FIRST PUBLISHED IN THE YEAR 1994 At THE HOUSEHOLD OF GOD ONITSHA By The BRIDE OF CHRIST MINISTRY WORLD-WIDE “Truth has no substitute” © BRIDE OF CHRIST MINISTRY WORLD-WIDE
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AMERICA IN PROPHECY WITH REGARDS TO THE WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES
Every true Bible reader knows that America is the second beast of Revelation 13 verse 11. She is depicted as a Lamb with two horns which came out from the earth. She did not come out through water (multitudes of people) like the first beast of Rome, but she came out of the earth where there were no multitudes. That’s why she is called the “New World”
2. The two horns represent two powers which she (America) will possess. We know that the strength of many beasts depends on their horns. America, came up a humble nation as a lamb, displaying, two great mights, first her political power and secondly her ecclesiastical might. Those two horns of the second beast represent political power and religious or ecclesiastical power of America.
3. Remember, the nation was born when the protesting founding fathers fled into the land which was originally occupied by few Red Indians, and before the entire world could know it, America has become a mighty world power in politics displaying “great wonders” so that, he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men “.
4. The ability of America to be among the first nation to send Rockets into the sky, and other space ships, acquired for her an enviable position in the world politics, and raised her to the position of the police man “of the world because of her atomic bombs, mass destructive weapons and her great scientific exploits, these were the America wonders” as the Bible rightly called it “great wonders”.
5. However, the Bible prophecy has it that America will not only exercise political power, but she will also display great religious power in this End-time by devising a system that will cause the entire world to compromise and go back to Rome. From Revelation 13:14-15, we read, “And (America) deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles (her scientific might which earned her recognition as a great world power) which he had to do in the sight of the beast, saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast (Rome), which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
6. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed”.
7. An image is a copy of the shape of a person or thing, a close likeness of something. The Bible reveals that there shall arise an image of the beast in this end time to be worshipped by all, (men and women) on the earth who are not members of the Body of Christ, Revelation 13:8. “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him whose names are not written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slate from the foundation of the world”.
8. An image of the beast is a copy of the shape or close likeness of the beast. The beast has an image that reflects her, an image or copy or body that can speak authoritatively as the Roman Catholic Beast or Power and on her behalf, and the image will usher the beast of Rome into power again, enthroning the Roman Catholic Church which presently represent the beast of Rome that started from the Caesars whose universal powers almost faded away but were revived and restored by the Popes.
9. In fact, the only body upon the earth today, that has paved the way for the Roman Catholic Institution and power to rule the world again through the Popes is the popularly acclaimed World Council of Churches whose objective is to have One World Church knowing fully well that the Catholics must be in the majority.
10. The Bible clearly taught that the World Council of Churches is the image of the beast. And America in the forefront is very much busy propagating the successfulness of W.C.C. making sure that its programmes and objectives for the World Church are fully and quickly executed as well be widely acclaimed by the entire religious world.
11. Yet the W.C.C. as an image of the beast is an accursed body before God. Let us prove it through the Holy Scriptures: Daniel 3rd Chapter, we read an account of a golden religious image made during the time of Babylonian Empire by King Nebuchadnezzar. Through this image Nebuchadnezzar united all people, religions, and nations under heaven into confederation to worship the image he erected.
12. Verse 6 of Daniel 3rd chapter said “And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.” KJV.
13. Nebuchadnezzar who was the head of the first beast (Empire of Babylon) enacted a decree of capital punishment upon all who could not worship under his religious image, yet Shedrack, Meshack and Abednego never compromised. God always have a remnant that must prevail over the image of the beast in each age. As you read along you will see the publication of the Nairobi Kenya meeting of the World Council of Churches, then you’ll understand what she is, she is of the devil.
14. The first human organised religion that united contrary to God’s WORD was also found in Genesis 11: 1-9. It took place during the time of Nimrod the mighty hunter (A type of great evangelists of today) before the Lord and he was the ancestor of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.
15. Genesis 10:8-10 “And Cush begat Nimrod, he began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD. And the beginning of his Kingdom was Babel (Later called Babylon)” KJV.
16. They made an image of false unity, and confederated against the will of God. “And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.” (Gen. 11-4, KJV).
17. What was their reason, only to make name for themselves, and for them to unite, so that there will be no more difference among them, they do not want to be scattered, divided in splinter groups for that reason they agreed and raised an image with one mind against the will of God.
18. Who is guilty? Babylonians and their religion. Who was guilty in the time of Nebuchadnezzar, Babylonians and their religion! Who will be guilty in this End-time? It is “Mystery Babylon the great”,The Roman Catholic Institutions and her allies in religion.
19. God scattered them in the time of Nimrod because God knew that the unity will work out evil. They will forbid whosoever that fails to join them from buying or selling. They will even put their opposers to death as Nebuchadnezzar did.
20. And the image of the beast of Rome is predicted by the Bible to repeat the same thing “And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed”.(Rev 13:25, KJV).
21. The confederation of all the Churches in the End-time is the image of the beast and the anti-Christ system. It is the vehicle that will enable Roman Catholic Church to dominate the religion of the world once again and as a result freedom of worship shall cease except one is permitted by the W. C. C. and he must preach only what the body stands for. And the United States of America is playing a major role in this regard.
22. Hear President George Bush of America, in his State of the Union address, Los Angeles Times February 18, 1991, “It is a big idea; a new world order, where diverse nations are drawn together is common cause … only the United States has both the moral standing and the means to back it up.”
23. The prophecy of Revelation 13 declares that the power represented by the beast with lamb-like horn (U.S.A.) shall cause “the earth and them which dwell therein”to worship the papacy (beast of Rome)which is symbolized as the beast “like unto leopard”.
24. The beast with two horns (America) is also to say “to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image (the W.C.C.) to the beast”(Roman Papacy) and furthermore, she will command all, “both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond”, to receive “the mark of the beast”,(Revelation 13:11-16, KJV).
25. America will mandate the world to bow to the “decree” that will soon be enacted by the W.C.C. as per the legal status of the Church. Being ratified by the Pope, it will mandate every Church to operate only through the World Council of Churches or her allies in all the nations. God’s Word is against the Amalgamation, Association, and Confederation of the Churches, Isaiah 8:9-13, yet people has disobeyed God and confederated into the image of the beast.
26. Here is a documentation of the World Council of Churches meeting in Nairobi, Kenya on arrival of Pope John Paul IIin Nairobi on the 21st of June, 1985 proving clearly that the W.C.C. is another Nebuchadnezzar’s image portraying death to all her opposers.
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APPENDIX
NAIROBI’S MEETING: THE WORLD UNDER AUTHORITY(DOMINATION) OF POPES
The letters on the unification of Churches from KEKEROTE, 25/05/85, KENYA, NAIROBI.
2. On the 29/05/85, the council decided to form the WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES ON 19/06/85.
3. The subject has been treated on the arrival of Pope John Paul II in Nairobi on the 21/06/85. The Pope announced the reason of his coming (arrival) which was to unite Churches with the State (Government). That was the meeting held with the KENYAN Government on the 11/08/85.
4. THE CORRECTION OF THE BIBLE
5. On the 1st June, 1985 a conference of 800,000 people accredited to correct some Epistles of the Bible: (1 Corinth. 6:14-17, 2 Corinth. 6:6-16) they assume yet the Apocalypse (Revelation) in order to remove all that from the Bible.
6. On the 12/08/85, the Unity Churches has given (accorded) to the new Bible to appear soon which name will be “Jerusalem Bible” in which is not SABBATH. In the place of SABBATH there is “Sunday “. On the 2 9/08/85 this meeting published 16 Articles following:
ART. 1 Nobody could send postal letter without the mark.
ART. 2 Nobody could be office worker or work i. any company if he is not marked.
ART. 3 INSTRUCTION-CULTURE: No child could study if his parents are not marked.
ART. 4 ALL weapons will be under the organisation of that Union and nobody could pay nor sell without the mark.
ART. 5 FEEDING-AGRICULTURE: Nobody could buy, sell provisions nor farm without the mark.
ART. 6 BANK: Nobody could bank his money nor take it back without that mark.
ART. 7 That Union is presided: Anybody who will not agree or go against those articles will be punished severally till death.
ART. 8 Any Traveller without that mark cannot travel.
ART. 9 The Union of Astronauts (Space Travellers): All their equipment will be authorised by this Union (Council).
ART. 10 IMPORT-EXPORT of products: Nobody could import-export goods without that mark.
ART. 11 There will be only one International Currency (money).
ART. 12 The Union of all Churches: Members (congregation) of Churches of the whole world will celebrate (worship) only on Sunday.
ART. 13 The miserable life (poor) will be cut off (put right): All under-developed or developing countries will see their life condition improved.
ART 14 FOREST-SAVANNAH: Nobody could hunt (animal-bird) nor fish without that mark.
ART. 15 Transport companies all over the world will be well considered.
ART. 16 ONE ACCORD: Nobody could be treated in any hospital without that mark.
7. “And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power. Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. What? Know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? For two, saith he, shall be one flesh. But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. ” 1 Corinth. 6:14-17, KJV)
8. “By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true; As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.
9. O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged. Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels. Now for a recompense in the same, (I speak as unto my children,) be ye also enlarged. Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
10. And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (2 Corinth. 6:6-16, KJV)
POPE’S PROJECTS
11. He will take the sacrament (communion) with all Bishops. He will take the sacrament (communion) with all missionaries and pastors. He will take the sacrament (communion) with all Christians.
12. Dear reader, having gone through the abovementioned articles, you should bear in mind that receiving “the mark”simply means to obtain the permission or approval or license from the Council’s authority. You can now imagine how many nations, denominations, Unions and Associations that have been marked already.
13. It is not by coincidence nor by accident that everybody around the world today are flocking together into one Union or the other. It is the fulfilment of the Holy Scriptures, as all these other unions and associations must at last be subject to the Super Union of the World Council of Churches.
14. Let us hear Pope John Paul II’s view about the unification of a “New Europe”(Europe is the 10 horns of the beast, the ten empires that were under the Caesars and later under the Popes). “A united Europe is no longer a dream. It is an actual process which cannot be purely political or purely economic”(which means it is purely religious. “It has a profound cultural, spiritual, and moral dimension. Christianity is at the very roots of European culture.”
15. Nowadays, every nation has been fully unionized to the grass root. The denominations now register under the Corporate Affair Commission as incorporated bodies in order to be recognised by the government under the supervision of the Christian Association of the Nation. This has succeeded to bring such denominations to receive the mark of the beast because Rome is behind all these.
16. Remember it was a Roman Emperor Constantine that first brought Church and State together. And the Pope has an ambition to bringing Church and State together again starting from Europe. Presently, Europe is being merged into one nation with common parliament, currency, etc. The “New United Europe” will be the richest, most powerful single nation under heaven today.
17. With the demise of U.S.S.R., and the collapse in America economy, the New Europe stands the chance of ruling the world. Bear in mind that the new Europe “is not purely political, nor economical”,it is religious and that is the new world order, religious politics. The following excerpt of an American Miami Herald rightfully declared it:
18. “Pope wants to shepherd a “New Europe”
19. As communism takes a back seat in the affairs of Eastern Europe, the Roman Catholic Church is rapidly rising in prominence. From the Pope, all the way down to the area’s bishops, the word is out: The time has come for the Church to exert political authority in Europe.
20. Writing in the August 31st Miami Herald, Mike Leary quotes the public statement of a priest speaking in St. Michael’s Catholic Church of Warsaw. Reading from a recent bishop’s letter he said, “I don’t need to remind anyone of the extraordinary role the Church of Warsaw played in the victory over totalitarianism. Now, the time has come to define the role of the Church in the life of the nation.”
21. The letter went on to demand government-mandated religious instruction in all public schools. Directed by the Pope, the bishops of Europe are boldly proclaiming a new era of religion in Europe.
22. Concerning the Pope, Mr. Leary wrote, “At an age when many people consider retiring, the 70 year old Pope is guiding the Church into an ambitious path with political overtones: He wants to be shepherd of a new Europe, united by its 2,000 year Christian tradition. He has already summoned the continent’s 1,000 bishops (a third of the world’s total) to a synod next year to plan strategy “.
23. Speaking in Czechoslovakia in April, the Pope said, “A united Europe is no longer a dream. It is an actual process which cannot be purely economic. It has a profound cultural, spiritual and moral dimension. Christianity is at the very roots of European culture.”
24. Recently, the Pope has conferred with the Bush administration (former President of America), known for its continuing proclamation that we are at the crossroads of a “new world order”. The new world order is rapidly’ coming – Political, economic and religious in its implications. And the Pope is playing a very large part in its planning.
25. The new world order has encouraged the clergy to go into politics, but Jesus who is our perfect example never mixed religion with politics. When the Israelites had wanted to crown Jesus a king the Bible said he hid Himself. “When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take Him by force, to make Him a king, He departed again into a mountain Himself alone” (John 6 15, KJV)”
26. Jesus knew that as Christ, the Author of Christianity, He has no part in the government of this present world, because this present world is under the direct influence of Satan who causes men to disobey God’s Word, fight each other, organize coups and counter coups. There are robberies, fraud, harlotry, idolatry etc.
27. Jesus was a good man, the people saw His goodness and pleaded with Him to be their king but He refused, therefore they came to impose it on Him by force, yet He rejected it. But today our clergies seem to know better than Jesus, therefore they accept what He rejected, to become Governors, Honourable members of the house of Assemblies, President etc.
28. The Bible said in 2 Corinth. 4:3-4 “But if 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, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”
29. Revelation 12:9 “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were with him into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”
30. Satan the devil is the deceiver influencing men to act contrary to God’s Word. He influences the world politics, world religion, world economy because he’s the god of this world. Jesus, unlike the blind preachers of today knew about it, for that reason He kept Himself away from the world as “two cannot walk together except they be agreed”.
31. “I have given them thy words, and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world even as Jam not of the world” (John 17:14, KJV). The Church has no business with the worldly politics, nor to merge with the state. God’s Church is a heavenly kingdom autonomous in all ramification, having Christ as its head “And He (Christ) is the head of the body, the Church:…” (Colossian 1:18, kJV).
32. Children of God are looking for new world where dwelleth righteousness which shall commence when the devil is bound for 1000 years. That is our new world and not this man-made farce by the world council of Churches. The scriptures say “Nevertheless we, according to His (Christ) promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness”(2 Peter 3:13, KJV).
33. Can any Pope, bishop or clergy usher in a worldwide righteousness? Only the Lord Christ can do this by keeping Satan the tempter under chains. “And He (Christ) laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years … And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever”(Revelation 20:2, 10 KJV)
34. It is impossible for any man, nation or group of people to usher in true peace, love, unity and righteousness, in this present world influenced by the devil. Only God can usher in the true peace, unity and love, when Satan the author of disobedience and sin has been bound, and righteousness of God by His Word prevails in the life of people.
35. So all the efforts of the world to unite will continue to fail them as the scriptures say “For when they shall say, peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape”(1 Thess. 5:3, KJV).
36. If the unification of Churches, nation and communities and labour groups succeeds to usher in everlasting peace and safety, then God’s word is false-But it’s impossible for God to lie, so the unity of group of men today contrary to God’s word must bring “sudden destruction”
37. Meanwhile, let us consider “the Omega letter”on the 7th Assembly of World Council of Churches meeting of February 7 to 20, 1991, in Canberra, Australia. The topic is on the “One-World Church” (WCC welcomes anti-Christian pagans!) Ex-rayed by Ralph G. Griffin of the United States.
38. The World Council of Churches, meeting in its seventh Assembly, February 7 to 20, 1991, in Canberra, Australia, sent a letter the Council hopes will be received by all “all Churches. Christians and people.” The message is therefore presumed to be directed to every human being on earth.
39. The letter, which summarized the unified beliefs “of all religions” which were affirmed at the Assembly, was released in order to gain acceptance of all Christians, non-believers, atheists, Buddhists, Hindus, Hare Krishna, Pagans, Wiccans, Satan worshippers, and everyone else not otherwise listed.
40. The purpose of the Assembly, as well as the avowed mission of the WCC is to bring all religions together as one … one religion. One Church. One United Super Church. One World Church. Unity!
41. Unity … at the sacrifice of doctrine. A new doctrine. Doctrine so watered down and meaningless and unholy that it really doesn‘t matter if one believes that Jesus Christ is the Way, the only Way to God. By all means, let us have unity!
42. It is being said in small meetings, large meetings and in nearly all Churches all over the world these days UNITY is the only important thing the body of Christ should be striving for it is being said (by self-acclaimed Believers, even) that “there will be only ONE Church in the end-time, so let’s just forget about DOCTRINE and join together in UNITY!” Such ignorance!
43. These so-called “Christians” do not read – or do not discern – the Bible. There will be ONE CHURCH in the last days. It is the apostate Church. It is called the Great Whore in Revelation 17. It is MYSTERY, BABYLON and God hates it!
44. God says, in Revelation 18:4: “Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” The One-World Church is being established Now! Listen to the prattle of the World Council of Churches: “This journey to God’s rule and the unity of the Church and of human kind . . . Come, Holy Spirit … Come, most splendid adornment of all living beings, the sole salvation of all who are mortal.”
45. Do they not realize that all men are not going to have salvation? Many have already and many more will die in their sin without asking for or receiving forgiveness (like the disobedient ones in Noah’s time, or Lot’s age and our age); and will spend eternity with their father, the Devil. And neither is the Holy Spirit their salvation. Jesus said of the Holy Spirit, in John 16:14: “He shall glorify Me.”
46. The letter continued “THE SPIRIT CALLS THE CHURCHES TO A COMMITMENT TO SEEK VISIBLE UNITY … WE SEEK … WAYS TO BE MORE ACCOUNTABLE TO EACH OTHER AND TO THE LORD CHRIST WHO PRAYED THAT WE “MAY BE ONE.”
47. This scripture is found in John 17:20-23, where Jesus is testifying to the oneness in the faith and spiritual life of all who believe and have been reborn. Belief and unbelief cannot be united. Believers and unbelievers in Jesus Christ as God cannot be “One.”
48. The fourth paragraph of their letter states, “THE PRESENCE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF OTHER WORLD RELIGIONS AS GUESTS IN THE ASSEMBLY REMINDED US OF THE GROWING NEED TO RESPECT THE IMAGE OF GOD IN ALL PEOPLE. TO ACCEPT EACH OTHER AS NEIGHBOURS AND TO ADMIT OUR COMMON RESPONSIBILITY WITH THEM FOR GOD’S CREATION, INCLUDING HUMANITY.”
49. Christ is the image of God and He is not in all people“… lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them”(Corinth. 4:4, KJV) This view point needs to be exposed for the heresy it is. All those outside of Christ are dead in sin; they have no image of God, they have no righteousness. Only in Christ is God’s image of righteousness restored. It is Christ’s righteousness that is given the redeemed – (“…THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS…” Jeremiah 23:6, 33:16, KJV).
50. 1st John 1:6-7 tells us “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, (Christ) and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the Truth: But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another…..”
51. The fellowship of the New Testament Churches did not include the yoke with unbelievers. “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” (2 Corinth. 6:14, KJV)
52. But the WCC decided to cancel this portion of the scriptures during their Nairobi Kenya, meeting). This WCC letter to “all Churches, Christians, and peoples”is very descriptive. It has, no value for Bible-believing people except to point the seduction of Christianity and the Satanic deception coming over the true Church in theselast days.
53. The unbeliever – the people of the world – must be led to Christ and His salvation, and then fed the meat of the Word in faithful, Bible-teaching Churches. Such Churches do not have “fellowship”and affiliation with the World Council of Churches. The World Council of Churches has only one avowed mission which is to bring all religions together as one.
54. Pope John Paul II confirmed this by his action in Togo during his 1992 visit. He (Pope) had communion with the witches and wizards in that country called “Voodoo priests”. You can imagine such encouragement of witchcraft from a man that claims to stand “instead of the Son of God.”Yet they oppose every Bible-believing Church making sure that they are eliminated from the scene.
55. Below is another excerpt from THE GUIDE, a monthly religious publication of the Catholic Diocese of Ahiara Mbaise, Imo State, Nigeria – No. 014, June 1994, on the Stand of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) concerning Bible-believing Churches opposing registration with Corporate Affairs Commission:
56. CAN gets tough with Mushroom Churches – GUIDE Correspondent, Abuja: The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) is taking stern measures to stem the proliferation of Churches in the country. A CAN national official describes this trend as embarrassing. One of the measures so far taken by the CAN is to get itself involved in the office of the Corporate Affairs commission (CAC) in Abuja which handles registration of new Churches.
57. By this act the CAN will be in position to control the establishment of Churches. CAN, worried over the rate at which “mushroom” Churches are growing, approached the Commission and requested to be contacted before any application for registration of further Churches are processed.
58. The illustration below reveals the way and manner by which Satan has lured religious men and women back to the Papacy (Beast of Rome) through false unity.
59. Let us consider the Nigerian Nomenclature; first of all every denomination must be affiliated to their national Christian council, (so called), which also is one of the tentacles of the world body – World Council of Churches. The World Council of Churches gives orders from her headquarters to the entire world, and these orders are received and executed by each national body through its allies with the assistance of the State.
60. For example, when the World Council of Churches (World Church) hands out an instruction, it arrives to Nigeria through Christian Association of Nigeria (C.A.N.) and then C.A.N, extends it to the affiliated bodies, namely, Christian Council of Nigeria (C.C.N.), Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (P. F. N.), and African Instituted Churches (A.I.C.), and through these bodies every affiliated, denominational group receives or partake of the system from the image of the beast (W. C. C.) working under direct influence of the Pope and Roman Catholic Church (The fourth beast).
61. Even now a National Evangelical Commission (NECO) has been set up to scrutinize doctrines and to approve or dictate who should preach and what should be preached They demand theological qualifications issued by recognised Bible Colleges from Preachers and also make sure that they preach “love’ & unity”to conform with the new world order as promoted by the World Council of Churches.
62. This trend is not peculiar to Nigeria alone, rather it is global. The World Council of Churches with its affiliated bodies and with the help of the State persecute the True Churches for the truth they stand for. What the world called “mushroom Churches”isthe Only avenue they can obtain life, just as edible mushrooms are good for making mushroom soup which adds much vitamin to our health.
63. Every Church is a mushroom Church but some are edible, while others are poisonous. God’s Word declares denominations as poisonous mushrooms. It is the product that matters – Does it give any life? Denominations can never produce the life of God in people. Only God’s Word in the midst of the true Church “edible mushroom”can produce God’s life in people.
64. Yet people neglect the true Church to go for denomination. What the people reject is exactly what God goes for: “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and thing which are despised, has God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought thing that are: That no flesh should glory in His presence” (1 Corinth. 1:27-29, KJV).
65. God uses what we call nothing to do something great. He does not sanction us as a Church because we are great theologians with knowledge of philosophy. God does not use us because we are registered under the “Super One-World Church.”
66. The Scriptures declares “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are His. And, let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”(2 Tim. 2:19, KJV)
67. You can be the President of the World Church or leader of the denomination under the system, yet that does not make you God’s property nor gain God’s approval for you. You can only be His if you depart from false doctrine and false life and obey the entire Word of God.
68. For a call to Christianity is not for mighty, wise or noble men, but for despised base people of this world: “For you see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called”(1 Corinth 1:26, KJV)
69. “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:25, KJV). The kingdom of God is not for the rich Churches and their leaders, nor is it for notable, noble, wise and mighty religious leaders and their groups.
70. They have acquired this present world, they have become rich and now they stand for world politics using the Church and the World Council of Churches as a vehicle to achieve this evil purpose. That is the reason why they are all out against the true uncompromising Church on the land, stampeding them with the assistance of the government of the nations only to frustrate the propagation of the Gospel Truth without respect of persons.
71. Constantine, an emperor of Rome, succeeded in merging Church and State together during the early centuries of our time, and that unholy alliance brought undue persecution upon all the true Churches that refused to lower the standard of the Gospel. History repeats itself.
72. The Pope of Rome, now paying the piper for the World Council of Churches, is now dictating the tune by influencing the denominations around the globe to merge with the government of their nations as registered corporate bodies, creating room for a great persecution upon all true Churches that refused to be licensed under the Government of their various countries prompted by the Christian Council or Association of these Nations, which are affiliate members of the image of the beast, the WCC Government of different nations now threaten to close unregistered Churches.
73. Below is another excerpt from BATTLE CRY MAY-JUNE 1991 issue on the subject matter: – Latin American Government Threaten to Register and Close Churches: Guatemala’s decisive presidential election points out the big gains Protestantism is making all across the region of Latin America at the expense of Roman Catholicism. Rome is not happy about it and is beginning to use her quietly formed hand of trump cards to begin cutting that cost.
74. In Mexico, Rome is using an up-until-now unenforced law to begin shutting down Protestant Churches. Venezuela is also now feeling the effects of allowing Rome to appoint their Director of Religion. If passed, These new laws will force all Churches to be registered or closed within 6 months of passage. The Department of Religion would also fir quotas for the entrance of foreigners, and regulate prison ministries, public religious activity, all seminaries and Bible Schools.
75. Any soul winning activity with the native Indians would be permitted only by those who have treaty made with the government. The Churches will not be allowed a word against any person or reli2ious organisation. No more preaching about the errors of Catholicism. Pastors and ministers must demonstrate their titles of studies that qualify them to be head of the congregations.
76. Many Pastors of Bible-believing Churches have no diplomas. All Pastors must be native Venezuelans. Of course this does not apply to Rome’s Priests and nuns who are mostly from Spain and other countries, they continue under their own private law in a privileged position.
77. The head inspector for the Department of Religion must be an attorney with studies of the Canon Law, meaning he must be a Catholic and probably a Monsignor. The office will be authorised to call on all the police organizations to aid them in the dissolution of the evangelical Churches.
78. This can be done for disobedience of this law, for putting in danger the country, for ignoring the symbols of the country (they claim that the images of the virgin are symbols of the country), for the organization of demonstration that are religious, for offending in word, or by writing. or by belief, any other religious belief of people or organisations. or if they cause any disturbance of the peace by their meetings, or disobey any law of the country.
79. In Article 26, the department would be authorised to stop any meetings, or conference, or forbid the printing of any articles or publications permanently. The activities of witchcraft, parapsychology, etc. would be exempt from this law.
80. If this proposal becomes law great persecution will resulr’72nd the Church will have to go underground. if the law can be passed in Venezuela it will then be applied in other countries of Latin America.
81. In Mexico under their existing Constitution, Churches must be registered with the government. According to Mexican Church expert, “The Law is obscure and rarely enforced, but it is the law and the government is within its rights to carry out this apparent crackdown “.
82. The crackdown has begun with strict enforcement Of registration laws in the Central State of Hidalgo. On March 13, ‘1990 State Director of Government in Hidalgo, Beatriz Francis summoned the president of the Independent Pentecostal Christian Church, Rev. Aroldo Espinoza, to notify him that all evangelical Church buildings lacking proper registration documents as religious centres would be closed within two weeks. She added that Hidalgo was the first State to put into effect a new ruling which would close all non-registered Churches nationwide within a minimum of three months. The catalyst that seems tohave brought the issue to a head is the recently announced results of the 1990 census.
83. The census revealed in some areas of Hidalgo State that the evangelical population has experienced significant growth, and in the Valley of Mesquital, 60 percent of those declaring themselves Christian are evangelicals.
84. “TWO MONTHS LATER WE ARE SEEING A’ CRACKDOWN ON UNREGISTERED CHURCHES WHICH IS SUSPECTED TO BE ORIGINATING ‘FROM THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.” Espinoza said.
85. In the past three or four years, the Roman Catholic Church has increasingly pressured the Mexican government to limit the activities of evangelical or protestant groups, publicly demanding evangelicals be expelled from the country, even if they are Mexican citizens. Increasing acts of violence and persecution by Mexican Catholics against even the mainline denominations in Mexico demonstrates that Rome is simply bids her time until she gain enough power.
86. “It is a very serious situation.” said Methodist Bishop Ulises Hernandez of Mexico city. Americans who do not believe that Rome will do the same in American, should look closely on what is going on in Mexico. Although tensions between Catholics and Protestants in Mexico have simmered for many years, Pope John Paul II’s visit to Mexico has brought the situation to a boiling point, says Hernandez.
87. The Pope gave numerous televised speeches urging the populace to “DEFEND THE CONTINENT FROM ALL NON-CATHOLICS OR ‘SECTS” Bishop Hernandez continued. Most Mexican Catholics reportedly believe that all Protestant denominations are “Sects” or “Cults “.
88. The Catholic News Service of Mexico reported that much of the Pope’s trip to Mexico was “an effort to reconvert the growing number of Catholics lost to Protestant fundamentalism and sects.” Pope John Paul II believes the inroads of unnamed “sects” could become “disastrous”
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(BATTLE CRY) (MAY-JUNE 1991)
Below is American’s stand on religion (Excerpt from Temple Times – East Point-Ga 30344 January 31, 1992) America is executing the activities of the WCC beginning from their home land.
REGULATION BILL
2. On January 18, President Reagan sent letters to the Senate and House Leaders -urging them to pass legislation prohibiting tax exemptions for any schools that discriminate on the bases of race. Here is specific objections to “THE CHURCH RFGULATION”BILL of 1970.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIONS TO THE “CHURCH REGULATION BILL”.
v The bill refers not just to the school, but the organization (i.e. the Church) that sponsors the school.
v The bill would require constant supervision by IRS of every administrative decision made by Church Schools -including selection of cheerleaders, curriculum, textbooks, and affirmative action programs. It clearly fosters excessive entanglement between government and religious schools.
v Discriminates between religions, clearly establishing a preference for “non-discriminating”religious beliefs. It does not accommodate sincerely held religious belief relating to race.
v Denies First Amendment right of association to contributor, even though the taxpayer does not subscribe to the “offensive”policy of the non- tax exempt institution.
v The use of the word “Policy”is fraught with a multitude of meanings and is unconstitutionally vague.
v This ex post facto law is retroactive; that is Churches could be required to pay taxes for the last twelve years. Contributions made to the Church over the last twelve years could be disallowed, and the individual held responsible for back taxes.
v This bill flatly denies free exercise of religion
v This bill provides insufficient safeguards against arbitrary government action through later bureaucratic law-making because it is replete with vague, ambiguous, over board and standardless terms.
v This bill presumes guilty until proven innocent. It would require the accused Church school to go to court to protect constitutional rights.
v This bill is ambiguous as to whether-the IRS is to use an “effects”test which excludes any evidence of intent, or whether they should use “intent” test.
v There are no restrictions placed on the manner in which the IRS is to enforce the bill.
PUBLIC POLICY PREVAILS OVER RELIGIONS BELIEF
3. The bill clearly makes public policy prevail over religious belief with regard to race. “Although the bill specifically refers to a Church’s educational ministry and racial discrimination, the bill would, in fact, set the precedent that the IRS may revoke the tax exempt status of a Church because of its discrimination against women by not ordaining them for the ministry, or against homosexuals by not allowing them to assume positions of Church leadership or denying them membership.
4. It could also easily be argued any time a minister preached against homosexuality, abortion or other popularly accepted policy issues, the IRS could deny the Church its tax exempt status. The bill could result in the closing of any Church in America whose stated doctrines do not conform arbitrary Federal policy
The Crisis in Religious Freedom
LICENSING
5. Churches do much more than hold worship services on Sunday: they reach out to their own members and to the community through numerous ministries. One by one these ministries of the Church have been subject to an insidious attack in the form of State licensing and regulation.
6. In Santa Monica, California, Police Officers (with gun holsters unbuttoned) were among the 330 State and local government officials who descended on the Light-house Foursquare Church to “investigate” the unlicensed “Weekday Sunday School.”
7. The educational ministry had been operated by the Church as an outreach to children of the community for over two and one half years. The Directors of the school and Pastors of the Church Ron and Linda Norris, were charged with violations of Title 22 of the California Child Care Act, an ambiguous law which by broad language requires the licensing of all Sunday Schools as child care facilities.
8. Among the 30 charges were allegations of the use of the sleeping mats of less than three quarters of an inch. For this violation alone the Norrises face six months in jail and fines of $1,000 each.
9. Community Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas objected to State licensure of its boys’ home ministry which required compliance with 240 “minimum standards “, many of which were openly at odds with the Church’s Biblical beliefs.
10. For refusing to submit the Church’s ministry (primarily with young men having problems with alcohol and drug abuse) to state control, the Pastor of the Church was fined $9,700 and the Church property was scheduled to be sold at public auction.
11. In Idaho, a Christian boys’ ranch was shut down after state authorities launched a helicopter raid on the home. Although the operators of the ranch were legal guardians of the young men and had dutifully complied with all state health and safety requirements, the boys were removed because the facility was not licensed.
12. Residents of the home, aged seven to fourteen, were forcibly removed, some in handcuffs, and sent to a State mental hospital for “Safekeeping.”
ZONING
13. Zoning laws often single out otherwise legal activities and subject them to burdensome regulations due to their religious content. In many neighbourhoods, zoning officials allow regular gatherings for a bridge club or a football game. but try to require advance permission for a Bible study or prayer meeting.
14. The Faith Bible Fellowship of Colorado Springs, Colorado held services in their pastor’s home while saving money to purchase a Church building. Consequently, the Pastor, Rev. Richard Blanche, was cited seven times, fined $32,000 and ordered to perform eighty hours of community service by the city for alleged zoning violations.
15. William Nicholas held regular prayer meetings at his house in Stratford, Connecticut three times a week. The town informed him that further meetings. would not be permitted unless a permit to license his home as a Church building was obtained, standing on principles of religious liberty, he chose to face fines and imprisonment rather than obtain a license.
16. A small Episcopal congregation in New Jersey met in the family room of their Pastor’s home after high rents forced them out of the room they had been using:
for services at the local public school. The cityforced an end to the meeting citing violations of the local zoning code.
THE UNRIGHTEOUS RELIGIOUS DECREE
17. All these undue and insidious attack on religious groups termed as “Mushroom Churches”will continue unabated until the final line is drawn which will be the unrighteous universal decree on religious liberty clamping down upon all Churches that refuse to obtain licenses to operate as a Church.
18. The World Council of Churches with the assistance of the State (government) will restrict Churches and their ministers (who have not the permission of the Council of Churches) from preaching and ministering to the faithful Church of Jesus Christ. Their actions will be backed by a decree. Such decree is unrighteous and ungodly, and the Bible said “Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed.” (Isaiah. 10:1, KJV).
19. The decree is unrighteous because God never permitted any man to wipe out his adversaries from the face of the earth before the judgment day. On the parable of the wheat and tares (Matt. 13:24-30), the master said we should allow both the tares and wheat to grow together in the same field until the Harvest time.
20. Tare must remain tare, and wheat to remain wheat, none should compromise until judgment day when each shall go to the appointed region; tare to the fire and the wheat to the barn. But the ecumenical clergies believe contrariwise, ready to punish even unto death whosoever that rejects the principles of the one world Church.
21. The Almighty God knowing this revealed ahead of time to His Elect, the despised Church to “Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, 0 nation not desired; Before the decree brine forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD come upon you, before the day of the LORD’s anger come upon you. Seek ye the LORD all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought His judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD’S anger” (Zephaniah 2:1- 3, KJV).
22. God’s anger must be revealed upon the religious ecumenical leaders for the unrighteous decree they have determined to promulgate and execute. Before their eyes they will see the true Church willing to give their lives once again for the Gospel Truth they stand for because they have gathered themselves together in righteousness around God’s Holy Word.
23. It will be another persecution and martyrdom for God’s true Church executed by the modern Pharisees of our day that forever hates the Word of God and portrays themselves as the most religious people on the earth, yet doing exactly what Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did to defend his universal unrighteous decree which mandated all peoples of the earth to bow down to his religious image and whosoever that opposes it faced capital punishment.
24. Article seven of the WCC Nairobi, Kenya meeting of 1985 says “That union is presided: Anybody who will not agree or go against those articles will be punished severely till death.”
25. And the Scripture says “And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed” (Rev. 13:15, KJV).
26. So the WCC and its allies is nothing but a messenger of death. Stay away from it to avoid God’s anger. It is the image of the beast. It will cease your religious liberty. It will kill you.
BUILDING ON SINKING SAND OF COMPROMISE
27. An international panel of protestant, Orthodox and Roman Catholic leaders have taken a major step toward resolving some of the theological disagreements that have divided the world’s Christian Churches for centuries.
28. Meeting in Lima, Peru, the theologians endorsed a 16.000 – word document – in preparation for more than six years – that encourages individual Churches to recognize differing approaches to baptism, holy communion and ordination.
29. “It has built up a common ground that we have not had for centuries “, said the Rev. Avery Dulles. a Roman Catholic adviser to the group. “It is amazing how much we can say in common on these topics.” The intent is to create a more tolerant climate among the Churches enabling them to express Christian unity without insisting on any one form ofChristianity as the only true form.
30. The changes envisioned in the document would take decades, but if individual Churches approved the agreement by their representatives, they would have a scholarly frame work for what could ultimately be major revenues in their theologies and rites.
31. A Church that baptizes adults, for example, would continue to do so, but under the principles outlined in Lima it mi2ht also recognise the legitimacv of baptizing infants – and accent into membership someone baptized as an infant without insisting or rebaptism.
32. Eventually, Churches endorsing the principles would be likely to place greater stress on weekly celebrations of holy communion and to adopt an ordained ministry supervised by bishops. They would also accept as valid the rites and ministries of other Christian denominations and be able to commune freely at one another’s altars.
33. The meeting, of the World Council of Churches Commission on Faith and Order, was attended by more than 100 Theologians appointed by their Churches. It was convened at the direction of the council, which in 1975, after years of ecumenical discussions dating back to 1927, instructed the commission to develop a document that would express the emerging consensus.
34. The commission meeting ended January 16 with the unanimous approval of the new document, “Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry.”
35. On holy communion, or the Eucharist, the major form of Christian worship, the document draws on what Dr. Wainwright calls “the past 50 years of renewal in Sacramental theology among protestants, Orthodox and Roman Catholics “.
36. Among other things, the statement formulates a theology that reconcile the central disagreement over whether the sacrament is a “Sacrifice” that is repeated with each communion or a “memorial” that merely remembers the crucifixion of Jesus.
37. Traditional Roman Catholic Theology has used the term “Sacrifice”, to describe the sacrament of holy communion, while most protestants have contended that the rite is a “memorial” of Jesus Crucifixion. Both terms have validity, the document says, and the remaining differences in emphasis need no longer divide the Christian Community. The Eucharist is the “unique sacrifice of Christ” and at the same time is “a memorial of all that God has done for the salvation of the world” the document says.
38. Previously rancorous disagreements over how the Churches explain the presence of Jesus in the bread and wine of holy communion could also be overcome the paper says. All agreed that their Churches “confess Christ’s real, living and active presence in the Eucharist”. although with varying emphasis.
39. Churches engaged in bilateral discussions with one another have occasionally reached this conclusion, but the Lima meeting marked the first time this convergence of teaching was agreed to by theologians from such varied Christian denominations.
40. On the question of ministry, the document says an “episcopal” ministry, where bishops oversee the faith and doctrine of the Church, best serves the unity of worl4 Christendom. For the sake of the unity of the Church and the preservation of doctrine. supervision of ministries by a higher authority, generally a bishop, is necessary, according to the final draft of the text.
41. This “threefold pattern of ministry,” involving bishops, priests, and deacons, is common within Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran and some other Church bodies, but “each Church needs this ministry in some form in order to be the Church of God,” the document says. (Reproduced from the New York Times, 1/30/82).
ROME CAN NEVER COMPROMISE:
42. “We hold upon this earth the place of God Almighty “. — Pope Leo XIII, in an Encyclical Letter, June 20, 1894
43. “The Pope is not only the representative of Jesus Christ, but he is Jesus Christ Himself, hidden under veil of flesh.” The Catholic National, July, 1895.
44. “We define that the Holy Apostle See (the Vatican) and the Roman Pontiff hold the primacy (the state or condition of being first or supreme) over the whole world.” Decree of the Council of Trent, quoted in Philippe Labbe and Gabriel Cossart, The Most Holy Council, Vol 13, Col 1167.
45. “Not the Creator of the universe, in Genesis 2:1-3, but the Catholic Church can claim the honour of having granted man a pause (Rest) to his work every seven days.” S. D. Mosna, Stone della Domenica, 1969, pages 366 – 367.
46. “It’s time for Protestants to go to the shepherd (the Pope) and say what do we have to do to come home?” — Dr. Robert Schuller, Los Angeles Herald Examiner, September 19, 1987.
POPE WARNS AGAINST EVANGELISTS
47. NY Times (10/05/88) – LA PAZ Bolivia, May 9 – Pope John Paul II warned Roman Catholic bishops here tonight to protect their congregations from evangelical preachers. He called on the bishops to learn how to “defend yourselves from the proselytizing activities of the sects that in recent times have been multiplying in Bolivia.”
48. He warned that “those evangelical-style sects are sowing confusion in the people.”Rome can never compromise her religious stand just for the sake of unity with “protestant” groups “that once rebelled against their mother.” Below are Rome’s age long creeds and dogmas that will ever remain irrevocable.
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ROME’S HERETICAL INVENTIONS THAT ARE NOT NEGOTIABLE, THE CALL FOR ECUMENISM NOT WITHSTANDING
Prayers for the dead (Approx. date invented 300 A.D.)
2. Making the sign of the cross (Invented 300 A.D.)
3. Wax candles (Approx. date invented 320 A. D.)
4. Sunday as a day of worship, council of Laodicea (Invented 336 A.D.)
5. Veneration of angels and dead saints, and the use of images (invented 375 A.D.)
6. The mass, as a daily celebration (Invented 349 AD)
7. Beginning of the exaltation of Mary; the term “Mother of God” first applied to Mary by the Council of Ephesus (Invented 431 A.D.)
8. Priest differentiated from the common man by dress (clothing) – (Invented 500 A.D.)
9. Extreme unction (Invented 526 A.D.)
10. The doctrine of purgatory established by Gregory I (Invented 593 A.D)
11. Latin Language, used in prayer and worship, imposed by Gregory I (Invented 600 A.D.)
12. Prayers directed to Mary, dead saints and angels (Approx. date invented 600 A.D.)
13. Title of Pope, or universal bishops, given to Boniface III by Emperor Phocas (Invented 607A.D.)
14. Kissing the Popes foot, began with Constantine (Invented 709 A.D.)
15. Temporal power of the Popes conferred by Pepin, king of the Franks (Invented 750 A.D.).
16. Authorized worship of the cross, images and relics (invented 786 A.D.)
17. Holy water, mixed with a pinch of salt and blessed by a priest (Invented 850 A. D.)
18. 890 A.D.: Worship of Saint Joseph.
19. 927 A.D.: College of the Cardinals established.
20. 965 A.D.: Baptism of Bells, instituted by Pope John XIII.
21. 995 A.D.: Canonization of dead saints, by Pope John XV.
22. Fasting on Fridays and during lent (Invented 998 A.D.)
23. 1079 A.D. Mandatory observance of the mass.
24. 1090 A.D. The rosary, mechanical praying, invented by Peter the Hermit.
25. 1184 AD. The inquisition instituted by the Council of Verona.
26. 1190 A.D. Sale of indulgences.
27. 1215 A.D. Transubstantiation proclaimed by the Pope Innocent Ill.
28. Auricular (talking in someone’s ear) confession of sins to a priest instead of God, instituted by Pope Innocent III at the Lateran Council (Invented 1215 AD.)
29. 1220 AD. Adoration of the Wafer (Host), decreed by Pope Honorius Ill.
30. 1229 A.D. The Bible forbidden to laymen and placed on the Index of Forbidden Books by the Council of Valencia.
31. 11251 A.D. The Scapular invented by Simon Stock, an English Monk.
32. 1414 AD. The cup forbidden to the people at communion by the Council of Constance.
33. 1439 A.D. Purgatory proclaimed as a dogma by the Council of Florence.
34. 1439 AD. The doctrine of seven sacrament affirmed.
35. The Ave Maria (Hail Mary) completed fifty years later and approved by Pope Sixtus V about 1600 A.D. (Invented 1506 A.D.).
36. Jesuit order founded by Ignatius Loyola (Invented 1534 A.D.)
37. Tradition declared of equal authority with the Bible by the Council of Trent (Invented 1546 AD)
38. Apocryphal books added to the Bible by the Council of Trent (Invented 1546 A.D.)
39. Creed of Pope Pius IV imposed as the official Creed (Invented 1560 A.D.)
40. Immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary proclaimed by Pope Pius IX (Invented 1854 A.D,)
41. The ‘Syllabus of Errors’ proclaimed by Pope Pius IX and ratified by the Vatican Council Condemned freedom of religion, Conscience speech, press. and scientific discoveries which are not approved by the Roman Churchan also asserted Pope’s temporal authority over all civil rules (invented 1864.A.D.)
42. Assumption of the Virgin Mary (bodily ascension into heaven shortly after her death proclaimed by Pope Pius XII (Invented 1951 AD.)
49. Please note that no amount of call for ecumenism will ever make Rome to forego or renounce any of the above mentioned heretical inventions. Rome says she never changes! She claims “we have conquered the world,”
50. And yet people have been deceived to believe that ecumenism will warrant Rome to waive he doctrines. No, never! Rather the call for ecumenism by the World Council of Churches will only amount to all people, nations, and denominations to bow do to the authority, doctrine, and rulership of Rome.
51. The truth is that the unity under the umbrella of “One World Church” or the World Council of Churches is hypocritical. It can never persuade the Roman Catholic Church to forfeit her unscriptural doctrines, nor can persuade any other denominations to forfeit theirs.
52. The Holy Scriptures say in 1 Corinthian 12:13 “For by one spirit are we all baptized into one body. Whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, and have been all made to drink into one spirit.” KJV
53. Jesus clearly said in John 6:63 that Hisword is spirit and life. Only the word of God which is same as His spirit can unite all peoples and races together as one body “Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit (the Word of God) in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one spirit, even as ye are called iii 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” (Eph. 4:3-6, KJV).
54. The word of God alone can unite all peoples only if they can forfeit all their ungodly traditions, creeds and dogmas as it is written “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16-17, KJV)
55. There is no other ground for godly unity and doctrine other than by the Word of God alone. It is the only thing that exposes false doctrines and lives of men. If the word God condemns paganism and idolatry, no man has the right to compromise on it for the sake of unity.
56. If the word of God says that “God is one”, a true believer must never admit that “God is three person in one” for the sake of unity. If God’s word is against infant and sprinkling water baptism, you will be a sinner before God to compromise on it for the sake of “unity, peace, and love for all mankind.”
57. Yet daily we have witnessed the crucifixion of God’s word today again on the land by our religious leaders because they want unity at all cost. Do you think that the Roman Catholics can stop the “Rosary”(Hail Mary) just for unity?
58. Yet men who knows fully well that Jesus Christ alone is the only Mediator between God and man have now admitted that “it doesn’t really matter whether one prays through Mary, or any other means after all it’s just one God that made us all.
59. It is a shameful thing tosuch people that betray God’s sacred word for the sake of unity of ungodly men. Only the Lord Jesus Christ is the Chief Shepherd of His flock (1 Pet. 2:25) and under Him must the Church be united without altering any portion of God’s Word.
60. Now, remember itwas Imperial Rome (under the Caesars) that fell by the Sword. But she was healed of her death stroke when she joined to the Nominal Christian Church of Rome and incorporated Paganism and Christianity, and thereby became the Holy Roman Empire which was TO ENDURE UNTIL CHRIST CAME AND DESTROYED HER.
61. But Rome is not going it alone. Her daughters are right with her and SHE WILL TAKE OVER ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY BY THE WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES. This may seem far-fetched to some but actually it is very plain for all to see because right now the Churches are controlling politics and at the OPPORTUNE TIME will manifest how great is that CONTROL.
62. THIS ECUMENICAL MOVE WILL END UP WITH ROME AT THE HEAD EVEN THOUGH THE PEOPLE DID NOT ENVISION IT THAT WAY. This is so because in Revelation 17:3-6 it states that …THE WHORE, MYSTERY BABYLON, IS SEATED ON THE BEAST. She is CONTROLLING the last, or Fourth Empire. This Roman Church is doing that.
63. WITH THE WORLD CHURCH SYSTEM UNDER HER, ROME WILL BE CONTROLLING. AND THIS IMAGE (CHURCH SYSTEM) WILL BE OBEDIENT TO ROME, because ROME CONTROLS THE GOLD OF THE WORLD.
64. THUS, ALL THE PEOPLE HAVE TO BELONG TO THE WORLD CHURCH SYSTEM OR BE AT THE MERCY OF HE ELEMENTS. FOR THEY CANNOT BUY OR SELL WITHOUT THE MARK OF THE BEAST IN THE HAND OR HEAD.
65. This mark in the HEAD means; “THAT THEY WILL HAVE TO TAKE THE DOCTRINE OF THE WORLD CHURCH SYSTEM WHICH IS: TRINITARIANISM, ETC. and the mark in the HAND which means; TO DO THE WILL OF THE WORLD CHURCH”.
66. With this great Power, the Church Systems will PERSECUTE THE TRUE BRIDE. This IMAGE will try to keep the Bride of Christ from preaching and teaching, etc. HER MINISTERS (BRIDE’S) WILL BE FORBIDDEN TO GIVE COMFORT AND TRUTH TO THE PEOPLE WHO NEED IT.
67. In conclusion, one must clearly understand that the present unification of Churches under one human leadership of the Pope and under one umbrella of the World Council of Churches is the Image of the beast written in Revelation 13, and all the organised religions in every nation, under heaven must join up this evil system.
68. Nigerians have entered in through Christian Association of Nigeria (C.A.N.). This central body has a Roman Catholic as its President, assisted by a protestant, yet their doctrines vary one from another. Orthodox Churches like Methodist, Presbyterian etc. have received the mark of the beast through Christian Council of Nigeria (C.C.N.).
69. The Pentecostal are not left out, they have received the mark of the beast through the Pentecostal Federation of Nigeria (P.F.N.), whereas African Instituted Churches like Odozi-Obodo, Cherubim and & Seraphim, Celestial Church, Sabbath Churches etc. have received the mark through their Union of African Instituted Churches (A.I.C).
70. All these Associations are subject to Christian Association of Nigeria which represents the entire nation in the world body – World Council of Churches – the IMAGE OF THE BEAST OF ROME.
71. No nation is left out. Americans have entered into the IMAGE of the beast through their national body, NATIONAL COUNCIL OF CHURCHES (NC.C.), likewise every other nation in Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia, etc. Thus fulfilling the Scriptures “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8, KJV)
72. Only those who have the Mark of Christ which is the SEAL OF GOD (The Holy Ghost) will escape the judgment of God upon the false Church system. A seal of God shows a sign of ownership as the Bible said “And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are SEALED unto the Day of Redemption” (Eph.4:30, KJV).
73. The Holy Spirit is the Seal of God, a sign that God owns you. One must bear in mind that Jesus said “It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the WORDS that I speak unto you, they are SPIRIT, and they are LIFE”(John 6:63, KJV).
74. The Word of God is SPIRIT and it is Life to the hearers. One must receive the WORD OF TRUTH in order to escape condemnation because the Seal of God, the Holy Spirit must lead you to the Truth “But when the Comforter (the SEAL of God) is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the SPIRIT OF TRUTH, which proceedeth from the Father, He shall testify of Me (He will speak nothing else other than the Word of GOD(John 15:26, KJV)
75. “Howbeit when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will GUIDE YOU INTO ALL TRUTH:… (John 16:13, KJV). The sure proof that one has the SEAL of God is that he will walk in the Truth of God and hate every falsehood as God’s Seal is put upon those who are against evil and falsehood on the land
76. “And the LORD said unto him (Angel), Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a MARK upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof” (Ezekiel 9:4, KJV)
77. Those that take pleasure in false doctrines and lives in the world receive mark of the beast, whereas those that hate every false doctrine, and false systems and manner of lives of people in the world receive the mark of God.
78. For anyone to receive the seal of God he must first of all believe every Word of God, which is the only Truth on the Land “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye HEARD THE WORD OF TRUTH, the Gospel of your salvation. In whom also after that ye believed, YE WERE SEALED WITH THAT HOLY SPIRIT OF PROMISE” (Ephesians 1:13, KJV).
79. The Holy Spirit, the Truth in a man is only what makes a man different from a nominal Christian: whoever that is not filled with the Truth has the mark of the beast which is the spirit of error. To be a Christian one must be filled with the Holy Spirit THE WORD OF TRUTH.
80. Jesus said “… If ye continue in My Word, then are ye My disciples indeed And ye shall know the TRUTH, and the TRUTH shall make you free”(John 8:31-32, KJV). If the people had known the Truth they would not have organise and confederated into ecumenism contrary to the Word of God.
81. There is still a chance “… COME OUT OF HER(denominational system and false doctrines) My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues (you meat not share in her punishment)”(Revelation18:4, KJV) Believe the true doctrines of Christ in order to live a godly life.
Section B
1
TRUE CHURCH DOCTRINES
INTRODUCTION
The anti-Christ system so far identified is dangerous and destructive because of no other thing than the fact that it is contrary to God’s word as revealed in the Bible. It accepts and teaches false doctrines altering God’s word and doctrines only to establish its own, proving it is contrary to God. Instead therefore of the worship of God and His Christ it is that of Satan and his own anointed one.
2. Various Churches and their leaders today can truly he said to be part of this anti-Christ system because of their wholesome departure from the teachings of God’s Word. In one way or the other, teachings are presented by various denominational groups ranging from Roman Catholic Church to Protestant Churches that deviates and alters the word of God.
3. What is seen commonly is to see these various Churches and their leaders alter God’s word and the doctrines of Christ to establish to their own. While the Church of God is to remain in the sound doctrine of Christ scriptures must be fulfilled to confirm the fact that there exist a different and false system that is contrary to God’s word and pattern.
4. They are people who instead of abiding in the doctrines of Christ which are the only true doctrines reject it and err from God’s word by following errors and falsehoods.
TRUE CHURCH DOCTRINES
5. It is very common nowadays to see various Churches and their leaders altering God’s word and His doctrines only to establish theirs. The Church is to remain in the sound doctrine of Christ, nevertheless the scripture must be fulfilled
6. “But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way, the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink they err in vision, they stumble in judgment. For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness so that there is no place clean; whom shall he teach knowledge?
7. And whom shall he make to understand doctrine? Them that are weaned from the milk and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line, here a little and there a little for with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.
8. To whom he said, this is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing; yet they would not hear. But the word of the Lord was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, and there a little that they might go and fall backward and be broken, and snared, and taken “. (Isaiah 28:7-13).
9. Every Bible student knows that no one receives the true knowledge of God and His Word if such an one is not willing and prepared to accept it, for, it has been God’s pattern to deal with those who are ready to accept His knowledge. Not only must they be ready to accept it but they must also be ready to cherish it above-every other thing.
10. God speaking through the mouth of Isaiah describes the tables of the people to be full of vomit and filthiness with no place at all being found to be clean. No other thing was responsible for this than error. For from the highest spiritual figure to the lowest, the story was the same. For such people, the true knowledge of God and doctrine is an impossible dream and there is nothing again than that they are found to be out of the way.
11. The same situation is confronting men and women today. Everywhere, people are accepting teachings or, doctrines without proving whether they are of God or not. Worse still, many religious organisations are claiming to be of God without the true knowledge of God and the teachings which He revealed in the Bible.
12. The destructive thing about this is that not only do these groups hold and defend teachings that are un-biblical, but they go about teaching others so. “But though we, or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you let him be accursed. As we said before, so say 1 now again, ifany man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed” (Gal. 1:8-9, KJV).
13. It must be noted that the Scripture was referring to those people who have received the true message of the gospel from the hand of the true ministers of the gospel like Paul. These men laid down as their teaching that which is not only sound but is according to the true knowledge of God.
14. Because they ministered, to the true Church of God which is “the pillar and ground of the truth”, (1 Tim 3:15), they would not but preach the whole truth of the Word of God. How many today are going about establishing their own teaching that is far from that which is of God? Since the Bible is the word of truth, every teaching, no matter who is responsible, deviating from the teaching of the Bible, is false and contrary to God.
15. Whatever group, no matter their claims, that does so, cannot be the Church of God. It can only be a false Church. If there is a true Church with her doctrines, there must also be a false Church with doctrines.
16. But then, how can we know who is true and who is false, since there are many gatherings of people today that are called Churches in the world, all claiming not only to be the true Church but also having the true Church teachings or doctrines. To solve this problem, it becomes necessary to know what is truth and what is error, or false, or lie.
2
WHAT IS TRUTH?
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hatever claims people make for truth, there is no doubt that truth emanates from God rather than from man “God forbid, yea, let God be true but every man a liar” (Rom. 3:4, KJV).
2. “That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us” (Heb. 6:18, KJV). “In the hope of eternal life, which God that cannot lie promised before the world began” (Titus 1:2, KJV).
3. Now, by the Scriptures, it can be seen that God is the author of truth and no lie can be found in Him. Since truth comes from God, whatever God says is then truth. The Word of God then is truth. “Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth” (John 17:17, KJV).
4. Since God is true and His Word is truth, God is not different from His Word, for God cannot be separated from His Word. “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. …. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory as the only begotten of] the father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:1, 14 KJV):
5. Therefore, the Word of God is God Himself. “I have sworn by Myself, the Word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness and shall not return, that unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear” (Isaiah 45:23, KJV).
6. “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My Words shall not pass away” (Matt. 24:35, KJV) God’s Word, which is His thought expressed, was made flesh and became Jesus Christ. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh unto the father but by me” (John 14:6, KJV)
7. Christ then is the truth and all He spoke is true and of the truth. But the problem has to do with identifying Him. Many claiming to know, Him and have Him in their midst, have not only been ignorant of Him, but have also gone ahead to resist Him.
8. Jesus Christ cannot be identified outside the Scriptures and so the truth cannot be any other thing separate from the Scriptures “Search the Scriptures for in them ye think ye have eternal life and they are they which testify of me” (John 5:39, KJV).
9. To err or get away from the truth is to be ignorant of the Scriptures, “Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God”, (Matt. 22:29, KJV).
10. What is written in the Scripture was authored by the Holy Ghost, who is the Spirit 0f Truth. “Howbeit, when He, the Spirit of Truth i[ come, He will guide you into all truth, for HE shall not speak of Himself, but whatsoever He shall hear that shall He speak and He will show you things to come” (John 16:13, KJV).
11. “Knowing this first, that no’ prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation, for the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake at they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Peter 1:20:21, KJV).
12. “All Scripture is given by the inspiration of God (or is God breathed – NIV) and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect thoroughly furnished unto all good works “, (2 Timothy 3:16, 17, KJV)
13. Having seen that the Scriptures which is the Bible is the truth and is of God, how then is it that me, defiantly in total disregard to God and His Word accept some other thing as their guide. It can be nothing than the Spirit of Anti-Christ.
14. Not only have people operated as if the Bible has no place in their teachings and practices, but they have gone ahead to persecute those who hold the Bible as their final authority calling them false simply because they dare to recognise and believe the message of the Bible without any human explanation and rationalisation.
15. The Bible cannot be any other thing than the Scriptures of truth. God is behind it and the truth as far as God and His people are concerned is contained therein. To misconstrue, misinterpret and misplace the Scriptures is to misconstrue, misinterpret and misplace the truth. This is not only dangerous, but destructive.
16. Truth, therefore, cannot be found in philosophy, science, traditions and customs, and other human teachings and knowledge. It is found in God who has revealed Himself in His Word. For Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh (John 1:14), spoke that the words HE speaks are spirit and life (John 6:63) and God is a Spirit (John 4:24).
17. The Church of the living God being the pillar and ground of truth (I Tim. 3:15) cannot have anything to do with what is false. It stands on the truth which is the entire Word of God from Genesis to Revelation. Any other thing apart from that has nothing to do with God’s Church.
18. From the Bible, God’s Church gets her doctrines establishing no other teachings than that which is biblical, the entire Bible upholding what she teaches and establish. Whether any one likes it or not, no matter one’s authority on earth, every claim to truth must be crosschecked with the Bible to be validated.
19. There is no other authority for truth except the Bible It cannot be the United Nations nor Roman Catholic Church, nor the Pope, nor denominational authorities, nor Articles of faith, nor Creeds and Dogmas, General Councils and other human authorities. These and others like them cannot be the source of truth.
20. Whatever comes from them are man-made and can easily be faulted. They fall short of offering an unfailing hope of providing the needed truth for man’s existence on earth.
WHAT IS ERROR OR LIE
21. “Ye are of your father the devil and the lusts of your father ye will do, he was a murderer from the beginning and abode not in the truth because there is no truth in him, when he speaketh a lie he speaketh of his own, for he is a liar and the father of it. (John 8:44, KJV).
22. When we speak of lie or error, it is no other thing than truth mistold or perverted. The personality of the devil or Satan is directly identified as being the author and father of lie or falsehood. From the beginning he has been in the business of perverting the word of God which is the truth.
23. “Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, yea hath God said, ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden; And the woman said unto the serpent, we may eat of the fruit of the trees which is in the midst of the garden, God had said ye shall not eat of it neither shall ye touch it lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman ye shall not surely die.” (Gen.3:1-4, KJV).
24. While God said, “… You shall surely die”, Satan in the person of the serpent said, “… You shall not surely die.” This became a lie as Satan by the serpent mistold the word of God which is the truth to the woman.
25. From the beginning, as the Bible shows, the devil was a liar having been lying against the truth which is the word of God. “Every word of God is pure, He is a shield unto them that put their trust in Him; Add thou not unto His words; lest He reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.” (Prov. 30:5-6, KJV).
26. Lie is very dangerous, destructive, deadly and poisonous. It misinforms the programme of God to people in their heart and eyes thus turning them away from God and His word. “He that commiteth sin is of the devil, for the devil sinneth from the beginning for this purpose the son of God was manifest that he might destroy the works of the devil” (I John 3:8).
27. Satan, the father of lie has through subtlety turned away the heart of people from the word of God. Not only does he make people to believe that God’s Word is not true but also goes ahead to inject his own word which in actual fact are lies unto God’s word.
28. By so doing the word of God is made not to mean what it said. This was the situation which Jesus confronted while dealing with the Pharisees in His day
29. “He answered and said unto them well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, this people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit, in vain do they worship me.
30. Teaching for doctrines, the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, … And he said unto them, full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which you have delivered; and many such like things do ye” (Mark 7:6-9, 13, KJV).
31. Without doubt the same spirit is at work today teaching human doctrines and commandments instead of that of God. These teachings have looked down on God’s word and exalted human traditions and ideas and gone ahead to make the word of God of non-effect on people. People no longer believe the word of God but reject it and walk in total disregard to it.
32. God is a spirit and there exists the spirit of truth which is God Himself. Satan is a spirit and there exists the spirit of error which is Satan himself. The out-working of this spirit of error is such that many are deceived because of toe subtlety involved. “And no marvel for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.” (2 Cor. 11:14).
33. The cunningness and subtlety of Satan is evident. Most of the time he does not come as a wicked one or as a liar but as a true one yet as deadly and as poisonous as it can be. What normally happens is that the whole Word of God is not denied but some are removed or added to it, thus perverting it.
34. People normally fall for it thinking that what they are receiving and accepting is the totality of God’s word. Satan does transform himself as an angel of light showing people what God said but adding lie to it to ensure that they never obey God’s word – at the end.
35. “Therefore, it is no great thing if his ministers (Satan’s ministers) also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness: whose end shall be according to their works” (2 Cor. 11:15, KJV).
36. The end product of every teaching shows its origin whether it is truth or lie while every lie deceives unto evil. Truth leads into what is good, salvation and liberty. And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.”(John 8:32, KJV)
37. “And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage.” (Gal. 2:41, KJV).
38. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Gal. 5:1, NIV).
39. A lie comes to mislead and that into captivity or bondage. It enslaves and prevents men and women from being free from sin which destroys, because it separates people from God, the remedy to every man’s problem. On the other hand, truth which is in Jesus Christ makes men and women free from sin.
40. What do we then see today? So called ministers of the truth claiming to be of God have established and gone ahead to propagate things that have led more people unto ungodliness, wickedness and utter disobedience to the word of the Almighty God It is this that make what is taught error or false.
41. It is not based on the truth which is the word of God, for the scriptures prove “that Satan abides not in the truth because there is no truth in him.” (John 8:44, KJV). This means he is against the truth.
42. “Beloved believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God because many false prophets are gone out mt the world. Here by know ye the spirit of God, eve spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God and every spirit that confesseth not Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God a this is the spirit of anti-Christ, whereof ye have hea that it should come, and even now already is it in the world.” (I John 4:1-3, KJV).
43. The word of God is not being taken as it is. It has been added to and subtracted from to produce wrong and false picture of what God is saying. God and His word is maligned blasphemed and insulted under the guise of Christianity. Lies have been told and enforced on people to believe and accept making them to live in all kinds of wicked acts before God.
44. It is all errors and falsehood in denominational religious systems with kinds of teachings which have allowed people to live in covetousness, immorality, hate etc. to fulfil the prophecy of the scriptures concerning the day we are living in.
45. “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” (2 Tim.3:1-5, KJV).
46. The veil is now taken away and all the deceit lurking underneath thereligious systems of the denominations are now uncovered, revealing that the whole foundation of most teaching of Churches today is based on lies, falsehood and errors. The whole word of God is not accepted but twisted to suit the selfish and fleshly lusts of people
47. “Now. The spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils, speaking lies in hypocrisy: having their conscience sealed with a hot iron, forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.” (1 Tim.4: 1-3, KJV).
48. This is what has happened in the world; the word of God is mistold, misinterpreted, misplaced, and dislocated before the people, their teachings and doctrines are from the devil, because they tell lies in hypocrisy against the truth. That is the problem with the so-called ministers in the denominations. One word of God rejected brings one into the seduction; of spirits and doctrines of the devil which is of Satan, the father of all lies. Because he (Satan) does not abide in the truth, the same way, all his ministers, though they have transformed themselves into the ministers of righteousness, hate the truth.
3
THE TRUE CHURCH REVEALED
But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” (I Timothy 3:15).
2. Having seen what truth and error are made of, it is necessary to bring into plain view what the true Church of God is all about. In the face of conflicting claims by many religious organisations and groups that they are the Church of God, there is a very clear need to understand rightly the Church which the scriptures describe as being God’s own.
3. People’s claims in the sight of God, except they are right, cannot be accepted, no matter which group or organisation is making those claims. This is because as far as God is concerned, He has only one Church which not only is His house but is also the pillar and ground of the truth.
4. This Church holds the truth, which is the word of God as sacrosanct and never treats it with levity. All others, God does not recognize and their purporting to act as God’s Church makes them false being unacceptable to God. God has never accepted any group that despises His word and handle it in unrighteousness. Upon this is the basis for identifying the true Church and the false Church.
5. The Church in the light of the scriptures, is a called out people, separated from the world to be a different and a holy people to God. “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light.” (1 Peter 2:9, KJV).
6. It has been the pattern of God to call out and separate people unto Himself to use them to reveal Himself to the rest of the people. The calling out and separation initially was limited to individuals like Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
7. “And Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. And God said unto Noah, the end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth; make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come unto the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee.” (Gen. 6:8, 13, 14, 18 KJV).
8. “Now the Lord had said unto Abram, get thee out of thy country and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house unto a land that I will show thee; And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. “(Gen. 12:1-3, KJV).
9. This pattern of choosing individuals out of the rest and separating them to Himself continued through Isaac and Jacob until the calling out of Israel as a nation from Egypt which God accomplished through Moses.
10. God expected the children of Israel to be His people alone. “And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the Lord Am holy, and have severed you from other people that ye should be mine.”(Leviticus 20:26, KJV).
11. They were to keep all His commandments and pattern all their life according to God’s word to them. “Therefore, shall ye keep my commandments, do them: I am the Lord. Neither shall ye profane my holy name; but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel: Jam the Lord which halo” you. That brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: 1 am the Lord. (Leviticus 22:31-33, KJV).
12. Israel as a nation failed to accomplish God’s purpose. They misrepresented, and presented a wrong picture of God through their unfaithfulness to the word of God. In many of their works they provoking God to anger, forgetting Him and following other gods. Concerning them the scriptures testify, “Of the rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and has forgotten God that formed them. And when the Lord saw it, he abhorred them, because of the provoking of His sons, and of His daughters.”
13. And He said, “I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be; for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith. They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God: They have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people: I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation” (Deut. 32:18-21, KJV).
14. The nation of Israel being chosen people, called out and separated from the rest of the nations was indeed a Church “For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto Himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth” (Deut 14:2, KJV)
15. “This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear: This is he, that was in the CHURCH in the wilderness with the angel which spoke to him in the mount Sinai, and with our fathers; who received the lively oracles to give unto us.” (Acts 7:37, 38 KJV).
16. Israel as a nation was therefore indeed a Church. When they failed, God turned to another people that will become His own and live unto Him alone. These became those whom he hath called not of the Jews only but also of the Gentiles.
17. As he saith also “in Osee (Hosea), I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which were not beloved. And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God.” (Romans 9:24-26, KJV).
18. To choose the people for Himself God sent His only begotten son Jesus Christ, (John 3:16) who came to Israel in the flesh but they rejected Him. He came unto His own and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” (John 1:11, 12 KJV).
19. The rejection of Jesus Christ, who is God in the flesh (1 Tim. 3:16) proved that Israel in the flesh has been rejecting God in their midst. As such, as many as received Him became members of the family or ‘house of God. Such people are “born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man but of God.”(John 1:13, KJV).
20. This makes the new birth a necessary and essential requirement for being a member of the Church of God. No one joins it but becomes born into it through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ who gave His life for us dying at the cross of Calvary and resurrecting on the third day for our salvation.
21. It becomes clear as every true Bible student ought to know that Jesus Christ came not only in fulfilment of Bible prophecies and promises but also to fulfil the same. Prophets of God of old foretold about God and His Church which has to be established.
22. God’s programme of having a people for Himself has to be accomplished. This Jesus Christ came to do and the New Testament Church came into existence as His own. This Church became visible on the day of Pentecost. It was at Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Ghost was poured out on the disciple of Christ in fulfilment of the promise Christ made to them that the Church took off.
23. “When they therefore were come to gather, they asked of Him, saying Lord wilt thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them it is not for you to know the times or the season, which the father hath put in His own power.
24. But ye shall receive power after the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and ye sha4 be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost pall of the earth. (Acts 1:6-8, KJV).
25. At the day of Pentecost, the Holy Ghost came upon them, enduing them with power and making them partakers of the spirit of God in all fullness, “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one: place.
26. And, suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of: rushing mighty wind and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with other tongues as the spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.” (Acts 2:1-5, KJV).
27. Herein is the beginning of the’ true Church, a fulfilment of the purpose of God, to pour out His spirit upon His people and dwell in their midst. It was Old Testament prophecy fulfilled (Acts2:16-21, Joel 2:28-32). What took place unveiled a mystery – the mystery of the body of Christ made up of a people to demonstrate the power and mind of God on the face of the earth.
28. “And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God who created all things by Jesus Christ to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the Church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Ephesians 3:9-11, KJV).
29. According to the scriptures, the Church has a role to play in accomplishing God’s purpose, and the intention of God is that His manifold wisdom be made known to principalities and powers in heavenly places. As a matter of fact, this Church is NOT A DENOMINATION.
30. There is no group of people that rejects the headship of Jesus Christ – Word of God made flesh (John 1:1, 14) – that has anything to do with God! Christ is the Head of the Church and the Church is His body.
31. “Who is the image of the invisible God, the first born of every creature. For by Him were all things created that are in heaven, whether they be thrones, or dominions or principalities, or powers; all things were created by Him, and for Him: And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist.
32. And He is the Head of the Body, the Church; who is the beginning, the first born from he dead; that in all things He might have pre-eminence. For it pleased the father that in Him should all fullness dwell. (Colossians 1:15-19, KJV).
33. Such is the true picture of the Church of God, being only of God as she is the body of Christ. No man has any right to dictate to the Church what she should do and live for except God Himself. This He does, by His Word. This automatically rejects the Lordship of man the world education and money in her affairs Whatever God has not established in her according to His Word is rejected.
34. This true Church has a day it manifested on the face of the earth and that was on the day of Pentecost at Jerusalem. This exposes the error or lie of those who say that the Roman Catholic Church is the first Church, The first Church which is the original or true Church began at Jerusalem and not at Rome.
35. As a matter of fact, the Church which Jesus Christ established and built has no earthly headquarters. “And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church: and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18, KJV).
36. “But ye are come unto Mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and Church of the first born, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect.” (Hebrews 12:22-23, KJV).
37. It is never a man-made organisation with bye-laws, manuals and constitution. The confusion of conflicting claims by Roman Catholic Organisation and protestant organisation whether Orthodox or Pentecostal undermines the fact that they are the Churches of God.
38. If they are indeed of God they must have been one for Jesus prayed that His own should be one “that they all may be one: as thou, father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou has sent me.”(John 17:2-11, KJV).
39. The division everywhere destroys the basis of the claim of being the Church of God being made up of different bodies and groups. There is no unity and the belated attempt in the name of Ecumenism is enshrouded in hypocrisy, deceit and at best of political inclination. Envy, strife and diversities of faith and beliefs with no one willing to drop his own doctrine can only produce man-made unity which at best is political.
40. Attempt at a unity of the denominations is only a fallacy far away from the true unity and oneness of the Church of the living God. “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.” (Ephesians 4:4-6, KJV).
41. Could the denominations testify that they believe and walk in line with this scripture? People are not having one faith one baptism, one God etc. and thus they cannot regard themselves as the true Church. Jesus said, “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.” (John 10:16).
42. This is not speaking of one fold and one shepherd of Roman Catholic Organisation under the Pope, but that of the true Church under the Lord Jesus Christ. Neither is it that which the different protestant groups claim whether Baptist, Assemblies of God, Jehovah Witness etc.
43. The Church believes one thing, minds one thing, walks in the same spirit and in the same rule. If this is so, why then the different faiths of the so-called Churches of Christ: Roman Catholic Denomination has a different faith and the protestants, like Anglican, Methodist, Baptist, Jehovah Witnesses down to the Pentecostal, have their own. They cannot claim to be the true Church. For there is one faith and on this faith the true Church stands on. “For by one spirit are we all baptised into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, and have been all made to drink into one spirit.” (1 Cor. 12:13).
44. What then is the problem in the denominational world? Do they not have the same Bible? Is it not one God that made us and died for us? Why then all the strife, quarrelling and division? “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. For ye are yet carnal. For whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men.” (I Cor.3: 1, 3 KJV).
45. The practice of denominationalism is very much unlike true Christianity. Where then does this come from? When we look into the various denominations – Catholic, Grace of God, Baptist, Deeper Life etc., it is evident that something is wrong and that they cannot be of Christ.
46. To begin with, they all go by other names taking other names rather than the name of Christ. ‘1 am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: If another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.” (John 5:43).
47. As far as denominations are concerned, Christianity can only be practiced within the limited confines of their denominational walls. People do not want to be known simply as Christians, but as Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Methodists, Baptists, Assemblies of God, Deeper Life, etc.
48. They are only proud of the denomination they belong to rather than Christ. Thus, they display sectarianism and party spiritism. It was this that Paul spoke against and of which he indicted the Corinthians.
49. “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgement.
50. For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucfied for you? Or were ye baptised in the name of Paul? For while one saith, I am of Paul and another, I am of Apoios; are ye not carnal?” (1 Cor. 1:10-13; 3:4, KJV).
51. A basic feature of denomination therefore is party spirit. I belong here and there with selfish denominational interests being pursued rather than that of Christ. In the denominational circles no one is willing to part with his own selfish interests in favour of that which is of God.
52. It is all competition, strife, hatred, envying and quarrelling everywhere. There is no wise man willing to stand for the Word of God against these unwholesome conduct and life. The scriptures ask, “who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? Let him shew out of a good conversation (conduct) his works with meekness of wisdom” (James 3:13, KJV).
53. Is it not clear to the denominational world that the spirit of God by the word of God is asking if there is no man that has wisdom among them to show it out by works with meekness, by standing up on the infallible word of God to condemn all the evil that is going on in the name of God’s Church.
54. Whatever wisdom behind the evil in the denominational world cannot be of God, “This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish, for where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.” (James 3:15-16, KJV).
55. Is it not clear then that all denominations are of the devil, beginning from Roma Catholic Denomination, the mother of them all, to al protestants whether orthodox or Pentecostal? God hates division among his people and denomination means division. What un-imaginable evil has not been produced by the denominations: the inquisition by the Roman Catholic institution in which millions of people were murdered is a case in point.
56. Every level of hatred is also seen. Denominations have not only brought hatred, breaking of brotherhood, but hay also sown confusion in the minds and hearts of people as to what is the word of God. God has nohand all in it. No matter whatever anyone is saying, the cover has been lifted and the mind of God has come out sound and clear that God has nothing to do with denominations for it is from the devil making use carnal men and women
57. “For God is not the author confusion, but of peace as in all Churches of saints. (1 Cor 14:33, KJV). God can never be in such confusion which the denominations have sown for He cannot allow such things to go in His Church. As denominations are not of God, so also, they are not Churches of the saints, because they are not baptised by one spirit into one body – Christ’s own body, as they are not the true Church of Jesus Christ which is built on the Rock of Revelation of whom Christ is (Matt. 16:16-18).
58. Since God and His word holds no pre-eminence in the denominations, the very foundation of the claim to be of God is undermined. The true Church of the living God must hold only the word of God and nothing else. Upon this, the distinction is made between the true Church and the false Church. Amen.
4
HOW THE TRUE CHURCH
RECEIVES HER DOCTRINES
| S |
urely the Lord God will do nothing but He revealeth His secrets to His servants the prophets.” (Amos 3:7, KJV).
2. “Now therefore, ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God. And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone.
3. In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an Holy temple in the Lord. In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the spirit.” (Ephesians 2:19-22).
4. It is evident that the true Church of God gets her doctrines from the Holy Scriptures to make it be of God. Scriptures are nothing more than the words spoken by Holy men of God as they are moved by the Holy Ghost and which are written down (2 Peter 1:20-21).
5. They are in actual fact inspired by God to be profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction and for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works (2 Tim.3:16-17).
6. God normally inspires His approved men – prophets and apostles by which means He speaks to the world. Because people refuse to listen to the voice of the prophets and apostles of the Lord they err from the truth. Scriptures for sure warned us of false prophets and false apostles (Matthew 24:24, John 4:1, 2 Cor. 11:13) but we are not going to stop at that since there are true prophets and apostles of the Lord
whose teachings the Church of the living God has her foundation. (Eph. 2:20).
7. However, it is important to know how we can identify them in order to line up or receive their teachings to be part of the true Church. Scriptures testify “You may say to yourselves: How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord, if what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken: that prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.” (Deuteronomy 18:21-22 NIV).
8. “If there arise among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder come to pass whereof he said unto thee saying, let us go after other gods, which thou has not known and let us serve them. Thou shall not hearken unto the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams for the Lord your God proveth you to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul” (Deuteronomy 13:1-3, KJV).
9. God’s spokesmen must speak in accordance with the totality of His revealed word. God is mindful of His Word and no matter how great a prophet is with all the signs and wonders, and still says or teaches anything contrary to the Word of God, such a one is disapproved of God and God’s people should reject his message or teaching. God cannot afford to allow any man to tamper with His Word because He means every bit of it all.
10. The problem in the denominational world today lies in the fact that God’s word through His ordained prophets and apostles are not regarded as God’s word. Herein lies the root of the divisions strife, confusion and every evil work in their midst. Paul writing to the believers in Thessalonica acknowledged that they received his message and teaching as God’s word.
11. ”For this cause also thank we God without ceasing because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God which effectually worketh also in you that believe” (1 Thess. 2:13, KJV).
12. The words which the apostles spoke were and are still the word of God and to disregard them is to disregard God Himself. On the foundation of such words that come from the prophets and apostles the true Church of God is built and fashioned. That is the word which is spoken in the name of the Lord.
13. The prophets of God of old prophesied of the salvation which Christ brought to mankind and the apostles confirmed them when they spoke by the self-same spirit which is the Holy Ghost that spoke through the prophets. (1 Peter 1: 10-12).
14. The Church cannot but believe and accept as her teachings, words of those whom the Lord ordained in her midst to teach her the word of God. Scriptures testify of this “That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets and of the commandments of us the apostles of the Lord and saviour” (2 Peter 3:2, KJV).
15. “But beloved remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Jude 17). The scripture clearly states that the apostles and prophets were of the Lord Jesus Christ and we should remember and be mindful of their words for all they said and taught in the name of the Lord were from the Lord, The early Church, very much of the true Church, did exactly this.
16. For it was said, “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” (Acts 2:42, KJV)
17. “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayers. (Acts 2:42, NIV).
18. What then is the condition of those who reject the apostles’ words or teaching or preach things contrary to what they preached. The scriptures warn of serious consequences.
19. “But-though we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again if any man preach any other gospel unto you that ye have received, let him be accursed.” (Galatians 1:8-9).
20. The apostles were certain of their calling, so they placed curse on any group or individuals that will preach contrary to what they preached. It was no intellectual understanding arising from academic attainment, as it is in many religious circles today; they preached nothing but direct revelation of God in line with His word.
21. This is why any Church or group that rejects their teachings cannot be the true Church hut rather the false Church. Denominational Churches today cannot defend their beliefs by what the prophets and apostles of the Lord said in the Holy Bible. They are far from being apostolic in their teaching for apostolic teaching must produce apostolic life, conduct and order.
22. What the apostles preached and taught was of power and not man-made theological statements. “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 eye witnesses of his majesty” (2 Peter 1:16, KJV).
23. For God to impart into them all He wanted His people to know concerning His word, He ordained other gifts and calling to perfect them. In fact apostolic calling and gifts alongside with prophetic ones were part and parcel of gifts Jesus Christ left with His Church to perfect her.
24. “And He gave some apostles; and some prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the. edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:11-13, KJV).
25. “And God hath set some in the Church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after, that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.” (1 Corinthians 12:28, KJV).
26. In the Churches of the saints God sends men with definite calling and gifts – men who are very much mindful of God’s word more than anything in life to teach His word and establish His truth in their; midst. These do not and cannot compromise God’s, word but stand for it. This calling is in them and they never get it in seminaries, Bible Colleges and other academic institutions.
27. Being called of God, their ministry is to perfect the saints to the edifying of the body of Christ till all come in the same unity of faith to fulfil the desire of the Lord Jesus Christ.
28. “That they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in them that they also may be one in us that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” (John 17:21) and have the same knowledge of the Son of God and become perfect men and come to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
29. God’s mind is to have a perfect Church and this He accomplishes or achieves through His ordained ministers who hand down teachings for the Church to accept and obey. They preach and teach nothing but what the revealed word of God teaches that God’s people “….. be no more children, tossed to and 14 and earned about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.” (Ephesians 4:14, KJV)
30. “… no longer be children, carried by the waves and blown about by every shifting wind of teaching of deceitful men, who lead others into error by the tricks they invent.” (Ephesians 4:14 NIV).
31. Is the problem today then not that of deceitful men, who lead others into error by the tricks they invent? Roman Catholic ordained men and women, for instance, have devised so many fables and traditions and have handed down these to people as teachings worthy of being received.
32. Multiple doctrines or teachings have been cunningly devised by the Roman Catholic Church and these have misled many and got them into error! Rather than God ordained men teaching God’s word, it is Roman Catholic ordained men and women teaching errors.
33. Such errors include mediatorial role of Mary and other dead saints, bodily ascension of Mary, purgatory, indulgence, mass, infallibility of the Pope, Bazaars, trinity, celibacy, infant baptism, ecumenism, etc.
34. Likewise do the protestant denominations whether orthodox or Pentecostal ordain men and women, teaching also errors like trinity, commercialisation of the gospel, worldliness, ecumenism, and tongues as initial evidence of Holy Ghost Baptism, wrong water baptism, compromise, and women preaching.
35. This cannot be otherwise since most people ordained in the denominations are simply uncalled men with no calling of God in their lives. Their only qualification for denominational ordination is nothing more than that they have acquired, degrees, diplomas and certificates from seminaries, Bible colleges and universities.
36. More often than not Church position and office as far as these people are concerned are simply meal tickets and avenue for fame and popularity in the world. No wonder blasphemous titles contrary to the scriptures are taken.
37. Such title include ‘Fathers’, ‘Reverend Doctors’, ‘Holy Father’, ‘His Eminence’, ‘Most Reverend’, ‘Pope’, ‘Cardinal’, ‘Arch Bishop’, ‘General Superintendent’, ‘President’. (Psalm 111:9, Matthew 23:2-12, I Peter 5:1-3).
38. Things were lorded over the laity by the clergy and yet these are the people expected as ministers to serve the laity. Human wisdom and knowledge replaced that of God. There is a race for certificates, degrees, big names and titles among many parading themselves as ministers of the gospel.
39. Being uncalled men they are unable to handle God’s word, thereby teaching false doctrine. This lies at the root of the false teaching in denominational circles. This makes the denominations false because not only are false teachings established but they are also propagated. For the true Church of God, her ministers are ordained of God and they teach and establish nothing less or more than the word of God.
MEMBERSHIP OF THE TRUE CHURCH
40. Since God’s Church refers to people whom God has specially called out from the rest of the people unto Himself to dwell in their midst and reveal Himself then, belonging to her means being part of God’s people. However, not every claim people make of belonging to this group is right or true.
41. Many have simply made false claims as have always been in almost everything- a mark of the widespread manifestation of the spirit of error.
42. So many people have called themselves Church members but the question arises as to whether they are actually the members of the true Church which is the body of Christ. For sure belonging to this body cannot he through any means hut through the approved way which God Himself ordained.
43. The scriptures testify that the Church is the house of God (I Tim.3:15), and therefore is God’s family (Ephesians 3:15). As such it is entered into through a definite process. As belonging to a family naturally is by birth, it must also take one being born into God’s family to be a member of the family of God. (John 1:13).
44. This is why the new birth is the required and essential conditions to be a member of God’s Church. It cannot be entered into by acquiring membership cards or the various means of registration by denominations. It becomes necessary to understand the new birth in the light of God’s word for that is the only way of being a member of the Church.
45. In order to understand the new birth, of necessity, the issue of born again will be examined, for the new birth comes by being ‘born again’. Even though this term has been made very controversial, being among the terms of our Lord Jesus Christ which people have very much abused, it is very important to understand what it means since without it, no one can see God’s own kingdom.
46. It was the Lord Jesus Christ who first used the word, “Jesus answered and said unto him, verily, verily I say unto thee, except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. Jesus answered, verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” (John 3:5, KJV)
47. Many have what they believe and teach concerning what Jesus meant here: but it is not men’s interpretation that is required but the revelation that comes by God’s word. It must be noted that Jesus insisted that one must be born again to enter into God’s kingdom (John 3:7).
48. To circumvent the new birth is to deny one his access into God’s kingdom. It is a condition one must meet to be accepted by God. Jesus spoke of two things as the means by which one can be born again – that is water and spirit. The question then is: what is water and what is spirit which Jesus had and still has in mind. Some talk as if it is ordinary water and for such people one is born again when he or she is baptised in water.
49. It stakes revelation to understand what Jesus said so that the right thing according to His word be done. For many, this is not so, but that of taking only what the creeds and dogma of their denominations teach which after they have done, there is no evidence of God working in their lives.
50. One must be born again according to God’s word to experience what it actually means. Going it by any other way can never produce the experience of the new birth. It may only be emotions, sensations and bodily stirrings which cannot take any man anywhere.
51. When Jesus spoke of being “born again of water”the water there often refers to something else other than ordinary water which has no power of saving or giving one the new birth.
52. The scriptures refer to this “that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that it should be Holy and without blemish. (Ephesians 5:26-27, KJV).
53. From the scriptures water does type the word of God and so water by which one will be born again is the word of God. By it only can a sinner be sanctified and cleansed from his/her sins. “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. (John 15:3, KJV) “Father sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth.” (John 17:17, KJV).
54. To reject God’s word, one is denying himself or herself the means by which he or she can be born into the family of God. In the same vein, when Jesus Christ talked of being born of the spirit, it refers to no other spirit than the spirit of God.
55. The scriptures testify too that “God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in truth.”(John 4:24, KJV).
56. The spirit referred to here is nothing but God Himself.’ Again, “Now the Lord (Jesus Christ) is that spirit and where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.(2 Cor.3: 17, KJV).
57. “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profit eth nothing. The words that I speak unto you they are spirit, and they are life.” Now by the testimony of the scriptures, the water by which a man must be born of is the word of God and this word is also truth as well as spirit which is God Himself.
58. To be born of water and of the split means allowing the word of God to be in one to sanctify and cleanse such one from every sin: “Whosoever is born of God doth ot commit sin; for His seed remaineth in him, and he cannot sin because he is born of God.” (John 3:9, KJV).
59. He thatl born of God has the seed of God in him, and this s4 as the scriptures show, is the word of God (Luke 4 8:11). By no other means does God bring about the new birth except through His word. “Being born again, not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible the word of God which liveth and abideth forever” Peter 1:23 KJV).
60. It is then clear that no other thing suffices to bring about the new birth than the word of God. Since whoever is not born of God continues in sin (John 3:9) as many as have rejected God’s word that has come to them will ever continue in sin having refused to allow this word bring them to repentance and transform their lives.
61. They are not regenerated and are not free from sin. Because God is holy and His Church must be holy, no individual living unholy life, which normally arises out of disobedience to God’s word, can ever be a member of the true Church. It must take receiving the whole counsel of God in His word for anyone to have access into the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ which is His body.
62. “For by one spirit are we all baptised into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one spidL” (1 Corinthians 12:13, KJV).
63. Since the spirit and the Word of God is the same self-same thing, it is the baptising of the Word of God in somebody’s life that gives him the new birth experience and thus membership of the body of Christ.
64. Anyone then claiming the membership of any religious group or organisation thinking he is a member of the Church of God but yet rejects the Word of God and its call to repentance and separation from all unrighteousness has been deceived and is in a false Church.
65. Those who are members of the true Church of God have obeyed the Word in their lives and have been transformed to live holy lives having separated themselves from every unrighteousness in obedience to scriptural injunction,
66. “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers for that fellowship, hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness. And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols?
67. For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them and walk in them; and I will be their God and they shall be my people. Wherefore, come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty” (2 Corinthians 6:14-I 8, KJV)
68. Members of the true Church are separated people, being separated from every unclean thing unto God Himself and are His sons and daughters. Herein lies the true view of membership of the true Church. Belonging to one denominational sect or other is purely beside the point.
5
GODHEAD EXPLAINED
The understanding of the person of the Almighty God and His revelation to mankind has been though a mystery subjected to so many explanations and teachings as there are many religions and also varying conceptions and imaginations within the context of particular faiths and belief systems.
2. Usually Christianity along with some other faiths like Judaism and Islam has been associated with the teaching and belief in only one true God. However the true understanding of who God is, cannot be found in a system of religion as such but in the revealed word of God.
3. Therefore the testimony of the Bible which is the word of God is the only true and authentic revelation of the personality of God. The scriptures testified “Since what may be known about God is plain to them because God has made it plain to them, for since the creations of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and Divine nature (Godhead) have been clearly seen being understood from what has been, so that men are without excuse.
4. For although they knew God, they neither glorified Hun as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened and although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles” (Romans 1:19-23 NIV).
5. There is no religion in the world that can deny the existence of God. All knows that God exist but to worship Him as God in His true nature and personality in accordance with His word, they reject through teachings, imaginations and explanations which changes the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like beast or mortal men.
6. This has been the work of the arch-enemy of God – Satan whose only business has been to pervert the true knowledge of God among people. He has even perverted the doctrines of the Bible and errors have been incorporated into the faith of millions who profess to believe scriptures. Because of this, conflict exists between truth and error, and this conflict form part and parcel of the long standing controversy concerning the word of God.
7. This battle is the battle between the law of men and the word of God, between the faith of the Bible and the faith of fable men of corrupt mind and their traditions who trample upon the word of God, and deny the authority of the word in order to make idols of false doctrines and theories; just the way people fashion idol of woods or stones; it is the idol of philosophy, creed and dogma that is enthroned while the living God as revealed in His word and in the works of creation is not worshipped and understood.
8. This then is the root of the high level of ignorance concerning the self fold revelation of God. However the revelation of God is very clear to all true Christians. To them the testimony of the scripture according to 1 Corinthians 2:10 is a living reality “But God hath revealed them
unto us by His spirit: for the spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.”
9. Who then is God – God.is a spirit (John 4:24) and was invisible from eternity until He manifested Himself (1 Tim.1:17; 6:16; Romans 1:20) “Now unto the king eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. KJV Amen.”
10. “Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto whom no man hath seen, nor can see, to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.” KJV
11. “For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead so that they are without excuse.” KJV
12. In spite of the fact that God is a spirit and therefore invisible He clearly revealed Himself to man. As such any man ignorant of what He is, is without excuse and has no justification whatsoever for understanding God contrary to His revelation.
13. Contrary to the heathen understanding and teachings of many gods, the Scriptures revealed that there is only one true God who created all things (Genesis 1:1). Not only is He the Almighty, He fills everything and is Infinite and Omnipotent. Multiple scriptures shows that this one and only true God revealed and made Himself known to mankind both in the Old and New Testament
14. “Unto thee it was shewed that thou mightest know that the Lord He is God, there is none else beside Him” (Deut.4:35).
15. “Know therefore this day and consider it in thine heart, that the Lord He is God in heaven above and upon the earth beneath: there is none else” (Deut.4:39, KJV).
16. “Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen that ye may know and believe Me, and understand that I AM HE; before Me there was no God formed neither shall there be after Me, I even I AM THE LORD: beside Me there is no saviour” (Isaiah 43:10-11, KJV).
17. “Thus saith the Lord, the king of Israel, and his Redeemer the Lord of hosts, I AM THE FIRST AND I AM THE LAST; and besides Me there is no God” (Isaiah 44:6).
18. “That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside Me, I AM THE LORD, AND THERE IS NONE ELSE” (Isaiah 45:6, KJV).
19. “In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God, And the word was made flesh and dwelt among us (and we beheld His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth” (John 1:1, 14, KJV)
20. “Who are the fathers, and of who as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen” (Romans 9:5, KJV).
21. “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness; God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen of Angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up unto glory” (1 Timothy 3:16, KJV)
22. “. . . Fear not, I AM THE FIRST and the LAST: I AM HE that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I AM alive forever more, Amen; and have the keys of hell and death” (Rev. 1:17-18, KJV).
23. “…Holy, Holy, Holy, LORD GOD ALMIGHTY, WHICH WAS, AND IS, AND IS TO COME” (Rev.4: 8, KJV).
24. Whether one read in the Old or New Testament it is the same One and only True God that is spoken of as the creator, Sustainer, King, Redeemer and Saviour, etc. Nowhere is the any reference to the fact that there exist any other God beside the Almighty God The Scriptures testify, “Hear 0 Israel, the Lord our God is One Lord …..” (Deut.6:4; Mark 12:29).
25. The same one God being a spirit manifested Himself to humanity in various forms and ways yet remained the self-same person that His creations understand and worship without any confusion and misunderstanding of His person.
26. In spite of this, errors associated with idolatry exist in various forms concerning the personality of God. Among many other errors about the self-revelation of God none is widely accepted in the Christian world more than the doctrine of “trinity”. This doctrine strikes boldly against the authority of the Word of God and has gained ground in the heart of men who supposedly are worshipping God in truth.
6
WHAT IS TRINITY
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t is the traditional belief of denominational Churches that “God exist form of three separate or distinct persons” which was arrived at due to the scriptural mentioning and deifying of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
2. According to a denominational magazine, “that teaching (on trinity) is at the very heart and core of the Old Testament. It is every whit as much at the heart and core of the New Testament. The New Testament Is just as much opposed as the Old Testament is to the thought that there are more Gods than one.
3. Yet the New Testament with equal clearness teaches that the Father is God and the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God and that these three are NOT three aspects of the same person, but three persons but one God.”
4. It also states “God according to the Bible is not just one person, but He is three persons in one God. That is the great mystery of the Trinity.”
5. For sure it is a great mystery for three persons cannot be one God. Not only is there no Bible for it, but it shows even lack of intelligent reasoning. Three distinct persons though identical substance, make three gods, or language has lost its meaning entirely.
6. Like the false so-called “baptismal formula”, this trinity concept has swept the expanse of Christendom and through the centuries has become so embedded in Christian thought that to question its validity is immediate heresy.
7. As a matter of fact, history bears witness that many paid with their life blood for rejecting the doctrine. In defiance to the scriptures, “Hear 0 Israel; the Lord our God is One Lord” (Deut. 6:4; Mark 12:29, KJV)
8. “Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the Lord He is God, there is none else beside Him” (Deut.4:35, KJV). “… I, even I, AM THE LORD; and beside Me there is no Saviour” (Isaiah 43:11).
9. Men formulated the doctrine of trinity with the idea that there are three different persons Godhead. They made God a triune or three persons God instead of the One Person whom He is.
10. Nothing could be responsible for this gross error than the fact that people who claim to be worshipping God and answering the Church or kingdom of God lost the revelation, that the One God Jehovah expressed Himself in the Old Testament as the Father, manifested Himself in the Gospels in the Son Jesus and revealed Himself in the Book of the Acts as the Holy Ghost.
11. In reality it is three dispensations of the same God – God above us – God with us (Immanuel) – God in us. Not three persons, but one glorious person finally and wonderfully unveiled (Hebrews 13)
12. Heathen, intellectual minds of the theologians could not reconcile the appearance of the Son on earth to the Father remaining in heaven forgetting that God can be in heaven and on earth at the same time (John 14:10).
13. Because of this, they decided there had to be at least two in the God head and the entrance of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2 made it three. They made the Son the second person of this Godhead failing to realize that the scriptures do not convey that Jesus is in the Godhead but rather that the Godhead is in Jesus.
14. In Colossians 2:9 the scripture testifies “For in Him (Jesus Christ) dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. “ They could only see that the Father was a God and the Son was a God also and missed the true concept that the Father was God and the Son was the flesh or man in whom that God (Spirit) dwelt in all His fullness.
15. The bringing about of three personnel deity (deity or God of three persons) the Trinitarian definition is every bit as much a form of idolatry as were the pagan gods the children of Israel would consistently begin to worship contrary to scriptures and a rejection of its revelation as shown in the scriptures by the Lord Jesus Christ the self-same person of the Almighty God.
16. “John to the seven Churches which are in Asia, Grace be unto you and peace! from Him which is, which was and which is to come; and from the seven spirits which are before His throne, And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead and the prince of the kings of the earth, unto Him that loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood. And had made us kings and priests unto God and His Father: to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever Amen.” (Rev. 1:4-6, KJV).
17. Now all these expressions “Him which is” and “Him which was” and “is to come” and “faithful witness”and “first born from among the dead” and “Prince of the kings of the earth” and “the Alpha and Omega” and “the Almighty” are the titles and descriptions of the One and the same person, who is the Lord and Christ who washed us from our sins in His own blood.
18. The Spirit of God in John expresses thusly in order to set forth the supreme deity of Jesus Christ and to reveal the Godhead as one God, but today there is gross error in Christendom that there are three Gods instead of One. But the true revelation was given to John by Jesus Christ Himself to correct this gross error.
19. It is not three Gods but one God with three offices and titles, Father, Son and Holy Ghost. This mighty revelation is what the early Church had and it has been restored in our day along with the correct formula of water baptism. The scripture says it all:
20. “I AM Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the Ending saith the Lord, which is and which was and which is to come, the Almighty” (Rev.1:8, KJV). This is Deity not simply a prophet, a man but God. It is not a revelation of three Gods, but ONE GOD, the Almighty.
21. In the beginning of the true Church of God, trinity was neither taught by the apostles nor believed by those true believers. It was in the Nicene Council which took place in 325A.D. that trinity became an issue and a cardinal doctrine.
22. But the revelation through John by the spirit to the Churches was “I AM the LORD JESUS CHRIST, and I AM ALL OF IT.” Not the second person. There isn’t any other God.
23. When one consider Matthew 1:8, “she was found with child of the Holy Ghost”,who then was the father of Jesus? Remember that Jesus claimed that God was His Father, God the Father and God the Holy Ghost as normally used by people make the Father and the Spirit One. Indeed they are, or else Jesus had two fathers.
24. But it is clear that Jesus saith that He and His Father were one – not two making one God and not two or three.
25. It is not then difficult to see the error of the trinity doctrine. Since it is un-biblical, one wonders where the idea of three personalities in God came from. It is clear and evident that it was at the Nicene Council in 325 AD. That trinity became a foundational doctrine when apostate Christianity came into being and Romanism became injected into the worship of God.
26. This is why Roman Catholics hold tenaciously to the doctrine of trinity even though it is unscriptural. All other denominations that came out of her clings also to the same false doctrine yet it’s all pagan ideas and thought in the worship of God.
27. This is why the Jews who have a very clear understanding of the Oneness ofGod has consistently rejected idolatrous making of the God of Heaven and earth into three Gods. This goes to show why the Christianity found in denominational world is a far cry from that which the true Church of God must practice, uphold and proclaim.
28. Trinity therefore was based upon the many gods of Rome. The Romans had many gods to whom they prayed. They also prayed to ancestors as mediators like every other pagan people. It was just a step to give new names to old gods, so they used the names of saints to make it Biblical.
29. Thus instead of Jupiter, Venice, Mars etc. people like Paul, Peter, Christopher, Mary etc. were used. They could not make their pagan religion work out with just one God, so they split him up into three, and made intercessors of their ancestors.
30. Since Christendom is upholding these same practices they all are involved in idol worship. This is why pagan worship is not only the practices of the unchristian and pagan minds of the African people and others usually called pagan peoples of the world but also that of the sophisticated mind of the today European and American Roman Catholic, protestant and Pentecostal hierarchies along with those that they are leading blindly in the worship of Roman gods under the guise of Christianity.
31. Rome has never repented for one day and along with all her daughters – Protestants and Pentecostal (Rev. 17:1-6) are yet to know what it means to worship God in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24).
32. Ever since the people have failed to realise that there is just one God with three offices or manifestations. They know there is one God according to the scripture, but they try to make it the fantastic theory that God is like a bunch of grapes, three persons with the same divinity shared equally by all.
33. But in the scriptures according to revelation, it says that Jesus is “That which is”, “That which was” and “That which is to come.” He is the Alpha and Omega, which means that He is A to Z or All of it. He is everything the Almighty, the Rose of Sharon, the Lily of the Valley, the Bright and Morning Star, the Righteous Branch, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, He is God, Almighty God, One God.
34. 1 Tim. 3:16 reads, “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” This is what the Bible says, it does not say a thing about a first or second or third person.
35. It says God was manifested in the flesh: that ought to settle it. God came in a human form. That did not make him another God or person. He was God and the same God and person from the beginning. The whole truth and revelation is summed up in the statement that “Jehovah of the Old Testament is Jesus Christ of the New Testament.”
36. Many scriptures show that what is ascribed to God in the Old Testament is also done to the Lord Jesus in the New Testament. It is known that God is a Creator (Gen. 1:1) and only one is responsible for the creation, yet John 1:10 reads “The world was made by Him and the world knew Him not”referring to the Lord Jesus Christ.
37. In Col. 1:16-17 it refers to Him “for by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers – all things were created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist.” KJV
38. In 1 Corinthians 8:6, we read: “But to us there is but one God, the Father of Whom are all things and we in Him, and one Lord Jesus Christ by Whom are all things and we by Him.” Here are two things emphasized: firstly, there is one God who is the Father, and we are told that all things were made by Him; then it says, there is only one Lord that is Jesus Christ, and all things were made by Him.
39. Through whom then was the work of creation? Do we have creators? Certainly not! There is only one. He is God, and as Father was manifested in the son, and the son is the Lord and as Lord He is God. This is confirmed in Revelation Chapter 4:11 “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power, for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” KJV
40. Again God is referred to as the “I AM”.In the days of Moses, the I AMspoke. And Moses said unto God “Behold when I come unto the children of Israel and shall say unto them, the God of your fathers hath sent me unto you: and they shall say unto me, which is His name, what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM and he said, THUS shall thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you”(Exo. 3:13-14, KJV).
41. In Isaiah 44:6 the Lord said “I AM the first, and I AM the last and besides me there is no God.” KJV.Also in Isaiah 48:12, “I AM HE; I AM the first I also AA’I the last.” KJV
42. Repeatedly the Lord Jesus Christ used the same wordings of the Old Testament in the New Testament. He said “I AM the way, the truth and the life. I AM the light of the world. I AM the resurrection. I AM the Bread of life etc.
43. In John 8:24, the Lord testified “I said, therefore, unto you, that you shall die in your sins for if ye believe not that lam He, ye shall die in your sins.” KJV
44. We also read in John 8:57 – 58 “Then said the Jews unto Him, Thou art not fifty years old, and has thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was I am.The I AM was the same Lordand person who spoke to Abraham and to Moses.
45. In Revelation 1:17-18 “The Lord also testified fear not; I AM first and the last. I AM He that liveth and was dead, and behold, I am alive forever more.”
46. In the Old Testament, the Lord God said “I AM the first and the last”. In the New Testament, Lord Jesus says “I AM the first and the last.” If they are two different persons, it needs to be known who inreality is the first and the last.
47. In Revelation 1:8, it is put together like this: “I AM Alpha and Omega the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord Who is, Who was and Who is to come the Almighty”.
48. It might sound strange that the Lord Jesus would refer Himself as being the Almighty but it will be more strange if He would have done otherwise. Yahweh (Jehovah) of the Old Testament is Jesus Christ of the New, is the Testimony of the Bible.
49. Concerning being a king which God is, the same is ascribed to the Lord Jesus. The same way God is called the king in the old testament, the Lord Jesus is called in the new testament. “Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my king and my God; for unto thee I pray”(Psalms 5:2, KJV).
50. Also it is written “But the Lord is the true God; He is the living God and an everlasting king” (Jeremiah 10:10, KJV).
51. Again we seer “Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts;”(Isaiah 44:6, KJV)
52. In the New Testament it says “Now unto the king, Eternal, Immortal, In visible the only wise God, be honour and glory forever and ever Amen.”(Timothy 1 17, KJV)
53. “When the son of man shall come his glory, and all the holy angels with Him then shol He sit upon the throne of his glory. And before HIIr shall be gathered all the nations.” (Matt.25:31-32, KJV).
54. Since according to scriptures “the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one” (Zechariah 14:9, KJV) both the Lord God and the Lord Jesus Christ are being referred as king. If then it is not true that Yahweh (Jehovah) of the Old Testament is Jesus of the new, then we have two different kings, which of course is impossible.
55. All through the scriptures the same vein in which God is referred to in the old testament the same is applicable to Jesus in the new testament. As Judge it is the same “for God is Judge Himself (Psalms 58:11, KJV) “For the Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Law giver, the Lord is our King. He will save us” (Isaiah 33:22, KJV).
56. In the new testament, scripture testified “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge shall give me at that day” (2 Timothy 4:8, KJV)
57. “For the Father Judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgement to the Son” (John 5:22, KJV).
58. The same pattern of identification follows in all the attributes of God. God is the saviour. Jesus is the saviour, God is the healer, Jesus is the same, God is the Rock Jesus is the Rock. God is coming, Jesus is coming etc. All refer to only one person as there cannot be more than one claiming this.
59. In the same way Jesus Christ is the very person of the Almighty God, so also the same is applicable to the Holy Ghost. The usage of the term God the Holy Ghost like that of God the Son is contrary to the scripture.
60. Never a time was it used in the Bible. All we find is the spirit of God and the Son of God which is not the same with the terminologies used in the trinity doctrine. The Holy spirit is nothing but the spirit of God and NOT “God the Holy Ghost” and was the one who moved upon the waters (Gen. 1:2).
61. He is also the one who overshadowed Mary. (Luke 1:35) and it cannot be said that Jesus is the son of the Holy Spirit but of God the Father for the Holy Spirit is not a separate person. The Holy Spirit is simply the spirit of God and the son of God is the visible manifestation of God Himself.
62. When God said in (Joel 2:28) “I will pour my spirit upon all flesh” which was fulfilled in Acts 2, God did not pour out another person, He simply poured out His spirit as He said He would. The promises of the Father (Acts 1:4-8) was a promise to receive the Holy Spirit which JESUS spoke of (John 16:7).
63. He did not only say that he will send the Holy Spirit but promised to come back Himself, (John 14:18) which he did come back in the day of Pentecost and indwelled in the believers through the spirit.
64. Now Christ in us in spirit form, the hope of glory (Col. 1:27). The true apostolic and therefore Biblical teaching is that in Christ God was with us and through the HOLY GHOST He dwells in us. In (John 4:24) The Lord said “God is a Spirit”.So He poured out His spirit.
65. In 2 Cor.3:17, we see “The Lord is that spirit”. So we see that God is the Spirit, the Lord is the spirit; The Holy Ghost is the spirit and since there is only one spirit that is the Spirit of God. Whether then the scripture says “The spirit of God”, “The spirit of the Lord” or “The Holy Ghost”, the same person and one is meant.
66. Father, Son, or Holy Ghost traced back to its origin arrived at the same God which is the fountain and Almighty. The son and the Holy Ghost cannot be separated from God. In the son, God re-established the fellowship with us, through the spirit we have fellowship with Him. The son said I came forth from the father (John 16:28).
67. The same is the Holy Spirit, The Spirit of truth who proceedeth from the father (John 16:26) so the son and the spirit were not sitting left and right to the Father engaging in a discussion but they came forth from the Father.
68. It becomes clear then that the idea of trinity is contrary to the word of God. Isolated scriptures usually used to justify the plurality of persons in God like (Gen. 1:26) “Let us make man in our own image after our likeness” (KJV) cannot be scripturally proved. To begin with verse 27 of the same chapter still told us He created man in His own image not their own image.
69. Job 38:4-7 clearly tells us to whom God spoke and who was present at the beginning. As a matter of fact no servant of God ever used Gen.1:26 and any other passage in the scripture to constitute, more than one person in the Godhead. The Lord, His Apostles and prophets did not do it throughout the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation.
70. What then is the problem? It is the lying spirit of the anti-Christ, which denies that the one God revealed Himself as Father and Son “who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ, He is anti-Christ, that denieth the Father and the Son” (1 John 2:22, KJV). In Jesus dwelt the fullness of God “In Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Col.2:9, KJV).
71. It is not a third or two parts but the fullness. Jesus testified of Himself. “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father”(John 14:9, KJV) and He is “Immanuel- God with us” (Matt.1:23, KJV).
72. The antichrist spirit denies this manifestation as father and son and makes out of the one God different persons who should co-existed alongside one another from eternity with the fact that scriptural monotheism is changed unto polytheism which is idolatry.
73. Trinity gives us a strange god and it is not the doctrine of Christ but that of the anti-Christ. It is all denominational tradition replacing apostolic doctrines and whoever does not believe the testimony of God’s word – that trinity is of the anti-Christ and therefore devilish is under the delusion of the anti-Christ spirit regardless of who he is or what religious group he identifies with.
74. It must be the recalling revelation that the Yahweh (Jehovah) of the old and Jesus of the new is the same self-Lord. For there is only one faith, one Lord, one baptism.
75. Whoever will escape the wrath of God must turn away from the false doctrines about Godhead, water baptism etc. and embrace, the true teaching of the word of God.
7
WATER BAPTISM
The practice of water baptism is part and parcel of those things the true Church does in obedience to the injunction of the word of God. The Lord commissioned His people to go into the world and preach the gospel and baptise them that believe.
2. “And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, he that believeth and is baptised shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” (Mark 16:15-16, KJV).
3. “Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28:19, KJV).
4. This commission, the early Church went ahead to fulfil continuing in obedience to the word of God that came to them. Church history, however, reveals a great deviation in the teaching and practice of baptism as originally given to the early Church.
5. The diversities that exist today in the teaching and practice of baptism is a clear proof that there was a deviation from the original teaching and practice. The scriptures testify that “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.” (Eph.4:4-6, KJV).
6. The early Church, therefore, must have had only one form of baptism and every true Church must follow that apostolic pattern followed by the early Church. It is necessary then to present the teaching and practice of water baptism of the New Testament Church as revealed by God’s word.
7. The following issues will be examined in the light of the scriptures: the meaning of water baptism, the necessity for it, who can be baptized, its actual practice, the name that should be used. Since the true Church lives in obedience to the totality of God’s word, all that must be accepted concerning baptism must be according to the word of the Lord and not that of any denomination or man.
NECESSITY FOR BAPTISM
8. Before Jesus began His ministry John the Baptist had been preaching about baptism and been baptising people, “I, indeed baptize you with water into repentance, but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear; he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire” (Matthew 3:11, KJV).
9. “John did baptize in the wilderness and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. And there went out unto Him all the land of Judea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins” (Mark 1:4-5, KJV).
10. John baptized unto repentance and his ministry was a fore-running of the ministry of Jesus Christ. In the ministry of Jesus Christ, water baptism continued to be practised as part and parcel of the preaching of the gospel.
11. The scriptures testify that baptism took place under the ministry of Christ (John 4:1-2) and was specifically commanded, by Christ Himself, when He was leaving (Matthew 28: 18-20, Mark 16:15-17).
12. Since it was a commission of the Lord Jesus Christ to His Church, the Church must carry it out the way He ordained it. People who rejected the baptism of John and refused to meet the requirements of its message were regarded to have rejected the counsel of God (Luke 7:29-30).
13. Therefore, baptism is God’s counsel and to reject it is to reject God’s counsel and count oneself unworthy of eternal life.
14. From the scriptures then, one finds that baptism for the Church of God cannot be compromised for it is in every whit part of God’s word. No part of God’s word can be neglected for “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my word (says Jesus) shall not pass away” (Matthew 24:35, KJV).
15. Again the scriptures say, “I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of pen, will by any means disappear from the law until everything is accomplished” (Matthew 5:17-18, NIV).
16. God is so mindful of His word than anything else and baptism is God’s word; it must be obeyed by all that are looking for His coming. The Lord Jesus Christ commanded and commissioned his disciples to carry it out on those who believe the gospel for their salvation (Mark 16:15-16).
17. Baptism therefore is important because there lies something that is part of the salvation of one’s soul. Since the Lord Himself said it, nothing can cancel it.
18. On the day of Pentecost it was spoken as part of the conditions to be fulfilled for remission of sins and the receiving of the gift of the Holy Ghost – the person of God. “Now when they heard this they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye shalt receive the gift Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:37-38, KJV).
19. Baptism is the beginning of the Christian journey, the first step for God to recognize one’s faith in His finished work on Calvary. It is also a burial with Christ, a sign that one’s sins are forgiven. To reject baptism is to disobey the word of God and to be baptized is to obey the word of God.
WHAT IS BAPTISM?
20. Baptism signifies burial, “We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father we too may live a new life.” (Romans 6:4, KJV).
21. “Buried with Him in baptism, where in also ye are risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised Him from the dead.” (Colossians 2:12, KJV).
22. Since water baptism signifies death, the “thing” to be buried must be a “dead thing” and not a “living thing.” It means death therefore to the old life of sin and life to use new life of righteousness (Romans 6:4-8). Baptism also means the answer of a good conscience towards God. (I Peter 3:21).
WHO CAN BE BAPTISED?
23. Having known what baptism means and its necessity, it is important to know who qualifies to be baptized. These days people as long as they get into a denomination, rush into water baptism without bothering to verify whether they have met the requirement to be baptized.
24. They don’t take time to consider whether the requirements stipulated by the word of God have been met by them or not. The call to Christ is the call to abandon everything else and follow Christ (Luke 14:25-33) and one before he is baptized, must be ready and willing to meet the demands of God’s word.
25. For sure, repentance is a necessary requirement for baptism “… Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. ….. And were baptized of Him in Jordan, confessing their sins (Matthew 3:2,6 KJV).
26. There must a total repentance from unbelief, false doctrine and every other evil. A total turning away from all that is contrary to God’s word, no matter how dear or good it looks. The Jews could not be said to be idol worshippers: yet, “Peter said unto them repent everyone of you.” (Acts 2:38, KJV).
27. No matter one’s religious and denominational beliefs, as long as they are contrary to God’s word, turning away from them all, is required before one is baptized. If there is no in-depth heart repentance, it will not amount to anything if someone goes into the water to be baptised for God does not recognize such.
28. Such a one goes into water a “dry” sinner to come out a “wet” sinner. One must then be really dead to sin to be baptized in order to walk in the newness of life (Romans 6:2-4). Baptism therefore is for true believers and only those who truly believe should be baptized.
29. No matter then the human theological teaching of infant baptism, an infant that knows not his right hand from his left hand is not in the position to repent or turn away from his sin and thus is not qualified for baptism.
ACTUAL PRACTICE OF BAPTISM AND THE NAME USED
30. By now it might have been understood that we have been trying to present the correct pattern of water baptism according to God’s word. The true pattern of water baptism must clearly be seen, understood, and obeyed to save as many as are willing to obey God’s own word from the wide-spread errors and complete misunderstanding of water baptism, prevalent in the denominational world.
31. The error and misunderstanding exist because men and women instead of living in the light of the complete revelation of God’s word which the early Church had, have depended on teaching and ideas that lack scriptural foundation.
32. These errors and unscriptural practices in water baptism which replaced the true and scriptural practices include infant baptism instead of adult baptism, sprinkling instead of immersion and Trinitarian formula of titles instead of the actual name of God.
33. With regard to sprinkling, there is no scriptural foundation for it. Instead, scriptural pattern points to people being immersed in water. Matthew 3:16, Acts 8:38, 39. “A baptism therefore whereby the candidate does not enter the water and is not being immersed and does not come out of the water is not the kind of baptism administered with Christ and the apostles and therefore is not the scriptural way to baptize”(E. Frank, Traditional Christianity, P.99).
34. In the same way, as sprinkling is unscriptural so also is infant baptism. The scriptures show that no infant was baptized or sprinkled. It is only those who are in the position to believe and receive the word of God that are baptized Mark 16:16, Acts 10:47; 2:41; 8:12.
35. The extract below from the Booklet – Baptism, Lord’s Supper, Foot Washing, (E. Frank, PP. 7-16) not only reveals or shows the true scriptural position on infant baptism but also on the name used in administering water baptism. Below are the excerpts.
36. In the Holy Scriptures, there is not the slightest hint for any infant baptism or the sprinkling of the children. Whoever tries to justify such unscriptural practices, referring to Luke 18:15-17, should also read the parallel scriptures in Matthew 19:13-15 and Mark 10:13-16.
37. Without any shadow of doubt, it is clear that our Lord Jesus had only blessed the children who were brought to Him. He laid His hands upon them and took them into His arms. No reference is ever made about any baptizing or sprinkling in that connection.
38. Even today, believing parents bring their children into a biblical Church to be presented and dedicated to the Lord and to be blessed in His name.
39. Also the other scriptures which are being wrongly applied to support infant baptism does not say any one word about it. When Paul and Silas were put into prison in the city of Philippi, something supernatural occurred. The keeper of the prison was frightened to death, and he came and asked those men of God,
40. “Sirs, what must I do to saved? And they said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shall be saved, and thy house. “(Acts 16:30-31, KJV). Right in the next verse we are told about the procedure, “And they spoke unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that where in his house.”
41. We realise how precise the order was kept according to the original commission. Before baptism could be administered, the word, the gospel of Christ, was preached first and those listeners believed and after that they were baptized.
42. Of the prison-keeper we read, “And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes, and was baptized, he and all his house immediately” (Verse 33).
43. Please notice: First came the preaching which was heard by all, then they believed, and only after that they were baptized. Nothing is said about infants in that connection.
44. The way baptism is generally administered to day lacks every biblical foundation. That is also confirmed by the Church history. This type of unscriptural baptism derives from the era when whole nations were Christianized by force.
45. In such cases everyone in a family including the infants, was touched. Faith was substituted, and godfathers and godmothers were installed of whom the Bible does not speak at all. As we can see, from what we have already shown, the individual must take a personal decision before God.
46. Sad to say that the preaching in the (so called) Christian Churches of today does not compare with the apostolic pattern, and therefore, does not bring forth Biblical results.
8
THE NAME
There is hardly another verse in the Scriptures that is so much misunderstood and misused as Matt.28: 19, which read like this, “Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
2. Un-comprehensive but still true: In the third century these words were totally misunderstood, and a Trinitarian formula was brought into existence which is still being practised today. No one seems to notice that our Lord spoke about the Name.
3. What is this Name in which we are to baptize? Father, Son and Holy Ghost express the various manifestations, of God. But we are to know the Name before we can baptize. A person can be many things: a teacher, a lawyer, a judge, and so forth. One can be father, son, husband – many things.
4. These are descriptions of the offices of that person and have their place, but must be used in proper connection. But everyone, whether teacher or lawyer or judge, etc. has a name. So it is with God, who is many things and revealed Himself in the Old Testament with the covenant name Yahweh.
5. In water baptism, we need to know His covenant name of the New Testament. In Matthew 28, only the commission was given to baptize in the Name in which He revealed Himself as Father, Son and Holy Ghost. But the Name itself was not mentioned there.
6. Now, we shall deal with a number of scriptures where the Name is only referred to. This will be a great help to all those who search and seek for the truth. In Luke 10:17 we read, “And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons are subject unto us through thy Name.” KJV.
7. Don’t we understand automatically that they were referring to the power of the Name of Jesus, even if they did not speak out the Name? Certainly! At one occasion our Lord said, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there Am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20, KJV).
8. Who would doubt that He meant the name of Jesus, even if He did not speak it out? In Luke 24:47 we read, “And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations.”
9. Everyone knows whichName is meant while reading such passages. In John 2:23, we find the statement, “… many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did.”
10. It is very strange that everyone knows what name is meant while reading such scriptures, except when reading Matthew 28:19! That is strange within itself. It is necessary to seriously think about this.
11. In the scriptures mentioned so far, reference was made to the Name of the Son, but in the following we shall refer to the Name of the Father. Now we are treading on special ground of God’s revelations. The Lord taught us to pray, “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name.” (Matthew 6:9, KJV)
12. This prayer is repeated by millions every Sunday without anyone even to think or to ask about the Name of the Father which is to be hallowed. In John 12:28 the Son said, “Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” KJV.
13. What Name was He speaking about? What is the Name of God; who has glorified His Name and will glorify it again There is only one Name through which we can approach God, that is His own Name.
14. In His prayer, the Son made again reference to the Father and said, “I have manifested thy name unto the men whom thou gavest me out of the world” (John 17:6,KJV).
15. Does this refer to any Old Testament Name of God? Certainly not! Whoever paid attention while reading this should have noticed that the Name of the Father is revealed to those who were given to our Lord by redemption out of this world. They are the true sons and daughters of God. God knows them, and they know God.
16. Now we must bring matter unto a common denominator “Holy Father keep through thine own name those whom thou ha given me, that they may be one, as we are” (John 17:11, KJV).
17. It cannot be made any plainer: The Name the Son is the Name of the Father! Thus we read verse 26, “And I have declared unto them thy name and will declare it.” We only deal with one God who has one Name.
18. To the Jews our Lord said, “I am come in a Father’s name, and ye receive me not” (John 5:43, KJV) What about the (so called) Christians of today? Do they receive Him, acknowledging that the Name of Father and the Son is the same. Blessed is the one who does believes that the Father was manifested in the Son and revealed unto us that Name which is above every name: Immanuel – God with us!
19. There is only one personal manifestation of God, which happened in Christ. There is only one Name of God, which must be revealed to us: that Name is the CHRIST. In the Name, we have access to the Father and to the throne of grace. Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Christ is Lord!
20. God met with us in Christ, and only in Christ we can meet with Him. In the light of these few examples, the problem of Matthew 28:19 should be solved. There it speaks about the Name without it being mentioned and later the titles are left out which belong to this one Name, and only the Name is being used when water baptism is administered.
APOSTLES’ DOCTRINE
21. Now we shall consider the way baptism was performed in the first Church. Peter was among those who heard the Lord give the great commission, as it is written in Matthew 28. He was the one to whom Jesus gave the keys of the kingdom, which means and signifies that he had access to everything belonging to the kingdom of God.
22. Already before the Out pouring of the Holy Spirit, he stood up in the midst of the 120 and began to place those events according to the scriptures (Acts 1:15). Right after the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost he preached to the masses who had come together.
23. “Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37, KJV).
24. Wherever the same gospel and the same Christ is being preached today, the hearts will be touched, the same question arises, and the same answer must be given, “Then Peter said unto them, repent. and be baptized, everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.” (Verse 38).
25. This was the first occasion where the great commission was put into practice. Those who believed were baptized precisely according to Matthew 28:19 into the Name of which the Lord spoke.
26. Anyone knows the difference between a title and a name. The argument that the words of Jesus are of greater importance and carry more weight than those of the apostles does not appeal to a God-fearing person. Anyone who is born of God will believe in the absolute inspiration and total infallibility of the entire Holy Scriptures.
27. If anyone reads a contradiction into God’s word, he should rather believe that this contradiction is in his own head, but not in God’s word! We are so overwhelmed to see how the spirit led the apostles to carry out the great commission.
28. We already mentioned previously that people believed in Samaria and were baptized. The news about this revival reached Jerusalem. In connection with this we read, “Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John, who when they were come down, prayed for thent that they might receive the Holy Spirit; for as yet he was fallen upon none of them; only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 8:14- 16, KJV).
29. The emphasis lies on the fact that they were baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus. Is it very strange? May be not! In the house of Cornelius, it was Peter who commanded those who believed to be baptized in the Name Of the Lord. (Acts 10:48). We can see that overwhelming continuity throughout the New Testament teaching about water baptism.
30. There is no theologian who could deny this, because the word of God itself testifies about it. Paul even went as far as to say, “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed” (Gal 1:8, KJV).
31. Everyone will have noticed that baptism in every case was administered in the Name of Jesus Christ. The apostles understood what the Lord had said and commissioned precisely. They did everything exactly according. to the master’s instruction.
32. The commission must be read slowly, carefully, and also, prayerfully, “Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Now, Father is not a name, neither is Son or Holy Ghost a name. These are the descriptions of the different manifestations of the same God.
33. The apostles were taught by the Lord Himself, even throughout the forty days after His resurrection. He spoke about all things belonging to the kingdom of God, and of course, baptism is one of the main teachings. They recognized the Name in which God manifested Himself as Father, Son and Holy Ghost. That is the Name in which true believers are baptized.
34. They did exactly what they were commissioned. At least they could differentiate between titles, which are in connection with the various manifestations, and the Name given for our salvation.
35. Now we shall turn to Paul whom the Lord had chosen as a special vessel by a direct revelation of Jesus Christ. How did he baptize? When he came to Ephesus he found twelve disciples who only knew about the baptism John administered. Then he instructed them in the plan of salvation and straightway there was a biblical result: “When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 19:5).
36. Everything should be established on at least two or three witnesses. We have taken into consideration what happened in Jerusalem, in Samaria, in the house of Cornelius and also in Ephesus; we realize, whether Jews, Samaritans, or Gentiles, whether Peter, Philip, or Paul were preaching, everywhere the baptism was administered in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
37. As we already mentioned, there cannot be a contradiction in the Holy Scriptures. The spirit of God will never give two or three different revelations on the same subject. God chose His own men in that first generation. Whether it was Peter, Paul, or other men, they preached the same Gospel and baptized in the same way.
38. This was done in complete harmony with the testimony of all the scriptures. Who would dare to suggest that those men who were walking with Jesus and Paul who met the Lord in the bright shining light misunderstood the Lord and were baptizing wrong and thereby introducing heresy into the New Testament Church which was just inaugurated? Even such a thought is nothing short of blasphemy.
39. We shall hear Paul again, as he writes to the Romans, “Know ye not that, as many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?’ (Chapter 6:3, KJV).
40. Here he includes himself with those who were baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ. How were you baptized? There is not one incident recorded in the Holy Scriptures, where one person was ever baptized in a Trinitarian formula using the titles of Father, Son and Holy Ghost. This fact needs to be considered very seriously.
41. All who were called to the ministry and filled with the Holy Spirit had the same understanding, the same doctrine, the same faith, the same baptism, etc. All were in perfect harmony with the Lord, His word, and each other. Not one of them has recited Matthew 28.
42. They knew that it was said in the singular and NOT in the plural, “… baptizing them in the name(not in the names, but in the name of the Father). Our Lord did NOT continue to say, “and in the Name of the Son, and in the Name of the Holy Ghost.”There is only one mentioning of the Name, and that is in the singular.
43. They believed that God manifested Himself as Father, Son and Holy Ghost. And they recognized the Name which goes with these three manifestations. They were men who lived in direct fellowship with God. They were under no theological influence, nor did they give their own interpretation They had the divine revelation.
44. If anyone will only take the letter of Matthew 28 without the revelation, then verse 19 will just be repeated without understanding what the object of the commission actually is. Matthew 28 and Mark 16 refer to the last and great commission of the Lord, which we find carried out in the Book of Acts.
45. That is the forever valid standard and the only scriptural pattern, as long as the Church of the living God exists. For example, if a teacher would set a problem before the pupils, he certainly would expect the answer, the result, and not the repetition of the mathematical problem.
46. Should a teacher say, ‘How much is 3x 3?” and the answer would be “3 x 3” = 3 x 3” then anyone would know that something is wrong, because the answer was not given. When it comes to baptism even teachers repeat the problem and do not give the answer. Instead of doing what the Lord said, they repeat verbally what He said, only if we do as the apostles did, we have the confirmation that the same Lord has called us to preach the same gospel.
47. The apostles and teachers of the early Church understood the commission and carried it out according to the perfect revelation of Jesus Christ. Thanks be to God that we do have the written testimony with us. We only need the same illumination by the same Holy Spirit that we could see how the apostle saw, teach what they taught, and baptize the way they baptized.
48. This exposition is clearly outlined in the Holy Scriptures. Everyone should take it seriously. Often two things look alike, but they are not the same. They might seem to be close together, at the same time they could be as far from each other, as heaven is from earth. We must not deny the Name of the Lord.
49. To the Church of Philadelphia it was said, “… for thou hast a little strength, and has kept my word, and hast not denied my name” (Rev.3:8, KJV).
50. What about all the believers (so called) who sing so lovely about the Name of Jesus, who use that Name in their prayers, who preach about that Name so mightily, and then when it really comes to the showdown, they deny that Name and do not want to be associated with it in baptism?
51. Common understanding will tell us that something is wrong somewhere in such a case. What about the big evangelists who use the name of Jesus to cast out devils, to pray for the sick, to perform miracles in that mighty Name, and then when itcomes for them to decide to be baptized inthat Name which they use so much then they reject and they even fight against it?
52. With their lips they testify how wonderful the Name of Jesus is, and in reality they have not recognized the Name themselves, and they are not ready to bear the reproach of the Name of Jesus.
53. Of such people the Lord already spoke in Matthew 7:22-23, “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
54. This scripture speaks of people (seemingly) believing the full gospel. In one way they are participating of the blessings promised and given to the Church, on the other hand they remain in the unscriptural and traditional teachings. They are not ready to consider a scriptural correction. Should not everyone be willing to accept whatever the Bible says?
55. But it needs courage to take a stand on God’s word and rather deny the traditional, denominational and unscriptural baptism practice. We have to identify ourselves in baptism with the death Of Christ, if we wish to be identified with Him in the resurrection of a new life (Rom 6:3).
DISCERNING OF SPIRITS
56. It is necessary to touch on something very important. In the traditional Churches of today we hardly find the teaching about a true conversion and a new birth. Even though this terminology is being used, the experience itself is lacking.
57. But also in the circles of those claiming to believe the full gospel, the foundational teachings are not being carefully checked. How is it possible that Bible teachers and trained theologians missed to see how the real scriptural baptism should be administered?
58. If no person was ever baptized there in using the formula of Father, Son and Holy Ghost, why doesn’t the servant of God take correction? They practice a baptism which was invented and introduced when the Roman Catholic Church came into existence. Sad but true, even since the days of the reformation, all the Churches which came into existence began to use the same unscriptural baptism right down to this time.
59. It is easily discernible then that all sects and denominations, in spite of their claims to be outside Roman Catholic errors and falsehoods, are united with her in the trinitarian doctrine. Even such group like the Jehovah Witnesses or Watch Tower Organization that denies belief in trinity, baptizes people using the Trinitarian formula, thus acknowledging the doctrine of Trinity.
60. The other denominations that reject Trinitarian formula and doctrine, find themselves linked up or united with Roman Catholic Denomination in some other ways. This Roman Catholic Church is the first denomination and the mother of all others.
61. Most people may be surprised to know that the same formula in the “Western World” is being used in occult, spiritist practices, as it is being called the three high names or the sacred formula which is even used in witchcraft by the mediums who make contact with the spirits of the dead.
62. The same formula is used when the oath is taken to join some of the lodges. Those who are in doubt while participating them, feel a little better when they hear the formula “in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”
63. Even while practicing witchcraft they think it mustbe of God, because this formula is so well-known by them, as they heard it used so much in the Church. Whether in black or white magic, whether by using the so-called “Sixth and Seventh Book of Moses” everywhere the same formula is being used.
64. If one speaks to those people about such practices, their answer is, “This cannot be wrong, because it’s done in the Name of God.” No, never! Only that which is done in the Name of Christ, is actually done in the Name of God. All the other things are of Satan, who is the god of this world. Our Lord has nothing to do with all the evil practices like table tipping, fortune-telling with cards and so on, divination, palmistry, etc.
65. They are forbidden in His word. But because they are done under the religious cloak with that formula, people are being deceived into it. What parts have the occult practices, spiritism, etc. with the true act required in God’s word in common? Since when do servants of God and instrument of Satan say the same? Since when is Satan’s kingdom coming in the midst of the kingdom of God?
66. All must face the question whether it is the same when two do the same? Some are astonished, perhaps even dumb-founded when they hear of people using this formula, doing all sorts of things. But when the same formula is being used for a so-called “baptism” and other religious practices, they find it alright.
67. In the New Testament, everything that we receive from God and everything that happens takes place through the power of God in the Name of Jesus. Therefore we read in Col, 3:17, “And whatever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus.” KJV.
68. Now we know that no prophet and no apostle ever used any formula but the Name of which the saviour spoke in baptism. In my brochure “God and His plan with humanity”,it is clearly shown that the one true God was manifested as Father, Son and Holy Ghost with the one Name of Christ.
69. Matthew 28:19 is the absolute truth and so is Acts 2:38 and all other scriptures. We only need to understand God’s word the right way. Satan has misused and misinterpreted the word of God, right from the beginning. He succeeded in deceiving the people in a most religious way through a wrong baptism.
70. It is actually a deception. When he came to the Lord he said, “It is written …” But our Lord replied, “It is also written …” Satan just took the scriptures out of context and applied it falsely. The same is being done with the commission to teach and baptize.
71. Satan has blinded the people, that they should not see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (II Cor. 4:4-6). The name of which the saviour spoke remains hidden to them.
72. Scriptural and historical evidence support the fact that deviation from the correct and true pattern of water baptism has taken place. The following clearly testify to that:
73. JESUS TAUGHT
Luke 24:47 “That REPENTANCE AND REMISSION of sins should be preached in HIS NAME beginning at Jerusalem”
74. PETER OBEYED
Acts 2:38-39 “REPENT and be BAPTIZED everyone of you in the NAME OF JESUS CHRIST for the REMISSION OF SINS.
75. SAMARITANS
Acts 8:16 “They were BAPTIZED … in the NAME of the LORD JESUS”.
76. BAPTISM COMMANDED
Acts 10:48 “HE COMMANDED them to be BAPTIZED in the Name of the LORD JESUS.”
77. PAUL RE-BAPTIZED
Acts 19:3-5 “When they heard this, they were BAPTIZED in the NAME of the LORD JESUS.”
78. EVERYTHING DONE IN JESUS NAME Col. 3:17 “Whatsoever you do in word or in deed do ALL in the NAME of the LORD JESUS.”
79. NO OTHER NAME FOR SALVATION
Acts 4:10-12 “There is none other name under the heaven whereby we must be saved.”
80. SAVED BY BAPTISM “BAPTISM doth also now save us. The answer (response) of a good conscience toward God.
81. The above scriptures are not given to. refute Matt.28: 19, where Jesus told Apostles to baptize in the name of the Father, and the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. They merely show how the command was interpreted and obeyed by them.
The Apostles knew what most religious leaders failed to recognize.
82. FIRST: That the LORD JESUS CHRIST is the FAMILY NAME. (Eph. 3:15).
83. SCOND: The FULLNESS of the GODHEAD [(Deity of God) dwelleth bodily in Christ. (Col. 2:9)
84. THIRD: That baptism must be performed in the name of the one crucified. (I Cor. 1:13).
85. They knew the name of the Son was Jesus
(Matthew 1:21). They knewthat the Son came in the
Father’s name. (St. John5:43). They also knew the
Holy Ghost was the Spirit of Christ and would come
in Jesus name. (St. John 14:26).
86. The name Jesus means JEHOVAH SALVATION. (Faussets Bible Encyclopaedia, P.359).
87. BAPTISM IN JESUS NAME ACCORDING TO HISTORY BRITANICA ENCYC. 11th Edition, Vol.3, P.365-366 “The Baptismal formula was changed from the name of Jesus Christ to the words Father, Son and Holy Ghost by the Catholic Church in the Third Century.”
88. BRITANICA ENCYC. Vol. 3, P. 82 “Everywhere in the Oldest sources, it states that baptism took place in the Name of Jesus Christ.”
89. CANNY ENCYC. OF REL Page 53 –“The early Church always baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus until development of the Trinity Doctrine in the 3rd Century.”
90. CATHOLIC ENCYC.Vol. 2. Page 263 –“Here the Catholics acknowledged that Baptism was changed by the Catholic Church.”
91. DICT. OF THE BIBLE BY SCRIPTURE Vol. 1, Page 241 “The original form of words were into the name of Jesus Christ, or Lord Jesus. Baptism into the Trinity was a later development.”
92. HASTINGS ENCYC. OF REL Vol. 2, P. 377-378, Vol.2,
P. 389 – “Christian baptism was administered using the words in the name of Jesus. The use of a Trinity formula of any sort was not suggested in the early Church history. Baptism was always in the Name of the Lord Jesus until the time of Justin Maryr when Truine Formula was used.
93. HASTINGS ENCYC OF REL. Vol. 2, Page 377 or Acts 2:38 “NAME was an ancient synonym for ‘person’. Payment was always made in name of some person referring to ownership. Therefore one being baptized in Jesus Name became His personal property, ‘Ye are Christs’.”
94. NEW INTERNATIONAL ENCYC. Vol. 22, P.477 “The term Trinity was originated by … Tertullian, a Roman Catholic Father.”
WATER BAPTISM ACCORDING TO CHURCH LEADERS
95. JOHN CALVIN Presbyterian – “The word baptize signifies immerse. It is certain that immersion … was the practice of the Primitive Church.”
96. MARTIN LUTHER Lutheran – “Baptism is a Greek word and may be translated ‘immerse’. I would have those who are to be baptised, to be altogether dipped.”
97. JOHN WESLEY Methodist – “The Bible term ‘Buried with Him by Baptism’ alludes to the ancient manner of baptizing by immersion.”
98. WALL Episcopal – “Immersion was in all probability the way in which our blessed saviour, and for certain, the way in which all early Christians were baptized.”
99. BRENNER Catholic – “For the first thirteen hundred years, baptism was an immersion of the person under water.”
100. STOUDZA A Native Greek – “The verb ‘baptize’ has only oat meaning. It signifies to plunge Baptism and immersion art identical. To say baptism by sprinkling would be to say: immersion by sprinkling.”
101. JEREMIAH A Greek Patriot – “The ancients did not sprinkle the candidate, but immersed him.”
102. WITFIELD Methodist – “it is certain that the word ‘buried’ in the text, Romans 6:4 alludes to the matter of baptizing by immersion.”
103. In the face of this abundant and overwhelming scriptural and historical evidence, itis imperative that one should take the correct position both in teaching and practice in all matters affecting baptism.
104. In conclusion, I will still quote a sincere admonition on this matter “No one should take this exposition concerning the baptism lightly. If God is merciful to us, we will see the necessity to adjust to whatever God requires in His word, and voluntarily we shall desire to be baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
105. In that way, we break that old yoke that placed upon all denominations and was spiritually binding all who are baptized into a triune formula. Whosoever is of God will hear and do according to the Word of God. Blessed is he that takes this advice seriously, because it is necessary for our preparation to be ready when Christ comes. He will give the promise and He will also fulfil the same.” (E. Frank, Baptism, Lord’s Supper and Foot washing P. 17) Amen.