Most of the Christian world seems to believe that God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ are one and the same God. A careful study of the New Testament, however, will clearly show to the enlightened mind that they are two distinct beings, united as one in their purposes. The gospel of John, chapter one, verse one makes it clear that there are two Gods, God the Father and the Word, who is Jesus the Christ. There are many other verses that demonstrate that this is the true relationship between them, but false traditions which men teach can easily cloud the mind to such obvious truths.
The second verse of John 1 also teaches an important principle, the full significance of which few people pause to consider. It tells us that Jesus and His Father were together from the beginning. This implies that the Father and the Son were together throughout the times of the Old Testament as well. Yet few have taken notice of who the Christ really was when He appeared in the Old Testament verses. This perhaps might also be attributed to the false traditions taught by men. Yet even as the New Testament clearly teaches the truth about the Father and the Son, so does the Old Testament teach the honest seeker of truth who they are.
The words 'God' and 'LORD' are often used interchangably in the Old Testament to refer to the same being, but sometimes they are used to refer to the Father and the Son separately. In Hebrew those words are 'El' or 'Elohiym' and 'YHWH' or 'Jehovah'. El is the title in Hebrew given to the most High God or God the Father. YHWH is the name of the God of Israel. I will show you that the Bible teaches that these are two separate and distinct beings, even God the Father and the Word, Jesus Christ of the New Testament. Remember they were together from the beginning.
First consider the revelation given in Deuteronomy 32:8-9. There we are shown that the Most High God divided the nations according to their inheritance. In verse nine we are told that Jacob,or Israel is the portion or the people that corresponds to Jehovah for His inheritance. Thus we learn that the Most High God gave to Jehovah the people of Israel for His inheritance. That is the reason that the people of Israel were always taught that they should worship one God, Jehovah, that there was no other God for them, because they are His inheritance. We know that there were two Gods from the beginning, and here we see them, El and Jehovah, working together.
But this is not the only place that they are shown to be two distinct beings. Consider Job 1:6 and Job 2:1. In both of these verses we are told that the sons of Elohiym took their places before Jehovah. Thus the two Gods are mentioned as if they were two distinct beings. I will proceed to show you that the first truly is God the Father and the second is actually Jesus the Christ.
The people of Israel often referred to their God, Jehovah, as their 'Rock'. This can be found in the following Old Testament verses: Deuteronomy 32:3-4, 15, 18, 30, 31; 2 Samuel 22:3, 47; 23:3; Psalms 18:2, 31, 46; 19:14; 28:1; 62:2, 6, 7; 73:26; 89:26; 92:15; 94:22; 95:1; 144:1; Isaiah 8:14;17:10; 26:4. Clearly Jehovah was the Rock that accompanied Israel. Now in the New Testament, in Paul's first epistle to the Corinthians, chapter 10:1-4, he explains that that spiritual Rock from which they ate and from which they drank and which followed them was Jesus Christ. Thus Jehovah, the Rock of Israel is the same Jesus the Christ.
There is another scripture that brings us to the same conclusion. Back to the gospel of John, chapter 1, this time consider verse 17. There we are told very clearly that no man had ever seen God the Father at any time. Yet we know from the scriptures that in Old Testament times many men had seen Jehovah. For example we are told in Genesis 17:1 and 18:1-3 that Abraham saw Him; again in chapter 26:1-3 we are told that Jehovah appeared to Isaac; then in chapter 32:30 Jacob says he saw Jehovah face-to-face, and Jacob again tells Joseph in chaptetr 48:3 that God appeared to him. In Exodus 24:9-10 we learn that Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu and seventy of the elders of Israel all saw the God of Israel. Finally, in Isaiah 6:1 that great prophet Isaiah testifies to us that he saw Jehovah, sitting on a throne in the temple!
After the numerous testimonies from those great men who saw Jehovah, we can only conclude that, while in the words of John, no man has seen God the Father, yet many men have seen Jehovah, the God of Israel. Therefore, in harmony with the other scriptures previously cited, Jehovah is not God the Father, but He is that other God, the God of Israel, even the Son, Jesus the Christ.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
The Bible teaches Plurality of Gods, not Monotheism
The ministers and pastors of most Christian traditions teach that the Father and the Son are one and the same God. This is probably due to the fact that Jesus told the people on several occasions that He and the Father are one, and perhaps also to a misunderstanding of such New Testament verses as John 1:1, which says:
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
This phrase, the Word was God (the term ‘Word’ referring to Jesus Christ) certainly could be misinterpreted to lead someone to believe that they were the same God. But then if you look at verse 2, it emphasizes the fact that the Word was with God, which could mean that they were two distinct entities:
2The same was in the beginning with God.
The fact is, that is what it does mean, which you will see in some verses that will follow. In fact some translations of the Bible have corrected that verse, the Word was God to read ‘the Word was a God’.
Since we can be mislead us into believing that the Father and the Son are the same God by the fact that several times in the Gospels Jesus says that He and the Father are one, let us look in other places where He reveals exactly what He means. For example, take a look at His words found in John17:11, 21-22
11And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.
21That 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 hast sent me.
22And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
Clearly these verses show that the ‘oneness’ that exists between the Father and the Son is no ‘mystery’ as many Christians are taught. It does not mean that they are the same person, being partly in Heaven and partly on earth at the same time. If so, that would imply that He expects all of His disciples to become the same individual, as He prays, ‘that they may be one, even as we are one’, On the contrary, He is merely praying that they might become united in their minds and spirits, that they might arrive at the same understanding and purposes, etc.
Just a little bit of study of the Scriptures reveals that God the Father and God the Son are two distinct individuals, but they are united in understanding and purpose.
But now take a look at what else we were told in verses 1 and 2 of John, quoted above. John said that Jesus Christ was with God from the beginning! That must mean that the Saviour was working with the Father even during the Old Testament times! So where do we find Him mentioned in the Old Testament?
As I explained in a previous post, in the Old Testament the Hebrew word for the Most High God was El, and it specifically referred to God the Father. The Hebrew words Elahh, Eloahh and Chochmah are words that were used when speaking of the Goddess-consort of the Most High God, and specifically referring to our Heavenly Mother. Also we have the Hebrew word Elohiym, which is an unusual Hebrew grammatical construct combining the word for our Heavenly Mother, Eloah with the masculine plural suffix, ‘iym’ to form the combined plural term Elohiym, meaning ‘Heavenly Parents’ (Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother together).
But if the Son was also there in the beginning, and participated in the creation, as John said, where does the Son appear in the Old Testament? Many Bible scholars believe that the Hebrew words ‘Elohiym’ (translated into English ‘God’) and ‘YHWH’ (translated into English ‘LORD’ or Jehovah) both refer to the same God, but there are several occasions where it is shown that this is not the case.
For example, in Deuteronomy 32:8-9 we read:
8: When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God.
9:But the LORD’s portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage.
Here in verse 8 is mentioned the Most High God dividing the nations according to their inheritances, and setting their bounds based upon population. Then in verse 9 is mentioned Jehovah (LORD), and saying that He has received Jacob (the people of Israel) for an inheritance from the Most High God. These verses clearly demonstrate that El – the Most High God, and Jehovah – the LORD are two distinct personages. Thus we see here that YHWH became the God of Israel, having inherited the tribes of Jacob’s descendants.
Another scripture which demonstrates the distinction between the God - El and the LORD - YHWH if found in chapters 1:6 and 2:1 of the Book of Job.
1:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God (Elohiym)came to present themselves before the LORD (YHWH), and Satan came also among them.
2:1 Again there was a day when the sons of God (Elohiym)came to present themselves before the LORD (YHWH), and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.
HERE in both verses we see that there are described two meetings that take place in the heavens in which the sons of God have come to present themselves before the LORD.
Again we can see that God and the LORD are two distinct personages with two different titles.
Now remember that the words of Jesus Himself, in the New Testament, make it obvious that He and His Father are two distinct individuals. But there is also other evidence given there that Jesus is Jehovah of the Old Testament, and not God the Father.
For example, first look back in Deuteronomy 32 again, at verses 4, 15, 18, 30, 31 and in many other places throughout the Old Testament Jehovah is referred to as the Rock of Israel:
4 He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just.
15 …They abandoned the God who made them and rejected the Rock their Savior.
18 You deserted the Rock, who fathered you;
30 How could one man chase a thousand, or two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, unless the LORD had given them up?
31 For their rock is not like our Rock…
Yet in the New Testament Paul tells the Corinthians that Rock of the Old Testament is Jesus Christ. You can read it in 1 Cor. Chapter 10:2-4 :
2And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
3And did all eat the same spiritual meat;
4And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
But now, look at what Paul told the Hebrews about Jesus Christ. In Hebrews 5:8-9 he tells them:
8Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
9And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
This says that sometime before He became that God YHWH of the Old Testament, He had to go through the process of learning obedience and suffering from His mistakes until He became perfect. But the surprising thing is that He told us that we need to go through that same process! He said in Matthew 5:48, as follows:
48Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
Does this mean that we are, or can become gods, as Jesus Christ did? Again quoting the apostle Paul as he spoke to the men of Athens, he said we are the offspring of God in Acts 17:28-29:
28For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
29Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.
And John tells us what will happen to us when we learn to follow the path that Jesus Christ has shown us, saying in 1John 3:2 as follows:
2Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
So now to recapitulate, the Bible tells us we have a Father in Heaven and a Mother in Heaven that created us, an older Brother in Heaven who has saved us, and that we also have the destiny to become Gods like they are!
But the Bible also tells us how God the Father also came to be who He is.
Consider the following words of Jesus in John 5:19-20:
19Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.
20For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.
Here He tells us some very revealing things…for example:
He tells us that He has never done anything until he saw the Father do it first, and then He will do the things that he saw the Father do! And then He says that the Father showed Him all the things that He (the Father) had previously done. Lets analyze exactly what that implies.
First it means that God the Father at some previous time had gone through all the same processes of learning obedience and suffering by His mistakes as Jesus Christ had done (Hebrews 5:8-9), until He became perfect.
Next it means that God the Father had at some previous time been born into mortality on some planet, and lived the life of a mortal man, even as Jesus was doing in His footsteps.
And thirdly it means that God the Father must have answered to, prayed to and obeyed a Heavenly Father of His own.
Fourth it implies that each Heavenly Father had a Father/God that preceded Him, to whom he answered, to whom he prayed, and in whose steps he followed.
When you stop to consider the vast endless size of the universe, with countless galaxies and solar systems and planets, it seems logical that there might be countless Gods creating them as a place for their own offspring, so that they might have a place where their children could grow and learn and progress and become gods themselves, to continue the process on into endless space. Of course for now those offspring only need to know and learn to obey the specific Gods that created them.
When Genesis says, “In the beginning…” I assume they are referring to the beginning of the creation of our own sphere of existence. Perhaps this creation of our own Heavenly Parents is limited to what we call the Milky Way Galaxy, or perhaps they have created several galaxies and populated them, as have the Gods that came before them. What portion of these creative spheres belongs to them and to Jesus Christ, we can only speculate, but they have promised many times that they will share all that they have with us when we learn to live as they have taught us.
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
This phrase, the Word was God (the term ‘Word’ referring to Jesus Christ) certainly could be misinterpreted to lead someone to believe that they were the same God. But then if you look at verse 2, it emphasizes the fact that the Word was with God, which could mean that they were two distinct entities:
2The same was in the beginning with God.
The fact is, that is what it does mean, which you will see in some verses that will follow. In fact some translations of the Bible have corrected that verse, the Word was God to read ‘the Word was a God’.
Since we can be mislead us into believing that the Father and the Son are the same God by the fact that several times in the Gospels Jesus says that He and the Father are one, let us look in other places where He reveals exactly what He means. For example, take a look at His words found in John17:11, 21-22
11And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.
21That 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 hast sent me.
22And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
Clearly these verses show that the ‘oneness’ that exists between the Father and the Son is no ‘mystery’ as many Christians are taught. It does not mean that they are the same person, being partly in Heaven and partly on earth at the same time. If so, that would imply that He expects all of His disciples to become the same individual, as He prays, ‘that they may be one, even as we are one’, On the contrary, He is merely praying that they might become united in their minds and spirits, that they might arrive at the same understanding and purposes, etc.
Just a little bit of study of the Scriptures reveals that God the Father and God the Son are two distinct individuals, but they are united in understanding and purpose.
But now take a look at what else we were told in verses 1 and 2 of John, quoted above. John said that Jesus Christ was with God from the beginning! That must mean that the Saviour was working with the Father even during the Old Testament times! So where do we find Him mentioned in the Old Testament?
As I explained in a previous post, in the Old Testament the Hebrew word for the Most High God was El, and it specifically referred to God the Father. The Hebrew words Elahh, Eloahh and Chochmah are words that were used when speaking of the Goddess-consort of the Most High God, and specifically referring to our Heavenly Mother. Also we have the Hebrew word Elohiym, which is an unusual Hebrew grammatical construct combining the word for our Heavenly Mother, Eloah with the masculine plural suffix, ‘iym’ to form the combined plural term Elohiym, meaning ‘Heavenly Parents’ (Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother together).
But if the Son was also there in the beginning, and participated in the creation, as John said, where does the Son appear in the Old Testament? Many Bible scholars believe that the Hebrew words ‘Elohiym’ (translated into English ‘God’) and ‘YHWH’ (translated into English ‘LORD’ or Jehovah) both refer to the same God, but there are several occasions where it is shown that this is not the case.
For example, in Deuteronomy 32:8-9 we read:
8: When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God.
9:But the LORD’s portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage.
Here in verse 8 is mentioned the Most High God dividing the nations according to their inheritances, and setting their bounds based upon population. Then in verse 9 is mentioned Jehovah (LORD), and saying that He has received Jacob (the people of Israel) for an inheritance from the Most High God. These verses clearly demonstrate that El – the Most High God, and Jehovah – the LORD are two distinct personages. Thus we see here that YHWH became the God of Israel, having inherited the tribes of Jacob’s descendants.
Another scripture which demonstrates the distinction between the God - El and the LORD - YHWH if found in chapters 1:6 and 2:1 of the Book of Job.
1:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God (Elohiym)came to present themselves before the LORD (YHWH), and Satan came also among them.
2:1 Again there was a day when the sons of God (Elohiym)came to present themselves before the LORD (YHWH), and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.
HERE in both verses we see that there are described two meetings that take place in the heavens in which the sons of God have come to present themselves before the LORD.
Again we can see that God and the LORD are two distinct personages with two different titles.
Now remember that the words of Jesus Himself, in the New Testament, make it obvious that He and His Father are two distinct individuals. But there is also other evidence given there that Jesus is Jehovah of the Old Testament, and not God the Father.
For example, first look back in Deuteronomy 32 again, at verses 4, 15, 18, 30, 31 and in many other places throughout the Old Testament Jehovah is referred to as the Rock of Israel:
4 He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just.
15 …They abandoned the God who made them and rejected the Rock their Savior.
18 You deserted the Rock, who fathered you;
30 How could one man chase a thousand, or two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, unless the LORD had given them up?
31 For their rock is not like our Rock…
Yet in the New Testament Paul tells the Corinthians that Rock of the Old Testament is Jesus Christ. You can read it in 1 Cor. Chapter 10:2-4 :
2And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
3And did all eat the same spiritual meat;
4And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
But now, look at what Paul told the Hebrews about Jesus Christ. In Hebrews 5:8-9 he tells them:
8Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
9And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
This says that sometime before He became that God YHWH of the Old Testament, He had to go through the process of learning obedience and suffering from His mistakes until He became perfect. But the surprising thing is that He told us that we need to go through that same process! He said in Matthew 5:48, as follows:
48Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
Does this mean that we are, or can become gods, as Jesus Christ did? Again quoting the apostle Paul as he spoke to the men of Athens, he said we are the offspring of God in Acts 17:28-29:
28For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
29Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.
And John tells us what will happen to us when we learn to follow the path that Jesus Christ has shown us, saying in 1John 3:2 as follows:
2Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
So now to recapitulate, the Bible tells us we have a Father in Heaven and a Mother in Heaven that created us, an older Brother in Heaven who has saved us, and that we also have the destiny to become Gods like they are!
But the Bible also tells us how God the Father also came to be who He is.
Consider the following words of Jesus in John 5:19-20:
19Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.
20For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.
Here He tells us some very revealing things…for example:
He tells us that He has never done anything until he saw the Father do it first, and then He will do the things that he saw the Father do! And then He says that the Father showed Him all the things that He (the Father) had previously done. Lets analyze exactly what that implies.
First it means that God the Father at some previous time had gone through all the same processes of learning obedience and suffering by His mistakes as Jesus Christ had done (Hebrews 5:8-9), until He became perfect.
Next it means that God the Father had at some previous time been born into mortality on some planet, and lived the life of a mortal man, even as Jesus was doing in His footsteps.
And thirdly it means that God the Father must have answered to, prayed to and obeyed a Heavenly Father of His own.
Fourth it implies that each Heavenly Father had a Father/God that preceded Him, to whom he answered, to whom he prayed, and in whose steps he followed.
When you stop to consider the vast endless size of the universe, with countless galaxies and solar systems and planets, it seems logical that there might be countless Gods creating them as a place for their own offspring, so that they might have a place where their children could grow and learn and progress and become gods themselves, to continue the process on into endless space. Of course for now those offspring only need to know and learn to obey the specific Gods that created them.
When Genesis says, “In the beginning…” I assume they are referring to the beginning of the creation of our own sphere of existence. Perhaps this creation of our own Heavenly Parents is limited to what we call the Milky Way Galaxy, or perhaps they have created several galaxies and populated them, as have the Gods that came before them. What portion of these creative spheres belongs to them and to Jesus Christ, we can only speculate, but they have promised many times that they will share all that they have with us when we learn to live as they have taught us.
Friday, January 7, 2011
The Cult of the Christmas Trees
The Cult of the Christmas Trees
There is an important warning given together with a commandment, that few people seem to take seriously or even to regard as applying to their own behavior. It is found in Doctrine and Covenants 93:39-40 - “And that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience, from the children of men, and because of the traditions of their fathers. But I have commanded you to bring up your children in light and truth.”
This makes it clear that Satan gains power to take away light and truth from our children as we continue to observe false traditions, which includes anything that is out of harmony with truth or with the word of God. And for this important reason He commands us to raise our children in light and truth.
Decorated Trees - There are many scriptures that tell us that God objects to decorated trees because they have always been used as representations and symbols of pagan gods, converted into objects of worship by those that were/are disobedient to God, and thus the LORD has forbidden their use and has condemned those that use them throughout the Old Testament. The Hebrew word for these ‘holy trees’ is “ashera”, but the English translation has been rendered “grove”, which totally obfuscates the fact that the word actually means a tree decorated in representation of a pagan god. A little bit of research into the Scriptures, however, reveals what they really are.
The Spanish translations of the Bible are much more truthful and enlightening as to revealing the fact that a “grove” really means a tree that has been converted into an object of worship by special placement and decoration. I have included in parenthesis the actual Spanish translation of the Hebrew “ashera” as it appears in the several scriptures in Spanish, from both the Catholic and the Protestant Bibles, and have given in italics the English meaning of those words, but the Catholic
Bible’s interpretation seems to be the more descriptive of the two.
First consider the warning from the prophet Jeremiah, in which the practice is most clearly described:
Jeremiah 10:2-4 “Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.”
The above quotation is from the King James Version of the Bible. If your translation says something substantially different, you should consider the possibility that your modern and ‘improved’ translation may have been slanted to conceal the actual meaning of these verses.
The correct meaning of "asherah" can also be inferred by a careful examination of the context of the places in which it is used. Asherah [Decorated trees set up as objects of worship] (representaciones de Astarte’; imagenes de Asera [images of the pagan goddess]; troncos sagrados [sacred cut trees]; troncos a los que rinden culto [trees cut for the purpose of occult practices ]; arbol sagrado [holy trees]; leno del bosque [forest wood]; tronco en el bosque [trees of the forest]
[Note that the word "grove" as used in Genesis 21:33 is not relevant to this discussion, because this “grove” is translated from a different Hebrew word ASL (eshel), meaning a tamarisk tree.]
Hated by God - The Hebrew word ASRE (asherah) is translated in the KJV version as "grove" 40 times, but the Spanish translations of this same Hebrew words have a very different meaning. We will examine these occurrences of the word. Many of these clearly indicate that the "asherah" (grove) means ‘decorated trees’ and is hated by God. For example:
Exodus 34:13 - But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves: (troncos sagrados; imagenes de Asera)
Deuteronomy 7:5 - But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire. (troncos a los que rinden culto; imagenes de Asera)
Deuteronomy 12:3 - And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place. (troncos a los que rinden culto; imagenes de Asera)
Judges 3:7 - And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgat the LORD their God, and served Baalim and the groves. (representaciones de Astarte’; imagenes de Asera)
1 Kings 14:15 - For the LORD shall smite Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water, and he shall root up Israel out of this good land, which he gave to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond the river, because they have made their groves, provoking the LORD to anger. (representaciones de Astarte’; imagenes de Asera)
1 Kings 16:33 - And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him. (imagen de Asera)
Use of “asherah” together with the use of ‘tree’. The “ashera” were planted or cut trees, which were then decorated, and the LORD had them torn down and burned as objects of pagan worship:
Deuteronomy 16:21 - Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the LORD thy God, which thou shalt make thee. (arbol para honrar a un idolo [tree for givng honor to a false god]; arbol para Asera) Here the "asherah" evidently was a "tree" that was turned into an object of worship, as opposed to the Hebrew word “ets” which is a normal "tree", also mentioned in this same verse.
Judges 6:25-26 - And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Take thy father's young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it: (arbol sagrado; imagen de Asera)
26 And build an altar unto the LORD thy God upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down.
Erected in Prominent Places The "asherah" was often erected on the top of a hill, [even as christmas trees are often placed in front of a window and in city centers, to be seen by the world]:
1 Kings 14:22-23 - And Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they had committed, above all that their fathers had done.
23 For they also built them high places, and images, and groves, on every high hill, and under every green tree. (troncos sagrados; imagenes de Asera) [as gifts and décor are placed under christmas trees]
2 Kings 17:10 - And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, and under every green tree: (representaciones de Asera; imagenes de Asera)
The Hebrew word THT (tachath), is perhaps translated here as "under" in reference to the placement of offerings but it also means "in the place of", "in the room of", "instead of", etc. [See Genesis 4:25, 22:13, Exodus 29:30, Leviticus 14:42, 2 Samuel 19:13, 1 Chronicles 4:41]. When a normal "green tree" was changed into an "asherah" by decorating it, as in the above verses, in defiance of the LORD, the “asherah” was set up “in the place of” a normal green tree by adding such decorations and by placing offerings under them. This must have been great fun for the people, celebrating a joyous occasion, but God obviously hated it and commanded that it be destroyed wherever it was found.
When the People of today also erect their Christmas Tree in prominent places, in the picture window of their house, in public buildings, in every town square and on the White House lawn, spending great time, effort and money to place elaborate decorations and lighting upon them, they are committing the sin of idolatry just as surely as the Old Testament peoples, even though they say they are just doing it for fun.
Brought Indoors - The "asherah" was also set up indoors, and even brought into the Temple. As Jeremiah described, they were fastened with nails so they cannot move:
2 Kings 21:7 - And he set a graven image of the grove that he had made in the house, of which the LORD said to David, and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever: (imagen de Asera)
2 Kings 23:4,6-7 - And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the door, to bring forth out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels that were made for Baal, and for the grove, and for all the host of heaven: and he burned them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried the ashes of them unto Beth-el. ...
6 And he brought out the grove from the house of the LORD, without Jerusalem, unto the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron, and stamped it small to powder, and cast the powder thereof upon the graves of the children of the people. (imagen deAsera)
7 And he brake down the houses of the sodomites, that were by the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the grove. (Asera)
This last verse is especially revealing, because it again shows that the "asherah" was also decorated with hand-made ornaments, as women and children often do today. Of course these ornaments or "hangings" were idolatrous.
2 Kings 23:14 - And he brake in pieces the images, and cut down the groves, and filled their places with the bones of men. (troncos sagrados; imagenes de Asera)
Today people hang little Santa Clauses and other images, and lights and shiny objects and so forth, to decorate their Christmas Trees. This is the same kind of idolatry as was practiced by the Israelites with their various images, and also described by Jeremiah as deccorating with “silver and gold”.
Destroyed by the Righteous - At times, those who were righteous destroyed the "asherah", as God commanded, and the LORD had all these images broken in pieces and destroyed:
Judges 6:27-30 - Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the LORD had said unto him: and so it was, because he feared his father's household, and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night.
28 And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was cast down, and the grove was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar that was built. (arbol sagrado; imagen de Asera)
29 And they said one to another, Who hath done this thing? And when they enquired and asked, they said, Gideon the son of Joash hath done this thing.
30 Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die: because he hath cast down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the grove that was by it. (arbol sagrado; imagen de Asera)
2 Chronicles 14:2-4 - And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God:
3 For he took away the altars of the strange gods, and the high places, and brake down the images, and cut down the groves: (representaciones de Asera; simbolos de Asera)
4 And commanded Judah to seek the LORD God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment.
2 Chronicles 17:6 - And his heart was lifted up in the ways of the LORD: moreover he took away the high places and groves out of Judah. (representaciones de Asera; imagenes de Asera)
2 Chronicles 19:3 - Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, in that thou hast taken away the groves out of the land, and hast prepared thine heart to seek God. (representaciones de Asera; imagenes de Asera)
2 Chronicles 31:1 - Now when all this was finished, all Israel that were present went out to the cities of Judah, and brake the images in pieces, and cut down the groves, and threw down the high places and the altars out of all Judah and Benjamin, in Ephraim also and Manasseh, until they had utterly destroyed them all. Then all the children of Israel returned, every man to his possession, into their own cities. (representaciones de Asera; imagenes de Asera)
The Wrath of God - Finally, there is found prophecy about the coming wrath of God with respect to the "asherah" and the little "images" which are used to decorate them:
Micah 5:13-15 - Thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands.
14 And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities. (arboles sagrados; imagenes de Asera)
15 And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.
Merry Christmas? - This last scripture seems to be a hint that many cities will be destroyed during one of the Christmas seasons.
It is commonly claimed that "Christmas" is a day of joy, merriment, gladness, and good tidings in observance of Jesus' birth. But the honest in heart will eventually admit that this is merely ‘lip service’ to our Lord, and that in reality christmas is a time of excess, mainly used for partying and materialism, dedicated to the decorating of trees, the buying of gifts for friends and family, and in preparation for the coming of the mythical ‘Santa Clause’, for the purpose of commercial exploitation.
As I have on countless occasions observed families decorating these trees, and have later watched them gathered around their ‘ashera’, distributing and opening presents to each other in the fashion of pagans, I have realized that any thoughts of the Saviour are the farthest thing from their minds, as is the commandment to ‘raise up your children in light and truth’. But I have also learned, as did Joseph Smith, that these ‘Gentiles’ will go to any length to justify their false traditions.
As Jesus observed, saying “Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own traditions.” [Mark 7:9]
An example of the destruction that will be brought upon the heads of those who celebrate such false traditions can be found in scripture on the occasion of the death of two of God's own prophets:
Revelation 11:10 - And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
In like manner, those who ‘celebrate Jesus' birth’ according to heathen traditions will sometimes be found to be expressing their joy on a day which commemorates Saturnalia which is, according to the true calendar, one of Satan's works. But Jesus Christ is not central in that joy, but rather the heathen traditions such as decorating trees and gift-giving, then they through such tradition symbolically will have become the enemies of God.
Ask yourself if you would want to be found (1) rejoicing, (2) making merry, and (3) giving gifts on the anniversary date of a future event in which these things are done to honor the "beast" who kills God's prophets.
Perhaps you are not completely convinced that the Hebrew word ASRE (asherah) refers to a "decorated tree" because an exact description of the "asherah" is not given in English. However there is enough information given in the several examples above to know that this practice was hated by God, and that it consisted of a tree, erect, often brought indoors, and hung with ornaments. And the servants of God were commanded to cut them down and burn them.
But there is also another clue. Based on the known meaning of "asherah" (decorated tree) is derived from a related Hebrew word ASRI (ashere), meaning"enjoy" or "merriment". The associated Hebrew word ASRI (ashere) is also translated in the KJV as follows: blessed - 27 times; happy - 18 times
In consideration of the original scripture quoted above, ask yourself how Satan uses the false Catholic tradition called ‘christmas’ to take away ‘light and truth’ from the children of men. An honest evaluation will disclose that it has always been used as a time of justifying excesses… excesses of materialism, excess of partying, excess of eating, excess of drinking, excess of spending into indebtedness, excess of exploiting of the Santa myth, converting him in the minds of children into a god which they eventually learn was a deception and finally, excess of loneliness often leading to suicide!
Summary: We can all rationalize that we are not celebrating or using Christmas for these idolic purposes, but the warning of the prophets is clear, LEARN NOT THE WAY OF THE HEATHEN! We need to liken these scriptures to our own lives, as they are still true today, and those in ancient Israel who adopted heathen practices finding happiness and enjoyment in decorating their trees, even converting the practice into ‘blessed events’ were condemned to destruction in ancient times, as those that continue to do so, as we have been warned, finally will be in the end.
There is an important warning given together with a commandment, that few people seem to take seriously or even to regard as applying to their own behavior. It is found in Doctrine and Covenants 93:39-40 - “And that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience, from the children of men, and because of the traditions of their fathers. But I have commanded you to bring up your children in light and truth.”
This makes it clear that Satan gains power to take away light and truth from our children as we continue to observe false traditions, which includes anything that is out of harmony with truth or with the word of God. And for this important reason He commands us to raise our children in light and truth.
Decorated Trees - There are many scriptures that tell us that God objects to decorated trees because they have always been used as representations and symbols of pagan gods, converted into objects of worship by those that were/are disobedient to God, and thus the LORD has forbidden their use and has condemned those that use them throughout the Old Testament. The Hebrew word for these ‘holy trees’ is “ashera”, but the English translation has been rendered “grove”, which totally obfuscates the fact that the word actually means a tree decorated in representation of a pagan god. A little bit of research into the Scriptures, however, reveals what they really are.
The Spanish translations of the Bible are much more truthful and enlightening as to revealing the fact that a “grove” really means a tree that has been converted into an object of worship by special placement and decoration. I have included in parenthesis the actual Spanish translation of the Hebrew “ashera” as it appears in the several scriptures in Spanish, from both the Catholic and the Protestant Bibles, and have given in italics the English meaning of those words, but the Catholic
Bible’s interpretation seems to be the more descriptive of the two.
First consider the warning from the prophet Jeremiah, in which the practice is most clearly described:
Jeremiah 10:2-4 “Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.”
The above quotation is from the King James Version of the Bible. If your translation says something substantially different, you should consider the possibility that your modern and ‘improved’ translation may have been slanted to conceal the actual meaning of these verses.
The correct meaning of "asherah" can also be inferred by a careful examination of the context of the places in which it is used. Asherah [Decorated trees set up as objects of worship] (representaciones de Astarte’; imagenes de Asera [images of the pagan goddess]; troncos sagrados [sacred cut trees]; troncos a los que rinden culto [trees cut for the purpose of occult practices ]; arbol sagrado [holy trees]; leno del bosque [forest wood]; tronco en el bosque [trees of the forest]
[Note that the word "grove" as used in Genesis 21:33 is not relevant to this discussion, because this “grove” is translated from a different Hebrew word ASL (eshel), meaning a tamarisk tree.]
Hated by God - The Hebrew word ASRE (asherah) is translated in the KJV version as "grove" 40 times, but the Spanish translations of this same Hebrew words have a very different meaning. We will examine these occurrences of the word. Many of these clearly indicate that the "asherah" (grove) means ‘decorated trees’ and is hated by God. For example:
Exodus 34:13 - But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves: (troncos sagrados; imagenes de Asera)
Deuteronomy 7:5 - But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire. (troncos a los que rinden culto; imagenes de Asera)
Deuteronomy 12:3 - And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place. (troncos a los que rinden culto; imagenes de Asera)
Judges 3:7 - And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgat the LORD their God, and served Baalim and the groves. (representaciones de Astarte’; imagenes de Asera)
1 Kings 14:15 - For the LORD shall smite Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water, and he shall root up Israel out of this good land, which he gave to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond the river, because they have made their groves, provoking the LORD to anger. (representaciones de Astarte’; imagenes de Asera)
1 Kings 16:33 - And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him. (imagen de Asera)
Use of “asherah” together with the use of ‘tree’. The “ashera” were planted or cut trees, which were then decorated, and the LORD had them torn down and burned as objects of pagan worship:
Deuteronomy 16:21 - Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the LORD thy God, which thou shalt make thee. (arbol para honrar a un idolo [tree for givng honor to a false god]; arbol para Asera) Here the "asherah" evidently was a "tree" that was turned into an object of worship, as opposed to the Hebrew word “ets” which is a normal "tree", also mentioned in this same verse.
Judges 6:25-26 - And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Take thy father's young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it: (arbol sagrado; imagen de Asera)
26 And build an altar unto the LORD thy God upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down.
Erected in Prominent Places The "asherah" was often erected on the top of a hill, [even as christmas trees are often placed in front of a window and in city centers, to be seen by the world]:
1 Kings 14:22-23 - And Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they had committed, above all that their fathers had done.
23 For they also built them high places, and images, and groves, on every high hill, and under every green tree. (troncos sagrados; imagenes de Asera) [as gifts and décor are placed under christmas trees]
2 Kings 17:10 - And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, and under every green tree: (representaciones de Asera; imagenes de Asera)
The Hebrew word THT (tachath), is perhaps translated here as "under" in reference to the placement of offerings but it also means "in the place of", "in the room of", "instead of", etc. [See Genesis 4:25, 22:13, Exodus 29:30, Leviticus 14:42, 2 Samuel 19:13, 1 Chronicles 4:41]. When a normal "green tree" was changed into an "asherah" by decorating it, as in the above verses, in defiance of the LORD, the “asherah” was set up “in the place of” a normal green tree by adding such decorations and by placing offerings under them. This must have been great fun for the people, celebrating a joyous occasion, but God obviously hated it and commanded that it be destroyed wherever it was found.
When the People of today also erect their Christmas Tree in prominent places, in the picture window of their house, in public buildings, in every town square and on the White House lawn, spending great time, effort and money to place elaborate decorations and lighting upon them, they are committing the sin of idolatry just as surely as the Old Testament peoples, even though they say they are just doing it for fun.
Brought Indoors - The "asherah" was also set up indoors, and even brought into the Temple. As Jeremiah described, they were fastened with nails so they cannot move:
2 Kings 21:7 - And he set a graven image of the grove that he had made in the house, of which the LORD said to David, and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever: (imagen de Asera)
2 Kings 23:4,6-7 - And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the door, to bring forth out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels that were made for Baal, and for the grove, and for all the host of heaven: and he burned them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried the ashes of them unto Beth-el. ...
6 And he brought out the grove from the house of the LORD, without Jerusalem, unto the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron, and stamped it small to powder, and cast the powder thereof upon the graves of the children of the people. (imagen deAsera)
7 And he brake down the houses of the sodomites, that were by the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the grove. (Asera)
This last verse is especially revealing, because it again shows that the "asherah" was also decorated with hand-made ornaments, as women and children often do today. Of course these ornaments or "hangings" were idolatrous.
2 Kings 23:14 - And he brake in pieces the images, and cut down the groves, and filled their places with the bones of men. (troncos sagrados; imagenes de Asera)
Today people hang little Santa Clauses and other images, and lights and shiny objects and so forth, to decorate their Christmas Trees. This is the same kind of idolatry as was practiced by the Israelites with their various images, and also described by Jeremiah as deccorating with “silver and gold”.
Destroyed by the Righteous - At times, those who were righteous destroyed the "asherah", as God commanded, and the LORD had all these images broken in pieces and destroyed:
Judges 6:27-30 - Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the LORD had said unto him: and so it was, because he feared his father's household, and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night.
28 And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was cast down, and the grove was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar that was built. (arbol sagrado; imagen de Asera)
29 And they said one to another, Who hath done this thing? And when they enquired and asked, they said, Gideon the son of Joash hath done this thing.
30 Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die: because he hath cast down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the grove that was by it. (arbol sagrado; imagen de Asera)
2 Chronicles 14:2-4 - And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God:
3 For he took away the altars of the strange gods, and the high places, and brake down the images, and cut down the groves: (representaciones de Asera; simbolos de Asera)
4 And commanded Judah to seek the LORD God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment.
2 Chronicles 17:6 - And his heart was lifted up in the ways of the LORD: moreover he took away the high places and groves out of Judah. (representaciones de Asera; imagenes de Asera)
2 Chronicles 19:3 - Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, in that thou hast taken away the groves out of the land, and hast prepared thine heart to seek God. (representaciones de Asera; imagenes de Asera)
2 Chronicles 31:1 - Now when all this was finished, all Israel that were present went out to the cities of Judah, and brake the images in pieces, and cut down the groves, and threw down the high places and the altars out of all Judah and Benjamin, in Ephraim also and Manasseh, until they had utterly destroyed them all. Then all the children of Israel returned, every man to his possession, into their own cities. (representaciones de Asera; imagenes de Asera)
The Wrath of God - Finally, there is found prophecy about the coming wrath of God with respect to the "asherah" and the little "images" which are used to decorate them:
Micah 5:13-15 - Thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands.
14 And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities. (arboles sagrados; imagenes de Asera)
15 And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.
Merry Christmas? - This last scripture seems to be a hint that many cities will be destroyed during one of the Christmas seasons.
It is commonly claimed that "Christmas" is a day of joy, merriment, gladness, and good tidings in observance of Jesus' birth. But the honest in heart will eventually admit that this is merely ‘lip service’ to our Lord, and that in reality christmas is a time of excess, mainly used for partying and materialism, dedicated to the decorating of trees, the buying of gifts for friends and family, and in preparation for the coming of the mythical ‘Santa Clause’, for the purpose of commercial exploitation.
As I have on countless occasions observed families decorating these trees, and have later watched them gathered around their ‘ashera’, distributing and opening presents to each other in the fashion of pagans, I have realized that any thoughts of the Saviour are the farthest thing from their minds, as is the commandment to ‘raise up your children in light and truth’. But I have also learned, as did Joseph Smith, that these ‘Gentiles’ will go to any length to justify their false traditions.
As Jesus observed, saying “Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own traditions.” [Mark 7:9]
An example of the destruction that will be brought upon the heads of those who celebrate such false traditions can be found in scripture on the occasion of the death of two of God's own prophets:
Revelation 11:10 - And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
In like manner, those who ‘celebrate Jesus' birth’ according to heathen traditions will sometimes be found to be expressing their joy on a day which commemorates Saturnalia which is, according to the true calendar, one of Satan's works. But Jesus Christ is not central in that joy, but rather the heathen traditions such as decorating trees and gift-giving, then they through such tradition symbolically will have become the enemies of God.
Ask yourself if you would want to be found (1) rejoicing, (2) making merry, and (3) giving gifts on the anniversary date of a future event in which these things are done to honor the "beast" who kills God's prophets.
Perhaps you are not completely convinced that the Hebrew word ASRE (asherah) refers to a "decorated tree" because an exact description of the "asherah" is not given in English. However there is enough information given in the several examples above to know that this practice was hated by God, and that it consisted of a tree, erect, often brought indoors, and hung with ornaments. And the servants of God were commanded to cut them down and burn them.
But there is also another clue. Based on the known meaning of "asherah" (decorated tree) is derived from a related Hebrew word ASRI (ashere), meaning"enjoy" or "merriment". The associated Hebrew word ASRI (ashere) is also translated in the KJV as follows: blessed - 27 times; happy - 18 times
In consideration of the original scripture quoted above, ask yourself how Satan uses the false Catholic tradition called ‘christmas’ to take away ‘light and truth’ from the children of men. An honest evaluation will disclose that it has always been used as a time of justifying excesses… excesses of materialism, excess of partying, excess of eating, excess of drinking, excess of spending into indebtedness, excess of exploiting of the Santa myth, converting him in the minds of children into a god which they eventually learn was a deception and finally, excess of loneliness often leading to suicide!
Summary: We can all rationalize that we are not celebrating or using Christmas for these idolic purposes, but the warning of the prophets is clear, LEARN NOT THE WAY OF THE HEATHEN! We need to liken these scriptures to our own lives, as they are still true today, and those in ancient Israel who adopted heathen practices finding happiness and enjoyment in decorating their trees, even converting the practice into ‘blessed events’ were condemned to destruction in ancient times, as those that continue to do so, as we have been warned, finally will be in the end.
Friday, September 10, 2010
What the Bible Really Tells Us About Salvation
Any serious student of the Bible knows that the only thing that can bring us salvation is the Grace of Christ, and that his saving Grace is given as a gift to all of those that meet the qualifications. However, the traditional Christian view seems to be that all that is required to qualify for His Grace is to believe in Christ or have faith in Him, or call upon His name, or confess that He is their Saviour. They say the Bible teaches that if you do this then you are converted, and therefore from that moment on you are saved by His Grace. They say that works are not necessary to qualify anyone for salvation. But if they are wrong, imagine all the millions of people that are being deceived into failing to qualify for salvation!
Let’s see what the Bible really says… While it is true that the Bible teaches that the only thing that can bring someone to salvation is the Grace of Christ, it also tells us very clearly that before anyone can be saved by grace there is much required for him/her to DO first. Conversion is only the beginning of the process of qualifying for His gift of Grace. In other words the Bible clearly says that much more is required in order for someone to meet the criteria that our Saviour demands before He will save us by His Grace!
First consider what He taught to the masses during His ‘Sermon on the Mount’. In Matthew 7:21 He told them “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that DOETH the will of my Father which is in heaven.” He clearly teaches here that to be saved it is not enough to call upon Him, or confess His name. He says that one must DO the will of His Father, which also implies that we must LEARN what that will is.
Now consider verses 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.” It is very clear that here He is describing those that believe in Him, so much, that they are able to prophesy, cast out devils and do many wonderful works in His name. They are obviously people that have great faith in Him, in order to be able to do so much in His name. Yet He rebukes them telling them He never knew them, even saying that they ‘work iniquity’!
Such is apparently the fate of those that believe in Him, have faith in Him, and accomplish good works using His name, but obviously lack one thing… they failed to understand and DO the will of our Father in heaven. But how can someone actually learn what is the will of our Heavenly Father? Our Saviour explains that process very succinctly in the following verse: 7:24 “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and DOETH them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 7:25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.”
In other words, ONLY if we study the teachings of our Saviour, and DO them, then we are learning and doing the will of our Father in Heaven. Christ and His Apostles certainly said to believe in Him and have faith in Him and call upon His name, but obviously that is only the beginning. Before we consider some of the specific things He said we must DO let us consider some other scriptures that teach us about this general principle of qualifying for salvation through our Saviour’s gift of grace.
On a certain occasion our Saviour was talking to some Jews that ALREADY BELIEVED in Him. In John 8:31-32 it explains what He told them: “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Upon analysis, it will be seen that here He reinforces that which He previously had taught to the multitudes in Matthew, above. When He said ‘…continue in my word…know the truth…shall make you free’, He is merely restating the other words, ‘…whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them…[is] a wise man… founded upon a rock.’ To continue in His word means to learn what He said and to DO it! Then we will be doing ‘the will of my Father which is in heaven.’ And thus we become eligible by His grace to ‘enter into the kingdom of heaven’ as He said in His sermon quoted above.
On another occasion a man approached our Saviour and actually asked Him what he must DO to be saved. This incident, and the Lord’s answer are recorded in two different gospels, as follows:
“And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and FOLLOWme. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.”[Mark 10:17-22]
“And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come,FOLLOWme. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.” [Luke 18:18-23]
Now we know that the original Ten Commandments were only the fundamental, most basic requirements given to Old Testament Israel to act as their ‘schoolmaster’ in order to prepare them for the coming of our Savior. When He came, He would fulfill those with two all-encompassing commandments:
Jesus said unto him, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” [Matt. 22:37-40]
Obviously, our Lord’s message to that man (and all of us) is that we are required to OBEY all of our Father’s commandments BEFORE we might qualify for His Grace unto salvation. That is why He teaches us, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” [John 14:15]
Now consider what else our Saviour has said regarding this subject of salvation. On a certain occasion He was praying to Heavenly Father and He expressed a very important concept. In John 17:3 He said, “And THIS is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” In order to merit the gift of Grace unto eternal life, why does He say it is obligatory FIRST to actually come to ‘know’ the Father and the Son. A little thinking might reveal that this is because He knows that that is the only way that someone might fully understand the will of the Father and the teachings of the Son, and then be able to do them in order to qualify for His gift of eternal life.
Next, take into account the words in the epistle to the Hebrews concerning the requirements for salvation: In Hebrews 5:9 we read, “And being made perfect He became the author of eternal salvation UNTO ALL THEM THAT OBEY him;” Can it be any clearer that, despite what the ‘traditional Christians’ teach about becoming qualified to be ‘saved by grace’, according to the words of Christ and the Bible, BEFORE we can expect to be worthy for our Saviour’s Grace to provide us with salvation, we must first OBEY Him! This means we must DO all He has said, including the following BEFORE we can qualify for His saving Grace:
1. DO The will of our Heavenly Father, which is to KNOW and DO what our Saviour says. [Matt. 7:21-25]
2. CONTINUE in His word to BECOME His disciples and KNOW the truth that makes us free. [John 8:31-32]
3. KEEP His commandments which again means we must OBEY what He has told us to do. [John 14:15]
4. Actually come to KNOW the Father and the Son to become qualified for eternal life. [John 17:3]
5. Obey ALL that Christ has said in order to qualify for His Grace unto salvation. [Hebrews 5:9]
That is what the Bible really says is required for salvation. It should be obvious by now that for someone to be ‘saved’ requires knowledge, actively doing, and obedience to all that our Saviour has said. If you do not believe this, you simply do not believe what is written in the Bible. It is now time to consider some more of these specific things that He taught that we must DO.
1. “Come, follow me.” [Luke 9:59; 18:22; John 1:43; 12:26; 21:19]
2. “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” [John 14:6]
These meaning, if we want to be saved by His Grace we must OBEY Him, FOLLOW in His footstep and pattern our lives after the way He lived.
3. “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” [Matthew 5:48]
4. “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know
that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” [1 John 3:2]
These meaning He expects us to become like Him, and if we want to be saved by His Grace we must FIRST SPEND ALL OF OUR LIVES TRYING to BECOME like Him and our Heavenly Father, even perfect, which is the way that our Saviour has shown by His own life example. This is why our Saviour Himself teaches:
“And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that ENDURETH TO THE END shall be saved.” [Matt. 10:22]
“But he that shall ENDURE UNTO THE END, the same shall be saved.” [Matt. 24:13]
“And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall ENDURE UNTO THE END, the same shall be saved.” [Luke13:13]
It is true that people are mortal beings and perhaps cannot expect to achieve total perfection in this life, but that does not mean we should not SPEND OUR LIFE TRYING to do so to the best of our abilities, for that is the teaching of our Saviour and those that desire to be saved by His Grace are expected FIRST to obey Him, for that is the will of our Heavenly Father [Hebrews 5:9; Matt, 7:21-25]. Each individual CAN finally achieve his own degree of perfection and that is enough for Christ to intervene AFTERWARD with His Grace.
And that is why the scripture teaches:
“For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, AFTER ALL WE CAN DO.” [2 Nephi 25:23]
Finally our Saviour taught “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” [ John14:1-2 ] and Paul said, “There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead”. [1Cor. 15:40-42]
These are merely indicators that in accordance with the teachings of our Saviour each individual that FIRST OBEY’S HIS WORDS and ENDURES TO THE END may qualify for salvation by His Grace, and be rewarded with a dwelling place in accordance with his personal efforts.
According to the teachings of Christ quoted in this message those ‘traditional Christians’ that teach the kind of ‘salvation’ without the necessary works to qualify for His gift of Grace are not doing enough. They are teaching ‘another gospel’ than that one set forth by Our Saviour and His disciples in the Bible! That is why we are warned, “strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” [Matt. 7:14]
What the Bible Really Tells Us About Salvation
Any serious student of the Bible knows that the only thing that can bring us salvation is the Grace of Christ, and that his saving Grace is given as a gift to all of those that meet the qualifications. However, the traditional Christian view seems to be that all that is required to qualify for His Grace is to believe in Christ or have faith in Him, or call upon His name, or confess that He is their Saviour. They say the Bible teaches that if you do this then you are converted, and therefore from that moment on you are saved by His Grace. They say that works are not necessary to qualify anyone for salvation. But if they are wrong, imagine all the millions of people that are being deceived into failing to qualify for salvation!
Let’s see what the Bible really says… While it is true that the Bible teaches that the only thing that can bring someone to salvation is the Grace of Christ, it also tells us very clearly that before anyone can be saved by grace there is much required for him/her to DO first. Conversion is only the beginning of the process of qualifying for His gift of Grace. In other words the Bible clearly says that much more is required in order for someone to meet the criteria that our Saviour demands before He will save us by His Grace!
First consider what He taught to the masses during His ‘Sermon on the Mount’. In Matthew 7:21 He told them “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that DOETH the will of my Father which is in heaven.” He clearly teaches here that to be saved it is not enough to call upon Him, or confess His name. He says that one must DO the will of His Father, which also implies that we must LEARN what that will is.
Now consider verses 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.” It is very clear that here He is describing those that believe in Him, so much, that they are able to prophesy, cast out devils and do many wonderful works in His name. They are obviously people that have great faith in Him, in order to be able to do so much in His name. Yet He rebukes them telling them He never knew them, even saying that they ‘work iniquity’!
Such is apparently the fate of those that believe in Him, have faith in Him, and accomplish good works using His name, but obviously lack one thing… they failed to understand and DO the will of our Father in heaven. But how can someone actually learn what is the will of our Heavenly Father? Our Saviour explains that process very succinctly in the following verse: 7:24 “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and DOETH them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 7:25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.”
In other words, ONLY if we study the teachings of our Saviour, and DO them, then we are learning and doing the will of our Father in Heaven. Christ and His Apostles certainly said to believe in Him and have faith in Him and call upon His name, but obviously that is only the beginning. Before we consider some of the specific things He said we must DO let us consider some other scriptures that teach us about this general principle of qualifying for salvation through our Saviour’s gift of grace.
On a certain occasion our Saviour was talking to some Jews that ALREADY BELIEVED in Him. In John 8:31-32 it explains what He told them: “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Upon analysis, it will be seen that here He reinforces that which He previously had taught to the multitudes in Matthew, above. When He said ‘…continue in my word…know the truth…shall make you free’, He is merely restating the other words, ‘…whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them…[is] a wise man… founded upon a rock.’ To continue in His word means to learn what He said and to DO it! Then we will be doing ‘the will of my Father which is in heaven.’ And thus we become eligible by His grace to ‘enter into the kingdom of heaven’ as He said in His sermon quoted above.
On another occasion a man approached our Saviour and actually asked Him what he must DO to be saved. This incident, and the Lord’s answer are recorded in two different gospels, as follows:
“And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and FOLLOWme. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.”[Mark 10:17-22]
“And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come,FOLLOWme. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.” [Luke 18:18-23]
Now we know that the original Ten Commandments were only the fundamental, most basic requirements given to Old Testament Israel to act as their ‘schoolmaster’ in order to prepare them for the coming of our Savior. When He came, He would fulfill those with two all-encompassing commandments:
Jesus said unto him, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” [Matt. 22:37-40]
Obviously, our Lord’s message to that man (and all of us) is that we are required to OBEY all of our Father’s commandments BEFORE we might qualify for His Grace unto salvation. That is why He teaches us, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” [John 14:15]
Now consider what else our Saviour has said regarding this subject of salvation. On a certain occasion He was praying to Heavenly Father and He expressed a very important concept. In John 17:3 He said, “And THIS is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” In order to merit the gift of Grace unto eternal life, why does He say it is obligatory FIRST to actually come to ‘know’ the Father and the Son. A little thinking might reveal that this is because He knows that that is the only way that someone might fully understand the will of the Father and the teachings of the Son, and then be able to do them in order to qualify for His gift of eternal life.
Next, take into account the words in the epistle to the Hebrews concerning the requirements for salvation: In Hebrews 5:9 we read, “And being made perfect He became the author of eternal salvation UNTO ALL THEM THAT OBEY him;” Can it be any clearer that, despite what the ‘traditional Christians’ teach about becoming qualified to be ‘saved by grace’, according to the words of Christ and the Bible, BEFORE we can expect to be worthy for our Saviour’s Grace to provide us with salvation, we must first OBEY Him! This means we must DO all He has said, including the following BEFORE we can qualify for His saving Grace:
1. DO The will of our Heavenly Father, which is to KNOW and DO what our Saviour says. [Matt. 7:21-25]
2. CONTINUE in His word to BECOME His disciples and KNOW the truth that makes us free. [John 8:31-32]
3. KEEP His commandments which again means we must OBEY what He has told us to do. [John 14:15]
4. Actually come to KNOW the Father and the Son to become qualified for eternal life. [John 17:3]
5. Obey ALL that Christ has said in order to qualify for His Grace unto salvation. [Hebrews 5:9]
That is what the Bible really says is required for salvation. It should be obvious by now that for someone to be ‘saved’ requires knowledge, actively doing, and obedience to all that our Saviour has said. If you do not believe this, you simply do not believe what is written in the Bible. It is now time to consider some more of these specific things that He taught that we must DO.
1. “Come, follow me.” [Luke 9:59; 18:22; John 1:43; 12:26; 21:19]
2. “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” [John 14:6]
These meaning, if we want to be saved by His Grace we must OBEY Him, FOLLOW in His footstep and pattern our lives after the way He lived.
3. “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” [Matthew 5:48]
4. “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know
that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” [1 John 3:2]
These meaning He expects us to become like Him, and if we want to be saved by His Grace we must FIRST SPEND ALL OF OUR LIVES TRYING to BECOME like Him and our Heavenly Father, even perfect, which is the way that our Saviour has shown by His own life example. This is why our Saviour Himself teaches:
“And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that ENDURETH TO THE END shall be saved.” [Matt. 10:22]
“But he that shall ENDURE UNTO THE END, the same shall be saved.” [Matt. 24:13]
“And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall ENDURE UNTO THE END, the same shall be saved.” [Luke13:13]
It is true that people are mortal beings and perhaps cannot expect to achieve total perfection in this life, but that does not mean we should not SPEND OUR LIFE TRYING to do so to the best of our abilities, for that is the teaching of our Saviour and those that desire to be saved by His Grace are expected FIRST to obey Him, for that is the will of our Heavenly Father [Hebrews 5:9; Matt, 7:21-25]. Each individual CAN finally achieve his own degree of perfection and that is enough for Christ to intervene AFTERWARD with His Grace.
And that is why the scripture teaches:
“For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, AFTER ALL WE CAN DO.” [2 Nephi 25:23]
Finally our Saviour taught “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” [ John14:1-2 ] and Paul said, “There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead”. [1Cor. 15:40-42]
These are merely indicators that in accordance with the teachings of our Saviour each individual that FIRST OBEY’S HIS WORDS and ENDURES TO THE END may qualify for salvation by His Grace, and be rewarded with a dwelling place in accordance with his personal efforts.
According to the teachings of Christ quoted in this message those ‘traditional Christians’ that teach the kind of ‘salvation’ without the necessary works to qualify for His gift of Grace are not doing enough. They are teaching ‘another gospel’ than that one set forth by Our Saviour and His disciples in the Bible! That is why we are warned, “strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” [Matt. 7:14]
Let’s see what the Bible really says… While it is true that the Bible teaches that the only thing that can bring someone to salvation is the Grace of Christ, it also tells us very clearly that before anyone can be saved by grace there is much required for him/her to DO first. Conversion is only the beginning of the process of qualifying for His gift of Grace. In other words the Bible clearly says that much more is required in order for someone to meet the criteria that our Saviour demands before He will save us by His Grace!
First consider what He taught to the masses during His ‘Sermon on the Mount’. In Matthew 7:21 He told them “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that DOETH the will of my Father which is in heaven.” He clearly teaches here that to be saved it is not enough to call upon Him, or confess His name. He says that one must DO the will of His Father, which also implies that we must LEARN what that will is.
Now consider verses 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.” It is very clear that here He is describing those that believe in Him, so much, that they are able to prophesy, cast out devils and do many wonderful works in His name. They are obviously people that have great faith in Him, in order to be able to do so much in His name. Yet He rebukes them telling them He never knew them, even saying that they ‘work iniquity’!
Such is apparently the fate of those that believe in Him, have faith in Him, and accomplish good works using His name, but obviously lack one thing… they failed to understand and DO the will of our Father in heaven. But how can someone actually learn what is the will of our Heavenly Father? Our Saviour explains that process very succinctly in the following verse: 7:24 “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and DOETH them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 7:25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.”
In other words, ONLY if we study the teachings of our Saviour, and DO them, then we are learning and doing the will of our Father in Heaven. Christ and His Apostles certainly said to believe in Him and have faith in Him and call upon His name, but obviously that is only the beginning. Before we consider some of the specific things He said we must DO let us consider some other scriptures that teach us about this general principle of qualifying for salvation through our Saviour’s gift of grace.
On a certain occasion our Saviour was talking to some Jews that ALREADY BELIEVED in Him. In John 8:31-32 it explains what He told them: “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Upon analysis, it will be seen that here He reinforces that which He previously had taught to the multitudes in Matthew, above. When He said ‘…continue in my word…know the truth…shall make you free’, He is merely restating the other words, ‘…whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them…[is] a wise man… founded upon a rock.’ To continue in His word means to learn what He said and to DO it! Then we will be doing ‘the will of my Father which is in heaven.’ And thus we become eligible by His grace to ‘enter into the kingdom of heaven’ as He said in His sermon quoted above.
On another occasion a man approached our Saviour and actually asked Him what he must DO to be saved. This incident, and the Lord’s answer are recorded in two different gospels, as follows:
“And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and FOLLOWme. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.”[Mark 10:17-22]
“And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come,FOLLOWme. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.” [Luke 18:18-23]
Now we know that the original Ten Commandments were only the fundamental, most basic requirements given to Old Testament Israel to act as their ‘schoolmaster’ in order to prepare them for the coming of our Savior. When He came, He would fulfill those with two all-encompassing commandments:
Jesus said unto him, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” [Matt. 22:37-40]
Obviously, our Lord’s message to that man (and all of us) is that we are required to OBEY all of our Father’s commandments BEFORE we might qualify for His Grace unto salvation. That is why He teaches us, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” [John 14:15]
Now consider what else our Saviour has said regarding this subject of salvation. On a certain occasion He was praying to Heavenly Father and He expressed a very important concept. In John 17:3 He said, “And THIS is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” In order to merit the gift of Grace unto eternal life, why does He say it is obligatory FIRST to actually come to ‘know’ the Father and the Son. A little thinking might reveal that this is because He knows that that is the only way that someone might fully understand the will of the Father and the teachings of the Son, and then be able to do them in order to qualify for His gift of eternal life.
Next, take into account the words in the epistle to the Hebrews concerning the requirements for salvation: In Hebrews 5:9 we read, “And being made perfect He became the author of eternal salvation UNTO ALL THEM THAT OBEY him;” Can it be any clearer that, despite what the ‘traditional Christians’ teach about becoming qualified to be ‘saved by grace’, according to the words of Christ and the Bible, BEFORE we can expect to be worthy for our Saviour’s Grace to provide us with salvation, we must first OBEY Him! This means we must DO all He has said, including the following BEFORE we can qualify for His saving Grace:
1. DO The will of our Heavenly Father, which is to KNOW and DO what our Saviour says. [Matt. 7:21-25]
2. CONTINUE in His word to BECOME His disciples and KNOW the truth that makes us free. [John 8:31-32]
3. KEEP His commandments which again means we must OBEY what He has told us to do. [John 14:15]
4. Actually come to KNOW the Father and the Son to become qualified for eternal life. [John 17:3]
5. Obey ALL that Christ has said in order to qualify for His Grace unto salvation. [Hebrews 5:9]
That is what the Bible really says is required for salvation. It should be obvious by now that for someone to be ‘saved’ requires knowledge, actively doing, and obedience to all that our Saviour has said. If you do not believe this, you simply do not believe what is written in the Bible. It is now time to consider some more of these specific things that He taught that we must DO.
1. “Come, follow me.” [Luke 9:59; 18:22; John 1:43; 12:26; 21:19]
2. “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” [John 14:6]
These meaning, if we want to be saved by His Grace we must OBEY Him, FOLLOW in His footstep and pattern our lives after the way He lived.
3. “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” [Matthew 5:48]
4. “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know
that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” [1 John 3:2]
These meaning He expects us to become like Him, and if we want to be saved by His Grace we must FIRST SPEND ALL OF OUR LIVES TRYING to BECOME like Him and our Heavenly Father, even perfect, which is the way that our Saviour has shown by His own life example. This is why our Saviour Himself teaches:
“And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that ENDURETH TO THE END shall be saved.” [Matt. 10:22]
“But he that shall ENDURE UNTO THE END, the same shall be saved.” [Matt. 24:13]
“And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall ENDURE UNTO THE END, the same shall be saved.” [Luke13:13]
It is true that people are mortal beings and perhaps cannot expect to achieve total perfection in this life, but that does not mean we should not SPEND OUR LIFE TRYING to do so to the best of our abilities, for that is the teaching of our Saviour and those that desire to be saved by His Grace are expected FIRST to obey Him, for that is the will of our Heavenly Father [Hebrews 5:9; Matt, 7:21-25]. Each individual CAN finally achieve his own degree of perfection and that is enough for Christ to intervene AFTERWARD with His Grace.
And that is why the scripture teaches:
“For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, AFTER ALL WE CAN DO.” [2 Nephi 25:23]
Finally our Saviour taught “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” [ John14:1-2 ] and Paul said, “There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead”. [1Cor. 15:40-42]
These are merely indicators that in accordance with the teachings of our Saviour each individual that FIRST OBEY’S HIS WORDS and ENDURES TO THE END may qualify for salvation by His Grace, and be rewarded with a dwelling place in accordance with his personal efforts.
According to the teachings of Christ quoted in this message those ‘traditional Christians’ that teach the kind of ‘salvation’ without the necessary works to qualify for His gift of Grace are not doing enough. They are teaching ‘another gospel’ than that one set forth by Our Saviour and His disciples in the Bible! That is why we are warned, “strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” [Matt. 7:14]
What the Bible Really Tells Us About Salvation
Any serious student of the Bible knows that the only thing that can bring us salvation is the Grace of Christ, and that his saving Grace is given as a gift to all of those that meet the qualifications. However, the traditional Christian view seems to be that all that is required to qualify for His Grace is to believe in Christ or have faith in Him, or call upon His name, or confess that He is their Saviour. They say the Bible teaches that if you do this then you are converted, and therefore from that moment on you are saved by His Grace. They say that works are not necessary to qualify anyone for salvation. But if they are wrong, imagine all the millions of people that are being deceived into failing to qualify for salvation!
Let’s see what the Bible really says… While it is true that the Bible teaches that the only thing that can bring someone to salvation is the Grace of Christ, it also tells us very clearly that before anyone can be saved by grace there is much required for him/her to DO first. Conversion is only the beginning of the process of qualifying for His gift of Grace. In other words the Bible clearly says that much more is required in order for someone to meet the criteria that our Saviour demands before He will save us by His Grace!
First consider what He taught to the masses during His ‘Sermon on the Mount’. In Matthew 7:21 He told them “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that DOETH the will of my Father which is in heaven.” He clearly teaches here that to be saved it is not enough to call upon Him, or confess His name. He says that one must DO the will of His Father, which also implies that we must LEARN what that will is.
Now consider verses 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.” It is very clear that here He is describing those that believe in Him, so much, that they are able to prophesy, cast out devils and do many wonderful works in His name. They are obviously people that have great faith in Him, in order to be able to do so much in His name. Yet He rebukes them telling them He never knew them, even saying that they ‘work iniquity’!
Such is apparently the fate of those that believe in Him, have faith in Him, and accomplish good works using His name, but obviously lack one thing… they failed to understand and DO the will of our Father in heaven. But how can someone actually learn what is the will of our Heavenly Father? Our Saviour explains that process very succinctly in the following verse: 7:24 “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and DOETH them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 7:25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.”
In other words, ONLY if we study the teachings of our Saviour, and DO them, then we are learning and doing the will of our Father in Heaven. Christ and His Apostles certainly said to believe in Him and have faith in Him and call upon His name, but obviously that is only the beginning. Before we consider some of the specific things He said we must DO let us consider some other scriptures that teach us about this general principle of qualifying for salvation through our Saviour’s gift of grace.
On a certain occasion our Saviour was talking to some Jews that ALREADY BELIEVED in Him. In John 8:31-32 it explains what He told them: “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Upon analysis, it will be seen that here He reinforces that which He previously had taught to the multitudes in Matthew, above. When He said ‘…continue in my word…know the truth…shall make you free’, He is merely restating the other words, ‘…whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them…[is] a wise man… founded upon a rock.’ To continue in His word means to learn what He said and to DO it! Then we will be doing ‘the will of my Father which is in heaven.’ And thus we become eligible by His grace to ‘enter into the kingdom of heaven’ as He said in His sermon quoted above.
On another occasion a man approached our Saviour and actually asked Him what he must DO to be saved. This incident, and the Lord’s answer are recorded in two different gospels, as follows:
“And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and FOLLOWme. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.”[Mark 10:17-22]
“And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come,FOLLOWme. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.” [Luke 18:18-23]
Now we know that the original Ten Commandments were only the fundamental, most basic requirements given to Old Testament Israel to act as their ‘schoolmaster’ in order to prepare them for the coming of our Savior. When He came, He would fulfill those with two all-encompassing commandments:
Jesus said unto him, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” [Matt. 22:37-40]
Obviously, our Lord’s message to that man (and all of us) is that we are required to OBEY all of our Father’s commandments BEFORE we might qualify for His Grace unto salvation. That is why He teaches us, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” [John 14:15]
Now consider what else our Saviour has said regarding this subject of salvation. On a certain occasion He was praying to Heavenly Father and He expressed a very important concept. In John 17:3 He said, “And THIS is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” In order to merit the gift of Grace unto eternal life, why does He say it is obligatory FIRST to actually come to ‘know’ the Father and the Son. A little thinking might reveal that this is because He knows that that is the only way that someone might fully understand the will of the Father and the teachings of the Son, and then be able to do them in order to qualify for His gift of eternal life.
Next, take into account the words in the epistle to the Hebrews concerning the requirements for salvation: In Hebrews 5:9 we read, “And being made perfect He became the author of eternal salvation UNTO ALL THEM THAT OBEY him;” Can it be any clearer that, despite what the ‘traditional Christians’ teach about becoming qualified to be ‘saved by grace’, according to the words of Christ and the Bible, BEFORE we can expect to be worthy for our Saviour’s Grace to provide us with salvation, we must first OBEY Him! This means we must DO all He has said, including the following BEFORE we can qualify for His saving Grace:
1. DO The will of our Heavenly Father, which is to KNOW and DO what our Saviour says. [Matt. 7:21-25]
2. CONTINUE in His word to BECOME His disciples and KNOW the truth that makes us free. [John 8:31-32]
3. KEEP His commandments which again means we must OBEY what He has told us to do. [John 14:15]
4. Actually come to KNOW the Father and the Son to become qualified for eternal life. [John 17:3]
5. Obey ALL that Christ has said in order to qualify for His Grace unto salvation. [Hebrews 5:9]
That is what the Bible really says is required for salvation. It should be obvious by now that for someone to be ‘saved’ requires knowledge, actively doing, and obedience to all that our Saviour has said. If you do not believe this, you simply do not believe what is written in the Bible. It is now time to consider some more of these specific things that He taught that we must DO.
1. “Come, follow me.” [Luke 9:59; 18:22; John 1:43; 12:26; 21:19]
2. “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” [John 14:6]
These meaning, if we want to be saved by His Grace we must OBEY Him, FOLLOW in His footstep and pattern our lives after the way He lived.
3. “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” [Matthew 5:48]
4. “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know
that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” [1 John 3:2]
These meaning He expects us to become like Him, and if we want to be saved by His Grace we must FIRST SPEND ALL OF OUR LIVES TRYING to BECOME like Him and our Heavenly Father, even perfect, which is the way that our Saviour has shown by His own life example. This is why our Saviour Himself teaches:
“And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that ENDURETH TO THE END shall be saved.” [Matt. 10:22]
“But he that shall ENDURE UNTO THE END, the same shall be saved.” [Matt. 24:13]
“And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall ENDURE UNTO THE END, the same shall be saved.” [Luke13:13]
It is true that people are mortal beings and perhaps cannot expect to achieve total perfection in this life, but that does not mean we should not SPEND OUR LIFE TRYING to do so to the best of our abilities, for that is the teaching of our Saviour and those that desire to be saved by His Grace are expected FIRST to obey Him, for that is the will of our Heavenly Father [Hebrews 5:9; Matt, 7:21-25]. Each individual CAN finally achieve his own degree of perfection and that is enough for Christ to intervene AFTERWARD with His Grace.
And that is why the scripture teaches:
“For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, AFTER ALL WE CAN DO.” [2 Nephi 25:23]
Finally our Saviour taught “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” [ John14:1-2 ] and Paul said, “There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead”. [1Cor. 15:40-42]
These are merely indicators that in accordance with the teachings of our Saviour each individual that FIRST OBEY’S HIS WORDS and ENDURES TO THE END may qualify for salvation by His Grace, and be rewarded with a dwelling place in accordance with his personal efforts.
According to the teachings of Christ quoted in this message those ‘traditional Christians’ that teach the kind of ‘salvation’ without the necessary works to qualify for His gift of Grace are not doing enough. They are teaching ‘another gospel’ than that one set forth by Our Saviour and His disciples in the Bible! That is why we are warned, “strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” [Matt. 7:14]
Friday, February 12, 2010
What The Bible Really Says About Life After Death
This subject is pondered by mankind perhaps more than any other, yet it seems to remain a mystery to the minds of most of us. Of course every religion seems to have an answer of some kind, and all of them have certain elements in common. I will show you that the Bible reveals a very clear picture of what we can expect to experience when we leave this life. These things were taught from the beginning of earth’s adamic creation period, to Adam and Eve and were perpetuated by the prophetic patriarchs that followed them, and they remain in the Bible today.
A little historical examination seems to reveal that over the generations, as men began to multiply and spread across the earth, and as they began to rebel and to separate from the patriarchal leaders chosen by our Heavenly Parents, each group began to modify and change the true knowledge with which they were originally endowed to conform to their own personal preferences. Thus we have the various philosophies of Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Muslim, Judaism and Christianity, to name a few that are among the most well-known religions that have survived to the modern era.
Each of these philosophies has preserved certain truths and each has developed certain spiritual powers in conformity with their chosen points of emphasis. But they have all lost so much knowledge as a result of their rebellion against the Spirit of Truth. Even amongst the several Christian sects there is much variation as to their teachings and beliefs regarding that which awaits us when we leave the world of mortality. Based on their unique own interpretations of the scriptures some believe that when a man dies, unless he is properly baptized, he must go to a place of suffering. Others think that man has no individual soul, so he ceases to exist until the resurrection.
In order to arrive at a true and accurate understanding of what the Bible really reveals regarding this or any other theme, according to our Saviour at least three things are required: 1] a perpetual dedication to the study of the Bible and of things related thereto (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); 2] reliance on guidance from the Spirit of Truth (Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is 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 shew you things to come. (John 16:3) and 3] living so as to be available to the guidance of the Spirit of Truth (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 as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. (2 Peter 1:20-21); But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. (1 Cor. 2:14-15)
With these things in mind and practice, you can learn many things from the Bible about life after death. However, in order to do so it is also often necessary to revert back to the original language of the Bible scribes to discover the accurate meanings of the words that have sometimes been loosely translated into English. This is in order to avoid the weaknesses that often accompany the arm of flesh. Take for example the two Old Testament Hebrew words, Sheol or sheole and qeber or qebuwrah. Both of these words are often interpreted in English to mean grave, sepulcher or burying place, but in reality they have two very distinct meanings. Sheol actually means underworld, abode of the dead, or place of punishment or exile, while the meaning of qeber is clearly known to be burial place, grave, sepulchre or burial site.
The diverse nuances of these two words give them obviously very different meanings. Qeber plainly refers to the place where a dead and lifeless body is buried, but Sheol, although also often translated as 'hell', evidently illustrates a vastly different situation, described as a separate ‘under’world where sentient beings, whatever their nature, may reside for a time and experience the consequences of censure and discipline.
This same differentiation is found in the Greek scriptures of the New Testament. There, the two Greek words that are often translated into the English word ‘grave’ are Hades and mnemeion, but as in the case of the Hebrew translations, these two words actually have very different meanings. The word mnemeion does mean place of interment, grave, sepulchre or tomb as does the Hebrew qeber, but the word Hades means unseen place or abode or state of departed souls or spirits, which is very similar to the meaning of the Hebrew Sheol.
From the above research one can come to the clear realization that upon the departure from mortality, man becomes separated into two entities. The body which is left lifeless goes to the grave (qeber or mnemeion), and the soul or spirit which remains conscious and goes to the unseen abode of departed souls (Sheol or Hades).
In pursuit of an understanding of these things, as you study the scriptures, you will discover that the Hebrew Sheol and the Greek Hades are both frequently interpreted into the English hell. Why should the place where departed spirits dwell be referred to as hell? There is actually a very good explanation for this, and you can find answers in several places in the New Testament.
First consider the parable of Lazarus and the rich man, found in Luke 16:19-31. There we find that upon death these two men immediately went to very different circumstances where they were both conscious and sentient. Lazarus died first and was taken by angels to a good place described as ‘Abraham’s bosom’. But when the rich man died we are told he found himself in hell [Hades]. Now according to what we have learned so far, the spirits of both of these men were in the place called Sheol or Hades, so how could the rich man be described as suffering in ‘hell’ while Lazarus is in comfort if they are both essentially in Sheol or Hades?
To clarify the situation consider also the words of our Saviour to the thief while they were both dying side by side on crosses. Shortly before his dying we are told: And Jesus said unto him, “Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43) and we are further told by Peter that when Christ died he went to preach to the ‘spirits in prison’, referring to those that had been disobedient and had drowned during the great flood. Peter declared, “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.(1 Peter 3:18-20)
Thus it is clearly shown in the parable of Lazarus and the rich man, and also in the death of Christ, himself, the the dwelling place of spirits after they die, known as Sheol or Hades, is divided into two parts. One part is reserved for the repentant and the righteous and is known in scripture as the ‘bosom of Abraham’ and as ‘paradise’. The other part is the abode of those that are disobedient to the laws of God. In the Bible that place is translated both as ‘hell’ and as ‘spirit prison’.
It must be remembered, however, that even though the paradise section of this spirit world is sometimes called heaven and the prison section is often referred to as ‘hell’, both of these places are only temporary dwellings. There are numerous scriptures that talk about a great and final day of judgment. John describes it like this, “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelations 20:12-15)
Our Saviour talks about the heavens saying, “In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” (John 14:2-3)
Paul also gives us some insights regarding the nature of the next life telling us, “There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. (1 Cor. 15:40-44)
You can see that both the Lord and Paul have described a future place in the heavens that is very diverse in nature, Christ saying there are ‘many mansion’ and the apostle tells us that the stars all differ in glory, saying ‘so also is the resurrection of the dead.’ But we do not go to this future place until after we have first spent some time in Sheol/Hades, and until after that great day of judgment. But hopefully we have learned that the time spent in that spirit world is certainly not wasted.
We must realize that not only is the period of our mortality a time of learning and preparation, but it appears that the time that we spend in Sheol/Hades, whether it is in the spirit prison section or the paradise section, must also be a time of learning and preparation. Why else would the rich man in ‘hell’ have carried on the conversation with Abraham, and why else would the Lord have gone and preached to the spirits in prison right after he was crucified. Peter gives a good clarification for this when he explains that Christ went and preached to those spirits of the dead, and Peter then continues saying, “For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.” (1 Peter 4:6)
Those in the temporary ‘hell’ of spirit prison were taught by Christ, but it also appears that they had access to such righteous men as Abraham. But those in ‘paradise’ certainly must be learning and progressing as well, because being ‘good’ is not sufficient. Did not Christ also say “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) and “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matt. 5:48) Are these things no longer expected goals one we arrive at the life to come? We must continue progressing at least until the final judgment
Just because we have arrived at paradise obviously does not mean we have acquired a sufficient knowledge of the truth, and until we do we cannot become perfect as is our Father which is in heaven, and as the Lord has told us, we cannot be free until we do. So we can be sure that we must continue in his word, and continue to learn and continue to prepare ourselves in the next life. As Paul told the pagan Greeks, we are all the ‘offspring [kindred stock]of God’ (Acts 17:26-29).
A little historical examination seems to reveal that over the generations, as men began to multiply and spread across the earth, and as they began to rebel and to separate from the patriarchal leaders chosen by our Heavenly Parents, each group began to modify and change the true knowledge with which they were originally endowed to conform to their own personal preferences. Thus we have the various philosophies of Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Muslim, Judaism and Christianity, to name a few that are among the most well-known religions that have survived to the modern era.
Each of these philosophies has preserved certain truths and each has developed certain spiritual powers in conformity with their chosen points of emphasis. But they have all lost so much knowledge as a result of their rebellion against the Spirit of Truth. Even amongst the several Christian sects there is much variation as to their teachings and beliefs regarding that which awaits us when we leave the world of mortality. Based on their unique own interpretations of the scriptures some believe that when a man dies, unless he is properly baptized, he must go to a place of suffering. Others think that man has no individual soul, so he ceases to exist until the resurrection.
In order to arrive at a true and accurate understanding of what the Bible really reveals regarding this or any other theme, according to our Saviour at least three things are required: 1] a perpetual dedication to the study of the Bible and of things related thereto (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); 2] reliance on guidance from the Spirit of Truth (Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is 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 shew you things to come. (John 16:3) and 3] living so as to be available to the guidance of the Spirit of Truth (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 as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. (2 Peter 1:20-21); But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. (1 Cor. 2:14-15)
With these things in mind and practice, you can learn many things from the Bible about life after death. However, in order to do so it is also often necessary to revert back to the original language of the Bible scribes to discover the accurate meanings of the words that have sometimes been loosely translated into English. This is in order to avoid the weaknesses that often accompany the arm of flesh. Take for example the two Old Testament Hebrew words, Sheol or sheole and qeber or qebuwrah. Both of these words are often interpreted in English to mean grave, sepulcher or burying place, but in reality they have two very distinct meanings. Sheol actually means underworld, abode of the dead, or place of punishment or exile, while the meaning of qeber is clearly known to be burial place, grave, sepulchre or burial site.
The diverse nuances of these two words give them obviously very different meanings. Qeber plainly refers to the place where a dead and lifeless body is buried, but Sheol, although also often translated as 'hell', evidently illustrates a vastly different situation, described as a separate ‘under’world where sentient beings, whatever their nature, may reside for a time and experience the consequences of censure and discipline.
This same differentiation is found in the Greek scriptures of the New Testament. There, the two Greek words that are often translated into the English word ‘grave’ are Hades and mnemeion, but as in the case of the Hebrew translations, these two words actually have very different meanings. The word mnemeion does mean place of interment, grave, sepulchre or tomb as does the Hebrew qeber, but the word Hades means unseen place or abode or state of departed souls or spirits, which is very similar to the meaning of the Hebrew Sheol.
From the above research one can come to the clear realization that upon the departure from mortality, man becomes separated into two entities. The body which is left lifeless goes to the grave (qeber or mnemeion), and the soul or spirit which remains conscious and goes to the unseen abode of departed souls (Sheol or Hades).
In pursuit of an understanding of these things, as you study the scriptures, you will discover that the Hebrew Sheol and the Greek Hades are both frequently interpreted into the English hell. Why should the place where departed spirits dwell be referred to as hell? There is actually a very good explanation for this, and you can find answers in several places in the New Testament.
First consider the parable of Lazarus and the rich man, found in Luke 16:19-31. There we find that upon death these two men immediately went to very different circumstances where they were both conscious and sentient. Lazarus died first and was taken by angels to a good place described as ‘Abraham’s bosom’. But when the rich man died we are told he found himself in hell [Hades]. Now according to what we have learned so far, the spirits of both of these men were in the place called Sheol or Hades, so how could the rich man be described as suffering in ‘hell’ while Lazarus is in comfort if they are both essentially in Sheol or Hades?
To clarify the situation consider also the words of our Saviour to the thief while they were both dying side by side on crosses. Shortly before his dying we are told: And Jesus said unto him, “Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43) and we are further told by Peter that when Christ died he went to preach to the ‘spirits in prison’, referring to those that had been disobedient and had drowned during the great flood. Peter declared, “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.(1 Peter 3:18-20)
Thus it is clearly shown in the parable of Lazarus and the rich man, and also in the death of Christ, himself, the the dwelling place of spirits after they die, known as Sheol or Hades, is divided into two parts. One part is reserved for the repentant and the righteous and is known in scripture as the ‘bosom of Abraham’ and as ‘paradise’. The other part is the abode of those that are disobedient to the laws of God. In the Bible that place is translated both as ‘hell’ and as ‘spirit prison’.
It must be remembered, however, that even though the paradise section of this spirit world is sometimes called heaven and the prison section is often referred to as ‘hell’, both of these places are only temporary dwellings. There are numerous scriptures that talk about a great and final day of judgment. John describes it like this, “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelations 20:12-15)
Our Saviour talks about the heavens saying, “In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” (John 14:2-3)
Paul also gives us some insights regarding the nature of the next life telling us, “There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. (1 Cor. 15:40-44)
You can see that both the Lord and Paul have described a future place in the heavens that is very diverse in nature, Christ saying there are ‘many mansion’ and the apostle tells us that the stars all differ in glory, saying ‘so also is the resurrection of the dead.’ But we do not go to this future place until after we have first spent some time in Sheol/Hades, and until after that great day of judgment. But hopefully we have learned that the time spent in that spirit world is certainly not wasted.
We must realize that not only is the period of our mortality a time of learning and preparation, but it appears that the time that we spend in Sheol/Hades, whether it is in the spirit prison section or the paradise section, must also be a time of learning and preparation. Why else would the rich man in ‘hell’ have carried on the conversation with Abraham, and why else would the Lord have gone and preached to the spirits in prison right after he was crucified. Peter gives a good clarification for this when he explains that Christ went and preached to those spirits of the dead, and Peter then continues saying, “For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.” (1 Peter 4:6)
Those in the temporary ‘hell’ of spirit prison were taught by Christ, but it also appears that they had access to such righteous men as Abraham. But those in ‘paradise’ certainly must be learning and progressing as well, because being ‘good’ is not sufficient. Did not Christ also say “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) and “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matt. 5:48) Are these things no longer expected goals one we arrive at the life to come? We must continue progressing at least until the final judgment
Just because we have arrived at paradise obviously does not mean we have acquired a sufficient knowledge of the truth, and until we do we cannot become perfect as is our Father which is in heaven, and as the Lord has told us, we cannot be free until we do. So we can be sure that we must continue in his word, and continue to learn and continue to prepare ourselves in the next life. As Paul told the pagan Greeks, we are all the ‘offspring [kindred stock]of God’ (Acts 17:26-29).
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Does the Bible Reveal a Mother in Heaven/Goddess, Companion to God the Father?
The Answers Have Always Been There. They were just hidden by traditional Christian mindsets. Take a fresh look!
Does the Bible Reveal a Mother in Heaven/Goddess, Companion to God the Father?
The answer to this depends on whether or not you translate the Hebrew language precisely, as the Hebrew/Aramaic words for Heavenly Mother/Goddess [Eloahh and Elahh] appear at least 131 times in the Old Testament. If the English and German Bibles had first been translated by Catholic or Orthodox scholars, who have always believed in a Mother in Heaven, perhaps she would be common knowledge today. But the first translations of the Bible were accomplished by anti-Catholics, and the Protestant influence against the Catholic corruptions and worship of the Virgin has had such a strong and lasting influence that the Hebrew Goddess of the Old Testament has become unknown among traditional Christians.
However, assuming that you believe that the scriptures really mean what they say, there are many verses in the Old Testament where our Heavenly Mother is well-described, and even verses where she counsels us and gives us wise advice. We will now consider those following significant verses whose deeper meanings seem to have been so much ignored for so long by so many Bible scholars.
Throughout the book of Proverbs is mentioned a certain feminine entity, the Hebrew word represented in alpha characters as ‘Chokmah’ and translated into the English word ‘Wisdom’. When you consider that there are numerous other Hebrew words used throughout the Old Testament to denote wisdom, such words as sekel, tushiyah, leb, biynah, chakam, tabuwn, ormah, and teham, all signifying wisdom in its various aspects, it becomes significant to note that the one word ‘Chokmah’ is used in such a special way as to represent a divine feminine being with very singular qualities. The following examples are presented for consideration:
In Proverbs 1:20 to 2:2 she is represented as a compassionate feminine spirit-being that is a bearer of knowledge and understanding and who is concerned for the ignorance and stubborn nature of man and continually offers to all mankind the safety of her wise words of counsel and invites her children to escape destruction and desolation through hearkening to her words and understanding with their hearts:
1:20 “Wisdom [Chokmah] crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:
1:21 She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying, 1:22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love
simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? 1:23 Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make
known my words unto you. 1:24 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; 1:25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: 1:26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; 1:27 When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. 1:28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: 1:29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: 1:30 They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. 1:31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. 1:32 For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. 1:33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil. 2:1 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; 2:2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;"
We learn much more about this goddess when we consider the words found later, in Proverbs 8:22-36, where we learn that from the beginning this feminine being was with the creator, she was his companion even before he began his creation of the earth; that she was already with him when he was preparing the heavens. She was ‘as one brought up together with him’; and she was his daily delight, rejoicing with him in the earth and delighting in the children of men. She asks her children to hearken unto her and they will be blessed if they keep her ways and wait daily for her instruction. Those that do so will find life, but all those that reject her damage their souls and desire death.
8:22 "The LORD possessed [Hebrew–qanah –kä-nä’ –get, acquire, obtain] me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. 8:23 I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. 8:24 When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. 8:25 Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth: 8:26 While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world. 8:27 When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth: 8:28 When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep: 8:29 When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth: 8:30 Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him; 8:31 Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men. 8:32 Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways. 8:33 Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not. 8:34 Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. 8:35 For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD. 8:36 But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death."
However, as previously mentioned above, there is another name used in many places in the Old Testament to identify this Goddess consort of our Heavenly Father. In order to adequately discuss her further, we must first consider the four distinct Hebrew words found in the Old Testament that are all translated into the one English word, ‘god’:
1. ‘El’, meaning the strong, mighty, a mighty one, a hero, and is usually used together with the adjectives ‘Most High’ or ‘Almighty God’, when referring to the one divine being that we commonly think of as ‘God the Father’]. This word occurs 213 times in the Old Testament.
2. ‘Elowahh’ or ‘Eloahh’, the ‘El’ root above modified with ‘ahh’ feminine suffix, meaning by implication ‘Goddess’ or perhaps ‘Mother in Heaven’ It has 52 occurrences in the Old Testament.
3. ‘Elahh’, an Aramaic variation of ‘Eloahh’ above, also meaning Goddess or Mother in Heaven, having 79 occurrences in the Old Testament.
4. ‘Elohiym’ This word was a construction resulting from the combination of the feminine ‘Eloahh with the masculine plural suffix ‘iym, thus creating a name which describes and refers to by implication at least two gods, and of both the masculine and the feminine genders. Thus Elohiym might be interpreted as ‘the God and the Goddess’, or perhaps ‘Father and Mother in Heaven”. It occurs 2,346 times in the Old Testament.
Thus you can see there is a specific Hebrew Goddess mentioned in at least 131 places in the Old Testament (Elowahh 52 times and Elahh 79 times). But the significance and meaning of these verses mentioning this goddess have become gradually obscured over time because the Israelites were specifically assigned by God, the Father to his Son, Jehovah as an inheritance, and so they were commanded by him to worship him above all others (no other Gods before me).
Some very revealing verses to consider in the assignment of Israel to Jehovah, in this regard can be found at Deuteronomy 32:8-9, which explains:
”When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. For the LORD's portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.”
This reveals that there was a time when the Most High God (Hebrew-El) divided the nations, separating the various racial descendants of Adam, setting their boundaries, and taking into consideration the size of the nation of Israel. He then assigns to the LORD (YHWH or Jehovah) who is his son, the people of Jacob (Israelites) for his inheritance.
This scripture also provides a rather obvious illustration of the fact that the Most High God and Jehovah are two distinct beings. Then the Christian translators have compounded the confusion in our understanding of the nature of the gods by interpreting the feminine words for ‘Goddess’ [Eloahh and Elahh] into the English masculine word, ‘God’.
But now consider that final word for God, ‘Elohiym’, which occurs 2,346 times in the OT, far more than the others. This perhaps implies that it is most important that we should ultimately learn to worship God as ‘Heavenly Mother and Father’ together. This concept is especially illuminating when considering the meaning of Genesis 1:27 which as now interpreted into English says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”
Using the correct grammatical interpretation this verse would be translated to say, “So the God and the Goddess [or Heavenly Father and Mother] created mankind in their own image; male and female created they them”
Let us now return to consider more of those scriptures in Proverbs using the Hebrew name ‘Chokmah’ to refer to our Heavenly Mother. You can see that she is described there as such a compelling advocate of truth, understanding, knowledge, justice, judgment, equity and instruction that, since ancient times her name has become a synonymous with one of the Hebrew meanings for ‘wisdom’.
However, much depiction is also given of her love for mankind and her continuous desire to reach her children with proper instruction and understanding. As you read the following verses, notice that the pronoun used for ‘understanding’ is always ‘it’, connoting a concept, while the pronouns used when referring to ‘wisdom’ are usually ‘she’ and ‘her’, and ‘I’, ‘me’ and ‘my’, which connote a ‘living being’.:
In Proverbs 3:13-18 we are instructed that having an ongoing relationship with her is worth more than earthly treasure and is the way to long life, happiness wealth and peace:
3:13 "Happy is the man that findeth Wisdom [Chokmah], and the man that getteth understanding. 3:14 For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. 3:15 She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. 3:16 Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour. 3:17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. 3:18 She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her."
In Proverbs 4:5-13 we are advised to seek a relationship with her and to be faithful to her, to love her and exalt her, to listen to her and let her teach us and allow her to guide us. We are promised that if we do these things she will preserve us, bring us honor, allow us a long life, and lead us in the right path.
4:5 "Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. 4:6 Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee. 4:7 Wisdom [Chokmah] is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. 4:8 Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. 4:9 She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee. 4:10 Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many. 4:11 I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths. 4:12 When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. 4:13 Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life."
In Proverbs 8:1-11 we are instructed that this goddess Chokmah, puts forth her voice and calls to all the children of men in all places to listen and understand with their hearts and she will teach them of that which is excellent and right and true, that she only speaks righteousness and never wickedness. She says that those that seek understanding and knowledge rather than riches will find that her words are true and easy to understand and beyond compare:
8:1 "Doth not Wisdom [Chokmah] cry? and understanding put forth her voice? 8:2 She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths. 8:3 She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors. 8:4 Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man. 8:5 O ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart. 8:6 Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things. 8:7 For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips. 8:8 All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them. 8:9 They are all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge. 8:10 Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold. 8:11 For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it."
In Proverbs 8:12-21 we learn that she lives prudently and seeks after that which is clever, that she and the Lord both hate evil, pride, arrogance and the rebellious; she is wise, understanding and strong; and she allows princes, kings and nobles to rule with justice; that those who seek her early shall find her and obtain riches and honor and righteousness and she shall lead them in paths of judgment and promises treasure to those that love her:
8:12 "I wisdom [Chakmowth] dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions. 8:13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate. 8:14 Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength. 8:15 By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. 8:16 By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth. 8:17 I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me. 8:18 Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness. 8:19 My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver. 8:20 I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment: 8:21 That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures."
We also find in the New Testament certain occasions when the word ‘Wisdom’ is used by our Saviour to refer to His [and our] Mother in Heaven. When Jesus found himself harshly judged in the face of his good works, he made reference to ‘Wisdom’ [Greek –Sophia]as his mother, and the mother of mankind, saying:
“The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But Wisdom is justified of her children.” (Matt.11:19; Luke 7:34-35)
The modern-day religions of the 'traditional Christian' churches seem to be totally oblivious to the existence of our Heavenly Mother in the Bible. If it were not for the Roman Catholics, the Greek Orthodox and the Mormons, she might be totally ignored by Christianity! What a shame.
Joseph Smith also knew there is a Heavenly Mother but he only discussed her with his close friends, such as Eliza R. Snow. Thus we have reference to her in the hymn ‘O My Father’. The reason she could not be widely taught in the restored church was apparently due to the strong Protestant traditions that the converts brought into the church against the Catholic belief of praying to Mary, the mother of Jesus. As Joseph Smith expressed it, "There has been great difficulty in getting anything into the heads of this generation. It has been like splitting hemlock knots with a corn-dodger for a wedge, and a pumpkin for a beetle. Even the saints are slow to understand. I have tried for a number of years to get the minds of the saints prepared to receive the things of God; but we frequently see some of them, after suffering all they have for the work of God, WILL FLY TO PIECES LIKE GLASS as soon as anything comes that is CONTRARY TO THEIR TRADITIONS: they cannot stand the fire at all. How many will be able to abide a celestial law, and go through and receive their exaltation, I am unable to say, as many are called, but few are chosen." DHC 6:183-185
Does the Bible Reveal a Mother in Heaven/Goddess, Companion to God the Father?
The answer to this depends on whether or not you translate the Hebrew language precisely, as the Hebrew/Aramaic words for Heavenly Mother/Goddess [Eloahh and Elahh] appear at least 131 times in the Old Testament. If the English and German Bibles had first been translated by Catholic or Orthodox scholars, who have always believed in a Mother in Heaven, perhaps she would be common knowledge today. But the first translations of the Bible were accomplished by anti-Catholics, and the Protestant influence against the Catholic corruptions and worship of the Virgin has had such a strong and lasting influence that the Hebrew Goddess of the Old Testament has become unknown among traditional Christians.
However, assuming that you believe that the scriptures really mean what they say, there are many verses in the Old Testament where our Heavenly Mother is well-described, and even verses where she counsels us and gives us wise advice. We will now consider those following significant verses whose deeper meanings seem to have been so much ignored for so long by so many Bible scholars.
Throughout the book of Proverbs is mentioned a certain feminine entity, the Hebrew word represented in alpha characters as ‘Chokmah’ and translated into the English word ‘Wisdom’. When you consider that there are numerous other Hebrew words used throughout the Old Testament to denote wisdom, such words as sekel, tushiyah, leb, biynah, chakam, tabuwn, ormah, and teham, all signifying wisdom in its various aspects, it becomes significant to note that the one word ‘Chokmah’ is used in such a special way as to represent a divine feminine being with very singular qualities. The following examples are presented for consideration:
In Proverbs 1:20 to 2:2 she is represented as a compassionate feminine spirit-being that is a bearer of knowledge and understanding and who is concerned for the ignorance and stubborn nature of man and continually offers to all mankind the safety of her wise words of counsel and invites her children to escape destruction and desolation through hearkening to her words and understanding with their hearts:
1:20 “Wisdom [Chokmah] crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:
1:21 She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying, 1:22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love
simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? 1:23 Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make
known my words unto you. 1:24 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; 1:25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: 1:26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; 1:27 When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. 1:28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: 1:29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: 1:30 They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. 1:31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. 1:32 For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. 1:33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil. 2:1 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; 2:2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;"
We learn much more about this goddess when we consider the words found later, in Proverbs 8:22-36, where we learn that from the beginning this feminine being was with the creator, she was his companion even before he began his creation of the earth; that she was already with him when he was preparing the heavens. She was ‘as one brought up together with him’; and she was his daily delight, rejoicing with him in the earth and delighting in the children of men. She asks her children to hearken unto her and they will be blessed if they keep her ways and wait daily for her instruction. Those that do so will find life, but all those that reject her damage their souls and desire death.
8:22 "The LORD possessed [Hebrew–qanah –kä-nä’ –get, acquire, obtain] me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. 8:23 I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. 8:24 When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. 8:25 Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth: 8:26 While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world. 8:27 When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth: 8:28 When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep: 8:29 When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth: 8:30 Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him; 8:31 Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men. 8:32 Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways. 8:33 Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not. 8:34 Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. 8:35 For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD. 8:36 But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death."
However, as previously mentioned above, there is another name used in many places in the Old Testament to identify this Goddess consort of our Heavenly Father. In order to adequately discuss her further, we must first consider the four distinct Hebrew words found in the Old Testament that are all translated into the one English word, ‘god’:
1. ‘El’, meaning the strong, mighty, a mighty one, a hero, and is usually used together with the adjectives ‘Most High’ or ‘Almighty God’, when referring to the one divine being that we commonly think of as ‘God the Father’]. This word occurs 213 times in the Old Testament.
2. ‘Elowahh’ or ‘Eloahh’, the ‘El’ root above modified with ‘ahh’ feminine suffix, meaning by implication ‘Goddess’ or perhaps ‘Mother in Heaven’ It has 52 occurrences in the Old Testament.
3. ‘Elahh’, an Aramaic variation of ‘Eloahh’ above, also meaning Goddess or Mother in Heaven, having 79 occurrences in the Old Testament.
4. ‘Elohiym’ This word was a construction resulting from the combination of the feminine ‘Eloahh with the masculine plural suffix ‘iym, thus creating a name which describes and refers to by implication at least two gods, and of both the masculine and the feminine genders. Thus Elohiym might be interpreted as ‘the God and the Goddess’, or perhaps ‘Father and Mother in Heaven”. It occurs 2,346 times in the Old Testament.
Thus you can see there is a specific Hebrew Goddess mentioned in at least 131 places in the Old Testament (Elowahh 52 times and Elahh 79 times). But the significance and meaning of these verses mentioning this goddess have become gradually obscured over time because the Israelites were specifically assigned by God, the Father to his Son, Jehovah as an inheritance, and so they were commanded by him to worship him above all others (no other Gods before me).
Some very revealing verses to consider in the assignment of Israel to Jehovah, in this regard can be found at Deuteronomy 32:8-9, which explains:
”When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. For the LORD's portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.”
This reveals that there was a time when the Most High God (Hebrew-El) divided the nations, separating the various racial descendants of Adam, setting their boundaries, and taking into consideration the size of the nation of Israel. He then assigns to the LORD (YHWH or Jehovah) who is his son, the people of Jacob (Israelites) for his inheritance.
This scripture also provides a rather obvious illustration of the fact that the Most High God and Jehovah are two distinct beings. Then the Christian translators have compounded the confusion in our understanding of the nature of the gods by interpreting the feminine words for ‘Goddess’ [Eloahh and Elahh] into the English masculine word, ‘God’.
But now consider that final word for God, ‘Elohiym’, which occurs 2,346 times in the OT, far more than the others. This perhaps implies that it is most important that we should ultimately learn to worship God as ‘Heavenly Mother and Father’ together. This concept is especially illuminating when considering the meaning of Genesis 1:27 which as now interpreted into English says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”
Using the correct grammatical interpretation this verse would be translated to say, “So the God and the Goddess [or Heavenly Father and Mother] created mankind in their own image; male and female created they them”
Let us now return to consider more of those scriptures in Proverbs using the Hebrew name ‘Chokmah’ to refer to our Heavenly Mother. You can see that she is described there as such a compelling advocate of truth, understanding, knowledge, justice, judgment, equity and instruction that, since ancient times her name has become a synonymous with one of the Hebrew meanings for ‘wisdom’.
However, much depiction is also given of her love for mankind and her continuous desire to reach her children with proper instruction and understanding. As you read the following verses, notice that the pronoun used for ‘understanding’ is always ‘it’, connoting a concept, while the pronouns used when referring to ‘wisdom’ are usually ‘she’ and ‘her’, and ‘I’, ‘me’ and ‘my’, which connote a ‘living being’.:
In Proverbs 3:13-18 we are instructed that having an ongoing relationship with her is worth more than earthly treasure and is the way to long life, happiness wealth and peace:
3:13 "Happy is the man that findeth Wisdom [Chokmah], and the man that getteth understanding. 3:14 For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. 3:15 She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. 3:16 Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour. 3:17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. 3:18 She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her."
In Proverbs 4:5-13 we are advised to seek a relationship with her and to be faithful to her, to love her and exalt her, to listen to her and let her teach us and allow her to guide us. We are promised that if we do these things she will preserve us, bring us honor, allow us a long life, and lead us in the right path.
4:5 "Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. 4:6 Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee. 4:7 Wisdom [Chokmah] is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. 4:8 Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. 4:9 She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee. 4:10 Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many. 4:11 I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths. 4:12 When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. 4:13 Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life."
In Proverbs 8:1-11 we are instructed that this goddess Chokmah, puts forth her voice and calls to all the children of men in all places to listen and understand with their hearts and she will teach them of that which is excellent and right and true, that she only speaks righteousness and never wickedness. She says that those that seek understanding and knowledge rather than riches will find that her words are true and easy to understand and beyond compare:
8:1 "Doth not Wisdom [Chokmah] cry? and understanding put forth her voice? 8:2 She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths. 8:3 She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors. 8:4 Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man. 8:5 O ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart. 8:6 Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things. 8:7 For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips. 8:8 All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them. 8:9 They are all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge. 8:10 Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold. 8:11 For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it."
In Proverbs 8:12-21 we learn that she lives prudently and seeks after that which is clever, that she and the Lord both hate evil, pride, arrogance and the rebellious; she is wise, understanding and strong; and she allows princes, kings and nobles to rule with justice; that those who seek her early shall find her and obtain riches and honor and righteousness and she shall lead them in paths of judgment and promises treasure to those that love her:
8:12 "I wisdom [Chakmowth] dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions. 8:13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate. 8:14 Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength. 8:15 By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. 8:16 By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth. 8:17 I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me. 8:18 Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness. 8:19 My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver. 8:20 I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment: 8:21 That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures."
We also find in the New Testament certain occasions when the word ‘Wisdom’ is used by our Saviour to refer to His [and our] Mother in Heaven. When Jesus found himself harshly judged in the face of his good works, he made reference to ‘Wisdom’ [Greek –Sophia]as his mother, and the mother of mankind, saying:
“The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But Wisdom is justified of her children.” (Matt.11:19; Luke 7:34-35)
The modern-day religions of the 'traditional Christian' churches seem to be totally oblivious to the existence of our Heavenly Mother in the Bible. If it were not for the Roman Catholics, the Greek Orthodox and the Mormons, she might be totally ignored by Christianity! What a shame.
Joseph Smith also knew there is a Heavenly Mother but he only discussed her with his close friends, such as Eliza R. Snow. Thus we have reference to her in the hymn ‘O My Father’. The reason she could not be widely taught in the restored church was apparently due to the strong Protestant traditions that the converts brought into the church against the Catholic belief of praying to Mary, the mother of Jesus. As Joseph Smith expressed it, "There has been great difficulty in getting anything into the heads of this generation. It has been like splitting hemlock knots with a corn-dodger for a wedge, and a pumpkin for a beetle. Even the saints are slow to understand. I have tried for a number of years to get the minds of the saints prepared to receive the things of God; but we frequently see some of them, after suffering all they have for the work of God, WILL FLY TO PIECES LIKE GLASS as soon as anything comes that is CONTRARY TO THEIR TRADITIONS: they cannot stand the fire at all. How many will be able to abide a celestial law, and go through and receive their exaltation, I am unable to say, as many are called, but few are chosen." DHC 6:183-185
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Condemnation - Is the Lord seeking another people?
Condemnation - Is the Lord seeking another people?
The Prophet Joseph Smith said, "... for if Zion will not purify herself, so as to be approved of in all things, in His sight, He will seek another people; (DHC 1:316, TPJS, p. 18)
The following condemnation was pronounced upon the church in 1831:
D&C 84:54-59 - "And your minds in times past have been darkened because of unbelief, and because you have treated lightly the things you have received - - which vanity and unbelief have brought the whole church under condemnation. And this condemnation resteth upon the children of Zion, even all. And they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon and the former commandments which I have given them, not only to say, but to do according to that which I have written - - that they may bring forth fruit meet for their Father's kingdom; otherwise there remaineth a scourge and judgment to be poured out upon the children of Zion."
In a solemn assembly at general conference April 6, 1986, President Ezra Taft Benson was sustained by Church members as the prophet, seer, and revelator, and President of the Church. In his concluding address of the conference, President Benson said, “…the Lord has revealed the need to reemphasize the Book of Mormon to get the Church and all the children of Zion out from under condemnation—the scourge and judgment" (Ensign 16 [May 1986]:7-8;. To that end, his address "The Book of Mormon Is the Word of God" was repeated in regional conferences throughout the Church.
So according to president Benson, after one hundred fifty-five years, the church continued to remain under condemnation for failure to take the scriptures seriously!
On 6 June 1993, Dallin H. Oaks, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when this fireside address, "Another Testament of Jesus Christ" was given at Brigham Young University. In his remarks he said,
“Along with other General Authorities, I have a clear recollection of the General Authority temple meeting on March 5, 1987. For a year President Benson had been stressing the reading of the Book of Mormon. Repeatedly he had quoted these verses from the Doctrine and Covenants, including the Lord's statement that the Saints' conduct had "brought the whole church under condemnation" (D&C 84:55).”
“In that temple meeting, President Benson reread those statements and declared, "This condemnation has not been lifted, nor will it be until we repent" (remarks by President Ezra Taft Benson, General Authority Temple Meeting, Thursday, 5 March 1987). He also repeated his declaration of a year earlier that, in our day, the Lord has inspired his servant to reemphasize the Book of Mormon to get the Church out from under condemnation”
“To understand why President Benson has exhorted us to reemphasize the Book of Mormon and why this is necessary to remove us from condemnation, we need to remember the major theme of that book…I will give you my clear impressions of why he has pleaded with us to repent of our neglect of the Book of Mormon…I believe it is the neglect of this subject that has continued the condemnation in our own day.”
“This is the new covenant, as explained in the Book of Mormon. May we follow the commandment to give diligent heed to these words of eternal life; may we follow our prophet's challenge to remove the condemnation that comes from treating this new covenant lightly; may we be true to our sacred responsibilities, I pray, even as I testify to the truth of these things, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.”
So according to Elder Oaks, after one hundred sixty-two years, the church continued to remain under condemnation!
On December 31, 2003 Jack R. Christianson, director, Orem Institute of Religion published “Why We Need the Book of Mormon" , which is excerpted from Life Lessons from the Book of Mormon, in which he quoted a number of General Authorities and Book of Mormon scriptures that referred to this same condemnation. Among many references to it are: ‘As President Benson has suggested, "We must flood the earth with the Book of Mormon--and get out from under God's condemnation for having treated it lightly.", and then quoting Robert Millet, former dean of the College of Religious Instruction at Brigham Young University, said this of the condemnation we are under:
“In a broader sense, I believe the condemnation that rests upon the Latter-day Saints is a loss of spiritual power, a loss of blessings, a loss of perspective about eternal possibilities. Perhaps we have not enjoyed the revelations, the divine direction, the sweet promptings of the Spirit, that might have been ours. We have not been the recipients of the fruit of the Spirit--"love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance" (Galatians 5:22-23)--as we could have been. Surely we have not enjoyed the understanding, the light and truth, the lens of pure intelligence, that is so readily accessible. In too many cases our minds and hearts have not been shaped and prepared by the Book of Mormon, by its lessons and logic, testimony and transforming power, and thus too often the judgment and discernment so essential to perceiving the false doctrines of the world, and even the irrelevant, have not been as strong as they might have been. Because we have not immersed and washed ourselves in those living waters that flow from the Book of Mormon, we have not enjoyed faith like the ancients, that faith which strengthens resolve and provides courage and peace in a time of unrest. So much of the stress and fear and apprehension and exhaustion that now exist in society is so very unnecessary; ours could be the right to that lifting and liberating Spirit that produces hope and peace and rest. Though the light of the fulness of the everlasting gospel has begun to break forth into a world of darkness (see D&C 45:28), yet too often we walk in darkness at noonday, or at least we traverse the path of life in twilight when we might bask in the bright light of the Son.” (The Power of the Word: Saving Doctrines from the Book of Mormon, p. 303)
So according to Elder Christianson, after one hundred seventy-two years, the church continued to remain under condemnation!
Is there any doubt that the church remains under that same condemnation, even today?
With that fact in mind, I would point out to you that in August of 1831, the Lord warned the church, saying, “Wherefore, let the church repent of their sins, and I, the Lord, will own them; otherwise they shall be cut off.” (D&C 63:63). As anyone can see the church is still under condemnation and has NOT repented after one hundred seventy-eight years [2009], and true to the warning of the Lord, it has been CUT OFF from the blessings listed above by Dr. Millet, if not much more.
The Prophet Joseph Smith said, "... for if Zion will not purify herself, so as to be approved of in all things, in His sight, He will seek another people; (DHC 1:316, TPJS, p. 18)
The following condemnation was pronounced upon the church in 1831:
D&C 84:54-59 - "And your minds in times past have been darkened because of unbelief, and because you have treated lightly the things you have received - - which vanity and unbelief have brought the whole church under condemnation. And this condemnation resteth upon the children of Zion, even all. And they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon and the former commandments which I have given them, not only to say, but to do according to that which I have written - - that they may bring forth fruit meet for their Father's kingdom; otherwise there remaineth a scourge and judgment to be poured out upon the children of Zion."
In a solemn assembly at general conference April 6, 1986, President Ezra Taft Benson was sustained by Church members as the prophet, seer, and revelator, and President of the Church. In his concluding address of the conference, President Benson said, “…the Lord has revealed the need to reemphasize the Book of Mormon to get the Church and all the children of Zion out from under condemnation—the scourge and judgment" (Ensign 16 [May 1986]:7-8;. To that end, his address "The Book of Mormon Is the Word of God" was repeated in regional conferences throughout the Church.
So according to president Benson, after one hundred fifty-five years, the church continued to remain under condemnation for failure to take the scriptures seriously!
On 6 June 1993, Dallin H. Oaks, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when this fireside address, "Another Testament of Jesus Christ" was given at Brigham Young University. In his remarks he said,
“Along with other General Authorities, I have a clear recollection of the General Authority temple meeting on March 5, 1987. For a year President Benson had been stressing the reading of the Book of Mormon. Repeatedly he had quoted these verses from the Doctrine and Covenants, including the Lord's statement that the Saints' conduct had "brought the whole church under condemnation" (D&C 84:55).”
“In that temple meeting, President Benson reread those statements and declared, "This condemnation has not been lifted, nor will it be until we repent" (remarks by President Ezra Taft Benson, General Authority Temple Meeting, Thursday, 5 March 1987). He also repeated his declaration of a year earlier that, in our day, the Lord has inspired his servant to reemphasize the Book of Mormon to get the Church out from under condemnation”
“To understand why President Benson has exhorted us to reemphasize the Book of Mormon and why this is necessary to remove us from condemnation, we need to remember the major theme of that book…I will give you my clear impressions of why he has pleaded with us to repent of our neglect of the Book of Mormon…I believe it is the neglect of this subject that has continued the condemnation in our own day.”
“This is the new covenant, as explained in the Book of Mormon. May we follow the commandment to give diligent heed to these words of eternal life; may we follow our prophet's challenge to remove the condemnation that comes from treating this new covenant lightly; may we be true to our sacred responsibilities, I pray, even as I testify to the truth of these things, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.”
So according to Elder Oaks, after one hundred sixty-two years, the church continued to remain under condemnation!
On December 31, 2003 Jack R. Christianson, director, Orem Institute of Religion published “Why We Need the Book of Mormon" , which is excerpted from Life Lessons from the Book of Mormon, in which he quoted a number of General Authorities and Book of Mormon scriptures that referred to this same condemnation. Among many references to it are: ‘As President Benson has suggested, "We must flood the earth with the Book of Mormon--and get out from under God's condemnation for having treated it lightly.", and then quoting Robert Millet, former dean of the College of Religious Instruction at Brigham Young University, said this of the condemnation we are under:
“In a broader sense, I believe the condemnation that rests upon the Latter-day Saints is a loss of spiritual power, a loss of blessings, a loss of perspective about eternal possibilities. Perhaps we have not enjoyed the revelations, the divine direction, the sweet promptings of the Spirit, that might have been ours. We have not been the recipients of the fruit of the Spirit--"love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance" (Galatians 5:22-23)--as we could have been. Surely we have not enjoyed the understanding, the light and truth, the lens of pure intelligence, that is so readily accessible. In too many cases our minds and hearts have not been shaped and prepared by the Book of Mormon, by its lessons and logic, testimony and transforming power, and thus too often the judgment and discernment so essential to perceiving the false doctrines of the world, and even the irrelevant, have not been as strong as they might have been. Because we have not immersed and washed ourselves in those living waters that flow from the Book of Mormon, we have not enjoyed faith like the ancients, that faith which strengthens resolve and provides courage and peace in a time of unrest. So much of the stress and fear and apprehension and exhaustion that now exist in society is so very unnecessary; ours could be the right to that lifting and liberating Spirit that produces hope and peace and rest. Though the light of the fulness of the everlasting gospel has begun to break forth into a world of darkness (see D&C 45:28), yet too often we walk in darkness at noonday, or at least we traverse the path of life in twilight when we might bask in the bright light of the Son.” (The Power of the Word: Saving Doctrines from the Book of Mormon, p. 303)
So according to Elder Christianson, after one hundred seventy-two years, the church continued to remain under condemnation!
Is there any doubt that the church remains under that same condemnation, even today?
With that fact in mind, I would point out to you that in August of 1831, the Lord warned the church, saying, “Wherefore, let the church repent of their sins, and I, the Lord, will own them; otherwise they shall be cut off.” (D&C 63:63). As anyone can see the church is still under condemnation and has NOT repented after one hundred seventy-eight years [2009], and true to the warning of the Lord, it has been CUT OFF from the blessings listed above by Dr. Millet, if not much more.
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