).

As renowned historian Edward Gibbon wrote: “The first fifteen bishops of Jerusalem were all circumcised Jews; and the congregation over which they presided united the law of Moses with the doctrine of Christ. It was natural that the primitive tradition of a church which was founded only forty days after the death of Christ, and was governed almost as many years under the immediate inspection of his apostle, should be received as the standard of orthodoxy. The distant churches were frequently appealed to the authority of their venerable Parent.” (The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, chap. 15, sec. 1, p. 389).

As indicated above, the only major ministerial conference indicated in the New Testament was held at Jerusalem. Here lived the leading original Apostles. Here was the true “mother” church (not Rome!). And it was to Jerusalem Paul and Barnabas had come even earlier, lest, as Paul had put it, “I might run, or had run, in vain.” (Galatians 2:1-2) After the major Jerusalem conference, Paul and Silas traveled throughout Asia Minor visiting the churches. “And as they went through the cities, they delivered to them the decrees to keep, which were determined by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem.” (Acts 16:4).

Clearly the original Apostles set the “inspired” pattern for true Christianity – not just for that time – but for all time! Contrary to the (heretical) Protestant ideas that the Apostle Paul was later used to “reinvent” Christianity. The real Apostle Paul of the Bible, (God's inspired Word), constantly showed deep respect for the original Apostles and deferred to the leadership Jerusalem in all major matters. And, it was the Apostle Paul who wrote the primarily Gentile church at Corinth, “Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters.” (I Corinthians 7:19). Noted historian Carl von Weisacker wrote in 1895:

“Paul was far from confining his interest to the Gentile Christian Church which he had himself founded. His thoughts were much too lofty to leave Jewish Christianity to itself. He toiled not merely for his own work, but for the Body of Christ-the whole church. He never forgot for a moment the true birthplace of the gospel. And for him the Christians in Jerusalem were always the [saints]...He did not however merely entertain a grand policy of ecclesiastical union, but his first and constant thought was that the primitive Church was the foremost divine institution under the Gospel...In the early Apostles he saw...the Apostles of the Lord. From them the testimony of the Resurrection emanated (I Corinthians 15:1). They were ever the apostles, whom God had placed at the head of His Church, (Christ Himself being the Head), the first of those divinely commissioned men who held the leading office in the Body of Christ.” (I Corinthians 12:2 . (The Apostolic Age of the Christian Church. pp. 12-13).

Later in Paul's ministry, he traveled again to Jerusalem: “And when we had come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present.” (Acts 21:17-1 . Notice that Paul presented himself to James, the Lord's brother, who by now was undoubtedly the chief Apostle at Jerusalem – Peter probably having gone to the “lost sheep” of the house of Israel in northwest Europe and the British Isles.


After rejoicing in the good news Paul brought about God's work among the Gentiles, the Jerusalem leadership told Paul: “You see, brother, how many myriads of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law.” (v. 20). The term “myriad” literally means “tens of thousands.” So as not to confuse or discourage these many Jewish Christians, Paul was asked by the Jerusalem Church to go through an offering ceremony to publicly demonstrate that he was not teaching in any way against God's laws. The Jerusalem leaders exhorted Paul: “Take these men along and be purified with them and pay all the expenses connected with the shaving of their heads. This will let everyone know there is no truth in the reports they have heard about you and that you still regularly observe the Law.” (v. 24, Jerusalem Bible).


If Paul had, in fact, been teaching against God's Law in any way, especially the spiritual law containing the Ten Commandments, he most certainly would not have gone through this ceremony of the law of Moses! That particular ceremony; probably a thanks offering at the conclusion of the Nazarite vow, was not necessary for a New Testament Christian. But it was not “sinful” either! And Paul's deep respect for God's Law, for the original mother church and the pattern of obedience God's Law-all this guided Paul in his decision to go ahead and participate in this ceremony. By guiding Paul in this – and putting this example in the Bible—God is showing all of us that Paul's approach was one of obedience to law, not one who tried to do away with or “reason around” God's spiritual laws as so many Protestant theologians teach.

Nearly all professing Christians understand that in order to be an acceptable sacrifice for mankind's sins, Jesus Christ, had to keep the Law perfectly. But what law did He keep, and what did He expect of His followers? Here is how Christ Himself described His mission:

“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.

For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:17-20).


Many Christians do not grasp the importance of those words. Christ said that not “one jot or one tittle” (the tiniest marks in the Hebrew script) of the law would pass from the law until heaven and earth passed away. Since heaven and earth have not passed away, we must understand that the law remains. And Christ condemned those who would falsely teach men to break even the “least of these commandments.” Rather, He explained that those who do both do and teach the commandments will be called “great” in the kingdom of heaven.!

Did His “fulfilling” of the law somehow change these commandments? Or did they change after Christ's resurrection? No! Heaven and earth did not pass away at His resurrection. And we must understand what He meant when He said he would “fulfill” the law. Once scholar explains His words as follows:

“Did [Jesus] fill or fulfill the [Law]? The common word plerosai means 'to fill.” At [Matthew] 5:17 most translations render it 'to fulfill.' The theological implications often drawn are that [Jesus] fulfilled all the prophecies of the [Old Testament] pertaining to the Jews, so that none remain for them now; and that he kept the [Law] perfectly, so that no one need obey it today. But these conclusions do not follow logically and, in fact, they contradict [Jesus'] immediately preceding statement that he did not come to abolish (or destroy) the [Law]. More fundamental for translation, however, is the question of whether plerosai in this verse is that [Jesus] came to fill the [Law] and the ethical pronouncements of the Prophets full with their complete meaning, so that everyone can know all that obedience entails. For this reason the Jewish New Testament says that [Jesus] came 'not to abolish but to complete.' In fact, this is the subject of the entire Sermon on the Mount; and Matthew 5:17,

understood in this way, is its theme sentence.” (Jewish New Testament, Stern, 1993, pp. xxii-xxiii).

In other words, Jesus came, as Isaiah prophesied (Isaiah 42:21), to “magnify” God's law and to show its fullest

intent and purpose. What Jesus Christ sought to abolish were the abuses of the law and the man-made traditions that perverted the law. His sacrificial death, foreshadowed by the temple sacrifices, made those animal sacrifice and washings irrelevant for Christians. But His life showed that the spiritual law-the Ten Commandments-was and would remain relevant for those seeking to obey Him. One cannot properly understand His teachings without understanding the Old Testament scriptures and the law they contain, as noted by Frederick Holmgren:

“The Old Testament brings gifts to the Christian tradition. One of those gifts is the Torah (the Law)...Jesus embraced the Torah of Moses; he came not to end it but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17) – to carry its teachings forward. Further, to those who came to him seeking eternal life, he held it up as the essential teaching to be observed (Luke 10:25-2 . Despite Jesus' conflict with some interpreters of his day, both Jewish and Christian scholars see him as one who honored and followed the Law. When Jesus proclaims the coming rule of God, He speaks nowhere in detail about the inner character of this rule. He does not need to because that has already been described in the Old Testament...The Old Testament is not an antiquated Scripture; its life-giving teachings are needed by the church.” (Frederick C. Holmgren, “Preaching the Gospel Without Anti-Judaism,” Removing Anti-Judaism from the Pulpit, ed. Howard Clark Kee and Irvin J Borowski, 1996, pp. 72-73).

Indeed, Jesus Christ taught from the Old Testament, and He lived by it, as did His followers. Do you? If you are being taught something different than what God's Word teaches; it causes confusion. God is not the author of confusion. Take a step back, look at what is confusing and then PROVE ALL THINGS BY GOD'S WORD. If we become confused, it can only be from one source and it is NOT from God. It is and can only be from the prince of this world. We must be discerning and prove all things; no matter what our preacher or pastor, says. We are to follow God – not men.





++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Zechariah 12:3,9:
And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people; And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Disclaimer: Rapture Bible Prophecy Forum, ( http://www.rapturebibleprophecyforum.com ) does not necessarily endorse or agree with every opinion expressed in every article posted on this site. We do however, encourage a healthy and friendly debate on the issues of our day. Whether you agree or disagree, we encourage you to post your feedback by using the reply button.

If you are new to this site and would like to post articles, opinions, youtube videos that are appropriate for this site just e mail me at

stevensandiego@ymail.com

I will send you a PASSWORD

Ybic

Steven

Our New Website URL
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Facebook Page Rapture Bible Prophecy Forum: Please Check it out

The state of the church today is actually another sign that we are in the end times. The Word tells us that there will come a time when men will not endure sound doctrine......that there will be false teachers with itchig ears......ever increasing in truth but denying the power thereof....etc.

Some churches today have openly gay priests, preachers who will not preach against homosexuality and other sins, plus a slew of preachers who use the pulpit to extort money from viewers and congregants by tactics of guilt and taking scripture out of context.

Christians need to go back to the original practices of meeting in homes and being families of faith rather than meeting in ornate catehdals where many do not even know the others in attendance and all of the hand shaking and smiling is phony and huge budgets are needed just to keep the a/c going and the lights on and the staff paid with little left over to help those in need.

Jesus is about love, restoration and relationship, not the credentials of some pastor and where he went to school or how many degrees he has, or how many are in attendance at a particular service.

Church has become a business, while the business of Jesus is being ignored.

Luke 18:08
I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

I think we know the answer to that....don't we?