The Good News about the Christ! Is it really?
There are a vast array of Religious Sects and Denominations, on our earth today, whose Religious Leaders all make claim to being teachers of God's Word, the Bible, but making claim to being something and actually being it, are two completely different things altogether; is that not true?
One must ask himself/herself, just what kind of individual would Jehovah choose to impart his messages to Mankind, and through the efforts of this Chosen Teacher what would Jehovah be seeking to accomplish? What would be his desire for the student being taught? How would he expect these Students to show there was a positive effect being produced, and manifested in his/her overall behavior? How, in fact, would it be shown, so that there would be no doubt, one was being taught by one chosen by Jehovah to teach, and not being taught by some self-proclaimed, self-exalted false Teacher? Because was the Teacher not to be chosen, there would be absolutely no positive effects at all displayed by the student, lacking as it would be the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit. We might examine Pauls words on this:
16 "All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be fully competent, completely equipped for every good work." {2 Timothy 3:16,17 NWT}
The Student striving to be a fully competent and completely equipped like his Teacher for every good work, would be Jehovah's aim, would it not? Or course, we would hope, the Students as well. What kind of Teacher should we expect Jehovah to choose for us to teach us his Holy Word? Just anyone, or everyone? It doesn't matter? That is the most essential thing we need! A qualified Teacher, sent by Jehovah. Anyone else would be worthless to us. To discipline us in righteousness. That would never be achieved, would it?
20 ``knowing this first, that [the scope of] no prophecy of scripture is had from its own particular interpretation, 21for prophecy was not ever uttered by [the] will of man, but holy men of God spake under the power of [the] Holy Spirit." 2 Peter 1:20,21 DT}
We do not want, or need, any Man to teach us Jehovah`s, word who merely thinks he knows and understands the Bible; our desire should be to have one of these Holy Men of God that speaks under the influence of the Holy Spirit. Who actually knows and does understand the Bible. Chosen directly by Jehovah to teach and to speak his word. If we ourselves do not speak under the power of the Holy Spirit, we will utter forth merely lies and half-truths, useless to anyone, as Religious Chritendom's Religious Leaders do today. We do not want to be like them, we should desire to be like King David, who said:
2 "The Spirit of Jehovah it was that spoke by me,And his word was upon my tongue." {2 Samuel 23:2 NWT} Why was Jehovah's Word on King Davids Tongue? What did Jehovah know about David, that would be absolutely necessary today to qualify for being a Teacher of God's Word? We learn that King David was a Man 'agreeable with Jehovah's Heart,' that he would do and say, everything Jehovah had required him to do, and say. For that reason the Spirit of Jehovah rested on King David. and he spoke his words faithfully, and truthfully. {Jeremiah 23:28}
"And after these things he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. 21 But from then on they demanded a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. 22 And after removing him, he raised up for them David as king, respecting whom he bore witness and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jes´se, a man agreeable to my heart, who will do all the things I desire." {Acts 13:22} {1 Samuel 13:14 NWT}
The divided Religions in this World today, with their self-exalted Religious Leaders who presumptuously push ahead into positions that do not belong to them, could never be agreeable with Jehovah's Heart, because they do nothing Jehovah desires. Absolutely nothing! In fact the converse is true; they do everything he doesn't desire them to do, and never could they be, like King David, agreeable to his heart. None of them could ever qualify to be be teachers of God's Word; not one of them.
In order to teach God's word without any error, one would need to be the type that Jehovah would approve of, as Noah was! As Job was! As King David was. These would have to be described as, blamless and upright, fearing God and turning away from evil. Faultless in their walk with Jehovah. As his earlier servants were. Lacking that, they would never receive of the Holy Spirit, and without the Holy Spirit no one could teach even one correct word of the Bible. It would be impossible! To learn, one, like the writers of the Bible, must be borne along by Holy Spirit.
1There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil." {Job 1:1 ESV}
"This is the history of Noah. Noah was a righteous man. He proved himself faultless among his contemporaries. Noah walked with the [true] God." {Genesis 6:9 NWT}
Think about this! Would World War 1 & 2 have been fought, where 100 Million were slaughtered, was those fighting those two wars to have been fearing God and turning away from evil? Would those two Japanese Cities have been Atom - Bombed had the perpetrators of those Wars been walking with God? Following the example of the Prince of Peace? Or taking their Christianity seriously, and through thier study of God's word, cultivating and developing in their lives the fruitage of the Holy Spirit, that a really true Christian would display, as Paul directed? Is the following the fruitage the Christian's of this World displayed during that Blood-Bath? Is it the fruitage their Religious Leaders taught them to display? If not! Why not? There were all Christian's were they not? They tell you that they are. One big major problem! The following fruitage was missing from all of them:
22 "On the other hand, the fruitage of the spirit is 24 Moreover, love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, 23 mildness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. those together with its passions who belong to Christ Jesus impaled the flesh and desires.25 If we are living by spirit, let us go on walking orderly also by spirit. 26 Let us not become egotistical, stirring up competition with one another, envying one another." {Galatians 5:22-26 NWT} What fruitage was clearly evident as they continued with their Blood-Bath?
19 "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, and they are fornication, uncleanness, loose conduct, 20 idolatry, practice of spiritism, enmities, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, contentions, divisions, sects, 21 envies, drunken bouts, revelries, and things like these. As to these things I am forewarning YOU, the same way as I did forewarn YOU, that those who practice such things will not inherit God’s kingdom." {Galatians 5:19-21 NWT}
Paul gives an even better description of all of them at 2 Timothy 3:1-5! It's right on the money too!
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1 "But know this, that in the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here. 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, self-assuming, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, 3 having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness, 4 betrayers, headstrong, puffed up [with pride], lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godly devotion but proving false to its power; and from these turn away." {2 Timothy 3:1-5 NWT} All of the foretold preceding nasty conduct is the result of this Worlds Religious teachers influence on their flocks. Not a Hell of a lot to be proud about is it? In two words, they have created one "Spiritual MESS."
Paul is here telling us to turn away, when he should of told us to run away from these with a mere form of Godly devotion. I'll oft times hear some identifying themselves as Christian's, and it sends a cold chill down my back. Or I'll hear someone say: "I'm a praticing Catholic." More reason to fear! So was Adolph Hitler! He wasn't very scary was he? God! Protect us from this Worlds Christian's, and the Catholics, is all I can say. I never have! I never will identify myself as a Christian. They have brought far too much shame and disgrace on the founder of Christianity. I am an ardent Bible Student. I draw the line there. If I'm really a Christian, I'll wait and let the Messiah tell me that I am, because just maybe he may not. I could possibly hear the Words, as you all very probably will, "I never knew you! Get away from me you workers of lawlessness." {Matthew 7:23} And Christendom's Christian's surely will all hear those words I feel sure.
What might have been the results for Religious Christendom's adherents should Jehovah had actually chosen their leaders as the teachers of his Holy word, equipping them with the Holy Spirit as he would have, had he of chosen them? How would they to begin with, obtained the Holy Spirit? Jesus will tell us that:
"If YOU love me, YOU will observe my commandments; 16 and I will request the Father and he will give YOU another helper to be with YOU forever, 17 the spirit of the truth, which the world cannot receive, because it neither beholds it nor knows it. YOU know it, because it remains with YOU and is in YOU." {John 14:15-17 NWT}
We can see from the words of Jesus here that in order to obtain the Spirit of the Truth, it was necessary to show proper love of the Christ by obeying his commandments. Without doing that, he would never request the Father for the Holy Spirit on ones behalf. It would never be with them or in them, as it would need to be to learn the many truths of the Bible. This is where Religious Christendom has failed miserably, as Jesus will show again:
36 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37 He said to him: "‘You must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 The second, like it, is this, ‘You must love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments the whole Law hangs, and the Prophets." {Matthew 22:36-40 NWT}
Were this World's Christian's displaying love for God, while involving themselves in those two Blood-Baths? Was that really Love of God and neighbor? Did that really identify them all as disciples of Jesus? Love as commanded they should display, by Jesus? Was it a display of love when those Bomb-Bay Doors opened of the en-olagay and two Japanese Cities were reduced to a pile of rubble, dust, and ashes? Evaporating the inhabitants? By that, all knew that they were the disciples of Jesus? Was that loving one another as Jesus loved them?
"I am giving YOU a new commandment, that YOU love one another; just as I have loved YOU, that YOU also love one another. 35 By this all will know that YOU are my disciples, if YOU have love among yourselves." {John `13:34,35 NWT}
"YOU heard that it was said, ‘You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 However, I say to YOU: Continue to love YOUR enemies and to pray for those persecuting YOU; 45 that YOU may prove yourselves sons of YOUR Father who is in the heavens, since he makes his sun rise upon wicked people and good and makes it rain upon righteous people and unrighteous." {Matthew 5:44 NWT}
Can you at one and the same time, love and pray for your enemy, then turn around on the Battle-Field and take his very life? Doesn't that come under the heading of hypocrasy?
Did this Worlds Christian's take the words of Jesus seriously, when he said the following:
51 But, look! one of those with Jesus reached out his hand and drew his sword and struck the slave of the high priest and took off his ear. 52 Then Jesus said to him: "Return your sword to its place, for all those who take the sword will perish by the sword." {Matthew 26:51,52 NWT}
Religious Christendom didn't get the import of those words, quite obviously, but it must occur, the weaponry they use, will come back and kill them all. Simply a matter of time! Jesus said, it would! It will without fail! They will perish by it, because they refuse to put them down.
Getting back to receiving of the Holy Spirit, and how it would have changed the outcome for Religious Christendom's Christian's had they of only been in possession of it. Note the following:
"While remaining with YOU I have spoken these things to YOU. 26 But the helper, the holy spirit, which the Father will send in my name, that one will teach YOU all things and bring back to YOUR minds all the things I told YOU." {John 14:26 NWT}
While with them, he had taught them the following:
"I no longer call YOU slaves, because a slave does not know what his master does. But I have called YOU friends, because all the things I have heard from my Father I have made known to YOU." {John 15:15 NWT}
Everything he had taught them while with them, that he had made known to them, because of the operation of the Holy Spirit that was with them and in them would be brought back to their minds as needed in their Ministry; so they would, because of that have been qualified teachers of the Fathers word. They would know all the things the Father had taught his Son, and never forget a word they'd been taught, because the Holy Spirit would serve as a remembrancer, to bring everything back to their minds as they needed it, when they needed it. This of course would make them qualified teachers of the Father's word. You could get no better teacher than them. This, sad to say, is what is missing from Christendom's Religious Leaders, so their flocks are not only mal-nourished spiritually speaking, they are starving to death for want of the true spiritual food needed to survive, and trasnsform them into true Christian's. For it is the knowledge of God, and the increasing appreciation for said knowledge progressively taken in that creates these necessary changes, over time. Lacking the Holy Spirit those changes could never occur. There would be no transformation. They would remain forever and always the same. With never any changes in their lives, or personalities.
Of course the more knowledge one takes in, the more the appreciation developes the greater the transformation. The closer one becomes to becoming what anyone would call a true Christian. Let me proceed to see how this knowledge developes and increases, bringing us closer to the ideal:
26 "When the helper arrives that I will send YOU from the Father, the spirit of the truth, which proceeds from the Father, that one will bear witness about me; 27 and YOU, in turn, are to bear witness, because YOU have been with me from when I began." {John 15:26,27NWT}
Now, we come down to what a true Christian really is. The Holy Spirit will whisper to each and every Christian, bearing witness to the Christ to each one, they in turn become motivated themselves to witness about the Christ. In point of fact in the first Century no one could shut them up, or stop them from witnessing about Jesus, as the following account will show:
"So they brought them and stood them in the San´he·drin hall. And the high priest questioned them 28 and said: "We positively ordered YOU not to keep teaching upon the basis of this name, and yet, look! YOU have filled Jerusalem with YOUR teaching, and YOU are determined to bring the blood of this man upon us." 29 In answer Peter and the [other] apostles said: "We must obey God as ruler rather than men. 30 The God of our forefathers raised up Jesus, whom YOU slew, hanging him upon a stake. 31 God exalted this one as Chief Agent and Savior to his right hand, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are witnesses of these matters, and so is the holy spirit, which God has given to those obeying him as ruler." {Axcts 5:28,29 NWT}
These first Century Christian's were impelled by the Holy Spirit, and nothing, or no one, could stop them from speaking out about the Christ, as the following shows:
"But a certain man rose in the San´he·drin, a Pharisee named Ga·ma´li·el, a Law teacher esteemed by all the people, and gave the command to put the men outside for a little while. 35 And he said to them: "Men of Israel, pay attention to yourselves as to what YOU intend to do respecting these men. 36 For instance, before these days Theu´das rose, saying he himself was somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined his party. But he was done away with, and all those who were obeying him were dispersed and came to nothing. 37 After him Judas the Gal·i·le´an rose in the days of the registration, and he drew off people after him. And yet that man perished, and all those who were obeying him were scattered abroad. 38 And so, under the present circumstances, I say to YOU, Do not meddle with these men, but let them alone; (because, if this scheme or this work is from men, it will be overthrown; 39 but if it is from God, YOU will not be able to overthrow them;) otherwise, YOU may perhaps be found fighters actually against God." 40 At this they gave heed to him, and they summoned the apostles, flogged them, and ordered them to stop speaking upon the basis of Jesus’ name, and let them go.
41 These, therefore, went their way from before the San´he·drin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy to be dishonored in behalf of his name. 42 And every day in the temple and from house to house they continued without letup teaching and declaring the good news about the Christ, Jesus. {Acts 5:39,40 NWT}
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Samson now called to Jehovah and said: "Sovereign Lord Jehovah, remember me, please, and strengthen me, please, just this once, O you the [true] God, and let me avenge myself upon the Phi·lis´tines with vengeance for one of my two eyes." 29 With that Samson braced himself against the two middle pillars upon which the house was firmly established, and got a grasp on them, one with his right and the other with his left hand. 30 And Samson proceeded to say: "Let my soul die with the Phi·lis´tines." Then he bent himself with power, and the house went falling upon the axis lords and upon all the people that were in it, so that the dead that he put to death in his own death came to be more than those he had put to death during his lifetime." {Judges 16:28-30 NWT}
We have another house of Dagon today, and Samson like ones who will pull down that house; only this time with the Holy Spirit infusing power into their minds, and the knowledge in their minds represents the strength in Samson's hands, that will pull down the entire realm of Religious Christendom all down around their devil worshipping ears. Take note the reason for their strength of mind. Something these Samson like ones take very seriously. The Prophet Jeremiah will aid you in understanding the reason for this strength:
"The prophet with whom there is a dream, let him relate the dream; but the one with whom my own word is, let him speak forth my word truthfully." "What does the straw have to do with the grain?" is the utterance of Jehovah. 29 "Is not my word correspondingly like a fire," is the utterance of Jehovah, "and like a forge hammer that smashes the crag?" {Jeremiah 23:28,29 NWT
Jehovah is here telling us, that Christendom's Religious Teachers and their Flocks, are nothing more than Straw-Men Dreamers, who are all set ablaze when they hear Jehovah's Faithful ones speaking forth his word truthfully; they become inflamed with anger, as Jehovah's Forge-hammer; his word of truth, spoken by his faithful ones, smashes their false teachings to smithereens.
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1 "As for the Phi·lis´tines, they took the ark of the [true] God and then brought it from Eb·en·e´zer to Ash´dod. 2 And the Phi·lis´tines proceeded to take the ark of the [true] God and bring it into the house of Da´gon and station it beside Da´gon. 3 Then the Ash´dod·ites got up early the very next day, and there Da´gon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of Jehovah. So they took Da´gon and returned him to his place. 4 When they got up early in the morning the very day after, there Da´gon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of Jehovah, with the head of Da´gon and the palms of both his hands cut off, to the threshold. Only the fish part had been left upon him. 5 That is why the priests of Da´gon and all those going into the house of Da´gon do not tread upon the threshold of Da´gon in Ash´dod down to this day. 6 And the hand of Jehovah came to be heavy upon the Ash´dod·ites, and he began causing panic and striking them with piles, namely, Ash´dod and its territories. 7 And the men of Ash´dod came to see that it was so, and they said: "Do not let the ark of the God of Israel dwell with us, because his hand has been hard against us and against Da´gon our god." 8 Consequently they sent and gathered all the axis lords of the Phi·lis´tines to them and said: "What shall we do to the ark of the God of Israel?" Finally they said: "Toward Gath let the ark of the God of Israel go around." So they brought the ark of the God of Israel around to there. 9 And it came about that after they had brought it around to there, the hand of Jehovah came to be upon the city with a very great confusion, and he began striking the men of the city, from small to great, and piles began breaking out on them. 10 Hence they sent the ark of the [true] God to Ek´ron. And it came about that as soon as the ark of the [true] God came to Ek´ron, the Ek´ron·ites began to cry out, saying: "They have brought the ark of the God of Israel around to me to put me and my people to death!" 11 Consequently they sent and gathered all the axis lords of the Phi·lis´tines and said: "SEND the ark of the God of Israel away that it may return to its place and may not put me and my people to death." For a death-dealing confusion had occurred in the whole city; the hand of the [true] God had been very heavy there, 12 and the men that did not die had been struck with piles. And the cry of the city for help kept ascending to the heavens."{1 Samuel 5:1-12 NWT}
Like the Phi-lis'tines god Dagon, Christendom's god satan the devil will end up flat on his face; totally incapacitated; and because Jehovah's hand will be turned against them, panic and confusion will break out among them, because, as it was in the case of dagon's Worshippers Jehovah's hand will be hard against their god, as well as all of them. Their cries to the Heavens for help will go unheeded. For what is occuring at this time is Jehovah's will, and there is no source of help from any quarter. Now it will be too late to heal their sick spiritual condition, as it came to be, in the case of the Israelite Nation. {2 Chronicles 36:15,16} - End of Story! Bitter end for all of Religious Christendom, their Religious Teachers and followers.
So this Good News about the Christ is anything but Good News for Religious Christendom's Teachers and followers. which makes Jehovah's Witnesses look kind of silly doesn't it? In that they are preaching this Good News of the Kingdom in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the Nations before the final end comes? {Matthew 24:14 - 29-31} {Revelation 1:7}
It would appear that Jehovah's Witnesses have missed the point entirely. Strange! For an Orgaization that professes to be God's Spirit Directed Organization; to be that far off base. Do you think, perhaps, they are not the Faithful Slave as the Governing Body claim to be? I personally would think they are not! Wannabe
Even after being flogged, and being ordered to stop speaking upon the basis of Jesus name, they still continued without letup teaching and declaring the good news about the Christ. This now, in Jehovah's eyes, is what a true Christian really is! Religious Christendom does not even come close, to following the example set by the true Christain's in the first Century. In order to get the adherents of Religious Christendom's Christian's to follow this example, you would have to flog them, and order them to declare the good news about the Christ. In similar fashion, you would have to flog their Religious Leaders, and order them to teach this good news about the Christ. The real reason they don't teach it is, on the one hand, they don't know anything about it; but my guess is, they know it's anything but good news to them, so they simply keep their mouths shut and sealed about it. I would guess that matters little anyway, not themselves being chosen by Jehovah to teach his Holy word to anyone. Better they remain silent! That would be the healthier course for them to take.
So, today, those who reveal and teach the truth, would be chosen men and Women, following the example set by Noah, Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Job, King David and all the Prophets; those Jehovah deemed to be righteous; who actually did walk with Jehovah. Let us not forget Samson, whose last request, before he died, was for the power to bring down a house of false worship by the power of the Holy Spirit and his bare hands, and he did exactly that, as the following account shows: