Why I Am No Longer a Roman Catholic: Part 1 – Introduction

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was a Roman Catholic for the first eighteen years of my life. My parents converted to Catholicism after they were married because they were looking for a church that took a firm stand for the sanctity of marriage and against divorce, which was prevalent in both their families. I, on the other hand, was raised as a Catholic and accepted it as normal and right. I served as an altar boy for many years and attended Catholic school from third grade through the eighth. I was baptized as an infant, received my first Holy Communion as a boy, and was later confirmed. Our family was active in the church and attended regularly. It was only as an older teenager that I began to ask a lot of questions and have significant doubts about God and the church.

Catholic teaching did not provide me with a clear path to having a personal relationship with God. The church actually stood between me and God with its rules and mediatorial priesthood. I could never be sure that I would one day go to heaven because that depended on dying in what was called a state of grace, which came and went depending on sins I would commit and subsequent confession to a priest. I seriously tried to keep the rules, but the more I tried to live without sin, the more I realized how hopeless an endeavor that is. Later I read in the Bible that this frustration with trying to be good was exactly what God intended to lead us to Christ (Galatians 3:22), but then I did not know that.

I attempted to please a God who was “out there” looking at me, but whom I did not know personally and was never there to help me, it seemed. In my frustration I began to wonder if God even could be known. I called myself an agnostic and began looking for God and truth outside the church. When I went to college, I discovered Zen Buddhism and Transcendental Meditation, which were trendy at the time. I tried meditation, thinking that perhaps truth could be discovered there, since Christianity had let me down.

It was about this time that the girl I was dating, who is now my wife of fifty years, wrote to tell me that she had become a Bible believing “born again” Christian. This was strange news to a Catholic, especially from someone with the same background as me. I found myself resisting and criticizing her beliefs and experience, but could not sway her a bit. That made an impression on me. Maybe she was on to something.

After a couple of weeks of wrestling with these things, I decided to experiment. I prayed to Jesus, whose very existence I doubted, asking him, if he were real, to come into my life and reveal himself to me. I left it at that. I did not struggle with it any more. I even temporarily forgot I said the prayer. Interestingly, however, I noticed that I was changing. I was happier and more willing to do nice things for people. I thought that perhaps my meditation was having a good effect. My girlfriend, Martha, came to visit, and we talked about Jesus some more. After dropping her off at the women’s dorm where she was staying, I caught a ride back to my dorm. Being hungry, I decided to stop by a small room with vending machines, where I bought something to eat. I was all alone, as it was late at night. Thinking about everything Martha and I had discussed and wondering about my life, I suddenly remembered that prayer to Jesus. At that very moment, God’s presence seemed to fill the room. Somehow I instantly knew Jesus is real and went from unbelief to having a strong conviction that he is everything the Bible says about him. Joy and peace filled my heart in a way I had never known. This was what I call my born again experience. From that time on everything became new and different.

Later I read the following verses and realized that God has been very gracious to me by opening my spiritual eyes and heart.

Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. 6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. 7 So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.” John 3:5–8 (NLT) —

The first thing I did was go to my nearby dorm, where several of my friends were still awake. I told them what had happened to me and let them know that Jesus is real and can be known. That was my first attempt at sharing the good news. I did not know much, but I knew that. That night it was difficult for me to fall asleep. I was excited and also wondering if I would still believe in the morning. Was this just a passing fancy or a new permanent reality? The next morning I woke up still believing, and here I am writing this article some fifty-two years later. I told Martha what had happened. She was surprised and overjoyed, as you might imagine. We have served the Lord together ever since.

That night changed my life in the most fundamental way. I went from feeling lost and alone in the universe to knowing I am loved by its Creator. I transitioned from doubt to having the assurance that God is real and loves me, his words are true and faithful, and I have eternal life. I want others to know about this amazing God who is willing and able to reveal himself to us!

One thing I understood right away was that my new birth had absolutely nothing to do with the Catholic Church. Priests never even told me that I could know God in this way. Only one older gentleman named Allen Graham, who taught a class for teens, said that God can be known, but at the time I did not know how. Eventually, as I became more and more familiar with the Bible, I realized that the Catholic Church long ago departed from Scripture in many areas. Instead of being a vehicle for people to experience the freedom of the gospel, it became an enslaving religious institution. Eventually I realized that I had to part ways.

I do not write this to condemn any family or friends who are still part of the Catholic Church. There are many truly born again believers who have remained in that church. However, I believe that I have a responsibility to share how Catholic doctrine has combined elements of the Old Testament with the New to alter the gospel message. The apostle Paul wrote that if anyone or group preaches a different gospel, they are cursed or under God’s judgment. (Galatians 1:8-9) The Catholic syncretistic betrayal of the New Covenant cannot be ignored. I hope that these articles will make it clear why I believe this and help you in some way.

Pete

Why I Am No Longer a Roman Catholic: Part 8 – The Papacy

The papacy represents the Roman Catholicism’s solidarity with the world system of government as opposed to Christ’s. The RCC recognizes the Pope as its titular head. He is said to be Christ’s Vicar or representative here on earth. He is called the Holy Father, and his pronouncements, when he speaks and writes ex cathedra (“from the chair” – authority derived from one’s office or position), are supposed to be infallibly correct, even if he contradicts Scripture.

The office of the papacy was a logical outgrowth of the doctrine of the elevation of the clergy class over the common people or the laity. I showed how the clergy-laity divide is antithetical to the New Covenant in my previous article on the priesthood. Once a group accepts a clergy class and accepts the concept that the church has the form of a worldly kingdom complete with a king, it is only natural to end up with a Pope. Jesus made it clear that his kingdom is not of this world, however.

Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.” John 18:36 (NASB95) —

The Roman Catholic Church claims is that it is the only church whose spiritual lineage of leaders goes all the way back to the Apostle Peter in Rome. Peter is considered to be the first pope from whom the current pontiff is descended spiritually through successive ordinations.

What the RCC does not comprehend is that every New Covenant believer is part of the new creation initiated by Jesus, the “second Adam” (1 Corinthians 15:45) through the new birth. The entire church goes back to Christ. Even if it were true that Peter were the first pope, it would not matter one whit relating to a spiritual pedigree. The only pedigree that matters is what comes via the new birth, something disconnected from any church organization. (You may wish to read my first article in this series for more on this topic.)

Historically the papacy claimed and exerted even greater religious and secular power than it does today. In his papal Bull of 1302, Pope Boniface VIII (on the right) wrote: “Indeed we declare, say, pronounce, and define that it is altogether necessary to salvation for every human creature to be subject to the Roman Pontiff.”

Boniface’s assertions of papal plenitude of power did not go beyond those of his predecessors in the 13th century. They were in fact more moderate than, for instance, those of Innocent IV and were in any case well within the range of the opinions gradually elaborated in the schools of theology and canon law in the period between the age of Gregory VII, the great 11th-century reformer, and that of Boniface.2

Although such secular authority is not currently claimed by the Pope, during the Middle Ages the papacy was the most powerful political force in European Christendom, having the ability to leverage kingdoms and even excommunicate recalcitrant rulers in order to bring them into line. For many centuries most of these kingdoms were nominally Catholic and looked to the Pope. Such power did not go uncontested, however. Some secular rulers vied with the papacy over the right to appoint bishops, etc. Wars were waged by kingdoms under the auspices of the Pope in a contest for power. Money was a big part of what was at stake, and, as one would expect, great power was accompanied by great corruption, and the “Vicar of Christ” was often a very poor representative of our Lord.

The early church had no such office as Pope. Jesus warned his disciples against having such pretensions of power and greatness.

Then they began to argue among themselves about who would be the greatest among them. 25 Jesus told them, “In this world the kings and great men lord it over their people, yet they are called ‘friends of the people.’ 26 But among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant. 27 Who is more important, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves? The one who sits at the table, of course. But not here! For I am among you as one who serves. Luke 22:24–27 (NLT) —

The desire to be considered a “great” person with commensurate power and authority is rooted in our sin nature and is antithetical to Christ’s teachings.

Adam and Eve wanted to be great, which led to their downfall. Satan’s told them that they could be “like God,” knowing good from evil for themselves, rather than having to rely upon God. This desire continues in the human makeup and manifests itself over and over again. The tower of Babel was constructed by a group who wanted to “make a name for themselves” and be famous. (Genesis 11:4) This evil desire originated in Satan, who is thought to be represented in the following passage from Isaiah, which is ostensibly written about the King of Babylon, but seems to be about the prince of darkness, too.

How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning! You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world. 13 For you said to yourself, ‘I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars. I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north. 14 I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.’ Isaiah 14:12–14 (NLT) —

Any time a church group elevates an individual to a position of enormous power and prestige, whether it is the RCC or any other organization of believers, we can be sure that it is not something birthed by God’s Holy Spirit.

The early church did not have an hierarchy. Instead it made decisions by coming together to seek the Lord’s will and discuss important issues in order to arrive at a consensus. This can only happen where there is unity and humility. The first big issue that arose was whether Gentile converts should be required to keep the Mosaic Law, specifically circumcision. The church in Jerusalem, quite naturally, had many Jewish converts; whereas, Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, witnessed multitudes of Gentiles believing the gospel. As might be expected, the Jews viewed Christianity as an extension of Judaism and wanted these new Gentile believers to become full-fledged Jews in addition to putting their faith and allegiance in Christ.

Paul was in the eye of the storm. Having observed uncircumcised Gentiles being filled with the Holy Spirit without being circumcised, a proof of their complete acceptance by God, he taught that we are saved by faith alone and that circumcision is not necessary. This agreed with the passage in Genesis which says that Abraham was justified by faith in God’s promise before circumcision was even introduced. (Genesis 15:6) Paul wrote:

For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. 29 But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God. Romans 2:28–29 (NASB95) —

However, Paul’s view was contested. People called Judaizers followed Paul and injected their legalistic teaching on circumcision into the congregations that Paul started. As a result, people were getting confused, and Paul believed that the integrity of the gospel message was at stake. As he saw it, the future of the church hung in the balance. Therefore, the believers turned to the apostles in Jerusalem for the answer.

Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 And when Paul and Barnabas had great dissension and debate with them, the brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning this issue. Acts 15:1–2 (NASB95) —

This was not because Paul recognized them as the supreme authority. He made that clear in his letter to the church in Galatia many years later.

Then after an interval of fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along also. 2 It was because of a revelation that I went up; and I submitted to them the gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but I did so in private to those who were of reputation, for fear that I might be running, or had run, in vain... 6 But from those who were of high reputation (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—well, those who were of reputation contributed nothing to me. 7 But on the contrary, seeing that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been to the circumcised 8 (for He who effectually worked for Peter in his apostleship to the circumcised effectually worked for me also to the Gentiles), 9 and recognizing the grace that had been given to me, James and Cephas and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, so that we might go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. Galatians 2:1-2, 6–9 (NASB95) —

After much discussion, in which Peter voiced his strong viewpoint in agreement with Paul, James, the Lord’s brother, who appeared to be the leader among the apostles and elders, stood to give the decision. Here is what he said.

Everyone listened quietly as Barnabas and Paul told about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. 13 When they had finished, James stood and said, “Brothers, listen to me. 14 Peter has told you about the time God first visited the Gentiles to take from them a people for himself. 15 And this conversion of Gentiles is exactly what the prophets predicted...19 “And so my judgment is that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20 Instead, we should write and tell them to abstain from eating food offered to idols, from sexual immorality, from eating the meat of strangled animals, and from consuming blood. 21 For these laws of Moses have been preached in Jewish synagogues in every city on every Sabbath for many generations.” 22 Then the apostles and elders together with the whole church in Jerusalem chose delegates, and they sent them to Antioch of Syria with Paul and Barnabas to report on this decision. The men chosen were two of the church leaders—Judas (also called Barsabbas) and Silas...[the letter contained the following statement] 25 it seemed good to us, having become of one mind, to select men to send to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, Acts 15:12-15, 19–22, 25 (NLT) —

James, not Peter, took the lead. This significantly undermines the RCC’s assertion of Peter’s being the first Pope.

Every group needs a leader, but not a pope. The leaders God uses are those who humbly submit to the written word of God, listen to the Holy Spirit and to the counsel of those around them, and humbly use their authority in the fear of the Lord. James’ leadership was not codified or otherwise made official. It seemed to be organic and based upon natural and spiritual gifts. There is no record that any sort of policy of succession existed in the early church.

It is true that God raised up Moses to be a very strong leader who exercised enormous authority. He was followed by Joshua who operated in the same way. It should be noted, however, that God used those two leaders to lead Israel out of slavery in Egypt and bring them into their inheritance in Canaan. The enormous mission required great leadership and commensurate authority. In addition, these two leaders fulfilled another purpose in God’s larger plan. Moses represented the Law and Joshua, the New Covenant. Moses, the Law, could not bring them into the promises, but Joshua (another form of the name, Jesus) did. The obvious significance is that legalism can never save us. Only Christ can do that through the new birth. Their leadership fulfilled a larger purpose in foreshadowing God’s plan of salvation.

Joshua conquered Canaan and later died. After that Israel entered the period of the Judges during which God changed how he raised up leaders. Without any policy or line of succession, God raised up men and a woman to lead the nation as the need required. As long as these judges exercised leadership, the nation prospered. When they died, the nation was again leaderless until God raised up the next judge, making the people feel insecure and vulnerable. Nevertheless, this is how God chose to do things.

God wants us to be dependent upon him rather than upon organizations with dynastic rulers.

Over time, the nation grew weary of God’s way of doing things and asked to have a king, “like the nations” (1 Samuel 8:20), whose sons would provide a ongoing succession of rulers, ensuring continuity of government. Samuel was judge and a prophet when this took place. He brought the people’s request to God, who regarded it as a rejection of his rule.

Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah; 5 and they said to him, “Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations.” 6 But the thing was displeasing in the sight of Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the LORD. 7 The LORD said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them. 1 Samuel 8:4–7 (NASB95) —

God wants his people to be content to be in a place of liminality or uncertainty in which we have nothing firm to cling to but him. This is the “place” where our faith and knowledge of God grows.

If we can become “comfortable” by faith with God’s being our only real security, we will experience God’s ongoing leadership, protection, and provision. (2 Corinthians 5:7) We are most free and happy when we rely upon the Lord. (John 8:31-32) Human beings in general, however, do not like this set up. We usually will trade freedom for a sense of security. This is what happened in Israel and is an ongoing pattern of behavior in every group, including the church.

The Lord allowed the people to get their way, and Saul was appointed as the first king. (It should be noted that God had a larger purpose in mind. His ultimate ruler, our Lord Jesus, would descend from the line of David to be Israel’s, the church’s, permanent king.)

“And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32 “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” Luke 1:31–33 (NASB95) —

The history of the kings of Israel is mainly one of sin and corruption, with several good kings, preeminently David, sprinkled into the mix. Contrarily, there is no record of a bad judge. If we allow God to raise up leaders from among the people as he sees fit, things will go much better.

Unfortunately, there is something built into human nature, going back to Babel, that wants to establish a system and build and empire to provide security and continuity. (You can read more on this subject in a previous article.)

The early church was decentralized, having no pope or other centralized rule. This was part of the genius God built into the church, which allowed it to survive and thrive during years of intense persecution. This same genius has enabled the Chinese underground church to multiply despite decades of suppression by the communist regime there. When a group or movement is decentralized, it is nearly impossible to “kill” it. There are no buildings to seize or central leaders to threaten or kill. If one leader is removed, another one springs up. Meetings can be conducted “underground” in homes and other suitable temporary venues. (If you wish to read more about the genius of decentralization, check out my summaries of The Starfish and the Spirit and The Insanity of Obedience .)

The early church was governed by elders.

When the Holy Spirit gave birth to a church through Paul’s preaching, one of his first orders of business was the appointment or ordination of elders, older men of proven character who had a spiritual gift and calling to shepherd or care for and oversee that local church.

When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed. Acts 14:23 (NASB95) —

Paul retained a fatherly sort of authority in each of the churches which he preached into existence.

For even if you had ten thousand others to teach you about Christ, you have only one spiritual father. For I became your father in Christ Jesus when I preached the Good News to you. 1 Corinthians 4:15 (NLT) —

Just as natural fathers train and prepare their children to become self-governing responsible adults, so Paul expected the churches he founded to be governed by the local elders or presbytery.

Grown sons govern their own families, but sometimes turn to their earthly fathers for advice and direction. In such cases, fathers do not have the right to rule their sons, but can influence them. Any father who seeks to do otherwise violates his son’s authority as husband and father of his own wife and family and stunts their growth. Likewise, Paul was able to exercise fatherly authority to assist churches in difficulty as invited and allowed. Those churches that honored Paul’s authority benefited immensely. Those who refused it generally suffered.

Nevertheless, Paul’s apostolic authority over the churches he founded depended on the willingness of the local elders to accede to it.

This is the biblical model for all ecclesiastical authority. Local churches are intended to be self-governing but not arrogantly independent. At times local elders need the wisdom and guidance of fatherly spiritual leaders who have their best interests at heart. This can only happen when relationships of trust have been built over time.

The institutionalized church tries to take a “short cut” by appointing overseers or bishops (the episcopate) who rule over the churches under them by means of positional rather than relational authority. This is a violation of the New Testament pattern and keeps people spiritually immature, a condition nurtured by overbearing leaders who prefer power to producing mature disciples.

After the conversion of the Emperor Constantine, the church began to morph into something more like an earthly kingdom, complete with a king or Pope. The church gained prestige, power, property, and wealth after it became the official religion of the empire. Instead of being a persecuted fringe minority, it became socially and professionally advantageous to be a Christian. Church leaders grew in power and wealth over time, rising to the heights of the papacy in the Middle Ages. God may have used this period of church history for some good, as he does in every case for those who believe (Romans 8:28), but by and large this was a dark age for the church. The corruption, abuse, and divergence from biblical truth became so great that it erupted into a massive and turbulent period of reformation. The evil surrounding the office of the Pope provoked Martin Luther and other reformers to consider that he was the biblical Antichrist. 1

At the time of the Reformation, Leo X was the Pope. He was one of the more ungodly pontiffs of all time. Leo X was the head of the de Medici family from Florence, Italy, when he became the pope. Interestingly he was not even a priest at the time of his appointment. He reigned over the RCC from 1513 until 1521. He used his considerable political skills in his years as Pope, appointing family members, writers, and poets to key church positions. His lavish lifestyle quickly emptied Rome’s coffers; so, he came up with ways to replenish the church’s bank account. One of the most famous methods was the selling of papal indulgences. People were told that when they gave money, the souls of the their loved ones were immediately released from Purgatory, a place of suffering where the heaven-bound remained until their last sins were completely expiated (another extra-biblical doctrine about which I will write later). This egregious abuse of power to enrich Rome became one of the main offenses that provoked Luther to post his 95 Theses on the church door in Wittenberg, Germany. Leo X engaged in wars and intrigue as well, joining the emperor of Germany and the kings of Spain and England to drive the French out of northern Italy. Interestingly, the reason he failed to quickly deal with Luther (put him to death as a heretic) was because of his preoccupation with these struggles. Much to his regret, by the time he got around to Luther, it was too late. The Reformation had already gained momentum and Luther came under the protection of powerful secular rulers who had the ability to thwart the Pope’s desires.

The RCC bases its doctrine of papal infallibility and rule on a much debated passage of Scripture.

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. 19 “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:15–19 (NASB95) —

The RCC believes this passage made Peter the first Pope, giving him binding authority to rule. However, if one properly exegetes or pulls out the true meaning of this passage, instead of reading into it what one wishes to see (isogesis), it is obvious that this is not what Jesus meant.

Jesus made a play on words in this passage. Peter’s name, petros, means little stone. The Greek word for rock is petra. It should be apparent that the little stone is not the rock. Peter just confessed that Jesus is the Lord. This confession is the rock upon which the church is built. The acknowledgement of Christ’s lordship along with our declared allegiance to him gives us entrance into the kingdom of God, producing in Christ’s followers the “obedience of faith.” (Romans 1:5) Paul summarized the importance of our confession of Christ’s lordship in the following passage.

that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. Romans 10:9–10 (NASB95) —

The phrase “keys of the kingdom” refers to God’s giving Peter the authority or privilege to preach the gospel and open the door of salvation both to the Jews and to the Gentiles. Peter is the one God selected to first preach to the Jews in Jerusalem on Pentecost, and he was given the privilege of unlocking the door of salvation to the Gentiles when he preached to the Roman centurion and his family in Acts 10. Peter recognized this God-given favor, as recorded in Acts.

After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe. Acts 15:7 (NASB95) —

Regarding binding and loosing in the disputed passage, it is important to note that Peter was authorized to bind and loose what had already been bound and loosed in heaven. It is clear that this was not an authorization for Peter to wield power. I have already shown that he was not even the recognized leader of the church in Jerusalem. Instead this must refer to the his ability to loose people from spiritual darkness through the preaching of the gospel. On Pentecost, he concluded his message with these words.

And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!” 41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. Acts 2:40–41 (NASB95) —

His exhortation to be set free or loosed from sin resulted in the conversion of about 3000 people! Peter also exercised his authority to bind when he confronted Simon Magus, an evil magician who resisted the gospel message and tried to purchase the power to baptize converts in the Holy Spirit.

But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! 21 “You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. 22 “Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 “For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity.” 24 But Simon answered and said, “Pray to the Lord for me yourselves, so that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.” Acts 8:20–24 (NASB95) —

The RCC erred by seeking to use this passage to confer on the Pope an almost limitless authority and set him apart as the official Vicar of Christ. It is clear from other verses, that the entire church is Christ’s representative here on earth, carrying the authority of Christ to preach the gospel, heal the sick, cast out demons, and make judgments.

For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 2 Corinthians 5:19–20 (NLT) —

And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give. Matthew 10:7–8 (NASB95) — 

When one of you has a dispute with another believer, how dare you file a lawsuit and ask a secular court to decide the matter instead of taking it to other believers! 2 Don’t you realize that someday we believers will judge the world? And since you are going to judge the world, can’t you decide even these little things among yourselves? 3 Don’t you realize that we will judge angels? So you should surely be able to resolve ordinary disputes in this life. 1 Corinthians 6:1–3 (NLT) —

The natural human propensity to seek order and security by appointing a permanent succession of rulers, as was done in Israel, always leads to tyranny, as God warned his people through Samuel the prophet. (1 Samuel 8:10-18) Nevertheless, just as Israel preferred the tyranny of an earthly ruler they could see over the rule of God, so the RCC choose to elevate men to a position of supreme authority instead of allowing God to raise up leaders as he saw fit.

This is part of the human condition and is not limited to the RCC. Protestant Christianity has often fallen into the same trap.

Often what began as Spirit-led movements morphed into man-made organizations or denominations, complete with centralized government, hierarchical leadership, power, money, and other assets. The modern megachurch movement is largely a capitulation to a business model for doing church, rather than the kingdom model adopted by Constantine.

The true church is a spiritual entity, an organism more than an organization. God meant it to remain decentralized and dependent upon his continuing leadership.

At the time of this writing, the RCC is in turmoil because of the words and actions of the current pontiff, Francis. The Catholic News Agency reported on May 1, 2019: “A group of nineteen Catholics, including some prominent academics, have published an open letter to the bishops of the world accusing Pope Francis of heresy.” 3 This is a huge problem since the is no means to remove the Pope.

Among specific heretical beliefs the letter accuses the pope of holding is the position that a Catholic can, with full knowledge of divine law, violate that law and not be in a state of grave sin. The letter also references a number of bishops, cardinals, and priests whom the authors claim are themselves heretical and the pope either appointed or allowed to remain in office, as further proof of the Holy Father’s “heresy.” The letter also suggests that a cross and staff used by the pope during the 2018 Synod on Young People liturgies were respectively “satanic” and proof of a pro-homosexual agenda.

Fr. Thomas Petri, O.P., Petri, vice president and academic dean at the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC, told CNA that the letter is”frankly disappointing.” “I cannot understand how one could accuse the pope of heresy based on low-level appointments forwarded to him for pro-forma approval or on vestiture given to him to use for a liturgy.” “It’s quite stunning to include such ‘facts’ as evidence of heresy,” Petri said.

Canon law defines heresy as the “obstinate denial or doubt, after baptism, of some truth to be believed with divine and Catholic faith.” Attached to the letter is a four-page canonical rationale, in which the writers cite previous declaration by Pope Leo II that his predecessor, Pope Honorius, had supported the monothelite heresy in the seventh century. The letter acknowledges that “it is agreed that the Church does not have jurisdiction over the pope, and hence that the Church cannot remove a pope from office by an exercise of superior authority, even for the crime of heresy.” Nevertheless, the letter asserts, a pope with “heretical views cannot continue as pope.” The letter then suggests that the pope could lose office de facto as a result of obstinately holding public heretical views and that the bishops of the Church have an “absolute duty to act in concert to remedy this evil.” The Code of Canon Law explicitly provides for the punishment of Catholics who “make recourse against an act of the Roman Pontiff to an ecumenical council or the college of bishops.” Canon law also defines that both an ecumenical council and the college of bishops can only ever act with and under the authority of the pope. 4

This is the kind of predicament we get into when we violate God’s way of doing things and resort to man-made methods. In light of other areas in which the RCC has diverged from biblical truth, it is not surprising, however.

To conclude, the papacy is just one more error in the RCC, which is a result of its departure from absolute adherence to the scriptures. Serious errors always follow this most basic one. God does not want his church to be organized and ruled like an earthly kingdom. The Lord is the only king of the church. He has appointed no one specific person as his vicar or representative on earth. The Holy Spirit fills each believer, and God raises up leaders on a local level as needed.

The Roman Catholic Church’s decision to institutionalize leadership under the papacy reveals that it is not committed to Christ’s rule through the Holy Spirit or to adhering to the Scriptures.

1 https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1087&context=pd

2 https://www.britannica.com/biography/Boniface-VIII/Bonifaces-capture

3 https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/41164/theologians-accuse-pope-of-heresy

4 Ibid.

The Danger of Being Wise

How could anything as profitable and desirable as wisdom put anyone in danger? Didn’t Solomon write that finding wisdom is better than acquiring gold? (Proverbs 16:16) Proverbs also tells us that finding wisdom is a way to love our own soul. (Proverbs 19:8) How could something so valuable be dangerous?

Consider these words of Jesus.

At that very time He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and said, “I praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. Luke 10:21 (NASB95)

This passage is noteworthy because it is the only recorded instance of Jesus showing such exuberant joy. What made him so gloriously happy? He rejoiced because his heavenly Father chose to conceal the truth about Jesus from the wise and intelligent and reveal it instead to the childlike or simple-minded. Why would that bring joy to the Lord?

Isaiah prophesied something very similar.

Therefore behold, I will once again deal marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous; And the wisdom of their wise men will perish, And the discernment of their discerning men will be concealed.” Isaiah 29:14 (NASB95)

Apparently God says that it glorifies him that he made it impossible to find him or know him by using our intellects or human wisdom. Perhaps the reason is because Satan prompted Adam and Eve to pursue godhood by using their reasoning and knowledge, and God decided that no one will find him that way.

We have to be willing to lay aside the pride of human intellect and wisdom to know God.

In another place, Jesus quoted Isaiah.

FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES, OTHERWISE THEY WOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES, HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.’ Matthew 13:15 (NASB95)

Faith comes by hearing or perceiving God’s words spoken in our hearts by revelation of the Spirit. (Romans 10:17)

We can only know God by faith. Faith is ignited when the Spirit of God opens our hearts and minds to apprehend the truth of God’s words.This is a spiritual activity that transcends human reasoning and wisdom.

Paul likewise took up this theme in his first letter to the church in Corinth.

For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; 27 but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, 28 and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, 29 so that no man may boast before God. 1 Corinthians 1:26–29 (NASB95)

Putting these verses together, I conclude that there is a wisdom from God and a wisdom of the world. (James 3:13-18) The best examples of wisdom from the world is when it uses sound principles for evaluating knowledge in order to arrive at a prudent course of action.

The wisdom from God, includes the previous definition, but relies primarily on our apprehension of and faith in God’s written Word and the revelation of the Spirit.

There is a very big difference between the two kinds of wisdom that produces quite opposite results.

If we as Christians choose to rely more upon the world’s wisdom to guide us in our thinking and actions, rather than upon the written Word and the Holy Spirit, it will put us in danger.

My observation is that the people whom I consider to be the wisest are quite careful and make it a practice to try to avoid all extremes, following King Solomon’s advice.

So don’t be too good or too wise! Why destroy yourself? 17 On the other hand, don’t be too wicked either. Don’t be a fool! Why die before your time? 18 Pay attention to these instructions, for anyone who fears God will avoid both extremes. Ecclesiastes 7:16–18 (NLT)

Wise people I know generally believe that the truth is almost always found somewhere in the middle between opposing extremes. This results in their tendency to refuse to identify with either side in a political debate, for example, believing that the wise position is a compromise between the opposite extremes. Politically this works pretty well a good deal of the time, but when it comes to truth issues, compromise is not always the answer.

People in the Bible who tried this “wise” approach sometimes ended up in the wrong place. Take for example, when Jesus challenged the Jewish leaders by asking them if John’s baptism were from God or not. They “wisely” considered the outcome of their reply, choosing to avoid committing to either a positive or negative position. They remained cowardly “agnostic,” revealing their duplicity. Jesus told us in Revelation that he would rather we be hot (yes) or cold (no) rather than be “lukewarm” or non-committal. Another example of using wisdom to avoid making a commitment is when Gamaliel advised the Jewish leaders to avoid persecuting the apostles.

And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; 39 but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God.” Acts 5:38–39 (NKJV)

Gamaliel used his wisdom to remain neutral. At least he chose to not persecute the Christians, which is something, but his “wisdom” never helped him make a commitment to Christ, as far as we know. It left him in the gray lukewarm undecided realm.

Truth requires us to make a commitment to it, even if it runs counter to the dominant viewpoint or seems to be an extreme position.

In this day and age, it is important that we understand that communists seek to move the middle to the right, calling what formerly was a mildly conservative position, far right, and what was formerly far left to the middle.

I think most of us understand that sometimes we must take an “extreme” position, such as in the case of abortion. Even though the predominant view in our country is that abortion is a legitimate (legal) option for a woman, we people of the Book know that abortion is the taking of an innocent life. There can be no compromise on this. Regarding less obviously “black and white” issues, however, it seems that wise people try to stay somewhere in the middle and to remain neutral.

If wisdom’s aim is to avoid controversy, this is certainly the way to go.

When Jesus arrived on the earth, he was thought by many to be the bastard child of an insignificant woman from Nazareth. The dominant view at the time regarding the expected Messiah, one supported by the “experts” in such matters, was that he would be born in Bethlehem and would lead the nation out from under Roman oppression and back to being in a dominant position of honor and power in the world. When the Lord revealed to Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, Simeon, and Anna that this little babe was the one chosen by God to assume David’s throne on a forever basis, it was not something anyone would ever have guessed or been able to figure out. It was a completely surprising claim that was so extremely divergent from the opinion of the experts (the priests, scribes, Pharisees, and Saducees) that it must have seemed like some sort of weird conspiracy theory. (Of course, that term had not yet been coined  by the CIA to dissuade people from probing into the JFK assassination.)

Few if any wise or biblically educated persons would ever have believed such a claim made by ignorant persons from the lower rungs of society.

When Jesus entered his public ministry, very few from the group considered to be educated and wise “fell” for his message. In fact, they were offended by his confident teaching, his demonstrations of God’s power to heal and deliver people from demons, his refusal to be bound by Talmudic oral traditions, and his claim to be able to forgive sins. Eventually those in power put him to death for saying he is the divine Son of Man prophesied by Daniel. From their point of view, Jesus’ claims were dangerous, misguided, and blasphemous.

Their “wisdom” completely let them down because it was unable to accept anything outside their understanding of what was the correct interpretation of the scriptures. How could all the experts be wrong?

These so-called authorities in the Law rebuked those who appeared to be open to the possibility that Jesus might indeed the Messiah.

Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why have you not brought Him?” 46 The officers answered, “No man ever spoke like this Man!” 47 Then the Pharisees answered them, “Are you also deceived? 48 Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him? 49 But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.” John 7:45–49 (NKJV)

The rulers and Pharisees were so convinced that their view regarding the coming Messiah was correct that they were not able to recognize him when he stood right in front of them and spoke to them. Their hearts were closed to anything that did not fit into their paradigm, understanding, and training. They were convinced that they were far wiser and more discerning than the “simple minded,” ignorant people who were being deceived into believing in Jesus. They were convinced that they were the guardians of truth responsible to protect God’s people from heresy and false messiahs. Their worldly wisdom and desire to avoid being deceived by “extreme” claims took them down a wicked path to murder the true Messiah, all the time thinking that they were serving God.

In the eyes of the world, the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is outside the pale of what is reasonable and wise.

It is thought to be an extreme position that runs counter to the dominant worldview and all sound wisdom. To accept that Jesus rose from the dead as the Lord of Lords who will one day return to judge the living and the dead requires one to be willing to be labeled as a misguided religious fanatic.This happened to Paul when he preached the gospel in Athens, the center of worldly wisdom at that time.

And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, “We will hear you again on this matter.” Acts 17:32 (NKJV)

Some rejected the gospel, but others were “open” and wanted to hear more. In order to be saved, we have to move from being “open” to God to being committed to him. Before doing so, one should count the cost of making such a decision.

A public confession of Christ followed by water baptism is the designated way for us to declare our allegiance to Jesus the Messiah and become part of what the world considers to be a misguided fringe sect of fanatics.

It is impossible for us to accept the gospel as being the truth without the help of the Holy Spirit. Christianity is a revelatory “religion.”

Only those people who hearts are open to receive revelation from God are able to believe and come to Jesus. This is what it means to be childlike.

Jesus said that unless we become like little children, we cannot enter the kingdom of God. (Matthew 18:3) Jesus said we cannot come to him unless we are drawn by the Father and have our eyes opened by the Spirit of God. (John 6:44)

Once that happens, the Holy Spirit enables us to see things in an entirely new way. We are able to operate by means of a divine wisdom not recognized or understood by those in the world.

Paul wrote:

Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; 7 but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; 8 the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; 1 Corinthians 2:6–8 (NASB95)

Since we are human, we remain susceptible to the temptation to rely on human wisdom instead of the Spirit of God and the written Word. This can take us into dangerous territory. Every strength has a corresponding weakness. The strengths associated with wisdom are obvious, but the weaknesses are more subtle. A person who is endowed with natural wisdom can easily begin to rely on that strength and slip away from a dependence on the Holy Spirit to open God’s Word and wisdom to us. There is a similar peril attached to being intelligent. We can start relying upon natural smarts instead of God’s Spirit.

The truly wise person learns to submit his natural wisdom and intelligence to the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.

The humble person will remain open to the Holy Spirit’s revealing surprising truth to him or her for life. Otherwise we are in danger of becoming what Jesus called an “old wineskin” that is unable to receive new revelation from God’s Spirit.

The humble of heart understand that the predominant view of things can be quite wrong. They will accept the need to commit to truth, even if it puts us on the outside looking in at the rest of society.

It is getting to the point where our ability to see through the propaganda of the government run media and education system could be a matter of life and death.

Our government, media, and other powerful influencers have proved to be quite untrustworthy. We will have to listen to God, depend on the what the Bible teaches, and be willing to think for ourselves. Every position that violates the clear teaching of Scripture must be rejected, no matter how many experts say otherwise. It may not be possible to hold a “wise” middle of the road position on some future issues.

I believe we must be prepared to make a stand, one that in many cases may relegate us to being seen as being on the fringe of society – ignorant Bible believers. We should not fear being marginalized.

The church has always been most effective working from the margins. Christianity began as a “fringe sect” of Judaism that soon found itself being persecuted by the Jews and the Roman government alike. Things may be heading that direction again. But that is when the church was able to turn the world upside down (Acts 17:6), upsetting the dominant worldview and power structures.

If we are willing to be identified with the remnant who believe God’s Word and declare allegiance to Jesus, we likely will have great impact on the world. We may be foolish in the world’s sight, but God will say we are wise.

Are We Willing to Declare Allegiance to Every Word of God?

Jesus warned that we will be judged regarding our allegiance to him and his words.

For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels. Luke 9:26 (NKJV)

Satan’s chief strategy has always been to plant doubt in our hearts regarding God’s character and the truth of his words in order to break our allegiance and obedience to God.

We see this played out in the Garden of Eden, when he questioned Eve, “Did God really say?” After casting suspicion on God’s character and truthfulness, he countered God’s truth with a lie, which she and Adam believed.

It is important that we grasp that Satan made Eve and Adam feel foolish and ignorant for taking God at his word, instead of figuring out things for themselves.

Satan still seeks to shame anyone who simply believes what is written in the Bible.

The author of the letter to the Hebrews wrote:

By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. Hebrews 11:3 (NKJV)

We learn from the opening passages of John’s gospel that Jesus is the Word of God who became a human, and everything was created by him.

All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. John 1:3 (NKJV)

We also know from John’s gospel that the one who created everything came to earth to die as a living sacrifice to restore us to a right relationship to his heavenly Father. Sadly, those whom he created, for the most part, refused to believe that he was and is who he claimed to be. A relatively few people, whose hearts were open, believed that he was and is the promised Messiah King of Israel.

Jesus knew that his purpose was to die for our sins and that he would rise again after three days. How did he know this? The only thing he could rely upon was what is written in the Bible.

Our Lord Jesus had absolute confidence in the truthfulness of God’s Word – all of it. He taught that it cannot be “broken.” (John 10:35)

Leading up to his death, he told his disciples that everything would happen to him as was written.

Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished. Luke 18:31 (NKJV)

As he hung upon the cross enduring the mockery and taunts of his enemies and the excruciating pain of crucifixion, feeling his life blood drain away, he only had God’s promises to which to cling. He “put all his eggs into one basket,” so to speak. Jesus bet his life, his ministry, his reputation, and his eternity – everything – on the truthfulness of God’s Word.

As the “second Adam,” Jesus passed the test of the ages: he displayed full allegiance to God and his Word.

After he rose from the dead, he appeared to two discouraged disciples on the road to Emmaus. He gently rebuked their despondency, indicating that it was caused by a failure to believe the Word of God.

Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” 27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. Luke 24:25–27 (NKJV)

He called them “foolish” because they did not believe everything in God’s Word! He said they were “slow of heart to believe.” Faith resides in the heart. It surpasses what the intellect can comprehend. Only those whose hearts are open are able to believe God’s words. To everyone else, the written Word seems to be foolish.

Jesus did not condemn them, and he will not condemn us when we stumble through lack of faith and allegiance to God’s Word, but he will correct us and challenge us to believe every single word of God.

But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’ ” Luke 4:4 (NKJV)

We are not allowed to pick and choose which words of the Bible we are going to believe. We either believe all of it or everything in the Bible comes into question.

When Paul was on trial for his faith, he declared that he believed everything written in the Bible. (Acts 24:14) He said in another place that the written Word required him to speak about what he believed. He had no other recourse.

God required Paul to show public allegiance to Christ and to his Words.

And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak, 2 Corinthians 4:13 (NKJV)

Today it seems that many Christians believe that it is possible to show allegiance to Christ without making a stand for every word of God written in the Bible. Jesus contradicted this false notion in my opening verse above (Luke 9:26).

God gave us the written word upon which our faith rests.

Every word of God is tested and true. (Proverbs 30:5) John said that what is written is given to us so that we can “know and believe.” (John 20:31, 1 John 5:13) Paul said that faith bursts into bloom in our hearts by “hearing” the word of God. (Romans 10:17) The Lord warned us against invalidating God’s written word with our man-made traditions. (Mark 7:13) These are not only religious traditions. Anything that is handed down from one generation to the next that contradicts God’s Word is a demonically inspired tradition.

I believe the days are upon us when we too will need to have complete  reliance upon the written Word as deception grows in intensity. I believe that taking such a stand brings honor and glory to God.

Belief in Heliocentrism Requires Belief in the Big Bang

One of the more shocking conclusions I have observed is that heliocentrism requires faith in the atheistic Big Bang theory.

In my understanding of Genesis Chapter One, without the Big Bang there is no way to account for the earth revolving around the sun. The Genesis account says that God created the earth on Day 1 and the sun on Day 4. It also says that the sun makes a circuit around the earth. (Psalm 19:6) This, of course, makes the earth the center of God’s creation which ennobles mankind.

What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him? 5 Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You crown him with glory and majesty! Psalm 8:4–5 (NASB95)

The Big Bang theory starts with nothing, including no God, and posits that everything in the “universe” self-created. The “law” of universal gravitation, another unproven hypothesis, enabled large bodies such as the sun to draw to itself lesser bodies. The heliocentric model has the sun ruling over its obeisant subjects, all bearing the names of false gods in a tribute to sun worship, and ultimately Lucifer, the light bearer. This is brilliantly laid out in the video below, which I highly recommend.

The geocentric flat earth is what the Bible presents to us. It reveals the glory of the Creator, not the worship of Satan.

Here is the first part of a well-presented 8-part series narrated by Pastor Ray McBerry on Biblical Cosmology. I encourage  you to listen to it.

Blessings on us as we pursue God’s truth.

Resources for Those Wishing to Develop a Biblical Cosmology

Here are some resources that I think are very good that should help anyone who is interested in developing a proper biblical cosmology. When we first begin to investigate this subject, since it runs counter to the official government narrative, we encounter the “matrix” and discover that Google, et. al., have installed algorithms to rig internet searches against us, just as during the Covid “pandemic.” Almost every site with good information has a flat earth “warning” attached. Anytime the government thinks it is necessary to warn us away from a site, it is almost proof that we are on the right track. 

I have devoted many hours to finding quality resources, some of which I make available on this page. I plan to update this information as needed. This list includes a link to my private Facebook page – The Biblical Flat Earth Forum, biblical explanations, scientific reasons for believing that the earth is a fixed plane instead of a rotating globe suspended in space, and testimonies of people who have seen the light, so to speak.

Please keep in mind that those of us who adhere to the biblical design of the earth all once believed in the globe. In the journey to our present conviction, we thoroughly investigated this issue and had to deal with all the questions most globe supporters ask. Hopefully what is contained on this page will help anyone who is open to the amazing claim that we live in a world that was designed and created just as the Bible says by the Most High who sits enthroned above the firmament.

If you want a good place to begin, I suggest that you try the Biblical Cosmology Series by Pastor Ray McBerry. It’s long, but quite good. Please watch each video in succession. Don’t cheat and skip ahead.

The likeness of the firmament above the heads of the living creatures was like the color of an awesome crystal, stretched out over their heads. 23 And under the firmament their wings spread out straight, one toward another. Each one had two which covered one side, and each one had two which covered the other side of the body. 24 When they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of many waters, like the voice of the Almighty, a tumult like the noise of an army; and when they stood still, they let down their wings. 25 A voice came from above the firmament that was over their heads; whenever they stood, they let down their wings. 26 And above the firmament over their heads was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone; on the likeness of the throne was a likeness with the appearance of a man high above it. 27 Also from the appearance of His waist and upward I saw, as it were, the color of amber with the appearance of fire all around within it; and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw, as it were, the appearance of fire with brightness all around. 28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. So when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of One speaking. Ezekiel 1:22–28 (NKJV)
Caution

Not everyone who ascribes to the “flat earth” model is a follower of Christ or a Bible believer. Almost all end up realizing there has to be a Creator. How could we not, when we see the design of the earth and firmament? However, some don’t know who he is. We Christians understand that our Lord Jesus, the eternal logos, created everything. Those who are not adherents of the Bible sometimes end up in strange places. Don’t be put off by this. Truth is truth and can be discovered by anyone. We are all on a spiritual journey that hopefully will lead us to Christ. The big difference for us who already know him is that we have a guide, the Holy Spirit, and a map, the Bible. Many of us Bible believing Christians are arriving late to the party, so to speak, when we should have been the ones hosting it! We are people of the Book who should have known all along. Let’s make up for lost time.

Private Facebook Page for Honest Enquirers

The Biblical Flat Earth Forum

Biblical Support

 

Historical Perspectives

 

 

Scientific Evidence

   

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pilot Testimonies

 

Mapping the Flat Earth

 
 

Antarctica

Stars

 

 

 

Space Is Fake Evidence

 
   

Website: aulis.com – provides extensive documented evidence of NASA fakery

 

Testimonies

 

Humor

Recommended YouTube Channels

  • Ditrh
  • Flat Earth, Banjo, USA, Japan and Brazil
  • Flat Earth Reality Explorers
  • Flat Earth Sun, Moon & Zodiac Clock app
  • Flat Out Hope
  • Flat Out Truth
  • J. Tolan Media 1
  • Jen Murray
  • Observable Reality
  • Paul on the Plane
  • Sky Free
  • Taboo Conspiracy
  • Vikka Draziv /Truth In Plain Sight
  • Witset Gets It

Recommended Books

 

Loyalty to God’s Word

Satan’s strategy always has been to make us doubt, deny, and disobey God’s words. God’s Word, the eternal Logos, is the second divine person of the Trinity. The Logos became a human being named Jesus (John 1:14), who revealed that he is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). God’s Word is always true. (John 17:17) It reveals that the only way to experience God’s life is through our Lord Jesus.

Since Jesus is the Logos made flesh, to reject God’s Word is to reject Jesus. Faith in and loyalty to Jesus includes being loyal to his Word. Every person will eventually face a crisis that tests our loyalty to God’s Word.

For Adam and Eve, it happened in the garden when Satan, disguised as a serpent, questioned Eve and cast doubt upon God’s integrity and the truthfulness of his words. Adam and Eve failed the loyalty test. It is important that we pass it.

Satan is a cunning deceiver, whom Jesus called the “father of lies.” Speaking to the Pharisees, the Jewish religious leaders who resisted God’s truth, Jesus said:

You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. 45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. John 8:44–45 (NKJV)

We need to understand that the devil’s lies are still very seductive. Through them he has enslaved most of humanity.

So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. Revelation 12:9 (NKJV)

Once enslaved by his lies, we naturally resist the truth. Once a lie sets up residence in our hearts and minds, it is easier for us to accept it rather than God’s truth.

In other words, we will actively resist our own liberation when we are confronted with God’s truth. When lies are repeated to us over and over again, it is called brainwashing, which is difficult to overcome. Such deception is increasing as the age in which we lives draws to a close.

And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 2 Thessalonians 2:11–12 (NKJV)

Paul the apostle told us that Satan’s lies work inside us to erect “strongholds” or fortresses that resist the entrance of God’s truth.

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 2 Corinthians 10:4–5 (NKJV)

The only way to overcome these lie-based strongholds is by believing the truth of the Word of God as revealed by the Spirit of God, whose ministry includes guiding us into all truth.

However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth... John 16:13a (NKJV)

Just as we must choose Jesus above every imposter vying for our hearts, so we must be loyal to God’s Word above every lie that opposes it. We cannot be disingenuous by embracing some form of syncretism. That is, we must not try to blend God’s truth with a lie in an effort to “have our cake and eat it, too.” Syncretism is the first step in a downward slide into idolatry and has always been a temptation for God’s people. The ancient Israelites often were insecure in their devotion to Yahweh and tried to blend worship of other gods into the mix, just to cover their bases, so to speak. What if the other gods were real and their protection was needed? The result was always a disaster. God allows no other gods to come between us and him. (Exodus 20:3) Syncretism will never work for us either. Paul wrote:

You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons. 1 Corinthians 10:21 (NKJV)

Likewise, it is impossible for us to be completely loyal to God’s Word while simultaneously embracing what fights against it. In today’s world, unless one is involved in the occult, the most likely enemy that invites us to dilute or contradict God’s truth is what is falsely called science.

We have been taught to believe that scientists operate in the realm of fact apart from having any sort of ideological bias, but nothing could be further from the truth. For example, when astronomer Edwin Hubble discovered that the red shift exhibited by the stars indicated that the earth is the center of the universe, he wrote that such was an  “intolerable” conclusion.

“Such a condition would imply that we occupy a unique position in the universe, analogous, in a sense, to the ancient conception of a central Earth…This hypothesis cannot be disproved, but it is unwelcome and would only be accepted as a last resort in order to save the phenomena. Therefore we disregard this possibility…. the unwelcome position of a favored location must be avoided at all costs…. such a favored position is intolerable…” (Hubble, The Observational Approach to Cosmology)

While some areas of science use what is called the scientific method, other areas, particularly those associated with origins and cosmology, are based on conjecture and assumption cloaked in a facade of certainty. Neil deGrasse Tyson, a well-known spokesperson for such pseudo-science, famously stated that the theory of evolution is a scientific fact. Evolution, however, is at best an unprovable hypothesis and certainly not a fact, but it is taught as truth in our lie-based anti-God school systems.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The world portrays those of us who adhere to the Bible’s teaching about the origin of mankind as backward religious extremists who resist the advancement of an enlightened scientific view.

To go against the dominant “scientific” worldview is to risk, or perhaps guarantee, being called a fool. This is a price everyone who is loyal to God’s Word must be willing to pay. (1 Corinthians 4:10)

One might ask if gravity is indeed a fact, too, or is it merely an unproven theory espoused by Sir Isaac Newton to support the novel and non-biblical Copernican heliocentric theory? It soon thereafter morphed into the so-called Law of Universal Gravitation, which today is accepted as an indisputable truth despite the fact that it cannot be proven in a laboratory.

Satan uses pseudo-science to obscure the revelation of God.

King David wrote these beautiful words that describe one of the purposes of creation.

The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. 2 Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard. 4 Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world. In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun, Psalm 19:1–4 (NKJV)

Human beings are supposed to look upon what God made and see clear evidence of the Creator.

Paul wrote:

because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Romans 1:19–21 (NKJV)

When our spiritual eyes are blinded by sin and lies, we cannot see evidence of God in his creation, which has devastating results by alienating us from God and his life. In an effort to shroud the entire world in deception, Satan has used what is falsely called science to spread lies about the world God made. Realizing this ever present danger, Paul warned his protege, Timothy.

O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge—21 by professing it some have strayed concerning the faith. Grace be with you. Amen. 1 Timothy 6:20–21 (NKJV)

Only by returning to the truth found in Genesis and reading it with an open heart and mind can we begin to get back to a proper understanding of creation.

God created this world as the center of everything. It is a protected environment overseen by the Creator personally. His throne is located above the firmament. We are not, as so-called scientists say, an insignificant speck in an incomprehensibly large universe hurtling at incredible speeds toward an uncertain future in which God is nowhere to be found.

Jesus revealed how important it is to be loyal to God’s Word, if we are going to experience freedom from Satan’s enslaving lies.

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31–32 (NKJV)

It is time for God’s people to rededicate ourselves to God’s Word and determine that we will adhere to it no matter how costly it may prove to be. Those who honor his Word will be honored by God.

For all those things My hand has made, And all those things exist,” Says the LORD. “But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word. Isaiah 66:2 (NKJV)

Reaffirming Our Allegiance to God’s Word above the Claims of Astrophysics

The Word of God, the biblical account of the sun, moon, and stars differs from what we are taught in school regarding the Big Bang and the heliocentric model. Historians usually pose the church as the villain which resists the progress of science and truth. We are centuries past the introduction of the Copernican heliocentric theory’s general acceptance and the uproar that accompanied it. The church acquiesced, and what was previously debated is now regarded as fact, even though it has not been empirically proven using the so-called scientific method.

The conflict between Scripture and what is called science is age old and tests whether we will esteem God’s Word higher than the theories and pronouncements of men.

The passage of time tends to generate a general acceptance of what was once only a theory. Enormous pressure exists in the scientific community to accept the status quo, but real science and truth only advance when questions are asked and answers tested. The problem is that questions regarding cosmology and origins defy empirical testing.

I have already known a long time that we do not yet have proof for the system of Copernicus, but I shall not take the risk to be the first one attacking it  —Alexander von Humboldt(1769-1859), Quoted in F.K. Schultze’s synopsis and translation of F.E. Pasche’s “Christliche Weltanschauuing

In this article I question some parts of our current reigning cosmology in pursuit of biblical truth.

I humbly ask you to consider what the Bible says in contrast to what so-called science claims and afterward make a decision regarding where you will stand in the matter.

I have come to believe that Satan must experience a perverted pleasure from convincing us to abandon God’s truth and embrace his lies. Jesus was not overstating things when he called him the “father of lies” (John 8:44), and Revelation tells us that he deceives the whole world (Revelation 12:9). The longer I live, the more my eyes have been opened to the magnitude of the deception and the enormous numbers of people who participate in it.

Satan’s deceptions are always designed to make us question God’s words, hide God’s glory, and enslave us.

The Bible says that the devil’s lies create spiritual strongholds which resist God’s truth. (2 Cor. 10:4-5) Another name for this is brainwashing. When a lie is repeated to us over and over again, we tend to believe it, especially if those doing the lying are esteemed by us. In our culture, I believe that scientists are often the culprits. We have been trained from childhood that their proclamations are true, even if they are based on mere speculation. When a brainwashed person is confronted with truth, he or she initially resists it, thinking that it is false because it runs counter to their programming. Sometimes it takes repeated encounters with truth before we start to open ourselves to it.

My hope is that you will at least consider what I have written here, even if it challenges your own status quo. I hope we can agree that the pursuit of truth is a worthwhile journey.

The Bible vs “Science”

Here is what Genesis teaches us about the heavenly luminaries.

Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; 15 and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. Genesis 1:14–15 (NKJV)

The Hebrew word for “light” means a luminary, light bearer or producer, or lamp. God gave us these luminaries to “divide the day from the night,” generally to provide light for us, and to be for signs, seasons, days, and years. Our days are regulated by what the Bible calls the “circuit” (Psalm 19:6) of the sun. It has been measured at 23 hours, 59 minutes, and 59.99… seconds, essentially 24 hours – the solar day. The moon’s “circuit” is different and has “phases” that have been used for centuries to measure months in 28-day cycles. The stars’ circuit around Polaris, the north star which for centuries has remained fixed over the north pole, is called the sidereal day and lasts 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 41 seconds. Astronomers have developed a complex theory of celestial motion to try to explain why the solar day is a different length from the sidereal one, since both depend on the rotation of the earth, if we use the heliocentric explanation of things. For the average person, this explanation is “beyond our pay grade,” which invites us to lay aside our own reasoning power and rely on the “experts.”

In one year, the stars always return to their same position in the sky, which is quite remarkable (I would say unbelievable.), if we accept the Big Bang tenet of faith that the entire universe is constantly expanding at incredible speeds. If one does an internet search to find out how fast, one realizes that the answers are largely unintelligible for the average person. Some say our galaxy is racing through the universe at over a million miles per hour. This obviously requires us to take a leap of faith that the “experts” are telling us the truth. I find that such thinking is unbelievable, considering that the stars have remained in fixed positions in the night sky through the centuries. The only way that heliocentrists can somehow try to account for this is to say that they are so incomprehensibly far away that there is no observed parallax. This would require the stars to be phenomenally large. The Bible makes no such claim. It says they are in the firmament and are not “sun” but are luminaries.

 Anybody who has been seriously engaged in scientific work of any kind realizes that over the entrance to the gates of the temple of science are written the words: ‘Ye must have faith.’ —Max Planck

Theoretical physics is derived from math, not experimentation. Nicola Tesla, generally regarded as one of the most brilliant true scientists of all time, and a contemporary of Einstein, had little regard for the latter’s work.

Today’s scientists have substituted mathematics for experiments, and they wander off through equation after equation, and eventually build a structure which has no relation to reality.  —Nikola Tesla

A prominent modern theoretical physicist and string theory proponent, Michio Kaku, agreed with Tesla.

Nobody that I know of in my field uses the so-called scientific method. In our field it is by the seat of your pants, leaps of logic. It is guesswork.  —Michio Kaku, C-SPAN Interview (Source)

After talking with Kaku about string theory and dimensions, William Shatner of Star Trek fame said that he concluded that science and science fiction are the same thing.

A good example of obfuscating the truth behind incomprehensible math is Einstein’s theory of special relativity, which he developed after the surprising findings of the Michelson-Morley experiment. That experiment shot a light beam east-west and north-south, expecting there to be a difference based on the assumed motion of the earth around the sun. The unexpected result was that there was no difference, leading Morley to conclude that the earth was not moving.

The data [of Michelson-Morley] were almost unbelievable… There was only one other possible conclusion to draw – that the earth was at rest. – Physicist Bernard Jaffe, Michelson and the Speed of Light, 1960, p.76.

Einstein was a confirmed Copernican and developed his theory of special relativity to explain away the results. He employed a logical fallacy called “begging the question” by “proving” the motion of the earth by assuming the motion of the earth. Einstein took the “leap of faith” that the metal enclosure contracted because of the earth’s motion, thus accounting for the unexpected results. This gave theoretical physicists an imaginary mathematical solution, which has never been empirically verified, which allowed them to keep the Copernican system intact. I believe that Einstein and others have chosen to “suppress the truth” (Romans 1:18) because they are unwilling to consider that what the Bible claims is true: the earth is at rest with the heavenly bodies moving around it. I believe this is another case of the religion of pseudoscience masquerading as the truth.

Personally, if I must take a “leap of faith,” it will be to assert God’s Word is true, even if it contradicts the generally accepted theories of modern astrophysicists.

Returning to our exploration of what God says about the sun, moon, and stars, the Bible tells us that these luminaries are located in the firmament, which I believe is a mysterious firm boundary which separates the waters above and the third heaven where God’s throne is located from what lies below. (See previous article.)

Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. 17 God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 So the evening and the morning were the fourth day. Genesis 1:16–19 (NKJV)

The exact nature and extent of the firmament is unknown to us, but the Bible affirms that it is the location of the sun, moon, and stars. This seems to preclude that they are “astronomical” distances from us. Since God chose to withhold details from us, we must accept his words without having complete understanding. God created us to operate by faith. (2 Cor. 5:7) Everyone operates by certain unprovable assumptions (presuppositions) and must believe in someone or something because no one knows everything. This is true for the Christian as well as the theoretical physicist.

Whether we choose to believe in God or “science,” it takes faith.

The Bible says that the sun and moon are both light sources, which opposes accepted science that claims the moon is a spherical reflector of the sun’s light. If science is correct, one would expect the moon to reflect light as a sphere would, which would be brightest at the center of sphere and fading toward the edges.

However, the moon is evenly lit across its surface. Something does not add up about this luminary. There are things about the moon and cosmos that we do not yet understand. I believe it is a mistake to dismiss God’s Word as our authority when it comes to heavenly bodies just because it does not agree with accepted theoretical physics.

I believe it is safe to say that the Bible is true not only regarding morality but also the creation.

Does this not seem to be yet another case of “has God really said?” Have we been guilty of bowing our knee to “science” instead of to God and his words?

Hear the word of the LORD, You who tremble at His word... Isaiah 66:5 (NKJV)

About now I think I can hear the objection that NASA landed people on the moon, proving that it is a sphere. Did they? There is a vast amount of evidence that the entire thing was a sham. NASA spent billions on the Apollo project, but has quite inexplicably “lost” all the original video, audio, telemetry data, and rocket engine designs, and “destroyed” the technology. Don Pettit is a space station astronaut who has spent months there. Listen to his words.

In addition, more recently other occupants of the International Space Station have said that we have never been beyond lower earth orbit.

Sounds unbelievable, doesn’t it, considering our government claims that we landed on the moon several times?

All government agencies lie part of the time, but NASA is the only one I’ve ever encountered that does so routinely. —George A. Keyworth, Science Advisor to President Regan in testimony before Congress, March 14, 1985

And let us not forget that today we have the ability to manufacture a false or virtual “reality” like never before in history. Those of us saw the movie, Gravity, were impressed by the amazing simulations of weightlessness and “outer space” that were produced in a movie studio with a large, but limited budget. From our point of view, it was impossible to tell it from the “real thing.” What could NASA produce with its yearly budget in the billions? If, as more and more people believe, the moon landings were an elaborate hoax filmed by the renowned director Stanley Kubrick, we have no direct proof that any claims made by NASA about the nature of the moon are true. Additionally, there are no true photographs of the earth from space, only computer generated images.

Robert Simmon, NASA’s Lead Data Visualizer and Information Designer, said, “My role is to make imagery from Earth sciences data. I turn data into pictures.” He came up with what is known as the blue marble image of a globular earth that is so ubiquitous today. Several versions have been released, which surprisingly show continents having differing sizes. Hmmm…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But we do have God’s unchangeable Word that never lies. (Numbers 23:19)

Psalm 19 supplies us with more truth regarding the sun.

The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. 2 Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard. 4 Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world. In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun, 5 Which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, And rejoices like a strong man to run its race. 6 Its rising is from one end of heaven, And its circuit to the other end; And there is nothing hidden from its heat. Psalm 19:1–6 (NKJV)

Here the firmament is described as a tabernacle or tent for the sun, under or within which it travels a circuit or circular course.

Simply put, the Bible states that the sun moves, not the earth.

That this is the proper understanding is confirmed in the following passage from Joshua.

Then Joshua spoke to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon; And Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.” 13 So the sun stood still, And the moon stopped, Till the people had revenge Upon their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. Joshua 10:12–13 (NKJV)

Martin Luther, a contemporary of Copernicus, rejected his heliocentric theory based on the verse above combined with other scriptures, such as Psalm 19:6, Ecclesiastes 1:5, and Psalm 93:1, which state that the earth does not move, but the sun does.

Once again we are confronted with a crisis of faith: will we believe what the Bible says or what modern “science” tells us?

Since the Renaissance, the church has felt compelled to compromise the Word of God to make it conform to theoretical physics. We sometimes adopt a hermeneutic that God simply accommodated himself the the limited understanding of the authors of the Bible. Am I the only one uncomfortable with believing that God fudged the truth? My wife and I refused to lie to our children about Santa Claus lest we damage their faith somehow. Surely God would not lie to us, would he?

Personally, I am willing to assume that God is the one telling the truth, even though it requires me to assume others are lying. I certainly do not wish to call God a liar.

The stars, viewed with a powerful optical lens, look quite different than we have been led to expect by NASA. They seem to be shimmering luminaries as might appear if seen through water. Remember: the Bible tells us that there is water above the firmament.

My research leads me to believe that we have been fed a steady diet of CGIs regarding “outer space” instead of the truth?

In our day, I believe that “science” is the government’s religion, and scientists are its high priests.

If we dare question these high priests, we should be prepared to suffer for it in some way, even if it is simply to be dismissed as ridiculous. At this point, I cannot help but remember how Fauci claimed that Covid vaccine opponents were science deniers. We opposed the religion of the state and encountered its push back.

Scientists are not the paragons of rationality, objectivity, openmindedness and humility that many of them might like others to believe. —Marcello Truzzi, Professor of Sociology

It can be argued that Copernicus’ heliocentric theory was more of a religious / philosophical proposition than pure “science.” It elevated the sun to a sort of god status that holds things together; whereas, the Bible states that Jesus created and holds everything together through the word of his power. (Hebrews 1:3). Here are Copernicus’ own words. Judge for yourself.

In the middle of all sits Sun enthroned. In this most beautiful temple could we place this luminary in any better position from which he can illuminate the whole at once? He is rightly called the Lamp, the Mind, the Ruler of the Universe: Hermes Trismegistus names him the Visible God, Sophocles’ Electra calls him the All-seeing. So the Sun sits as upon a royal throne ruling his children the planets which circle round him. The Earth has the Moon at her service. As Aristotle says, in his On Animals, the Moon has the closest relationship with the Earth. Meanwhile the Earth conceives by the Sun, and becomes pregnant with an annual rebirth.  —Nicolaus Copernicus , De Revolutionibus, Of the Order of the Heavenly Bodies

Interestingly, the supposed missions to the moon were named after the Greek sun god, Apollo, who stands for Lucifer, the light bearer.

Science cannot be “scientific” without adhering to the scientific method. Modern astrophysics makes empirically unprovable pronouncements which we must accept by faith. This seems more like religion than science.

The motion of the sun, moon, and stars can be predicted without the heliocentric theory, as is proved by centuries of astronomers having accurate knowledge of celestial movements, including eclipses, before the advent of modern astronomy.

People need to be aware that there is a range of models that could explain the observations, For instance, I can construct you a spherically symmetrical universe with Earth at its center, and you cannot disprove it based on observations. You can only exclude it on philosophical grounds. In my view there is absolutely nothing wrong in that. What I want to bring into the open is the fact that we are using philosophical criteria in choosing our models. A lot of cosmology tries to hide that.    —Cosmologist George Ellis, in Scientific American, “Thinking Globally, Acting Universally”, October 1995

J.D. Bernal stated:

[Copernicus’] reasons for his revolutionary change were essentially philosophic and aesthetic,” and in a later edition he is more convinced that the “reasons were mystical rather than scientific   —J. D. Bernal, Science in History, 1st edition, London, Watts, 1954; 2nd edition, 1965).

Nevertheless, now, many generations after his death, anyone who disputes his theory is deemed to be a scientific heretic and worthy of scorn. The actual scientific method encourages questioning, however.

Just as the serpent dismissed and scorned God’s words of warning in the garden so long ago, the hiss of the serpent can be detected in the way that which is called science casually and routinely dismisses the Bible’s claims.

Many modern “scientists” haughtily scorn God and the Bible while indoctrinating our society with anti-biblical “truths” with the purpose of pushing people further away from seeing the glory of God in his creation. The more we buy into an anti-God “scientific” narrative, the further we are likely to drift from the Bible’s truth and an appreciation for the Creator.

[Copernicus’] work, published in 1543, was called On the Revolution of the Celestial Spheres. It stated that the center of the universe was a spot somewhere near the sun…The scheme met the requirements of philosophical and theological belief in circular motion. In every other respect, however, Copernicus struck at the heart of Aristotelian and Christian belief. He removed the Earth from the center of the universe and so from the focus of God’s purpose. In the new scheme man was no longer the creature for whose use and elucidation the cosmos had been created. His system also placed the Earth in the heavens, and in doing so removed the barrier separating the incorruptible from the corruptible.  —James Burke, The Day the Universe Changed, p. 135

Conclusion

I believe there is an anti-God agenda in full swing on the earth, which influences every area of society and life beginning with cosmology, extending to theology, and ending perhaps with sexuality.

Satan wants us to doubt and dismiss every single word of God.

He starts by telling us that this world, instead of being fashioned by a loving and wise Creator, is random and chaotic, birthed by an explosion and is in danger of being annihilated at any moment by a wandering asteroid, a virus, war, pollution, climate change, or an alien invasion. He tells us that there are too many people and not enough food, even though God commanded us to be fruitful and multiply. He insists that humans are an evil “virus;” even though God says we are his highest creation, made in his image and likeness. He tells us that Christianity is bad; even though we proclaim the truth about the Creator-Sustainer-Redeemer. He tells us that sex outside of marriage is normal, natural, and fulfilling; even though God forbids it, and we can clearly see how it has ravaged society. He tells us that children in the womb are not human at all and should be subject to the whims of the mother regarding being allowed to come to term and be born or not; even though God is involved with our development in the womb and knew us even before we were conceived. He tells us that we cannot be sure of what gender we are, when God says we are male and female. He encourages us to mutilate our bodies in the pursuit of trying to be different from how God made us, instead of humbly acknowledging our Creator in all things.

Would it be out of character for Satan and his minions to lie to us about the nature of the earth, sun, moon, and stars?

Obviously not, especially if doing so will interfere with our being able to recognize the Creator’s handiwork.

The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. Psalm 19:1 (NKJV)

I believe it is time for God-fearing Christians to reaffirm our allegiance to God’s Word as our authority on all of life, including the creation. As the apostle Paul said:

...Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar... Romans 3:4 (NKJV)

The Amazing Firmament

My recent studies of the firmament have left me amazed, filled with joy, and worshipful. Sometimes God’s truth lies right under our noses, but we just cannot see it. Much of our problem in the West stems from our scientific worldview. In this case the problem has been augmented by translators’ bias.

All of us bring our established ways of viewing our world and reality to our study of the Bible. We cannot help this, generally speaking, but students of the Bible are charged with allowing the Bible to say what it means, instead of what we would like for it to say.

Years ago, a friend humorously told me a truth that stayed with me. When God revealed himself to Moses, he told him “I am who I am.” He did not say, as many insist today, “I am who you want me to be.”

Translators’ bias jumps off the pages of most versions when it comes to the Hebrew word “raqia,” which literally means something hard like beaten out metal. In Genesis 1:8, God called the firmament (raqia) heaven (shamayim). God used the firmament to separate the waters (mayim) below from those above. So above the firmament there was and is (Psalm 148:4) water. The shamayim contain mayim.

Therefore, the firmament must be hard and strong enough to support the enormous weight of untold amounts of water, some of which were released upon the earth in judgment during the great flood. (Genesis 7:11-12)

Interestingly, the translators of my beloved New Living Translation, in their attempt to explain difficult concepts in modern language and terms, took the liberty to translate mayim as “water vapor.” Normally I like it when they do this sort of thing, especially when it comes to theological terms such as justification, but in this case they did us a disservice. (That is why I advise people to read the Bible with a dynamic equivalency translation (NLT) in one hand and a literal rendering, such as the NKJV or NASB, in the other.) Mayim means waters or flood, not vapor.

Almost all translators choose words for raqia (firmament) that are more palatable to our scientific worldview pounded into us by our education system. Check it out for yourselves. The NASB, ESV, and NET, my “go to” versions for literal renderings, all use the word “expanse,” which communicates nothing of the hard and strong nature of the firmament. The KJV and NKJV are faithful to the Hebrew and use the word “firmament” to communicate its solidity and strength. This leaves us who have been indoctrinated with the scientific worldview from childhood in a quandary. Do we believe the Bible and go with the literal rending or do we accommodate our scientific bias?

As for me, when I stand before God one day, I would rather he tell me that I took him too literally than have him question why I altered his words.

Jesus replied, “Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God. Matthew 22:29 (NLT)

The Bible has some amazing revelations about the firmament besides its strength. I hope you will journey with me as I consider that the firmament is real and not something that is merely symbolic. The first place is in Exodus when God invited Moses and the elders of Israel to dine with him.

Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, 10 and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity.  Exodus 24:9–10 (NKJV)

Obviously they were no longer on Mt. Sinai. It seems that God pulled them into heaven, much as he did with Ezekiel and John the Revelator later. Below are verses that describe those later occasions.

The likeness of the firmament above the heads of the living creatures was like the color of an awesome crystal, stretched out over their heads. 23 And under the firmament their wings spread out straight, one toward another. Each one had two which covered one side, and each one had two which covered the other side of the body. 24 When they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of many waters, like the voice of the Almighty, a tumult like the noise of an army; and when they stood still, they let down their wings. 25 A voice came from above the firmament that was over their heads; whenever they stood, they let down their wings. 26 And above the firmament over their heads was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone; on the likeness of the throne was a likeness with the appearance of a man high above it. 27 Also from the appearance of His waist and upward I saw, as it were, the color of amber with the appearance of fire all around within it; and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw, as it were, the appearance of fire with brightness all around. 28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. So when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of One speaking. Ezekiel 1:22–28 (NKJV)


Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. 3 And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. 4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads. 5 And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. 6 Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. Revelation 4:2–6 (NKJV)

If you are like me, I tended not to pay great attention to these verses because they seem so otherworldly, impractical, and loaded with unfathomable symbolism.

Once I started taking the existence of the firmament seriously, however, I began to believe that these verses describe a heavenly reality.

Below are some significant insights they give us.

  • God inhabits a place where the hard “pavement” has a clarity like the sky, the color of sapphire.
  • From below the firmament looks like crystal. The Hebrew word here is qerach, which literally means frost or ice. The word for crystal from Revelation 5:6 uses the Greek word krustallos, which means congealed or transparent and is derived from a root word for frost.
  • God’s throne rests on this sapphire-like pavement of the firmament and is also the color of sapphire. John likened the firmament below it to a sea of glass.
  • The one who sits on the throne must be our Lord Jesus himself. In Exodus and Ezekiel this would have been a pre-incarnate theophany of the eternal Logos. We know from our Lord Jesus himself that God is a spirit whom heaven cannot contain, but Jesus acquired a human body and has been given authority to judge. It is he who sits on the throne as the glorious son of man prophesied by Daniel.
  • The rainbow appears at God’s throne, which reveals what a abomination it is that an inversion and corruption of this symbol now represents something quite anti-God. Could it be possible that the northern lights are expressions of God’s glory above the firmament? One day we will find out for sure!

God told us that every matter or word will be confirmed out of the mouths of two or three witnesses. (Matthew 18:16). Therefore, I believe he wants us to accept these verses as describing reality, not some uncertain symbolism. If we do this, we will see other verses in a new light.

When God says he will roll up or split apart the heavens like a scroll, he means he will peel back the firmament to reveal the one who sits on the throne. (Isaiah 34:4 and Revelation 6:14)

At that point in history, every eye shall see him. The one who ascended through the heavens after his resurrection (Ephesians 4:10) will be revealed when the heavens are no more. Then God will create a new haven and a new earth (2 Peter 3:13). Glory to God. What a day that will be!

Repentance from Syncretism

In my previous article, I showed how we can repent from believing the “scientific” lie of evolution as opposed to the Bible creation story. This article will address the sin of syncretism whereby we try to blend two or more irreconcilable ideas or faiths.

God warned the Israelites that they must destroy the idols of the people who lived in Canaan to protect themselves from their deluding influence.

Watch yourself that you make no covenant with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going, or it will become a snare in your midst. 13 “But rather, you are to tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and cut down their Asherim 14 —for you shall not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God— 15 otherwise you might make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land and they would play the harlot with their gods and sacrifice to their gods, and someone might invite you to eat of his sacrifice, 16 and you might take some of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters might play the harlot with their gods and cause your sons also to play the harlot with their gods. Exodus 34:12–16 (NASB95)

The people of that day recognized what many today do not understand. Demonic “principalities and powers” often gain influence and even mastery over the residents who live in certain areas because of sacrifices made to those evil beings in order to procure favor and blessings. In order to protect themselves, invading conquerors often made an effort to appease the local gods. They would not abandon their own gods but would simply add some new ones. This eclectic religion seemed very practical and revealed that they believed that there was not one supreme God over all, but many gods who vied with one another. This would result in a syncretistic blending of elements from the various religions into something new, a sort of hybrid religion.

Another definition of syncretism is “the attempted union of principles or parties irreconcilably at variance with each other.”

I hope I showed how biblical creationism and Darwinism are hopelessly irreconcilable; nevertheless, many well-meaning theologians over the years felt pressure to try to fuse the two. They did not want to seem “foolish” or “ignorant” of the latest “scientific breakthroughs.” They wanted to have their Christian religion while simultaneously bowing to the gods of science. It created something very different from simple belief in the Bible’s teachings and led people to doubt the truthfulness of God’s Word. This is always Satan’s end game. He uses “science,” otherwise called “knowledge,” to cast doubt on God’s spoken or written words.

When engaging in this sort of syncretism, something has to give, and it always seems to be our adherence and allegiance to the written Word of God.

Instead of God’s creating the known world and everything in and around it in six days, blending evolutionary theory into the mix requires us to drag things out over millions of years using supposedly naturalistic but quite impossible processes to spontaneously generate life. Such syncretism results in a sort of Deism in which God passively steps back and lets things play out on their own.

As is apparent, this compromise results in two things. First, it teaches us to distrust and abandon the literal teachings of the Bible, and, second, it makes God irrelevant and unneeded, which is exactly the goal of every satanic philosophy and “scientific” system of thought.

Followers of Christ should never cave to syncretism. As Joshua said so long ago.

“Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15 “If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:14–15 (NASB95)

Now let us consider the creation story in more detail and examine another form of syncretism that involves the Big Bang theory. Have you ever wondered where scientists got the idea of the entire known universe exploding out of nothing? This idea is found the Kabbalah, an occult form of Jewish mysticism.

All of existence started with an explosion from one point that is continually multiplying, according to Jewish mysticism. Thus, Wolfson sees a distinct relationship between the contemporary Big Bang theory and the Kabbalistic notion that the universe burst forth from a single point, which in mystical terms is the limitless light of the divine, or Infinite, known as the “Ein Sof.” In Hebrew, “Ein Sof” literally means “no end.” So the divine, or god, is just another word for infinity. Kabbalists are people who study the manifestations of infinity. And just as physicists seek a single principle, a so-called “unified theory of everything” that will explain all of life, so do mystics. “For the kabbalists, that one principle is the light of infinity, which materializes into the multiplicity of all beings,” Wolfson says. That light emerging from darkness is both physical and symbolic, the professor explains. As an idea, it shows that things are often much more complex than they appear at first glance, and that the most abstract of notions explain the material world. “Cast in the lingo of quantum physics, we could identify the immaterial light as the particle and the material vessel as the antiparticle, which meet and collide in the zero gravitational energy of empty space, the nothingness that spawns the something that is the stuff of being,” Wolfson says.  (https://qz.com/1375015/jewish-mysticism-offers-a-poetic-explanation-of-the-big-bang-and-black-holes)

This is a perfect example of satanic “science” which weaves its web around the mind, appealing to our desire to have knowledge without getting it from God. It baffles us with the appearance of intellectual brilliance.

In 1927, a prescient [Jesuit] astronomer named Georges Lemaître looked at data showing how galaxies move. He noticed something peculiar – all of them appeared to be speeding away from Earth. Not only that, but the farther away they were, the faster they went. He determined a mathematical way to represent this, and connected his relationship to Einstein’s law of General Relativity to produce a grand idea: That of a universe continually expanding. It was a radical idea then, but today it fits with our conception of a universe spawned by a Big Bang. (https://www.astronomy.com/science/the-jesuit-astronomer-who-conceived-of-the-big-bang/)

Personally I believe that Satan was just as surely behind the Kabbalistic and Jesuit versions of origins as he is behind the Big Bang theory. I think they are one and the same, only the latter is dressed up in the clothes of science rather than religious mysticism.

The Kabbalah was developed during the Middle Ages by a Jewish mystic. Practical Kabbalah is the process of engaging in rituals, summoning angels and demons, uttering incantations and divine names, using amulets and magical seals to actually change the world. (https://www.learnreligions.com/kabbalah-4771368)

The Kaballah is syncretistic, blending biblical Judaism with witchcraft. One might say the same thing about the Big Bang theory. It seeks to weave a magical spell around our minds to keep us from seeing God’s glory in creation.

The attempt to blend the Big Bang theory and its attendant cosmology with what the Bible teaches is quite impossible, even though its seems as it might be done at first. The Bible says that God spoke the our world into existence out of nothingness. So far, so good.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1 (NASB95)

But, besides refusing to credit the Creator with initiating the process, the Big Bang theory holds that the sequence of events after the initial ‘blast” unfolded is completely unlike what God’s Word tells us. Employing supposed naturalistic forces and assumptions, the Big Bang theory posits that an entire “universe” of exploded matter and energy over vast amounts of time formed into stars, planets, etc., eventually producing what we observe, including all forms of life, without any reference or reliance upon the Creator. The Bible is very specific in how God put things together, dividing his work into six twenty-four hour days. The two simply do not mix.

By giving us a naturalistic, supposedly scientific, explanation of our origins, Satan tries to make those who hold to what the Bible says seem backward, “archaic,” and ignorant. If you want to be mocked or patronized, tell your “educated” friends that you believe the Bible 100%.

The Bible does not always satisfy our curiosity by giving us the “how” or “why,” but it does give us what we need to know. Our problems start with wanting to know more than God chooses to tell us.

This insatiable quest for knowledge that goes beyond and stands opposed to what God has revealed is what got us into trouble in the first place and continues to do so now. Some things relating to origins and cosmos are simply past our comprehension and “need to know.”

When Job virtually demanded to know why God allowed him to be afflicted, God eventually appeared to him, but not to answer his questions. Job’s interaction with his Maker resulted in his gaining a new awe and admiration for God that satisfied every fiber of his being. He no longer needed to know why.

‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ “Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.” 4 ‘Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You instruct me.’ 5 “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees You; 6 Therefore I retract, And I repent in dust and ashes.” Job 42:3–6 (NASB95)

The creation is meant to impress upon us awe and wonder resulting in worship of the Creator. The Big Bang theory is meant to reduce the universe to mere materialistic mechanisms that rob us of knowing God.

King David wrote these words of worship as he pondered the heavens.

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained; 4 What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him? 5 Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You crown him with glory and majesty! 6 You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, Psalm 8:3–6 (NASB95)

God intends for us not only to grow in our knowledge and worship of him. He also wants us to understand that mankind is central to his creation purposes.

The Big Bang theory leaves us thinking that we are inconsequential specks in a vast impersonal universe. Can you not detect Satan’s hand in weaving the witchcraft-like spell of this pervasive lie? Satan hates that we who put our faith in Christ are destined to rule with him forever, seated with Christ at God’s right hand. We are handed what Satan tried to take from God.

In my next article, I will begin to explore in more detail what the Bible says about the world in which we live. It is quite at odds with the lie of the Big Bang theory. We cannot mix the two. We, like Joshua, must decide whom we will serve – modern so-called “science” with its cleverly spun lies or the God of the Bible whose words are always true. He cannot and does not ever lie.

O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge—21 by professing it some have strayed concerning the faith. Grace be with you. Amen. 1 Timothy 6:20–21 (NKJV)
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