Was “Easter” a Mistranslation in the King James Bible? Acts 12:4 [video]
Every day of the week is rooted in pagan mythology. Yes, that is exactly right! The days of the week in English have deep roots in ancient Pagan and Roman mythology, with their roots tied to celestial bodies and their associated deities.
The ancient Romans and Norse peoples mapped their gods to the days of the week, a naming convention that Anglo-Saxon Germanic cultures later adapted:
- Sunday: Named after the Sun (dies solis in Latin). Ancient pagans and Romans worshipped the sun as a deity, such as the Egyptian god Ra.
- Monday: Named after the Moon (dies lunae in Latin), honoring the Roman moon goddess Luna or the Anglo-Saxon moon god.
- Tuesday: Named after Tyr (or Tiw), the Norse god of war, replacing the Roman war god Mars.
- Wednesday: Named after Odin (also known as Woden), the supreme Norse god, replacing the Roman god Mercury.
- Thursday: Named after Thor, the mighty Norse god of thunder, replacing the Roman sky god Jupiter.
- Friday: Named after Freya (or Frigg), the Norse goddess of love and beauty, replacing the Roman goddess Venus.
- Saturday: The only day to retain its original Roman name, honoring Saturn, the Roman god of time and agriculture
In light of this fact, we should ask: Is it a sin to call Moon-day, Monday, Saturn-day Saturday, and call Sun-day, Sunday? No. Each day of the week designates, speaks to, identifies that day just as Easter signifies, speaks of a certain time and this is how it is to be viewed when we see it in Scripture.
In the same way, so are the months of the year named – after pagan mythology. One source notes:
“The 12 months of the year are not all named after pagans. While many originate from ancient Roman mythology and polytheistic culture, others are named after Roman emperors, springtime agriculture, or Latin numbers. [1, 2, 3]
- January: Named after Janus, the two-faced Roman pagan god of beginnings, doorways, and transitions.
- February: Derived from Februa, an ancient Roman pagan festival of purification and cleansing.
- March: Named after Mars, the Roman pagan god of war.
- April: Derives from the Latin word aperire, meaning “to open,” referring to the opening of buds and spring flowers.
- May: Named after Maia, the Greek pagan goddess of spring, earth growth, and fertility.
- June: Named after Juno, the Roman pagan goddess of marriage and queen of the gods.
- July: Named to honor the Roman emperor Julius Caesar.
- August: Named to honor Augustus Caesar, the first Roman emperor.
- September: Named after the Latin word for seven (septem), as it was originally the seventh month of the old Roman calendar.
- October: Derives from the Latin word for eight (octo).
- November: Derives from the Latin word for nine (novem).
- December: Derives from the Latin word for ten (decem).”
Luke the physician’s style of writing included things that were indicators yet not sanctioned by the LORD in the worship of God. For example:
“And after three months we departed in a ship of Alexandria, which had wintered in the isle, whose sign was Castor and Pollux.” Acts 28:11
Of this use of the “sign” of “Castor and Pollux,” the Believer’s Bible Commentary notes the following:
“28:11 The figurehead of this ship was the Twin Brothers, that is, Castor and Pollux. These were supposed, by heathen sailors, to be the patron gods of mariners.”
This is clear proof that everything in Scripture is not necessarily sanctioned from God as part of worshipping Him but is rather frank talk in mentioning the facts being communicated and timeline.
Just because the Bible uses the word “Easter” does not mean 1. It’s a bad translation, or 2. that it was sanctioned in the worship of God. In relating this event, Luke used the word “Easter” to mark a certain event, tradition, time. Notice the phrase “after Easter” which simply referred to a time, after a certain day designated by the heathen in their pagan worship. This in no way indicates that it has anything to do in honoring, worshiping the LORD. Nor does this mean it was the wrong word to use in this text by the translators.
We use this same principle in our own communications today. If someone were to ask another person when they thought they’d be finished building their new home, the builder may say something like: Some time after July 4th. Is July 4th a celebration by Christians to worship God? No. Yet we wouldn’t think twice about using it to mark a designated weekend in our calendar year, right? Right.
When you read the text, it becomes apparent it’s a narrative of Herod using the pagan calendar, and not something giving reverence to this pagan holiday. The passage is describing HEROD’s timeline to kill Peter, and not giving reverence to paganism. It’s simply narrating from Herod’s perspective.
“Now about that time HEROD the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. … 4 And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.” Acts 12:1,4
Defenders of fake “bibles” love to try to use this one to discount God’s preserved Word and justify their use of Satan’s counterfeits, Satan’s attack on “bibles” against the LORD they claim to serve. Not.
The “Easter” Question Cleared Up Conclusively
As usual the King James Bible got it correct-because it is God’s Word.
Samuel C. Gipp.
QUESTION: Isn’t “Easter” in Acts 12:4 a mistranslation of the word “pascha” and should it be translated as “passover”?
ANSWER: No, “pascha” is properly translated “Easter” in Acts 12:4 as the following explanation will show.
EXPLANATION: The Greek word which is translated “Easter” in Acts 12:4 is the word “pascha.” This word appears twenty-nine times in the New Testament. Twenty-eight of those times the word is rendered “Passover” in reference to the night when the Lord passed over Egypt and killed all the firstborn of Egypt (Exodus 12:12), thus setting Israel free from four hundred years of bondage.
The many opponents to the concept of having a perfect Bible have made much of this translation of “pascha.”
Coming to the word “Easter” in God’s Authorized Bible, they seize upon it imagining that they have found proof that the Bible is not perfect. Fortunately for lovers of the word of God, they are wrong. Easter, as we know it, comes from the ancient pagan festival of Astarte. Also known as Ishtar (pronounced “Easter”). This festival has always been held late in the month of April. It was, in its original form, a celebration of the earth “regenerating” itself after the winter season. The festival involved a celebration of reproduction. For this reason the common symbols of Easter festivities were the rabbit (the same symbol as “Playboy” magazine), and the egg. Both are known for their reproductive abilities. At the center of attention was Astarte, the female deity. She is known in the Bible as the “queen of heaven” (Jeremiah 7:18; 44:17-25). She is the mother of Tammuz (Ezekiel 8:14) who was also her husband! These perverted rituals would take place at sunrise on Easter morning (Ezekiel 8:13-16). From the references in Jeremiah and Ezekiel, we can see that the true Easter has never had any association with Jesus Christ.
Problem: Even though the Jewish Passover was held in mid April (the fourteenth) and the pagan festival Easter was held later the same month, how do we know that Herod was referring to Easter in Acts 12:4 and not the Jewish Passover? If he was referring to the Passover, the translation of “pascha” as “Easter” is incorrect. If he was indeed referring to the pagan holyday (holiday) Easter, then the King James Bible (1611) must truly be the very word and words of God for it is the only Bible in print today which has the correct reading.
To unravel the confusion concerning “Easter” in verse 4, we must consult our FINAL authority, THE BIBLE. The key which unlocks the puzzle is found not in verse 4, but in verse 3. (“Then were the days of unleavened bread… “) To secure the answer that we seek, we must find the relationship of the Passover to the days of unleavened bread. We must keep in mind that Peter was arrested during the “days of unleavened bread” (Acts 12:3).
Our investigation will need to start at the first Passover. This was the night in which the LORD smote all the firstborn in Egypt. The Israelites were instructed to kill a lamb and strike its blood on the two side posts and the upper door post (Exodus 12:4,5). Let us now see what the Bible says concerning the first Passover, and the days of unleavened bread.
Exodus 12:13-18: “And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
14 And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.
15 Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.
16 And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you.
17 And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever.
18 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even.”
Here in Exodus 12:13 we see how the Passover got its name. The LORD said that He would “pass over” all of the houses which had the blood of the lamb marking the door.
After the Passover (Exodus 12:13,14), we find that seven days shall be fulfilled in which the Jews were to eat unleavened bread. These are the days of unleavened bread!
In verse 18 we see that dates for the observance were April 14th through the 21st.
This religious observance is stated more clearly in Numbers 28:16-18: “And in the fourteenth day of the first month is the passover of the LORD.
17 And in the fifteenth day of this month is the feast: seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten.
18 In the first day shall be an holy convocation; ye shall do no manner of servile work therein:”
In verse 16 we see that the Passover is only considered to be the 14th of the month. On the next morning, the 15th begins the “days of unleavened bread.”
Here in Deuteronomy we see again that the Passover is sacrificed on the first night (Deuteronomy 16:1). It is worth noting that the Passover was to be celebrated in the evening (vs.6) not at sunrise (Ezekiel 8:13-16).
In II Chronicles 8:13 we see that the feast of unleavened bread was one of the three Jewish feasts to be kept during the year.
II Chronicles 8:13: “Even after a certain rate every day, offering according to the commandment of Moses, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts, three times in the year, even in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles.”
Whenever the Passover was kept, it always preceded the feast of unleavened bread. In II Chronicles 30 some Jews who were unable to keep the Passover in the first month were allowed to keep it in the second. But the dates remained the same.
II Chronicles 30:l5,21: “Then they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the second month: and the priests and the Levites were ashamed, and sanctified themselves, and brought in the burnt offerings into the house of the LORD. And the children of lsrael that were present at Jerusalem kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with great gladness: and the Levites and the priests praised the LORD day by day, singing with loud instruments unto the LORD.”
Ezra 6:19,22: “And the children of the captivity kept the passover upon the fourteenth day of the first month. And kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy: for the LORD had made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria unto them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.”
We see then, from studying what the BIBLE has to say concerning the subject that the order of events went as follows:
(1) On the 14th of April the lamb was killed. This is the Passover. No event following the 14th is ever referred to as the Passover.
(2) On the morning of the 15th begins the days of unleavened bread, also known as the feast of unleavened bread.
It must also be noted that whenever the Passover is mentioned in the New Testament, the reference is always to the meal, to be eaten on the night of April 14th not the entire week. The days of unleavened bread are NEVER referred to as the Passover. (It must be remembered that the angel of the Lord passed over Egypt on one night, not seven nights in a row.)
Now let us look at Acts 12:3,4: “And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.) And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.”
Verse 3 shows that Peter was arrested during the days of unleavened bread (April 15-2 1). The Bible says: “Then were the days of unleavened bread.” The Passover (April 14th) had already come and gone. Herod could not possibly have been referring to the Passover in his statement concerning Easter. The next Passover was a year away! But the pagan holiday of Easter was just a few days away. Remember! Herod was a pagan Roman who worshiped the “queen of heaven.” He was NOT a Jew. He had no reason to keep the Jewish Passover. Some might argue that he wanted to wait until after the Passover for fear of upsetting the Jews. There are two grievous faults in this line of thinking.
First, Peter was no longer considered a Jew. He had repudiated Judaism. The Jews would have no reason to be upset by Herod’s actions.
Second, he could not have been waiting until after the Passover because he thought the Jews would not kill a man during a religious holiday. They had killed Jesus during Passover (Matthew 26:17-19,47). They were also excited about Herod’s murder of James. Anyone knows that a mob possesses the courage to do violent acts during religious festivities, not after.
In further considering Herod’s position as a Roman, we must remember that the Herods were well known for celebrating (Matthew 14:6-11). In fact, in Matthew chapter 14 we see that a Herod was even willing to kill a man of God during one of his celebrations.
It is elementary to see that Herod, in Acts 12, had arrested Peter during the days of unleavened bread, after the passover. The days of unleavened bread would end on the 21st of April. Shortly after that would come Herod’s celebration of pagan Easter. Herod had not killed Peter during the days of unleavened bread simply because he wanted to wait until Easter. Since it is plain that both the Jews (Matthew 26:17- 47) and the Romans (Matthew 14:6-11) would kill during a religious celebration, Herod’s opinion seemed that he was not going to let the Jews “have all the fun.” He would wait until his own pagan festival and see to it that Peter died in the excitement.
Thus we see that it was God’s providence which had the Spirit-filled translators of our Bible (King James) to CORRECTLY translate “pascha” as “Easter.” It most certainly did not refer to the Jewish Passover. In fact, to change it to “Passover” would confuse the reader and make the truth of the situation unclear.
Bible Version Issue | Arrogant Bible Correctors Rebuked
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Apostasy
Concerns about the writings of C.S. Lewis [podcast]
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalms 119:105
It’s a dangerous proposition to attempt to convey the divine doctrine, the truth, via fiction. Such an undertaking begins on skaky ground. The saints of Christ must get all their doctrine strictly from Scripture, and Holy Scripture only (Deut 4:1-10; Isaiah 34:16; John 5:39-40; 2 Tim 2:15; 3:15-17; 2 Pet 1:12-21, etc.). The writings of CS Lewis have zero divine inspiration and zero divine authority. Anyone who spends their time reading the writings of men, especially those which include very little Scripture (as in the case of Lewis), are inevitably going to be deceived. God gave us His Word to know Him and warned us that “MANY false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many” (Matthew 24:11).
Beware. CS Lewis never even claimed to be born again and yet still has a cult following.
Being born again means one “is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God…” (2 Corinthians 5:17-18) Yet Lewis asserts that “there are people in other religions who are being led by God’s secret influence to concentrate on those parts of their religion which are in agreement with Christianity, and who thus belong to Christ without knowing it.” So, the most profound divine miracle can happen to a person, they can be changed from the inside out, freely forgiven and regenerated, and not even know it? Such a statement from Lewis alone moves me to conclude that he was never born again. And this isn’t even to mention that he was at least in bed with the works-based antichrist Roman Catholic church.
Something to think about, to help you: Why would you be so strongly defending a mere man if that man and his writings didn’t mean so much to you? There seems to be a cult fiction following of Lewis involving people who seem to spend more times of a mere sinner’s fictional musings about God than they do reading about God for themselves in His own Word.
Of CS Lewis, one pastor notes problematic things in Lewis’s writings:
“(1) he was not an inerrantist; (2) he viewed the Protestant Reformation as avoidable; (3) he remained in the Church of England, despite his largely Protestant beliefs; (4) he allowed for “at least some people to be saved through imperfect representations of Christ in other religions”; (5) he gave little attention to the doctrine of atonement.” Then he says: “Lewis is not a writer to which we should turn for growth in a careful biblical understanding of Christian doctrine … There is almost no passage of Scripture on which I would turn to Lewis for exegetical illumination.”
CS Lewis stated: “I willingly believe that the damned are, in one sense, successful, rebels to the end; that the doors of hell are locked on the inside.” Lewis, “The Problem of Pain,” 538.
One minister notes of Lewis’ doctrine that “Lewis never believed in a literal hell, but instead believed hell is a state of mind one chooses to possess and become.” In other words, CS Lewis believe hell was not literal but rather a fiction.
Of CS Lewis, Rick Miesel wrote the following 15 conclusions about the beliefs of CS Lewis:
1. Lewis indicates that shortly before his death he was turning toward the Catholic Church. Lewis termed himself “very Catholic.” His prayers for the dead, belief in purgatory, and rejection of the literal resurrection of the body are serious deviations from Biblical Christianity.
2. His contention that some pagans may “belong to Christ without knowing it” is a destructive heresy…, as was his statement that “Christ fulfils both Paganism and Judaism …”
3. Lewis believed that we’re to become “gods,” an apparent affirmation of theistic evolution.
4. He also believed the Book of Job is “unhistorical” (Reflections on the Psalms, pp. 110), and that the Bible contained “error” (pp. 110, 112) and is not divinely inspired.
5. Lewis never believed in a literal hell, but instead believed hell is a state of mind one chooses to possess and become…
6. On heaven: “All the scriptural imagery (harps, crowns, gold, etc.) is, of course, a merely symbolical attempt to express the inexpressible.”
7. C.S. Lewis’s most outrageous misunderstanding was about the purpose of the death of Christ, which of course mars all subsequent propositions about the effects of the cross and salvation.
8. In his speculations on the hereafter, Lewis is to be criticized for being so extra-biblical.
9. In spite of what many believe to be brilliant exegesis on Christian apologetics (In light of the above, one wonders which of Lewis’s books these people have been reading?), there appears to have been in C.S. Lewis a seemingly irresistible attraction to the shadow world of occult fantasy — a mingling of darkness with light evident in writings apart from his apologetics.
10. Lewis’s early favorite literature included E. Nesbit’s trilogy: Five Children and It, The Phoenix and the Wishing Carpet, plus The Amulet — all occult fantasies.
11. So much was Lewis’s life steeped in fantasy that he wrote, “The central story of my life is about nothing else” (p. 17). From Nesbit and Gulliver he advanced to Longfellow’s Saga of King Olaf and fell in love with the magic and pagan myths of Norse legend. By the age of twelve, there had grown in Lewis’s mind an intense relationship with the world of fantasy and elves… Although one would expect childhood fantasies to subside after a time, in Lewis’s case they became more a delight as he grew older.
12. After advancing to preparatory school at Wyvern, Lewis gradually “ceased to be a Christian.” He became interested in the occult and embraced an attitude of pessimism about what he considered a faulty world. His taste for the occult was nurtured and grew as he became enthralled with Wagnerian operas and their Norse sagas derived from Celtic mythology.
13. It was during their long association that both Lewis and JR Tolkien developed their most prestigious “sword and sorcery” material.
13. It is argued that in presenting a blend of fantasy with analogy to Christian truth, Lewis hoped to encourage his readers to search out the truth further. This, however, was not Lewis’s intention in writing his fantasies… Many of Lewis’s characters in his fantasies depicted as “good” are in reality associated with witchcraft, pagan mythology, and the Norse mysteries.
14. One of the more pronounced confusions of good and evil is Till We Have Faces, Lewis’s retelling of the Greek myth of Cupid and Psyche, written just a few years before his death. In this work, several ungodly concepts are espoused as valid truths.
15. In fact, there has developed a cult of sorts which venerates the fantasies of Lewis along with those of other writers who do not claim to be Christians. Evidence of this is the fact that Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia is listed along with other occult writings as recommended inspirational reading by the makers of the demonically-oriented game Dungeons and Dragons!
CONCLUSION
According to Miesel, Lewis is also heretical on the depravity of man, how salvation works, being “Born Again,” and animals in heaven. He concludes,
“While there may be insights into life that are profitable to be found in the works of C.S. Lewis, we think it not wise to encourage young or untaught Christians to feed on such a presentation of so-called Christian truth. Some may be readily attracted to Lewis’s style and logic, but let us not be blinded and thus miss the plain and simple truth of Scripture.”
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Articles
How to Spot a Fake Bible [podcast]
Please don’t balk till you read these 3 verses. This is indefensible to the sane mind! “He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.” (Proverbs 18:13)
Satan loves to borrow from the authentic. This is so he can attempt to borrow credibility from the real and he pawns off, he promulgates his counterfeits. This is why one of his fake “bibles” is called the “New King James Bible.” The Word “Berean” immediately evokes the truth of the disciples there who stood on God’s written Word and compared everything to it to prove it was true or false (Acts 17:10-11). In 2016 the Berean Study Bible (BSB) was introduced. Sounds good, right? Not! There are 4 verses we use to acid test “bibles”: Matthew 17:21; Acts 8:37; Romans 8:1; and Colossians 1:14
As usual, this BSB was taken from the known corrupted manuscripts instead of the Textus Receptus from which the KJB comes from. In the BSB, typically, we find:
- Matthew 17:21 was removed and so was Acts 8:37,
- Romans 8:1 was chopped in half, and
- The blood of Jesus was removed from Colossians 1:14.
Many times I hold people’s feet to the fire on Colossians 1:14 and ask them if they truly believe they are washed in Christ’s blood and if they believe they could be saved without His blood (Hebrews 9:22). Then when they agree that our LORD’s blood is the only way they could have been and are saved, I ask them how they could possibly agree with, condone the removing of His precious blood and bring in Revelation 22:18-19.
“The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. 7 Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.” Psalms 12:6-7
“Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. 6 Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.” Proverbs 30:5-6
People are constantly bragging about “their” translation they love and swear it’s the best. So, all you have to do to blow up their little deception is to go online and find that version and go to the following 3 verses: Matthew 17:21, Colossians 1:14, Romans 8:1
IF you are going to dare still argue to defend the fake news new “bibles” after being told that the BLOOD of Jesus is removed from Colossians 1:14 and Matthew 17:21 is removed and Romans 8:1 is chopped in half…. I have no more responsibility to communicate truth to you according to (Matthew 7:6; Titus 3:10-11; Revelation 22:18-19; Proverbs 30:5-6). You are not a man of truth.
You have to wonder if professing Christians actually know and take this severe warning seriously by the crass attitude we see concerning the fake “bibles” which deliberately butchered God’s words and changed major doctrines (Revelation 22:18-19). Where O where is the holy fear of God?
“For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” Revelation 22:18-19
Compare to the KJB which came from the Textus Receptus manuscripts which make up 98% of all manuscripts in existence and agree with each other. The underlying manuscripts are most important. When you compare these 3 verses you immediately see if their version is accurate. There’s more to it though because apparently some of the fake “bibles” use both sets of manuscripts. Yet, usually the fake “bibles” come wholly from the corrupted manuscripts and comparing these 3 verses reveals such.
The new versions of the Bible are rooted in rebellion no matter what the sales pitch they put on gullible minds. They are man’s thoughts and philosophies inserted into God’s (Isaiah 55:8-9). Total rebellion. Read Revelation 22:18-19. They are cursed at the root. The Holy Ghost is our Teacher not the Hebrew, Greek, or supposed, self-appointed “experts.”
90% of the time you will find that their “bible” version came from the corrupted manuscripts.
Personally, I cannot endorse what are clearly Satan’s CORRUPTIONS, cheap substitutes, and counterfeits of God’s Word and therefore cannot recommend them. I definitely encourage any and all believers, no matter the maturity level, to read the King James Bible.
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Abiding
How do We Know Who is “of God” and Who is “Not of God”? [podcast]
Scripture vs Subjectivity/Human Reasoning
“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” Colossians 2:8
There are many people pretending to be representing Christ. Many pretend to speak for God but how do we know who is truly “of God” and who is “not of God”? Jesus gave us the answer to this important question because He desires His people to be protected by proper discernment. He has warned us repeatedly to “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16 Ye shall know (discern) them by their fruits. … And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many” (Matthew 7:15-16, 24:11).
Jesus says to use that we shall “know” (discern) others “by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:16, 20)
“You’re taking things out of context” is what unrepentant heretics throw at you when you state the Word. And they say “rightly divide the word of truth,” using it out of context for their own self-serving agenda because they don’t like what the plain truth of God states in His written Word. They are clearly “not of God” according to Christ who also said “by their fruits” we are to “know” (discern) others (Matthew 7:16, 20).
Here’s the clear proof that most of the “church” is not Christ’s church, not His people at all. They falsely claim to be, as did the Jews of Jesus’ day. Memorize John 8:47 – who is “of God” and who is “NOT of God.”
“He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.” John 8:47
Simply put: We know who is truly “of God” and who is “NOT of God” by how they treat God’s Word.
True Heaven bound disciples of Jesus follow God according to the Bible (Psalms 119:105). All others follow a false god they concocted in their own deceived imagination (John 8:47).
One of the examples in this late hour of those who pose a threat to believers is the New Apostolic Reformation movement which has produced and sent forth an army of false prophets. Their false insinuations and claims include that their prophetic words, visions, apostles, prophets, and prophecies are equal to the divine authority of Holy Scripture. More on the New Apostolic Reformation Cult and its false teachings and false prophets is here.
When you or I or any other mere human claims to be hearing from the Holy Spirit, such is purely subjective and must be tested against the Holy Scriptures (1 Corinthians 2:13; 1 John 4:1, etc.). THAT’s WHY we have the written Word – to protect us from being misled from the “MANY false prophets” who are deceiving “MANY” as Jesus forewarned would be the case (Matthew 24:11). Final divine authority is the written Word, not some mere sinful man or woman posing as God’s voice.
The LORD gave us His Word in order that we could know Him who is “the truth” and not be “led away (from God) with the error of the wicked” by following “cunningly devised fables” (John 14:6; 2 Peter 1:16; 3:17).
2 Peter 1:16-21
16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
17 For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.
19 We have also a MORE SURE WORD of prophecy (the written Word); whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
The Word of God is sure and steadfast as is its Author who is eternally perfect and unchanging in His divine nature. Our faith is not based on mere fables or stories, but rather on the Word of the very One who created and sustains all life in His vast Universe (Colossians 1:16-17).
“The apostasy is here. Everyone is a Christian until it gets biblical.” F.
You wanna know who is really “of God” and who is “NOT of God”? John 8:47 – memory truth.
“He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.” John 8:47
Every person who is “of God” has their conscience captive to His Word. Any person who is casual about God’s Word instead of fervently attentive, is “not of God.” When the true follower of Jesus hears Scripture, they hearken, are comforted, corrected, edified, etc. They love God and therefore change to conform to the Word. His words are the highest authority of their lives.
Is God’s Word your final authority or not?
IF God’s WRITTEN Word is not the final authority of your personal life, we have nothing in common – you are not saved. Jesus says you are “NOT of God” (John 8:47).
LOTS of biblically-illiterate guys hanging out on social media arguing using subjectivity, lies, and false notions when they should be diligently studying and speaking only the Word. The problem is not only “lack of knowledge” but also the pride that underlies their refusal to be teachable (Hosea 4:6).
The godly man will own the truth – he will surrender and allow it to own him – even when it is correcting him (Proverbs 1:5; 15:32; Romans 3:4; 2 Timothy 3:16-17, etc.).
IF you refuse to allow God’s Word to correct you, you are “not of God” (John 8:47).
The righteous declare with Christ’s apostle Paul to “Let God be true and EVERY man a liar” (Romans 3:4).
IF you don’t love God enough to voraciously study His Word, you do not love Him!
“Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.” Job 23:12
We know who is truly “of God” by their resolved, unwavering love for God’s Word.
Those who preach the Word of God continue sending a whole slew of ungodly men packing! These ungodly men who vainly believe they are of God, prove their rebellion by their refusal to be corrected by God’s Word (Romans 3:4; Matthew 7:6; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Titus 3:10-11; 2 John 7-11).
“And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” 2 Timothy 3:15-17
IF it is discovered that God’s written Word is not your absolute final divine authority, you will be rebuked and sent packing if you don’t repent. You are “NOT of God” (John 8:47). Time to clean house! Time to flip the tables of the hypocrites.
The only way to be rooted and grounded in Christ is to be an ardent student of His Word. There are no shortcuts and all who are not rich in His Word will be misled for not loving Jesus enough to prayerfully, daily pour over, learn, apply, and walk in His Word.
“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: 7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. 8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. 9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:” Colossians 2:6-10
We are “complete in Christ” and Christ is revealed to us in His Word (John 5:39-40, etc.).
IF you are living by human reasoning instead of strictly by God’s written Word, you are a lost soul in need of repentance. Repent now and when you do, the proof will be that God’s Word will become the authority of your life (John 8:47). Those who truly repent are in Christ and live by His Word and nothing else.
There are so very many people today acting like they know Jesus while His Word is not the final divine authority of their lives – which clearly proves they have either never repented or have since backslidden and are lost!
“Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12
Satan is able to master the lives of those who “received not the love of the truth. … for this cause God shall send them strong delusion.”
Not getting into God’s Word will cost us everything. Those who do not love God’s Word, clearly prove they do not love Him.
“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
Many modern “pastors” are little more than those who entertain goats/counterfeits and we know this because they are not fervent but rather casual about the Holy Scriptures and most of them use fake “bibles.”
“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” 2 Timothy 4:2-4
Jesus told Peter to feed his sheep (John 21:15-17). Christ never instructed Peter or anyone else to merely hold church services. Of course believers are to gather and yet, when we gather, what’s most important is feasting on God’s word (Nehemiah 8:8; Acts 2:42, etc.). Instead though, today most gatherings called “church” are little more than an hour of empty entertainment, void of the fear, the holiness, and the Word of God.
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly (abundantly) in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” Colossians 3:16
Hireling wolves aren’t getting people into the Word for themselves because they want people to need, to depend upon THEM instead of God so they can build their own brand, church, club! They are using people, building a busine$$ on the gullibility of their prey! (John 21:15-17; 2 Timothy 2:15; 4:2-4; 1 Peter 4:11).
Sink or swim! Get into God’s Word daily for yourself and stop trusting entirely on your Sunday morning gathering – which if you attend such, should be just one of many times you are fellowshiping with God and His people in a week’s time frame and not an end in itself -which inevitably it becomes!
After Pentecost, the birth of the New Testament church, the earliest believers are seen in temples (Jewish church buildings) for a time. They are also seen fellowshiping “house to house.”
“And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine (the Word) and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. 44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common; 45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. 46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, 47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” Acts 2:42-47
Jesus told Peter to “feed my sheep” (John 21:15-17). Perhaps more like “Go feed them” as Jesus and His apostle did. They went to the people (Matthew 9:35-38; Acts 1:8; 8:4; 10:38, etc.), and not “Go get them to come to you for their weekly entertainment and so you can fleece them with your church membership program and system you’ve set up to catch unsuspecting souls.” Gathering together is God’s will and yet, being corralled to be preyed upon is something about which we see warnings throughout God’s Word.
Corralling and entrapping unsuspecting souls is one of the schemes, devices used by beguilers. In my opinion, this is what the apostate modern church world has become – a baited trap, a stage performed on by pied pipers who use music, bands, and story-telling to seek to capture, to ensnare souls.
Those who allow themselves to become indoctrinated and ensnared in this system become “twofold more the child of hell” and continue this campaign of evil for generations (Matthew 23:15).
“And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. 3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. 4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” Revelation 18:2-4
PRAYER: Holy Father in Heaven, I come to You now solely on the basis of Christ’s perfect sacrifice for my sins. Please forgive my sin of self-idolatry and spiritual adultery where I have not put You first but had other false gods before You. In this very instant, right now, I repent. I turn back to You dear Jesus and ask You to wash my sins afresh in Your precious blood. I love You LORD Jesus and from this moment forward, I am relishing, worshiping, loving, obeying, and seeking Your holy face relentlessly. Please fill me afresh with Your Holy Spirit and use me dear LORD. Also, please give me the deep desire for more of You and for a photographic memory of Your words. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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