“This book has shocked me to the core. No wonder the writer warns that ‘if you are not willing to have your Christianity seriously examined do not read this book. Spare yourself the trouble of having your Christian life turned upside down!’ Wow. I think this book just took my Christianity to a whole new level of understanding! I am shell shocked that I did not know any of this. Every Christian should read this book. If they dare.” Karen Cochran
Pagan Christianity by Frank Viola and George Barna
“The Christian faith was born in believer’s homes, yet every Sunday morning, scores of Christians sit in a building with pagan origins that is based upon Pagan Philosophy”.
“We somehow have been taught to feel holier when we are in ‘the house of God’ and have inherited a pathological dependency upon edifice to carry out our worship to God”.
“We are doing great damage to the message of the New testament by calling man made buildings ‘churches’.
“The order of worship includes threefold structure: (1) singing, (2) the sermon, and (3) closing prayer or song. This order of worship is viewed as sacrosanct in the eyes of many present-day Christians. But why? Again, it is due simply to the titanic power of tradition. And that tradition has set the Sunday morning order of worship in concrete … never to be moved”.
“As Will Durant, author of The Story of Civilization put it, Pagan isles remained in the spreading Christian sea. This was a tragic shift from the primitive simplicity that the church of Jesus Christ first knew”.
“We so easily forget that the early Christians turned the world upside down without them”.
“Our study of the liturgical history of the Lutheran (sixteenth century), Reformed (sixteenth century), Puritans (sixteenth century), Methodists (eighteenth century), Frontier-Revivalists (eighteenth to nineteenth centuries), and Pentecostals (twentieth century) uncovers one inescapable point: For the last five hundred years, the Protestant order of worship has undergone minimal change”. Pg.73 .
“As one author put it, ‘The Reformers accepted in substance the ancient Catholic pattern of worship…the basic structures of their services were almost universally taken from the late medieval orders of various sorts'”. pg 74
“In the end, then, the Reformers reformed the Catholic liturgy only slightly. Their main contribution was in changing the central focus. In the words of one scholar, ‘Catholicism increasingly followed the path of the (pagan) cults in making a rite the center of its activities, and Protestantism followed the path of the synagogue in placing the book at the center of it’s services’. Unfortunately, neither Catholics nor Protestants were successful in allowing Jesus Christ to be the center and head of their gatherings. Nor were they successful at liberating and unleashing the body of Christ to minister one to another in the gathering, as the New Testament envisions”. pg 74
“Because of the Reformation the Bible replaced the Eucharist and the Pastor replaced the priest. But there is still a directing of God’s people, rendering them as silent spectators. The centrality of the Author of the book was never restored. Hence, the Reformers dramatically failed to put their finger on the nerve of the original problem: a clergy-led worship service attended by a passive laity. It is not surprising, then, that the Reformers viewed themselves as reformed Catholics”. pg. 74
“Not only is the traditional order of service unscriptural and heavily influenced by paganism (which runs contrary to what is often preached from the pulpit), it does not lead to the spiritual growth God intended”. pg 75
“The Protestant order of worship represses mutual participation and growth of Christian community. It puts a choke hold on the functioning of the body of Christ by silencing its members. There is absolutely no room for anyone to give a word of exhortation, share an insight, start or introduce a song, or spontaneously lead a prayer. You are forced to be a muted, staid pew holder! You are prevented from being enriched by the other members of the body as well as being able to enrich them yourself”. pg 75
The Protestant order of worship strangles the headship of Jesus Christ. The entire service is directed by one person. You are limited to the knowledge, gifting, and experience of one member of the body- the Pastor. Where is the freedom for our Lord Jesus to speak through his body at will? Where in the liturgy may God give a brother or sister a word to share with the whole congregation? The order of worship allows for no such thing. Jesus Christ has no freedom to express Himself through His body at his discretion. He too is rendered a passive spectator”. pg 76
“Every Sunday you attend the service to be bandaged and recharged like all the other wounded soldiers. Far to often, however, the bandaging and the recharging never takes place. The reason is quite simple. The New Testament never links sitting through an ossified ritual that we mislabel “church” as having anything to do with spiritual transformation. We grow by functioning, not by passively watching and listening”. pg 77
“Let’s face it. The Protestant order of worship is largely unscriptural, impractical, and unspiritual. It has no analog in the New Testament. Rather, it finds its roots in the culture of fallen man. It rips at the heart of primitive Christianity, which was informal and free of ritual. Five centuries after the Reformation, the Protestant order of worship still varies little from Catholic Mass-a Religious ritual that is a fusion of pagan and Judaistic elements” pg. 77
“In fact, when the church functions as she should, she is the greatest evangelism known to humankind. When God’s people are living in authentic community, their lives together are a sign to the world of God’s coming reign”. pg. 82
“Remove the sermon and you have eliminated the most important source of spiritual nourishment for countless numbers of believers (so it is thought). Yet the stunning reality is that today’s sermon has no root in Scripture. Rather, it was borrowed from pagan culture, nursed and adopted into the Christian faith”. pg. 86
“The New Testament letters show that ministry of God’s Word came from the entire church in their regular gatherings. From Romans 12: 6-8, 15: 14, 1 Corinthians 14:26, and Colossians 3:16, we see that it included teaching, exhortation, prophecy, singing, and admonishment. This “every-member” functioning was also conversational (1 Corinthians 14:29) and marked by interruptions (1 14:30). Equally so, the exhortation of the local elders were normally impromptu.
In Short, the contemporary sermon delivered for Christians consumption is foreign to both Old and New Testaments. There is nothing in Scripture to indicate it’s existence in the early Christian gatherings”. pg. 88
“The Christian sermon was borrowed from the pagan pool of Greek culture”! pg. 89
“The sermon was conceived in the womb of Greek rhetoric. It was born into the Christian community when pagans-turned-Christians began to bring their oratorical styles of speaking into the church. By the third century, it became common for Christian leaders to deliver a sermon. By the fourth century it became the norm”. pg.101
“Nevertheless, despite the fact that the contemporary sermon does not have a shred of biblical merit to support it’s existence, it continues to be uncritically admired in the eyes of most present-day Christians. It has become so entrenched in the Christian mind that most Bible-believing pastors and Laymen fail to see that they are affirming and perpetuating an unscriptural practice out of sheer tradition. The sermon has become permanently embedded in a complex organizational structure that is far removed from the first-century church life”. pg. 102
“The first-century church planters had a deep and profound revelation(or insight) of Jesus Christ. They knew him, and they knew him well. He was their life, their breath, and their reason for living. They, in turn, imparted that same revelation to the churches they planted. John 1: 1-3 is a good example of this dynamic .
Paul of Tarsus preached a message of Christ that was so profound that it caused immoral, blood-drinking pagans to become full-fledged Christians in love with Jesus Christ in just a few short months. (These new believers made up the churches of Pisidian, Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, Derbe, Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea (Acts13-17). Paul shared the depths of Christ with them in such a way that they knew that they were holy in His eyes and that they could know Him internally, for Christ indwelt them. This profound, personal understanding of the indwelling Christ affected how they gathered together and what they did in those gatherings.
Furthermore, Paul typically spent several months with these new converts then left them on their own for long periods of time, sometimes years. And when he returned, they were still gathering together, still loving one another, and still following their Lord.
What kind of gospel did he preach to cause this kind of remarkable effect? He called it “the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Ephesians 3:8) To put it another way, he submerged them in a revelation of Jesus Christ”. pg.103
“THE PASTOR. He is the fundamental figure of the Protestant faith. So prevailing is the pastor in the minds of most Christians that he is often better known, more highly praised, and more heavily relied upon than Jesus Christ himself!
Remove the pastor and most Protestant churches would be thrown into a panic. Remove the pastor, and Protestantism as we know it would die. The pastor is the dominating focal point, mainstay, and centerpiece of the contemporary church. He is the embodiment of Protestant Christianity”. pg. 106
“With the fall came an implicit desire in people to have a physical leader to bring them to God. For this reason, human societies throughout history have consistently created a special caste of revered Religious leaders. The medicine man, the shaman, the rhapsodist, the miracle worker, the witch doctor, the soothsayer, the wise man, and the priest have all been with us since Adam’s blunder. And this person is always marked by special training, special garb, a special vocabulary, and special way of life”. pg.108
“Up until the second century, the church has no official leadership. That it had leaders is without dispute. But leadership was unofficial in the sense that there were no religious “offices” or sociological slots to fill. New Testament scholarship makes this abundantly clear.
In this regard, the first-century churches were an oddity indeed. They were religious groups without priests, temple, or sacrifice. The Christians themselves led the church under Christ’s direct headship. Leaders were organic, untitled, and were recognized by their service and spiritual maturity rather than by a title or an office.
Among the flock were the elders(shepherds or overseers). These men all had equal standing. There was no hierarchy among them. Also present were extra-local workers who planted churches. These were called the “sent ones” or apostles. But they did not take up residency in the churches for which they cared. Nor did they control them. The vocabulary of the New Testament leadership allows no pyramidal structures. It is rather a language of horizontal relationships that includes exemplary action”. pg.110
“Because the presbyters were the ones administering the Lord’s Supper, they began to be called priests. More startling, the bishop came to be regarded as the high priest who could forgive sins! All of these trends obscured the New Testament reality that all believers are priests unto God.
By the fourth century, this graded hierarchy dominated the Christian faith. The clergy caste was now cemented. At the head of the church stood the bishop. Under him was the college of presbyters. Under them stood the deacons. And under all of them were the Laymen. One-bishop rule became the accepted form of church government throughout the Roman Empire. (During this time, certain churches began to exercise authority over other churches-thus broadening the hierarchical structure)”. pg.115
“Strikingly, only three passages in the New Testament tell us that elders were publicly recognized. Elders were acknowledged in the churches in Galatia (Acts 14: 23). Paul had Timothy acknowledge elders in Ephesus (1 Timothy 3:1ff). He also told Titus to recognize them in the churches in Crete (Titus 1:5ff).
The word ordain (KJV) in these passages does not mean to place into office. It rather carries the idea of endorsing, affirming, and showing forth what has already been happening. It also conveys the thought of blessing. Public recognition of elders and ministries was typically accompanied by the laying on of hands by apostolic workers. (In the case of workers being sent out, this was done by the church or the elders).
In the first century, the laying on of hands merely meant the endorsement or affirmation of function, not the installment into an office or the giving of special status. Regrettably, it came to mean the latter in the late second and early third centuries.
During the third century, ordination took on an entirely different meaning. It was a formalized Christian rite. By the fourth century, the ceremony of ordination was embellished by the symbolic garments and solemn ritual. Ordination produced an ecclesiastical caste that usurped the believing priesthood.
From where did Christians get their pattern of ordination? They patterned their ordination ceremony after the Roman custom of appointing men to civil office. The entire process, down to the very words, came straight from the Roman civic world”. pgs.124-125
“The contemporary practice of ordination creates a special caste of Christian. Whether it be the priest in Catholicism or the pastor in the Protestantism, the result is still the same: The most important ministry is restricted to a few”special” believers.
Such an idea is as damaging as it is nonscriptural. The New Testament nowhere limits preaching, baptizing, or distributing the Lord’s Supper to the “ordained”. Eminent scholar James D. G. Dunn put it best when he said that the clergy-laity tradition has done more to undermine New Testament authority than most heresies.
Since church office could only be hold through the rite of ordination, the power to ordain became the crucial issue in holding religious authority. The biblical content was lost. And proof-texting methods were used to justify the clergy/laity hierarchy. Perhaps the best-known example is the early Catholics’ use of Matthew 16 to justify the creation of a papal system and the doctrine of apostolic succession. The result: Ordinary believers, generally uneducated and ignorant, were at the mercy of a professional clergy”. pg.127
“The New Testament word for minister is diakonos. It means ‘servant’. But this word has been distorted because men have professionalized the ministry. We have taken the word minister and equated it with the pastor, with no scriptural justification whatsoever. In like manner, we have mistakenly equated preaching and ministry with pulpit, sermon, again without biblical justification”. pg.136
“The unscriptural clergy/laity distinction has done untold harm to the body of Christ. It has divided the believing community into first and second-class Christians. The clergy/laity dichotomy perpetuates an awful falsehood-namley, that some Christians are more privileged than others to serve the Lord.
The one-man ministry is entirely foreign to the New Testament, yet we embrace it while it suffocates our functioning. We are living stones, not dead ones. However, the pastoral office has transformed us into stones that do not breathe.
Permit us to get personal. We believe the pastoral office has stolen your right to function as a full member of Christ’s body. It has distorted the reality of the body, making the pastor a giant mouth and transforming you into a tiny ear. It has rendered you a mute spectator who is proficient at taking sermon notes and passing an offering plate.
But that is not all. The modern-day pastoral office has overthrown the main thrust of the letter to the Hebrews-the ending of old priesthood. It has made ineffectual the teaching of 1 Corinthians 12-14, that every member has both the right and the privilege to minister in a church meeting. It has voided the message of 1 Peter 2 that every brother and sister is a functioning priest”. pg. 136
“But there is something more. The contemporary pastorate rivals the functioning headship of Christ in his church. It illegitimately holds the unique place of centrality and headship among God’s people, a place that is reserved for only one Person-the Lord Jesus. Jesus Christ is the only head over a church and the final word to it. By his office, the pastor displaces and supplants Christ’s headship by setting himself up as the church’s human head”. pg. 137
“The contemporary pastor is the most unquestioned fixture in the twenty-first century Christianity. Yet not a strand of Scripture supports the existence of this office.
Rather, the present-day pastor was born out of the single-bishop rule first spawned by the Ignatius and Cyprian. The bishop evolved into the local presbyter. In the Middle Ages, the presbyter grew into the the Catholic priest. During the Reformation, he was transformed into the “preacher”, “the minister”, and finally “the pastor”-the person upon whom all of the Protestantism hangs. To boil it down to one sentence: The Protestant pastor is nothing more than a slightly reformed Catholic priest. (Again, we are speaking of the office and not the individual.)
Catholic priests had seven duties at the time of the Reformation: preaching; the sacraments; prayers for the flock; a disciplined, godly life; church rites; supporting the poor; and visiting the sick. The Protestant pastor takes upon himself all of these responsibilities-plus he sometimes blesses civic events.
The famed poet John Milton put it best when he said, “New presbyter is but old priest writ large!” In other words, the contemporary pastor is but an old priest written in large letters! ” pg. 141
“Leading up to the sermon, those who “lead worship” select the songs that are to be sung. They begin those songs. They decide how those songs are to be sung. And they decide when those songs are over. Those sitting in the audience in no way, shape, or form lead the singing. They are led by someone else who is often part of the clerical staff-or who has similar stature.
This is in stark contrast to the first-century way. In the early church, worship and singing were in the hands of all of God’s people. The church herself led her own songs. Singing and leading songs was a corporate affair, not a professional event led by specialists”. pg. 158
“In 1962, a group of dissatisfied British church musicians in Dunblane, Scotland, tried to revitalize traditional Christian songs. Led by Congregational minister Erik Routley, these artists were influenced by Bob Dylan and Sydney Carter. George Shorney Jr.of Hope Publishing Company brought their new style to the United States. These new Christian hymns were a reform, but not a revolution. The revolution came when rock and roll was adapted into Christian music with the coming of the Jesus movement. This reform set the stage for the revolutionary musical changes to take root in the Christian church through Calvay Chapel and the Vineyard.
The origin of the worship team goes back to the founding Calvary Chapel in 1965. Chuck Smith, the founder of the denomination, started a ministry for hippies and surfers. Smith welcomed the newly converted hippies to retune their guitars and play their now redeemed music in church. He gave the counterculture a stage for their music in church .He gave the counterculture a stage for their music-allowing them to play Sunday night performances and concerts. The new musical forms began to be called “praise and worship”. As the Jesus movement began to flourish, Smith founded the record company Maranatha Music in the early 1970s. It’s goal was to distribute the songs of these young artists.
In due time, the guitar replaced the organ as the central instrument that led worship in the Protestant church. Although patterned after the rock concert of secular culture, the worship team has become as common as the pulpit”. pg. 166
“I (Frank) am no theoretician. For almost twenty years I have gathered with churches where every member has been trained to start a song spontaneously. Imagine: Every brother and sister free to lead songs under the headship of Jesus Christ-even to write his or her own songs and bring them to the meeting for all to learn. I have met with numerous churches that have experienced this glorious dynamic. Someone starts a song and everyone joins in. Then someone else begins another song, and so worship continues without long pauses and with no visible leader present.
This is exactly how the first-century Christians worshipped, by the way. Yet it is a rare experience in the modern-day institutional church. The good news is that it is possible and available for all who wish to experience Christ’s headship through song in a church meeting. The singing in such churches is intensely corporate rather than individualistic and subjective”. pg 167
“Tithing is mentioned only four times in the New Testament. But none of these instances apply to Christians. Tithing belonged to the Old Testament era where a taxation system was needed to support the poor and a special priesthood that had been set apart to minister to the Lord. With the coming of Jesus Christ, there has been a “change of the law”-the old has been “set aside” and rendered obsolete by the new (Hebrews 7:12-18, 8:13
We are all priests now-free to function in God’s house. The law, the old priesthood, and the tithe have all been crucified. There is now no Temple curtain, no Temple tax and no special priesthood that stands between God and man. You have been set free from the bondage of tithing and from the obligation to support the umbilical clergy system. May you, like the first-century Macedonian Christians, give freely, out of a cheerful heart, without guilt, religious obligation, or manipulation… generously helping those in need (2 Corinthians 8:1-4; 9:6-7)”. pg. 183
“In the early church, converts were baptized immediately upon believing. One scholar says of baptism and conversion, “They belong together. Those who repented and believed the Word were baptized. That was the invariable pattern, so far as we know.” Another writes “At the birth of the church, converts were baptized with little or no delay.”
In the first century, water baptism was the outward confession of a person’s faith. But more than that, it was the way someone came to the Lord. For this reason, the confession of baptism is vitally linked to the exercise of saving faith. So much so that the New Testament writers often use baptism in place of the word faith and link it to being “saved”. This is because baptism was the early Christian’s initial confession of faith in Christ.
Baptism accompanied the acceptance of the gospel. For example, when Lydia heard Paul preach the gospel, she believed and was immediately baptized with her household (Acts 16:14-15). In the same way, when Paul led the Philippian jailor and his household to the Lord, they were immediately baptized (Acts 16:30-33). This was the New Testament pattern (see Acts 2:41, 8:12, 35-37). Baptism marked a complete break with the past and full entrance into Christ and His church. Baptism was simultaneously an act of faith as well as an expression of faith.” pgs. 188-189.
“Through our tradition, we have evacuated the true meaning and power behind water baptism. Properly conceived and practiced, water baptism is the believer’s initial confession of faith before men, demons, angels, and God. Baptism is a visible sign that depicts our separation from the world, our death with Christ, the burial of our old man, the death of the old creation, and the washing of the Word of God.
Water baptism is the New Testament form of conversion-initiation. It is God’s idea. To replace it with the human-invented sinners prayer is to deplete baptism of its God-given testimony.
In the same vein , the Lord’s Supper, when separated from its proper context of full meal, turns into a strange, pagan-like rite.The supper has become an empty ritual officiated by a clergyman, rather than a shared-life experience enjoyed by the church. It has become a morbid religious exercise, rather than a joyous festival-a stale individualistic ceremony, rather than a meaningful cooperate event.
As one scholar put it, “It is not in doubt that the Lord’s Supper began as a family meal or meal of friends in a private house… the Lord’s Supper moved from being a real meal into being a symbolic meal…the Lord’s Supper moved from bare simplicity to elaborate slender…the celebration of the Lord’s Supper moved from being a lay function to a priestly function. In the New Testament itself, there is no indication that it was the special privilege or duty of anyone to lead the worshipping fellowship in the Lord’s Supper”. pgs 196-197
“In the minds of most Christians, formal Christians education qualifies a person to do the Lord’s work. Unless a Christian has graduated from Bible College or seminary, he or she is viewed as being a “para”-minister. A pseudo Christian worker. Such a person cannot preach, teach, baptize, or administer the Lord’s Supper since he or she has not been formally trained to do such things…right?
The idea that a Christian worker must attend Bible college or seminary to be legitimate is deeply ingrained-so much so that when people feel a “call” of God on their lives, they are conditioned to begin hunting for a Bible College or seminary to attend
Such thinking fits poorly with the early Christian mind-set. Bible colleges, seminaries, and even Sunday Schools were utterly absent from the early church. All are human innovations that came hundreds of years after the Apostles’ death.
How, then, were Christian workers trained in the first century if they did not go to a religious school? Unlike today’s ministerial training, first-century training was hands-on, rather than academic. It was a matter of apprenticeship, rather than of intellectual learning. It was aimed primarily at the spirit, rather than at the frontal lobe.
In the first century, those called to the Lord’s work were trained in two ways:(1) They learned the essentials lessons of Christian ministry by living a shared life with a group of Christians. In other words, they were trained by experiencing body life as nonleaders. (2) They learned the Lord’s work under the tutelage of an older, seasoned worker.” pgs.199-200
“The teaching of the New Testament is that God is Spirit, and as such, He is known by revelation ( spiritual insight) to one’s human spirit. Reason and intellect can cause us to know about God. And they help us to communicate what we know. But they fall short in giving us spiritual revelation. The intellect is not the gateway for knowing the Lord deeply. Neither are emotions. In the words of A.W.Tozer: “Divine truth is of the nature of the spirit and for that reason can be only by spiritual revelation…God’s thoughts belong to the world of spirit, man’s to the world of intellect, and while spirit can embrace intellect, the human intellect can never comprehend spirit.
…Man by reason cannot know God; he can only know about God.
… Man’s reason is a fine instrument and useful within its field. It was not given as an organ by which to know God.” pg. 206
“Instead of offering the cure to the ills of the church, our theological schools worsen them by assuming ( and even defending) all of the unscriptural practices that produce them.
The words of one pastor sum up the problem nicely: “I came through the whole system with the best education that evangelicalism had to offer-yet I really didn’t receive the training that I needed… seven years years of higher education in top-rated evangelical schools didn’t prepare me to (1) do ministry and (2) be a leader. I began to analyze why I could preach a great sermon and people afterwards would shake my hand and say, ‘Great Sermon, Pastor.’ But these were the very people who were struggling with self-esteem, beating their spouses, struggling as workaholics, succumbing to their addictions. Their lives weren’t changing. I had to ask myself why this great knowledge I was presenting didn’t move from their
heads to their hearts and their lives. And I began to realize that breakdown in the church was actually based on what we learned in seminary. We were taught that if you just give people information, that’s enough!” pg. 218
“WHY IS IT THAT WE CHRISTIANS can follow the same rituals every Sunday without ever noticing that they are at odds with the New Testament? The incredible power of tradition has something to do with it As we have seen, the church has often been influenced by the surrounding culture, seemingly unaware of it’s negative effects. At other times, it has, quite properly, recognized overt threats- such as heretical teachings about the person and divinity of Jesus Christ. But in an effort to combat those threats, it has moved away from the organic structure that God wrote into the church’s DNA .
But there is something else- something more fundamental that most Christians are completely unaware of. It concerns our New Testament. The problem is not in what the New Testament says. The problem is in how we approach it.
The approach most commonly used among contemporary Christians when studying the Bible is called “proof texting”. The origin of proof texting goes back to the 1590s. A group of men called Protestant scholastics took the teachings of the Reformers and systematized them according to the rules of Aristotelian logic.
The Protestant scholastics held that not only is the Scripture the Word of God, but every part of it is the Word of God in and of itself-irrespective of context. This set the stage for the idea that if we lift a verse out of the bible, it is true in it’s own right and can be used to prove a doctrine or a practice.
When John Darby emerged in the mid-1800s, he built a theology based on this approach. Darby raised proof texting to an art form. In fact, it was Darby who gave fundamentalist and evangelical Christians a good deal of their presently accepted teachings. All of them are built on the proof-texting method. Proof texting, then, became the common way that we contemporary Christians approach the Bible.
As a result, we Christians rarely, if ever, get to see the New Testament as a whole. Rather, we are served up a dish of fragmented thoughts that are drawn together by means of fallen human logic. The fruit of this approach is that we have strayed far afield from the practice of the New Testament church. Yet we still believe we are being biblical”. pgs 222-223
“Seminaries and Bible college students alike are rarely if ever given a panoramic view of the free-flowing story of the early church with the New Testament books arranged in chronological order. As a result, most Christians are completely out of touch with the social and historical events that lay behind each of the New Testament letters Instead, they have turned the New Testament into a manual that can be wielded to prove any point. Chopping the Bible up into fragments makes this relatively easy to pull off.
.We Christians have been taught to approach the Bible in one of eight ways. See how many that apply to you, you can tick off with a pencil:
.You look for verses that inspire you. Upon finding such verses, you either highlight, memorize, meditate upon, or put them on your refrigerator door.
.You look for verses that tell you what God has promised so that you can confess it in faith and thereby obligate the Lord to do what you want.
.You look for verses that tell you what God commands you to do
.You look for verses that you can quote to scare the devil out of his wits or resist him in the hour of temptation..
.You look for verses that will prove your particular doctrine so that you can slice and dice your theological sparring partner into biblical ribbons. (Because of the proof-texting method, a vast wasteland of Christianity behaves as if the mere citation of some random, decontextualized verses of Scripture ends all discussion on virtually any subject).
.You look for verses in the bible to control and /or correct others.
. You look for verses that “preach” well and make good sermon material. (This is an ongoing addiction for many who preach and teach).
.You somethimes close your eyes, flip open the bible randomly, stick your finger on a page, read what the text says, and then take what you have read as a personal “word” from the Lord.
Now look at the list again.Which of these approaches have you used? Look again: Notice how each is highly individualistic. All of them put you, the individual Christian, at the center. Each approach ignores the fact that most of the New Testament was written to corporate bodies of people (churches), not to individuals.
But that’s not all. Each of those approaches is built on isolated proof texting. Each treats the New Testament like a manual and blinds us to its real message. It is no wonder that we can approvingly nod our heads at paid pastors, the Sunday morning order of worship, sermons, church buildings, religious dress, choirs, worship teams, seminaries, and a passive priesthood all without wincing.
We have been taught to approach the Bible like a jigsaw puzzle. Most of us have never been told the entire story that lies behind the letters that Paul, Peter, James, John, and Jude wrote. We have been taught chapters and verses, not the historical context.
For instance, have you ever been given the story behind Paul’s letter to the Galatians? Before nodding, see if you can answer these questions off the top of your head: Who were the Galatians? What were their issues? When and why did Paul write to them? What happened just before Paul penned his Galatian treatise? Where was he when he wrote it? What provoked him to write the letter? And where in Acts do you find the historical context for his letter? All of these background matters are indispensable for understanding what our New Testament is about. Without them, we simply cannot understand the Bible clearly or properly”. pgs. 229-231
“What do we mean by first-century styled church? It is group of people who know how to experience Jesus Christ and express Him in a meeting without any human officiation. Such a group of people can function organically together as a body when they are left on their own after the church planter leaves them. ( This does not mean that church planters never return. There are many times when they are needed to help the church. But after planting a church, church planters should be absent more than they are present.)
The one who plants a first-century styled church leaves that church without a pastor, elders, a music leader, a Bible facilitator, or a Bible teacher. If that church is planted well, those believers will know how to sense and follow the living, breathing headship of Jesus Christ in a meeting. They will know how to let Him invisibly lead their gatherings. They will bring their own songs, they will write their own songs, they minister out of what Christ has shown them-with no human leader present! What is described here is not an armchair philosophy. I (Frank) have worked with churches that fit this bill.
To equip people to do that takes a lot more than opening up your house and saying, “Come, let’s have Bible study”. pg. 234
“Unlike Christians today, the early Christians did not share Christ out of guilt, command, or duty. They shared Him because He was pouring out of them, and they could not help it! It was a spontaneous, organic thing-born out of life, not guilt.” pg.237
“We do well to pay attention to the way that churches were raised up in the first century. I believe that scripture holds for us enduring principles on this score. If you count all the churches mentioned in the New Testament, you’ll find about thirty-five. Everyone of them was planted or aided by a traveling church planter who preached only Christ. There were no exceptions. The church was raised up as a result of the apostolic presentation of Jesus Christ.” pg. 238
“Jesus was never a rabble-rouser nor a ranting rebel (Matthew 12:19-20). Yet He constantly defied the traditions of the scribes and Pharisees. And He did not do so by accident, but with great deliberation. The Pharisees were those who, for the sake of the “truth” as they saw I, tried to extinguish the truth they could not see. This explains why there was always a blizzard of controversy between the ‘tradition of the elders’ and the acts of Jesus.
Someone once said that ‘a rebel attempts to change the past; a revolutionary attempts to change the future’. Jesus Christ brought drastic change to the world. Change to man’s view of God …. Change to men’s view of women. Our Lord came to bring radical change to the old order of things, replacing it with a new order. He came to bring forth a new covenant – a new Kingdom – a new birth – a new race – a new species – a new new culture – and a new civilization.
As you read through the Gospels, behold your Lord, the Revolutionary. Watch him throw the Pharisees into a panic by intentionally flaunting their conventions. Numerous times Jesus healed on the Sabbath day, flatly breaking their cherished traditions. If the Lord wanted to placate His enemies, He could have waited until Sunday or Monday to heal some of these people. Instead, he deliberately healed on the Sabbath, knowing full well it would make His opponents livid.
This pattern runs deep. In one instance, Jesus healed a blind man by mixing clay with spittle and putting it in the man’s eyes. Such an act was in direct defiance of the Jewish ordinance that prohibited healing on the Sabbath by mixing mud with Spittle! Yet your Lord intentionally shattered this tradition publicly and with absolute resolve .Watch Him eat food with unwashed hands under the judgmental gaze of the Pharisees, again intentionally defying their fossilized tradition.
In Jesus we have a man who refused to bow to the pressures of religious conformity. A man who preached a revolution. A man who would not tolerate hypocrisy. A man who was not afraid to provoke those who suppressed the liberating gospel He brought to set men free. A man who did not mind evoking anger in His enemies, causing them to gird their thighs for battle”. pgs 244- 246
“For most Christians, this is a side of Jesus Christ they have never known before. Yet we believe it explains why exposing what is wrong with the contemporary church so that Christ’s body can fulfill God’s ultimate intention is so critical. It is simply an expression of our Lord’s revolutionary nature. The dominating aim of the nature is to put you and me at the center of the beating heart of God. To put you and me in the core of His eternal purpose – a purpose for which everything was created.
The early church understood that purpose. They not only understood God’s passion for His Church, they lived it out. And what did such body life look like?
- The early Christians were intensely Christ-centered. Jesus Christ was their pulse beat. He was their life, their breath, and their central point of reference. He was the object of their worship, the subject of their songs, and the content of their discussion and vocabulary. The New Testament church made the Lord Jesus Christ Central and supreme in all things.
- The New Testament church had no fixed order of worship. The early Christians gathered in open-participatory meetings where all believers shared their experience of Christ, exercised their gifts, and sought to edify one another. No one was a spectator. All were given the privilege and the responsibility to participate. The purpose of these church meetings was twofold. It was for the mutual edification of the body. It was also to make visible the Lord Jesus Christ through the every-member functioning of His body. The early church meetings were not religious “services”. They were informal gatherings that were permeated with an atmosphere of freedom, spontaneity, and joy. The meetings belonged to Jesus Christ and to the church; they did not serve as platform for any particular ministry or gifted person.
- The New Testament church lived as a face-to-face community. While the early Christians gathered for corporate worship and mutual edification, the church did not exist to merely meet once or twice a week. The New Testament believers lived a shared life. They cared for one another outside of scheduled meetings. They were, in the very real sense of the word, family.
- Christianity was the first and only religion the world has ever known that was void of ritual, clergy, and sacred buildings. For the first 300 years of the Church’s existence, Christians gathered in homes. On special occasions, Christian workers would sometimes make use of larger facilities (like Solomon’s Porch) {John 10:23, Acts 3:11} and the Hall of Tyrannus {Acts 19:9}. But they had no concept of a scared edifice nor of a spending large amounts of money on buildings. Nor would they ever call a building a “church” or the “house of God.” The only sacred building the early Christians knew was the one not made with human hands.
- The New Testament church did not have a clergy. The Catholic priest and the Protestant pastor were completely unknown. The church had traveling apostolic workers who planted and nurtured churches. But these workers were not viewed as being part of the a special clergy caste. They were part of the body of Christ, and they served the churches (not the other way around). Every Christian possessed different gifts and different functions, but only Jesus Christ had the exclusive right to exercise authority over his people. No man had that right. Eldering and Shepherding were just two of those gifts. Elders and Shepherds were ordinary Christians with certain gifts. They were not special offices. And they did not monopolize the ministry of the church meetings. They were simply seasoned Christians who naturally cared for the members of the church during times of crisis and provided oversight for the whole assembly.
- Decision making in the New Testament church fell upon the shoulders of the whole assembly. Traveling church planters would sometimes give input and direction. But ultimately, the whole church made decisions under the lordship of Jesus Christ. It was the church’s responsibility to find the Lord’s mind together and act accordingly.
- The New Testament church was organic, not organizational. It was not welded together by putting people into offices, creating programs, constructing rituals, and developing a top-down hierarchy or chain-of-command structure. The church was a living, breathing organism. It was born, it would grow, and it naturally produced all of what was in its DNA. That would include all the gifts, ministries, and functions of the body of Christ. In the eyes of God, the church is a beautiful woman. The bride of Christ. She was a colony from heaven, not a man-made organization from earth.
- Tithing was not a practice of the New Testament church. The early Christians used their funds to support the poor among them, as well as the poor in the world. They also supported traveling itinerant church planters so that the gospel could be spread and churches could be raised up in other lands. They gave according to their ability, not out of guilt, duty, or compulsion. Pastor/clergy salaries were unheard of. Every Christian in the church was a priest, a minister, and a functioning member of the body. (elders who labour in the word and doctrine to feed and equip Christ’s sheep are to be thought worthy of “double honour” which means sufficient financial compensation – 1 Timothy 5:17-18; 1 Corinthians 9:1-14, etc.)
- Baptism was the outward expression of Christian conversion. When the early Christians led people to the Lord, they immediately baptized them in water as a testimony to their new position. The Lord’s Supper was an ongoing expression whereby the early Christians reaffirmed their faith in Jesus Christ and their oneness with His body. The Supper was a full meal which the church enjoyed together in the spirit and atmosphere of joy and celebration. It was fellowship of the body of Christ, not a token ritual or a religious rite. And it was never officiated by a clergy or special priesthood.
- The early Christians did not build Bible schools or seminars to train young workers. Christians workers were educated and trained by older workers in the context of church life. They learned “on the job.” Jesus provided the initial model for this “on-the-job” training when He mentioned the Twelve. Paul duplicated it when he trained young Gentile workers Ephesus.
- The early Christians did not divide themselves into various denominations. They understood their oneness in Christ and expressed it visibly in every city. To their minds, there was only one church per city ( even though it may have met in many different homes throughout the locale). If you were a Christian in the first century, you belonged to that one Church. The unity of the spirit was well guarded. Denominating themselves ( “I am of Paul,” ‘I am of Peter,’ ‘I am of Apollos’) was regarded as sectarian and divisive (see 1 Corinthians 1:12).
We believe this is God’s vision for every church. In fact, we have written this book for one reason: to make room for the absolute centrality, supremacy, and headship of Christ in His church. Fortunately, more and more Revolutionaries today are catching that vision. They recognize that what is needed is a revolution within the Christian faith-a complete upheaval of those Christian practices that are contrary to biblical principles. We must begun all over again, on the right foundation. Anything less will prove defective.
And so our hope as you finish this book is threefold. First, we hope that you will begin asking questions about the church as you presently know it. How much of it is truly biblical? How much of it expresses the absolute headship of Jesus Christ? How much of it allows the members of His body the freedom to function? Second, we hope you will share this book with ever Christian you know so they too can be challenged by its message. And third, we hope you will pray seriously about what your response should be to that message.
If you are a disciple of the Revolutionary from Nazareth… the radical Messiah who lays His axe to the root…you must eventually ask a specific question. It is the same question that was asked of our Lord’s disciples while He walked the earth. That question is: “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders?” (Matt 15:2)”. pgs 246-250
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Apostasy
Wolves who Weaponize and Monetize! Beware! [podcast]
Wolves who Weaponize and Monetize! Beware!
Church membership as perpetrated today was never supposed to be. It’s not found in the Scriptures. Each of His people are members of His body, His one church. Real fellowship and assembling, getting together, is biblical and yet as has always been the case, sinful men use it to exploit those who gather to worship their LORD. At the beginning and end of His ministry, Jesus destroyed the wicked leaders who were robbing the people.
“And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, 13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. 14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them. 15 And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased, 16 And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise? 17 And he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged there.” Matthew 21:12-17
They are making merchandise of you just as Peter foretold! Read 2 Peter 2:1-3.
Assembling as believers is commanded by God and yet not in order to be exploited by the devouring wolves we’ve been warned to beware of (Matthew 7:15; 24:11; 1 John 4:1-3, etc.). When God’s people gather, assemble, it is rather to be edified in Christ, richly blessed in the Word of God (Acts 2:42-47; Colossians 3:16; Hebrews 10:24; 2 Peter 2:1-3).
“If you go to the brick and mortar buildings and you don’t give your money then you’re nobody to them. I was out searching for a place where I could stay and hear the true gospel but that’s not happening in these brick and mortar buildings. These people need to truly repent.” Veronica
Church membership is just another attempt, lure, and seduction to misplace the faith and allegiance and identity of Christ’s saints away from Christ Himself (1 Corinthians 1:29-2:5; 2 Corinthians 4:5; Colossians 2:18-19). Beloved of God, you are bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 7:23). This highest price—the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on a cross —was paid by the Son of God to purchase you to Himself and the Father (1 Timothy 1:15; 2:5-6; Titus 2:14, etc.). HE is your identity and thereafter His true remnant body who live for Him daily, who are crucified with Christ perpetually, not counterfeit church goers/members. Memorize Galatians 6:14. For more on the body of Christ, read Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, and Ephesians 2 and 4. God’s Word is your final divine authority, not mere men or organizations of mere men (Mark 13:31; 2 Timothy 2:15; 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21, etc.).
“Thank you for exposing this. I used to attend an assembly of God here in Olympia and I found it to be false. After a couple years my eyes were opened and I left because a lot of it was a new apostolic reformation or something similar to that they were just off, and at one point they had a homosexual male on the platform scolding the church for how they are mean and nasty to homosexuals because they think they’re better than them. I was attacked for forsaking the assembly and received other statements urging me to come back so I wouldn’t be sinning.” Bella
Anyone trying to get you to become a member of their church is seeking to monetize you to build a church business at your expense.
The reason why many professing Christian do not see the things we are seeing in the Word today in this message, is that they are not in God’s Word for themselves.
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15
Most who claim Christ don’t know His Word and many don’t want to know it, otherwise they’d be in it and it would be in them.
“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.” Hosea 4:6
QUESTION ASKED:
“What if someone is born again, biblically baptized by immersion, but not a formal member of any local church, however they attend church regularly. Could they partake in the Lord’s supper?”
REPLY:
Yes, who else is a higher authority than the Most High who saved you into His church/family? WHAT other “membership” would be needed as if Christ’s saving you and putting you into His family as a member of His body wasn’t enough? Read 1 Corinthians 12. You are a member of the one universal blood bought, born again body of Christ. Any other so-called church membership is a fraud and an afront to Christ. He didn’t die and rise again to then hand over the reigns to a bunch of self-serving enterprising, greedy pharisaical nicolaitan wolves. Read Jeremiah 23; Ezekiel 34; Matthew 23; 2 Peter 2:1-3; Revelation 2:6, 15. Oh and this isn’t even to mention that these fake “churches” are 501(C)(3) corporations. They have entered into an unholy alliance with the state and by doing so have affronted, rejected the Savior. They entered into a contract with the state unnecessarily and are now under the antichrist dominion of the state, who can tell them where and what they preach and can’t preach.”
“This church membership topic riles me up! Many judge us because we don’t go to church. I want nothing to do with how apostate they have become. Most are in willful sin and could care less. Jesus is not there!” Karen Cochran
One dear sister in Christ shared this:
NEARLY EVERY LOCAL “CHURCH” IS A COMPLETE SCAM IN THIS LATE HOUR, JUST AS WAS FORETOLD.
“Partnership, as defined by most ministries, today, is you send them a check every month & they send you a letter with some Scriptures. Very sad. However, I take refuge in this Scripture – 1 Peter 4:17. It’s not a political problem, it’s a spiritual problem. During the scamdemic, I suggested we give groceries to those who needed them, have a cookout with burgers & hotdogs, offer healing to those who needed it, fellowship among the people. The church had a wonderful full circle drive so the people could pull in, we’d fill their trunk with groceries, etc. I was told “NO.” I offered to handle all of it, pay for it, still “NO.” The pastor wanted to remain shut down. I went ahead & did it from my home. I hired a Christian group to sing, we preached the Word, fed the people, prayed for anyone who wanted it. Quitting should never be a part of our vocabulary. The religious manipulation is off the charts. Filling seats & manipulating people for financial gain is repulsive.” Charlotte
The fact that most brick and mortar church building based churches are not run biblically in no way negates the need for essential, real, biblical fellowship. To this point, a brother in Christ named Peter writes:
“People want faith community even if there is church membership and mandatory tithing. People want social life with other believers. It’s safe and not that sinful. Yet, I’m against church buildings but I believe in accountability to one another and God.” Peter
Church membership ropes you into an unholy alliance with the state and a state owned church. Example:
“During the scam-demic, many churches hid behind Romans 13 and said they must obey the government. Yet there are many examples in the Bible where God’s people did not obey because it went against God and was evil. Just as in modern day with all the covid supposed mandates. Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego did not obey. Daniel, and the apostles. And many more disobeyed civil authorities when they demanded things that went against God and His will. The fake churches used Romans 13 because really they were afraid of standing for Jesus! So they cowered in fear! Hiding behind masks, closed doors and vax’s. But wearing masks was not such a big deal because most already are wearing them. Hiding behind their pharisaical and self-righteous attitudes pretending to holy.” Karen Cochran
God exposed these fake “churches” and fake “Christians” for all to see. “Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men“ (Acts 5:29). The false churches had already sold the Savior down the river for the state when they signed up for their 501C3—which is a contract with lots of small print. That contract they chose to enter into, makes those “churches” the government’s, the state’s churches. As we saw with the scamdemic, the state tells what they can preach, where they can preach, and when they can preach. I walked into a “church” to visit some friends during this period and was shocked that they all had on masks, were doing the 6-foot satanic ceremony rule etc. I departed. Sickening sacrilege.
“God’s true church can’t be contained in a building…God’s true church is being led out of these lukewarm businesses labeled as churches….God’s true church isn’t a man led organization ….it’s a relationship with GOD Himself. God’s true church isn’t a temple made by hands….their very own body is where God resides.” Kathy Lemonds
A MEME FROM A SNAKE “PASTOR”
In a meme, “Pastor” HB Charles Jr. is promoting Michael Foster, who writes:
“Nothing grows a Christian like a serious commitment to a single church week in and week out for years and years. Not conferences. Not social media. Not even personal devotions. The local church is where mature Christians are slowly forged in the fires of mundane faithfulness.” – Michael Foster
Notice “a serious commitment to a single church.” This is something God never commanded and it contradicts the essential responsibility He gave anyone who would be HIS disciple. The fruit of good church attenders makes it more than abundantly clear that this whole church attendance, church membership push is diabolical. It’s irrefutably producing bad fruit (Matthew 7:15-21). Let’s further test ‘pastor” Michael Foster’s statement, shall we? So John the Baptist, the apostles Paul, John, Peter, etc., didn’t attend church weekly or “week in and week out” and so you are saying they didn’t grow? Wow. Michael Foster is a typical programmed pawn—an indoctrinated dupe. He reeks of pride and greed (2 Peter 2:1-3). He’s building a church busine$$. Read his words again and think $ and how he is bearing false witness against the LORD he deceitfully pretends to represent as he is seeking to ensure his income for a long time to come. Wolves are making merchandise of their prey (2 Peter 2:1-3)!
“Never heard of the church building places of ‘worship’ until Constantine came along, the father of that demonic religion called ‘Catholic.'” Mark Owen
Seminarian marketing to farm the community—not to preach the whole counsel of God but rather gain more church members. They push for their pawns to invite others in order to get them more members which means more money. They campaign for more money for their unbiblical “church” projects, and yet never push for more personal Bible reading, evangelism, more of the crucified life, more worship of God, repentance, holiness, the fear of the LORD, etc…. and you still don’t see what’s going on?
Wow!
Okay so you go to a church building on Sunday morning yet don’t seek God in His Word and prayer daily? You are backslidden—which means you are away from God. Any person saved in the past and yet who is not presently hungering and thirsting after more of Christ, of His righteousness, has backslidden and in need of true repentance before it’s too late.
“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:6
“The activities and ‘fellowship’ only among themselves can be a big distraction to serving the Lord and doing His work and will. Not to mention keeping you enslaved to the false unbiblical doctrines they preach there. No one is allowed to disagree with the pastor(s) and leaders.” B.
Totally disagree with these “pastors” who are wolves building church businesses. How many “good church members” do we see winning souls, evangelizing, feeding Christ’s sheep His Word, denying self, taking up the cross, devouring God’s Word, living the crucified life, talking about judgment, repentance, overcoming all sin, and being ready for Christ’s return daily? None. Jesus says we know them “by their fruit” (Matthew 7:16, 20). 99% of local churches = bad fruit. The LORD’s true under shepherds are preparing and equipping Christ’s disciples “for the WORK of the ministry” not to do THEIR (the pastor’s) bidding, work in his little Sunday morning circus gathering where he performs and collects money. Only counterfeits prop up, support counterfeits (Ezekiel 22:25-27; Hosea 4:9; 2 John 10-11).
“But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. 3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.” 2 Peter 2:1-3
Here’s a biblical perspective: Being a good church member at a local “church” is never once taught in the Bible. No it’s something false prophets push for their own self-serving purpose and agenda. It’s for their benefit, not yours.
1 Chronicles 21:1 David was influenced by “Satan” in numbering the people …. this is a tool in order to control, manipulate and monetize the people…
GOD never called you to be a “good church member.” No, He called you to repent, to deny yourself, to live the crucified life, to seek His holy face daily with reckless abandon, to fellowship daily with His people, and to obey His Great Commission mandate.
THE FACT that you have no Great Commission involvement, no personal evangelism, no real fruit of good works in your life…. doesn’t this clearly reveal that you, as a good church member, are merely propping up a church busine$$, funding a fraud?
Can a man or woman of God sit back and just allow lost souls to go to hell without doing something about it, without having great conviction of conscience toward repentance, refreshing, and Great Commission Gospel action?
The next time some churchianity dupe begins to preach to you about “going to church”…. Tell them you don’t wait till Sundays, you fellowship in prayer and the Word daily with other saints of Christ (Acts 2:42). Ask them when the last time was that they personally preached the Gospel, fed the flock of God the Word of God, and led someone to Jesus…. mic drop, crickets.
“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:6
Okay so you go to a church building on Sunday morning yet don’t seek God in His Word and prayer daily? You are backslidden—which means you are away from God. Any person saved in the past and yet who is not presently hungering and thirsting after more of Christ, of His righteousness, has backslidden and is in need of true repentance before it’s too late.
The Truth about Fellowship and Going to “Church”
Perhaps a simple observance of the earliest followers of Jesus would inform us that they weren’t always “in church” serving some wolf but rather they went “every where preaching the word,” etc. (Acts 8:4), right? Oh and their gatherings were quite simple with no religious gold gathering bureaucracy! See Acts 2:42.
What they do is basically make you their good church member then get you to go tell others so that their church busine$$ grows that way. Notice how no one is being equipped “for the work of the ministry” (Ephesians 4:11-14) by being taught to minister and to do it out in the world daily…. to bring the blessing, the bless-ed Gospel to the people. No. Instead they become like little agents of their local church which is now their idol. They are sent out to invite folks to church instead of bringing the KING to those same people.
Wake up. Repent before God of wasting His time and resources on such wolves in sheep’s clothing. Deny self, take up the cross, follow Jesus (Luke 9:23-24).
“Being a Christian isn’t about making a weekly trip to a so-called church building. No, it’s about BECOMING the church, an actual place where Jesus lives.” Matt McMillen
“Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” John 14:23
“God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.” Psalms 89:7
Good Church Member or True Disciple of Christ?
Wolves can be known in that they don’t get their prey in the Word for themselves (2 Timothy 2:15).
Going to be entertained on Sunday mornings as what some call “church” does not replace daily Bible reading and prayer and the cross (Luke 9:23-24; 2 Timothy 2:15; 1 Thessalonians 5:17, etc.).
Anyone not in God’s Word and living a life of prayer every day as they seek His holy face fervently, has told the LORD that He is not important to them … and they will not make it (Matthew 25:1-13).
There is NO work, no-thing transpiring on the earth more important than the work of our LORD’s Gospel. Most of the other things are vying for your affections. Read Luke 21 and Colossians 3:1-4. JESUS is coming.
Summation:
The instruction of Hebrews 10:24 is from God and yet never intended to give license to men to build their own kingdoms, to exploit and use the people for their own self-serving and greed-driven agenda.
Yes there are elders ordained in Christ’s body and they are to feed (John 21:15-17), to warn (Colossians 1:28), to teach sound doctrine to the members of Christ’s body (Titus 2:1), to teach them discernment (Ezekiel 44:23), etc. This can be in a regular meeting time and place. That’s not a sin. The sin comes in when we don’t see biblically stated things being accomplished and that’s how we know those are false shepherds and this would involve most local brick and mortar based “churches” today.
The truth is self-evident. Fruit. Not all but the vast majority of local churches are absolutely apostate as the Bible foretold (2 Timothy 3:13; Matthew 24:11; 1 Timothy 4:1-2, etc.). There is no blood of Jesus, no cross, no crucified life, no judgment to come, no sin, no repentance, no holiness, no readiness for Christ’s return, no KJB, etc. Apostasy. Fellowship as defined by Holy Writ is essential, not church attendance. Saints, people do not need us. They do not need our fellowship. They need Christ and His people and that should be 24/7. The headquarters of the true saint is the throne of our God, right? (Jeremiah 17:12; Hebrews 4:14-16; 7:24-26). That doesn’t mean that attending a fellowship weekly is wrong and yet, is it a real fellowship? One should examine the fruit and ask: Am I growing in Christ? Am I growing to know Him (John 17:3)? Do I live a repented life and a crucified life? Is the extent of my relationship with the LORD going to church/church attendance? Do I care for and help the body of Christ? Do I evangelize? etc. The professing church has largely misused Hebrews 10:25. Fellowshipping, assembling is essential, is commanded, and that would be according to how Scripture defines assembly fellowship, not the modern church (Acts 2:42-47; Colossians 3:16, etc.). If one is part of a rare truly Christ-centered, Scripture-rich fellowship, that’s a blessing. The problem is that most aren’t. And they must be exhorted to “try the spirits” as 1 John 4:1 instructs.
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Apostasy
Is Karma Biblical? [podcast]
The Karma Concept is a Diabolical Con Job and a counterfeit for God’s system of sowing and reaping: No disciple of Jesus should ever use the word/term “karma” unless exposing it for the lie that it is.
First off, the concept of karma is antichrist in that it teaches that people, sinners, can earn their own way into a better eternity by living good or kindly in this life. Lie.
The concept of karma is based on the lie that men will be reincarnated and that sinners, based on their own performance on earth in their first life, will be rewarded accordingly in their next life. Well the Bible teaches that mankind is hopelessly sinful and cannot forgive or save himself (Genesis 6:5,12; Isaiah 59:16; Jeremiah 17:9; Ezekiel 22:30; Romans 3:9-29; Galatians 2:21, etc.). The Word of God informs us that our next destination will be either Heaven or hell, not coming back to the earth for a new life or do-over. The Bible teaches us that “ALL have sinned” against our Maker and our eternal, irrevocable destination will be based on whether or not we receive or reject His gift of salvation granted solely on the basis of the perfect and precious blood of the Son of God who died on the cross and was raised again to take away our sins (Romans 3:21-25; 5:1-2; 6:23; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; 1 Peter 1:18-19; 3:18, etc.).
The shed blood of Jesus Christ is the only payment that could have ever and did fully satisfy the claims of the Father’s justice to redeem fallen mankind back from sin.
“He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied (paid in full – “It is finished”): by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.” Isaiah 53:11
1 Peter 1
“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, 21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. 22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: 23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” 1 Peter 1:18-23
Karma is a lie.
David Taylor writes:
“Sowing and reaping: is always a true biblical principle, and for those who heap up judgement for themselves.”
“God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.” Psalm 7:11
“The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just.” Proverbs 3:33
“ALL men” have sinned against our Maker and are thereby guilty and separated from Him because He is “Holy, holy, holy” (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 8:4).
“…they are all under sin; 10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one … 23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” Romans 3:9-10, 23
God’s Word declares all men to be sinners, who have all broken His holy commandments, and who will reap eternal death which is irrevocable separation from God, if they die unforgiven by God through Christ (Romans 1-6, etc.).
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23
How have we sinned against God? To begin with, we’ve all lied and the Bible says: “Thou shalt not bear false witness.” We’ve all used the name of the LORD in vain – “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” We’ve all stolen something along the way – “Thou shalt not steal” (Exodus 20).
In and of ourselves, outside of Christ, here’s what all men look like to God:
“But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” Isaiah 64:6
In short, karma denies our need for Christ and says we can earn or merit our own way into comfort and blessings without Jesus.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9
“Reincarnation is taught by true believers in Karma. Reincarnation is the rebirth of the soul in a new body. Depending on the religion or the particular philosophy the soul can make an appearance as another person, animal or plant as it makes its way to an eventual escape from the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.” owlcation
The Bible term and associated definition, truth, is sowing and reaping, and not karma.
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” Galatians 6:7-8
In the Hindu and Buddhist religions, karma is the concept, the teaching that depending on how a person lives their life on earth determines how they will be reincarnated in their next life. It is the idea that how you live your life, this one, will determine the quality of life you will have after reincarnation. In these false religions there is no savior and so you are earning your own way to God and His blessings. False..
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9
Salvation is the gift of God purchased by the precious blood of His only begotten Son Jesus Christ.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
Karma is a false teaching. No born again believer should ever use this word unless they are exposing it for what it is.
Reincarnation is a lie and therefore so is karma because karma is the mythical, erroneous idea that the way you live this life will determine your plight in the next life. But the Bible says:
“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” Hebrews 9:27
Also, what do Satan’s heresies of purgatory and karma have in common? – They both promise a second chance. But the Bible says when we die our eternal destination is final – Heaven or hell.
Judgment immediately follows death, not a second chance.
Satan wants people to think they have a second chance and not to take this one and only life seriously. The Bible tells us that immediately upon death we are judged to go to Heaven or hell (Luke 16:19-31). When we die we will stand before our Maker to be judged for our one life in this one body on the earth (Romans 14:10; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 20:11-15, etc.). There will be no second chance. We will not return as someone or something else.
“Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.” Ecclesiastes 12:7
“And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.” Matthew 25:46
“And he (thief on the cross next to Jesus) said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. 43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:42-43
The way you live this life – in Christ or out of Christ – will determine your eternal destination, as in Heaven or hell.
“The way of life is above to the wise, that he may depart from hell beneath.” Proverbs 15:24
World religions teach that man earns his own way to God. God’s Word teaches that all men, born after Adam, are insolvently sinful (unable to pay the debt) and in need of the saving grace of God which is exclusively found in the crucified and risen Savior, Jesus Christ.
More Verses Biblically Disproving Reincarnation:
“But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he? 11 As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up: 12 so man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.” Job 14:10-12
“For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.” Psalm 78:39
“If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.” Job 14:14
“But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.” 2 Samuel 12:23
“When a few years are come, then I shall go the way whence I shall not return.” Job 16:22
“As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away: so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more. 10 He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him any more.” Job 7:9-10
“We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 5:8
“Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29 and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” John 5:28-29
“Such are the paths of all who forget God; the hope of the godless shall perish.” Job 8:12-13
“And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” Daniel 12:2
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” 2 Corinthians 5:10
“When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish: and the hope of unjust men perisheth.” Proverbs 11:7
“For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” 2 Corinthians 5:1
Summation: When you die, you will be immediately in Heaven or hell – in bliss or blistering, burning fire.
Making Peace with God – Now, before it’s too late. Go here.
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Apostasy
How We Know the Bible is the only Holy Book on Planet Earth [podcast]
There’s only one Book whose Author is God. Only God knows the future – and His foretelling of the future in the Bible clearly proves it’s His Book.
Law of probability and the fulfillment of Bible prophecies:
Odds of the more than 300 prophecies of the prophets concerning the coming Messiah, given hundreds of years prior to His arrival coming true are:
8,749,002,899,132,046,697,490,008,908,470,485,461,412,622,723,572,849,745,…
703,082,425,425,639,811,996,797,503,692,894,052,708,092,215,296 to 1
Fact: Only the Almighty could know the future and forthtell it in specific detail, long before it ever happened. THIS is how we know that the Bible is truly the Word of the one true God and that all other so-called “holy books” are frauds.
“Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.” Mark 13:31
The facts stated, demonstrated in this message will cause the wise to put God’s written Word as the final divine authority of their lives. He said it. I believe it. That settles it.
“For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.” Psalms 119:89
Of the words of God, the Bible assures us that “no one of these shall fail …” (Isaiah 34:16). We know that no promise or prophecy in Scripture has ever failed to come to pass, with the exception of the fulfillment of those which lie just ahead in this last hour as we anticipate the soon return of Christ and the setting up of His kingdom (Revelation 19:11-16, etc.).
“My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.” Psalms 89:34
FULFILLED PROPHECY: THIS IS HOW WE KNOW WITHOUT QUESTION, THAT THE BIBLE IS THE ONLY HOLY BOOK ON GOD’S EARTH
God told us “the end from the beginning” – He foretold what was coming – and this is why His people have the news before the news! (Isaiah 46:9-10)
This is an essential component of divine truth imperative for a sound foundation in Christ’s kingdom truth.
“Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: BEFORE they spring forth I tell you of them.” Isaiah 42:9
The Bible is God’s Word and therefore penned by divine inspiration (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:19-21). It is “the news before the news.” Only the Almighty could have foretold, told before it happened, the future things (Isaiah 46:9-10). This is how we know with no doubt that the Bible is the only Holy Book on His planet. Only God Himself could know the future and tell what would happen before it happened.
Read Matthew 24 and Luke 21. Then read the book of Revelation. This is the only way to see into the future and be prepared.
“Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:” Isaiah 46:9-10
WHO could possibly declare “the end from the beginning” other than God Himself?
The Bible is unique among all supposed “holy” books. God’s Word, the Word He gave, foretells the END from the BEGINNING. It foretells what it fulfills. No other supposed Holy book can stake this claim.
ONLY GOD COULD KNOW “THE END FROM THE BEGINNING” (ISAIAH 46:9-10).
“Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:” Isaiah 46:9-10
Did you catch that? Read it again.
MEDITATE ON THIS. THE BIBLE IS THE VERY WORD OF GOD AND IS SEEN TO BE JUST THAT BECAUSE IT FORETOLD IN DETAIL BEFOREHAND MANY EVENTS THAT HAVE COME TO PASS JUST AS THEY WERE SPOKEN HUNDREDS AND SOMETIMES THOUSANDS OF YEARS BEFORE THEY HAPPENED. FOR EXAMPLE: THE EXACT TOWN THE MESSIAH WAS TO BE BORN IN (BETHLEHEM) WAS FORETOLD AND HE WAS (MICAH 5:2), THAT HE WOULD BE MIRACULOUSLY BORN OF A VIRGIN AND HE WAS (ISAIAH 7:14), THAT HE WOULD BE CALLED EMMANUEL AND HE WAS AND IS (ISAIAH 7:14), THAT HE WOULD BE BETRAYED FOR 30 PIECES OF SILVER AND HE WAS (ZECHARIAH 11:12-13), …. MORE ON THE CHART BELOW.
The LORD told us in His Word that not one of His promises, including the prophecies of His and our Messiah, would ever fail. They are as sure as life and the One who gave it.
“Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall fail …” Isaiah 34:16
Only God could and does know and has told the end from the beginning and not one of His promises or prophetic utterances of future events, of the future, has nor will ever fail.
No other “holy book” can make this claim. Only the Bible foretells the future in exact detail and fulfillment. On this basis, we know that every other so-called “holy book” is not holy but rather fraudulent, from the enemy of God himself.
“No other book but the Bible has prophecy. Prophecy is something God said He will do for Israel and it happened hundreds and thousands of years later. The Bible proved itself over time that it is God’s Word. The Quran, or Tibetan book or writings of Confucius have no prophecy like the Hebrew Scriptures. Put your faith in the only trusted Book of the ages and the God who gave it to us. Jesus said heaven and earth will pass away but my word will never pass away but will last forever.” Terrence Przybylski
The specific details of THESE PROPHETIC PROMISES AND THEIR FULFILLMENT WOULD BE STATISTICALLY IMPOSSIBLE UNLESS THEY ORIGINATED FROM GOD WHO TELLS THE END FROM THE BEGINNING.
Recently a college student asked if Matthew’s Gospel was written merely from his own psyche. No. Matthew wasn’t manufacturing anything in his psyche. He was taking from the prophets, which told us 700 years earlier that the Messiah would be born of a virgin in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). Only the Almighty knows “the end from the beginning” and this is how we know that the Bible is the only Holy Book on HIS planet. No other so-called “holy book” has prophecy with the fulfillment of those prophecies. This is how we know that the words of Holy Scripture came from our Maker, the LORD. No other “holy” book can make this claim. The Bible is God’s Word.
Prophecy: Birth of the Christ foretold:
“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14
Fulfillment:
“Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” Matthew 1:22-23
More prophecies and their fulfillment on the chart below. Please pour prayerfully over the list of these prophecies and their fulfillment and please help others to know this amazing, divine phenomenon. This will be the most foundation-building study of your whole life. This is essential in being truly grounded in Christ.
Over 300 Old Testament Prophecies Fulfilled in Jesus Christ
| Prophecy | Description | Fulfillment |
| 1. Gen 3:15 | Seed of a woman (virgin birth) | Gal 4:4-5; Matt 1:18 |
| 2. Gen 3:15 | He will bruise Satan’s head | Col 2:14-15; Heb 2:14; 1 John 3:8 |
| 3. Gen 5:24 | The bodily ascension to heaven illustrated | Mark 16:19 |
| 4. Gen 9:26-27 | The God of Shem will be the Son of Shem | Luke 3:36 |
| 5. Gen 12:3 | Seed of Abraham will bless all nations | Gal 3:8; Acts 3:25-26 |
| 6. Gen 12:7 | The Promise made to Abraham’s Seed | Gal 3:16 |
| 7. Gen 14:18 | A priest after the order of Melchizedek | Heb 6:20 |
| 8. Gen 14:18 | King of Peace and Righteousness | Heb 7:2 |
| 9. Gen 14:18 | The Last Supper foreshadowed | Matt 26:26-29 |
| 10. Gen 17:19 | Seed of Isaac (Gen 21:12) | Rom 9:7 |
| 11. Gen 22:8 | The Lamb of God promised | John 1:29 |
| 12. Gen 22:18 | As Isaac’s seed, will bless all nations | Gal 3:16 |
| 13. Gen 26:2-5 | The Seed of Isaac promised as the Redeemer | Heb 11:18 |
| 14. Gen 28:12 | The Bridge to heaven | John 1:51 |
| 15. Gen 28:14 | The Seed of Jacob | Luke 3:34 |
| 16. Gen 49:10 | The time of His coming | Luke 2:1-7; Gal 4:4 |
| 17. Gen 49:10 | The Seed of Judah | Luke 3:33 |
| 18. Gen 49:10 | Called Shiloh or One Sent | John 17:3 |
| 19. Gen 49:10 | Messiah to come before Judah lost identity | John 11:47-52 |
| 20. Gen 49:10 | Unto Him shall the obedience of the people be | John 10:16 |
| 21. Ex 3:13-15 | The Great “I AM” | John 4:26; 8:58 |
| 22. Ex 12:5 | A Lamb without blemish | Heb 9:14; 1 Pet 1:19 |
| 23. Ex 12:13 | The blood of the Lamb saves from wrath | Rom 5:8 |
| 24. Ex 12:21-27 | Christ is our Passover | 1 Cor 5:7 |
| 25. Ex 12:46 | Not a bone of the Lamb to be broken | John 19:31-36 |
| 26. Ex 15:2 | His exaltation predicted as Yeshua | Acts 7:55-56 |
| 27. Ex 15:11 | His Character-Holiness | Luke 1:35; Acts 4:27 |
| 28. Ex 17:6 | The Spiritual Rock of Israel | 1 Cor 10:4 |
| 29. Ex 33:19 | His Character-Merciful | Luke 1:72 |
| 30. Lev 1:2-9 | His sacrifice a sweet smelling savor unto God | Eph 5:2 |
| 31. Lev 14:11 | The leper cleansed-Sign to priesthood | Luke 5:12-14; Acts 6:7 |
| 32. Lev 16:15-17 | Prefigures Christ’s once-for-all death | Heb 9:7-14 |
| 33. Lev 16:27 | Suffering outside the Camp | Matt 27:33; Heb. 13:11-12 |
| 34. Lev 17:11 | The Blood-the life of the flesh | Matt 26:28; Mark 10:45 |
| 35. Lev 17:11 | It is the blood that makes atonement | Rom. 3:23-24; 1 John 1:7 |
| 36. Lev 23:36-37 | The Drink-offering: “If any man thirst” | John 7:37 |
| 37. Num 9:12 | Not a bone of Him broken | John 19:31-36 |
| 38. Num 21:9 | The serpent on a pole-Christ lifted up | John 3:14-18; 12:32 |
| 39. Num 24:17 | Time: “I shall see him, but not now.” | John 1:14; Gal 4:4 |
| 40. Deut 18:15 | “This is of a truth that prophet” | John 6:14 |
| 41. Deut 18:15-16 | “Had you believed Moses, you would believe me.” | John 5:45-47 |
| 42. Deut 18:18 | Sent by the Father to speak His word | John 8:28-29 |
| 43. Deut 18:19 | Whoever will not hear must bear his sin | Acts 3:22-23 |
| 44. Deut 21:23 | Cursed is he that hangs on a tree | Gal 3:10-13 |
| 45. Joshua 5:14-15 | The Captain of our salvation | Heb 2:10 |
| 46. Ruth 4:4-10 | Christ, our kinsman, has redeemed us | Eph 1:3-7 |
| 47. 1 Sam 2:35 | A Faithful Priest | Heb. 2:17; 3:1-3, 6; 7:24-25 |
| 48. 1 Sam 2:10 | Shall be an anointed King to the Lord | Matt 28:18; John 12:15 |
| 49. 2 Sam 7:12 | David’s Seed | Matt 1:1 |
| 50. 2 Sam 7:13 | His Kingdom is everlasting | 2 Pet 1:11 |
| 51. 2 Sam 7:14a | The Son of God | Luke 1:32; Rom 1:3-4 |
| 52. 2 Sam 7:16 | David’s house established forever | Luke 3:31; Rev 22:16 |
| 53. 2 Ki 2:11 | The bodily ascension to heaven illustrated | Luke 24:51 |
| 54. 1 Chr 17:11 | David’s Seed | Matt 1:1; 9:27 |
| 55. 1 Chr 17:12-13 | To reign on David’s throne forever | Luke 1:32-33 |
| 56. 1 Chr 17:13 | “I will be His Father, He…my Son.” | Heb 1:5 |
| 57. Job 9:32-33 | Mediator between man and God | 1 Tim 2:5 |
| 58. Job 19:23-27 | The Resurrection predicted | John 5:24-29 |
| 59. Psa 2:1-3 | The enmity of kings foreordained | Acts 4:25-28 |
| 60. Psa 2:2 | To own the title, Anointed (Christ) | John 1:41; Acts 2:36 |
| 61. Psa 2:6 | His Character-Holiness | John 8:46; Rev 3:7 |
| 62. Psa 2:6 | To own the title King | Matt 2:2 |
| 63. Psa 2:7 | Declared the Beloved Son | Matt 3:17; Rom 1:4 |
| 64. Psa 2:7-8 | The Crucifixion and Resurrection intimated | Acts 13:29-33 |
| 65. Psa 2:8-9 | Rule the nations with a rod of iron | Rev 2:27; 12:5; 19:15 |
| 66. Psa 2:12 | Life comes through faith in Him | John 20:31 |
| 67. Psa 8:2 | The mouths of babes perfect His praise | Matt 21:16 |
| 68. Psa 8:5-6 | His humiliation and exaltation | Heb 2:5-9 |
| 69. Psa 9:7-10 | Judge the world in righteousness | Acts 17:31 |
| 70. Psa 16:10 | Was not to see corruption | Acts 2:31; 13:35 |
| 71. Psa 16:9-11 | Was to arise from the dead | John 20:9 |
| 72. Psa 17:15 | The resurrection predicted | Luke 24:6 |
| 73. Psa 18:2-3 | The horn of salvation | Luke 1:69-71 |
| 74. Psa 22:1 | Forsaken because of sins of others | 2 Cor 5:21 |
| 75. Psa 22:1 | “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” | Matt 27:46 |
| 76. Psa 22:2 | Darkness upon Calvary for three hours | Matt 27:45 |
| 77. Psa 22:7 | They shoot out the lip and shake the head | Matt 27:39-44 |
| 78. Psa 22:8 | “He trusted in God, let Him deliver Him” | Matt 27:43 |
| 79. Psa 22:9-10 | Born the Savior | Luke 2:7 |
| 80. Psa 22:12-13 | They seek His death | John 19:6 |
| 81. Psa 22:14 | His blood poured out when they pierced His side | John 19:34 |
| 82. Psa 22:14-15 | Suffered agony on Calvary | Mark 15:34-37 |
| 83. Psa 22:15 | He thirsted | John 19:28 |
| 84. Psa 22:16 | They pierced His hands and His feet | John 19:34-37; 20:27 |
| 85. Psa 22:17-18 | Stripped Him before the stares of men | Luke 23:34-35 |
| 86. Psa 22:18 | They parted His garments | John 19:23-24 |
| 87. Psa 22:20-21 | He committed Himself to God | Luke 23:46 |
| 88. Psa 22:20-21 | Satanic power bruising the Redeemer’s heel | Heb 2:14 |
| 89. Psa 22:22 | His Resurrection declared | John 20:17 |
| 90. Psa 22:27-28 | He shall be the governor of the nations | Col 1:16 |
| 91. Psa 22:31 | “It is finished” | John 19:30; Heb 10:10-12, 14, 18 |
| 92. Psa 23:1 | “I am the Good Shepherd” | John 10:11; 1 Pet 2:25 |
| 93. Psa 24:3 | His exaltation predicted | Acts 1:11; Phil 2:9 |
| 94. Psa 30:3 | His resurrection predicted | Acts 2:32 |
| 95. Psa 31:5 | “Into Your hands I commit my spirit” | Luke 23:46 |
| 96. Psa 31:11 | His acquaintances fled from Him | Mark 14:50 |
| 97. Psa 31:13 | They took counsel to put Him to death | Matt 27:1; John 11:53 |
| 98. Psa 31:14-15 | “He trusted in God, let Him deliver him” | Matt 27:43 |
| 99. Psa 34:20 | Not a bone of Him broken | John 19:31-36 |
| 100. Psa 35:11 | False witnesses rose up against Him | Matt 26:59 |
| 101. Psa 35:19 | He was hated without a cause | John 15:25 |
| 102. Psa 38:11 | His friends stood afar off | Luke 23:49 |
| 103. Psa 38:12 | Enemies try to entangle Him by craft | Mark 14:1; Matt 22:15 |
| 104. Psa 38:12-13 | Silent before His accusers | Matt 27:12-14 |
| 105. Psa 38:20 | He went about doing good | Acts 10:38 |
| 106. Psa 40:2-5 | The joy of His resurrection predicted | John 20:20 |
| 107. Psa 40:6-8 | His delight-the will of the Father | John 4:34; Heb 10:5-10 |
| 108. Psa 40:9 | He was to preach the Righteousness in Israel | Matt 4:17 |
| 109. Psa 40:14 | Confronted by adversaries in the Garden | John 18:4-6 |
| 110. Psa 41:9 | Betrayed by a familiar friend | John 13:18 |
| 111. Psa 45:2 | Words of Grace come from His lips | John 1:17; Luke 4:22 |
| 112. Psa 45:6 | To own the title, God or Elohim | Heb 1:8 |
| 113. Psa 45:7 | A special anointing by the Holy Spirit | Matt 3:16; Heb. 1:9 |
| 114. Psa 45:7-8 | Called the Christ (Messiah or Anointed) | Luke 2:11 |
| 115. Psa 45:17 | His name remembered forever | Eph 1:20-21; Heb. 1:8 |
| 116. Psa 55:12-14 | Betrayed by a friend, not an enemy | John 13:18 |
| 117. Psa 55:15 | Unrepentant death of the Betrayer | Matt 27:3-5; Acts 1:16-19 |
| 118. Psa 68:18 | To give gifts to men | Eph 4:7-16 |
| 119. Psa 68:18 | Ascended into Heaven | Luke 24:51 |
| 120. Psa 69:4 | Hated without a cause | John 15:25 |
| 121. Psa 69:8 | A stranger to own brethren | John 1:11; 7:5 |
| 122. Psa 69:9 | Zealous for the Lord’s House | John 2:17 |
| 123. Psa 69:14-20 | Messiah’s anguish of soul before crucifixion | Matt 26:36-45 |
| 124. Psa 69:20 | “My soul is exceeding sorrowful” | Matt 26:38 |
| 125. Psa 69:21 | Given vinegar in thirst | Matt 27:34 |
| 126. Psa 69:26 | The Savior given and smitten by God | John 17:4; 18:11 |
| 127. Psa 72:10-11 | Great persons were to visit Him | Matt 2:1-11 |
| 128. Psa 72:16 | The corn of wheat to fall into the Ground | John 12:24-25 |
| 129. Psa 72:17 | Belief on His name will produce offspring | John 1:12-13 |
| 130. Psa 72:17 | All nations shall be blessed by Him | Gal 3:8 |
| 131. Psa 72:17 | All nations shall call Him blessed | John 12:13; Rev 5:8-12 |
| 132. Psa 78:1-2 | He would teach in parables | Matt 13:34-35 |
| 133. Psa 78:2b | To speak the Wisdom of God with authority | Matt 7:29 |
| 134. Psa 80:17 | The Man of God’s right hand | Mark 14:61-62 |
| 135. Psa 88 | The Suffering and Reproach of Calvary | Matt 27:26-50 |
| 136. Psa 88:8 | They stood afar off and watched | Luke 23:49 |
| 137. Psa 89:27 | Firstborn | Col 1:15-18 |
| 138. Psa 89:27 | Emmanuel to be higher than earthly kings | Luke 1:32-33 |
| 139. Psa 89:35-37 | David’s Seed, throne, kingdom endure forever | Luke 1:32-33 |
| 140. Psa 89:36-37 | His character-Faithfulness | Rev 1:5; 19:11 |
| 141. Psa 90:2 | He is from everlasting (Micah 5:2) | John 1:1 |
| 142. Psa 91:11-12 | Identified as Messianic, used to tempt Christ | Luke 4:10-11 |
| 143. Psa 97:9 | His exaltation predicted | Acts 1:11; Eph 1:20; Phil 2:9 |
| 144. Psa 100:5 | His character-Goodness | Matt 19:16-17 |
| 145. Psa 102:1-11 | The Suffering and Reproach of Calvary | John 19:16-30 |
| 146. Psa 102:25-27 | Messiah is the Preexistent Son | Heb 1:10-12 |
| 147. Psa 109:25 | Ridiculed | Matt 27:39 |
| 148. Psa 110:1 | Son of David | Matt 22:42-43 |
| 149. Psa 110:1 | To ascend to the right-hand of the Father | Mark 16:19 |
| 150. Psa 110:1 | David’s son called Lord | Matt 22:44-45 |
| 151. Psa 110:4 | A priest after Melchizedek’s order | Heb 6:20 |
| 152. Psa 112:4 | His character-Compassionate, Gracious, et al | Matt 9:36 |
| 153. Psa 118:17-18 | Messiah’s Resurrection assured | Luke 24:5-7; 1 Cor 15:20 |
| 154. Psa 118:22-23 | The rejected stone is Head of the corner | Matt 21:42-43; 1 Pet 2:6 |
| 155. Psa 118:26a | The Blessed One presented to Israel | Matt 21:9 |
| 156. Psa 118:26b | To come while Temple standing | Matt 21:12-15 |
| 157. Psa 132:11 | The Seed of David (the fruit of His Body) | Luke 1:32; Act 2:30 |
| 158. Psa 129:3 | He was scourged | Matt 27:26 |
| 159. Psa 138:1-6 | The supremacy of David’s Seed amazes kings | Matt 2:2-6 |
| 160. Psa 147:3-6 | The earthly ministry of Christ described | Luke 4:18 |
| 161. Prov 1:23 | He will send the Spirit of God | John 16:7 |
| 162. Prov 8:23 | Foreordained from everlasting | Rev 13:8; 1 Pet 1:19-20 |
| 163. Song 5:16 | The altogether lovely One | John 1:17 |
| 164. Isa 2:3 | He shall teach all nations | John 4:25 |
| 165. Isa 2:4 | He shall judge among the nations | John 5:22 |
| 166. Isa 6:1 | When Isaiah saw His glory | John 12:40-41 |
| 167. Isa 6:8 | The One Sent by God | John 12:38-45 |
| 168. Isa 6:9-10 | Parables fall on deaf ears | Matt 13:13-15 |
| 169. Isa 6:9-12 | Blinded to Christ and deaf to His words | Acts 28:23-29 |
| 170. Isa 7:14 | To be born of a virgin | Luke 1:35 |
| 171. Isa 7:14 | To be Emmanuel-God with us | Matt 1:18-23; 1 Tim 3:16 |
| 172. Isa 8:8 | Called Emmanuel | Matt 28:20 |
| 173. Isa 8:14 | A stone of stumbling, a Rock of offense | 1 Pet 2:8 |
| 174. Isa 9:1-2 | His ministry to begin in Galilee | Matt 4:12-17 |
| 175. Isa 9:6 | A child born-Humanity | Luke 1:31 |
| 176. Isa 9:6 | A Son given-Deity | Luke 1:32; John 1:14; 1 Tim 3:16 |
| 177. Isa 9:6 | Declared to be the Son of God with power | Rom 1:3-4 |
| 178. Isa 9:6 | The Wonderful One, Peleh | Luke 4:22 |
| 179. Isa 9:6 | The Counselor, Yaatz | Matt 13:54 |
| 180. Isa 9:6 | The Mighty God, El Gibor | 1 Cor 1:24; Titus 2:3 |
| 181. Isa 9:6 | The Everlasting Father, Avi Adth | John 8:58; 10:30 |
| 182. Isa 9:6 | The Prince of Peace, Sar Shalom | John 16:33 |
| 183. Isa 9:7 | To establish an everlasting kingdom | Luke 1:32-33 |
| 184. Isa 9:7 | His Character-Just | John 5:30 |
| 185. Isa 9:7 | No end to his Government, Throne, and Peace | Luke 1:32-33 |
| 186. Isa 11:1 | Called a Nazarene-the Branch, Netzer | Matt 2:23 |
| 187. Isa 11:1 | A rod out of Jesse-Son of Jesse | Luke 3:23-32 |
| 188. Isa 11:2 | Anointed One by the Spirit | Matt 3:16-17; Acts 10:38 |
| 189. Isa 11:2 | His Character-Wisdom, Knowledge, et al | Col 2:3 |
| 190. Isa 11:3 | He would know their thoughts | Luke 6:8; John 2:25 |
| 191. Isa 11:4 | Judge in righteousness | Acts 17:31 |
| 192. Isa 11:4 | Judges with the sword of His mouth | Rev 2:16; 19:11, 15 |
| 193. Isa 11:5 | Character: Righteous & Faithful | Rev 19:11 |
| 194. Isa 11:10 | The Gentiles seek Him | John 12:18-21 |
| 195. Isa 12:2 | Called Jesus-Yeshua | Matt 1:21 |
| 196. Isa 22:22 | The One given all authority to govern | Rev 3:7 |
| 197. Isa 25:8 | The Resurrection predicted | 1 Cor 15:54 |
| 198. Isa 26:19 | His power of Resurrection predicted | Matt 27:50-54 |
| 199. Isa 28:16 | The Messiah is the precious corner stone | Acts 4:11-12; 1 Pet 2:6 |
| 200. Isa 28:16 | The Sure Foundation | 1 Cor 3:11; Matt 16:18; 1 Pet 2:6 |
| 201. Isa 29:13 | He indicated hypocritical obedience to His Word | Matt 15:7-9 |
| 202. Isa 29:14 | The wise are confounded by the Word | 1 Cor 1:18-31 |
| 203. Isa 32:2 | A Refuge-A man shall be a hiding place | Matt 23:37 |
| 204. Isa 35:4 | He will come and save you | Matt 1:21 |
| 205. Isa 35:5-6 | To have a ministry of miracles | Matt 11:2-6 |
| 206. Isa 40:3-4 | Preceded by forerunner | John 1:23 |
| 207. Isa 40:9 | “Behold your God” | John 1:36; 19:14 |
| 208. Isa 40:10 | He will come to reward | Rev 22:12 |
| 209. Isa 40:11 | A shepherd-compassionate life-giver | John 10:10-18 |
| 210. Isa 42:1-4 | The Servant-as a faithful, patient redeemer | Matt 12:18-21 |
| 211. Isa 42:2 | Meek and lowly | Matt 11:28-30 |
| 212. Isa 42:3 | He brings hope for the hopeless | John 4 |
| 213. Isa 42:4 | The nations shall wait on His teachings | John 12:20-26 |
| 214. Isa 42:6 | The Light (salvation) of the Gentiles | Luke 2:32 |
| 215. Isa 42:1-6 | His is a worldwide compassion | Matt 28:19-20 |
| 216. Isa 42:7 | Blind eyes opened | John 9:25-38 |
| 217. Isa 43:11 | He is the only Savior | Acts 4:12 |
| 218. Isa 44:3 | He will send the Spirit of God | John 16:7-13 |
| 219. Isa 45:21-25 | He is Lord and Savior | Phil 3:20; Titus 2:13 |
| 220. Isa 45:23 | He will be the Judge | John 5:22; Rom 14:11 |
| 221. Isa 46:9-10 | Declares things not yet done | John 13:19 |
| 222. Isa 48:12 | The First and the Last | John 1:30; Rev 1:8, 17 |
| 223. Isa 48:16-17 | He came as a Teacher | John 3:2 |
| 224. Isa 49:1 | Called from the womb-His humanity | Matt 1:18 |
| 225. Isa 49:5 | A Servant from the womb | Luke 1:31; Phil 2:7 |
| 226. Isa 49:6 | He will restore Israel | Acts 3:19-21; 15:16-17 |
| 227. Isa 49:6 | He is Salvation for Israel | Luke 2:29-32 |
| 228. Isa 49:6 | He is the Light of the Gentiles | John 8:12; Acts 13:47 |
| 229. Isa 49:6 | He is Salvation unto the ends of the earth | Acts 15:7-18 |
| 230. Isa 49:7 | He is despised of the Nation | John 1:11; 8:48-49; 19:14-15 |
| 231. Isa 50:3 | Heaven is clothed in black at His humiliation | Luke 23:44-45 |
| 232. Isa 50:4 | He is a learned counselor for the weary | Matt 7:29; 11:28-29 |
| 233. Isa 50:5 | The Servant bound willingly to obedience | Matt 26:39 |
| 234. Isa 50:6a | “I gave my back to those who struck Me” | Matt 27:26 |
| 235. Isa 50:6b | He was smitten on the cheeks | Matt 26:67 |
| 236. Isa 50:6c | He was spat upon | Matt 27:30 |
| 237. Isa 52:7 | Published good tidings upon mountains | Matt 5:12; 15:29; 28:16 |
| 238. Isa 52:13 | The Servant exalted | Acts 1:8-11; Eph 1:19-22; Phil 2:5-9 |
| 239. Isa 52:14 | The Servant shockingly abused | Luke 18:31-34; Matt 26:67-68 |
| 240. Isa 52:15 | Nations startled by message of the Servant | Luke 18:31-34; Matt 26:67-68 |
| 241. Isa 52:15 | His blood shed sprinkles nations | Heb 9:13-14; Rev 1:5 |
| 242. Isa 53:1 | His people would not believe Him | John 12:37-38 |
| 243. Isa 53:2 | Appearance of an ordinary man | Phil 2:6-8 |
| 244. Isa 53:3a | Despised | Luke 4:28-29 |
| 245. Isa 53:3b | Rejected | Matt 27:21-23 |
| 246. Isa 53:3c | Great sorrow and grief | Matt 26:37-38; Luke 19:41; Heb 4:15 |
| 247. Isa 53:3d | Men hide from being associated with Him | Mark 14:50-52 |
| 248. Isa 53:4a | He would have a healing ministry | Matt 8:16-17 |
| 249. Isa 53:4b | Thought to be cursed by God | Matt 26:66; 27:41-43 |
| 250. Isa 53:5a | Bears penalty for mankind’s iniquities | 2 Cor 5:21; Heb 2:9 |
| 251. Isa 53:5b | His sacrifice provides peace between man and God | Col 1:20 |
| 252. Isa 53:5c | His sacrifice would heal man of sin | 1 Pet 2:24 |
| 253. Isa 53:6a | He would be the sin-bearer for all mankind | 1 John 2:2; 4:10 |
| 254. Isa 53:6b | God’s will that He bear sin for all mankind | Gal 1:4 |
| 255. Isa 53:7a | Oppressed and afflicted | Matt 27:27-31 |
| 256. Isa 53:7b | Silent before his accusers | Matt 27:12-14 |
| 257. Isa 53:7c | Sacrificial lamb | John 1:29; 1 Pet 1:18-19 |
| 258. Isa 53:8a | Confined and persecuted | Matt 26:47-27:31 |
| 259. Isa 53:8b | He would be judged | John 18:13-22 |
| 260. Isa 53:8c | Killed | Matt 27:35 |
| 261. Isa 53:8d | Dies for the sins of the world | 1 John 2:2 |
| 262. Isa 53:9a | Buried in a rich man’s grave | Matt 27:57 |
| 263. Isa 53:9b | Innocent and had done no violence | Luke 23:41; John 18:38 |
| 264. Isa 53:9c | No deceit in his mouth | 1 Pet 2:22 |
| 265. Isa 53:10a | God’s will that He die for mankind | John 18:11 |
| 266. Isa 53:10b | An offering for sin | Matt 20:28; Gal 3:13 |
| 267. Isa 53:10c | Resurrected and live forever | Rom 6:9 |
| 268. Isa 53:10d | He would prosper | John 17:1-5 |
| 269. Isa 53:11a | God fully satisfied with His suffering | John 12:27; 19:30 |
| 270. Isa 53:11b | God’s servant would justify man | Rom 5:8-9, 18-19 |
| 271. Isa 53:11c | The sin-bearer for all mankind | Heb 9:28 |
| 272. Isa 53:12a | Exalted by God because of his sacrifice | Matt 28:18; Phil 2:9 |
| 273. Isa 53:12b | He would give up his life to save mankind | Luke 23:46; Jn 10:18 |
| 274. Isa 53:12c | Numbered with the transgressors | Mark 15:27-28 |
| 275. Isa 53:12d | Sin-bearer for all mankind | 1 Pet 2:24; 2 Cor 5:19 |
| 276. Isa 53:12e | Intercede to God in behalf of mankind | Luke 23:34; Rom 8:34 |
| 277. Isa 55:3 | Resurrected by God | Acts 13:34 |
| 278. Isa 55:4a | A witness | John 18:37 |
| 279. Isa 55:4b | He is a leader and commander | Heb 2:10 |
| 280. Isa 55:5 | God would glorify Him | Acts 3:13 |
| 281. Isa 59:16a | Intercessor between man and God | Matt 10:32 |
| 282. Isa 59:16b | He would come to provide salvation | John 6:40 |
| 283. Isa 59:20 | He would come to Zion as their Redeemer | Luke 2:38 |
| 284. Isa 60:1-3 | He would show light to the Gentiles | Acts 26:23 |
| 285. Isa 61:1a | The Spirit of God upon him | Matt 3:16-17 |
| 286. Isa 61:1b | The Messiah would preach the good news | Luke 4:16-21 |
| 287. Isa 61:1c | Provide freedom from the bondage of sin | John 8:31-36 |
| 288. Isa 61:1-2a | Proclaim a period of grace | Gal 4:4-5 |
| 289. Jer 23:5-6 | Descendant of David | Luke 3:23-31 |
| 290. Jer 23:5-6 | The Messiah would be both God and Man | John 13:13; 1 Tim 3:16 |
| 291. Jer 31:22 | Born of a virgin | Matt 1:18-20 |
| 292. Jer 31:31 | The Messiah would be the new covenant | Matt 26:28 |
| 293. Jer 33:14-15 | Descendant of David | Luke 3:23-31 |
| 294. Ezek 34:23-24 | Descendant of David | Matt 1:1 |
| 295. Ezek 37:24-25 | Descendant of David | Luke 1:31-33 |
| 296. Dan 2:44-45 | The Stone that shall break the kingdoms | Matt 21:44 |
| 297. Dan 7:13-14a | He would ascend into heaven | Acts 1:9-11 |
| 298. Dan 7:13-14b | Highly exalted | Eph 1:20-22; Phil 2:9 |
| 299. Dan 7:13-14c | His dominion would be everlasting | Luke 1:31-33 |
| 300. Dan 9:24a | To make an end to sins | Gal 1:3-5 |
| 301. Dan 9:24a | To make reconciliation for iniquity | Rom 5:10; 2 Cor 5:18-21 |
| 302. Dan 9:24b | He would be holy | Luke 1:35 |
| 303. Dan 9:25 | His announcement | John 12:12-13 |
| 304. Dan 9:26a | Cut off | Matt 16:21; 21:38-39 |
| 305. Dan 9:26b | Die for the sins of the world | Heb 2:9 |
| 306. Dan 9:26c | Killed before the destruction of the temple | Matt 27:50-51 |
| 307. Dan 10:5-6 | Messiah in a glorified state | Rev 1:13-16 |
| 308. Hos 11:1 | He would be called out of Egypt | Matt 2:15 |
| 309. Hos 13:14 | He would defeat death | 1 Cor 15:55-57 |
| 310. Joel 2:32 | Offer salvation to all mankind | Rom 10:9-13 |
| 311. Jonah 1:17 | Death and resurrection of Christ | Matt 12:40; 16:4 |
| 312. Mic 5:2a | Born in Bethlehem | Matt 2:1-6 |
| 313. Mic 5:2b | Ruler in Israel | Luke 1:33 |
| 314. Mic 5:2c | From everlasting | John 8:58 |
| 315. Hag 2:6-9 | He would visit the second Temple | Luke 2:27-32 |
| 316. Hag 2:23 | Descendant of Zerubbabel | Luke 2:27-32 |
| 317. Zech 3:8 | God’s servant | John 17:4 |
| 318. Zech 6:12-13 | Priest and King | Heb 8:1 |
| 319. Zech 9:9a | Greeted with rejoicing in Jerusalem | Matt 21:8-10 |
| 320. Zech 9:9b | Beheld as King | John 12:12-13 |
| 321. Zech 9:9c | The Messiah would be just | John 5:30 |
| 322. Zech 9:9d | The Messiah would bring salvation | Luke 19:10 |
| 323. Zech 9:9e | The Messiah would be humble | Matt 11:29 |
| 324. Zech 9:9f | Presented to Jerusalem riding on a donkey | Matt 21:6-9 |
| 325. Zech 10:4 | The cornerstone | Eph 2:20; 1 Pet 2:6 |
| 326. Zech 11:4-6a | At His coming, Israel to have unfit leaders | Matt 23:1-4 |
| 327. Zech 11:4-6b | Rejection causes God to remove His protection | Luke 19:41-44 |
| 328. Zech 11:4-6c | Rejected in favor of another king | John 19:13-15 |
| 329. Zech 11:7 | Ministry to “poor,” the believing remnant | Matt 9:35-36 |
| 330. Zech 11:8a | Unbelief forces Messiah to reject them | Matt 23:33 |
| 331. Zech 11:8b | Despised | Matt 27:20 |
| 332. Zech 11:9 | Stops ministering to those who rejected Him | Matt 13:10-11 |
| 333. Zech 11:10-11a | Rejection causes God to remove protection | Luke 19:41-44 |
| 334. Zech 11:10-11b | The Messiah would be God | John 14:7 |
| 335. Zech 11:12-13a | Betrayed for thirty pieces of silver | Matt 26:14-15 |
| 336. Zech 11:12-13b | Rejected | Matt 26:14-15 |
| 337. Zech 11:12-13c | Thirty pieces of silver cast in the house of the Lord | Matt 27:3-5 |
| 338. Zech 11:12-13d | The Messiah would be God | John 12:45 |
| 339. Zech 12:10a | The Messiah’s body would be pierced | John 19:34-37 |
| 340. Zech 12:10b | The Messiah would be both God and man | John 10:30 |
| 341. Zech 12:10c | The Messiah would be rejected | John 1:11 |
| 342. Zech 13:7a | God’s will He die for mankind | John 18:11 |
| 343. Zech 13:7b | A violent death | Mark 14:27 |
| 344. Zech 13:7c, 9 | Both God and man | John 14:9 |
| 345. Zech 13:7d | Israel scattered as a result of rejecting Him | Matt 26:31-56 |
| 346. Zech 14:4 | He would return to the Mt. of Olives | Acts 1:11-12 |
| 347. Mal 3:1a | Messenger to prepare the way for Messiah | Mark 1:1-8 |
| 348. Mal 3:1b | Sudden appearance at the temple | Mark 11:15-16 |
| 349. Mal 3:1c | Messenger of the new covenant | Luke 4:43 |
| 350. Mal 4:5 | Forerunner in spirit of Elijah | Matt 3:1-3; 11:10-14; 17:11-13 |
| 351. Mal 4:6 | Forerunner would turn many to righteousness | Luke 1:16-17; Heb 6:20 |
Christology (the study of Christ)
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