Bible Studies - Prophecy

Preaching Another Jesus, Receiving Another Spirit, Accepting Another Gospel

All Bible texts are from the King James Version.
You will also find a few quotes by Ellen White.
To find out about her and why we quote her writings click on the file E. G. White
in the main menu on our home page. A link to the home page is at the top of this file.

"But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him." 2 Corinthians 11:3, 4.

What does it mean to preach another Jesus? Receive another spirit? Or accept another gospel? It means to preach about someone named Jesus as the saviour of mankind, instead of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the Son of God, the Second Person of the Godhead, according to all that is written in God’s Holy Word, the K.J.V. Bible ( Which Is The Real Word Of God? (242KB)). If we accept another Jesus it goes to follow that we will receive another spirit other than the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Godhead, because the Holy Spirit is only bestowed upon those who accept the Jesus Christ of the Bible, as their personal Saviour. To accept another gospel means to accept for doctrine and practice things that are not fully supported by the whole Word of God as the way of salvation through Jesus.

Paul tells us that if someone "cometh preaching another Jesus" we are to "bear with him.". The word ‘bear’ here means "to hold oneself up against" according to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. So if someone comes preaching things not according to the Bible we are to reject them and their doctrine, for "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." Matthew 6:24.

If we are to reject false doctrines, we must first know the true. If we are not sure, how can we find out?

"To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." Isaiah 8:20

"Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him." John 7:16 - 18.

Most people who claim to be a Christian would agree up to this point. But how many people realise that this could be said about anyone who believes in the following doctrines/beliefs that they have accepted another Jesus, received another spirit or accepted another gospel? The list below is not a comprehensive list:-

Sunday Sacredness/Worship

Purgatory or that the dead go straight to heaven or hell.

Veneration of Images.

Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.

Easter is a celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Sacredness of the cross or crucifix.

The use of Candles in worship.

Infant Baptism.

A Mediator between God and man other that Jesus Christ.

Women Ministers.

False talking in tongues.

Unity (not in doctrine) or ecumenicalism.

The Atonement was finished at the cross.

The Catholic Church was the original Christian Church.

Let us have a look at these doctrines/beliefs one at a time and see what the Word of God, the K.J.V. Bible has to say about them.

1. SUNDAY SACREDNESS/WORSHIP

"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it." Exodus 20:8 - 11.

In Matthew 12:8 Jesus Christ Himself said "For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day." What day was He talking about? If we read the start of this chapter, verses 1 - 7, we will see it was the 7th day of the week, the same day that is spoken of in Exodus above, and the same day the Jews still keep as the Sabbath, the day we call Saturday.

"And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath." Mark 2:27 & 28.

Here we read that the Sabbath was made for man, but which man?

"And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made." Genesis 2:2, 3.

According to this quote after God made everything, including Adam and Eve, He made the Sabbath. So combining these two texts together we see that the Sabbath was made for Adam.

"And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you.
Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.
Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.
It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed." Exodus 31:12 - 17.

Yes, this last quote was for the children of Israel, but Christians today are to be ‘spiritual Israel’.

"For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God." Romans 2:28, 29.

If we are not ‘spiritual Israel’, than we must be pagan for either we love God and follow Him as did Israel (Jacob), or we hate Him. (Matthew 6:24) Also, Jesus expected His followers to be still keeping the Sabbath after well His death, at the destruction of Jerusalem.

"But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:" Matthew 24:20.

In Revelation, John speaks of the saints keeping the Commandments right to the end of time.

"Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." Revelation 14:12.

"Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." Revelation 22:14.

Isaiah tells us that we will even keep the Lord’s Sabbath in heaven.

"For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.
And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD." Isaiah 66:22, 23.

Some people may say that they worship on Sunday as a commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus, but did you know that there is a service that the Bible gives for the commemoration of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ?

"Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:" Romans 6:3 - 5.

So if Jesus Christ is Lord of the 7th day Sabbath, made for man at creation, then why do so many people believe that Sunday is the Sabbath?

"Q. Which is the Sabbath day?
A. Saturday is the Sabbath day.

Q. Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday?
A. We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday."
The Convert’s Catechism of Catholic Doctrine by Peter Geiermann page 50.

"Q. Have you any other way of proving that the Church has power to institute festivals or precepts?
A. Has she not such power, she could not have done that in which all modern religionists agree with her; - she could not have substituted the observance of Sunday the first day of the week, for the observance of Saturday the seventh day, a change for which there is no Scriptural authority."
A Doctrinal Catechism by Stephen Keenan page 174.

"Q. What does the word ‘Sabbath’ mean?
A. It means the day of rest.

Q. When did the Sabbath begin to be kept?
A. From the very creation of the world; for then God blessed the seventh day, and rested on it from all His work. - Gen ii. 2, 3.

Q. When was this commandment renewed?
A. In the Old Law, when God gave the commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai, written with His own finger on two tables of stone. - Exodus xx.

Q. Why was the Jewish Sabbath changed into the Sunday?
A. Because Christ was born on a Sunday, arose from the dead on Sunday, and sent down the Holy Ghost on a Sunday - works not inferior to the creation of the world.

Q. By whom was it changed?
A. By the Governors of the Church, the Apostles, who also kept it, for St. John was in the spirit on the Lord’s day (which was Sunday) - Apoc I 10.

Q. How do you prove that the Church has power to command Feasts and Holy-days?
A. By the very act of changing the Sabbath into the Sunday, which is admitted by Protestants, and therefore they contradict themselves by keeping Sunday so strictly, and breaking most other Feasts commanded by the same Church.

Q. How do you prove that?
A. Because by keeping Sunday they acknowledge the power of the Church to ordain Feasts and to command them under sin, and by not keeping the remainder, equally commanded by her, they deny in fact the same power."

Manual of Christian Doctrine: or Catholic Belief and Practice by Daniel Ferris pages 67, 68.

So the Roman Catholic Church changed the Sabbath from Saturday the seventh day of the week, to Sunday the first day of the week, but does God change?

"For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed." Malachi 3:16

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." James 1:17.

"For the LORD is our defence; and the Holy One of Israel is our king. . . . My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips." Psalm 89:18, 34.

God spoke the Ten Commandments to the children of Israel at Mount Sinai (Exodus 20), so they can never be altered. What about the texts that seem to say that Christians are not obligated to keep the Jewish sabbaths, such as:

"Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: " Colossians 2:16

"But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years." Galatians 4:9, 10.

"One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind." Romans 14:5

With the first text, if we read the very next text (Colossians 2:17 "Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.") it is plain to see that the ‘sabbath days’ referred to here are the ceremonial holy days or sabbaths. These were to do with the sanctuary services which were to cease at the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, as this is what all these services pointed towards. The same can be said of Galatians 4:9, 10.

Romans 14:5 seems to be saying that every day is alike, but take a look at the very next text. "He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks." Romans 14:6.

For more information about God’s Sabbath, click on the links below:-

2. PURGATORY OR THAT THE DEAD GO
STRAIGHT TO HEAVEN OR HELL.

A quick look at these two doctrines may have one asking what they have in common as they are vastly different. But to believe in either one of them you must believe that you never really die, but live forever. What was the lie that the Satan through the serpent told Eve?

"And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:" Genesis 3:4

But what does God say?

"But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." Genesis 2:17.

"The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him." Ezekiel 18:20.

What does the Bible tell us happens at death?

"In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." Genesis 3:19

"His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish." Psalm 146:4

"But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?
As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up:
So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep. . . .
His sons come to honour, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them." Job 14: 10 - 12, 21.

"For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.
Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.
Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works. . .
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest." Ecclesiastes 9:5 - 7, 10.

"Return, O LORD, deliver my soul: oh save me for thy mercies' sake. For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?" Psalm 6:4, 5.

"Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. . . .
For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand," Acts 2:29, 34.

So when we die our body goes back to dust from where it first came, and our breath goes back to God from where it came (Genesis 2:7). This being the case, when will the righteous dead go to heaven?

"But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." 1 Thessalonians 4:13 - 17.

"Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." 1 Corinthians 15:50 - 53.

"Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years." Revelation 20:6.

The righteous dead come up from the grave in the first resurrection at Jesus Christ’s second coming, when the righteous living join them in the air and they all go to heaven. This refers to the first death and resurrection. So, what is the second resurrection and death for?

"And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, . . .
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." Revelation 20:7, 12 - 15.

When the righteous have been in heaven with Jesus Christ for 1,000 years then the wicked are raised from the dead to receive punishment for their works. This punishment is known as the lake of fire into which death and hell are also cast. What will this punishment be like?

"Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: . . . And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal." Matthew 25:41, 46.

"Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;" 2 Thessalonians 1:9.

"The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name." Revelation 14:10, 11.

Upon reading these texts one might assume that the wicked will burn for eternity. But, Sodom and Gomorrah suffered eternal fire (Jude 7), and are they still burning? No. They burned until all was consumed and nothing was left but a pile of ashes. Does the Bible say anything like this about the lake of fire?

"For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.. . .
And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts." Malachi 4:1 & 3.

"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea." Revelation 21:1

This last text comes immediately after John talks of the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15). So if the Bible doesn’t support purgatory where does it come from?

"The doctrine of purgatory is purely Pagan, and cannot for a moment stand in the light of Scripture. For those who die in Christ no purgatory is, or can be, needed; for ‘the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanseth from ALL sin.’[1 John 1:7] If this is true, where can there be the need for any other cleansing? On the other hand, for those who die without personal union to Christ, and consequently unwashed, unjustified, unsaved, there can be no other cleansing; for, while ‘he that has the Son hath life, he that hath not the Son hath not life,’[1 John 5:12] and never can have it. Search the Scriptures through, and it will be found that, in regard to all who ‘die in their sins,’ the decree of God is irreversible: ‘Let him that is unjust be unjust still, and let him that is filthy be filthy still.’[Revelation 22:11] Thus the whole doctrine of purgatory is a system of pure bare-faced Pagan imposture, dishonouring to God, deluding men who live in sin with the hope of atoning for it after death, and cheating them at once out of their property and their salvation."
The Two Babylons by Rev. Alexander Hislop page 169.

Related studies:-

3. VENERATION OF IMAGES

"An essential difference exists between idolatry and the veneration of images practised in the Catholic Church, viz., that while the idolater credits the image he reverences with Divinity or Divine powers, the Catholic knows "that in images there is no divinity or virtue on account of which they are to be worshipped, that no petitions can be addressed to them, and that no trust is to be placed in them. . . that the honour which is given to them is referred to the objects (prototype) which they represent, so that through the images which we kiss, and before which we uncover our heads and kneel, we adore Christ and venerate the Saints whose likenesses they are" (Conc. find., Sess. XXV, ‘de invocatione Sanctorum’)." Catholic Encyclopedia 1913, article on Idols.

But is there really a difference. Heathen tribes that use idols in the worship of demon-gods do not believe that the idol itself is a god, but are only a representative of the demon-god they worship. What do the words ‘venerate’, ‘image’ and ‘idol’ mean? The Oxford Dictionary tells us that ‘venerate - regard with respect and reverence; consider as exalted or sacred.’; ‘image - imitation of object’s external form, e.g. statue esp. as object of worship...’; and ‘idol - image as object of worship; false god; object of excessive devotion.’ So to venerate an image means to make it an idol.

Let us take a look as what the Bible says about idols.

"For they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God;" 1 Thessalonians 1:9.

"Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God." Leviticus 26:1.

"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments." Exodus 20:4 - 6.

"Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen." 1 John 5:21.

"But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death." Revelation 21:8.

"Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie." Revelation 22:14, 15.

According to these texts we are not make an image of anything that is to be worshipped in any way or bow down to. If we do we will not be admitted into the Kingdom of God. In closing let us have a look what the Catholic Encyclopedia says about idolatry taken from the same article as above.

"Considered in itself, idolatry is the greatest of mortal sins. For it is, by definition, an inroad on God's sovereignty over the world, an attempt on His Divine majesty, a rebellious setting up of a creature on the throne that belongs to Him alone. Even the simulation of idolatry, in order to escape death during persecution, is a mortal sin, because of the pernicious falsehood it involves and the scandal it causes."

4. CHRISTMAS IS A CELEBRATION THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST

Although now days Christmas has been very commercialised, it really is a festival to celebrate Christ’s birth, right? Wrong!

Have a look at what the Catholic Encyclopedia says about the origin of Christmas in their article out it.

"Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the Church. Irenaeus and Tertullian omit it from their lists of feasts; . . . Concerning the date of Christ's birth the Gospels give no help; upon their data contradictory arguments are based. The census would have been impossible in winter: a whole population could not then be put in motion. . . . The well-known solar feast, however, of Natalis Invicti, celebrated on 25 December, has a strong claim on the responsibility for our December date. For the history of the solar cult, its position in the Roman Empire, and syncretism with Mithraism, see Cumont's epoch-making "Textes et Monuments" etc., I, ii, 4, 6, p. 355."

When Christ was born shepherds there were in the fields with their flocks, but in December it is far too cold, for shepherds to have their flocks out in the fields at night. This festival was celebrated among heathens, at that precise time of year, in honour of the birth of the son of the Babylonian queen of heaven, Tammuz, which was supposed to be the reincarnation of her dead husband Nimrod. This was the same Nimrod that is mentioned in the Bible as ‘a mighty hunter before the Lord’ (Genesis 10:9), the founder of ancient Babylon and the tower of Babel.

So if the actual date is not about Christ’s birth what about the other things like the Christmas tree, giving gifts, holly, mistletoe, etc?

"Pagan customs centering round the January calends gravitated to Christmas. Tiele has collected many interesting examples. The strenae of the Roman 1 January survive as Christmas presents, cards, boxes." Catholic Encyclopedia article on Christmas

"Ancient, pre-Christian winter festivals used greenery, lights, and fires to symbolize life and warmth in the midst of cold and darkness. These usages, like gift giving, have also persisted. The most splendid symbol of a modern Christmas is the brilliant decorated evergreen tree with strings of multicolored lights." Crompton’s Interactive Encyclopedia article on Christmas.

"Christmas festivals, generally observed by Christians since the 4th century, incorporate pagan customs, such as the use of Holly, mistletoe, Yule Logs, and wassail bowls." Funk and Wagnalls Encyclopedia article on Christmas.

In at least 10 places in the Bible the ‘green tree’ is associated with idolatry and false worship (Deuteronomy 12:2; 1 Kings 14:23; 2 Kings 16:4, 17:10; 2 Chronicles 28:4; Isaiah 57:5; Jeremiah 2:20, 3:6, 3:13; and Ezekiel 6:13). Since all trees are green at least part of the year, the special mention of ‘green’ probably refers to trees that are evergreen. It is especially interesting when we compare today’s custom with the texts below.

"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 ax.
They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.
They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good." Jeremiah 10:2 - 5.

In England, Christmas was forbidden by Act of Parliament in 1644. The day was to be a fast and a market day, shops were compelled to be open, plum puddings and mince pies were condemned as heathen.

For a more comprehensive study see:-

Christmas and Lady-day

5. EASTER IS A CELEBRATION OF THE DEATH
AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST

Easter is not a Christian name. It bears its Chaldean origin on it very forehead. Easter is nothing else than Astarte, one of the titles of Beltis, the pagan queen of heaven. Pagans celebrate an annual spring festival which was held in her honour. Some Easter customs have come from this and other pre-Christian spring festivals. Rabbits and coloured eggs have come from pagan antiquity as symbols of new life.

"Because the use of eggs was forbidden during Lent, they were brought to the table on Easter Day, coloured red to symbolize the Easter joy. This custom is found not only in the Latin but also in the Oriental Churches. The symbolic meaning of a new creation of mankind by Jesus risen from the dead was probably an invention of later times. The custom may have its origin in paganism, for a great many pagan customs, celebrating the return of spring, gravitated to Easter. The egg is the emblem of the germinating life of early spring. Easter eggs, the children are told, come from Rome with the bells which on Thursday go to Rome and return Saturday morning. The sponsors in some countries give Easter eggs to their god-children. Coloured eggs are used by children at Easter in a sort of game which consists in testing the strength of the shells (Kraus, Real-Encyklop die, s. v. Ei). Both coloured and uncoloured eggs are used in some parts of the United States for this game, known as "egg-picking". Another practice is the "egg-rolling" by children on Easter Monday on the lawn of the White House in Washington. . . .

"The Easter Rabbit lays the eggs, for which reason they are hidden in a nest or in the garden. The rabbit is a pagan symbol and has always been an emblem of fertility (Simrock, Mythologie, 551). . .

"The Easter Fire is lit on the top of mountains (Easter mountain, Osterberg) and must be kindled from new fire, drawn from wood by friction (nodfyr); this is a custom of pagan origin in vogue all over Europe, signifying the victory of spring over winter. The bishops issued severe edicts against the sacrilegious Easter fires (Conc. Germanicum, a. 742, c.v.; Council of Lestines, a. 743, n. 15), but did not succeed in abolishing them everywhere. The Church adopted the observance into the Easter ceremonies, referring it to the fiery column in the desert and to the Resurrection of Christ; the new fire on Holy Saturday is drawn from flint, symbolizing the Resurrection of the Light of the World from the tomb closed by a stone (Missale Rom.)."
Catholic Encyclopedia article on Easter.

As we can see from the quotes above both the name and customs associated with Easter are totally pagan. So does the Bible say anything about easter?

"Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?
The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger." Jeremiah 7:17, 18.

"As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the LORD, we will not hearken unto thee.
But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil.
But since we left off to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine.
And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink offerings unto her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink offerings unto her, without our men?" Jeremiah 44:16 - 19.

"Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying; Ye and your wives have both spoken with your mouths, and fulfilled with your hand, saying, We will surely perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her: ye will surely accomplish your vows, and surely perform your vows.
Therefore hear ye the word of the LORD, all Judah that dwell in the land of Egypt; Behold, I have sworn by my great name, saith the LORD, that my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, The Lord GOD liveth.
Behold, I will watch over them for evil, and not for good: and all the men of Judah that are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by the famine, until there be an end of them." Jeremiah 44:25 - 27.

"And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.)
And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people." Acts 12:3, 4.

The quotes from Jeremiah show that the Israelites back then, worshipped the queen of heaven and made cakes for her, similar to making hot cross buns. The text in Acts in quite unusual as the original word for ‘easter’ here used is the same word for ‘passover’. So why did the people who translated the KJV say easter instead of passover. The passover was at the beginning of the days of unleavened bread, which had already commenced according Acts 12:3, which meant that passover had just been celebrated. Herod intended to bring Peter forth to the people after Easter. It is highly unlikely that Herod intended to keep Peter in prison for twelve months, but after the people had celebrated the pagan easter to the queen of heaven, which even today is usually celebrated after passover.

For a more comprehensive study see:

Easter

6. SACREDNESS OF THE CROSS OR CRUCIFIX

"The same sign of the cross that Rome [and most Christians today] now worships was used in the Babylonian Mysteries, was applied by Paganism to the same magic purposes, was honoured with the some honours. That which is now called the Christian cross was originally no Christian emblem at all, but was the mystic Tau of the Chaldeans and Egyptians - the true original form of the letter T - the initial of the name Tammuz - which, in Hebrew, radically the same as ancient Chaldee, as found on coins, was formed as in no. 1 of the accompanying woodcut (Fig 43); and in Etrurian and Coptic, as in no. 2 and 3. That mystic Tau was marked in baptism on the foreheads of those initiated in the Mysteries, and was used in every variety of way as a most sacred symbol. To identify Tammuz with the sun it was joined sometimes to the circle of the sun, as in no. 4; sometimes it was inserted in the circle, as in no. 5. Whether the Maltese cross, which the Romish bishops append to their names as a symbol of their episcopal dignity, is the letter T, may be doubtful; but there seems no reason to doubt that that Maltese cross is an express symbol of the sun; for Layard found it as a sacred symbol in Nineveh in such connection as let him to identify it with the sun. The mystic Tau, as the symbol of the great divinity, was called ‘the sign of life;’ it was used as an amulet over the heart; it was marked on the official garments of the priests, as on the official garments of the priests of Rome; it was borne by kings in their hands, as a token of their dignity or divinely-conferred authority. The Vestal virgins of Pagan Rome wore it suspended from their necklaces, as the nuns do now. The Egyptians did the same, and many of the barbarous nations with whom they had intercourse, as the Egyptian monuments bear witness. In reference to the adorning of some of these tribes, Wilkinson thus writes: ‘The girdle was sometimes highly ornamented; men as well as women wore earrings; and they frequently had a small cross suspended to a necklace, or to the collar of their dress. The adoption of this last was not peculiar to them; it was also appended to, or figured upon, the robes of the Rot-n-no; and traces of it may be seen in the fancy ornaments of the Rebo, showing that it was already in use as early as the fifteenth century before the Christian era [1500 BC].’ There is hardly a Pagan tribe where the cross has not been found. The cross was worshipped by the Pagan Celts long before the incarnation and death of Christ. . . . It was worshipped in Mexico for ages before the Roman Catholic missionaries set foot there, large stone crosses being erected, probably to the ‘god of rain.’ The cross thus widely worshipped, or regarded as a sacred emblem, was the unequivocal symbol of Bacchus, the Babylonian Messiah, for he was represented with a head-band covered with crosses (see Fig. 45). . . .


Figure 43	Figure 45

"Now this Pagan symbol seems first to have crept into the Christian Church in Egypt, and generally into Africa. A statement of Tertullian, about the middle of the third century, shows how much, by that time, the Church of Carthage was infected with the old leaven. Egypt especially, which was never thoroughly evangelised, appears to have taken the lead in bringing in this Pagan symbol. The first form of that which is called the Christian Cross, found on Christian monuments there, is the unequivocal Pagan Tau, or Egyptian ‘Sign of life.’ Let the reader peruse the following statement of Sir G. Wilkinson: ‘A still more curious fact may be mentioned respecting this hieroglyphical character (the Tau), that the early Christians of Egypt adopted it in lieu of the cross, which was afterwards substituted for it, prefixing it to inscriptions in the same manner as the cross in later times. For, though Dr. Young had some scruples in believing the statement of Sir A. Edmonstone, that it holds that position in the sepulchres of the great Oasis, I can attest that such is the case, and that numerous inscriptions, headed by the Tau, are preserved to the present day on early Christian monuments’ The drift of this statement is evidently this, that in Egypt the earliest form of that which has since been called the cross, was no other that the ‘Crux Ansata,’ or ‘Sign of life,’ borne by Osiris and all the Egyptian gods, that the ansa or ‘handle’ was afterwards dispensed with, and that it became the simple Tau, or ordinary cross, as it appears at this day, and that the design of its first employment on the sepulchres, therefore, could have no reference to the crucifixion of the Nazarene, but was simply the result of the attachment to old and long-cherished Pagan symbols, which is always strong in those who, with the adoption of the Christian name and profession, are still, to a large extent, Pagan in heart and feeling. This, and this only, is the origin of the worship of the ‘cross’"
The Two Babylons by Rev. Alexander Hislop.

The early Christians did not consider the cross a virtuous symbol, but rather a device of death and shame.

"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:2.

The early Christian’s faith was not in the cross itself, but in what was accomplished on one particular cross.

"For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God." 1 Corinthians 1:18.

"But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." Galatians 6:14.

"And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven." Colossians 1:20.

The cross is never spoken of as a piece of wood or metal that one might hang from a chain around his neck or carry in his hand as a protector or charm. The adorning we should have, should be on the inside, not on the outside.

"Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;
But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price." 1 Peter 3:3, 4.

"In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;
But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works." 1 Timothy 2:9, 10.

In Revelation we have pictures of two very different churhes, one pure the other idolatrous.

"And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:" Revelation 12:1.

"So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:" Revelation 17:3, 4.

Notice their apparel. The pure church or God’s church is clothed with the sun. The apostate church is clothed in purple and scarlet and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls. Which church do you want to belong to?

7. THE USE OF CANDLES IN WORSHIP

"Another peculiarity of the Papal worship is the use of lamps and wax-candles. If the Madonna and child are set up in a niche, they must have a lamp to burn before them; if mass is to be celebrated, though in broad daylight, there must be wax-candles lighted on the altar; if a grand procession is to be formed, it cannot be thorough and complete without lighted tapers to grace the goodly show. The use of these lamps and tapers come from the same source as all the rest of the Papal superstition. That which causes the ‘Heart,’ when it became an emblem of the incarnate Son, to be represented as a heart of fire, required also that burning lamps and lighted candles should form part of the worship of that Son; for so, according to the established rites of Zoroaster, was the sun-god worshipped. When every Egyptian on the same night was required to light a lamp before his house in the open air, this was a act of homage to the sun, that had veiled its glory by enshrouding itself in a human form. when the Yezidis of Koordistan, at this day, once a year celebrated their festival of ‘burning lamps’, that, too, is to the honour of Sheikh Shems, or the Sun. Now, what on these high occasions was done on a grand scale was also done on a smaller scale, in the individual acts of worship to their god, by the lighting of lamps and tapers before the favourite prevalent, as we learn from the Apocryphal writer of the Book of Baruch. ‘They (the Babylonians),’ he says, ‘lighted up lamps to their gods, and that in greater numbers, too, than they do for themselves, although the gods cannot see one of them, and are senseless as the beams of their houses.' . . ."

"While Rome uses both lamps and wax candles in her sacred rites, it is evident, however, that she attributes some pre-eminent virtue to the latter above all other lights. Up to the time of the Council of Trent, she thus prayed on Easter Eve, at the blessing of Easter candles: ‘Calling upon thee in they works, this holy Eve of Easter, we offer most humbly unto thy Majesty this sacrifice; namely, a fire not defiled with the fat of flesh, nor polluted with unholy oil or ointment, nor attained with any profane fire; but we offer unto thee with obedience, proceeding from perfect devotion, a fire of wrought WAX and wick, kindles and made to burn in honour of they name. This so great a MYSTERY therefore, and the marvellous sacrament of this holy eve, must needs to extolled with due and deserved praises.’ That there was some occult ‘Mystery’, as in here declared, couched under the ‘wax-candles,’ in the original system of idolatry, from which Rome derived its ritual, may be well believed, when it is observed with what unanimity nations the most remote have agreed to use wax-candles in their sacred rites. . . The wax-candle was, in fact, a hieroglyphic, like so many other things which we have already seen, and was intended to exhibit the Babylonian god in one of the essential characters of the Great Mediator. The classic reader may remember that one of the gods of primeval antiquity was called Ouranos, that is, ‘The Enlightener.’ In this very character was Nimrod worshipped when he was deified. As the Sun-god he was regarded not only as the illuminator of the material world, but the enlightener of the souls of men, for he was recognised as the reavealer of ‘goodness and truth.’ It is evident, from the Old Testament, not less that the New, that the proper and personal name of our Lord Jesus Christ is, ‘The Word of God,’ as the Revealer of the heart and counsels of the Godhead."
The Two Babylons by Rev. Alexander Hislop pages 193, 194.

From this quotation we can see that wax-candles are associated with idolatry in history. But does the Bible say the same thing?

"How oft is the candle of the wicked put out! and how oft cometh their destruction upon them! God distributeth sorrows in his anger." Job 21:17.

"For there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out." Proverbs 24:20.

In the tabernacle that was built at Mount Sinai, and later in the temple at Jerusalem, candlesticks were used. These were not actual candles but oil lamps used to light up the temple. It was to represent the ‘Light of the World’, our Lord Jesus Christ. These oil lamps were to be kept burning day and night.

"And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always." Exodus 27.20.

So if the use of wax-candles in worship is a totally pagan idea, why does the Catholic church do it? I will let them answer this question themselves.

"We need not shrink from admitting that candles, like incense and lustral water, were commonly employed in pagan worship and in the rites paid to the dead. But the Church from a very early period took them into her service, just as she adopted many other things indifferent in themselves, which seemed proper to enhance the splendour of religious ceremonial." Catholic Encyclopedia article on candles.

They have taken it from paganism and supposedly Christianised it, without any Biblical reasoning to do so, and going against the type of worship the real God requires of us.

8. INFANT BAPTISM

"The absolute necessity of this sacrament is often insisted on by the Fathers of the Church, especially when they speak of infant baptism. . . This sacrament is the door of the Church of Christ and the entrance into a new life. We are reborn from the state of slaves of sin into the freedom of the Sons of God. Baptism incorporates us with Christ’s mystical body and makes us partakers of all the privileges flowing from the redemptive act of the Church's Divine Founder." Catholic Encyclopedia article on Baptism.

But is infant baptism according to the Bible?

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." Acts 2:38.

"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." Matthew 28:19, 20.

"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptised shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." Mark 16:15, 16.

From the above texts we can see that one must believe, repent, and be taught to observe all things that Jesus Christ has commanded before they can be baptised. This automatically cancels out infant baptism as Scriptural. Another interesting point to note is that baptism requires both the candidate and the officiator to be in the water, and the candidate to be totally immersed - go under - the water.

"And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptised him." Acts 8:38, 39.

"And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptised of John in Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:" Mark 1:9, 10.

What is the service for infants that even our Example, Jesus Christ, participated in?

"And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord; . . .
And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons. . . .
And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, . . .
And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth." Luke 2:22, 24, 27, 39.

"Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a woman have conceived seed, and born a man child: then she shall be unclean seven days; according to the days of the separation for her infirmity shall she be unclean.
And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.
And she shall then continue in the blood of her purifying three and thirty days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying be fulfilled.
But if she bear a maid child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her separation: and she shall continue in the blood of her purifying threescore and six days.
And when the days of her purifying are fulfilled, for a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon, or a turtledove, for a sin offering, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest:
Who shall offer it before the LORD, and make an atonement for her; and she shall be cleansed from the issue of her blood. This is the law for her that hath born a male or a female.
And if she be not able to bring a lamb, then she shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons; the one for the burnt offering, and the other for a sin offering: and the priest shall make an atonement for her, and she shall be clean." Leviticus 12:2 - 8.

"Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: it is mine." Exodus 13:2.

"Because all the firstborn are mine; for on the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast: mine shall they be: I am the LORD." Numbers 3:13.

So if infant baptism or sprinkling is not from the Bible, where did it come from?

"It came from heathenism. The classic reader cannot fail to remember where, and in what melancholy plight, Aeneas, when he visited the infernal regions, found the souls of unhappy infants who had died before receiving so to speak, ‘the rites of the Church’:-

Before the gates

These wretched babes, to glorify the virtue and efficacy of the mystic rites of Paganism, are excluded from the Elysian Fields, the paradise of the heathen, and have among their nearest associates no better company that that of guilty suicides:-

The Two Babylons by Rev Alexander Hislop page 130.

9. A MEDIATOR BETWEEN GOD AND MAN
OTHER THAN JESUS CHRIST.

"St. Paul writes to Timothy (I Tim., ii, 3-6) . . . "God our Saviour, Who will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator of God and men, the man Christ Jesus: Who gave himself a redemption for all, a testimony in due times." The object of the mediatorship is here pointed out as the salvation of mankind, and the imparting of truth about God. The mediator is named: Christ Jesus; His qualification for the office is implied in His being described as man, and the performance of it is ascribed to His redeeming sacrifice and His testifying to the truth." Catholic Encyclopedia article on Mediator.

"The priest is the minister of Divine worship, and especially of the highest act of worship, sacrifice. In this sense, every religion has its priests, exercising more or less exalted sacerdotal functions as intermediaries between man and the Divinity. . . . By his ordination a priest is invested with powers rather than with rights, the exercise of these powers (to celebrate Mass, remit sins, preach, administer the sacraments, direct and minister to the Christian people) being regulated by the common laws of the church, the jurisdiction of the bishop, and the office or charge of each priest." Catholic Encyclopedia article on Priest.

The first part of the first quote is according to Scripture, until we reach the part that says Jesus Christ’s qualification for this office describes him as a man. What qualifications does the Bible say He has for this position?

"Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted." Hebrews 2:17, 18.

"Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:14 - 16.

"Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." Romans 8:34.

According to these Scriptures Jesus Christ’s qualification for this office is that He was a man, and is now our High Priest administrating in the Sanctuary in heaven. What about having confidence in a man?

"It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes." Psalm 118:8, 9.

"Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD." Jeremiah 17:5.

The second quote from the Catholic Encyclopedia not only says that the priest is mediator between man and Divinity (God) which we have already proved incorrect, but that the priest can remit (pardon, forgive) sins.

"But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,
Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?" Mark 2:6 , 7 (see also Luke 5:20, 21.)

"Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots." Luke 23:34.

"For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." Matthew 6:14, 15.

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." 1 John 1:7 - 10.

Therefore we should confess our sins to God through Jesus Christ, our High Priest. God will forgive us if we faithfully confess our sins to Him.

10. WOMEN MINISTERS

The first argument that normally comes up with this topic, is that men and women are equal. Well yes, Adam and Eve were equal when created, but this all changed at the fall of mankind. The serpent tricked Eve into eating the fruit, whereas Adam ate it knowingly.

"And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat." Genesis 3:13.

"And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression." 1 Timothy 2:14.

Because of this, man was placed over and in a position higher than woman.

"Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee." Genesis 3:16

"But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God." 1 Corinthians 11:3.

"But if the priest's daughter be a widow, or divorced, and have no child, and is returned unto her father's house, as in her youth, she shall eat of her father's meat: but there shall no stranger eat thereof." Leviticus 22:13.

"Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter in law, Remain a widow at thy father's house, till Shelah my son be grown: for he said, Lest peradventure he die also, as his brethren did. And Tamar went and dwelt in her father's house." Genesis 38:11

See also 1 Timothy 5:4 - 10 and Numbers 30.

The leaders in the church back in the time of the Apostles were Bishops and Deacons. What does the Bible say about these church leaders?

"This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;
(For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)
Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.
Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;
Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.
And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless.
Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.
Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.
For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus." 1 Timothy 3:1 - 13.

Some people claim that where these Scriptures say, "the husband of one wife" or the plural "husbands", that it can also mean the wife of one husband. Yet if we go back to the original Greek that these texts were writen in, we find that this is not the case. The orginal word for "husband" occurres 212 times in the New Testament, and is G435 in Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionary, which means "a man (properly as an individual male): - fellow, husband, man, sir." Whereas the original word for "wife" is G1135 in Strong's Hebrew ad Greek Dictionary, which means "a woman; specifically a wife: - wife, woman."

However, there are many instances where the English word for man in Scripture can be either male or female. The Greek word for this is G444 in Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionary, and means "manfaced, that is, a human being". If Paul had wanted to instruct Timothy that a Bishop or Elder could be either a man or a woman he could have used this other word, but he did not. He used the Greek words that specifically mean - the husband of one wife.

What does the Bible have to say about women as prophets, leaders, and in the church?

"And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances." Exodus 15:20.

"And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time." Judges 4:4.

"So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asahiah, went unto Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college;) and they communed with her." 2 Kings 22:14.

"And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity;" Luke 2:36.

"Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.
But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.
For Adam was first formed, then Eve.
And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.
Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety." 1 Timothy 2:11 - 15.

"For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.
And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church." 1 Corinthians 14:33 - 35.

11. FALSE TALKING IN TONGUES

To be able to recognise the false, we must first learn about the true. So what was talking in tongues, a gift of the Holy Spirit, like in the Bible? But first just a couple of quotes to show that tongues in the Bible refers to language.

"By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations. . . .
These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their countries, and in their nations. . . .
These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations." Genesis 10:5, 20, 31.

"After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;" Revelation 7:9.

"And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.
Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.
And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?
And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?" Acts 2:4 - 8.

"He that believeth and is baptised shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;" Mark 16:16, 17.

"But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will." 1 Corinthians 12:7 - 11.

"And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues." 1 Corinthians 12:28.

"Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy.
For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.
But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.
He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church.
I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying.
Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine?
And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped?
For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?
So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into the air.
There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification.
Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me.
Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.
Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret.
For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.
What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.
Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest?
For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edified.
I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all:
Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue.
Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.
In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord.
Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.
If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?
But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all:
And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.
How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.
If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret.
But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God."
1 Corinthians 14:1 - 28.

Speaking in tongues or another language that you have not learned, is one of the least gifts of the Holy Spirit, and is to be used to help non-believers to believe according to these texts, and prophesying is for believers.

What happened before the Holy Spirit was poured out on people in the Bible?

"Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead.
And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.
To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.
While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.
And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.
For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter," Acts 10:41 - 46.

"Then said Paul, John verily baptised with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
When they heard this, they were baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus.
And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied." Acts 19:4 - 6.

If one was to have any of the gifts of the Spirit, it would go without saying that they would have the fruits of the same Spirit.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." Galatians 5:22, 23.

"Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." Matthew 7:20

To have the gift of tongues from the Holy Spirit, they had to accept ALL the things that the Bible taught about our Lord Jesus Christ, first. Which means they had to give up any pagan practice. The same goes for people today. If we don’t know the true Jesus Christ and His doctrines we cannot have the Holy Spirit, but we receive another spirit.

12. UNITY (NOT IN DOCTRINE) OR ECUMENICALISM

"A Song of degrees of David. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" Psalm 133:1.

"With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Ephesians 4:2, 3.

"That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:" John 17:21, 22.

"And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:" Matthew 12:25.

It is very clear from these texts that unity is important. But, are there any restrictions to this unity?

"Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:" Ephesians 4:13.

"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." Matthew 6:24.

"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." 2 Corinthians 6:14 - 18.

These texts are summed up nicely in the sentence below by Ellen White in her book The Great Controversy page 45.

"If unity could be secured only by the compromise of truth and righteousness, then let there be difference, and even war."

13. THE ATONEMENT WAS FINISHED AS THE CROSS

"When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost." John 19:30.

Here we read that just before Jesus died on the cross, He said ‘It is finished’. But, what was finished? To answer this question we have to look at why Jesus came to this earth as a man (Hebrews 2:17), lived a perfect life (Hebrews 4:15), died on a cross outside the city of Jerusalem (Acts 4:10), rose from the dead (Matthew 28:5, 6), and ascended up into heaven to be our High Priest (Hebrews 4:14).

Yes, He came as a man and lived a perfect life so that we had an example to follow; died on the cross outside the city wall to pay the penalty of sin for all sinners whether Jew or Gentile; rose from the grave to become our Priest and mediator and so that we have hope that the dead in Christ will also one day be resurrected; and ascended up into heaven to officiate as our High Priest to make intercession to the Father for us.

But in the Scriptures Christ is referred to as ‘the Light of the world’, and the ‘Bread of Life’, ‘the Lamb of God’ and more. What is the significance of these names in relation to the question above, and where is their origin from?

They originate from the heavenly sanctuary, of copy of which was built by the children of Israel at Mount Sinai, so that God could dwell among them (Exodus 25:8, 9; Hebrews 8:5). The title ‘the Light of the world’ was in reference to the seven branched candlesticks, which was oil filled lamps which were to be kept burning at all times (Exodus 27.20). The title ‘the Bread of Life’ refers to the unleavened bread that was placed on the table of showbread and replaced every Sabbath (Numbers 4:7; Lev. 24:5-8). The title ‘the Lamb of God’ refers to the sin offering that a person was to bring to the sanctuary to receive forgiveness for their sins. This sin offering, a perfect innocent lamb, had to die which was only the first part of the service for forgiveness of sins. Let us take a much closer look at the sanctuary and it’s services to gain an even greater knowledge as the meaning of this last title.

Sanctuary layout

This drawing of the Sanctuary is not done to scale.

"And if he bring a lamb for a sin offering, he shall bring it a female without blemish.
And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering, and slay it for a sin offering in the place where they kill the burnt offering.
And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out all the blood thereof at the bottom of the altar:
And he shall take away all the fat thereof, as the fat of the lamb is taken away from the sacrifice of the peace offerings; and the priest shall burn them upon the altar, according to the offerings made by fire unto the LORD: and the priest shall make an atonement for his sin that he hath committed, and it shall be forgiven him." Leviticus 4:32 - 35.

First and foremost, a person who had sinned must recognise that they had done so, and take a lamb without blemish to the sanctuary as a sacrifice. Around the sanctuary was a wall of white linen representing purity or righteousness. There was only one entrance, which was on the eastern side. This meant that a person who wished to enter the sanctuary and make an offering had to turn his back towards the east, where the sun rises. The significance of this is that in most pagan systems of worship, in one way or another, worship the rising sun. So in turning his back on the rising sun, it symbolised a person turning his back or forsaking all idolatry, before he even entered the gate of the sanctuary.

Once inside the gate there was a priest waiting to check if the lamb that he had brought for a sacrifice was indeed perfect or without blemish. This was done as it was to represent our perfect, sinless Saviour, Jesus Christ. Then the sinner laid his hands or baring down on the head of the lamb, representing that he identifies himself with his substitute, and the sin, by confession, was transferred to the lamb. The sinner then took a knife and killed the lamb by slitting its throat. The priest caught some of the blood in a bowl, with his finger, put the blood on the horns of the alter of burnt offering in the outer courtyard, and poured the rest at the base of the altar. The sinner then had to remove all the fat from the animal which the priest burnt on the altar, making atonement for the sinner. The sinner then left the sanctuary forgiven. That same priest then had to eat the sin offering in the Holy Place of the sanctuary, sharing it with other priests (Leviticus 6:26, 29.) In eating the offering, the sin that the lamb bore was transferred to the priest, who in turn transferred it to the sanctuary, making atonement for it.

This was the service for a poor person. If you read the whole chapter of Leviticus 4 you will read of other similar services for sin offering, some in which the blood was taken and sprinkled before the veil separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place, and some was put on the horns of the alter of incense, thereby transferring the sin to the sanctuary. There are many more services connected with the day to day running of the sanctuary, but I would now like to turn our attention to what happened with all these sins which were now transferred to the sanctuary.

Once a year, a service called ‘the Day of Atonement’ was administered, and the High Priest entered the most holy place for the cleansing of the sanctuary (Leviticus 16:29, 30). This work was performed there to complete the yearly round of ministration and services. On the Day of Atonement two kids of the goats were brought to the door of the tabernacle (verse 5), and lots were cast upon them, "one lot for the Lord, and the other lot for the scapegoat." (verse 8). The goat upon which fell the lot for the Lord was to be slain as a sin offering for the people (verse 9). And the priest was to bring his blood within the veil and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat and before the mercy seat (verse 15). The blood was also to be sprinkled upon the altar of incense that was before the veil (verse 17). Then, in his character of mediator, he took the sins upon himself and bore them from the sanctuary. Placing his hands upon the head of the scapegoat, he confessed over him all these sins, thus in figure transferring them from himself to the goat. The goat then bore them away, and they were regarded as forever separated from the people (verses 20, 21).

So when Christ said ‘It is finished’ just before he died, all that was finished was the slaying of the pure, innocent Lamb - the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins on the world.

"As Jesus died on Calvary, He cried, "It is finished," and the veil of the temple was rent in twain, from the top to the bottom. This was to show that the services of the earthly sanctuary were forever finished, and that God would no more meet with the priests in their earthly temple, to accept their sacrifices. The blood of Jesus was then shed, which was to be offered by Himself in the heavenly sanctuary. As the priest entered the most holy once a year to cleanse the earthly sanctuary, so Jesus entered the most holy of the heavenly, at the end of the 2300 days of Daniel 8, in 1844, to make a final atonement for all who could be benefited by His mediation, and thus to cleanse the sanctuary." Early Writings by Ellen White page 253.

14. THE CATHOLIC CHURCH WAS THE ORIGINAL CHRISTIAN CHURCH

There must be no doubt as to which is the true Church of Christ, the one which has received, and has preserved intact the Revelation which He gave it for man's salvation. Were it otherwise the purpose of the Redemption would be frustrated, the blood of the Saviour shed in vain, and man's eternal destination at the mercy of chance. Without doubt, therefore, Christ, the all-wise legislator, impressed upon His Church some distinctive external marks by which, with the use of ordinary diligence, all can distinguish the real Church from the false, the society of truth from the ranks of error.

When we take a look at all of the Roman Catholic doctrines, some of them are mentioned above, we find that they all originated in paganism. Basically, what the Roman Catholic Church has done is take all the pagan rites and rituals, and given them Christian names. Whereby they claim to have ‘Christianised’ them. But as we have seen time and time again in this study, paganism with all its rites and rituals are condemned in the Bible, under all circumstances.

Now let us have a look at a few quotes about the original Christian Church.

"There is little point in claiming that a certain church or doctrine came down from the days of the apostles. Sin came down from the days of the apostles, and the devil also was active at that time and before. It is not so much what came down from the days of the apostles, as what came down from the apostles themselves. Even in his day the apostle Paul wrote: ‘The mystery of iniquity doth already work.’" Truth Triumphant by Benjamin Wilkinson page 16.

"Some will ask, Should not we look to the church which for ages has been the favoured of kings and nations to find the true church instead of looking to a people who for centuries were never the dominant church, and who many times were obscure? Let the prophet John answer this question: ‘The woman (church) fled into the wilderness.’(Revelation 12:6) In order to recognise the true church, it is imperative that we fix our eyes upon those Christian bodies which have largely been forgotten in the works of history." Truth Triumphant by Benjamin Wilkinson page 10.

"The apostle Paul, in his second letter to the Thessalonians, foretold the great apostasy which would result in the establishment of the papal power. He declared that the day of Christ should not come, 'except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.' And furthermore, the apostle warns his brethren that 'the mystery of iniquity doth already work.' 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 4, 7. Even at that early date he saw, creeping into the church, errors that would prepare the way for the development of the papacy.

"Little by little, at first in stealth and silence, and then more openly as it increased in strength and gained control of the minds of men, 'the mystery of iniquity' carried forward its deceptive and blasphemous work. Almost imperceptibly the customs of heathenism found their way into the Christian church. The spirit of compromise and conformity was restrained for a time by the fierce persecutions which the church endured under paganism. But as persecution ceased, and Christianity entered the courts and palaces of kings, she laid aside the humble simplicity of Christ and His apostles for the pomp and pride of pagan priests and rulers; and in place of the requirements of God, she substituted human theories and traditions. The nominal conversion of Constantine, 50 in the early part of the fourth century, caused great rejoicing; and the world, cloaked with a form of righteousness, walked into the church. Now the work of corruption rapidly progressed. Paganism, while appearing to be vanquished, became the conqueror. Her spirit controlled the church. Her doctrines, ceremonies, and superstitions were incorporated into the faith and worship of the professed followers of Christ.

"This compromise between paganism and Christianity resulted in the development of 'the man of sin' foretold in prophecy as opposing and exalting himself above God. That gigantic system of false religion is a masterpiece of Satan's power--a monument of his efforts to seat himself upon the throne to rule the earth according to his will.

"Satan once endeavoured to form a compromise with Christ. He came to the Son of God in the wilderness of temptation, and showing Him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them, offered to give all into His hands if He would but acknowledge the supremacy of the prince of darkness. Christ rebuked the presumptuous tempter and forced him to depart. But Satan meets with greater success in presenting the same temptations to man. To secure worldly gains and honours, the church was led to seek the favour and support of the great men of earth; and having thus rejected Christ, she was induced to yield allegiance to the representative of Satan --the bishop of Rome.

"It is one of the leading doctrines of Romanism that the pope is the visible head of the universal church of Christ, invested with supreme authority over bishops and pastors in all parts of the world. More than this, the pope has been given the very titles of Deity. He has been styled 'Lord God the Pope', and has been declared infallible. He demands the homage of all men. The same claim urged by Satan in the wilderness of temptation is still urged by him through the Church of Rome, and vast numbers are ready to yield him homage.

"But those who fear and reverence God meet this heaven-daring assumption as Christ met the solicitations of the wily foe: 'Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.' Luke 4:8. God has never given a hint in His word that He has appointed any man to be the head of the church. The doctrine of papal supremacy is directly opposed to the teachings of the Scriptures. The pope can have no power over Christ's church except by usurpation.

"Romanists have persisted in bringing against Protestants the charge of heresy and wilful separation from the true church. But these accusations apply rather to themselves. They are the ones who laid down the banner of Christ and departed from 'the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.' Jude 3."
The Great Controversy by Ellen White pages 49 - 51.

"The accession of the Roman Church to power marked the beginning of the Dark Ages. As her power increased, the darkness deepened. Faith was transferred from Christ, the true foundation, to the pope of Rome. Instead of trusting in the Son of God for forgiveness of sins and for eternal salvation, the people looked to the pope, and to the priests and prelates to whom he delegated authority. They were taught that the pope was their earthly mediator and that none could approach God except through him; and, further, that he stood in the place of God to them and was therefore to be implicitly obeyed. A deviation from his requirements was sufficient cause for the severest punishment to be visited upon the bodies and souls of the offenders. Thus the minds of the people were turned away from God to fallible, erring, and cruel men, nay, more, to the prince of darkness himself, who exercised his power through them. Sin was disguised in a garb of sanctity. When the Scriptures are suppressed, and man comes to regard himself as supreme, we need look only for fraud, deception, and debasing iniquity. With the elevation of human laws and traditions was manifest the corruption that ever results from setting aside the law of God.

"Those were days of peril for the church of Christ. The faithful standard-bearers were few indeed. Though the truth was not left without witnesses, yet at times it seemed that error and superstition would wholly prevail, and true religion would be banished from the earth. The gospel was lost sight of, but the forms of religion were multiplied, and the people were burdened with rigorous exactions."
The Great Controversy by Ellen White page 55.

"Now, while this characteristic [the seven hills of Rome] of Rome has ever been well marked and defined, it has always been easy to show, that the Church which has its seat and headquarters on the seven hills of Rome might most appropriately be called ‘Babylon,’ inasmuch as it is the chief seat of idolatry under the New Testament, as the ancient Babylon was the chief seat of idolatry under the Old. but recent discoveries in Assyria, taken in connection with the previously well known but ill-understood history and mythology of the ancient world, demonstrate that there is a vast deal more significance in the name Babylon the Great than this. It has been known all along that Popery was baptised Paganism; but God is now making it manifest, that the Paganism which Rome has baptised is, in all its essential elements, the very Paganism which prevailed in the ancient literal Babylon, when Jehovah opened before Cyrus the two-leaved gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron.

"That new and unexpected light, in some way or other, should be cast, about this very period, on the Church of the grand Apostasy, the very language and symbols of the Apocalypse might have prepared us to anticipate. In the Apocalyptic visions, it is just before the judgment upon her that, for the first time, John sees the Apostate Church with the name Babylon the Great ‘written upon her forehead’ (Revelation 17:5). What means the writing of the name ‘on the forehead’? Does it not naturally indicate that, just before judgment overtakes her, her real character was to be so thoroughly developed, that everyone who has eyes to see, who has the least spiritual discernment, would be compelled, as it were, on ocular demonstration, to recognise the wonderful fitness of the title which the Spirit of God had affixed to her. Her judgment is now evidently hastening on; and just as it approached, the Providence o God, conspiring with the Word of God, by light pouring in from all quarters, makes it more and more evident that Rome is in very deed the Babylon of the Apocalypse; that the essential character of her system, the grand objects of her worship, her festivals, her doctrine and discipline, her rites and ceremonies, her priesthood and their orders, have all been derived from ancient Babylon; and, finally, that the Pope himself is truly and properly the lineal representative of Belshazzar. In the warfare that has been waged against the domineering pretensions of Rome, it has too often been counted enough merely to meet and set aside her presumptuous boast, that she is the mother and mistress of all churches - the one Catholic Church, out of whose pale there is no salvation. If ever there was excuse for such a mode of dealing with her, that excuse will hold no longer. If the position I have laid down can be maintained, she must be stripped of the name of a Christian Church altogether; for if it was a Church of Christ that was convened on that night, when the pontiff-king of Babylon, in the midst of his thousand lords, ‘praised the gods of gold, and silver, and of wood, and of stone’ (Daniel 5:4), then the Church of Rome is entitled to the name of a Christian Church; but not otherwise."
The Two Babylons by Rev. Alexander Hislop pages 2, 3.

"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Hebrews 4:12.

Let us all stand firm for the truth which is based not on paganism and tradition, but on the sure Word of God, the KJV Bible (Which Is The Real Word Of God? (242KB)), rightly dividing truth from error and paganism. For we are told by Isaiah:-

"To the law and to the testimony:
if they speak not according to this word,
it is because there is no light in them."
Isaiah 8:20.

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