Animals are used as symbolism throughout the Bible, but the most attention is given to them is in the book of Leviticus, where the Lord gives commandments regarding dietary laws. Dividing the animals into groups of clean and unclean, the Lord specifies what is allowed and not allowed to be eaten. Beyond determining which foods are healthy or unhealthy, the greater purpose was to teach through metaphors.

In the book of Acts, Peter was given a vision resembling a great sheet let down from heaven, in which were all manner of beasts and living things. The Lord said, “Arise and eat”. Peter resisted because of the Jewish dietary laws, but the Lord told him not to call what God had cleansed common or unclean. The Lord was referring to the Gentiles.

Paul expounded further on the liberty given to us concerning dietary laws, explaining that every creature of God is good and nothing to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. Furthermore, Paul adds, “I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him that esteems anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.”

So then, each of us has the liberty to decide what we will choose to eat as it seems good to us. Jesus said, “Not that which goes into the mouth defiles a man, but that which comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.”

Then why was the law given, and what changed? The intent was to teach the difference between the clean and the unclean, not as much to purify the flesh, but to perfect the spirit by distinguishing between what is good and what is not. Paul taught that the law was given to Moses as a paradigm to guide us toward Christ.

Thus, the clean and unclean beasts were given as examples of natural characteristics and traits we can observe, learn from, and apply to humanity.

For example, carnivorous beasts, poisonous creatures, filthy animals such as the swine, and all other creatures with undesirable attributes were cited as being unclean. These undesirable attributes are present spiritually in human nature, rendering individuals unclean in spirit. The idiom “It is a dog-eat-dog world” conveys how excessively competitive, ruthless, and willing people can be.

To the contrary, in the clean beasts, we find characteristics that express virtues, such as the innocence ascribed to sheep, the labor of the ox, and the peacefulness attributed to the dove. For it pleased God that through creating all things living and nonliving, he could impart knowledge of invisible things to those whom he has chosen.

Regarding the innate nature of man, King Solomon wrote, “I said in my heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.”

And indeed, we are beasts. The only thing that separates us from beasts is the conscience of the eternal soul and spirit that God breathed into Adam when He made him a living soul. Without the spirit of God, we instinctively revert to the animal nature of flesh, regardless of our intellect.

The horrendous things happening in the world today are the result of the beastly nature of man ruling over the soul and spirit, thus turning people into animals. This is the natural consequence of people resisting the spirit of God. The Lord said, “My spirit will not always strive with man.” He will not forever deal with your spirit if you refuse to yield.

When God withdraws his spirit after striving with a hardened conscience, he surrenders them to their lust(Romans 1). All that remains when the Spirit of God has departed is the beast.

Everyone has the potential of being ruled by their beast nature, and not all beasts are wild or violent. There are domesticated animals that are quite lovable, and there are wild beasts that will attack and tear you apart. Regardless, all beasts are still beasts given to their own nature, whatever it may be. There are very nice and thoughtful sinners who have been domesticated by social training. Their good deeds and pleasant demeanor will not earn them eternal life.

In the book of Revelation, it is written that outside God’s kingdom are dogs, sorcerers, whoremongers, murderers, idolaters, and all those who love and make up lies.

Humans can be good-natured and still be just as lost in sin as anyone. Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. Having an inherently mild nature is not the same as having the Spirit of God, even if that nature imitates goodness. A mild nature is sometimes a source of self-righteous pride that keeps people from ever confronting their faults and coming to Christ.

Jesus told the religious leaders of his day, “The harlots and publicans go into heaven before you.” For indeed, sinners know they are sinners, while the self-righteous disregard their sins, if they can even see them. They may maintain an outward appearance of goodness like trained animals performing tricks for treats; however, this self-serving conformity does not constitute true obedience to the Spirit of the Lord.

Being good-natured is a blessing, but only if you obey God’s Spirit and do his will. Be not high-minded, but fear God.

We are both natural and spiritual beings. However, if we are to enter the Kingdom of God, we must all slay our beasts. And be not deceived; to a certain degree, each of us has them.

It can be harder to kill a beast that is domesticated and likable than one that is wild and destructive, but in either case, the beast in us must die or the soul will—for the beast and soul are in conflict and strive against each other; one will win.

Any person who lives after the will of their flesh is not subject to the Spirit of God and will corrupt their own spirit and the spirit of others whom they influence.

Certainly, some people have a much more difficult nature to bring under subjection to the Spirit of God than others. Pray for such people and have compassion for them. They lead more challenging lives and need to experience the love of Christ through others in the hope that it will guide them to the love of God.

The psalmist says, “Man that is in honor and understandeth not is like the beasts that perish.”

In the end, the Beast is cast into the lake of fire along with those who worship the Beast. Until we accept Christ, there is a beast part of all of us.

Jesus is the clean beast in whom there is no sin—the Lamb of God who was innocent but went willingly to the slaughter to kill our beasts.

Jesus said, “He that eats me, even he shall live by me.” Eat Christ, the Passover Lamb, put on His nature, and live.

The Lord promised never to leave or forsake his people. The question that remains then is, may someone who knows the Lord leave and forsake Him?

The first and the greatest lie ever told on earth was that life was secure; it would not be lost through an act of disobedience. In the Garden of Eden, the Serpent said to Eve, “You shall not surely die.” That same lie is still being told, even in churches.

Adam and Eve had a relationship with God. They knew the Lord personally and rejoiced with him in the Garden. They were accepted by Him as His children because His spirit was in them. Adam, being formed from the earth, became a living soul by the breath of God, as written.

“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul.” (Genesis 2:7)

The Apostle Paul elaborated further, “The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven.” (1 Corinthians 15:47)

Jesus Christ, who is the beginning of the creation of God, lived within Adam and Eve. He is the Tree of Life in the midst of the Garden.

However, being made of earth and filled with the Spirit, there was still the potential for sin. They also had their own spirit that made them unique. It was their spirit that led them astray to eat the only forbidden fruit in the garden. Once Eve was deceived into eating the fruit and sharing it with Adam, they knew both good and evil; they were naked to their sins.

They were confronted and driven from the Garden; they were no longer allowed to partake in the Tree of Life that perpetuated their youth. The spirit of the Lord departed from them, and they died spiritually. They also began aging until the death of their physical bodies.

Adam and Eve attempted to cover their nakedness with fig leaves and hid among the trees of the garden. The same response remains a common reaction to a guilty conscience today.

Birds of a feather flock together, like-minded people do as well. Those who embrace sins in common with others bind together to strengthen themselves in their sins. They vehemently oppose those who expose their unrighteousness by hiding among other trees.

Birds are used metaphorically to represent spirits of the air. Trees, being temporal in nature, are often used figuratively in the Bible to represent humans with a finite lifespan. To strengthen their beliefs and combat guilt, people tend to hide themselves in like-minded groups of affirmation when the voice of the Lord speaks in their conscience, and they realize their nakedness.

The beginning of redemption can only come by a willingness to come out of hiding among the trees to face the Lord; relatively few are willing to take that step. Covering sins with fig leaves of deceit to hide nakedness will not take away guilt.

Only by the shedding of blood are sins purged. The Lord shed the blood of animals to clothe Adam and his wife with their skins, foreshadowing the necessity of the death of Christ for anyone to be forgiven. The blood of animals did not remove the sin of Adam and his wife; instead, their nakedness was covered with skins to prevent their sin from being regarded for the present time, and he prescribed that blood sacrifices should be recurring until the appointed time when Christ would be sent to take away the sins of the world once and for all.

The religious who believe they will be saved by good deeds are embracing fig leaves of self-righteousness—others embrace fig leaves of doctrines of eternal security to cover unrepentant sins. Unbelievers simply deny they are naked and embrace the fig leaves of ignorance, declaring that there is no God. They refuse to believe they will be held accountable for their actions.

Jesus did not come to cover sins; the laws of blood sacrifice had already done that for the time appointed. Jesus came to remove sin. No one can wear fig leaves forever; they do not last long. Sin must be removed and forsaken, not covered; sin must be put to death in the flesh. Christ did that in the place of all who will accept it and follow him.

Christ will never abandon you. Adam and Eve abandoned the Lord through disobedience after personally knowing him in the garden. Their sin separated them from God. The Lord provides a way back from death, but if you refuse to come when called, there is no guarantee you will be able to later. We are not to test the patience of God. He said he will not strive with men forever.

The path to God is through Jesus Christ alone. Adam was given the blood sacrifice of animals as a foreshadowing of the sacrifice of Christ. It was illustrated further in the law of Moses, although justification came not by the sacrifices, but by the obedience of adhering to them faithfully. The offering of Cain, on the other hand, was rejected for offering the fruits of this world instead of the proper blood sacrifice demanded.

When we believe in and accept Christ, we are cleansed and redeemed by his blood. Redemption is completed only when we obey Christ, cross over Jordan, and forcefully take possession of the promised land and the kingdom, as pictured by Joshua’s conquest.

Salvation at the Red Sea marks the beginning of the journey. After enduring temptation in the wilderness, crossing Jordan, and conquering the enemies, the inheritance is obtained. Do not be deceived; salvation is a day-by-day journey beyond the Red Sea of deliverance until the possession of the kingdom.

“He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” (Matthew 24:13)

The Children of Israel displayed their faith in God’s salvation by leaving Egypt. Passing through the Red Sea, they were saved from bondage under Pharaoh—a typology of deliverance from the bondage of sin and the Devil. However, during their journey to the land promised to them, a majority of them perished in the wilderness, another typology.

And wherefore were they destroyed? —by failing to trust in the Lord, fully follow Him, and obey all of His commandments, as written:

“But with whom was he grieved forty years? Was it not with them who had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.”

After being saved from Egypt by faith after passing through the Red Sea, the Children of Israel failed to continue in belief when they were tested in the wilderness of Sin. After they received salvation, they hardened their hearts when they faced trials and suffering.

They became angry with God and complained to Moses when they were required to pay the price necessary to inherit the kingdom that was promised to them. They refused to rest on the promise that the Lord would bring them through the wilderness and give them rest in the land. Offended by their sufferings and trials, they murmured against God and fell into various lusts and temptations that ended with their destruction. They were not allowed to enter the Promised Land, and the promise was passed on to their children.

All that happened to them is an example to us who believe. Salvation is given at the Red Sea (the blood of Jesus). It then leads through the perils and temptations in the wilderness until the passing over Jordan, where the promised land is fully attained.

Jesus himself was tempted in the wilderness and overcame all things that were necessary for his death and resurrection for our salvation. When people accept his sacrifice for sins, they are gifted with the spirit placed in their hearts and the promise of hope. Some of the promises are only fully realized at the end of the journey when we rest and are made as he is.

There are battles along the way, with the promise that God will go before us into the battle and give us the victory. When the spies returned from spying out Canaan, the majority of them discouraged the people by bringing back an evil report. The people believed them above God and refused to go in and take possession of the land promised to them.

Israel was commanded to fight; we must also fight, or we will also fail to possess the kingdom promised to us. There are seven nations greater than ourselves that must be driven out, but God promises victory if we believe and fight.

We must sanctify ourselves unto holiness by fighting for perfection every day until the perfect day—and greater is he who is in us than he who is in the world. We must perfect our faith, not rest on it, as we have not yet entered his rest.

The teaching of “faith alone” is not biblical; the phrase appears once in the whole Bible, in James 2:24, and it says the opposite. James says, “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.”

True faith is never alone; it is accompanied by action, and without action, faith is dead.

Devils believe in God; they also believe in salvation. Devils see souls delivered from their hands as they pass through the Red Sea, where they cannot pursue them through the blood of Jesus. However, devils do not believe every word of God to salvation, or they would not have resisted unto damnation.

Only by faith in every word of God can one live, not by initial acceptance without the faith to act upon every word of God after salvation. Those who draw back after beginning the journey perish in the wilderness of temptation and are lost.

Jesus said, “He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”

Only if we endure to the end are we accepted into heaven. “Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.” (Hebrews 3:6)

“For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end.” (Hebrews 3:14).

“Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.” (Hebrews 4:11). There is no “once saved, always saved” without continuing in the faith by laboring until the end.

The most repeated admonishment throughout the entire Bible is the warning against false gods and false prophets. The apostles repeatedly warned about false teachers who would enter their congregations and lead people astray.

Even so, the corruption of the gospel has never ceased since it began to be preached. The departure from sound doctrine continues to spawn innumerable strange doctrines, heresies, false churches, and cults. The Bible was also misappropriated to create Islam and the Quran.

The Apostle Paul prophesied that a day would arrive when churches would no longer tolerate sound doctrine. Instead, they would attract teachers who would lead them away from the truth to fables.

After calling the elders of the church of Ephesus to Miletus, Paul told them of his departure and that they would see him no more. At that time, he alerted them that after he was gone, grievous wolves would enter the church, not sparing the flock, and that even from among themselves some would arise speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them.

Similarly, Peter, Jude, and other followers of Jesus cautioned against the spread of falsehoods that could lead many away from the truth. Starting early on with some who today are considered church fathers, the heresies the apostles warned of became entrenched and have compounded over the centuries. They continue to shape modern Christian doctrines today.

Even now, many false prophets and teachers are leading large numbers of sincere, devoted followers into the bondage of religious traditions and falsehoods and away from a personal relationship with the Lord.

Innumerable writings of theologians and highly esteemed teachers over the years have sown seeds of heresy that have been accepted by those lacking knowledge; often, they go unquestioned.

It is important for every individual to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12-13). The restoration of the truth can only come from God, not from men. The only perfect teacher and source of perfect truth is the word of God taught by the Spirit of God. The Lord is the only one you can trust fully. No one minister, pastor, or teacher should be relied upon fully beyond what is clearly written.

One widely embraced falsehood in churches presently is justification by faith without the works of faith that follow. Jesus delivered and forgave sins, saying, “Go and sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.” He said that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. All things written in the Bible, when considered together as one truth, refute the doctrine that faith alone guarantees entrance into heaven without continuing in the works of faith to the very end.

Faith saves the soul and brings salvation; former trespasses are forgiven; believers are immediately gifted eternal life. It is the undeserved gift of God freely given that cannot be earned by works. Before the gift, faith in him is the only thing you can possess; you have nothing else.

However, once we believe and accept Christ, he is in us, and we are no longer helpless. We have received his power into our mortal bodies, and through faith, we can hold to his promises to produce works of righteousness; it is our responsibility to utilize the power invested in us.

Salvation is the beginning, the planting of the seed into our hearts. The journey from salvation to perfection involves labor—”six days shalt thou labor until rest on the seventh.”

Acceptance of Christ is not completion in Christ; it is his promise to complete the work of perfection he has begun in us if we continue and are not moved away from the hope. As it is written, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” Jesus commands all who wish to be his disciples to pick up the cross and follow him. That path always leads to Golgotha, even to our own death, whatever form that may take.

God is one, a plurality of His sevenfold Spirit (Isaiah 11:2), and there are different forms and means through which He has chosen to manifest Himself to the world. God created man from the earth, and He breathed his spirit into his nostrils, and man became a living soul. And God called his name Adam and placed him in the garden he had prepared for him to dress and maintain. And God created a helpmate for Adam, whom he named Eve (the mother of all living).

One commandment was given to Adam and his wife: do not eat the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. When they broke that commandment, they did not need to be told they were naked; they were conscious of it and were ashamed. Therefore, they hid themselves among the trees in the garden.

Likewise, when Cain slew his brother Abel, he knew he had done evil. When the Lord inquired about Abel’s whereabouts, Cain replied, “I know not. Am I my brother’s keeper?” He did not need to be told he had transgressed; he knew and therefore lied, attempting to hide his sin. This was before any law was given, bearing witness to an inherent law in the conscience.

God breathed the breath of life into Adam, and he became a living soul, placing in him a part of himself—a conscience, which became awakened to the knowledge of good and evil through sin. Man only became conscious of sin after transgression. It was then that their eyes were opened to their guilt—the transgression of the law written in the conscience. There was no written law at the time sin entered the world, or after, until the law was given to Moses. Until Moses, mankind was subject to conscience.

With the entrance of the law, six days of labor were instituted that would need to be fulfilled for the full redemption of mankind until rest from sin on the seventh day. Each day represents 1000 years granted to mankind to have charge over the affairs of this world until the 6000 years are complete. Then the Lord set up His Kingdom on the seventh day. And He will reign forever.

The hearts of men became hardened by habitual sin as the spirit of man prevailed over his conscience. Becoming increasingly detached from God, mankind eventually reached the point of being irredeemable. God repented that he had made man and determined that he would be forced to destroy all of humanity from off the face of the earth. However, Noah found grace and was spared along with his seven family members.

After the former world was destroyed, men began again to multiply and repopulate the earth. United as one people with one mind, they rebelled against God and determined to establish an earthly kingdom at Babel. In anger, the Lord confounded their language and scattered them around the world. Humanity was divided into many nations, languages, and kindreds, and they made their own gods and walked in their own ways.

Avram also found grace in the eyes of the Lord, and God separated him from his people and sent him beyond the Euphrates to make himself a people. Abvram believed God—even to the point that he was willing to sacrifice his own son, Isaac—and an everlasting covenant was given to him, and he was called the friend of God. God changed his name from Avram (exalted father) to Abraham (father of a multitude), placing a part of His name, Yah (Hebrew: יָהּ, Yāh), in Avram’s name. And he was given the promise of becoming a father of many nations to bring forth a holy people unto God.

Abraham became the father of the covenant of faith, and he was given the circumcision as a seal. This was the beginning of a new age—the first age being two millennial days (2000 years) from Adam to Abraham.

The second age, beginning with Abraham—a 2000-year period wherein righteousness was imputed by obedience to faith—was codified on the fourth millennial day (4000 years) with the death and resurrection of the promised Messiah. Two millennia from the Messiah remain to be fulfilled until the six days of the Lord’s work—6000 years foreshadowed in Genesis by the week—concludes with the seventh millennial day, the Sabbath.

Continued: Part 2:

In the Bible, there is a pattern we can find that begins when sin enters the world. Disobedience results in judgment; however, judgment is followed by a path to redemption through sacrifice. The Lord made the first sacrifice when he shed the blood of animals to clothe Adam and his wife. He would also make the last sacrifice offering his own body and blood, whereby he would clothe humanity in his righteousness.

When a given path of redemption is no longer obeyed, judgment is imposed—in some cases, it is without remedy—for the spirit of the Lord will not always strive with man.

After Jacob went to Egypt to dwell during the famine, the children of Israel strayed from the Lord and began worshiping the Egyptian gods, and they were placed under bondage for their sins.

Four hundred and thirty years later, God raised Moses and delivered them out of Egypt. In the wilderness, the written law was given to Israel because, beforehand, the conscience alone had proven to be too weak to produce obedience and was ineffective in achieving righteousness. Therefore, the Lord implemented a stronger means to free humanity from the yoke of sin by reinforcing the conscience with the written law, which included judgments for transgressions and sacrifices for redemption.

Moses was chosen to receive the law directly from God to strengthen the conscience and make it stronger. And he commanded the Children of Israel to write down the laws, keep them always before their eyes, and teach them to their children.

Thus, by writing down the law along with its penalties, sin was magnified, aiming to awaken the conscience and have a greater effect on the hardness of men’s hearts. However, in time, the written laws were habitually broken, and sacrifices became merely routine, leading to hearts becoming hardened to it as well. After being miraculously delivered out of Egypt, given the law in writing, and placed in their own land to be a separate and holy people, they again forsook the Lord and turned to the idols of Egypt and the other nations around them that they had failed to drive out as commanded.

As conscience alone failed to bring about righteousness, so also the written law, which followed afterward to convict the conscience, also failed to bring forth obedience because of the hardness of heart.

The nations again faced judgment, and in his wrath, God destroyed many great kings and nations. Eventually, He even destroyed his own people, Israel. And He caused them to be carried away captive out of their land, and scattered them among the nations.

Nonetheless, by the foreknowledge of God, provision was made for salvation greater than the conscience and the law, and having found David a man after his own heart, He promised him that through his seed He would send a Savior who would dwell within his people and deliver them from their sins.

This is he of whom Moses spoke: “I will raise up a prophet from among their brothers like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. And it will be that whoever will not listen to My words which he shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him.”

The prophet spoken of is Jesus Christ, of whom Moses was a foreshadowing. He is the perfection of grace and the finality of salvation, and there is no other name given whereby anyone can be saved. Upon his return, he shall reign in righteousness forever and ever.

Continued in Part 3:

Increasing in the knowledge of God humbles the soul, but increasing in the knowledge of the world tends to cause pride. And as worldly knowledge has grown, so has the resistance to God and greater depths of sin. However, as sin abounded, the grace of God abounded even more.

Nevertheless, the grace of God that is extended to humanity does not excuse sin. God will not abandon his righteous judgments, nor has the law changed; the wages of sin is death, but through Jesus Christ, humanity has been provided with a greater and more perfect means of salvation. However, with it comes greater accountability and greater punishment if the grace given is trampled underfoot. Grace is not to be taken as the freedom to live in unrighteousness. A man will reap what he sows.

Christ fulfilled the sacrifices and requirements of the law. His offering did not destroy the law; rather, it fulfilled it. By providing a greater and more perfect salvation, the law has more weight if it is broken. Where there is power given to overcome sin, there is also more responsibility and greater accountability should the power be neglected. Jesus taught that those who receive more must also give more.

The conscience of man failed to produce righteousness, so the law was given. But the law given in Sinai also failed to bring about righteousness due to disobedience. God responded to man’s failure with judgment. However, afterward, greater grace was given by promising a New Covenant. Speaking through the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord said,

“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, which my covenant they brake, although I was a husband unto them, saith the Lord: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (Jeremiah 31-34)

When the time came, the written law, originally inscribed on tablets of stone, was replaced by the law of the spirit that is engraved upon the heart. Through Jesus Christ, who is the Word of God, the soul is married together with God through the inner dwelling of the Holy Ghost. If we obey the Spirit, the Spirit living in us is the eternal law that brings forth perfect righteousness and eternal life through the blood and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Jesus did not do away with the law; it became of more force with the gift of the Spirit. Jesus said,

“Ye have heard that it was said by them of old, ‘Thou shalt not commit adultery.” But I say unto you, “Whoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.

God judges not just actions but also what is in the heart. He warned not to think that he came to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. Jesus said, “If thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.”

Followers of the Lord are commanded to be holy. His warning of eternal damnation is not negated by the entrance of grace if his commandments go unheeded. The wrath of God is expressed in increasingly severe terms and with much greater emphasis on eternal judgment for those who know the truth and turn away from it. Judgment begins at the house of God.

God never changes; He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He will never forsake his righteous judgment to accommodate sin. The Lord is the Defender of Eternity, making and keeping it holy forever. No unrighteousness shall enter.

The Bible warns of a great falling away, and many have indeed fallen from following the Lord. Some hold back from preaching judgment, repentance, or embracing the suffering of the cross. Desiring to be inclusive, they are tolerant of sin, lest they suffer the reproach of the cross. Damnation awaits them unless they repent and stand for the truth.

Works do not save; neither will doctrines of eternal security keep the souls of those who continue in sin. Faith saves the soul; obedience to the faith keeps it. Noah was saved by faith when he moved with fear and prepared an ark—an example for us of faith-driven works that saved him.

In their desire to be accepted by the world, many end up becoming the world. Compromising the word of God in the name of love is a failure to show love to those in bondage to sin.

By closing their eyes to sin, they lead others into the ditch—for if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into the ditch.

Christ remains true to His word; if we deny Him, He cannot deny Himself; He will deny us. Jesus is coming soon; his fan is in his hand, and he will separate the wheat from the chaff and the sheep from the goats. Judgment begins at His house. He is bringing his reward with him to give to each one according to their work. Wherefore, “Make ready the way of the Lord, make His paths straight!” for the time is at hand.

It is a common belief among some Bible believers that a third physical temple is to be rebuilt in Jerusalem before the day of the coming of the Lord and his judgment upon the earth. Through the efforts of the Temple Institute and the Temple Mount Faithful Movement, the funding, planning, and preparations for the restoration project are already in progress. Red heifers have been exported from Texas, and a rehearsal sacrifice has already been made. All things are currently being prepared, and the building is to begin as soon as circumstances make the construction possible. The goal is not only to rebuild the temple but also to reintroduce the priesthood and animal sacrifices for atonement so that the Levitical law may be reinstituted.

Some Christians support the rebuilding project, while some believe that the rebuilt temple is inside the physical body given to each of us, where the Lord desires to dwell; others hold both views of how the temple is rebuilt without contradiction, seeing the reintroduction of sacrifices as only a memorial to the cross and resurrection of Jesus, the perfect temple and sacrifice.

Whether the third temple is to be physically restored in Jerusalem or not before the return of Christ, any attempt to rebuild what the Lord destroyed and replaced with a more perfect way is an unacceptable sacrifice to God. The return to offering the blood of animals is an affront to God and an offense to the blood sacrifice offered by Jesus Christ—whom God sent and who gave himself as the perfect and final offering for sin, once and for all.

The temple and the laws of service given to Moses were merely representations of things to come. Christ, being the true image and not a shadow of things, fulfilled all the ordinances contained in the law and put them to rest by sacrificing himself. (Hebrews 9:26)

In prophesying the destruction of the temple forty years before, Jesus never said it would be rebuilt again in the same manner as a means of redemption. What he told the Jews was, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews replied to him, saying, “Forty-six years was this temple in building, and will you raise it up in three days?” But Jesus had spoken of the temple of his body, which was resurrected three days after dying on the cross and being buried. (John 2:19-21)

Speaking with the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus told her the time was coming when location would no longer be a hindrance in worship. Christ said, “God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

The Lord desires to dwell in the body of each individual and collectively in the body of all believers—both Jews and Gentiles alike—as one body. Anywhere God is worshiped is a holy place. If Christ is in you, the kingdom of God is in you; you are the temple of God.

The final chapter of Isaiah begins by saying, “Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the Lord: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog’s neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine’s blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations” (Isaiah 66:1-3).

The law of ordinances to be followed foreshadowed Christ. They offered a show of the will to worship the Lord until the perfect sacrifice was made. There is no power in the blood of the animal sacrifices to remove sin. It was the obedience of keeping the law, not the sacrifices themselves, that evidenced a redemptive faith whereby those who offered the sacrifices were found acceptable before the Lord.

The former sacrifices are now past, having been fulfilled to perfection by the offering up of the Son of God—foreshadowed in a figure by Abraham and Isaac. For by faith, Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son, and Isaac, as Christ, was willing to submit himself to being sacrificed.

In Christ, we are now free from the law of ordinances given to Moses. Both Jews and Gentiles, through faith, are now enjoined to offer up themselves as living sacrifices to do the will of God.

As prophesied by Malachi, “From the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same, my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the Lord of hosts.” (Malachi 1:11)

Thus, the former service of the temple in Jerusalem is fulfilled in Christ. Our bodies are to be yielded as a living temple, wherein is the candlestick of the Holy Spirit and the Bread of Life, which is the word of God. 

To the contrary, he who retains his life to serve himself rejects God; he sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. This is the spirit of antichrist, whoever he is, wherever he is. And as John stated, there are many antichrists in the world.

When Christ is in us, the spirit in us seeks His perfection. As Christ is in the Father and the Father is in him, we too are in the Father. We can approach the Father in Christ, who entered the Holiest of Holies, so that we are accepted by Him.

The Apostle John, speaking of the kingdom revealed to him, said, “And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it, for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. (Revelation 21:22–24)

If we understand that the things physically created reflect invisible axioms, we can comprehend spiritual things through the things we understand that are made. Thus, Jesus spoke in parables, using self-evident truths about worldly things we know to convey spiritual truths of things unseen.

Material things reflect the essence of the invisible things after which they have been patterned. With this in mind, along with supporting scriptures, it is expedient to address the prevalent false teachings of doctrine often referred to as “once saved, always saved” or, as it is referred to here, the doctrine of “once full, always full”—a doctrine that assures believers of maintenance-free eternal life once they accept Jesus Christ, regardless of anything they do or don’t do after they are saved—some going so far as to say that future sins are all forgiven before they are even committed or repented of.

The scriptures warn us that many false teachers and prophets will arise in the last days and deceive many. Despite the large number of those preaching the Bible, many do not preach the full gospel of mercy and judgment.

The great falling away that was prophesied beforehand is the result of doctrinal perversions taught as the gospel, of which many have become widely embraced over time. Many Christians became apostates without even realizing it by adopting watered-down doctrines.

One of the most harmful doctrines widely embraced is “once saved, always saved.” This doctrine is akin to the original message that led Eve to fall into temptation when the serpent told her, “Ye shall not surely die.” Notwithstanding, death followed the transgression from Adam until now.

The “once saved, always saved” message to many Christians means that even if they continue in habitual practices of sin, they may do so without fear of losing their salvation. Thus, the temptation to sin becomes greater by embracing the idea that even sin cannot separate them from God. Even if they prioritize sin over God when tempted, they carry the notion that because Christ died, they are guaranteed an eternal inheritance in heaven regardless of their disobedience.

The scripture that states nothing can separate us from the love of God is an assertion of dedication to those who overcome by faith rather than a promise to those who return to the sins of their past. The wages of sin is death. Sin kills the souls of all who serve it, of both the saved and unsaved.

It is also a false doctrine that those who forsake Christ were never really saved to begin with; many were at one time. Peter spoke of those who were saved but who later turn back to wallow in the mire of their old sins after they were washed clean—”But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.” (2 Peter 2:22).

On the other hand are those who fall into temptation and, afterwards, feel so hopeless that they drown in self-condemnation. Questioning if they ever were saved to begin with, they imagine themselves beyond any hope of redemption because they cannot seem to overcome sinful habits, no matter how many times they repent.

They may even try to receive Jesus into their heart repeatedly. Eventually, they lose hope, and they may wonder if perhaps they were predestined to hell before the world began. For those in such a case, the doctrine of “once saved, always saved” becomes a doctrine of “once damned, always damned.” Coming to believe that obedience to the Lord is impossible in their case, the temptation is to give up hope completely rather than seek deliverance, sanctification, and perfection.

Unbeknownst to those who profess it, the doctrine of “once saved, always saved” has laid snares and detoured many from the truth into the deception of sin.

Adam and Eve had life until they doubted that they would die if they disobeyed God; that is the essence of the eternal security doctrine. Being emboldened by the serpent’s words, Eve took the fruit and gave it to her husband also, and they began aging, even unto death.

God’s Creation is a physical expression given to us to see and understand the things that are invisible. We know that if we cease eating, we die. You can embrace a concept of eating once and always being full, but if you stop eating, you die.

You cannot taste of Christ once and maintain salvation any more than you can eat once and live, never eating again. To maintain your soul’s life, you must continue eating the Bread of Life daily, or you will die. Thus, Jesus prayed, “Give us this day our daily bread.” If you stop eating the bread that Jesus provides and go back to eating the leavened bread of sin, you will die. There is no “once full, always full” salvation. It is a doctrine that defies Christ and the picture in God’s creation. Jesus taught that those who continue to the end shall be saved.

If you stop eating, your body will become weaker, and your flesh will wither and die; regeneration will slow to a stop. Likewise, your soul must be nourished by seeking the heavenly manna. If you don’t continue consuming the word of God, you will experience starvation and will cease to grow in Christ—you’ll grow in your own ways until the old man of sin and death is revived. Jude spoke of those who are “twice dead,” plucked up by the roots. You can die, but you do not have to. We are to continually fill ourselves with the Word of God; otherwise, we will wither and die from spiritual anorexia. Say not, I am always full; hunger and thirst after righteousness, and you shall be filled.

Pure waters ascend from the melted snow atop the remote mountains. The further downstream it travels, the more the tributaries are consolidated into wide rivers that become increasingly dirty until they are emptied into the sea. In the same manner, doctrines passed from one generation to the next tend to gather pollutants.

Those who drink of the traditions of religion rather than from the source of the pure water risk swallowing the pollutants of religion rather than having a true relationship with God through His pure Word. The water that comes from God must be renewed from the source.

The Lord despises religions conceived by men; not all beliefs are equal, particularly when those who claim to hold the truth espouse fables in the name of God. The Lord knows His children, and His children know Him. They recognize His voice. They do not simply follow traditions and religious observances as a means of achieving righteousness.

Jesus said, “Man does not live by bread alone but by every word of God”—nothing added or omitted. The various false doctrines preached today are akin to the pot of stew put together by the sons of the prophets mentioned in 2 Kings 4:38-41 that contained death. Those who slack in seeking God wholeheartedly may fail to taste the falsehoods inherent in religious traditions and false doctrines that have found their way into the pot. Those brought up in well-established false doctrines often have a tendency to embrace them with a bias.

To remove harm from the pot, every word of God must be accepted; nothing can be refused. As Elisha cast meal into the pot and the harm was removed, we are to read the Bible ourselves and believe every word so that we may recognize the wild gourds that poison the stew today by opposing scripture. Even long-established doctrines are to be questioned in the face of contrary biblical evidence.

When every word of God is embraced, truth is restored, and souls are healed. Rome’s stranglehold was broken in part by the Reformation. However, it was rightly called a reformation, for it was not a full restoration of the True Gospel.

Christianity does not need reformation; it needs restoration. The word of God did not originate from Rome. Any attempt to reform the religion that came out from Rome will bring wild gourds with it. We must completely abandon all institutionalized religion and rely solely on the word of God.

Restoration of the source of faith is essential for knowing the Lord; this means returning to Abraham, the father of faith, and walking in the ways of his descendants who followed in his footsteps. We must look to Jerusalem, the city where God chose to place His name, not Rome.

Those who protested against Rome sought to reform the Church. They would have been better off cutting ties with Rome completely and returning to the faith of Jerusalem and the full Bible instead of trying to reform an inherently corrupt religion. Even now, many Christians still cling to traditions and embrace a reformation rather than a spiritual restoration.

Through reformations, Christianity created a multitude of denominations and divisions. Restoration of the word of God is the only road to revival. For restoration, believers must actively pursue truth and relinquish long-standing doctrinal errors and institutional bonds. The meal of God, the true bread of life, must be cast into the pot to destroy the harmful heresies.

The spring water of Jericho (the “city of palm trees”) was bitter and useless. When Elisha was told, he asked for a new vessel filled with salt; he then cast the salt into the spring and declared God’s healing. Then the waters were made sweet and life-giving; from that day forward, there was no more death or barrenness. The miracle points to God’s power to transform bitter waters through His word, using a new vessel full of salt. Be renewed and have salt within yourself.

Unbiblical teachings and traditions that have been handed down and accepted through old vessels for generations must be replaced with new ones to bring in fullness. Pray earnestly for a complete restoration of the true gospel as it was first received by the saints so that revival may come to the body of Christ and spread the words of salvation throughout the world.

All the material things that were created are temporal. They were created on the foundation of invisible things that are the true and eternal. The proclamation saying, “Let there be light,” is Jesus Christ, who is the Word of God; he is the beginning of the creation. He proceeded from the mouth of God in the words “Let there be Light,” and creation commenced—for the absence of knowledge is darkness, and the revelation of knowledge is light. And God divided the Light from the Darkness, and said it was good, thus separating knowledge from ignorance and truth from lies.

It was the desire of God to share the fullness of knowledge, which, before time, was exclusive to Him alone. Therefore, to make known the unknowns, physical counterparts of spiritual things were designed and made that could be seen, heard, felt, and comprehended. In this manner, the knowledge of invisible things is made manifest through material things—not only that all things might become evident and clearly understood by the things that are, but also that all things might be tried and proven for the eternal purpose of perfecting the work of God. Thus, upon his command, “Let there be Light,” creation immediately commenced, and invisible knowledge took on material forms, manifesting itself in creation.

And not only did God create all things materially as similitudes of the invisible, but He also set creation in motion, creating illustrations and narratives expressing eternal axioms. And he chose prophets whom he sent to bear witness to the Truth and to prepare the way of the Lord.

When Jesus spoke, he spoke in parables, for it is written that without a parable, he did not speak. Using the material things he created, he brought to light the invisible things they were patterned after.

Currently, many misconceptions about scripture arise from the failure to embrace every word. To understand the New Testament rightly, it is necessary to know the things written beforehand by the holy men of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit. These holy men were given shadows of the things to come to pass on to those who would follow, so that when they came to pass, they would be recognized and confirmed.

The writings of the Bible after Christ are essential for opening up the understanding of the things written beforehand concerning the birth of Messiah. The letters of the Apostles reveal the mysteries of those things written before. Jesus said, “Therefore, every scribe who is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a householder, who bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.” Both the New and the Old Testaments are necessary for a complete Bible.

Declaring all the things written before Christ as being fulfilled and superseded by the things written later by the Apostles is akin to locking the door of the treasure house, thus sealing off access to the riches in the various rooms that the Lord has provided as an inheritance for His children.

The door to the knowledge of salvation, promised by the giving of a new New Covenant, is unlocked by the words and works of the prophets and then revealed by those who came after—Jewish followers of Christ who first preached the Gospel, starting in Jerusalem and then to the nations—for “Salvation is of the Jews.”

The Bible is one book; both testaments are equally important and incomplete without each other. They are not to be separated. Jesus did not come to destroy the law or the prophets but to fulfill the things that were written. We are a continuation of the fulfillment, and all things foretold shall shortly be completed. Heaven and earth will pass away, but the word of the Lord will endure forever.

It was foretold that in the latter days false prophets and teachers would rise to prominence and deceive many, corrupting the faith that was delivered to the saints through Jesus Christ. Even in the time of the Apostles, wolves were entering the church posing as brothers. These depraved men exhibited a form of godliness, having an outward appearance of righteousness and exalting themselves as men of God while gathering followers to themselves for personal ambitions.

In 2nd Peter 2, Peter exposes false teachers who were redeemed by Christ and washed in his blood but afterward turned from the holy vocation given them to pursue personal interests by exploiting others.

Exposing these men as deceivers, Peter recalls the false prophets in Israel, warning that there would likewise be false brothers in the church who would subtly bring in damnable heresies to draw others after them.

He writes that it had been better for them to have never known the truth than to return to their old ways after being cleansed from their sins by the blood of Christ.

“After they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein and overcome; the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than, after they had known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it happened unto them according to the true proverb: “The dog is turned to his own vomit again, and the sow that was washed, to her wallowing in the mire.” (2 Peter 2:22).

Likewise, Jude devoted his epistle to addressing the same infiltrators who turned back from the LORD while mingling among the congregation to feed themselves. Using similar language as Peter, Jude describes them as ungodly men who turn the grace of God into lasciviousness, preaching doctrines of grace while walking after their lusts and enticing others to take part with them in their sins.

“These are they who separate themselves.” God did not fail or forsake them; they separated themselves from God, hardening their hearts to indulge in their lusts.

After providing them with a period of grace for repentance, He eventually abandoned those who would not hear and turned them over to the lust of their flesh after long refusal of His calling. Thus, it happened to them even as God warned, “My spirit will not always strive with man.”

Jude brings to remembrance examples of those who were at one time chosen to serve the LORD but were later destroyed after refusing His call.

“I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. Likewise, the angels who left their own habitation, he has reserved in everlasting chains of darkness unto the judgment of the great day.” (Jude).

Jude referred to them as being “twice dead, plucked up by the roots.” They became reprobate and could not be restored.

Today, there are centuries of false doctrines and heresies that have been passed down and adopted into church doctrines. The result is the splintering of congregants into countless denominations, offshoots, and even cults that identify as Christians but reject or twist the teachings of scripture.

Each group naturally imagines its beliefs are correct. Thus, the great falling away foretold is not only those who abandon a Christian identity but also the apostate condition of individuals who accept the corruptions present in their specific version of so-called Christianity.

Elisha followed Elijah, desiring to inherit his mantle and a double portion of the Spirit; he refused to abide in a place of contentment among the sons of the prophets. He continued following Elijah, who, unlike the sons of the prophets, was a prophet. Like Elijah, Elisha desired more than a casual relationship with God that had been handed down through the teachings and traditions of men. Elisha desired a relationship with God directly that was more than a social bond of traditions passed around among others.

“The word of the Lord that came to Joel the son of Pethuel. Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land. Hath this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers? Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation.” (Joel 1:1-3)

Joel began his writing by urging the preservation and transmission of his words until their fulfillment in the latter days. The next time Joel is mentioned in scripture is on the day of Pentecost, when Peter, expounding on the outpouring of the Holy Ghost that day, declares, “This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel.”

Thus, Peter announced the commencement of Joel’s prophecy, which continues until the day of the Lord. However, as the Apostles warned repeatedly, after their departure, many wolves would enter in, not sparing the flock. Taking upon themselves the name of Christ, they would teach things contrary to the truth of the gospel, and with good words and fair speeches, they would deceive the hearts of the simple.

Joel foretold of the time when people would abandon sound doctrine for false teachers and self-appointed leaders who would arise as shepherds over the flock. Like a pestilence, they would devour the truth out of the Gospel. Prophesying of these men, Joel declared, “That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpillar eaten.” (Joel 1:4)

Spreading throughout the land into small and large congregations, like locusts, false teachers devour the living word, making truth scarce. The sheep perish for lack of food and water. As it is written, “How do the beasts groan! The herds of cattle are perplexed because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate. O Lord, to thee will I cry: for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field. The beasts of the field cry also unto thee: for the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness.” (Joel 1:18-20)

The current state of religious leadership is characterized by many adherents who embrace a wide range of diverse and conflicting doctrines, each believing that any doctrinal conflict with other believers reflects the failure of those others.

Thus, religion is corrupted, the truth suffers, scoffers mock, and the responsibility for the collapse of morality and culture rests upon those who come in the name of the Lord, presenting themselves as his ministers. As the Apostle Paul stated, “Such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore, it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works.” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15)

Therefore, the latter rain is cut off, and there is enormous wrath. Still, the Lord calls for repentance, saying, “Turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.” (Joel 2:12-13)

“Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, “Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God? Then will the Lord be jealous for his land, and pity his people.” (Joel 2:16-18)

And the Lord will send his great army preaching the true gospel: “And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you” (Joel 2:25).

The Lord has determined to raise His army to restore His truth to the world. He has returned Jacob’s children to their land as He promised and will cleanse them; they will return to Him, as it is written.

“For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.” – Ezekiel 36:24-27

And in these days, the nations will gather themselves and unite against his people, but they shall be destroyed without remedy, for the end of all things regarding this present world is at hand. And all things written shall shortly be accomplished. Thus is the prophecy of Joel.

Although there are countless religions and belief systems, there is one God, one truth, and one true faith, one Creator of all, who is above all. Since not all who take the name of God as part of their identity are united under the same belief, it is evidence of the vast number of deviations from the oneness of God in the world.

The miracles, signs, dreams, and visions spoken of throughout the Bible, which also later appeared in the followers of the Lord Jesus Christ after his resurrection, evidenced the authority given to them by God to be His witnesses to the world. They were united and of one mind, diligently searching the scriptures daily to confirm everything written before by the prophets.

Over time, divisions over doctrine brought about the splintering of believers into various groups and sects with conflicting beliefs, a development that has continued to take place ever since. Thus, there are many misconceptions surrounding the character of Christianity, both in and outside of the church.

The doctrinal divisions that have evolved and increased over time among churches have made adherents competitors rather than fellow workers in the faith. Much like commercial businesses competing for their share of the pie, many churches resort to marketing methods and business models of men’s cunning to grow and maintain their congregations; often, more weight is placed on doctrinal teachings and traditions than on the eternal word of God.

Like grocery stores of theologies that sell doctrines, modern teachers remove old items that are no longer selling well and replace them with new products they believe the current culture today will buy. Investing heavily in ad campaigns disguised as the gospel, they present social constructs of self-righteous dogma, attempting to integrate the gospel into modern culture. Nonbelievers can see through their facades and find it off-putting. Thus, they are a stumbling block rather than a light to the path, and society is becoming increasingly secular because of their display.

Christ intends his church to be a salvational movement, but many have turned him into a social movement. Their objective is to grow religion rather than to preach the gospel—to make faith acceptable to the world rather than to bring the world to an acceptable place before Christ. They forsake holiness for social coexistence.

Therefore, the power presented in the scriptures is denied to them. In response, some declare God has ceased his miraculous works of old and suspended the outpouring of His power evident in past ages. Others turn to the fabrication of “miracles” to substitute for being denied the true power of God. Thus, they turn people from the faith by professing to know God but not providing a witness to the power of God.

The apostles warned that the time would come when many would no longer endure sound doctrine but would heap to themselves teachers that would speak the things they desire to hear. Even in reading these verses, they apply them to others and remain blind to the errors of their ways; therefore, the apostasy is great.

Even as religious Jews are blind to their falsehoods and Muslims to their delusions, many Christians, despite rightly declaring Christ as Messiah, are blind to their doctrinal fallacies. All religions are certain of their faith, but it cannot be that they are all right. Jesus said the greatest darkness occurs when the light within is actually darkness—when one believes that he sees while being blind.

Still, the great darkness upon the world is not absolute. There are some whose faith and hope are in the Word of God alone and not in vain traditions of the past or modern teachings of man-made religion.

Joel prophesied of the corruption of God’s word followed by a restoration in the latter days. He declared there would come false teachers who would feed upon the greenness of God’s teachings and devour the truth to feed themselves, each one consuming those things most desirable to their taste and leaving the things they judge to be unsavory, as it is written,

“That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpillar eaten.”

Joel foretold of the days when the Spirit would be cut off from those who corrupt the word of the Lord, saying, “Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth.” He laments the destruction by an army that comes, perverting the word of God and laying waste to his harvest.

The true ministers of God mourn: “He has laid my vine waste and barked my fig tree: he has made it clean bare and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white. Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth. The meat offering and the drink offering are cut off from the house of the Lord; the priests, the Lord’s ministers, mourn. The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth.”

Rebuking the pastors and husbandmen over his people and laying the responsibility on them for the souls they stumbled by their ill stewardship, the Lord said, “Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vine-dressers, for the wheat and for the barley, because the harvest of the field is perished.”

The Lord decries the spiritual state of humanity and his people resulting from the failure of leaders to maintain sound doctrine: “The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men.” And then Joel is given a prophecy of restoration.

Seeing how today there are many accusations leveled against the Apostle Paul, it is good to look back over the scriptures and remove all doubt concerning him being called by the Lord. In Paul’s letters to the churches, it is clear that even in his day he had many detractors with whom he was in constant conflict. False teachers and false brothers had entered the church feigning to be wise men, who were in reality came seeking their own gain. Peter himself testified of these men, stating that many things Paul had written were difficult to understand, and there were some who twisted things Paul had written, and as well, other scriptures to their own destruction.

From the beginning of the time the gospel was first preached, the practice of self-serving heresies has never ceased, it continues even today and has become more common with the increasing emphasis on the Jewish roots of Christianity.

While it is certainly a good thing that many Christians today are awakening to the Jewish roots of the faith and shaking off the remaining shackles of Roman doctrines to place Christianity in its original Jewish context, there are some who desire to go a step further by putting back on the old broken shackles of righteousness through works under the Mosaic law.

To do this, it has become necessary to either misinterpret Paul—which is more common—or to dismiss Paul altogether and declare him a false teacher who should not be in the Bible. It is clear that many of the very same distortions of the scriptures—which Paul himself addressed in his letters—are espoused today to support the belief that we are still subject to the Mosaic law.

Specifically, the epistle to the Galatians seems as relevant today as it was at the time when Paul wrote, “Tell me, you who desire to live under the law, do you not read the law?” (Galatians 4:21)

Paul was called by God to teach the transition from works to grace—God having given Paul a greater understanding than all of the other apostles through an abundance of revelations—for which reason, Paul was sometimes compelled to declare his credentials as an apostle and say things he otherwise would not: “I speak as a fool,” Paul says, feeling the need to boast of himself out of necessity to defend the position God had placed him in.

Seeing how the same contention continues, it is therefore necessary that the same boasting be carried out on Paul’s behalf to defend not only Paul and his teachings, but the very saving grace of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

To begin with, Paul’s calling was not by man but by a direct personal encounter with Christ himself on the road to Damascus. His testimony is even strengthened further by the witness of Luke who tells how Ananias was sent to Paul by the Lord, who said to him, “Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel; for I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.” Acts 9:15-16

The Lord’s directive to Ananias is Paul’s first endorsement. Furthermore, if you remove Paul from the scriptures, who wrote the most books in the New Testament, you must dismiss Luke, who wrote the largest volume of words that includes the book of Acts a gospel. Luke was with Paul, seemingly to the end. He recorded the miracles done at the hands of Paul, including healings and the raising of the dead. Peter also, in his second epistle, bears testimony to the wisdom given to Paul by the Lord.

Paul was instructed as a Pharisee and trained in the law. He knew the Torah and the writings of the prophets better than all of the other disciples before him, most of whom were called from being fishermen and more common men. Once Paul was saved, having the advantage of his prior knowledge of the law, God used his knowledge to open up a deeper and wider understanding of the law and of Christ. So much so, God allowed him to be afflicted, lest he become puffed up by the multitude of revelations delivered to him. For this, he sought the Lord three times, who said, “My grace is sufficient for thee,” and he accepted the burden the Lord placed upon him.

Anyone who can truly grasp even a part of the depths of Paul’s writings knows that his words are God-given. His understanding of spiritual things is deep, and his prophetic revelations of the future are so accurate and revealing that all his writings are beyond anything the carnal mind could devise and assemble.

In Chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians, Paul captures the very heart of God—as much as is possible with words—and the essence of the Word of God and the fullness of the Spirit. It is one of the most powerful works of literature ever written.

Anyone who distorts or rejects Paul’s teachings, even if they proclaim the name of Jesus, does not truly comprehend the Lord in spirit and truth; they are embracing a religion of self-righteousness rather than the saving grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

As great as all the Apostles of Christ are and deserving of all honor, it was Paul who was chosen by God to make those things written before by the prophets known more perfectly by bringing providing a better understanding of the mysteries of God and of his plan for salvation, past, present, and future. Anyone who rejects Paul to embrace the ordinances of works in the first covenant—fulfilled for us by Jesus—is sacrificing grace to place themselves back under the bondage of the law. Only by faith in Christ are we justified, and not by the keeping of the ordinances in the law given to Moses that Christ fulfilled.

The countless number of religions and divisions within them in the world are a reflection of the endless possibilities of deviation away from God that can be imagined. Still, there is only one God who is over all and above all, and the only way to know Him is by Him.

Therefore, the Lord, knowing the hearts of all men, chose from among them those whom he would use to reveal himself to the world. And as light excels darkness, so the word given to them by the Holy Ghost is greater than all the false doctrines and beliefs that exist.

The power of God—evidenced by miracles, signs, dreams, and visions in the days of the prophets—was manifest through His people that in due time would be made available for all men. Jeremiah foretold of a time to come when God would make a New Covenant, not written on tables of stone: “But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (Jeremiah 31:32-33).

Jeremiah’s prophecy was fulfilled by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who, when he ascended on high, led captivity captive and gave gifts to men.

As prophesied by Joel, those gifts were poured out by the Holy Spirit upon the followers of Jesus who were gathered in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost—and they remained in one accord, being of the same mind and spirit, searching the scriptures daily to confirm all things that were written.

Now, however, the modern era of technology and mass communication has brought with it the mass commercialization of all things, including religion. Like the money changers in the temple, many teachers of faith have adopted business models of advertising to compete in the marketplace of doctrines to grow their following.

Employing marketing techniques to grow and maintain large congregations, purveyors of false teachings give more weight to the enlargement of congregations than to the word of God. Cleaving to the doctrines of men—seminary instructions, religious traditions, and the writings of high-profile figures of antiquity—they depart from the true faith, ignoring the express word of God written in the scriptures.

Removing the older items from the shelf that are no longer selling well, they replace them with newer products that they believe today’s culture will buy. They have become little more than grocery stores of theology catering to the demands of shoppers.

Stripping the Bible of its hard sayings, false disciples speak smooth words that scratch itching ears. Investing heavily in advertisements and commercials disguised as the gospel, they present a form of godliness that lacks the power of God.

They do not know the way of the Spirit. They are unlike the wind Jesus spoke of to Nicodemus. They trust in their own wisdom, follow their own spirit, and imitate God. Therefore, the power present in the Apostles and the earlier followers of Jesus is denied them.

Responding to the obvious lack of spiritual fruit, some teach that God has ceased his miraculous works, saying that the former outpouring of the Spirit is a thing of the past. Others fabricate ‘miracles’ to substitute for being denied the true power of God.

Thus, the sum of those professing Christ today cannot give witness to the power of God evident in the early church in Jerusalem, and many are alienated from the faith. Even so, there remain those like there were in Sardis, of whom the Lord said, “Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy.”

The apostles warned that the time would come when people would no longer endure sound doctrine but would heap to themselves many teachers. Even reading these verses, many are blind to the errors of their faith. Like the followers of Judaism are blind to its falsehoods and like Muslims are blind to their fabrications, so also among those who proclaim Christ—while rightly acknowledging him as Messiah and Savior—many are blind to the fallacies being embraced among an overwhelming number of practitioners of the faith.

The proliferation of confusion in the world today is a witness against the false teachings. Wherever there is an absence of truth, a void exists for every lie to fill. The greatest darkness is when the light in you is darkness, but you still believe that you see.

The great apostasy prophesied to come upon the world has come, but it is not absolute. There remain some whose faith and hope are like those who were in Sardis; they place all their trust in God alone. They are not persuaded or led astray by entrenched religious traditions or modern inventions of men. They will spread the light, and many who see will come to it. The body of Christ will come together throughout the world as in the “Valley of Dry Bones”—a great army. They will live—”He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken,” not one of them is lost.

In the letters of the Apostle Paul to the churches, he speaks of the many detractors with whom he was in constant conflict and was directed toward refuting accusations and false doctrines that had crept into the church. Peter acknowledged Paul’s writings, adding that they were hard to understand. However, he affirmed that Paul’s teachings were according to the wisdom the Lord had given him and added that those who twisted his words were doing so to their own destruction.

Even in their early years of Christianity, wolves in sheep’s clothing had entered into the churches to feed on the flock. The same self-serving manipulation tactics that the perpetrators used to gain power over their followers have continued ever since.

Today, the number of those teaching falsehoods—attempting to bring believers back under a law of works—has increased as the awareness of the Jewish roots of Christianity has become emphasized.

While it is certainly a good thing that many Christians today are awakening to the Jewish roots of the Christian faith and shaking off the remaining shackles of Roman doctrines, some desire to go a step further by putting back on the old shackles of the law that were broken by the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ; this is the essence of Paul’s letter of reproof to the Galatians.

Those who desire to be under the law reinforce their theology by pointing out that Jesus kept the law, as did his disciples afterward—and indeed it was so. However, Christ had to keep the law to perfection for the salvation of all. Jesus obeyed the written law of ordinances to free us in order to walk by the Spirit.

Nonetheless, the understanding of freedom from the law was not fully revealed at the time, and there were contentions. A more perfect understanding of the work Jesus had wrought on the cross would develop over time. This is what the Lord called and set Paul apart for. The Lord made Paul the most controversial apostle of his day by bringing clarity to the cross.

Paul was raised as a Pharisee; being more well-versed in the scriptures than the other disciples, he was chosen by God and separated so that the revelation of knowledge concerning Christ might be known.

However, even being free from the law of ordinances, Paul became all things to all men that he might save some. He would not allow his liberty from the law to become a stumbling block to those still clinging to the law. Therefore, Paul says, “Unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law.”

Rather than becoming entangled in doctrinal confrontations, Paul conformed with the customs of his brothers in the flesh who were Jews so that he would not be hindered in preaching Christ and him crucified, the Power of God unto salvation. Paul put the salvation of others and the perfecting of the faith after salvation above all things.

Contentions over keeping the law continue. This is in part because the law is often misunderstood. The Word of God states the law is fulfilled in one word—“love.”

The law given to Moses can be broken down into various parts. First, there are moral laws. Moral laws existed before they were first written in the Ten Commandments. After the Ten Commandments were given, statutes and precepts were added for more clarity and to establish principles that expounded on the law. There were also commandments given to project shadows of spiritual things and of things to come. And there were laws of redemption for transgressions against the law.

The moral law is invisible and eternal. The sacrifices, the laws of redemption, and the shadows of portrayal in the law handed down through Moses were for the time then present; later, they were nailed to the cross with Christ.

The shadows of things fulfilled by Christ and the shadows of things yet to be fulfilled with his return were given as typologies; they are temporal. Christ fulfilled all the laws of redemption, and with the fulfillment, the shadows are done away with.

The Lord chose Paul to reveal more perfectly the transition from the works required under the law to grace. Through an abundance of revelations, the Lord gave Paul a greater understanding of grace than the others before him. Nevertheless, the eternal invisible Law that was before the written law given in the wilderness never changes—the soul that sins shall surely die. Cain knew he sinned before murder was written into the law.

There is redemption and forgiveness through the Blood of Jesus. Nonetheless, when we are delivered from sin, we are no longer to continue in the sins of the past. Jesus commanded, “Go and sin no more lest a worse thing come unto thee.”

“But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. For if I build again the things that I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.” (Galatians 2:17-19). Walk in the spirit, and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh.