PRINTABLE
VERSION
SCATTER SHOT
2Ye
lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye
fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. 3Ye
ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon
your lusts. (James 4:)
If we don't move forward, we fall backward (Isaiah 28:).
In the 60's all forward
momentum acquired from the Great Depression, the Stock Market Crash,
and World War II was lost, and as would be expected when forward
movement is lost, a downward trend began (see A Time For
Change when completed and posted).
Every aspect of life became loose, pointless, and directed toward one's
self.
Upward is against nature.
There's always the pull of the "earth" that must be resisted. But
downward is natural and has no resistance - except when it is
splattered upon the ground.
We are in that downward
spiral, and the end of our fall is in sight. But rather than try to put
on our brakes, we try to fully experience the fall as if we are on a
roller coaster, and expecting somebody to rescue us just before we hit
bottom. We see this in our finances, our media, our schools, our
government, in our environment, our ecology, and in our churches. All
are falling, while looking for no resolution to the fall, but rather
all are congratulating one another on the speed of the descent (Rev
11:10).
In the past we've had wars,
famines, depressions and other calamities which saved us from our own
destruction. I see no such occurrence in our future as a saving grace
at this time. We are content with our fall, and we have severed
ourselves from the only salvation available to us, just as had Israel
in times of old.
A few years back I saw a TV program where the people of the community
were having a fishing contest. As it turned out, the water was so
polluted in the lake where they were holding the contest that no fish
could reside there, so no fish of any size was caught. But the
undaunted residents of this little community were not going to let the
lack of fish impede their desire to have their annual fishing contest.
However, after the contest was concluded, there could be no winner
because no one could catch the largest fish, because no fish were
caught at all. In order to decide the winner of this fishless fishing
contest, each participant conjectured that the contest should be judged
according to what he himself
had caught. One fishlessrman thought the prize should go to the largest
thing caught because he had caught the
branch of a tree. Another offered the suggestion that it should be for
the most unusual object caught because he had
netted a pair of skin diver's rubber trousers. And another believed it
should be based on the roundest object because he had caught an old
tire by his hook.
In the early days of firearms the weapon of choice was what is called a
Blunderbuss. A blunderbuss is loaded from the barrel end with whatever
could be shoved into it: rocks, nails, pottery shards; whatever could
be found at the moment. These guns were not very powerful because there
could not be built up but little compression behind the load. And this
was probably a good thing, because since these guns were not designed
for power, they might explode through the breach if overcharged. Early
shotguns of cheap construction were made by a technique similar to that
of a welded coil spring, called a Damascus barrel. These wound barrels
were noted for their tendency to uncoil upon firing.
The blunderbuss, although
not accurate or efficient did have the ability to be very loud, thus
the name blunderbuss which is derived from a Dutch word donderbus
meaning "thunder pipe." What it lacked in ability, it made up for in
noise.
Hunting has always been a dangerous recreation because of a hunter's
tendency, especially a tenderfoot, to shoot at whatever happens to
move. And since a hunter is often dressed in clothing to either imitate
the game they're after, or to blend in with the surroundings in which
they find themselves, there always exists the strong possibility of
being an unwitting target for a fellow hunter. Many a hunter has been
shot by his own hunting partner.
Hunters are not the only
ones likely to be shot by the ones who are supposedly watching their
back. We read in the newspaper frequently where a police officer or a
soldier, or even an entire company of soldiers has been shot or in
other ways wounded by what's called "friendly fire."
I picture a large number of people wearing blindfolds shooting at
whatever happens to catch their attention, then, without truly
investigating what they have hit, they paint a picture of a target
where they've shot, and claim to have hit the intended target.
In 1970 it was estimated that there were over 33,000 different
denominations in the world. (I myself feel this number is quite
exaggerated, but in spite of exaggeration, the number might still
safely be considered to remain in the high hundreds.) That is a lot of
wild shots to have been taken. Since that time the number of
denominations (or better said, independent groups or doctrinal views)
has escalated considerably, as can be seen by the fact that almost
daily we hear of new churches being formed, others blending into new
denominations, and other established denominations dividing into even
smaller groups of nonconforming believers. On top of this we have a
large number of worldly and church Ecumenical groups trying to get
churches to amalgamate into a blend of leavened nothingness similar to
the world's concept of religion. And this endeavor is having an
ever-increasing effect upon the church as can be seen by the actions of
the old, established churches as they lean heavily toward what they
preached so heavily against but a few years ago.
Where the Bible tells us
that we are to be separated from the world and to be obviously
different from the world (2Cor 6:11-18; Mat 5:11; John 15:20); we see
even the ministers of "righteousness" living no different than the most
worldly of the Worldly.
Where the Bible teaches us
that we must be baptized, repent of our sins (stop doing them), and
confess our sins one to another (Mark 3:4,5; James 5:16), we see a
sprinkling of baptisms as a formality, no confessions of our sins, and
repentance is a word long erased from the Word of God.
Where Paul said that a
church must send an unrepentant sinner out of the church to be dealt
with and matured by Satan: the churches have invited them to preach
from the pulpit (1Cor 5:-- ;1Tim 1:--).
Where the Bible tells us
that we are to stay away from idols and "other gods" (Hosea 13:4; John
10:1-7), the churches are now bringing these "other gods" into the
churches and parading them from the pulpits (see Christian
Agnostics, and Jesus and Other Gods when
completed.)
[A note of explanation: It's
now almost two years since I almost finished this
article, Scattershot. The one I just finished (110 pages) I almost
finished almost a year ago. The one in line to be next is one I almost
finished close to three years ago. I have over 500 almost
finished stories, the two just mentioned included. I'm trying to clean
out my almost folder, which obviously is going to
take more years than I have remaining on this earth.
An additional problem is
encountered when so many stories have been written over a long period
of time. I forget what I've already written, how I expressed what I've
written, and sometimes what I've already published. Because of this I
continually find that what I'm now saying, I've already said. Please
excuse me for this repetition.]
The World seeks to do good for mankind. The World desires peace and
equality for all. The World wants to feed the poor, to save the
environment, and to unite all the governments and the peoples of the
world into one, happy group.
There's certainly nothing
wrong with any of these endeavors. On a human level, this is what we should
seek. But the Church, the Body of Christ is supposed to be different
from the World. Then, to be different, does that mean we should seek
disharmony and destruction of the planet and the abuse of the poor?
It is man's nature to see
things in black and white, yes and no, good or bad. This kind of
thinking must be set aside in order to understand the function of the
Church as God intended it. Being a Christian does not put us in
opposition with the World, it places us as a light unto the world. What
our Worldly functions are should be separate from our Spiritual
pursuits. When we look at the lives of the Apostles and of Jesus, we do
not see them having an interest in, nor taking part in any way with the
function of the world. The world was a distinctly separate entity that
the Apostles and Jesus moved within. We are to be as strangers in a
foreign land that we're just passing through. If we are a tourist, do
we get involved with the politics and the issues of that country we're
visiting? Do we try to change the attitudes and the behaviors of a
family we're visiting? Did Jesus seek to improve the world? Surely He
did what He could to take care of the individual hurts and problems
that He encountered. He preached what needed to be done to achieve
perfection, thus to be a part of Heaven. In fact Jesus' first words
were:
1Then
was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the
devil. ... 17From that time Jesus began to
preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom
of heaven is at hand. (Mat 4:)
John said this of Jesus as he baptized in the Jordan:
1In
those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of
Judaea, 2And saying, Repent ye:
for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
(Mat 3:)
Jesus told His disciples when He sent them out two-by-two:
5These
twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the
way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the
Samaritans enter ye not: 6But go rather to the
lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7And as ye
go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
(Mat 10:)
Jesus' last command as given to us in the Gospels was:
15And
he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach
the gospel to every creature. 16He
that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth
not shall be damned. (Mark 16:)
And this has become what is known as "The Great Commission" to the
Church, which is supposedly us.
2Until
the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost
had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: 3To
whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible
proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of
the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: (Acts 1:)
Here we have the purpose for which Jesus came to the World, and the
last message He left with His disciples. Was that message to them that
they should go out and bring change to the system? That's what the
disciples thought He wanted them to do, and what
they thought He came to do because their next statement was:
6When
they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying,
Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
(Acts 1:)
What was Jesus' reply to this direct question that the church today,
and the World is still asking and concentrating their attention on?:
7And
he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons,
which the Father hath put in his own power. 8But
ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and
ye shall be witnesses unto me
both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the
uttermost part of the earth. 9And when he had
spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up;
and a cloud received him out of their sight. (Acts 1:)
The very last Words of Jesus were to forget about changing the system,
that all such things are in the hands of the Father. He told them that
they should, through the Holy Spirit, go into the world and be a
witness, a light, an example of what Jesus represents. Do we, the
Church, do as we're instructed to do? Or do we continue to do as the
disciples thought a disciple, a church should do?
17For
Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel:
(1Cor 1:)
These are the words of Paul. What did he say was his great commission?
Was it to save the environment or to feed the poor? He did
heal the sick and cast out demons, this we know, but the only time we
see him feeding the poor that I can find is when he collected money
from the churches of Asia to take to the those of the Church (not the
world) in Jerusalem who were suffering from a famine.
10Of
which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who
prophesied of the grace that should come unto
you: 11Searching what, or what manner of time
the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified
beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that
should follow. 12Unto whom it was revealed,
that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things,
which are now reported unto you by them that have preached
the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven;
which things the angels desire to look into. (1Peter 1:)
As I read this, even the prophets of old, through the Holy Spirit, were
talking to the Church and preaching the Gospel.
I would like to make a side
note at this time. Please pay attention to what Peter is saying in this
passage. Notice that the "Spirit of Christ" was in
the prophets of old, and that it was the Spirit
that was doing the speaking, and the prophets who the Words came
through did not know what the Words meant. Wouldn't this suggest the
Bible was not written by the prophets, but by God Himself? Isn't it
interesting that the Spirit of Christ, which was in Jesus as well, was in
the prophets and speaking through them? Does that cause you to stop and
think at all?
4Wherein
they think it strange that ye run not with them
to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: 5Who
shall give account to him that is
ready to judge the quick and the dead. 6For
for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead,
that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live
according to God in the spirit. (1Peter 4:)
It appears that even the "dead" had the Gospel preached to them. Are we
preaching the Gospel to the living?
31Therefore take no
thought, saying, What shall we eat? or,
What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32(For
after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your
heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33But
seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these
things shall be added unto you. 34Take
therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought
for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is
the evil thereof. (Mat 6:)
The churches do everything except what Jesus told
them to do. He said not to worry about this life, to not do as the
"Gentiles" (Worldly) do, and to preach the Kingdom of God. The church,
instead of fulfilling this command, has become a social group doing
exactly what the World is doing, meanwhile saying there is nothing to
do because Jesus did it all.
17For
the time is come that judgment
must begin at the house of God: and if it
first begin
at us, what shall the end be
of them that obey not the gospel of God? 18And
if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the
ungodly and the sinner appear? 19Wherefore let
them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of
their souls to him in well doing, as unto a
faithful Creator. (1Peter 4:)
Where did Peter say judgement would begin? Was it the World? Read
again. And he says if who might scarcely be
saved? Who are the righteous? Perhaps the bench warmers at the
thousands of denominations do you think?
13Brethren,
I count not myself to have apprehended: but this
one thing I do,
forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those
things which are before, 14I
press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in
Christ Jesus. (Phil 3:)
Paul, of all people, feels the need to "press for the mark" (I take
that to mean the center of the target) in order to reach the "High
calling of God."
What is the "High calling of God"? Do you ever hear the high calling of
God preached from the pulpits? Isn't everybody equally "saved" who sits
in the pews every Sunday (or Saturday as the case may be)? Doesn't the
lowest of the "saved" Christian receive the same reward as the greatest
of martyrs and the most dedicated of Apostles? Surely it must be so. I
have heard nothing else preached or intimated.
24Know
ye not that they which run in a race run all,
but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.
25And every man that striveth for the
mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it
to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 26I
therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that
beateth the air: 27But I keep
under my body, and bring it
into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to
others, I myself should be a castaway. (1Cor 9:)
Paul has to worry about being a "castaway"?
If Paul is concerned about being a castaway, then what must I be doing?
And, just what is a castaway? Maybe a castaway
isn't so bad after all, just as long as I get my little cabin in the
corner of Glory.
CASTAWAY G96 adokimos From G1 (as a negative particle) and G1384; unapproved,
that is, rejected; by implication worthless
(literally or morally): - castaway, rejected, reprobate.
Rejected? Worthless? I don't know about this. I have a vision of a
fishing net thrown into the sea, and a great catch being taken into the
boat. It seems to me Jesus said something about a net:
47Again,
the kingdom of heaven is like unto a
net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every
kind: 48Which, when it was full, they drew to
shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels,
but cast the bad away. 49So
shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and
sever the wicked from among the just, 50And
shall cast them into the furnace of fire:
there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. (Mat 13:)
There's that word "cast"
again. And here the "bad" were cast away. I take it those in the net
and brought into the boat are those who were "saved" out of the sea
(the World). But aren't we taught that if we're baptized we receive the
Holy Spirit who can't leave us for any reason, even if we become the
worst of reprobates? Is there something wrong with this picture? But
then, maybe I've jumped the gun and have the picture all wrong. I'm
inclined to do such things, being human and all. That's why I like to
refer to the Scriptures to confirm or disallow what I think the Bible
is saying. I think here would be a good time to look father into this
castaway thing, don't you?
I think first of all those
who are in the boat, not cast back into the sea are "chosen," that is,
they are among those who were taken from the condemned of the World and
are attending a church somewhere. Otherwise, what's the difference
between those in the net and those still in the sea? And I should think
that if I am "chosen," then my destiny must be quite secure. Doesn't
that make sense? It surely fits all the doctrines I've ever heard, even
(I'm sure there are exceptions) the most strict of doctrines:
18If
the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated
you. 19If ye were of the world, the world would
love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I
have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world
hateth you. (John 15:)
Yup, there it is, plain as day. Jesus has chosen those to be with Him
out of the World. Sounds like a secure place to be. After all, the
twelve disciples closest to Jesus were even brought closer to Him. A
very secure place to be indeed.
18I
speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen:
but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me
hath lifted up his heel against me. (John 13:)
Jesus chose His twelve, and one of those twelve was Judas. All twelve
were "chosen." And what happened to Judas? What is it he did? Didn't
he, being one of those securely in the boat, go on to do great things
right along with the others who were chosen?
66From
that time many of his disciples went back, and
walked no more with him. 67Then said Jesus unto
the twelve, Will ye also go away? 68Then Simon
Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of
eternal life. 69And we believe
and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God. 70Jesus
answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of
you is a devil? 71He spake of
Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was
that should betray him, being one of the twelve. (John 6:)
Jesus chose a devil to be in the boat with Him? According to Peter, all
believed that Jesus was the Son of God. Isn't that all it takes to be
saved forever? But how can a devil be saved forever, especially if he
is an Apostle and is a believer?
19Thou
believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the
devils also believe, and tremble. (James 2:)
I thought "believing" is all there is to being an eternally saved
Christian. But yet even the devils believe, and one of the faithful
disciples of Jesus who cast out demons was a devil. Doesn't this go
against every doctrine of every church?
16So
the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be
called, but few chosen. (Mat 20:)
Many are called (is that the casting of the net
do you suppose?), but few are chosen? We've seen
that being chosen is not as secure a place as it would seem: how much
less secure must being called be? And what was
that Jesus said about Judas?
70Jesus
answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of
you is a devil?
One of the "chosen" was a devil. Can a devil be permanently saved and
destined for Heaven? And this is not only a devil, but a devil that
betrayed his Master, the Son of God who he had followed and listened to
for over three years. Didn't Judas walk the narrow, straight road he
was required to walk in order to make it to heaven? Didn't Judas
forsake all just as had the others, and just as Jesus had commanded His
disciples to do?
Yet we have:
21But,
behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with
me on the table. 22And truly the Son of man
goeth, as it was determined: but woe unto that man by
whom he is betrayed! (Luke 22:)
Woe! I wonder what Jesus meant by "woe"? Is it maybe the being cast
away like the "bad" fish do you think?
21Not
every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter
into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of
my Father which is in heaven. 22Many
will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy
name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy
name done many wonderful works? 23And
then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye
that work iniquity. 24Therefore
whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them,
I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25And
the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat
upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26And
every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth
them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which
built his house upon the sand: 27And the rain
descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that
house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
(Mat 7:)
43Blessed is that servant,
whom his lord when he
cometh shall find so doing. 44Of a truth I say
unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath. 45But
and if that servant say in his heart, My
lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and
maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; 46The
lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him,
and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in
sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.
(Luke 12:)
It seems to me that it's long past time that the churches turn around
and face the target that God has set up for them. It's not the job of
the churches to be a social organization. It's not the job of the
church to be a center of entertainment. It's not even the job of the
church to change the world or to improve human conditions. And it's not
the job of the churches to just bring fish into a net, especially a net
that is filled with holes. It's the job of the churches to instruct
those who are seeking the Lord, how they should find Him (through the
Holy Spirit) and to be a light, and an example of what a fully matured
Christian is to be. None of these are being done in the churches, so
the churches are drifting ever faster into the ocean of the world, and
casting nets that bring the fish into a tide pool rather than into the
boat.
We, like Paul, should not be
trying to make the congregation of the churches comfortable and giving
them a sense of confidence and security in their reprobate condition;
but rather we should be causing those in attendance to feel
insufficient in their quest to achieve perfection, and to get up off
their comfortable pew and begin to run the course along the narrow road
that takes them through the Valley of the Shadow whereby they might
become strong soldiers of the Lord (Luke 17:10; Eph 6:11; Ezek 44:all;
Jer 6:12-17; Ezek 13:22-23; Mal 3:16-18).
13Brethren,
I count not myself to have apprehended: but this
one thing I do, forgetting those things which are
behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14I
press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in
Christ Jesus. (Phil 3:)
Take off the blindfolds and read the Word with the guidance of the Holy
Spirit. Aim for the mark of the high calling, and no more scatter shots.
17Even
so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. 18Yea,
a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith
without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works. 19Thou
believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also
believe, and tremble. 20But wilt
thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
(James 2:)
SIN (often referred
to as "Missing the Mark in the
Hebrew) H2403 khat-taw-aw',
khat-tawth' From H2398; an offence (sometimes habitual sinfulness), and
its penalty, occasion, sacrifice, or expiation; also (concretely) an
offender: - punishment (of sin), purifying (-fication for sin),
sin (-ner, offering).
H2398 khaw-taw' A primitive root; properly to miss;
hence (figuratively and generally) to sin; by inference to forfeit,
lack, expiate, repent, (causatively) lead astray,
condemn: - bear the blame, cleanse, commit [sin], by fault, harm he
hath done, loss, miss, (make) offend
(-er), offer for sin, purge, purify (self), make reconciliation,
(cause, make) sin (-ful, -ness), trespassive
REVELATION 1:
3Blessed is he that
readeth, and they that hear the
words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are
written therein: for the time is
at hand. 4John to the seven
churches which are in Asia: (Rev 1:)
We know, and take for granted, that the message to the Churches of Asia
has some application to us as well. Some, however, discount these
messages thinking they have no application whatever to us, but are
strictly a piece of recorded history. But since the book of Revelation
is written to the seven churches, then the entire book must either be
counted as long past, or applicable to us now and in the future. We
can't (although we do) take what we like from any of the Scriptures and
apply them willy-nilly to where they fit our desires and our purposes.
To do this is to set ourself up for eternal problems when we stand
before the Great White Throne. It is obvious that we do exactly this,
that is we take what we like from the Old Testament and consider it as
a foreshadowing of what is covered in the Gospels. And that which we
don't like, we discount and say it's merely history. We do this, but we
will not get away with it in the end when we're put to the test?
This concept of picking and
choosing, like the scatter gun, is practiced by every church doctrine I
have seen. The strongest example that comes to mind is that of the
promises in the Bible. Every supposed promise that was ever made to
anybody is without reservation clutched with voracity by the clergy and
the lay church goer alike. The "If"s" and the warnings, and the clear
statements that define who the promises are given to are tossed
unceremoniously to the side, while the fulfillment of the promise, even
those promises never made, are demanded by even the worst of sinner
bearing the name of Christian. The fact is that if
we are truly in the will of God, and seeking His way, we are promised
that we will be persecuted and despised by this world; that we will
suffer hardships for His name; and that we will receive "Daily Bread"
like the Hebrews did in the wilderness in the form of manna. We are to
be content with the minimum, and be thankful for the little. We are not
to demand our cake without even having to acquire the ingredients to
make the cake. Such an attitude can only lead to the fire required to
bake the cake, which is a promise given to all
fruitless branches on the tree of the Church.
If you do not believe that
the book of Revelation, in its entirety, is for you, then remember that
the fulfillment of the promises to the Churches this book is given to
is at the end of this very same book. And those promises then are only
for those of Asia, which if you do not belong to such a church (which
almost no one does) then all the promises given in this book do not
apply to you. You are only left with the consequences promised to those
who are not part of these churches, that is, you
are part of the "Earth" that will be the target of the Tribulation.
4Grace be unto you,
and peace, from him which is,
and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which
are before his throne; 5And from Jesus Christ, who
is the faithful witness, and the first
begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto
him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6And
hath made us kings and priests unto God and his
Father; (see
also 5:10 & 20:6)
Remember who John is speaking to here. He made it very clear that it is
to those in the seven churches. Are you a part of those seven churches
that are made kings and priests? If you think this letter (vision) is
written to an ancient people, then it can't be
including you, can it?
Of course this statement has
been made elsewhere and includes other than the churches of Asia, which
could, if a person chooses to do so, nullify any significance to this
statement I just made.
6to
him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.
Amen. 7Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every
eye shall see him, and they also which pierced
him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of
him. Even so, Amen. 8I am Alpha
and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and
which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. 9I
John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in
the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is
called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus
Christ. 10I was in the Spirit on the Lord's
day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, 11Saying,
I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write
in a book, and send it
unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto
Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto
Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
Note again who this book is written to. Are we included? Also, there
are some churches who don't like parts of this book because it doesn't
say what they want to hear. In order to escape the "bad" parts, they
attribute huge chunks (the essence of the book in fact) to the natural
Jews. But do you see anywhere that Jesus says this book is to be sent
to the Jews scattered all over the world? If you do, you have sharper
eyes than I do.
Many times we are able to
glean a great deal of understanding into what the Word is telling us by
numbers and the etymology (derivative) of a word. This has been
exemplified numerous times by the illusions and dreams of the prophets
and the parables of Jesus. This is also exemplified by such things as
the construction of the Tabernacle in the wilderness, and the
sacrificial system of the Hebrews.
Many, if not all churches,
teach that the Bible was written by man, with man's understanding and
view, with just the inspiration of God assisting them. Jesus made it
clear that every word that He spoke was the Father speaking, that the
words were not His own. I believe this is true of the entire Bible. If
I believed otherwise, that I could pick and choose what verses were
really meant and what were somehow slipped into the Bible, then I would
just discount the entire book and count it as another religion, as
obviously the churches have done.
Almost, if not every church
to one degree or another seems to believe that the Bible, although
accurate in its original manuscript, is now "holey," that is, it has
holes in its accuracy. They say there are verses (and sometimes entire
books) either altered, added, or left out. Again, if I couldn't count
on the accuracy of the Word, of God's ability to keep His Word intact,
how could I possibly trust Him to guide my life or to control the
functioning of this world? As the extensiveness of this website will
attest, I've done a bit of study of the Word, and as yet I have not
found a single discrepancy. I have (and certainly had) found areas that
didn't make sense to me, but in due time the Lord has revealed the
connections that I had missed which cleared up my confusion. The
"secret" to understanding God's Word is first to believe that any error
or confusion I find is on my part, not on the
part of the Word. When we try to shuffle around our misgivings, we end
up with conflicting doctrines, as can easily be seen in the Church
world of today (and the last nearly two thousand years).
The words in the Bibles we
read are not the words the Bible was written in. The closest any
translator can come to accuracy is to choose a word out of the many
meanings (this is especially true of the Hebrew) the reader can
understand. The discounting of the numbers and the meanings of words
has led to Bibles interpreted in modern languages where these words and
numbers have been changed. That might lead to interesting and clear
reading, like a children's illustrated comic book where only the story,
like David and Goliath or Samson and Delilah are portrayed: but little
can be learned from the reading of such books or translations.
Some people and churches
believe the King James version of the Bible is the only version that is
accurate. I believe the KJ is closest to the Truth, but even it has
areas where the true understanding of a portion of Scripture is lost
due to a changing understanding of words, as well as multiple and
fuller meanings of the ancient languages. For this reason I go to the
original language as best I can, and also check every verse the word
used has been translated in a different form, and also all the other
ways the word has been used: "Here a little, there a little."
In order to understand what
we might learn from these seven churches, and to see if they apply to
us today, it may help to learn what the names of the cities used in
Revelations mean in the original language. Unfortunately much
information, including the derivation of the names, has been lost for
most of the cities, as well as for Asia itself. We only know that Asia
(the Asia of Paul's ministry), to those who live in the East, was
looked upon as the West. And those in the West, that is the European
countries, Asia was representative of the East. It's still that way
with those of us in the US and in Europe: Asia consists of all those
countries to our east. And in the early part of US history, America was
considered the East since Columbus sailed west hoping to find a new way
to reach Asia, which to them was the East.
It might be said by this
that, to whoever lives in whatever country, Asia represents the world
at large, not including Israel which is seen as the "Middle East"
(meaning Egypt to Iran, those nations directly involved with the Jews,
and the combatant progeny of Abraham).
12And
I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned,
I saw seven golden candlesticks;
What are the seven golden candlesticks? Candles are representative of
what we, the Christian are supposed to be. We are to be a "Light unto
the World," just as Jesus was a Light unto the World. But a candlestick
is not a light, it only holds the light, the
candle (or in this case the wick and the oil, the "lamp"). Might the
candlestick then be churches that hold people, the lights unto the
World? (Mark 4:21; Rev 1:20; 11:4)
13And
in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like
unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt
about the paps with a golden girdle. 14His head
and his hairs were white
like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as
a flame of fire; 15And his feet
like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace;
and his voice as the sound of many waters.
Take note that His feet are as fine brass as if burned in a fire.
Consider brass, and consider what fire does.
Fire purifies. Brass is
purified in fire, as is gold and silver. In the outer court of the
Tabernacle everything was made, not of gold and silver as were the
articles inside the Tabernacle proper, but of brass.
Brass is indicative of the
believer who has yet to qualify for the presence of God. They're still
in the process of surrendering their Adamic nature. They continue in
the works area of the Tabernacle. The Laver where the priest examines
himself for spots of impurities and washes what he finds is made of
brass (brass looking glasses, mirrors). The alter of sacrifice is made
of brass. This is where the priests offer sacrifices, both for
themselves, and for those seeking to be prepared for the presence of,
not the Lord, but that they might remain in the good stead and presence
of the people of the nation. Anything impure was to be either stoned to
death, or sent out of the camp. Sin required sacrifice, no matter how
small that sin might be.
Paul tell us:
14How
then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how
shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall
they hear without a preacher? 15And how shall
they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How
beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and
bring glad tidings of good things! 16But
they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath
believed our report? 17So then faith cometh by
hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Rom 10:)
In another place we read that, in referring to the Church, the head
cannot say to the feet I have no need of you. We are the mouth, the
eyes, the hands, the heart, and the feet of Christ, who is the head of
the body. The feet must be purified if it is to serve the Lord. Jesus
washed the disciples' feet, indicating the importance of keeping our
walk clean and ready for the service of the Lord.
We know that water is representative of the Holy Spirit, which we are
to be born of if we are in the family of God. Water is what the roots
of the Tree of Life are planted into, and that we are to draw from.
Water is what the river that flows from under the throne is composed of
(Rev 19:5-6; 22:1).
We, the Church, are to be as
a channel for "rivers of living waters" that is to flow through us and
from us (Mat 3:3; Mark 16:15; Isaiah 24:14-15; 55:1).
16And
he had in his right hand seven stars.
It's assumed that "stars" are representative of the tribes of Israel
because of a single phrase in the Old Testament that depicts a dream
Joseph had, and a dream that had in fact come true (Gen 37:9-10).
Somehow, it is in man's nature to see things in such a way that
whatever has been said of one thing must always be seen as that single
thing. But yet when we see something in the Bible we want to apply
elsewhere, especially to ourselves, we have no qualms whatever about
stealing it for ourselves. For instance this statement made by Jesus to
His disciples who had faithfully followed Jesus through His trials, and
were about to carry on His mission unto their own death:
27Then
answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have
forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have
therefore? 28And Jesus said unto them, Verily I
say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the
regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne
of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones,
judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
(Mat 19:)
14Ye
are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. 15Henceforth
I call you not servants; for
the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you
friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made
known unto you. 16Ye
have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained
you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit,
and that your fruit should remain: that
whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. 17These
things I command you, that ye love one
another. (John 15:)
This entire chapter is talking to the twelve and telling them that they
must obey His commandments if they expect to
reap the rewards. Jesus is speaking to those who have shown their
faithfulness, yet He demands that they continue to do so if they are to
be a part of the Kingdom. And yet we, and the churches teaching this
very thing, believe that without any form of obedience, nor following
Jesus one step, or producing a single piece of "fruit," may call Him
"friend" and ask of Him whatever we want and He will gladly give it to
us.
Our views are warped. We're
shooting into the air, and what we shoot up, will return back to us and
bury us.
16and
out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was
as the sun shineth in his strength. 17And when
I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead.
John, the Beloved Disciple, who apparently was closest to Jesus and
obeyed the commands of Jesus for his entire life, and suffered the
consequences for doing so, "fell at His feet as if dead." We sometimes
hear the falling on our face before the Lord message, but we do not
hear the need of falling before the Lord. Nor do
we see it exemplified in those who should be teaching this. But there
will be a day...:
11For
it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every
knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. 12So
then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
(Romans 14:)
We see Christianity as a game, as an interesting activity in which to
take part. The churches add to this game by trying to figure out the
best way to bring people in to their church; which Worldly activity
they might add to their weekly show that will bring the people in. To
them the fact that people are in the church, their
church, indicates they are doing all they're supposed to do to play the
game to its fullest.
There will come a day when
the games will cease. Then comes the judgment. At this time it will be
too late to decide to take the game of life seriously. It will be too
late to evaluate if we are following all the rules of the game that we
have volunteered to play. And when the game is over, I want no one to
be able to point their finger at me and say: "You knew this, why didn't
you tell me?" I want you to know here and now, I told you so.
46And
these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the
righteous into life eternal. (Mat 25:)
Please take note: It's the righteous who will be
rewarded. It's not the unrighteous Christian spoken of here. Those who
remain unrighteous remain part of the world, no matter what name
they've taken on or what commitment they've undertaken. In fact by
taking the name, and making the commitment, we place ourselves closer
to the edge of the pit than those who have not done so. Those who
serve, or who sign on to serve, are the ones who are judged, not those
who haven't taken the step forward.
And he laid his right
hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: 18I
am he that liveth, and was dead; and,
behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of
death. 19Write the things which thou hast seen,
and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter; 20The
mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the
seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven
churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven
churches.
It appears that Jesus has not read the doctrines of the denominations
which state the stars represent the tribes of Israel. He seems to think
stars represent the pastors of the seven churches. If Jesus is right,
then what does that do to the many doctrines that have based their
theories on the idea stars represent Israel? And if stars represent the
churches, then what does the sun and the moon represent? Again the
doctrines say these represent the nation of Israel. And the stars are
considered by the denominations to be Israel. Could they, the sun and
moon, also have something to do with the Church as well?
Is there anywhere in this
book of end times where stars are mentioned other than this one?
12And
I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great
earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon
became as blood; 13And the stars
of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree
casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. (Rev 6:)
12And
the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten,
and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars;
so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a
third part of it, and the night likewise. (Rev 8:)
Here we have stars again. But we know this has to be referring to the
stars we see at night. There can't be any doubt of that. But is it
possible this might also have reference to the churches as well? Could
it be churches (or Christians) are going to be cast to the earth and
lose their place in Heaven?
Naaah, couldn't
be.
1And
there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed
with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of
twelve stars: 2And she being
with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be
delivered. 3And there appeared another wonder
in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten
horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. 4And
his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and
did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before
the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as
soon as it was born. (Rev 12:)
This is understood to mean the nation of Israel giving birth to Jesus.
Of course this makes no sense at all, and the only evidence for this
doctrine in existence is the fact that the moon and the stars are
mentioned. And there are two very important reasons we must accept
that this is Israel, because for one, if it is the Church, then what
happens to the Pre-Trib Rapture theory? It would mean the Church is
still present during the Tribulation. It would mean Satan has power to
afflict the Church and to bring it down, to cast those not securely in
the arms of God, the very elect, out of their firm grasp on salvation.
It must
be accepted that the stars are Israel, and not the churches as Jesus
has stated earlier (the seven stars). So which are we to believe? The
theologians? Or Jesus?
12Therefore rejoice, ye
heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the
inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto
you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short
time. 13And when the dragon saw
that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman
which brought forth the man child.
(Rev 12:)
Now we run into even more complications. If, I say if
the woman clothed with the sun isn't Israel, then who is the man child
that she is pregnant with? It's supposed that this is referring to
Jesus. But do we read about Satan persecuting Jesus as described in
this chapter? Certainly Jesus was persecuted, but so were the Apostles
and all the early Christians. And if the man child is the Church, which
it would be if this is referring to Jesus and the
Apostles, then it is the Church that is involved here, and the Church
is still yet here on earth and not somewhere floating around on a
cloud. And if this is placed in the future, which it obviously is since
it's in the book that describes the very end times for the Church, what
is Satan doing in Heaven? How did he get there if he was supposedly
cast out billions of years before man was even on this earth? In
addition, even if this is supposed to be taking place two thousands
years in our past, again I ask, how did Satan get back to where he had
been cast out of?
Also it might be noted that
the "heavens" rejoiced. What are "heavens"? Are they clouds do you
think? Maybe heavens is where God dwells. But then, does God have more
than one heaven that He dwells in? Do clouds rejoice? What does heaven
sound like I wonder?
7And
there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought
against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
8And prevailed not; neither was their
place found any more in heaven. 9And the great
dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan,
which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the
earth, and his angels were cast out with him. (Rev 12:)
Here we have a war in Heaven. Satan is cast out. Satan was deceiving
all the world while he was in Heaven? After he's cast out, then he is
persecuting the woman? But, hold on, if the woman is Israel, what is
Satan doing at the end times being cast out? And if this war took place
a billion years ago, then where was Israel that he could be persecuting
her? Israel isn't a billion years old, is it?
No doubt about it, in order
to protect our doctrines of Satan once being a beautiful angel, and
that the Church is no longer on this earth during the tribulation, and
that all who call themselves Christian are gone before the trouble
starts: we must accept the fact that the stars
represent Israel, that this war took place a billion years ago, and
that the man child is Jesus. What else could it
mean?
I do have a question
however: I'm wondering why God would bother telling us what happened a
billion years ago, or even two thousand years ago, right smack dab in
the middle of Him telling us what He is going to do in the future. This
book of such importance, why should God tell us something He hadn't
even hinted at throughout the rest of mankind's history? Oh, I know
there are verses and tittles that have been twisted and mangled to
create such hints. But without this passage above those mangled pieces
would have never even been considered. (For more on this subject, see: Fantasies.
Lucifer, Making of a Doctrine).
REVELATION 2:
1Unto
the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that
holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of
the seven golden candlesticks; 2I know thy
works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou
canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say
they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
We may say these churches are not a part of the Body of Christ as we
know it today. We might go as far as to say that these churches no
longer exist. But since this book was written long after the Old
Testament we can't do with it as we did the Old Testament: We can't
dismiss what is told to John as something for someone else. And since
the Book of Revelation is specifically for the end times, not even the
time of the Apostles, we can confidently assume it was not just for (if
at all) the churches of John's time. We can be very sure that what
Jesus is telling John is for our churches. Jesus certainly wouldn't
tell the churches of old to do one thing, and our church to do just the
opposite. So what we read in these letters and warnings to the churches
we had better listen to, and apply to ourselves and our church, or we
had better realize that the reckoning these churches will see, we
will see.
"Cannot bear those who are
evil." What does Jesus consider to be "evil." I don't think we need
wonder about what Jesus calls evil. He has told us what He considers
evil in many ways and many times. He considers evil what we place on
our magazine covers; what we watch on the tube; what we teach our
children in our schools; and He considers evil what the leaders of the
churches do that we applaud and who we elect into our pastorate. Jesus
considers all those things evil that we dismiss today and say God no
longer cares if we do them or not. We are taught that God no longer
looks upon our sin because Jesus died for all sins. We are told that
God now turns a blind eye to what we do, just as long as we took a bath.
I have just one comment to
make in regard to this:
Hmmmm!
"Try those who say they are apostles."
Well, since John supposedly
outlived the other of the Apostles, we know they're not the ones who
are being tried. Who then are those claiming to
be apostles? Perhaps a question we might first ask is: just what is
an apostle?
According to the Greek
concordance an "apostle" is, and has been translated as such, a:
"Messenger, a commissioner, and he that is sent." By this then we might
consider anyone who comes to us with a message to be an apostle. The
question we must ask is: who sent the messenger (apostle)? what is the
purpose of the apostle, and the one who sent him?
and how credible is the message sent to us?
12But
what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which
desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we.
13For such are false
apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles
of Christ. 14And
no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15Therefore
it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the
ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according
to their works. (2Cor 11:)
We must try the messenger. What messenger do we see at least weekly if
we are regular attendees of a church?
Later we'll discover that
messages are sent to the "Angels of the churches." Did you know you
have angels in your church? You sure do. The word that's interpreted in
every case as "angel," is the very same word that's translated
"messenger," and by implication a "shepherd" since the word is derived
from the Greek word for "herd." That's right: your pastor is an angel,
a messenger, a sent out one, an apostle.
What is the message your
apostle is bringing you? Have you been trying the apostle sent to you?
11These
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:)
15Study
to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that
needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of
truth. 16But shun profane and
vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. (2Tim 2:)
When you stand before your Maker: what kind of a showing will you make?
Note that Acts tells us of a
people who had an open mind, they listened with readiness to what was
being told to them. I get from this they were not judging what they
hear according to their preconceived ideas and doctrines as did the
Pharisees (and those in the churches today). But neither were they
gullible. They searched the Scriptures to see if what they heard fit
with what the Bible tells them.
Keep in mind these were
probably Gentiles that were hearing the Word. And the New Testament
wasn't available to them as yet. So what Scriptures where these people
studying? Wouldn't it have to be the Old Testament?
The Jews knew the Old
Testament by heart. They grew up knowing the Old Testament. When the
Apostles were sent out to preach the Word, and when Philip talked to
the eunuch, they didn't have to preach many days worth of sermon in
order to
explain the advantages of being a Christian. The people (Jews) they
spoke to knew the Scriptures and anything they had to tell them as well
as did the disciples. All the disciples had to do is point at Jesus and
say "He's the One you've been reading about and waiting for." A little
bit of showing how the Scriptures had been fulfilled in Jesus is all
they needed.
Consider the woman at the
well in Samaria. Jesus spoke to this outcast woman in an outcast town
not accepted by the Jews, but who also studied and knew the Scriptures,
for just a short time. Then we read: "The woman then left her waterpot,
and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a man,
which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?" She,
as were the people of her village, knew of and were waiting for their
Messiah. She believed in Jesus with just a little prompting. She hadn't
been healed, or fed miraculously. Just words convinced her. Then we
read: "And many more believed because of his own word; And said unto
the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard
him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of
the world." We read of Peter's recognizing Jesus as the Christ, the Son
of God. Those who know the Old Testament will recognize Jesus as being
the One. Those who disregard the Old Testament as something
passé
cheat themselves from the true understanding of what God is telling us,
and who Jesus really is.
3And
hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured,
and hast not fainted. 4Nevertheless I have somewhat
against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. 5Remember
therefore from whence thou art
fallen, and repent, and do the first works;
This is a difficult passage to understand in this day and age. We are
not taught to have a "First Love," but rather that God loves us and
just wants to do everything wonderful for us. We are unable to return
to our first works, because we have never had works to begin with. In
fact we are taught that "works" is a naughty word that Jesus is
against. And as for repenting: What's that? The first time we were
supposed to repent is when we were baptized. Were you
told to repent and confess your sins as did the Christians of the
Bible? You may have heard the world "repent" on occasion: but did
anyone even bother to tell you what the word means? Did you even bother
to investigate what repent means, even though repentance is a key
factor in receiving that salvation you were after, and were supposedly
promised?
Or else I will come unto
thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his
place, except thou repent.
There's that word "repent" again. What are we supposed to repent from?
We read a lot in the Bible about what God considers to be sin. But of
course we know that doesn't apply any more to those of us wonderful
people who are under the blood.
Remove his candlestick? Does
Jesus mean like take away the church? Could that be a reason why the
churches are failing, and falling into the corruption of the World? and
why the churches are now using Worldly advertising methods and Worldly
entertainment to bring the World into the churches? Are our churches
falling into corruption in your opinion? If the churches are falling,
and if the churches are what God calls "heavens," then might the stars
of heaven that is to fall be those stars of our churches, and even the
churches themselves?
6But
this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the
Nicolaitanes, which I also hate. 7He
that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches;
Do you and your church hate the deeds of the Nicolaitanes? Do you even
know what deeds those are that the Nicolaitanes perform?
"They (the Nicolaitanes)
were seemingly a class of professing Christians, who sought to
introduce into the church a false freedom or
licentiousness, thus abusing Paul's doctrine of grace
(comp. 2 Peter 2:15,16,19), and were probably identical with those who
held the doctrine of Balaam (which see), Revelation 2:14." (From the
Easton's Bible Dictionary)
Wikipedia adds: "Nico" means
"conquer" in Greek, and "Laitan" refers to lay people, or laity; hence,
the word may be taken to mean "Lay conquerors" or
Conquerors of the Lay People."
Hmmm.
"Licentiousness (Disregarding
the rules of behavior, especially in sexual matters" (Oxford
Dictionary).
Are you wondering who these "lay" people might be that are being taught
to "do your own thing" and don't worry about the consequences that no
longer exist?
Here's an interesting quote I found on the web. It's not official, of
course, because what is? (Certainly nothing that I
say). It's just something for you to consider:
"In fact, I would go so
far as to say that the doctrine of the Nicolaitans exists still to this
day...only under another name (Unconditional Eternal Security)."
Lay: "Not ordained into
the clergy." (Oxford Dictionary).
The layity that is being taught, whatever is
taught in your church: is you. Do you check to
make sure you're not being taught the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes?
To him that
overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which
is in the midst of the paradise of God.
"To him that overcomes." What does it mean to overcome? Do you have
this explained to you in church? Are you perhaps told that the mere
fact you were baptized and come to that church you are automatically an
"overcomer" who will inherite eteranal life? Aren't you the lucky one
though? The Jews had to go fourty years in the wilderness after
spending over 400 years in slavery to even think
of receiving anything at all from God. They had to go though a very
strict sacrificial system to even remain a part of their nation. The
Apostles and the early Christians had to face lions and fire and all
other forms of persecution to be part of the Church. And all you have
to do it take a bath. Just imagine. If only you and they could have
swapped places, wouldn't that make them happy?
Here's some verses about overcoming. Pay close heed because you're
going to see that word a lot in the next few Scriptures. It's almost as
if God wants us to pay attention to this concept. I wonder why since
everyone who's taken a bath is already an overcomer. I guess it's like
Paul said:
10As
it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11There
is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12They
are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable;
there is none that doeth good, no, not one. (Romans 3:)
And Isaiah:
8For
my thoughts are
not your thoughts, neither are
your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9For as
the heavens are higher than the earth, so
are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah
55:)
This is what the Bible tells us about overcoming:
21To
him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne,
even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father
in his throne. 22He
that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
(Rev 3:)
32Behold,
the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every
man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone,
because the Father is with me. 33These things I
have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye
shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have
overcome the world. (John 16:)
How did Jesus "overcome the world"? In the above verses Jesus was
preparing His disciples for His coming crucifixion. So, how do you
suppose He overcame the world?
29And
now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to
pass, ye might believe. 30Hereafter I will not
talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh,
and hath nothing in me. (John 14:)
14I
have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that
is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men,
because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you,
and ye have overcome the wicked one.
(1John 2:)
2By
this we know that we love the children of God, when we
love God, and keep his commandments. 3For
this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments:
and his commandments are not grievous. 4For
whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this
is the victory that overcometh the world, even
our faith. 5Who is he that overcometh the world,
but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
(1John 5:)
[ I think a note is in order here. Eternal security is taught by the
pastors from this Scripture. But look at it carefully. Notice the
condition that must be met. Notice the word "believe." For this to be
seen as a security clause, then the "keep His commandments" clauses
must be ignored. And "believe" becomes nothing but a mental consent. If
this is the case, then even the most Worldly of churches are
"overcomers." Can you think of a denomination or two that you feel
won't make it? Yet they fit this criteria of overcoming just as much as
you or I do?
I would suggest that the
only ones who needn't concern themselves with this Scripture are those
like Paul who are reaching for the higher calling.]
29Jesus
answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the
scriptures, nor the power of God. (Mat 22:)
This passage could very well be misunderstood. These men knew the
Scriptures forwards and backwards. What Jesus is pointing out is that
they knew the Scriptures too well, and what they
knew overpowered what God is saying:
3Why
do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?
....... Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none
effect by your tradition. 7Ye
hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, 8This
people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with
their lips; but their heart is far from me. 9But in
vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines
the commandments of men. (Mat 15:)
We think we're above putting our traditions and our doctrines above the
Word of God. This is one of our biggest problems, that of not
recognizing we are standing under the same judgement the Pharisees
found themselves under. We are the blind following the blind, and
because of our ego and our blindness, we believe that darkness is
natural and light is to be avoided at all cost.
In the example above the
Scribes and the Pharisees were trying to catch Jesus in His Words by
using Scripture against Him. This is not uncommon, Satan did this very
thing with Jesus during His tempting in the wilderness, as did the
serpent with Eve in the Garden of Eden. Satan and his ministering
angels know the Scriptures far better than do you and I. Because of our
lack of knowledge and our inability to understand the Word, we have to
remain very close, under the apron we might say, of the One who is
the Word. When we come out from behind our shield and try to do battle
with Satan on Scriptural ground, we're then playing in Satan's ball
park, and we're bound to lose.
45Then
opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,
(Mat 24:)
25These
things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. 26But
the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my
name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your
remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. (John 14:)
The Apostles knew the Scriptures inside and out. But they didn't understand
what they knew. Even following Jesus three years and listening to His
every word did not change the fact that they were in the dark. Evidence
of this lack of understanding is seen in the fact that they
acknowledged Jesus as being the Messiah, the Son of God; yet when Jesus
was crucified, they ran and hid, thinking that everything was lost.
They doubted their own beliefs. It took Jesus opening their eyes to
what they already knew for them to understand. This is the same with
you and me. We can know the Bible like the back of our hand, but until
Jesus opens up our understanding through the Holy Spirit, we can not
begin to understand what He is saying.
2And
Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned
with them out of the scriptures, 3Opening
and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again
from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ. 4And
some of them believed, (Acts 17:)
25This
man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being
fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the
things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. 26And
he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and
Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and
expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly. 27And
when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting
the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much
which had believed through grace: 28For he
mightily convinced the Jews, and that publicly, showing
by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ. (Acts 18:)
10Jesus
answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel,
and knowest not these things? 11Verily,
verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and
testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our
witness. 12If I have told you earthly things,
and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you
of heavenly things? (John 3:)
13But
evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being
deceived. 14But continue thou in the
things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of
whom thou hast learned them; 15And that
from a child thou hast known the holy
scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto
salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16All
scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness: (2Tim 3:)
"We teach what we do know." Nicodemus was a leader, and since he was
part of the Sanhedrin, he had superior knowledge of the Bible. Yet we
see that he knew and understood little to nothing about what Jesus was
saying. Timothy on the other hand was born of a mixed marriage. His
father was a pagan Gentile and his mother was a devout Jew. His mother
instructed him well in the ways of God, so much so that, unlike
Nicodemus, he recognized the truth when he heard it.
Notice how often all that Paul
and the others had to do was point at (preach) Jesus in order for their
listeners to understand and believe. That's because they, the
listeners, already knew the Scriptures, just as did the Samaritan woman
at the well.
In the above passages we see
there was a man fervent in the Lord, and preaching the Word as he
understood it. But his understanding was limited. Today we're very much
the same way. We are taught, and preach what we know. And what we know
is not the Bible, but our interpretation of the
Bible as we believe it to be.
Unlike the man who had to be
more perfectly instructed in the Word, the preachers (and us as well)
are not willing to be instructed beyond what we already think we know.
This causes a blindness, both of the teachers, and of those being
taught.
When we read, we don't read what is written. Instead we read into
what is written that which we already think we know and what we have
been taught. Very often in fact we merely skim over the words in a
section that appears to be saying what we already "know," and we either
look for something new, or we look for something different than what we
know. If what we find is different than what we believe, we stop our
skimming and begin to read. If what we read disagrees with what we
know, we look at what is written with a critical eye, trying to find
the flaws in a given portion of that writing, without considering how
that portion is applied, since so much of what is written has been
missed by our skimming. If, on the other hand, what we read agrees with
what we already believe, we study what is written with a favorable eye,
looking for the valid points that were made in order to strengthen our
own suppositions.
What we know, that is, what
we've been taught we consider to be of vital importance. If we've been
taught that we have all the information we need and that anything we
hear outside of what we're taught is wrong, then we will discount any
other view, and very likely discount the one who holds that opinion as
well.
Human nature is made up of a
mixture of ego and self-serving. Everything is directed toward us. We
are the center of our own universe, and the poles around which the rest
of the universe must revolve as well. When something upsets our
universe, we rebel, and we do all we can to cast it out of our way. Our
ego, especially the ego of the educated, will discount anything that
differs with it. The Pharisees were noted for doing this very thing,
even to the point of killing their Messiah. We are right, and even God
is wrong when He disagrees with our opinion. We will twist God's Word
to make it conform to our beliefs, and if the Word refuses to twist, we
will discount it all together, stating that it is an error in the
transcription.
If however we have been
taught (which is highly unlikely) that we can never obtain truth, and
that truth is elusive and must be sought diligently: then we are much
more likely to find what is closer to truth itself, and at the same
time we will be more tolerant of those who hold contradictory views,
realizing that no one is the holder of truth except God Himself.
19Brethren,
if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert
him; 20Let him know, that he
which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul
from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins. (James
5:)
1I
charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall
judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; 2Preach
the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort
with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3For
the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after
their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching
ears; 4And they shall turn away their
ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. (2Tim 4:)
What I present here and in my other pages is hard to swallow. It
doesn't say what you (or I) want to hear, and it nowhere near fits the
doctrines of any of the churches. It only makes sense that you will
discount what I say, in spite of the overwhelming evidence I present. I
expect my words to be rejected. I'm prepared for that, and I fully
understand the need for such a rejection. Only one thing: When we stand
before the Throne, don't point at me and say "Why didn't you tell me!"
|