Category: Identifying and Countering Deception

2026: Will the Church Finally Ditch Her Pagan Boyfriend?

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Pete 20262024 was a year of surprise for me. Imagine having your entire frame of reference for understanding the world in which we live turned upside down! Quite unexpectedly that happened to me and many others. As a result, I asked the Lord Jesus to forgive me for believing a major satanic lie for 72 years. This was necessary because believing that lie came at the expense of my disbelieving parts of the Bible. For someone supposedly committed to teaching God’s Word, this was a serious transgression. As a result, I have a new and growing love for the Bible and an even greater appreciation for its truth. I take every word quite seriously now and refuse to “shrug away” difficult verses and passages.

God wants us to believe what he says even if the world thinks his Word is quite unbelievable.

The Greek word for repentance is metanoeo and essentially means to change how we think.  I had been thinking incorrectly about the world in which we live for almost my whole life. This was not really my fault because, from a child, I had been trained by our education system, the media, and adults who were likewise deluded to think within a false paradigm. Master manipulators, like magicians, understand how to direct our minds to think in a certain way. (An excellent documentary on how this was done can be accessed by clicking here.)

The brainwashing to which I had been subjected worked so well that I had no idea that my way of seeing reality directly contradicted what the Bible says.

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I was so convinced that the framework for understanding the universe that had been pounded into my brain was true that I refused to consider that it could be incorrect. Contradictory information was conveniently filed as “too hard for me to figure out,” “leave that to the experts,” or “save for later.” As a result, I more or less glossed over certain Bible passages, such as Genesis Chapter One, Joshua 10, Psalm 19, and many, many others, because they seemed to contradict my ingrained version of reality. I reasoned that “God can do anything” and some things are just too mysterious for me to understand and went merrily on my way, not realizing that I was missing the obvious. 

Nevertheless, like many others who are victims of this high level of brainwashing, I still said that I believed that the Bible is 100% true. Trying to juggle this apparent contradiction in my mind required that I either interpret some scriptures as mere poetry or metaphor or simply put them on “the back burner,” accepting that for the time being I simply did not understand how to think about them.

Like countless others, I thought I believed the entire Bible while at the same time holding a belief that flatly contradicted Scripture at a most fundamental level.

But God…! But God saw fit to remedy this awkward situation and deliver me from this great deception. When the Lord finally opened my spiritual eyes, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I clearly saw that for over seventy years I had not truly believed what the Bible says about cosmology  the study of the heavens and earth.

Like most people, I thought that, when it came to the origins and nature of the heavens and earth, the Bible was written by people with a pre-scientific understanding and has no “scientific” merit. In other words, to put it bluntly, it was not true. Therefore, its words had to be properly “interpreted” to fit into “scientific truth.”

I had been duped by the devil into accepting what I now realize is a pagan version of the universe designed to hide God’s glory and lead people to believe there is no God, or, if there is, he is distant and quite unknowable.

After the Lord opened my eyes, as a Bible teacher, it became my unwelcome responsibility to warn others, especially the church, which is the future bride of Christ, that it is time for us to awaken to this mind-numbing deception. Sadly, most of the church is not open to this warning and strongly opposes it. 

Most people believe that the commonly accepted cosmology is intellectually unassailable, not understanding that it is a house of cards waiting for the wind of the Spirit to bring it down. 

conspiracyWe have been brainwashed to so revere the “religion of science” that we believe it transcends the words of the Bible, forcing us to twist the meaning of the Scriptures into saying something quite different than its authors intended. We are so in love with our current views on astrophysics that anyone who dares to oppose is deemed to be crazy, unstable, deceived, or, worst of all, that modern overused pejorative, a “conspiracy theorist.” Having endured such contradiction for the last year and a half, and knowing full well how much the church loves her pagan astrophysics, I ask you to nevertheless consider what follows. Don’t kill the messenger! Here we go….

the cosmic boyfriend
Satan (Helios, Apollo) – The Cosmic Boyfriend. If you want to learn more about the occult origins of heliocentrism, click here.

The church, which is Christ’s future bride, has surrendered part of her soul to a pagan boyfriend.

We do not realize we have done this and will fight “tooth and nail” anyone who so accuses us. We think this boyfriend is benign, having good intentions. We think he is truthful and quite helpful in our pursuit of knowledge. Little do we realize that this imposter is cleverly working to undermine our relationship with Jesus and destroy our credibility in the world’s eyes.

This cosmic liar has successfully seduced Christ’s intended into rejecting the Bible’s words regarding God’s creation.

He has so thoroughly deceived us that we stridently defend his pagan cosmology, all the while professing an unreserved love for the Scriptures. This detestable being is Satan himself, dressed up in a figure it outlab coat, posing as teacher of confirmed scientific truth. Only he could befuddle us into such self-contradiction and lead us down a path that has resulted in our bowing down to the globe idol and worshiping him, Helios, the sun god, without realizing what we are doing. (I am choosing my words carefully and not resorting to hyperbole. If you take the time to click on the various links and read the associated articles, you will understand in more detail why I think as I do.)

We largely have underestimated the powerful attraction of Satan’s lies and the exhilarating allure of the tree of knowledge.

In addition, we have failed to appreciate mankind’s propensity to be led astray.

God created us to believe him and his Words. If we reject them, we will believe a lie. We must believe something. Contrary to the claims of “proven” science, most of life is still a mystery that only God can unravel for us.

Even with the safeguards of God’s written Word and the indwelling Holy Spirit, most of us have embraced this cunning cosmological lie. Once we realize this, it produces humility and serves to strip away the arrogant pride so common among the highly educated. 

Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. 28 God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. 29 As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God. 1 Corinthians 1:27–29 (NLT)

The apostle Paul warned us, Christ’s intended – the church, against being beguiled by Satan’s craftiness and drawn away from a simple devotion to our future groom, the Lord Jesus, and his holy Word.

For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin. 3 But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. 2 Corinthians 11:2–3 (NASB95)

Using the same strategy as he used with Eve in the Garden, Satan has succeeded in convincing many of God’s people that the words of the Bible cannot be fully trusted.

globe love

He convinces us, as he did Eve, that God did not mean what he appeared to say. He tricks us into believing that we are smarter than the authors of the Bible and are able to figure out origins and cosmology for ourselves, thanks to modern science. The old heresy of Gnosticism, salvation through higher knowledge, takes many shapes. Today’s Gnostic mantra is “Trust the Science.” Science has become the religion of choice for many. When it comes to cosmology, a large portion of Christ’s bride has concluded that the Bible, especially Genesis, is a simplistic document written by a primitive “pre-scientific” people.

We think we have been enlightened enough to realize that God never meant us to actually believe his words in Genesis Chapter One. Now we understand he only meant for us to glean spiritual meaning from that book. This is a dangerous precedent, however, because it begs the question, “When, then, does the Bible become literally true, and who decides?.”

We have adopted the satanic sophistry of believing that God communicates truth while being untruthful.

The devil wants us to imagine that coming to such a conclusion makes us “deep” thinkers, when in reality it converts us into fools.

Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. Romans 1:22 (NLT)

The simple truth is that God never lies. He says what he means and means what he says.

God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? Numbers 23:19 (NKJV)

Either Genesis Chapter One is absolutely true, or we should not trust the Bible at all.

We cannot have it both ways, which Satan knows, but he has deceived the bride-to-be into thinking we can eat our cosmological cake and still stick to our pure diet of God’s Word. Like Saul of old, we have not fully obeyed God while insisting we have. God might ask his church, what is the meaning of this heliocentrism? Who told you the earth revolves around the sun? God did not.

How did Christ’s intended fall from its noble position of defending the integrity of the words of her beloved at any cost during the Protestant Reformation? Why did we scrap “Sola Scriptura” for “Sola Scientia?” This radical shift resulted from the introduction of a mesmerizing new cosmology at the inception of what historians call the Scientific Revolution. Placing the sun (Helios – Satan) at the center of creation is a diabolical lie, which emerged to counterattack the newfound reliance on the Scriptures fostered by the Protestant Reformation. (The documentary entitled Heliosorcery lays this out brilliantly.)

Just when the Bible’s truth was being restored to preeminence, Satan introduced  a reverence for “science” to undermine our confidence in God’s Word.

Copernicus did not regard the scriptures as sacred. He, therefore, had no qualms about proposing a radical anti-biblical idea that the earth moves around the sun, which became the center of what is now called the “solar system.” Making the sun the center, instead of the earth, accomplished several things for the devil.

  1. It refuted the truthfulness of the Bible.
  2. It established the sun, Helios or Satan, as the controlling influence over the earth, rather than God.
  3. It reduced the earth to being one of the “wandering stars” (Greek: planetes), the rest of which were named after false gods (fallen angels?). 
  4. It destabilized creation by saying that the earth moves rather than the sun, moon, and stars.
  5. It removed heaven, the abode of God, from the picture and gave rise to the even worse errors of evolution and the Big Bang, fostering hopelessness and atheism.
  6. It led to what has become known as the Copernican Principle, that there is nothing special about the earth and humanity, contradicting the Bible.
  7. The fear of the Lord has been diminished because people no longer believe that God is nearby, sitting on his throne atop the firmament, watching everything we do.

At first, the church resolutely rejected these cosmological lies, but over time, as the stalwart defenders of truth died out, the future bride of Christ was eventually swept off her feet by this handsome imposter’s lies.

Today most of the church thinks that the biblical cosmology of Genesis Chapter One is ridiculous. (Selah…let that sink in.)

We imagine that the Bible cannot compete with the wonderful explanations and theories of modern science. Sadly, this reveals that we think the Creator does not understand his own creation or perhaps lied about it because he thought we could not handle the truth.

We try to cover up our betrayal by telling an observant world that we have learned how to properly understand the embarrassing words of our intended by reinterpreting them as poetry or allegory, while at the same time affirming complete faith in the Bible. The world rightly laughs at our duplicity.

This is nothing short of two-timing our intended groom. Jesus knows about our “stepping out” with our “more exciting” cosmic boyfriend who blasphemes Jesus by calling him a liar. We have been so duped that we don’t even trying to hide our unfaithfulness! We think Jesus doesn’t mind at all, not realizing that every time we embrace Satan’s lie, we commit idolatry against the one called the Truth.

The globe is most likely the most prolific idol in history, appearing in classrooms, homes, movies, etc. as a constant reinforcement of our false belief. Christians routinely use the words “planet” and “globe” to describe God’s creation, the earth, without realizing that such language is an insult to the Creator and a public renunciation of Genesis Chapter One. boyfriendWe have accepted our cosmic boyfriend’s accusation that Jesus is an ignorant rube whose words embarrasses us when we are with our highly educated “friends.” Don’t get me wrong, Jesus is definitely the one whom we want to marry and spend eternity, but our “space boyfriend” is way more fun and “affirming” right now.

We have become so mesmerized with our pagan boyfriend’s cosmology that many of us cannot bear to think that Star Wars and other versions of space fiction are bold-faced lies about God’s creation designed to engender in us a desire to abandon our assigned habitation and venture into what the Bible calls “outer hebrew earthdarkness,” the realm of the lost. We teach our children to believe this pagan cosmology while also teaching them to believe the Bible is completely true. I imagine it all becomes a little confusing. 

It appears to be too humbling for us to concede that we live in a kind of giant terrarium under the watchful eye of the Creator. For some reason we find it more ennobling and God-glorifying to imagine that the earth is an insignificant spinning ball of water hurtling through an infinitely expanding universe. If this lying version of God’s creation, which is a kind of cosmological pornography, brings so much glory to him, why then are so many astrophysicists brazen atheists? Do we think that Scripture gives us a version of heaven and earth that is too small after listening to our cosmic boyfriend? Do we really prefer Satan’s lie over God’s truth?

The true heavens and earth are what bring God glory, not the false version. It is time for us to repent for embracing Satan’s lie!

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

We have paraded our devotion to a pagan cosmology at the expense of our witness to God’s truth before the world.

Many evangelicals shy away from the topic of cosmology, thinking it is a distraction from the gospel. But if are embarrassed about what the Bible says about origins, why should we think that will make the gospel more believable? Why should we expect people to accept our proclamation that Jesus rose from the dead and now rules from heaven as Lord of lords? What heaven? Where is it? How can we prove any of this is true? The Bible challenges us to believe many things that run counter to accepted “science” – Adam and Eve, Noah’s flood, Exodus and the crossing of the Red Sea, the manna in the wilderness, Joshua stopping the sun, David and Goliath, etc.

Why is believing the literal truth of Genesis Chapter One such a “no go?” Is it because we love our pagan cosmic boyfriend too much? Is it because we don’t want our scientific friends to think ill of us? Is it because we don’t really believe the Bible after all?

We have been unfaithful to the Bible and its author regarding cosmology for about 500 years now. Enough is enough! It is time for us to come to our senses and unashamedly return to God’s pure wisdom. My prayer is that 2026 will be the year when multitudes of Christians return to a simple devotion to God and his Word, including Genesis Chapter One. Let us steel ourselves against the ridicule of the world and shamelessly embrace God’s Word. He will be rightly pleased with us if we make this stand!

For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. Luke 9:26 (NASB95

 

Prayer

Lord Jesus, forgive me for falling for the devil’s lies. Forgive me for doubting your Word! Forgive me for being embarrassed to let other people know that I firmly believe the truth of all the words of the Bible, not just those that are socially acceptable. Give me strength to stand for your truth, even if I must suffer for it. Holy Spirit, open the eyes and hearts of other believers who still cannot see the truth. Let your bride-to-be repent for her unfaithfulness and become more fully devoted to you. Amen.

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Does Calling God a Liar Make the Truth More Acceptable?

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A great many Christians believe it is necessary to call God a liar to make the gospel more acceptable. We claim to believe every word of the Bible, while at the same time refusing to accept the biblical cosmology stated in Genesis Chapter One. Why do we reject so many errors that are commonly accepted by the world, such as biological evolution and transgenderism, but cling to heliocentrism, when Genesis Chapter One eliminates that as a possibility?

One criticism that has been leveled against me for embracing a biblical cosmology is that it undermines our efforts to win the lost by making us look foolish in the world’s eyes. Is this a valid criticism or an accommodation the world? Can we make the gospel more palatable by calling God a liar?

What would Jesus do? Would he lie to make us believe in him?

It is evident that Jesus believed in the literal truth of Genesis. It was not an issue in his day. Today, however, what is called “science” claims to have disproved the Bible. Now we “know” that the earth revolves around the sun, not the other way around as the Bible teaches. Most Christians believe that such “science” is unassailable and reinterpret Genesis accordingly. This is in spite of the admission that geocentrism provides an accurate way to account for the movement of the heavenly bodies.

“So which is real, the Ptolemaic or Copernican system? Although it is not uncommon for people to say that Copernicus proved Ptolemy wrong, that is not true…one can use either picture as a model of the universe, for our observations of the heavens can be explained by assuming either the earth or the sun to be at rest.”- Physicist, Stephen Hawking

Does mixing in a cosmological lie make the gospel more believable, or does it undermine its message at the core?

Blending a lie with the truth is comparable to putting a little bit of poop in an otherwise delicious dessert. It may not ruin its taste, but, to those who understand, it is disgusting. Below is a scene in the movie, The Help, that gives us an example of this. (If a bit of vulgar language offends you, you might not want to watch.)

The devil doesn’t seem to mind if we take a stand against other lies as long as we bow the knee to heliocentrism. He knows that this little bit of poop disgusts God and undermines the entire Bible.  We do not understand that it is a form of idolatry and blasphemy because it calls God a liar and elevates the false god, Helios, to center stage. This little bit of poop should disgust us, too.

If Genesis Chapter One cannot be taken literally, when does the Bible become factually true? Chapter 2, 3,4, 5, 6… or maybe 12 when Abraham’s story becomes the focus? Or perhaps we need to wait until Exodus? Joshua? No, that is where he commands the sun to stand still! Judges? Samuel? Kings? No that is where God gave Hezekiah the sign of the shadow on the sundial going backward ten degrees! (2 Kings 20:9-11)

Exactly what parts of the Bible do we have to throw out to make the gospel more acceptable?

Are Jesus’ resurrection and ascension into heaven more believable than Genesis Chapter One? How foolish we are to think we have to lie to get people to accept the truth!

Would it not rather make our gospel message more attractive if we boldly declare that we believe every single word of the Bible is true, not just the parts we think are acceptable?

Does not the world laugh at our duplicity when we proclaim the resurrection is literally true, but not Genesis?

If Jesus wrote a letter to the church today, might not it say something like the following?

I applaud your stand against evolution and sexual perversion, but I have this against you. You tolerate heliocentrism, which teaches people not to take my words seriously. Repent, therefore, and cease to be ashamed of my words. Don’t be afraid of looking foolish to the world. Be afraid of calling me a liar! Be strong and proclaim the whole truth!

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Is Heliocentrism Blasphemy?

deception

According to Webster, blasphemy is the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for God or something sacred. Jesus was accused of blasphemy for identifying himself as the divine Son of Man prophesied by Daniel. (Matthew 26:63-65) Paul said that the Jews cause Gentiles to blaspheme by failing to keep God’s law. (Romans 2:23-24) Another important occasion of blasphemy was when Jesus called out the Jewish leaders for ascribing the work of the Holy Spirit to the devil. (Matthew 12:31-32)

From these verses, we understand that blasphemy is connected to being a false witness regarding God whether in word or action. 

In the first instance, Jesus was accused of insulting God by identifying himself as a divine being. In the second case, the failure of the Jews to keep God’s laws indicated that they did not take God seriously. Their behavior undermined their claims about God, giving unbelievers a reason for disregarding God and his Word. The blasphemy of the Spirit is saying that something God did was done by the devil. The reverse could also be true in cases when we say that something the devil did was done by God. Blasphemy, therefore, occurs when we defame God by bearing false witness against him, his Word, or his actions. We can personally blaspheme or cause others to do so.

Heliocentrism can be called blasphemy on three counts.

  1. Heliocentrism bears false witness against God by saying he created something he did not, thus  identifying a satanic lie as the work of God.
  2. Heliocentrism calls God a liar or an ignoramus. Heliocentrists infer or declare that God and the Bible are “out of their depth” regarding scientific matters. God either did not mean what he said in Genesis Chapter One and other relevant passages or he deliberately lied to us.
  3. Heliocentrism causes unbelievers to blaspheme God by indicating either that he does not exist or that he and the Bible, including the gospel, are false and untrustworthy.

Christians who claim to believe the Bible as God’s inerrant and true Word cannot at the same time insist that something that contradicts his Word is true. 

The term Christian heliocentrist, therefore, is an oxymoron.

The Bible teaches that the sun runs a “circuit” or circular path above the earth (Psalm 19:6), rather than the earth describing an elliptical orbit around the sun. The Bible says that Joshua commanded the sun to stop for about a day, which God did on his behalf. The earth did not stop rotating, or everyone would have been killed. The sun stopped in its circuit, as did the moon. 

Then Joshua spoke to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, “O sun, stand still at Gibeon, And O moon in the valley of Aijalon.” 13 So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, Until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies. Is it not written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. Joshua 10:12–13 (NASB95) —

Martin Luther considered this passage alone refuted Copernicus’ theory of heliocentrism because Lutherhe believed the Bible is 100% true, unlike the majority of modern Christians. People like to claim that “God can do anything” to explain away the discrepancy between the biblical account and the heliocentric model, but that is dishonest. The question that must be answered is, “What does the text of the Bible say?”

When we claim that Genesis Chapter One, Psalm 19:6, Joshua 10:12-13, and other relevant passages do not mean what they say, we commit blasphemy by calling God a liar and insisting that the Bible cannot be trusted in matters of so-called science. We thus undermine the gospel’s credibility by revealing that we do not really believe that the Bible is true, except in “spiritual” matters. It is either all true or should be rejected as untrustworthy. In so doing, we bow down before the idols of science and reason and reject any part of Scripture that we deem to be unreasonable or unscientific, reinterpreting and twisting God’s words to mean something they do not say.

It is time for the church to repent this blasphemy and begin to once again hold God’s Word in the highest esteem. It is time we stand against the lies of men instead of calling God a liar.

May it never be! Rather, let God be found true, though every man be found a liar, as it is written, “THAT YOU MAY BE JUSTIFIED IN YOUR WORDS, AND PREVAIL WHEN YOU ARE JUDGED.” Romans 3:4 (NASB95)
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Mind Numbing Deception

flat earth

The Bible tells us that deception and sin can eventually destroy our ability to think critically. Some call this brainwashing. Paul called it becoming a fool.

For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, Romans 1:21–22 (NASB95)

The root of deception is the denial of the truth of God’s Word. Anything we believe that is contrary to biblical truth numbs the mind and corrupts our ability to think.

control worldBelow is a quote by Martin Luther, who faced enormous levels of deception and contradiction in his day from the Roman Catholic Church and the embryonic stage of the heliocentric deception. Writing about deception in general, he said:

“For such lies and errors numb the mind and the senses, so that one can no longer distinguish truth from falsehood, but instead accepts everything as good that the devil spreads through his prophets. Therefore, it is necessary that we hold fast to the clear Word of God and not allow ourselves to be led astray by human dreams and visions. For where the Scripture is abandoned, there follows nothing but confusion, blindness, and spiritual death.”

(Luther’s Works, American Edition, Vol. 40: Church and Ministry II, p. 189 — slightly modernized for clarity)

The proliferation of such deception has increased by stages over the centuries to the point where now society in general has embraced destructive lies on a terrifying scale.

Even many Christians, who acknowledge the Bible is true, have been profoundly impacted by some of the most foundational lies of the devil.

One such foundational error is heliocentrism.

Herbert Butterfield, a British historian, argued that the Scientific Revolution—sparked by Nicolaus Copernicus’s heliocentric theory in De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (1543)—had a greater historical impact than the Renaissance. In his 1949 book The Origins of Modern Science, he wrote that it “outshines everything since the rise of Christianity and reduces the Renaissance and Reformation to the rank of mere episodes, mere internal displacements within the system of medieval Christendom.” (Grok)

Sigmund Freud made the connection between Copernican heliocentrism and what he called the “shattering [of] anthropocentric illusions” central to traditional Christian cosmology, in which the Earth was God’s privileged creation at the universe’s heart, thus undermining faith’s foundation and paving the way for later “death of God” theology. (Grok) The Copernican Principle, as it eventually came to be called, is the scientific rejection of “cosmic favoritism.” Earth is just one ordinary planet in an ordinary galaxy in a vast, average universe.

The Copernican Principle means that mankind is insignificant in relationship to the grand scope of universe, or, perhaps, multiverse, if string theory is accepted. The Bible teaches that man and woman were the crowning touches of his creation, for whom the earth was made as a habitation, which imparts to us great significance.

It is not hard to see how heliocentrism and the Copernican Principle gave rise to Darwin’s theory of biological evolution and later the Big Bang Theory of cosmic evolution. Both of these unproven and unprovable theories defy what is written in the Bible. For the Christian, this by itself is grounds for immediate rejection as utter falsehood. 

Look to God’s instructions and teachings! People who contradict his word are completely in the dark. Isaiah 8:20 (NLT)

Nevertheless, Satan has used these lies to drive countless people away from God and into an eternity of loss, pain, and sorrow, missing out on what could have been theirs had they believed God and accepted the promises of the gospel. Satan is miserable, and he loves company.

Martin Luther, contemporary of Copernicus, recognized this evil for what it was very early. In a conversation which was written down, he said:

“There was mention of a certain new astrologer [astronomer] who wanted to prove that the earth moves and not the sky, the sun, and the moon. This would be as if somebody were riding on a cart or in a ship and imagined that he was standing still while the earth and the trees were moving. [Exactly Einstein’s point of view in his faux theory of special relativity.]

‘So it goes now. Whoever wants to be clever must agree with nothing that others esteem. He must do something of his own. This is what that fellow does who wishes to turn the whole of astronomy upside down. Even in these things that are thrown into disorder I believe the Holy Scriptures, for Joshua commanded the sun to stand still and not the earth.’”

(Luther’s Works, Vol. 54: Table Talk (ed. Theodore G. Tappert, Fortress Press, 1967, pp. 358–359). Original in Weimarer Ausgabe (WA TR 4, No. 4638).

Heliocentrism contradicts God’s truth revealed in Scripture and numbs the mind to prevent our correctly perceiving reality.

hiding god

The brainwashing convinces us to ignore the input of our senses and the results of critical thinking and to accept that which defies reason and contradicts what we observe. A recent example with which we are all familiar is the craziness that accompanies transgenderism. We were asked (forced) to recognize multiple genders even though we know and observe that there are only male and female. Those who maintained some common sense and had some not so common courage declined.

helio religionConsider that heliocentrism requires us to contradict the input from our senses which tell us that the earth does not move. We are told to believe that we are rotating at an astounding 1040 mph at the equator, or about 750 mph at the latitude where I live. In addition, we are told that we revolve around the sun at in incredible speed of 66,600 mph. The combination of these two speeds and corresponding force vectors would require us to experience a continual change of acceleration, since the spin of the earth both adds to and subtracts from the speed of our revolution each 24 hours.

On top of those two speeds, we are told that we our entire solar system is galloping through the Milky Way galaxy at a mind-numbing speed of around 500,000 mph. But wait! There is more! The galaxy is moving at 1 to 2 million miles per hour (It seems to change!) away from the epicenter of the Big Bang explosion! Imagine. We are traveling in four directions at once at incomprehensible speeds, but we do not feel any of it. If you believe that, you have been brainwashed.

solar system

And if the earth is rotating at 1040 mph at the equator, how is it that we do not feel super-hurricane like winds? We are told it is because the earth’s atmosphere rotates, too. If that is the case, why do we feel air currents traveling in multiple directions. Why do we have wind currents such as the jet stream, which independently travels their routes?

wind debunks globe

And if the earth is rotating, how do airplanes land on the ground that is moving beneath them?

And if the earth is curved, as heliocentrists tell us, why do airplanes fly straight and level according to their gyroscopes?

gyroscope

If the earth were a globe, airplanes would be constantly descending to avoid flying off into “outer space.”

brainwashed

And if the earth is speeding through the universe at 2 million miles per hour, why have the stars remained in the same positions? Why are we able to photograph the stars making concentric circles around Polaris? 

stars trails

The fact of the matter is that none of these things make any sense at all to the rational mind, but we have been taught to accept what the experts tell us, rather than to think critically. 

brainwashing globe

Our indoctrination begins at a young age, when all our adult authority figures tell us that we live on a globe zooming through space. Over our lifetimes, we are shown endless images of this globe. We have been tantalized by space movies that have created in us a desire to explore beyond the limitations of this earth, the habitation God assigned to us. We are told that the earth is dying and our hope is somewhere “out there,” perhaps Mars. All of this is lie, but we bought it hook, line, and sinker.

How shall we recover from such deception? The Word of God can set us free, if we believe, receive, and act upon it. 

So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” John 8:31–32 (NASB95)

Lies enslave. The truth sets us free. 

If we accept the cosmology taught in the Bible, it will loose us from Satan’s web of deception. We will be able to see creation’s wonder and beauty with new eyes! When we look up, we will understand that God’s throne rests atop the dome of the firmament, just as the Bible says.

One day, God will roll back the firmament like a scroll to reveal our glorious Lord Jesus to the entire earth at once, something that can only happen on the earth the Bible describes.

Below is a documentary I recommend to anyone who is open to exploring this deception in greater depth. Please notice Google’s mandatory disclaimer. Consider that they only provide this regarding subject matter that threatens to expose their lies. Other topics, such as New Age, witchcraft, transgenderism, etc. get a free pass. They are not concerned with suppressing lies, but the truth.

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Are We Smarter than Jesus?

flat earth

I feel sure that none of my Christian friends would ever claim to be smarter than Jesus; however, we sometimes act and speak as if we think so.

One of the greatest lies of our time is that the highest and most certain form of knowledge comes from the scientific realm.

Because we have probed some of the mysteries of biology and physics and have more advanced technologies, we may believe that we are smarter than our ancestors, some of whom we might describe as being “pre-scientific.” To our great loss, we may denigrate other forms of knowledge and wisdom given to us by God, even that found in the Bible.

Jesus taught that God’s Word is absolute truth, of which he is the embodiment.

Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. John 17:17 (NASB95)

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. John 14:6 (NASB95)

The Bible warns us to never add to or subtract from God’s Word. (Deuteronomy 4:2, Proverbs 30:6, and Revelation 22:18-19)

Those who reject God’s Word in favor of some other source of knowledge or “truth” are guilty of suppressing God’s truth, which dishonors the Creator and hides his glory.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Romans 1:18–23 (NASB95)

God’s wrath in the form of a descent into lust and perversion always follows the suppression of truth about his creation and his person. I believe that is where we are today as a direct result of our suppressing God’s truth about creation. We have abandoned the Genesis Chapter One account of creation and cosmology in favor of modern atheistic astrophysics.

All creation testifies to the glory of God, if it is rightly understood. 

I have more insight than all my teachers, For Your testimonies are my meditation. 100 I understand more than the aged, Because I have observed Your precepts. Psalm 119:99–100 (NASB95)

If we measure all other forms of supposed truth against the benchmark of God’s Word, we will have more understanding than those who abandon God’s Word because they think other sources of knowledge are more reliable.

As a result of elevating supposed scientific knowledge and men’s theories above God’s Word, many interpret the opening chapter of Genesis as a poetic phenomenological description of origins which God never intended for us to regard as factual. But has God authorized us to do that? Is there anywhere in the Bible that we are plainly told that we should interpret Genesis metaphorically?

These same Christian friends who feel compelled to interpret Genesis Chapter One phenomenologically would undoubtedly affirm that Jesus is the eternal Logos (Word) who became flesh through his miraculous conception in Mary’s womb by the Holy Spirit. They would also stand behind John’s claim that Jesus, as the pre-incarnate eternal Logos, created all things.  

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. John 1:1–3 (NASB95)

And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 (NASB95)

As the incarnate eternal Logos (Word) walking upon the earth, Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit without measure. He had more wisdom and understanding than any person who ever lived. Being the very embodiment of God’s Word of truth, he had and has the greatest understanding of its meaning. After all, the author of a book knows better what he intended to say than any reader. 

Now here is where it gets very interesting. When Jesus walked on the earth, he understood Genesis to be literally true.

In fact, he taught his disciples that God’s Word cannot be “broken.” (John 10:35) The Greek word “luo” means to loose, untie, or release. Bible scholars extend that meaning to include to annul, break, or destroy. In other words, we cannot release God’s words from the original meaning and interpret them any way we like. God’s Word carries the force of what it actually says, rather than what we might wish it said. 

Therefore, are we not guilty of “breaking” God’s Word if we interpret Genesis Chapter One as less than factually true? 

In Matthew 19:4-6, Jesus taught that Adam and Eve were created male and female “at the beginning” , a direct quote from Genesis 1:27.

And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? Matthew 19:4–5 (NKJV)

So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them...God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.Genesis 1:27, 31 (NKJV)

Jesus believed and knew Adam and Eve were and are real people whom God (he) created on the sixth day of creation. Mark 10:6 also puts their creation at the “beginning,” thus eliminating old earth accommodations to evolutionary dogma and affirming the six-days of creation. Jesus also believed that Abel was an historical figure. The same is true of Noah, Moses, and Jonah. Jesus does not allow us to relegate any of them to allegory or myth.

Neither do we have permission to relegate the six days of creation to mere poetry that is not scientifically and factually true.

The only reason people began to do this is because we fell for the lie that scientific knowledge is more accurate and reliable than God’s Word. We believed the ungodly occult theory that the earth rotates and revolves around the sun. We accepted anti-biblical theories of evolution and the Big Bang that are required if we accept heliocentrism. Now, after 500 years, the heliocentric lie and Newtonian astrophysics seem more reasonable than the truth of God’s Word. We are victims of the greatest indoctrination scheme of all time, which is designed to hide the truth about creation and obscure God’s glory.

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

Should we not heed the warning of John Calvin, who was Copernicus’ contemporary?

copernicus quote

Is it not time for the church to repent of idolizing men’s words above God’s and to admit that we are not smarter than Jesus?

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The Link between Sorcery and Deception

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Perhaps most people would not think a link exists between deception and sorcery, but the Bible affirms that there is. Concerning mystery Babylon in the Book of Revelation, John wrote:

The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The happy voices of brides and grooms will never be heard in you again. For your merchants were the greatest in the world, and you deceived the nations with your sorceries. Revelation 18:23 (NLT)

Nahum corroborates these words when describing another powerful city of his time, Nineveh.

All because of the many harlotries of the harlot, The charming one, the mistress of sorceries, Who sells nations by her harlotries And families by her sorceries. Nahum 3:4 (NASB95) 

In another verse, the Bible says that Satan has deceives the entire world (Revelation 12:9). It only stands to reason that he uses sorcery to do it.

Those who take the Bible seriously and know that every word is God’s truth realize that God is telling us that governmental and other types of power in this world are often connected to the satanic and demonic realm. This includes the power to deceive, which is wielded through sorcery.

Consider the power of the satanic lie to seduce Adam and Eve into doing what brought death and destruction. Do we think that the serpent in the garden merely used a logical argument against them, or was something far more powerful and sinister at work? I can almost see the glittering eyes of the serpent as he unleashed the poison of his sorcery against them.

The Book of Enoch, which is non-canonical but is quoted in our New Testament, has some interesting things to say about the occult. It relates that evil angels instructed humans in the wicked knowledge of sorcery. The following is from Book 9.

Thou hast seen what Azazyel has done, how he as taught every species of iniquity upon earth, and has disclosed to the world all the secret things which are done in the heavens. 6. Samyaza also has taught sorcery, to whom thou hast given authority over those who are associated with him. They have gone together to the daughters of men; have lain with them; have become polluted;

I do not ascribe scriptural authority to these verses, but they seem to add detail regarding what is recorded in the first few chapters of Genesis. Whether these words are indeed true, we know that people must gain their knowledge of the occult realm from the devil. Where else would they obtain it?

But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them—I place no other burden on you. Revelation 2:24 (NASB95)

Just as the deep things of God can only be learned from the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:10), the deep things of Satan come by spiritual interaction as well.

There are only two sides in this cosmic battle between good and evil, God and Satan. There is only one Lord, Jesus, and one pretender to the throne, Satan. It is important for us to grasp that the entire world system is steeped in deception and that the only way of escape is via the truth found in the Bible as revealed by the Spirit of truth. It is also important to know what we are up against – evil people allied with Satan who have access to “the deep things of Satan.” The power of evil is formidable, but no match for the power of the Lord.

You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. 1 John 4:4–6 (NASB95)

I believe we should understand that there is more deception in the world than we think based on what Jesus said in Revelation 12:9. Governments employ deception on a unimaginable scale through such agencies as the CIA. In an age when the “deep fake” can be easily carried out by modern technology, we must be on guard.

Every other testimony, whether it be scientific, medical, or so-called  “experts”, should be weighed against the testimony of the Bible. When there is disagreement, we must lean toward the Scriptures. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Like the Protestant reformers, we should adopt the motto, “Sola Scriptura” – “only the scripture.” We ought to repent from trusting science or any other human testimony more than God’s Word. This is the only way we will thrive in a world drowning in deception.

So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” John 8:31–32 (NASB95)
Prayer

Holy Spirit, we ask you to deliver us from the rampant deception that has enveloped the world. Open our eyes to more and more truth from your Word. If we have been duped by the devil’s sorcery and lies, we ask you to set us free in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Click her to see more articles like this.
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The Prophetic Significance of the Stoning of Stephen for Israel

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IsraelThe stoning of Stephen had tremendous prophetic significance concerning the nation of Israel. Stephen began his final speech to the Jews by giving a short account of Israel’s history with God. Suddenly, he switched gears to pronounce a scathing judgment upon the Jews.

“You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, 53 who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.” Acts 7:51–53 (NKJV)

We must assume that the Holy Spirit prompted him to pronounce this indictment. His death, witnessed by Saul, who later became the apostle Paul, fulfilled the timing found in one of the prophet Daniel’s visions.

Stephen’s wording was exact. He did not use hyperbole when he said the Israelites always resist the Holy Spirit and never kept the Law. Yes, there were significant men and women during her history who walked with God, but the nation as a whole was steeped in idolatry and did not submit to God. We now know that it was impossible for them to do so and still is, apart from being reborn in the Spirit, for no one is able to keep the Law.

But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, Romans 3:21–24 (NKJV)

The window of opportunity for the entire nation of Israel to repent and confess that Jesus is Lord came to a close when the Jews killed Stephen.

The more complete outworking of that judgment was fulfilled years later when the Roman army sacked Jerusalem and destroyed the temple in 70 AD, thereby ending the sacrificial system forever. 

When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear. Hebrews 8:13 (NASB95)
 
Daniel’s Vision

I wrote another article about the partial preterist interpretation of Daniel’s seventy weeks, which you can read, if you like, by clicking on the link above. I believe this interpretation better agrees with scripture and history. You can click here to read more about my position regarding dispensational theology. Below I will summarize a section of my article on Daniel’s vision. 

“Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy. 25 “Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times. 26 “And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined. 27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate.” Daniel 9:24–27 (NKJV)

A generally accepted convention for interpreting prophecy is making a day into a year. Below is a breakdown of how the partial preterist position interprets the 70 weeks.

  • 7 weeks (49 years) – 457 BC (the decree of Artaxerxes to rebuild Jerusalem) to 408 BC, during which time were the ministries of Ezra (rebuilding the temple) and Nehemiah (rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem).
  • 62 weeks (434 years ) – 408 BC to the baptism of Jesus in AD 27 (The anointing of the Holy One.) He was baptized and anointed with the Holy Spirit to carry out the work of the ministry.
  • 1 week (7 years)
    • AD 27 to AD 31: 3.5 years – The time from the beginning of Jesus’ ministry until his crucifixion. He was the the Anointed One who was cut off. The Messiah will be cut off, but not for himself, ending the need for any more animal sacrifices. He, the Messiah, shall confirm a covenant – the New Covenant.
    • 31 AD to 34 AD: 3.5 years from the crucifixion to the stoning of Stephen, after which the door was officially opened to the Gentiles and a door of opportunity shut for the Jews as a nation. Paul was called and commissioned shortly thereafter.
  • 70 AD: the destruction of the Temple by Titus and the Roman army (the people of the prince), effectively ending all animal sacrifices.

The partial preterist view does not put a 2000-year gap between the 69th and 70th week, as does dispensational theology. Therefore, Daniel 9 does not predict what will happen at the very end of time just prior to the Second Coming. If we accept the partial preterist interpretation, it is quite understandable why Daniel was so upset by the vision. God showed him that Israel would reject and murder their Messiah and Jerusalem and the temple destroyed!

Jesus’ Prophetic Warning to Israel

Jesus also foretold the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple (Matthew 24:2, Mark 13:2, Luke 21:6, Luke 21:20, Luke 19:43-44), which signified the end of God’s purpose for Israel.

Israel had the glorious role of stewarding God’s promises and the scriptures as well as providing the human pedigree for the Messiah. However, just as John the Baptist’s role was concluded when he introduced Jesus to the nation, Israel’s role sadly reached its end when it fulfilled the scriptures by crucifying the Messiah! 

In Acts chapter two, on Pentecost, the apostle Peter offered those present in Jerusalem for the great feast an opportunity to repent of this great evil, and 3000 did! Unfortunately, the preponderance of the people and leaders continued to resist the Holy Spirit, just as Stephen said in his last sermon.

Jesus prophesied that all this would happen and that the kingdom of God would be given to another people, one that would embrace him as Lord.

“Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it. 44 “And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.” 45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was speaking about them. Matthew 21:43–45 (NASB95)

This new people was later revealed to be the Church, the “one new man” (Ephesians 2:15) composed of elect Jews and Gentiles who are born again by the Holy Spirit, a new nation and people springing forth from the second or last Adam. (1 Corinthians 15:45-49)

God’s Plan All Along

The surprising emergence of the church had been God’s intention all along, contrary to the claims of dispensationalism. The church was not a “plan B,” but was God’s original intent as revealed in several places in Scripture.

...to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, 11 according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. 13 Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. Ephesians 3:10–13 (NKJV)

From the beginning of Israel’s history, God revealed that he would eventually destroy that nation for its blatant rebellion and raise up another people who would fulfill his will.

The first example was at Mount Sinai. Moses ascended to mountain to receive the ten commandments. Upon his return, he found that the people had quickly abandoned their devotion to God and made an idol for themselves to worship. Here is God’s pronouncement of judgment.

The LORD said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, they are an obstinate people. 10 “Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them; and I will make of you a great nation.” Exodus 32:9–10 (NASB95)

Why did God say this? Did he have a “short fuse” which made him prone to utter rash words in anger? Of course not! God knew that the nation of Israel, like all fallen humans, had zero ability to keep his commandments and remain devoted to him.

In the passage above God prophetically foreshadowed his plan to raise up another prophet like Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15) from whom he would bring forth another people capable of serving him wholeheartedly. This new people would be the New Covenant church, who would be indwelled and empowered by God’s own Spirit. (Jeremiah 31:31-34)

Again, when the Israelites rebelled against God in the wilderness on their way to the promised land, God pronounced a judgment that revealed his future plan to raise up the church through Christ.

The LORD said to Moses, “How long will this people spurn Me? And how long will they not believe in Me, despite all the signs which I have performed in their midst? 12 “I will smite them with pestilence and dispossess them, and I will make you into a nation greater and mightier than they.” Numbers 14:11–12 (NASB95)

When Israel came to edge of the Promised Land the first time, once again they rebelled against God’s command to enter the land and conquer the inhabitants. Only Joshua and Caleb had faith in God’s promises. The rest were sentenced to die in the wilderness over the next forty years of wandering. Only Joshua, Caleb, and the new generation were able to eventually obtain the promises of God.

The principle is simple, the old fallen fleshly order cannot inherit the promises of God. Only those born of the Spirit can enter by faith.

Interestingly, once Israel heard God’s pronouncement of his rejection of their generation, they rebelled once again and decided they would after all enter and conquer the Canaanites. But it was too late. The door had been shut. Their attempt to enter in their own strength did not have God’s support or blessing. It was doomed to failure. (Numbers 14:39-45)

I believe that the nation of Israel today is like that group of rebels. Until the people of Israel submit to Jesus as Lord, they will not succeed. 

When it came time for Moses to die, he again warned the Israelites of what was to come.

Take this book of the law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may remain there as a witness against you. 27 “For I know your rebellion and your stubbornness; behold, while I am still alive with you today, you have been rebellious against the LORD; how much more, then, after my death? Deuteronomy 31:26–27 (NASB95)

Once again, God pointed out that Israel was incapable of pleasing him because that nation was of the flesh, born of Adam, and part of the old fallen order. No flesh can inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 15:50), but only that which is born of God by the Spirit. (John 3:5).

Neither the nation of Israel nor any other human institution or people is capable of pleasing God or inheriting his kingdom outside of the New Covenant transformation caused by the new birth.

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NASB95)

Those whom God so transforms from within are part of God’s elect, the church, the Israel of God. (Galatians 3:7, Galatians 3:29, Galatians 6:16, Romans 2:29, Romans 9:6, Philippians 3:3)

When Joshua was near death, he, too, warned Israel that it was impossible for them to be faithful to God, to which they objected, as we all do before God shows us how hopelessly lost we are without Christ.

Then Joshua said to the people, “You will not be able to serve the LORD, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgression or your sins. 20 “If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and consume you after He has done good to you.” 21 The people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the LORD.” 22 Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen for yourselves the LORD, to serve Him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” Joshua 24:19–22 (NASB95)

The Jews who reject Christ will be judged by the Law, as will we all. (John 5:45)

The law’s purpose is to reveal how hopelessly lost we are. It was never a viable means for us to save ourselves through obedience to it. It only showed how badly we need a Savior.

But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23 But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. 24 Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. 26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise. Galatians 3:22–29 (NASB95)

It is so difficult for us to admit that we cannot save ourselves, but until we come to the end of thinking we can, we are not ready to receive God’s offer of eternal life through his Son. If we reject the Son, we do not have the Father either. (1 John 2:23) Jesus warned the Jewish leaders that, rather than being children of God, they were offspring of the devil. (John 8:44) Later in Revelation, he calls them the “synagogue of Satan” in two different places.

I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Revelation 2:9 (NASB95) 

Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you. Revelation 3:9 (NASB95)

These are not my words, but our Lord’s. He was not antisemitic, and neither am I. Jesus spoke the truth, and I attempt to follow in his steps.

The nation of Israel today claims to be God’s chosen people, but they are not. God has only one chosen people, the elect, who are known by their faith and allegiance to Christ.

But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; 7 nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants, but: “THROUGH ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL BE NAMED.” 8 That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants...11 for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, Romans 9:6–8, 11 (NASB95)

For us to believe that the nation of Israel is God’s chosen people is to misunderstand the New Covenant.

We cannot have it both ways. There are not two tracks for salvation, one that pertains only to Israel after the flesh and another that pertains to all other humans through God’s Spirit. God has only one way to be saved, which is through the new birth by faith in Christ’s resurrection and by declaring allegiance to him. (Romans 10:9-10)

To back Israel now as God’s chosen people is akin to when the northern tribes backed Absalom against God’s chosen king.

Those tribes were deceived into supporting a rebel and pretender to the throne. It did not end well. Many died in a vain rebellion against God’s true king. We dare not fall into that trap today by supporting the nation of Israel as it attempts to regain what God stripped from them in 70 AD. They will not succeed.

God will be glorified in Christ and his church through all eternity, not in the nation of Israel. 

Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:21 (NLT)

Only those descendants of Abraham who acknowledge that Christ is Lord will be included in what is called the Israel of God.

When all the elect Jews and Gentiles are finally born again into the church, the end will come and all Israel (the true Israel of God) will be saved. (Romans 11:26)

The stoning of Stephen was a prophetic marker that closed the door to the nation of Israel. Thereafter, the true born again Israel of God would be assembled from every nation under heaven.

And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. 10 “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.” Revelation 5:9–10 (NASB95) 
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Cognitive Dissonance – Gateway to Repentance

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Cognitive dissonance describes the unease we feel when we are confronted with new information that opposes what we have always thought to be true. It forces us to decide either to embrace the new truth or reject it in favor of what we previously thought. Repentance is the English word that translates the Greek metanoeo, which means to change the mind. It is easy to see that cognitive dissonance often precedes repentance.

Jesus called Satan the “father of lies” in whom there is no truth at all. (John 8:44) Since the Garden of Eden, his master plan for humanity is to deceive us into joining him in his rebellion against God and thereby destroy us. He cannot directly curse us, but he can trick us into sinning and bringing upon ourselves God’s righteous judgment. 

The Bible says that Satan deceives the entire world or inhabited earth (Revelation 12:9); so, we should not imagine we are immune to his lies. The Bible goes on to say that the entire world or cosmos lies in Satan’s power. (1 John 5:19) His lies extend to every area of human thought and activity, not just the religious realm. Morality, science, education, medicine, government, the media, and all human relations also are impacted by the breadth and depth of Satan’s deception. 

The purpose of the devil’s lies is to keep us from seeing and embracing God and his truth, which has the power to save and liberate us. (John 8:31-32) 

In the church and the world, false teachers feed us lies to set us up to see or understand things incorrectly so that when we encounter truth it seems wrong to us. This was certainly true regarding Jesus’ first coming. False teachers taught the Jewish people to expect a Messiah who would restore Israel to its former prominence and glory, overthrow Roman oppression, and be God’s instrument to rule and bless the world. When the real Messiah showed up, those false expectations kept most people from recognizing him. The cognitive dissonance created by Jesus’ not being what they expected from the Messiah required that:

  1. They repent from their false belief and embrace God’s truth, or,
  2. They reject the true Messiah in favor of a false version of reality.

The Bible gives us clear examples of each. Nicodemus was a Pharisee who was steeped in the pride of being part of the ruling religious elite and who had been indoctrinated to see things from a narrow legal perspective regarding all things spiritual. Nevertheless, when he was confronted by the obvious truth that God was behind the miracles Jesus performed (John 3:2), he was open to changing his mind. He decided to talk one-on-one with the Lord, which apparently led to his conversion (John 19:39). In his case, cognitive dissonance prompted him to further investigate the claims that stood in opposition to his former thinking. This is how cognitive dissonance can become a gateway to repentance.

On the other side, we have many examples of those who experienced cognitive dissonance in Jesus’ presence but chose to reject his claims and hang on to their old way of thinking rather than repent. One of the clearest examples is when Jesus healed the blind man in John Chapter 9. When confronted by the obvious miracle, the Pharisees refused to acknowledge God’s hand in it. The man who had been healed called them out.

We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him. 32 “Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. 33 “If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.” 34 They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you teaching us?” So they put him out. John 9:31–34 (NASB95)

The previously blind man could clearly see that Jesus was from God, but those who were educated in the Bible refused to acknowledge the obvious. How ironic. And because they refused to embrace truth when confronted with it, their judgment was sealed.

And Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind.” 40 Those of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things and said to Him, “We are not blind too, are we?” 41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains. John 9:39–41 (NASB95)

Cognitive dissonance either opens our hearts to repent and accept the truth or it welds shut the gates of our self-imposed prison of lies. What we do when we are confronted with the truth of God’s Word greatly affects our destinies.

This principle holds for all areas of truth. We are tested in our allegiance to God’s Word above all things. When God’s truth confronts long held false beliefs, we are faced with a choice – repent or worship the false idol represented by the lie. May God grant us repentance and a willingness to let go of everything that contradicts God’s Word.

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Are We Being Loyal to the Truth of God’s Word?

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Every day, when we look upon creation, God intends for us to be profoundly impacted by the truth it reveals about him. What God made reflects who he is. This is called general revelation. 

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

What do we know about the heavens by observing them? Has God given us a way to penetrate its mysteries? Are we left to our own devices, or has God revealed in his Word what we need to know?

Since the Scientific Revolution, modern man for the most part has rejected the Bible as the ultimate source of truth regarding the creation.

Most of modern astrophysics contradicts what scripture says about the earth and heavens. If we naively accept what Bible-rejecting scientists tell us about creation, we are not being loyal to God’s truth as revealed in the Bible.

The Scripture commands us to affirm that God’s Word is true, even if it means we must call every man a liar. (Romans 3:4)

Our meditations on the general revelation of creation will point us to the Creator only if these thoughts agree with Scripture. How can a lie possibly testify to the glory of God? In a similar fashion, our journey to know God better as a disciple of Christ will only be successful if our path adheres to the truth revealed in the Bible. 

Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. John 17:17 (NASB95)

Most people, even Christians, it seems, have yet to come to terms with how much the world system in which we live lies to us.

We imagine that our government, education system, and scientists routinely tell us the truth, which contradicts what our Lord told us about the world system in the Bible.

We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. 20 And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. 1 John 5:19–20 (NASB95)

Since Satan is the master deceiver in whom there is no truth at all (John 8:44), it should not surprise us that the world system he rules consistently lies to us.

The truth testifies to God; therefore, Satan hides truth in every possible way about everything important.

God has been opening many people’s eyes over the last few decades to the scope and depth of our own government’s commitment to deception. We are at the point now predicted by a former head of the CIA.

casey quoteI am of the opinion that our government now mockingly shows its hand by making its lies look as ridiculous as possible to test just how gullible and compliant the public has become. We are tested to see if we will embrace that which we know is false, such as the lie that there are more than two genders. Sadly, a huge proportion of the people around the world bought this lie, despite its obvious falsehood.

When we accept the declarations of so-called experts over our own common sense and observations, we become willing slaves to deception.

Once we grasp that those in power routinely lie to us about almost everything, especially the really important things, we must decide who and what we will believe. Is there a source of information that is always true upon which we can completely rely? The Bible is exactly that; yet, so many today distrust the Bible and throw it overboard in deference to what scientists tell us.

I am convinced that God is allowing us to be tested regarding our loyalty to the truth of his Word.

Will we join the Reformers by insisting that God’s Word is the ultimate source of truth (Sola Scriptura), or will we cave to the Scientific Revolution and agree that science trumps the Bible (Sciencia Prima)?

Please keep in mind the warning delivered by our Lord.

For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. Luke 9:26 (NASB95)

This is our time to shine by declaring allegiance to Christ and to his Word, which invariably pits us against the lying world system. Do we have ears to hear and a heart to understand, or have we been seduced by the devil to agree with him and call God a liar? God forbid!

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Have We Betrayed Our Reformation Heritage?

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Protestant Christians received an valuable heritage from the courageous men and women of the Reformation, which can be summarized by the Latin Sola Scriptura. These words simply mean “by scripture alone.” That world altering revolution against the tyranny of Roman Catholicism began when daring men, often at the expense of their lives, translated the scriptures into the language of the common man. Before that, the Roman church veiled the Bible in the Latin tongue, insisting that the average person had no business reading or interpreting its meaning. Ignorance of the Bible allowed the Roman Church to enslave the masses with the chains of church tradition and papal authority, which often contradicted the Bible’s teachings and obscured the gospel. By putting the Bible into the hands of the common man and insisting that it alone was the supreme authority in our lives, the Reformation effectively wrested power away from the Roman Church, at least for those who believed the gospel.

The Roman Catholic Counter Reformation began in 1540, some 23 years after Luther posted his 95 theses, and was led by Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order. One of Loyola’s strategies was to win people back to Catholicism by focusing on education. If Roman tradition and papal authority could not overcome people’s new reliance upon the authority of the Bible, perhaps education could.

If we recognize that our spiritual battle is not primarily against people, I believe we can see Satan’s hand in this.

The devil has always insisted that education is more important than naive reliance upon what God says.

In fact, in Loyola’s lifetime, what is called the High Renaissance was flowering. It was a return to classic (pagan) roots of civilization, emphasizing literature, learning, and art derived from the Romans and Greeks.

At the same time that God was turning people to the scriptures, the devil was reviving paganism with a brand new twist – the Scientific Revolution.

Interestingly, this revolution is commonly believed to have begun in 1543 with the publication of Copernicus’ book, De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres). Copernicus derived some of his thinking from the pagan sun worshiper, Tresmegistus. Here is a quote:

copernicus quote

The introduction of the heliocentric theory of the “solar system” was every bit as transformational as the Protestant Revolution, perhaps even more so as far as the world is concerned, not in the least because it set in motion the abandonment of Sola Scriptura by the church. 

The Scientific Revolution led to breakthroughs in many areas and established science as an autonomous discipline set free from the “shackles” or limitations previously imposed on it by the Bible.

Since the temptation in the garden of Eden, Satan has pushed mankind to abandon God’s Word in a quest of for independent knowledge. He set up Eve to see God’s restriction from eating from the one tree in the garden as a much larger prohibition against enjoying fruit from any tree.

That evil spirit always wants us to view God as the Great Restrictor, keeping humanity back from reaching its potential.

This is exactly how those who embraced the Scientific Revolution came to see the Bible. Since that time, it has been largely viewed as an anachronism, perhaps a sort of fairy tale, sadly wanting in scientific accuracy. 

The early reformers, such as Luther and Calvin, rejected Copernicus’ heliocentric theory because they still adhered to Sola Scriptura. Luther used one verse of the Bible to reject Copernicus – Joshua 10:13.

So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, Until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies. Is it not written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. Joshua 10:13 (NASB95)

luther flat earthWhen I bring up this argument against the heliocentric theory, my Christian friends usually counter with “God can do anything.” That, in my opinion, is a flimsy excuse for contradicting the plain meaning of the Bible.

Calvin wrote that Copernicus’ teaching originated from the demonic realm.

copernicus quote

 

But those adherents to the authority of Scripture over all other authorities died out, and the education system spearheaded by the Jesuits taught the heliocentric model to succeeding generations, insisting that Copernicus’ theory is a scientific fact, and so it is thought today by those who reject the supreme authority of the Bible.

Satan gained a significant victory over our heritage from the Reformation, Sola Scriptura, by convincing most Christians that we dare not resist the Goliath of modern science. Instead of Sola Scriptura, we now have Sciencia Prima – Science First. Having been intimidated by scientific theories proclaimed as facts, many Christians now find it obligatory to view such science defying passages as Genesis Chapter One through the lens of heliocentrism.

When we take the plain meaning of the Bible and deform it to agree with science falsely so called, it is a betrayal of the heritage we received from the Reformation and proclaims that we think God is a liar.

I believe this makes us like Saul after his battle against the Amalekites. Samuel told him to kill every living thing, but he spared king Agag and best of the livestock. When Samuel challenged him regarding his disobedience, he remonstrated, that he did obey the Lord. Samuel retorted, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears?” (1 Samuel 15:14) God likewise asks us who claim to believe every word of the Bible, “What then is this pagan heliocentrism?” We cannot have it both ways.

And just as Saul’s disobedience, according to Samuel, was as the sin of witchcraft (1 Samuel 15:23); so, our departure from the authority of God’s Word has allowed a bewitching spell to be cast over the entire earth, blinding us to God’s truth regarding the world in which we live and the existence of the creator.

We cannot say that we believe the authority of the scripture is supreme when we make the Bible bow the knee to scientific theories.

I have talked to enough Christians who believe in heliocentrism to know that they believe that they still adhere to Sola Scriptura. They see no contradiction in believing Copernicus’ view of the heavens and earth and holding to the authority and truthfulness of Genesis Chapter One. However, they do not believe Genesis is literally accurate. They think that it contains truth but is not the truth and must be interpreted so that it somehow agrees with Copernicus. But this is not how the authors of the Old Testament saw things, and one of the fundamental rules of interpretation is that the scriptures must at least mean what the authors intended them to mean. They believed that Genesis is the literal truth.

Modern Christians who adhere to Sciencia Prima do not realize that Satan effectively undermined the validity of the entire Bible by convincing even Christians that Genesis Chapter One is not scientifically accurate.

Do we really think that unbelievers will be convinced that Christ rose from the dead when they find out we do not even believe that the Bible is literally true about something so fundamental as creation? Yet, we go about preaching the resurrection of Christ, the creation of humans (as opposed to Evolution), and the Noahic flood as being totally believable, while at the same time rejecting Genesis Chapter One. I find this odd.

It seems we have been so divorced from our Reformation heritage that many Christians today are embarrassed when someone stands up to say he or she believes those verses about creation and the earth and heavens are literally true!

Perhaps the biggest test we Christians in the West face today is whether we will be loyal to God’s word. Jesus reminded us that he expects for us to be unashamed of him and his words. (Luke 9:26) John the Revelator was exiled to the island of Patmos for his allegiance both to Jesus and God’s Word. (Revelation 1:9) It is time for us to embrace the Word and scorn the shame that will be heaped upon us by a disbelieving world and church.

Modern astrophysics stands against the Bible like a Goliath, daring anyone to have the courage to defy him publicly. Up to this point, most Christians have cowered in fear, but God is raising up a band of Davids who will take the challenge, disregard our fears of disapproval and persecution, and boldly reaffirm Sola Scriptura.

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