βThe thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Is there anything whereof it may be said, See, this is new? It has been already of old time, which was before us.β (Ecclesiastes 1:9-10)
Too often, it is imagined that the past has passed, when in essence it is always the present, and it foretells the future. Everything runs in cycles; understanding is knowing what point of the cycle civilization is in, and the fear of the Lord is wisdom.
The spirit of man is interwoven with an unchanging spiritual realm working in the flesh; without the intervention of God, outcomes remain consistent. Changing times create an appearance of a changing world; however, all changes are superficial; historical cycles continue. The only thing that changes is the form in which the cycles reappear.
New cycles are shaped by past experiences; they mask the past; otherwise, they would not be viable deceptions. However, at the crux, nothing changes; the essence of the past remains present, Solomonβs ecclesiastical thesis.
Mankind has, and always will, worship various gods or attempt to take the place of God. It is innate in man to either worship out of insecurity or manipulate out of pride. It is no different today: the same gods worshiped now were worshiped in the past, and anything new is merely cosmetic.β
All devotions are a form of worship; atheism, no less. There is nothing more blinding than a devotion. Even those who worship the only true God walk by faith, not sight; sight follows. However, those who worship false gods believe they see when they are blind.
Nevertheless, similar to idols of the past, the gods worshiped today are forged in the foundries of the imaginationβmolten images fashioned by desires. Among these gods are many idols called Jesus. Any fabrication of Jesus that deviates from the Word of God is an idol.
Numerous idols are created bearing the name of Jesus. They are embraced in congregations where the name of Christ is proclaimed; it is not the Christ of the Bible they believe in. Fabrications of Christ exist on the right and on the left; they are no more than idols. They accept drunkenness, promiscuous relationships, a Jesus god that shares mediating power with his mother and with saints, and a Jesus that has a brother named Satan; the list goes on.
Jesus warned many would come in his name, saying, “I am Christ.” These are antichrists. Many antichrists come in the form of doctrines preached from pulpits. The closer they imitate Christ, the more they deceive.
Variations of Jesus are the most numerous forms of idols fabricatedβfigments of the imagination called Jesus. Christ is not many, but one. Many professing to know God are devoted to a religion and not God. They do not know Christ; they worship a false mental construct of who Christ is, a nonexistent Jesus. Jesus is the Word of God, and the Word is God. The Lord will tell those who worship him outside his Word, βI never knew you.β
God demands commitment, holiness, self-sacrifice, and obedience; for many who desire to worship the Lord, it is too much to ask of them and too much for them to give. They choose to worship an imaginary god of doctrines and call it the Lord.
Mount Zion in Jerusalem is where the Lord placed his name and commanded all people to come worship there. The earthly temple in Jerusalem, a typology of the true, was destroyed as foretold by the prophets. T
When Jesus spoke with the Samaritan woman at the well, he told her the hour was coming when neither in Mount Gerizim nor in Jerusalem would the Father be worshiped; the true worshipers would worship Him in spirit and truth. “God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”
Jesus Christ, the Word of God, is spirit and truth. Any aberration preached in his name is a strange godβthe spirit of antichrist.
βThough we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.β (Galatians 1:8)
βThere is one body and one Spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling: one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, through all, and in you all.β There is no other.
βLittle children, keep yourselves from idols.β (1 John 5:21)