False Doctrine and the Church
Removed From Christ
OCTOBER 7
I marvel that you are so soon removed from Him Who called you into the Grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some who trouble you, and would pervert the Gospel of Christ (Gal. 1:6–7).
God, in His Love, has given man the Gospel and suited it to his needs. Satan, in opposition, degrades it to the level of man’s corrupt nature and proud will, and fashions it into a religion that suits man, as man, in the flesh.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ condemns man, as man, to death, and so puts an end to him and all his religion, and it reveals a “new man” born of the spirit and not of nature. The impotency of man to serve, please, and obey God was made manifest under the Law. Satan’s aim during the present day of Grace is to unite the religion of the flesh with that of the Spirit; and the impossibility and wickedness of that union are plainly set out in the Epistle to the Galatians.
Christ gave Himself up as a Sin Offering in order to take His People out of the world (Gal. 1:4). In His Cross, man, his religion, and the world are judged. Every effort of man, therefore, as a man and by natural birth, to make himself religiously acceptable to God is rebellion, which is the greatest sin of man. In fact, that effort is no more than the energy of the “evil world,” out of which Christ redeems.
Paul was the founder of the Churches in Galatia; however, after he left, called by the Lord to other fields of endeavor, certain false teachers had interjected themselves into these Churches to attack both the Doctrine and the person of the Apostle, and did so by introducing a gospel of “works.”
In the writing of this Epistle to the Galatians, the Apostle Paul offered no commendation at the opening of this Epistle, as he did others, but at once an abrupt exclamation of amazement. How could these converts to the Lord, in fact, Paul’s converts, so quickly turn to a perverted gospel? As we have stated, it is not Satan’s aim to deny the Gospel, for that he cannot do, so he tries to corrupt it.
Anything other than the Message of the Cross, pure and simple, is “another gospel,” which, in fact, is “not another,” at least that will help anyone. Anything other than the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Him Crucified is a “perversion of the Gospel of Christ.” And, to be certain, a “perverted gospel” will not save, will not heal, will not deliver, and will not bring about any positive results whatsoever. In truth, it will push the person deeper into bondage and deception. There is no deliverance in a perverted gospel; there is no power in a perverted gospel; there is no Salvation in a perverted gospel! The only thing there is in a perverted gospel is “trouble,” hence, the Apostle saying, “there be some who trouble you.” To be sure, it’s “trouble” with a capital “T.”
It is my belief that the Church presently is in worse spiritual condition than at any time since the Reformation. To be sure, it is richer than ever, and with greater numbers of people; however, Jesus said, “And knowest not, that you are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked” (Rev. 3:17).
Any gospel, so-called, which doesn’t have the Cross of Christ as its foundation, and its only foundation, is, pure and simple, a “perverted gospel.” And the world is rife with such presently!
At approximately the turn of the Twentieth Century, the great “latter rain” outpouring of the Holy Spirit began. The “former rain” took place during the time of the Early Church, as recorded in the Book of Acts. Both were prophesied by Joel (Joel 2:23). Most, if not all, of the mainline Denominations rejected this latter rain outpouring. As a result, some of them attempted to preach the Cross without the Holy Spirit, which presented a “perverted gospel,” which the Lord could never accept. As a result, they are no longer preaching the Cross or the Holy Spirit.
The Full Gospel Churches, which were born out of this great latter rain outpouring, tried to preach the Holy Spirit without the Cross. As the former would not suffice, neither would the latter. Now, most Full Gospel Churches, so-called, are not preaching either. The Message of the Cross of Christ and the Holy Spirit are so intertwined that it is impossible to separate the two (Rev. 5:6; Jn. 7:37–39).
Tragically, all of this means that what is being presently presented, with some few exceptions, is little more than a “perverted gospel.” Jesus predicted this by saying, “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, shall He find faith on the Earth?” (Lk. 18:8). In the original Greek Text, this reads, “Shall He find The Faith upon the Earth?” He is speaking of the same Faith which the Apostle Paul addressed in II Corinthians 13:5. It pertains solely to the Message of the Cross.
The question must be asked:
Are you in “The Faith,” or have you accepted “another gospel”?
Swaggart, J.
Ephesians 4:11-12
11 And He gave (our Lord does the calling) some, Apostles (has reference to the fact that not all who are called to be Ministers will be called to be Apostles; this applies to the other designations as well; “Apostles” serve as the de facto leaders of the Church, and do so through the particular Message given to them by the Lord for the Church); and some, Prophets (who stand in the Office of the Prophet, thereby, foretelling and forthtelling); and some, Evangelists (to gather the harvest); and some, Pastors (Shepherds) and Teachers (those with a special Ministry to teach the Word to the Body of Christ; “Apostles” can and do function in all of the callings);
PURPOSE OF THE GIFTS
12 For the perfecting of the Saints (to “equip for service”), for the work of the Ministry (to proclaim the Message of Redemption to the entirety of the world), for the edifying of the Body of Christ (for the spiritual building up of the Church):
THE PERFECTING OF THE SAINTS
The phrase, “For the perfecting of the Saints,” refers to helping the Saints understand the Word of God.
“Perfecting” in the Greek is “kataritizo,” and means “to equip for service.” It also means “the restoring of anything to its proper place.” It is to “properly put things in order, to make complete.”
If the people are improperly taught, they will have an improper spiritual growth, which regrettably, is the case I think in many, if not most, Churches. Consequently, it is very, very important as to where the Saint attends Church. If they attend the wrong Church, they are going to receive what the Church gives, which can be extremely detrimental to their spiritual experience.
If the Believer attends a Church because it is of his particular Denomination, or because he likes the various different social or sports programs presented in that particular Church, or because this is where his friends go, or for any other reason similar, he is attending for all the wrong reasons.
The main purpose and reason that anyone should attend a particular Church, is because the Truth and all the Truth is preached behind the pulpit and there is a Moving and Operation of the Holy Spirit within that particular Church. Irrespective of the name on the door, or as to who attends that Church, these two things “Truth” and “Moving of the Spirit” should always be the criteria.
The old saying that the pew cannot rise any higher than the pulpit is true! Whatever is being taught behind the pulpit, is what the people are going to hear, receive, and live by. If it is error, to be sure it will have a negative effect on their lives. If it is Truth, it will have a positive effect and greatly so. The sadness is, Satan cloaks his error so subtly, with his method being “the barb embedded in Truth.” As someone has well said, “Error rides into the Church on the back of Truth.” The error then becomes palatable and digestible; however, it will wreak its intended result of destruction as always!
ERROR AND LEAVEN
The Word of God typifies error as leaven (Mat. 13:33). Leaven by its very nature if not rooted out, will ultimately take over the whole. In other words, the little barb of leaven in the whole kernel of Truth, will ultimately overrun the Truth, that is if it is not removed, with then nothing left but “leaven.” Unfortunately, millions are led astray by taking to themselves a small amount of leaven, which after a while corrupts the whole.
It is our business as Preachers of the Gospel to do exactly what the Holy Spirit said through Paul, “to perfect the Saints.” We can only do that as Ministers of the Gospel, by walking close to the Lord, properly understanding the Word ourselves, which means a lifetime devoted to the study of the Word, and at the same time having a strong prayer life. That’s exactly what the Apostles said in the earliest days of the Church, “But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the Ministry of the Word” (Acts 6:4). Blessed are the people who have such a Pastor.
THE WORK OF THE MINISTRY
The phrase, “For the work of the Ministry,” is tied directly to the “perfecting of the Saints.” If the Saints are not perfected, which means to be rooted and grounded in the Word, there will be little “Work of the Ministry.”
What should this “work” consist of?
The primary purpose, the actual “work” of the Church, is to proclaim the Good News of the Gospel throughout the entirety of the Earth, and to every single individual. That should be its primary focus, its foundation, its thrust, its purpose, its work. That must be foremost, and if it isn’t, the Church soon dies. For every single person who does not know of Christ, as far as that person is concerned, Jesus died in vain. There could be no higher travesty, no greater travesty than that!
When the Church is on fire for God, its work will be the propagation of the Gospel, which falls out to the Salvation of souls.
THE EDIFICATION OF THE BODY
The phrase, “For the edifying of the Body of Christ,” refers to the building up of the Church, which can only come about if the Church is brought to maturity and engaging in the True Work of God. Otherwise there is no true edification.
If one is to notice, it is for the “edification of the Body,” instead of edification of one or two particular individuals.
~J. Swaggart
October 3
but I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if you receive another spirit, which you have not received, or another gospel, which you have not accepted, you might well bear with him (II Cor. 11:3–4).
The Gospel of Christ, i.e., “the Message of the Cross,” is very simple and easy to understand. In fact, a little child can understand it. It is “Jesus Christ and Him Crucified,” and our Faith in that Finished Work. But Satan seeks to pervert the Gospel by introducing his wares, which he always does through the Church. In other words, religious men come up with all types of attractive schemes, which seem right to the carnal mind, but which, in fact, are very wrong. They are wrong because they do not make Christ and the Cross the central theme of their belief system.
The problem in Paul’s day, i.e., the method Satan was using, concerned Jewish Preachers from Jerusalem or Judaea who claimed Christ as the Messiah, but who also claimed that the Gentiles had to also keep the Law of Moses, that is, if they were to be saved (Acts 15:1).
Their gospel would not win souls, as no false gospel will win souls, so they had to parasite off the Churches which Paul had planted. They tried to turn these converts, whether in the Church at Corinth, Ephesus, or Galatia, etc. They wanted to turn them from Grace to Law.
So Paul’s statement is according to the following:
Unless the Message is “Jesus Christ and Him Crucified,” then whatever is being preached is, pure and simple, “another Jesus.” It is produced by “another spirit”; the end result is “another gospel,” which will help no one. In fact, it will greatly hurt and hinder, as should be obvious.
Tragically and sadly, most of that which is presently being preached in the Churches in America, in fact, all over the world, is “another Jesus.” I say that simply because I also know that the Cross is little preached. It is alluded to at times regarding Salvation, and there are certainly some who strongly uphold the great Salvation Message that “Jesus died for us.” But most know absolutely nothing about the Cross of Christ as it regards Sanctification. In other words, to tell someone how to live for God, they will propose things which aren’t Scriptural, and which fall out to “another Jesus.”
That’s the reason the Apostle said that we must “examine ourselves, whether we be in the Faith” (II Cor. 13:5).
~J. Swaggart Ministries
The Muslim World, the Antichrist, and Israel
When the Antichrist turns on Israel, actually, and as stated, defeating her, no doubt, the Muslim world will be aiding and abetting the man of sin in all of his efforts. As well, every evidence is, that the entirety of the Middle East, with all of its oil wealth, with the exception of Jordan, will now be in his control. In fact, Daniel 11:43, as previously quoted, in essence tells us this. So, he will have all the money he needs in order to do what he needs to do, which is to take over the entire world. He will not succeed, however, in doing that. The Scripture says:
“And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the Glorious Holy Mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him. (‘And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace,’ refers to him taking over the newly-built Temple in Jerusalem and stopping the Sacrifices as prophesied in Daniel 8:9–12. This speaks of the time when he will turn on Israel at the midpoint of the Great Tribulation.
“ ‘Between the seas and the Glorious Holy Mountain,’ refers to the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. The ‘Glorious Holy Mountain’ is Mt. Moriah, where the Temple is located.
“ ‘Yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him,’ is tied to the first part of this Verse, which speaks of him desecrating the Temple. This insures his destruction by the Lord, which will take place at the Second Coming)” (Dan. 11:45).
And yet the Muslim world, who will think the Antichrist is their champion, and because he has turned on Israel, will themselves be rudely awakened. The Word of God is clear concerning this.
The Antichrist Turns on the Muslims
The Scripture says concerning this: “And the king (the Antichrist) shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvelous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. (The phrase, ‘And the king shall do according to his will,’ refers to the Antichrist, who will pretty much have his way until the Second Advent of Christ.)
“ ‘And magnify himself above every god,’ actually refers to him deifying himself [II Thess. 2:4]. At this time, and according to Daniel 9:27, he will take over the newly-built Temple in Jerusalem, do away with the Jewish Sacrifices which have not long since begun, and will set up an image of himself [Rev. 13:15].
“ ‘And shall speak marvelous things against the God of gods,’ means that he will literally declare war on Christ. His campaign of declaring himself ‘god’ will, of necessity, demand that he blaspheme the True God as no one has ever blasphemed.
“ ‘And shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished,’ means that much of the world will accept his claims, joining with him in their hatred of the God of the Bible.)
“Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. (The phrase, ‘Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers,’ no doubt refers to him being a Jew. He will not regard the God of ‘Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’
“ ‘Nor the desire of women,’ probably refers to him turning against the Catholic Church, and, thereby, the Virgin Mary.
“ ‘Nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all,’ refers to all the religions of the world, which will include Islam, all of which will be outlawed, at least where he has control, demanding that worship be centered up on him)” (Dan. 11:36–37).
Now the Muslims will find out, as did the Jews, that the Antichrist has no respect for anyone, and especially their religions, including Islam. While he most definitely will hate the Jews above all, still, he will have, as stated, “no regard for any god.” The Bible actually tells us what he will honor.
The Strange God
The Scripture says: “But in his estate shall he honor the god of forces; and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honor with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things. (The phrase, ‘And a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honor,’ refers to a ‘strange god’ mentioned in the next verse, who is actually the Fallen Angel who empowered Alexander the Great. He is called ‘the Prince of Grecia,’ which does not refer to a mortal, but instead a Fallen Angel [Dan. 10:20]. This ‘god,’ his fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did not know.)
“Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain. (The phrase, ‘Thus shall he do in the most strong holds,’ refers to the great financial centers of the world, which will be characterized by rebuilt Babylon or possibly even newly built Dubai. This ‘strange god,’ as stated, is a Fallen Angel; therefore, he will probably think he is giving praise and glory to himself, when in reality he is actually honoring this ‘Fallen Angel.’
“ ‘And he shall cause them to rule over many,’ refers to the many nations he will conquer because of the great power given to him by this Fallen Angel, instigated by Satan)” (Dan. 11:38–39).
~J. Swaggart
God’s Promise Concerning Ishmael
Some years before, Hagar, the bondwoman, and her son, Ishmael, were cast out of the home of Abraham, actually just before Isaac was born, the Lord said unto Abraham: “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai (‘my princess,’ referring to the fact that she was Abraham’s princess alone), but Sarah shall her name be (simply means ‘princess;’ the idea is, whereas she was formerly Abraham’s princess only, she will now be recognized as a princess generally, and, in fact, in a sense, could be referred to as the ‘mother of the Church’).
“And I will bless her, and give you a son also of her (this is the first time in all of God’s dealings with Abraham that He had mentioned the fact that the promised son would be of Sarah): yes, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her (her ‘blessing’ spoke of increase, which includes even the Church and, in a sense, the Lord Jesus Christ).
“Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, shall a child be born unto me who is an hundred years old (Abraham’s laughter was that of joy [Jn. 8:56]? and shall Sarah who is ninety years old bear (Paul said of him: ‘He considered not the deadness of Sarah’s womb’)?” (Rom. 4:19).
“And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before You! (Abraham asked the Lord that Ishmael might have some place, and not be completely left out.)
“And God said, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son indeed; and you shall call his name Isaac (the name Isaac means ‘laughter’): and I will establish My Covenant with him for an Everlasting Covenant, and with his seed after him. (The Covenant is to be established with Isaac and not Ishmael. This completely shoots down the contention of the Muslims that Ishmael was the chosen one, unless you don’t believe the Bible. Through Isaac, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour of mankind, would ultimately come.)
“And as for Ishmael, I have heard you, behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly (the Lord would bless Ishmael, but not as it regards the Covenant); twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation (the blessing here pronounced was not because of Ishmael, but because of Abraham, and Abraham alone).
“But My Covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto you at this set time in the next year (so now they knew when the child would be born).
“And He (the Lord) left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham. (Communion with the Lord is the most profitable exercise there is)” (Gen. 17:15–22).
The Word of God
This, which we have given, concerns the statement given by the Lord as it regards Isaac and Ishmael. Even though we have dealt with it in a spiritual sense, it can be likened to the flesh and the Spirit, even as Paul addressed it in Galatians 4:21–31. But yet, the information given is meant to proclaim what the Word of God says as it regards both Isaac and Ishmael, which completely refutes the claims of Islam. As stated, they claim that the Lord chose Ishmael instead, and not Isaac. This all came from the supposed revelation given to Muhammad in approximately the year 610.
Actually, the Lord foretold, even before the birth of Ishmael as to what type of man he would be. He said: “And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren. (These predictions describe the Arab people perfectly. They cannot get along with anyone in the world; they cannot even get along among themselves. The descendants of Ishmael dwell in the presence of all his brethren [Israel], but do not subdue them, and, in fact, never will subdue them!)” (Gen. 16:12).
The Last Days
There are some who claim that the Muslims will play a great part in the activity of the last days, and by the term “last days” we’re speaking of the beginning of the Great Tribulation. The Scripture says concerning this:
“And he (the Antichrist) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week (a week of years—seven years) …” (Dan. 9:27).
In effect, the Antichrist will make his debut on the world scene by brokering a peace treaty between Israel and the Palestinians and the Arabs, and, no doubt, other nations of the world as well, and undoubtedly including the U.S.A. The Antichrist will receive instant recognition for his ability to do this, so much so, in fact, that Israel will acclaim him as their long awaited Messiah. In fact, this is what Jesus was talking about when He said concerning this very thing: “I am come in My Father’s Name, and you receive Me not: if another shall come in his own name, him you will receive” (Jn. 5:43).
As would be obvious, the Muslim Middle East will be tremendously involved in this. In fact, the situation, as it regards Israel and the balance of the Middle East, grows more difficult with each passing day. Iran is claiming, and publicly, that Israel should be wiped off the face of the Earth; so, anyone who can solve this problem will be heralded as a superman. And the Antichrist will solve it, at least for a short time. The moment this seven-year treaty is signed, will signal the beginning of the Great Tribulation referred to by Christ and the Prophets (Mat. 24:21).
The first three and one half years of that time, referred to, as well, as Daniel’s seventieth week, while the Judgment of God will begin to be poured out, yet, Israel will fare very well it seems. But then they will be rudely awakened and, in fact, will now face their most horrific time, even worse than the Holocaust of WWII. Concerning this, the Apostle Paul said:
“For when they shall say, peace and safety (refers to Israel, but will as well characterize the world; it pertains to the Antichrist signing the seven-year pact with Israel and other nations [Dan. 9:27]); then sudden destruction comes upon them (at the mid-point of the seven-year period, the Antichrist will break his pact, actually invading Israel [Rev. 12:1–6]), as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape” (I Thess. 5:3).
At the midpoint of that seven-year time frame, referred to as the “Great Tribulation,” the Antichrist will show his true colors, and will attack Israel. In fact, Israel will suffer her first military defeat since becoming a Nation in 1948. Actually, were it not for intervention by the Lord, Israel at that particular time would be completely destroyed, but thankfully, the Lord will intervene.
Daniel said, concerning this very time, and I continue to quote from THE EXPOSITOR’S STUDY BIBLE:
“And at the time of the end shall the king of the south (Egypt) push at him: and the king of the north (the Antichrist, Syria) shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. (The phrase, ‘And at the time of the end,’ refers to the time of the fulfillment of these Prophecies, which, in fact, is just ahead. It is known that ‘the king of the south’ refers to Egypt, because that’s who is referred to at the beginning of this Chapter, which spoke of the breakup of the Grecian Empire. As well, ‘the king of the north’ proves that the Antichrist will come from the Syrian division of the breakup of the Grecian Empire. So the Antichrist will more than likely be a Syrian Jew.)
“He shall enter also into the glorious land (into Israel), and many countries shall be overthrown (those in the Middle East): but these shall escape out of his hand (escape out of the hand of the Antichrist), even Edom and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. (Edom, Moab, and Ammon comprise modern Jordan. His entering into the ‘glorious land’ refers to his invasion of Israel at the midpoint of his seven-year nonaggression pact with them, therefore, breaking his covenant [Dan. 9:27].
“The countries listed comprise modern Jordan, where ancient Petra is located, to which Israel will flee upon the Antichrist ‘entering into the Glorious Land’ [Rev. 12:6]).
“He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. (‘Egypt’ refers to ‘the king of the south’ of Verse 40, as stated.)
“But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps. (The ‘precious things of Egypt,’ no doubt, refer to the ancient mysteries of Egypt, regarding the tombs, the pyramids, etc. He will, no doubt, claim to unlock many of these mysteries; he very well could do so, regarding the supernatural powers given to him, and we continue to speak of the Antichrist, by the powers of darkness.)
“But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many. (After the Antichrist breaks his covenant with Israel, actually ‘entering into the Glorious Land,’ he will be prevented from further destroying her by the ‘tidings of the east and out of the north’ that ‘shall trouble him.’ No doubt, these will be nations, probably led by Russia [north], Japan, and China [east], forming a union against him, but which will have no success)” (Dan. 11:40–44).
~J. Swaggart
By J. Swaggart
THE ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION IS NO!
SEXUAL UNCLEANNESS
Paul said, “Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves”(Rom. 1:24). The phrase, “Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts,” presents mankind not merely drifting toward,but actually, in a sense, being shoved by God in that direction. Since men chose to give up God and worship the creature, God could do nothing but givemen into the control of the sinful things they preferred. In other words, God would not violate man’s will and force him to do something he did not want to do. When men persisted infollowing their totally depraved natures, God allowed them free rein. The natural result was immorality of the vilest kind. Biblical scholar Henry Alford says of God’sact of delivering mankind over into the control of utter human depravity, “Not merely permissive, but judicially, God delivered them over.
As sin begets sin, and darkness of mind, deeper darkness, grace gives place to judgment, and the divine wrath hardens men, and hurries them on to more fearful degrees of depravity.” God, in other words, delivered man to uncleanness. The word lusts is epithumia in the Greek text, and means, “a passionate craving, longing, desire,” and in this sense, an inordinately sinful one. Alford again says, “Not by or through the lusts; the lusts of their heart were the field of action, the department of their being in which the dishonor took place.” In other words, this was what their hearts wanted. The phrase, “To dishonor their own bodies between themselves,” carries with it more thanmere profligacy in the satisfaction of natural lusts, but rather bestiality, which refers to impurity in the physical, and not only in the social and religious sense. In other words, man is grossly immoral. It speaks of adultery, fornication, pedophilia (sex with children), bestiality (sex with animals), lesbianism, and homosexuality. In other words, this “dishonor” includes all of these things mentioned.
CHANGING THE TRUTH OF GOD INTO A LIE
However, this condition of men’s hearts in purposely refusing the truth of God, led to the Lord using no restraining force over man whatsoever, allowing him without restraint to push headlong into this lie of darkness, which, in effect, is the same as God giving man a push. Considering man’s already depraved condition, the slide even further downward was terrible, to say the least!As we see here, the words, “God also gave them up,” as given in Verse 24, is a restraining force exercised by God even on unregenerate mankind, unless refused, which it was and continues to be.As well, there is far greater restraining force on believers as should be obvious (Job 1:10; Ps. 91; Rom. 8:28). However, this restraining force even on believers can be removed, as well, through disobedience and rebellion. The phrase, “And worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator,” (Rom. 1:25) presents that of which Paul spoke in his message to the Athenians (Acts 17:29-30). For man to worship and serve the creature, means he is doing such to something he has made with his hands and is, therefore, less than him.Regarding the “creature,” even if man worships himself or other men and women, which most of the world does, still, what good does that do him? The phrase, “Who is blessed forever,”should have been translated, “bless-ed,” because it refers to God. The word blessed refers to one receiving a blessing, in which, as should be obvious, God needs nothing. The two syllable wordbless-ed, in effect, refers to the One doing the blessing, in this case, the Lord. The idea is all true blessings come exclusively from the Lord, with idols or anything else for that matter, able to produce none at all. The word “Amen” means that this is anchored in the Word of God, and, as such, will not change.
WOMEN AND HOMOSEXUALITY
DISHONOR
The word vile in the Greek text is atimia, and means “dishonor, ignominy, and disgrace.”The first word in this meaning is dishonor, and looking at the meaning of its opposite “honor,” means to evaluate the worth of a person and to treat him with the consideration, respect, and love due his character and position. Conversely, to dishonor a person is to either put an incorrect appraisal upon his worth and treat him accordingly, or, having properly evaluated his character, to refuse to treat him with the respect and deference that are his due.
Paul is using this in the sense of the world putting an incorrect estimate upon the sacredness, dignity, and purity of the physical body which was made by God and, in effect, in God’simage, and thus, using it in a way which dishonors it. In that this is what the world wanted, they were given over to a “condition,” and not merely to an evil desire. It is one thing for an individual to do something which is very evil, but something else altogether for that person to “become” what they do, which is always where sin leads one
LESBIANISM
The phrase, “For even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature,” in short, speaks of lesbianism unnatural sexual relations between women (homosexuality).
Several things are said here: »The word women as used here is not the word used as in John 4:9, which simply speaks of designation, but rather the Greek word thelus which means “a female.” In other words, the Holy Spirit through Paul is pointing to the gender, meaning that it is to stay that way. That women tried to “change” the purpose of their gender, is the reason that Paul used the Greek word for female. They were not trying so much to change the gender, but rather its purpose respecting the sexual sense. Consequently, they were changing what God had designed, and doing so in a rebellious, base, and ignominious way. They went from a far higher use down to a far lower use. Even though this is one of the worst, or possibly the very worst example, still, this is the great sin of man, changing God’s ways for man’s ways, and in every capacity. The “natural use” presents that intended by God, in this sense, the way sexually that women were
originally created. The word natural in the Greek is phusis, and means “the nature of things, the force, laws, order of nature, as opposed to that which is monstrous, abnormal, perverse.”
That which is “against nature” respects that which is against nature’s laws, or God’s laws, which are one and the same.
MEN AND HOMOSEXUALITY
Black Hebrew Israelite Movement Examined
By: Jonathan Hoegle
The Black Hebrew Israelites consider themselves — and not mainstream Jews — to be the true descendants of the ancient Israelites. They teach that modern Jews are Edomites that hijacked Judaism from blacks. “Black Hebrew Israelite beliefs are a mirror image of the white supremacist nominally Christian Identity religion, which holds that northern Europeans, not Jews, as God’s true chosen people. Both see Jews as the spawn of Satan and accuse them of secretly controlling society by Machiavellian string-pulling. Tom Metzger, the notorious leader of the White Aryan Resistance, has said, “They’re the black counterpart of us (2).”” So with this in mind, it is clear that the Black Hebrew Israelite movement is very anti-Semitic, as they not only deny the bloodline of the true Jews, but they often demonize the Jewish race, and are frequently seen praising Hitler for the holocaust. It is completely idiotic that they would think highly of a man who believed in the principles of eugenics which taught that the black race was inferior and towards the bottom of societies totem pole of the racial hierarchy. Yet, because of their hatred for the true Jews, they seem to ignore this fact. Ultimately, what the more radical Black Hebrew Israelites are advocating is a demonically inspired genocide of the Jewish race, much like many of the neo-Nazis of today desire.
“Extremist Hebrew Israelites have a long, strange list of enemies. At the top of the list are white people, who they preach are descended from a race of red, hairy beings, known as Edomites, who were spawned by Esau, the twin brother of Jacob (later known as Israel) in the Old Testament. Equally hated are “fraudulent” Jews, “the synagogue of Satan.” They’re closely followed in no particular order by Asians, promiscuous black women, abortionists, continental Africans (who, according to the extremist Israelites, sold the lost tribes of Israel, who were black, to European slave traders), and gay people, who according to extremist Israelites should all be put to death (3).”
The origins of Black Hebrew Israelite movement had its roots in Black Judaism, a belief system that evolved out of the black Pentecostal “holiness” movement. One of the first groups of Black Hebrews, the Church of God and Saints of Christ, was founded in 1896 by William Saunders Crowdy. “He claimed to have a divine revelation from God that told him that America’s recently emancipated slaves were God’s chosen people, the true Hebrews. According to Black Judaism doctrine, when the Kingdom of Israel was destroyed, the Israelites were first scattered across the African continent and then selectively targeted by enemy African tribes who captured and sold them to European slave traders for bondage in the New World.
“It’s a common myth that slaves were randomly shackled up and carried off to slavery,” “General Yahanna,” leader of the present-day Israelite School of Universal Practical Knowledge, told the Intelligence Report. Actually, “Slave traders sailed for months and days to get to specific pickup points. They knew what people they were taking — specifically, the lost tribes of Israel.”
Black Judaism leaders preached self-empowerment and economic independence, an early form of black nationalism that was foundational for later groups like the Nation of Islam. Their rhetoric, emphasizing the biblical theme of an oppressed nation being led to a promised land, informed black activist thought right up through the speeches of Martin Luther King Jr (4).”
Teachings
The Black Hebrew Israelites of New York City, lists the following correspondences between the ancient twelve tribes of Israel and modern-day inhabitants of the western hemisphere:
Ruben = Seminole Indians (Muskogee)
Simeon = Dominicans of Hispanola
Levi = Haitians Judah = African Americans
Dan = Cubans
Naphtali = Argentineans & Chileans
Gad = Native Americans
Asher = Incas
Issachar = Aztec Indians and other Mexicans
Zebulon = Mayan Indians and other inhabitants of countries from Guatemala to Panama.
Ephraim & Manasseh = Taino & Boriqua Indians and other Puerto Ricans
Benjamin = Carribe, Cibao, Arrowack, and other inhabitants of Guyana and the West Indies
Many of the Black Hebrew Israelite groups practice polygamy and have cult like leaders that are driven by narcissism. These self-obsessed leaders have an unyiedling arrogance about them, and love to give themselves large majestic titles while holding a despotic like power over their congregation. The Black Hebrew Israelites are a very confrontational group, that often spread their messages in major cities and condemn others for different views. Generally they do not like to hear their views challenged, as they only want their own voice to be heard . During the Christmas season they are known to burn effigies of the Virgin Mary and Santa Claus in the neighborhood to get a lot of attention from the public.
They believe in using extra biblical writings to support their ideas, such as Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha (meaning literally “false writings”). Although remarkably, the only Bible they use is the King James Version. There is not a universal consensus on doctrinal matters, but the following teachings are quite popular within the Church. They teach that the true name of God is Yah, and that it is only through this name that man can be saved. They deny the divinity of Jesus saying that he was born from Joseph and Mary, and therefore was not God. They teach that it is necessary to keep the Sabbath and observe various Jewish laws. They believe hell is a metaphor and not a literal place that people go and suffer. They teach that we are in the Caucasian heaven right now. As aforementioned, they teach that black people are the true decedents of the tribe of Judah. They say many of the popular people in history were black, including Pharaoh, certain Roman emperors, King James of England, and even Jesus himself was black. In fact, they proclaim that the white race came into an existence from Esau who was a black albino. White people are seen as conspirators who attempt to persecute the black people and hide their true identity as Israelites. Many Black Hebrew Israelites see white people as almost subhuman. The Hebrew Israelites have some interesting views regarding the end times or eschatology. According to many of them, Luke 21:24 with its reference to the “times of the Gentiles” is actually a reference to the times of the Europeans. When the Messiah returns, all Israel (meaning black people) will be gathered back to the promised land near Israel of today.
Their main message is of a coming apocalyptic like event that involves a God ordained race war in which the roles of the past will be reversed! They say that the white man will be left picking cotton in the black man’s fields. They compare their current experiences in America like the Jews who were held in bondage in ancient Egypt for hundreds of years. They believe that God will restore them to a status very much like Israel’s former glory days when all was flourishing in the Promised Land.
In fact, the former head of the Israelite Church of God and Jesus Christ, which is one of the main churches in the Black Hebrew Israelite movement, falsely prophesied that in the year 2000 that Jesus would return to the Earth and unleash bloody vengeance on the white race. When the prophecy of this key leader failed to materialize, a magnetic young leader by the name of Jermaine Grant an R&B singer became the churches new spokesman and High Priest. He was given the title of the comforter, declaring himself to be the “Holy Spirit” made flesh. Much of the image being portrayed by the church is a facade, as the expensive buses that the High Priest rides in to make him look like a superstar, are rented. It has been said that Grant enforces mandatory tithes and general offerings from his followers while reportedly demanding an additional $25 per attendee for a “High Priest offering.” The church is essentially exploiting the poor black man while teaching him absolutely heretical theology.
“In order to even attend one of these mysterious church services you have to go through an intimidating screening process first. First, there’s the question of skin tone; those with European ancestry need not apply. Others — and, lately, Hebrew Israelites have come to include West Indians, Latin Americans, and American Indians as brother “Hebrews” — may approach security for entry. Any stranger must meet certain strict conditions. You must promise the guards that you are “clean” — that you haven’t eaten pork or had sex in the prior 24 hours. You must explain how you learned about the church and why you’ve chosen to attend. You must assure guards that you’re not a law enforcement officer or a spy from a rival Hebrew Israelite group, and then you have to give up your photo identification. Any recording device will be confiscated during an aggressive pat down search carried out by the guards.
The black Jesus theory being promulgated by the Black Hebrew Israelites is intended to provoke racial tension. It is one of the most researched topics over the internet. People that are so focused on the skin color of Jesus miss the entire point of his ministry, which was to bring salvation to the entire human race. We must remember that God is a spirit, though he came in the flesh, the flesh is not what defines him. The Black Hebrew Israelites cannot accept the historical records, but need to have a black Messiah, black Santa Claus, black angels, black Madonna, etc. The Bible is against making images that portray our savior, as the Bible states in Deuteronomy 5:8, “Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth:”
The Physical Appearance of Jesus Christ
Since we don’t have a time machine, we will have to look at the evidence from the Bible, and historical records to see what it teaches about Jesus physical appearance.
The Bible says in the Song Solomon 5:10, ” My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand.”
Jewish commentators remark that he who is elsewhere called “the Ancient of Days” . Perhaps, the scriptures are implying that Jesus has a white complexion with reddish hair.
The Bible also says in Isaiah 53:2-3 “For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”
Their isn’t a lot of information concerning the apperance of Jesus in the Bible. So the scriptures do not give us a real clear picture of what Jesus looked like, but we do know the popular paintings of him with physical beauty and long hair are inaccurate. In 1 Corinthians 11:14, Paul wrote, “Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?” It’s quite unthinkable that Paul would have made such a statement if Jesus Christ had long hair.
Despite, the scriptures silence on the skin color of Jesus, there is significant evidence to suggest Jesus had an olive skin tone like the vast majority of people that live in the middle East today. Remember that Judas Iscariot had to indicate to the soldiers who Jesus was because they could not tell him apart from his disciples. So clearly he looked similar to the typical Palestinian man of that era. The ethnic and racial composition of Israel is Syrian. This fact was to be confessed concerning Jacob in Deuteronomy 26:5: “And thou shalt speak and say before the LORD thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous.” A Syrian ready to perish, identifies the skin color of Jacob and all Israelites as being olive. There is a definite distinction between the Black-Hamatic African race and the lighter skinned-Semite-Syrian race. A family of Syrian blood is pictured below with light skin.
Since Jesus was a descendant of King David who we know from the book of Samuel was a fair looking red head, we should expect Jesus to have a lighter skin color, as racial miscegenation was strongly discouraged in Israel. However, because of the hot and arid climate of the Middle East, Jesus was probably very tan. Using paintings of Jesus to determine his physical appearance is totally subjective to the painter, though the earliest pictures of Jesus, do show him with short brown hair, brown eyes and lighter skin. So those who are proposing that Jesus was black are clearly in error, as they are making this claim without any shred of evidence to support their position.
We know Moses was light skinned also because when he did the miracle before Pharaoh where he stuck his hand in his breast and pulled it out, it was leprous as snow (Exodus 4:6). If Moses had been a Black man and he pulled out his hand, the leprosy would still be black. The whole leprous hand miracle of Moses was not to show the Egyptian king that God had the power to change a person’s race color, but rather the healing miracle power of Almighty God. Moses then, a descendant of Israel, was of the Syrian bloodline, and was not an African Black man.
The True Culprit Behind the Black Hebrew Israelite Movement
What the Black Hebrew Israelites fail to realize is that it’s the Jesuits who are behind their movement. Much of the Anti-Semitism in the world today is the result of propaganda being spread by the Jesuits, secret societies, think tanks, etc., that shift the light away from themselves towards the Jews. Why you may ask? Well, the Jesuits hate the Jews because they believe in a rival system contrary to the pagan Catholic Church. The Catholic Church teaches replacement theology, which states that God has forever abandoned the Jews and has replaced them with the Catholic Church. That is why the Catholic Church has always had its eyes on capturing Jerusalem, and even used the mass slaughtering of the Jews during the Holocaust to achieve its goal. Most people don’t realize that Hitler signed a concordat with Pope Pius XI in 1933 to annihilate the Jews. So with these facts in mind, now you know why the Jesuits would want the black population to embrace Anti-Semitism. So they can do the bidding of Rome, and then later be destroyed themselves. However, there is another purpose the Jesuits can use this movement for, which is to destroy the American republic once in for all. The Jesuits despise the American constitution because it grants people the ability to chose their own religion. The Jesuits want another Dark Age in which a Satanic religion will be enforced by a fascist papal obeying Jesuit controlled leader. So what better way to achieve this end by fomenting a race war. So the black American by embracing this lie of the Jews not being real Jews, are effectively helping carrying out the agenda of Rome.
Black Nationalism
The Black Nationalist concept of Judaism is in many ways similar to Black Liberation Theology and the Nation of Islam of whom Malcolm X the legendary black activist was involved with. Malcolm X was an avowed racist who taught that white people were a race of devils, and proclaimed the following: ” I’m not here to argue or discuss anything that we differ about, because it’s time for us to submerge our differences and realize that it is best for us to first see that we have the same problem, a common problem, a problem that will make you catch hell whether you’re a Baptist, or a Methodist, or a Muslim, or a nationalist. Whether you’re educated or illiterate, whether you live on the boulevard or in the alley, you’re going to catch hell just like I am. We’re all in the same boat and we all are going to catch the same hell from the same man. He just happens to be a white man. All of us have suffered here, in this country, political oppression at the hands of the white man, economic exploitation at the hands of the white man, and social degradation at the hands of the white man….If we don’t do something real soon, I think you’ll have to agree that we’re going to be forced either to use the ballot or the bullet. It isn’t that time is running out — time has run out!….Don’t let anybody tell you anything about the odds being against you. If they draft you, they send you to Korea and make you face 800 million Chinese. If you can be brave over there, you can be brave right here. These odds aren’t as great as those odds. And if you fight here, you will at least know what you’re fighting for…. Well, I am one who doesn’t believe in deluding myself. I’m not going to sit at your table and watch you eat, with nothing on my plate, and call myself a diner. Sitting at the table doesn’t make you a diner, unless you eat some of what’s on that plate. Being here in America doesn’t make you an American…. No I’m not an American, I’m one of the 22 million black people who are the victims of Americanism. One of the 22 million black people who are the victims of democracy, nothing but disguised hypocrisy. “We’re not Americans, we’re Africans who happen to be in America. We were kidnapped and brought here against our will from Africa. We didn’t land on Plymouth Rock – that rock landed on us.” So, I’m not standing here speaking to you as an American, or a patriot, or a flag-saluter, or a flag-waver — no, not I. I’m speaking as a victim of this American system. And I see America through the eyes of the victim. I don’t see any American dream; I see an American nightmare (5).”
What Malcolm X taught is similar to what Eric Jon Phelps teaches that races should be separated. Phelps teaches this based on the principle that God created the different races with various languages, and split them up at the tower of Babel, and so that is how he believes it should remain. Phelps suggests that Americans should create a new white nation called Pro-Baptical and that blacks should do the same. Yet, the Bible teaches in Galatians 3:28, ” There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Black Liberation Theology
Another popular teaching amongst the black Christian community is black liberation theology. This is the theology that was taught to Barack Obama when he attended Jeremiah Wright’s Church in Chicago Illinois. Cone a major supporter of black liberation theology described it as follows: “Black theology refuses to accept a God who is not identified totally with the goals of the black community. If God is not for us and against white people, then he is a murderer, and we had better kill him. The task of black theology is to kill Gods who do not belong to the black community … Black theology will accept only the love of God which participates in the destruction of the white enemy. What we need is the divine love as expressed in Black Power, which is the power of black people to destroy their oppressors here and now by any means at their disposal. Unless God is participating in this holy activity, we must reject his love…. There is no use for a God who loves white oppressors the same as oppressed blacks. We have had too much of white love, the love that tells blacks to turn the other cheek and go the second mile…. Black hatred is the black man’s strong aversion to white society. No black man living in white America can escape it… While it is true that blacks do hate whites, black hatred is not racism.(6).” Thus Black Liberation Theology perverts the gospel of Christ, the God of peace and love, turns into a God of their own construction, a God of hate and revenge, who is hell bent on political and social change at any cost and who supports the black man’s hatred of the white race and their need for revenge.
Conclusion
So in conclusion, we can see that these theories and ideas being spread throughout the black community are not only completely fraudulent but they are very dangerous ideas as well. They are meant to incite racism and especially hatred towards the true Jewish bloodline. My fellow brothers in Christ that are black, do not blame the white race for your problems, if you lived in all black country like Africa would you be better off? Regardless of skin color we are all one in the body of Christ, and so we must look at each other in love and not hatred, like Jesus Christ taught us to.
The Bible says in Ephesians 4:2-6, “With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”
Source
(1) http://www.villagevoice.com/content/printVersion/2481919/
(2) http://www.apologeticsindex.org/b58.html
(3) http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-report/browse-all-issues/2008/fall/ready-for-war
(5) http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/speeches/malcolm_x_ballot.html
(6) Divine Racism: The Unacknowledged Threshold Issue for Black Theology”, in African-American Religious Thought: An Anthology, by William R Jones, ed Cornel West and Eddie Glaube (Westminster John Knox Press).
The Upside-Down World
From the August 2010 Trumpet Print Edition »
Excerpt from The Trumpet by Joel Hilliker
Little Green Men
The Apostle Paul recorded a scathing rebuke that has shown itself to be remarkably prophetic: He described scholars and academics “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever” (Romans 1:25).
These are hallmarks of the Upside-Down World: truths changed to lies; material things exalted above the God who made them; plain, clear, scriptural understanding scorned and irrational human reasoning worshiped.
These traits represent a fundamental hostility to reason. Yet they are manifestly present in the supposedly irreproachable, objective realm of science: Consider the evidence-defying, data-manipulating commitment to the man-made global warming doctrine and the impassioned vilification of skeptics; or the blacklisting and excommunication of scientists who so much as acknowledge the possibility that the elegance and predictability of the material world suggests intelligent design. The scientific establishment brusquely closes the curtain on anything that challenges the ridiculous notion that there are no answers whatsoever beyond matter itself—what Democritus called “atoms and the void.”
As a result, the establishment must turn its back on a great many facts—and simultaneously embrace some ludicrous fictions. Befuddled by the majesty of life, and the impossible perfection of the Earth to support it, scientists have entered the realm of fantasy in order to sustain their belief in a godless universe. They have suggested, with nothing to offer as proof but their own ideologically driven imaginations, that perhaps there are an infinite number of universes—magically making statistical impossibilities possible. Famous atheist zoologist Richard Dawkins—who delights in ridiculing religious believers and calling faith “a virus of the mind”—says he believes life may have been deposited on Earth by beings from outer space.
That’s right. In the Upside-Down World, superintelligent little green men from some great beyond (whose origin also must require an explanation, we might add) are easier to believe in than God. “[F]or scientific triumphalists mere facts apparently cannot compete with the doctrines laid down by the scientific priesthood,” Phillips explains.
The Apostle Paul put it this way: “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools” (verse 22).
Harvard geneticist Richard Lewontin made this self-condemning admission in 1997: “We take the side of science [as opposed to the supernatural] in spite of the patent absurdity of some of its constructs, in spite of its failure to fulfill many of its extravagant promises of health and life, in spite of the tolerance of the scientific community for unsubstantiated just-so stories, because we have a prior commitment, a commitment to materialism. … Moreover, that materialism is absolute, for we cannot allow a Divine Foot in the door” (emphasis mine).
That is the crux of it: God must be kept out. Why?
Deceived
These trends all contravene or undermine the truth as defined in Scripture. Yet it is this widely dismissed and disparaged Book that exposes and explains the cause for society’s violent departure from logic and sense.
It reveals the very real existence of a spirit realm, invisible to us. “[W]e wrestle not against flesh and blood,” wrote Paul, “but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12).
Yes, the Bible speaks of a benevolent and omnipotent God. But it also tells of a malevolent spiritual force that we must be on guard against.
As Paul worked to spread the truth of the gospel throughout hostile, Gentile cultures, he encountered resistance that he explained this way: “[I]f our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost, in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not …” (2 Corinthians 4:3-4).
The “god of this world” to which he referred was not the Creator. It was the same “god” the Apostle John described as “the great dragon … that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world” (Revelation 12:9).
Is it possible? The fact is, the volatile and deteriorating state of the world today—and the descent into ever more mad and crazy reasoning—cannot be fully comprehended without this understanding.
Read “Who Is the God of This World?” on page 28 for a scriptural explanation of how this “great dragon” came to have such a stranglehold on society. Herbert W. Armstrong described this biblically revealed reality as “the colossal kidnapping of all time”—in which the captives have been brainwashed into preferring and embracing the life and evil philosophy of the archkidnapper. “The willing victim … is the world that inhabits this planet Earth!” he wrote. “Yet this world has been so completely deceived that it cannot realize what actually has happened to it” (A World Held Captive).
The devil’s Upside-Down thinking is everywhere on display. He is a master at cloaking his motives, dressing up his destructive ambitions, making them appear noble and upright. “Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light,” Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 11:14. But when his lies are compared against the right-side-up revelation in Scripture, the truth becomes clear.
The Upside-Down Mind
“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!” God wrote through Isaiah of this once-great angelic being who became the devil. “For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God … I will be like the most High” (Isaiah 14:12-14).
Satan believes he knows better than God. He has his own ideas about what is good, what is evil, how the universe should operate.
God created human beings in His own image and likeness, and placed them in dominion over the rest of the material creation on Earth (Genesis 1:26-30). He created them male and female and instituted marriage and family as a wonderful means of preparing them for life in His eternal Family. (These profound truths are thoroughly explained in Herbert W. Armstrong’s book The Incredible Human Potential, which we will send you for free upon request.)
Satan hates human beings and is trying to destroy us. “He was a murderer from the beginning”; he is father of lies, Jesus explained (John 8:44). Satan inspired the notion that human beings are just like animals, less valuable than earthworms. He loves terrorism, violence and bloodshed. He promotes sterilization and abortion.
The Upside-Down attack on marriage and family is authored by this miserable being. He hates marriage and family because they are so central to God’s master plan for man! Angels were never offered that potential (e.g. Matthew 22:30; Hebrews 1:4-5). Satan has trampled on God’s laws about sex—laws against fornication and adultery, pornography, homosexuality, gender confusion and so on, all intended to safeguard the family—because angels cannot have sex, and sex produces more human beings.
This great dragon has flipped government within families Upside-Down because he hates authority and loves anarchy. God tells children to obey their parents and to honor old people—so Satan encourages them to rebel against their parents and mock the aged. The devil wants emotion-driven, unbalanced young people to dominate society so we lose our perspective, our heritage and our memory.
Satan pushes the impression that the whole of the mind-bogglingly impressive material creation exists by mere happenstance—that there is no order or purpose for any of it. He has befogged people’s understanding of evil because he is the epitome of evil and yet doesn’t believe it! He disagrees with God’s assessment of him.
In fact, that old serpent disagrees with everything God thinks, because he has allowed his thinking to become so twisted up with hate. Of all the Upside-Down reasoning he has fobbed off on this world, at the root of it all is that satanic idea: God is wrong—I am right.
As Paul expressed it, “For they [the self-professed scholarly, under the influence of satanic thinking] being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God” (Romans 10:3). As Lucifer said in his heart, I will exalt my throne—I will be like the most High.
This world is hoodwinked. So many of the people feverishly turning the world on its head are going about to establish what they think is right! “All are united by the common desire to bring about through human agency the perfection of the world,” Phillips writes, “an agenda which history teaches us leads invariably—and paradoxically—to tyranny, terror and crimes against humanity. Remarkably, all happen to be united also by a common and fundamental hostility to the central precepts of [biblical] religious belief …” (op. cit.).
The longer that people fail to submit themselves to the righteousness of God—who is the one and only true Lawgiver, who alone determines right from wrong—and the harder they work to establish their own righteousness, the more haywire this Upside-Down world will grow.
Thankfully, the sure Word of God promises that Jesus Christ will return and set this world right-side up. The Apostle Peter called this “the times of refreshing” and “the times of restitution of all things” (Acts 3:19-21). Christ Himself called it “the regeneration” (Matthew 19:28). You can read more about that wonderful Upside-Up World in the article on page 8.
Wage War to Help the Enemy
The routine murder of innocents may be protected in the clinic—but in the Upside-Down World, it is to be avoided at all costs on the battlefield. Even if it costs victory.
In the Afghanistan war—where the government and people are demonstrating sympathy for the Taliban—the top nato commander, Stanley McChrystal (before he resigned in June), was looking for ways to protect Afghan civilians. He considered a new military honor that recognizes soldiers who refrain from fighting: an award for “courageous restraint.”
Radical Muslim groups love it. They are far less concerned about civilian deaths; in fact, they invite them. They use a hodgepodge of vile, despicable tactics—purposefully embedding themselves among locals, even using schools and hospitals as staging grounds for rocket attacks—aimed specifically at provoking retribution that kills civilians (who, in many cases, actually sympathize with their cause), which they then broadly publicize for propaganda purposes. And the media and political classes eagerly trumpet that propaganda—even in cases where it is demonstrably false.
Clearly, Muslims aren’t the only ones who sympathize with terrorists; liberal intellectuals do as well.
Common sense says that someone trying to kill you and your family, someone trying to destroy your country, is an enemy. But such reasoning is far too barbaric for Western thinkers. Black-and-white morality has been replaced by a world of grays, of relativism, where even the most depraved behavior can be explained and excused. The Western mind has become deeply ambivalent about evil. Even words like evil and enemy are considered simplistic and backward.
A pillar liberal doctrine is that the perpetrators of evil acts are not responsible because they are actually victims of a far greater evil: Western ideals. Thus, “victim” groups are considered incapable of wrongdoing, while “privileged” classes are incapable of good. Muslims cannot be held responsible for terrorism—their Western targets must be the real cause.
As a result of such ridiculous moral reasoning, the very nature and purpose of warfare has been flipped topsy-turvy. War is now something a nation must do for its enemy. Humanitarian goals trump self-defense. All efforts to seek the nation’s own interests are branded immoral and shameful. An oxymoronic “humanitarian war” approach has embroiled America and its allies in absolutely impossible efforts to rebuild and rehabilitate those nations it defeats.
Success in warfare used to benefit the victorious nation; in the Upside-Down World, “victory” comes with inexhaustible, unachievable moral obligations. War can never be won.
Heroes and Villains
Hamas runs Gaza as a theocratic police state; it silences dissent; it allows no religious expression outside radical Islam; it uses terrorism to advance its foreign policy, which is to annihilate Jews. Israel, by contrast, is a liberal democracy; it has an independent judiciary and an independent press; it protects religious freedom, even for the 16 percent of its citizens who are Muslim.
Which of these two do you suppose Western elites increasingly view as a political partner—and which as a villain?
It is positively bizarre. What possesses apparently intelligent, reasonable people who value political freedoms and respect for human life to defend the terrorist cause? Why are they so willing to overlook the barbaric acts of misogyny and murder—so seemingly contrary to liberal ideals—that plague radical Islamist culture? And why, then, are they so unforgiving as Jews try to defend themselves against it?
There is no reasoned public debate over these questions. Throughout academia, the media and political circles, the supposed rightness of the Palestinian cause over that of Israel is considered irrefutable.
In Upside-Down downtown Manhattan, a retail store damaged by shrapnel from the 9/11 terrorist attacks was razed—in order to make room for a new 13-story mosque. “In the ruins of a building reduced to rubble in the name of Islam, a temple to Islam will arise,” commented author Mark Steyn.
The increasingly universal immunity to reason vividly showed this past May when authorities foiled a bombing attempt in New York City’s Times Square. As always happens when a Muslim commits or tries to commit a terrorist act, politicians and press in America and Britain disregarded facts, threw out the religion connection and searched for a cause within trivialities like the would-be bomber’s struggle to pay his mortgage. New York’s mayor speculated that he was probably a right-winger, “somebody with a political agenda that doesn’t like the health care bill.” Wrong. Turns out the perp was on orders from the Pakistani Taliban. The mayor responded to the news by praising his city’s Pakistanis and gravely stating, “We will not tolerate any bias or backlash against Pakistani or Muslim New Yorkers.”
The rush to exhibit such multicultural sanctimony has become so predictable after such incidents. The more that Muslims attack, the louder we praise them. The same Upside-Down reaction was on parade five years ago, after Islamic suicide bombers killed 52 Londoners on their morning commute. British officials didn’t blame Islam—but Islamophobia. London’s mayor asserted that the true fault lay in “80 years of Western intervention into predominantly Arab lands because of the Western need for oil.”
Reality is screaming in their faces, and they are closing their eyes, plugging their ears, and saying “La la la la la.”
Why are efforts to merely enforce existing immigration law in order to curb rising kidnapping and murder branded as racist? Why are illegal immigrants in Britain guaranteed welfare benefits by law? Why is it against the law to deport dodgy foreign terrorist suspects back to their home countries out of concern that their human rights might be violated there?
These are senseless, dangerous policies—yet intellectuals will rise up in full-throated indignation against any who dare question them.
Political correctness—a bramble bush of self-contradicting doctrines—has so ensnared the self-declared scholarly that even when facts are presented that expose the error in their thinking they will not budge.
“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” Isaiah lamented. “Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!” (Isaiah 5:20-21).
He couldn’t possibly have described the Upside-Down World with more penetrating precision.
Atonement
David said: “Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered” (Rom. 4:7).
The force of the Hebrew term “to cover” is dual. It implies Atonement and Justification. Atonement does not mean merely “at-one-ment” or “at-one-with,” but rather expiation of guilt by a blood-sacrifice which covers it.
The argument of Verses 9 through 12 in Romans, Chapter 4, is that Abraham was declared by God to be a righteous man while he was yet uncircumcised, i.e., outside of the Covenant within which the Jews afterward stood in their unique relation to God.
Had the promise of heirship of the world been based on the principal of law, i.e., of merit, that would have set Abraham aside, for the inheritance was given him by Promise and, therefore, on the principal of Faith. Faith does not fulfill a promise made to it, but believes it; and that Faith was reckoned to Abraham for Righteousness. This principal consequently opened wide the door of Grace to all men.
The Effect of Law
Paul said: “Because the Law works wrath: for where no Law is, there is no transgression” (Rom. 4:15).
The effect of law is always “condemnation,” and, in fact, it can be no other.
So, this means that all Believers who seek to function by “law,” whether the Law of Moses, or a law devised by themselves or someone else, can only come to one conclusion, and that is “condemnation.” And let the Reader understand the following:
If the Believer doesn’t understand the Cross, then the Believer doesn’t understand Grace, and neither does he properly understand Faith; consequently, such a Believer will then resort to law, because there is no other place for the Believer to be. It’s either “Law” or “Grace.”
This means that virtually the entirety of the modern Church is functioning under law, which means they are under constant condemnation, because most of the modern Church has little or no knowledge of the Cross whatsoever.
And yet, the Church thinks that it does know and understand the Cross. But several questions should be asked:
Are you, the Reader, living a victorious, overcoming Christian life? The question could probably be better asked, “Is there repeated sin of some nature in your life?”
Is the Fruit of the Spirit being developed in your life? Perhaps the question could be asked in this fashion, “Are you becoming more and more Christlike, in your life, personality, and demeanor?”
Please allow me to delicately say that far too many Christians lie to themselves. And it’s just as much a sin to lie to ourselves as it is to someone else, perhaps even worse. In other words, we need to look at the questions just asked and answer them honestly.
The Action of Grace
Whereas the effect of law is condemnation, the action of grace is “justification.”
The doctrine of justification by works generates religious pride—that of Justification by Faith produces contrition and humility. In the matter of Justification, Faith and works are opposite and irreconcilable—as opposed as Grace and Debt. Since God declares ungodly men righteous, works cannot in any sense furnish a ground for Justification, and hence the first step toward Salvation on the part of a sinner is to humble himself and accept the Divine pronouncement that he is “ungodly.”
Then the second and concluding step is to repose Faith in Him Who justifies the ungodly. Nothing gives more Glory to God than simply believing Him. Justification is not a change in character but a declaration by God as to the Believer’s standing before Him. It is objective. Sanctification affects character and is subjective.
As we have stated, the expiatory Sacrifice of Christ is the one and only and eternal ground on which God can act in declaring ungodly men righteous. Galatians 3:21, and many similar Divine declarations, reveal the hopelessness of standing before God in a righteousness which He will accept upon any other principal than that of Faith in a crucified Sin-Bearer.
A Perfect Sacrifice
Christ’s Perfect Obedience to the Law of God formed His Own Righteousness and gave virtue to His Sacrifice—for a Sacrifice for sin must have neither spot nor blemish. But it was not the spotlessness of the Lamb which made the Atonement, but its out-poured Blood, i.e., its surrendered Life, for the blood is the life. The judgment pronounced upon sin being death, that claim could only be vindicated and discharged by the suffering of death. Christ suffered that penalty and, in consequence, saves the Believer from it.
If Christ’s obedience during His Life was man’s obedience, then man stands as He stood and, consequently, there was no reason why He should die. In that case there was no penalty, for if man fulfilled in Him all Righteousness, there was no occasion for judgment.
But the Scripture declares that Christ died for sinners, so that it is His Death that provides a spotless Righteousness for sinners who believe in Him; and it was His Obedience in life which gave efficacy to His suffering in death.
Regrettably, the vast majority of mankind accepts the human doctrine of salvation by merit; a very small minority believes the Divine Doctrine of Salvation by Grace. As the Lord Jesus Himself said, few tread that narrow way. It is abhorrent to human pride.
J. Swaggart Ministry