Truth or Lies?
I hear a lot of people today talking about the truth especially in churches. It seems to me that people are interested in the truth as long as that truth doesn't contradict a cherished belief!
If you try to tell someone that something which they believe to be true is actually wrong then they will call you a liar or crazy or worse!
The problem is that we have all been spoon fed lies since we were old enough to understand words and their meanings!
We as trusting children simply believe what we have been taught by our elders usually without question. And unfortunately once we have been indoctrinated into simple acceptance without question we continue this trend until we die.... at least most people do!
Unfortunately the leaders of this world aka our enemy knows this fact only too well! Our schools are no longer about true education but about indoctrination! It's all about control! I am 67 years old and I remember questioning things that we were taught in school then but the children of today are experiencing indoctrination on a level that far exceeds anything which I experienced as a child! AND even though the kids are being taught tolerance, Christianity (true Christianity) is not accepted under this guise! To make matters worse it seems that every other religion in the world (including witchcraft and Satanism) is perfectly acceptable in school despite the claim that religion doesn't belong in our schools! Have you ever wondered why this is? You should!
Once this form of indoctrination is established in our minds it tends to carry through to all other areas of our life and this includes Church! Even though it shouldn't!
Matthew 24:4
And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
We as Christians are supposed to be seeking out knowledge and Truth! The word knowledge appears over 170 times in the Bible and the word Truth 224! So wouldn't you say that these things are important to God and to us as followers?
Why then do we reject what might contain truth and needed knowledge simply because it doesn't line up with our world view?
James 4:4
Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
Most Christians agree that we are indeed living in the last days, the signs are all around us to the point where it has become undeniable yet very few people want to seek out the knowledge and truth that they need to prepare themselves and their loved ones for the days ahead!
Most Christians want to bury their head in the proverbial sand and not open their eyes to what is all around them and to the enemy growing in power with each and every day! This is the one thing which I find disheartening about the pre-trib rapture teaching...it gives people an excuse to NOT seek out knowledge and truth! After all, we are all going to be raptured soon so we don't need to know anything else.... right? Not only is this lazy and dangerous thinking, I am sure that it delights our enemy to no end!
Which begs the question, how many people who claim to be Christian really are? Can you really call yourself a believer in Jesus Christ when you willfully disobey him?
Matthew 24:4
And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
Proverbs 8:10
Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold.
For a long time I didn't really believe in the pre-trib rapture because of what is stated in the Bible but I follow a messianic teacher on you tube Steven Ben Noon at Israeli News Live who studies the ancient Hebrew texts as well as Septuagint and ancient Greek which give a lot of clarity and depth to the Bible. Like it or not the King James as well as all other English translations of the Bible contain a lot of mis-translations so finding a reliable original source for the original meaning is important to me. When He could show me the rapture in the ancient texts then I was willing to believe.
However going by the original Hebrew it doesn't appear that there will be many people going!
One simple truth is that there really aren't that many true Christians out there!
A great many false teachings have infiltrated Christian Churches over the years which I will cover here and many people follow these false teachings simply because their church teaches these things as true but understand this; If you are following these teachings without testing them in your Bible aka the Word of God, you are willfully allowing yourself to be deceived! Because Jesus Christ himself warned you! Take heed that no man deceive you!
So what are some of these false teachings?
Once saved always saved,
Philippians 2:12
Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
I ask You does this REALLY sound like once save always saved to you?
Prosperity, This is a really popular message in the church today! But is it true?
Matthew 6: 19-20
19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.
Where do you find In this or any other statement of Christ's where he promises to make you wealthy if you follow him? AND there is a really good reason why he doesn't say or do this:
Matthew 6:21
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
God doesn't want you caught up in worldly things! He wants you to be close to him! Thinking about HIM! Not about money!
Mark of the beast, you can take it and still go to
heaven. This is hands down one of the WORST things that ANY pastor could possibly say to his congregation! And TOTALLY untrue!
Revelation 14:9-11 King James Version (KJV)
9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
There is NO mercy...NO excuse and NO tolerance for anyone who accepts the mark of the beast... PERIOD!
Love without righteousness.
This is another popular teaching these days and dangerously deceptive. The basic teaching goes something like this: God loves you just as you are and you don't have to change a thing! After all God is LOVE! The basic idea is that you can come to church and accept Jesus but still continue with a sinful life because Jesus loves you!
The simple truth is that accepting Jesus Christ is about repentance! You have to ask forgiveness and ask Jesus Christ into you life and receive the holy spirit!
God absolutely does love you but coming to Christ means leaving your old life behind! We come to Christ on HIS terms....NOT OURS!
Sin will NOT be tolerated in heaven! God is love but he is also righteous! And you cannot separate one from the other! To do so is to create a different God!
A big lie almost always starts with a small one and is pretty easy to accomplish. You simply change one small thing and when people accept the small lie you interject a bigger one until people accept that and so on and so on. The end result is that people simply accept the lies as truth... especially is you can back it up with lines of truth... lines of scripture! AKA twisting truth.
But understand this: our enemy could not achieve any of this unless we allow it! Which begs the question “where is your heart really at?”
Does your heart belong to God or the world?
Christ will return soon are you absolutely certain you are going with him?
Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 2:6
For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
Proverbs 8:10
Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold.
Hosea 4:6
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.