The Truth of Predestination

"We must ask ourselves, first of all, what is meant by the doctrine of predestination? We must be brief, although it would be very easy to devote an entire lecture just to this subject.

The word "predestination" itself is not used very frequently in Scripture. When it is used, it is used to refer to God's sovereign purpose with regard to the elect only. Nevertheless, in the history of the church, going all the way back to Augustine, the bishop of Hippo who lived in the last part of the fourth century and the first part of the fifth century, predestination has generally been defined as including both election and reprobation. The term "double-predestination" has been the battle-cry of those who have maintained the sovereignty of God. And by "double predestination" is meant that God is sovereign in election and sovereign in reprobation.

What is election? Briefly, election is that eternal and unchangeable decree of God to choose unto Himself from before the foundations of the world a church in Christ as the object of His grace and love and to glorify that church in everlasting blessedness in heaven.

Election is, first of all, a decree of God's counsel that He determined before He began the work of creation and providence and the ultimate redemption of all things. It is a part, a decree, of His eternal plan and purpose. In the second place, election is the choice of a specific people. It is not a vague and indefinable determination on God's part to save some people. It is a definite and specific decree to save certain, specific people whom He knew before they were ever born or before they had ever done good or evil. In the third place, that decree of election is a choice of a people in Christ.I cannot emphasize that strongly enough. Christ and the elect in the decree and purpose of God are one. There are no elect apart from Christ. But there is no Christ apart from the elect. They go together. Christ is the elect, par excellence. Say "Jesus Christ" and you have said "election," an elect church, for they are one in the decree and they are destined to be one in everlasting glory and blessedness in heaven. In the fourth place, that decree of election is absolutely free and sovereign. It does not depend on what man does. It does not depend on what God is able to predict men will do. It is simply, without any modification whatsoever, God's decision to save a certain, definite number of people. And if you should look for the reason why God chose some and not others, the only reason that Scripture gives is God's own sovereign good pleasure. He decided to do it. It is His own determination. It is His will. Let it be driven home to our consciousness, because that is extraordinarily humbling. And that is what the doctrine of election ought to do to you and to me — it ought to humble us!

Finally, election, as the decree of God, is, according to our Reformed standards and particularly the Canons of Dordrecht, the fountain and cause of all salvation. All of the blessings of salvation, including faith, holiness, justification, and everlasting glory, and all the good works that the believers do in time, have their origin, their cause, and their efficacy in the decree of election. Election is the fountain from which flows all the salvation of the people of God, including all their good works. Ephesians 2:10 says: "We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." This text follows hard upon Ephesians 2:8, 9: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast." In verse 10, Paul anticipates someone in his audience saying, "Yes, that's all right, Paul, but what about our good works?" Paul says, All right, you want to talk about good works? This is the explanation for our good works: We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which good works God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. That is, God determined those works before we were born, each good work for each one of us. God determined from before the foundations of the world that we would walk in them. Christ merited every last one of them on the cross. And each good work is worked within the hearts of the elect by the irresistible power of the Spirit. That includes also faith, the faith whereby the believer confesses the truth of the Scriptures and lays hold on Christ as the fullness of his salvation.

Election, I say, is the fountain and cause (I use the word "cause" deliberately) of all good works. Reprobation, on the other hand, is that sovereign, eternal, and unchangeable decree of God according to which He determines to reveal the infinite justice of His own divine being, His supreme holiness, and His fury against sin by creating vessels of wrath that are everlastingly punished for their sins in hell.

The enemies of sovereign grace and those who are intent on salvaging out of the wreckage of man's fall some elements of human good and some reasons for man to boast, and who do that by attacking the truth that God alone is sovereign, always make predestination the object of their attack. If you are interested in some of the attacks that have been made over the years against the doctrine of predestination, I urge you to read the Conclusion to the Canons of Dordrecht. Our fathers sum up there, in a brief statement, all the caricatures of the doctrine of predestination, all the arguments that have been raised against it, all the vicious slanders that were brought during the time when the Arminian conflict was going on -- all directed against the doctrine of predestination. But when the doctrine of predestination is attacked, reprobation is without fail attacked first. Men hate reprobation. Men especially deny and attack reprobation because they consider it to be the Achilles' heel of the church; they are persuaded that the church will be reluctant at best, and frequently unwilling, to defend the sovereignty of God in reprobation. You will find, therefore, if you read the history of the church, that it is reprobation, first of all, that must suffer the fiercest attacks.

Reprobation and election are one decree of God. Our Canons make that clear in I, 6: "That some receive the gift of faith from God and others do not receive it proceeds from God's eternal decree (in the singular), according to which decree He graciously softens the hearts of the elect, however obstinate, and inclines them to believe, (and now the rest of that decree) while He leaves the non-elect in His just judgment to their own wickedness and obduracy." So, there is one decree that includes election and reprobation; that is, contrary to the insistence of some, it is impossible to believe in election without maintaining at the same time reprobation. The two are one decree. If you deny reprobation, you deny election. That God chooses some means, necessarily, that He damns others. The two belong together. They are two sides of the same coin.

Reprobation is sovereign. Reprobation does not mean that God determines to punish in hell those whom He foresees will not believe. That was and is the Arminian position. Strangely enough, insofar as Reformed churches still talk about reprobation today, that is what they make of it. They make reprobation conditional, dependent upon whether or not man accepts or rejects the gospel. If he rejects the gospel, he makes himself by his rejection a reprobate. That is contrary to Scripture and the Reformed confessions. God is sovereign in determining who are reprobate.

There is a relationship between reprobation and election that is important. The relationship between the reprobate and the elect is the same as the relationship between the stalk, chaff, and straw of a wheat field and the kernel of wheat itself. The relation between reprobate and elect is identical to the relationship of a cornstalk, a tassel, a root, the husks of the ear, and the cob, to the kernels of corn — the kernels of corn being the elect and all the rest the reprobate. What is true in God's eternal purpose is true also in creation. The reprobate are to the elect as the scaffolding is to the building — necessary for its erection, built for the purpose of erecting the building, but useless, torn down, and destroyed when the building is completed. In the purpose of God reprobation serves election." - Extracted from The Sovereign God and Man's Will You can read the whole article by Clicking HERE.

THIS MEANS WAR!

We wage war against the ENEMY with our knees bended and fully surrendered without any earthly weapon! Our eyes will be in tears and war begins!

Jehovah's Witness Watchtower's Freemason and Adventist history and symbols

Many of the beliefs and symbols included in Watchtower publications during the leadership of Russell are what Jehovah's Witnesses now claim to be of pagan and even occult background.

If you enjoyed The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown and are interested in the development of modern religion you will be intrigued by this section. A number of the symbols and teachings discussed by Brown as having origins with the Knights Templar, Freemasons and Illuminati, and tracing back to the Egyptians, have been used by Mormons, Christian Science and Russell's Watch Tower Bible Students.

The terms Watch Tower, Golden Age, Jehovah, New World Order, the symbols of the all-seeing-eye, winged sun disk, two columns, pyramids and Russell's strong Zionist stance are part of Freemasonry.

A great deal of discussion has centred on whether Russell, the founder of the Watch Tower Society, had connections with Freemasons, due to the many Masonic symbols introduced under his leadership. The evidence is not conclusive that Russell adopted these beliefs from Freemasons, and it is probable that he took these beliefs and symbols from Second Adventists.

Watchtower claims it was chosen as God's sole representative for being the only clean organisation in 1919. Inclusion of pagan symbols in its worship until the 1930's raises the question as to why God directed, or even allowed, symbols of this kind to identify his people, even well after the claimed cleansing of his spiritual temple in 1919. (SOURCE: Watchtower, Adventists & Freemasonry - http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/davinci-freemason.php )

YOU CAN CONTINUE READING THE WHOLE ARTICLE BY CLICKING HERE.

The Proclaimers book discusses Russell's funeral, including an image of this tombstone, but neither mentions or shows his impressive pyramid memorial stone.

DANGEROUS CULTS DOCUMENTARY - CULT OF SCIENTOLOGY & JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES CULT (VIDEO)

Jehovah Witness Cult Endangers Children and Deceives Adults
http://cross.tv/85324 

Millions Leave Jehovah Witness Cult and Islam After Realizing God's Triune Nature - http://youtu.be/xgWB1XWrlW8 

Don't let their empty smiles fool you. They are the victims of psychological programing and irrationality. The Jehovah witnesses never allow their members to think for themselves. This Hierarchical pyramid religious system is demonic. There's no accountability, Christ is dishonored and they hide all their dirty little secret deeds of perversion from the public. They all serve and follow the same Lucifer Satan. Their brainwashing sessions are all designed to funnel more and more money to unseen oligarchy of billionaire False Prophets who profit from all of the deceived Jehovah Witness slaves. 

More About the Jehovah Witnesses Cult:

Jehovah Witnesses: History of Shame
http://www.cross.tv/53879 


What Does The Jehovah Witness Symbol Mean?

Some of you may know and some of you may not know what the symbol of this false religion of Jehovah Witnesses is. Just to get straight to the point, it is a symbol of the Knights Templar for the York Rite of Freemasonry.

(As you can see on this Magazine it is full of Masonic symbols. If you look at the top Left hand corner you will see the crown and the cross, this is a Masonic symbol.)

This is the Logo of the Jehovah's Witness

Here you see C T Russell Tomb showing the Masonic Knight Templar and the All-Seeing eye of the Illuminat at the top 

(Do you see the Similarities in how the structure is designed and his Grave stone? look just like the image on the 1 Dollar bill.)

He was buried at the Masonic Cemetery



The Proclaimers book discusses Russell's funeral, including an image of this tombstone, but neither mentions or shows his impressive pyramid memorial stone.

JEHOVAH IS NOT GOD.

Have you ever been approached by a group called JWs or Jehovah Witnesses? They are almost everywhere and they are very zealous people who thinks GOD's true name is JEHOVAH. But the truth is way too far behind and the name Jehovah is not God's name but rather a transliteration or pronounciation. JEHOVAH is not GOD's name.

Did you know that "the name Jehovah was invented first time in the Middle Ages primal!

For all the world the information is testable, where the name Jehovah comes from, available on the Internet. On Wikipedia under the search word Jehovah, we find the following information:

The name Jehovah already occurs repeatedly in the 13th Century in the Latin form of Jehovah. The Spanish monk Raymond Mantini, translated about 1270 different parts of the Bible from the Hebrew. In his manuscripts is on the right side the Hebrew text and on the left the Latin with Iehovah.

Cardinal Nikolaus of Kues used the Tetragrammaton vocalized as Jehovah in several of his works, 1428, in his Sermon In Principio Erat Verbum.

Petrus Galatinus published in the year 1518 his work "De Arcnis catholicae veritatis".

As William Tyndale, translated the Pentateuch 1530, he transferred the Tetragrammaton also by using the word Jehovah." 0

"Question: "What is YHWH? What is the tetragrammaton?"

Answer: The ancient Hebrew language that the Old Testament was written in did not have vowels in its alphabet. In written form, ancient Hebrew was a consonant-only language. In the original Hebrew, God’s name transliterates to YHWH (sometimes written in the older style as YHVH). This is known as the tetragrammaton (meaning “four letters”). Because of the lack of vowels, Bible scholars debate how the tetragrammaton YHWH was pronounced.

The tetragrammaton consists of four Hebrew letters: yodh, he, waw, and then he repeated. Some versions of the Bible translate the tetragrammaton as “Yahweh” or “Jehovah”; most translate it as “LORD” (all capital letters).

Contrary to what some Christians believe (and at least one cult), Jehovah is not the Divine Name revealed to Israel. The name Jehovah is a product of mixing different words and different alphabets of different languages. Due to a fear of accidentally taking God’s name in vain (Leviticus 24:16), the Jews basically quit saying it out loud altogether. Instead, when reading Scripture aloud, the Jews substituted the tetragrammaton YHWH with the word Adonai (“Lord”). Even in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament), the translators substituted Kurios (“Lord”) for the Divine Name. Eventually, the vowels from Adonai (“Lord”) or Elohim (“God”) found their way in between the consonants of YHWH, thus forming YaHWeH. But this interpolation of vowels does not mean that was how God’s name was originally pronounced. In fact, we aren’t entirely sure if YHWH should have two syllables or three.

Any number of vowel sounds can be inserted within YHWH, and Jewish scholars are as uncertain of the real pronunciation as Christian scholars are. Jehovah is actually a much later (probably 16th-century) variant. The word Jehovah comes from a three-syllable version of YHWH, YeHoWeH. The Y was replaced with a J (although Hebrew does not even have a J sound) and the W with a V, plus the extra vowel in the middle, resulting in JeHoVaH. These vowels are the abbreviated forms of the imperfect tense, the participial form, and the perfect tense of the Hebrew being verb (English is)—thus the meaning of Jehovah could be understood as “He who will be, is, and has been.”

So, what is God’s Name, and what does it mean? The most likely choice for how the tetragrammaton was pronounced is “YAH-way,” “YAH-weh,” or something similar. The name Yahweh refers to God’s self-existence. Yahweh is linked to how God described Himself in Exodus 3:14, “God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: “I AM has sent me to you.”’” God’s name is a reflection of His being. God is the only self-existent or self-sufficient Being. Only God has life in and of Himself. That is the essential meaning of the tetragrammaton, YHWH." 1

Where did the name “Jehovah” come from?

"“Jehovah” is a mispronunciation of the Hebrew name of God, resulting from a confusion over what vowels were to be included when saying the name.

The Hebrew name of God is יהוה (YHWH). This was revealed to Moses by God in Exodus 6:2-3Open in Logos Bible Software (if available). In Hebrew, there are usually no vowels inserted and it is up to the reader to insert the vowels at the time of reading. Most scholars think the vowels in the name of God are A and E making Yahweh.

Several centuries before Jesus, Jews stopped pronouncing the name of God as it was too sacred, and they started to substitute the word Adonay (Lord) instead whenever they came across the word Yahweh. Then later editions of the Hebrew scriptures added vowel pointings to guide readers. For YHWH, the vowels for Adonai were added to remind readers to read “Adonai” and not “Yahweh”. This actually made a non-word “Yehowah”.

The Hebrew letter “W” (waw) is now pronounced more like a “V” in modern Hebrew, and so is often transliterated as a V instead of a W. The Hebrew letter “Y” (yod) is often historically transliterated as a “J” due to its pronunciation in late Latin. Consequently, we get the name “Jehovah” although that was never the original word and probably does not sound anything like the Hebrew name of God."2

"Question: "Is Jehovah the true name of God?"

Answer: In the Hebrew Scriptures, the name of God is recorded as YHWH. So, where did the name “Jehovah” come from? Ancient Hebrew did not use vowels in its written form. The vowels were pronounced in spoken Hebrew but were not recorded in written Hebrew. The appropriate vowel sounds of words were passed down orally. As a result, when ancient Hebrew is studied, scholars and linguists often do not know with absolute confidence how certain Hebrew words were pronounced.

This particularly becomes an issue when studying the Hebrew name of God, written in the Hebrew Scriptures as YHWH, also known as the tetragrammaton. Despite much study and debate, it is still not universally agreed upon how the Hebrew name for God YHWH was pronounced. Some prefer “Yahweh” (YAH-way); others prefer “Yehowah” or “Yahuweh”; still others argue for “Jehovah.”

As you can see, virtually everything is up for debate. Should YHWH be pronounced with three syllables or two? Should the vowels be borrowed from Elohim or Adonai? Should the W be pronounced with more of a W sound or more of a V sound? It is not the purpose of this article to settle the debate. Rather, it is the purpose of this article to discuss the use of “Jehovah.”

The vast majority of Jewish and Christian biblical scholars and linguists do not believe “Jehovah” to be the proper pronunciation of YHWH. There was no true J sound in ancient Hebrew. Even the Hebrew letter vav, which is transliterated as the W in YHWH is said to have originally had a pronunciation closer to W than the V of Jehovah. Jehovah is essentially a Germanic pronunciation of the Latinized transliteration of the Hebrew YHWH. It is the letters of the tetragrammaton, Latinized into JHVH, with vowels inserted. “Yahweh” or “Yehowah” is far more likely to be the correct pronunciation.

The form Jehovah, though, is very commonly used. It is used in the King James Version of the Bible (Genesis 22:14; Exodus 6:3; 17:15; Judges 6:24; Psalm 83:18; Isaiah 12:2; 26:4). It is also used, and strenuously promoted by, the Jehovah’s Witnesses. The Jehovah’s Witnesses emphasize the use of Jehovah to the extent that any other name or title for God is viewed as borderline idolatry or outright heresy.

With all of that said, it is not crucial to the Christian faith for the proper pronunciation of YHWH to be known. Both the Old and New Testaments, inspired by God, use generic terms for “God” and “Lord,” including El, Elohim, and Adonai (Hebrew); and Theos and Kurios (Greek). If the authors of Scripture, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, were allowed to use these terms, it is not wrong for us to refer to Him as “God” or “Lord,” either.

In conclusion, it is highly unlikely that “Jehovah” is the correct pronunciation of YHWH. Further, it is far more important to know God through faith in Jesus Christ, than it is to know the correct pronunciation of His name in Hebrew."3


Footnotes:
0 - extracted from http://www.antichrist-watchtower.org/jehovah-primal-invented-in-medieval.xhtml
1 - https://www.gotquestions.org/YHWH-tetragrammaton.html
2-http://bibleq.net/answer/87/
3- https://www.gotquestions.org/Jehovah.html

GREATER THINGS TO SEE

God has called us to live in a very hostile world.
It’s not just war, crime, and immorality that challenge us here. All of nature itself was effected by mankind’s fall in Eden. This is why natural disasters, diseases, and physical disabilities strike without favoritism. Some are born with handicaps and are blind, unable to walk, hear, or speak. Often disasters and disabilities can be compensated for with training or modern technology.

But there’s a disability no human effort can overcome. The afflicted are not even aware of it. It’s a spiritual disease that infects everyone from the moment of conception. It makes us unable to see things as they really are, and to respond to situations the way we should. It distorts and confuses things, and makes it hard for us to get along with one another.

This is why there is such a serious breakdown in communication about things that really matter. We do not always see what others see, and we do not all share the same basic values and goals. The lost world we live in does not comprehend the basic truths about God and life itself.

Those who are redeemed by God’s grace have a challenging responsibility. A duty goes along with the gift of spiritual sight. They need to rise above the illusions that fill our world to see and tell about how God works through all the wonders he’s made.

There were divisions growing in the church at Corinth. Outside influences had crept in. The attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of the Christians were becoming confused.

Paul wrote to expose the danger, and to help them get back to living by God’s truth. There were some among them who loved to promote themselves, and to steal God’s glory. But to correct the problem, they should not use the alluring ways of the confused world. The world sees God’s methods as foolish and unworthy of consideration. Christians are to tell about how God fulfilled his ancient promise, how he came in the person of Jesus of Nazareth to redeem his people, how he lived a morally perfect life in their place, and died the death they deserved for their sins.

Paul began the 2nd chapter by warning them that the gospel shouldn’t be dressed in the clothing of the world to make it effective. The world persuades by manipulation, threats, and by appealing to our yet selfish feelings. God’s way is to transform hearts by the power of the work of Jesus Christ. This is the foundation for living by true wisdom, instead of by the fraudulent wisdom that surrounds and influences us in this fallen world. The great discoveries and magnificent accomplishments of man fail in this most important need. They can not really change what drives people to do corrupt things.

There are wonders in God’s world – great truths and wisdom,and we dare not miss them.
6. Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away.
7. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.
8. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
9. But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”–

This godly wisdom should not be kept as a secret. We have an obligation to tell what is true, to impart what God says, whether people believe it or not. Those transformed by God’s power will appreciate it, and those who remain in their sad state of corruption will not. If they understood God’s true wisdom they would not have crucified Jesus, the Lord of glory. Generally the fallen world prefer leaders who lack this true wisdom.

In this sense God’s truth is a mystery. It’s translated as “a secret” in the ESV. The KJV says, “we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery.” The Greek word is “mustaerion” (μυστήριον). It means something that remains unknown and hidden until it’s made known. It can not be discovered from what nature and providence displays about God. The universe, the flow of history, and man’s conscience tell about God’s nature, and about our moral duty to obey and honor him. But it does not reveal the way of restoration through the Savior so they can admit what they reveal. That is made known by God’s Special Revelation perserved in his word, and it’s our job, the duty of God’s people, to make it known.

The Apostle’s challenge here is to believers, the beneficiaries of this message. He calls them the mature ones. This does not mean they are all fully grown up spiritually yet. The original Greek word, “teleios” (τέλειος), is translated “perfect” in the King James Version. The word mature is a closer word in English. The word Perfect goes too far. Paul is talking to those who have reached some goal or level of accomplishment.

Here they are not contrasted with weaker Christians, but with those who are unsaved. These are the only two groups of people in this part of his letter. Later Paul deals with immature Christians who were being influenced by the unbelievers. But that’s not the comparison Paul is making in this passage.

All believers have reached that for which they were made. They are made able to fulfill their human purpose: to glorify of God and to enjoy him forever. They are matured into what God created humans to be. We all have a lot of growing and maturing to do as we improve in our sanctification. But redeemed believers are matured from spiritual death into spiritual life.

Those who remain lost can not possibly appreciate things as they really are. Paul used familiar words taken from Isaiah 64:4 and 65:17. The eyes of the unredeemed are blind, and their ears are deaf to God’s real wonders. They can not even imagine an infinite, eternal, and unchangeable God. They neither want nor know of a Savior who took up the sins of those who offended him, to make them into his beloved children forever. The world we live in has a different expectation of what God’s message ought to be.

But, regardless of what the majority believes or accepts as true, there are wonderful things for God’s people to behold and to experience. It is tragic when our eyes are diverted by the distractions of corruption. It keeps us from seeing our Good Shepherd’s hand at work in our lives and all around us.

But Paul wanted them to know that his message was not his own.
It came directly from God.
10. these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.
11. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
12. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.
13. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.

It’s dangerous to prefer being manipulated into a false sense of security when things are really not ok.

So instead of being taken in by the deceptive promises the world imagines as hope, our confidence should rest in what God himself makes known by the Holy Spirit. Our Bible, not the feigned wisdom of human thinkers, intellects, and promoters, leads us through the choices and circumstances we face every day. When we follow God’s path, we discover the wonderful things he’s given us to behold in life.

It’s not wise to expect to get truly good advice or to learn about a sound moral foundation from those who are not submissive to the teachings of God’s word. Yet so many run after one trendy promise after another. Like lemmings so many follow bad counsel over the brink of destruction.

Paul warned in 2 Timothy 4:3-4 , “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”

There’s a reason why the unredeemed,
the majority in this world, are unable to understand.
14. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
15. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one.
16. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

The depravity of fallen man is not just a cold doctrine. It’s a tragic truth. Those born without sight, hearing, or limbs can learn to be productive and successful in life. But those who remain in their spiritual disability can only find substitutes for real inner joy. The truth about God and man’s true lostness are repulsive to him, so he follows after religions designed to appease his fears and to give him a false hope. He busies himself with hobbies and vocations and indulges himself with material wealth. But he has no concept of the things of the Spirit of God. He does not like those things. He can’t see the value in them.

Spiritual truths are spiritually discerned. The original word “anakrino” (ἀνακρίνω) means to scrutinize. It’s to look something over very carefully, to investigate, and determine what it is, and to determine it’s worth. A spiritually dead person doesn’t have the capacity to see the real value of things. The redeemed have that capacity.

The same word is used in verse 15. The fallen world does not only mis-judge spiritual values, it doesn’t rightly understand or appreciate the redeemed believer. The natural man, as we all are except for God’s grace, is puzzled by true Christianity.

The majority of churches that call themselves Christian today do not respect God’s word. They show little evidence of this spiritual discernment. Many today teach that Adam, Noah, Abraham, and Moses never really lived. They say they are just made-up mythical characters invented as folk tales. Many teach that Paul and Peter included their own prejudices in their writings. Many seminaries and popular books suggest alternatives to the unpopular teachings of these Apostles. Many say the moral teachings of the Bible are outdated. This is why we see many denominations ordaining homosexuals to the ministry, and supporting same sex marriages.

They add stories of alleged modern miracles that promote the worship of saints, angels and Mary. They imagine mystical priestly powers that remove sins by their own powers or by the sacraments. Many talk of Jesus as if he was just a great martyr whose senseless death should simply inspire us. Some talk of him as if he was unable to control his own destiny.

Recently, the there has been a fascination with so called “faith-based ” shows and movies. Most of what we see, hear and read about Jesus is not found in the Bible.
It comes from speculation, mystical visions, and the pronouncements of unbelieving theologians. Promoters and commentators say Jesus was against the idea that there is only one way to heaven. They seem unaware that Jesus said he is the only way, and that those who don’t believe in him perish.

Jesus is even used in promotional advertising to advocate things he clearly opposed. He has been used as if he was against the military, and eating meat. Stories in the media about the Shroud of Turin have said it’s “one of Christianity’s most sacred .. relics.” But biblical Christianity recognizes no sacred relics.

The unfortunate success of the film The Passion of Christ is another example of confusion. While it contains some biblical material, it’s slanted by things added from outside the Bible. Much of the movie is based on visions of a Westphalian nun, Anne Catherine Emmerich. In the late 1700’s she claimed to have had visions of Christ’s passion. Producer Mel Gibson cites her book Dolorous Passion of Our Lord as a helpful source and one of his inspirations for the film. In keeping with Roman Catholic mysticism, Mary, the mother of Jesus, is presented in the film as sharing in Jesus’ suffering and atonement as a co-redemptrix or co-redeemer with Jesus. She has a mystical awareness of his presence and pain, and had powers over the Romans. The film adds a Romanist tradition that Jesus argued with Satan in Gethsemene, and it adds characters from the apocryphal books and mythical legends.

The movie The Young Messiah is partly based on material from “The Infancy Gospel of Thomas”. In that later apocryphal book the boy Jesus used his powers to kill children in the neighborhood, and he playfully made clay birds and brought them to life.

Just as it was in Corinth, today we have a confused blend of truth with fiction. When you add a lie to a true story, its whole meaning changes.

The truth about Jesus has been changed and edited to fit with what people would rather believe. His entire mission is distorted from what the Bible says it was. Whatever sells relics or books, raises money, and packs meeting halls becomes the doctrine of this synthetic religion that fits what the crowds want to hear.

Sadly this is the only Jesus many hear about and understand today. The victorious and living Savior who promises inner peace and victorious life to his people, and who rightly judges those who refuse to trust in his finished work alone, is not only missing from popular notions of him,he is openly rejected, and his followers are called narrow-minded bigots.

In contrast with these distortions, Paul says we have the mind of Christ. The mind of God — truth as he knows it to be — is revealed to us in Scripture. What makes it clear to us is the work of the Holy Spirit on our otherwise hardened hearts. By grace the barricade of our guilt is removed because Jesus lived, suffered, and died in our place. The Holy Spirit specially ministers understanding to regenerated souls through the plain self-evident teachings of the Bible.

There is a wide gap in understanding between God’s people, and those who remain lost spiritually. It’s neither that we work from different dictionaries, nor that the one has a lower IQ than the other. It’s a far more fundamental difference. The regenerate have a transformed nature that rest on a different foundation for truth.

As verse 14 says, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”

But this fact of depravity is not a wholly negative reality. It shows the overwhelming power of grace that works in the undeserving who are redeemed. Our regeneration didn’t come from someone who convinced us, or by circumstances in our lives. It did not come because we were smarter, or better educated. It came from God who works supernaturally as an evidence of undeserved love for his people.

God has prepared wonderful things for his children beyond anything our senses can perceive. Redeemed eyes can see things to which the world is totally blind. The ears of transformed souls can hear what they missed before grace made them alive. Even the imagination of the heart is set free from the chains of sin. The wonders of God’s true provisions are no longer barred from entering into their hearts.

Those regenerated by grace are made able to behold the wonders which God has prepared for his children.

How can we cope with these distortions,
and serve Christ in a world so vastly different?
We need to rest in and take advantage of God’s promises which are ours by his Amazing Grace. Do not consider a day well spent, if you haven’t read or considered what God has said in his word. That word alerts you to the errors and lies that want to deceive you. Pray diligently not only for the sick and needy, but also for your own spiritual health. Dare to walk boldly where the light of God’s truth leads you, rather than to stumble along the twisting rocky route laid out by the world. Keep in meaningful contact with others who are redeemed by God’s grace. Be an encouragement to them, and be encouraged by their friendship. Open your eyes to the wonderful things God has promised and done. Exercise your self in them. Tell others about them. Trust fully in them.

What we see in the world around us is what we would be like if it was not for that grace which is greater than our sins. It should not surprise us that the world works hard to create a false Christianity. It distorts the way of salvation, gives us a mythical savior and an uncertain system of morality. It does not matter that the redeemed are a minority. There is nothing wrong with being a minority, if it’s God’s minority. He has chosen the weak things of this world to confound the powerful.

Stop to consider the way things really are – the things the mighty of this world fail to see. Look around and see the hand of God at work, where fallen hearts see only chance, human choice, and the blind laws of physics.

Let these familiar words of Jeremiah 32:17 direct us to what God reveals to his people, “Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.”

(The Bible quotations are from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted.)
Source: http://www.genevaninstitute.org Greater Things To See by Bob Burridge 

JEZEBEL SPIRIT is the spirit of the Anti-Christ!

Jezebel Spirit is the force behind most Satanic attack to God's people. It will weaken your relationship to God and will seduce you to love the world. You will become fleshly and materialism you will love. The love of money and the things of this world! 

The world today which is ruled by a False Religious Empire who deceives many and make men bow and worship idols is one of the major agent who is being inhabited by Jezebel spirit. Beware of the Illuminati Jesuits, they are the most evil men who are used by this spirit. The Jezebel's spirit!


The JEZEBEL SPIRIT and her satanic agenda in 2017 is like no year we have ever seen before. The end times are here and the devil, the antichrist spirit, and illuminati are deceiving men and women all over the world through the use of this demonic spirit, witchcraft and the media. With fashion week in New York happening now, many people are being manipulated by this nasty wicked spirit of lust and seduction!

BEWARE OF JW CULT BEFORE ITS TOO LATE!

Beware the Cult-Like Control and Abuse of Jehovah’s Witnesses

Discourage individualism, encourage group-think

One of Jehovah’s Witnesses can be disfellowshipped (excommunicated) for believing or teaching anything other than their official doctrine (Shepherd the Flock of God book).

The May 8 2003 Awake magazine included an article titled, “Does Christian Unity Require Uniformity?” The article mentioned that Christians were and are allowed to make individual choices about many matters, but also stated, “… loyal Christians would not insist on their personal rights to the detriment of the consciences of others or at the expense of congregation unity. Nor should they claim freedom of action to do something clearly forbidden by God’s Word. (Romans 15:1; 2 Peter 2:1, 19) Love for God should move us to attune our conscience to God’s thinking. This, in turn, will keep us united with fellow believers.”

Note too the beliefs Jehovah’s Witnesses have that take away a person’s individualism, including the direction that women all wear skirts and dresses at meetings and when preaching and men all be clean-shaven, and the prohibitions against sexual matters even between married couples.

Labeling alternative belief systems as illegitimate, evil, or not useful

"Other Christian religions are referred to by Jehovah’s Witnesses as Christendom, and a search of their literature will show that they refer to these as “unfaithful,” as being rejected by god (November 15 2004 Watchtower), “pagan,” “steeped in false worship” (February 15 2001 Watchtower), with “reprehensible actions and false teachings” (Isaiah’s Prophecy book, pages 390-402). The Isaiah’s Prophecy book also states that “calamity will come upon unfaithful Christendom, whose members claim to worship God but actually disown him by their works.” (Pages 230-243)"

"All other religions outside of Jehovah’s Witnesses are referred to as “false religions.” The September 15 2012 Watchtower simplified edition stated that the world would come to an end first by seeing “false religion” destroyed. The September 15 2004 Watchtower said, “Satan has, in fact, built up a world empire of false religion, identified by rage, hatred, and almost endless bloodshed.” The May 1 2012 Watchtower stated that there are two types of religion; one false, and one true, and that true religion would be those who “serve Jehovah.” The book What Does the Bible Really Teach notes that false religion does not use idols, celebrate holidays (with a special emphasis on why the true religion would not celebrate Christmas), or worship ancestors." 

The Organization Above All Else

"One teaching that I would think would make a group cult-like or abusive is if they feel the organization should come above all else, even the health and safety of its members.

Before their official policy was rewritten in 2010, parents were outright forbidden from calling the police in matters of child sexual assault, so they wouldn’t bring reproach on the organization. As brought out, women in abusive marriages are encouraged to stay so that the man gets a “witness” and hopefully converts to the religion.

Children in the religion are strongly encouraged to give up higher education in favor of preaching and missionary work, or unpaid volunteer services at one of their branch offices or headquarters (May 2010 Kingdom Ministry).

Perhaps one of the most obvious cases of putting the organization above everything else when it comes to being one of Jehovah’s Witnesses is the practice of disfellowshipping, or excommunication, and the all-encompassing shunning that goes along with it. Despite the claim that the religion builds strong family bonds, this practice is based on the flimsiest of scriptural applications and outright misquotes (see this post), and yet members will shun even their own children who are still living at home or their elderly parents and grandparents. When a family member is shunned, their extended family (children, grandchildren) are also typically shunned along with them, even if these ones were never Jehovah’s Witnesses in the first place."

SO ARE JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES A CULT OR NOT?

"I don’t know if Jehovah’s Witnesses could legally or technically be called a cult, and 11,000 words later I still don’t care. What I do know is that they are abusive, controlling, obscene, harshly judgmental, misogynistic, and just plain unloving. They misquote and misapply scripture, have made many false prophecies and have changed their beliefs many times over.

Jehovah’s Witnesses emotionally blackmail their members into staying and abandon those who do to some of the most horrific abuses imaginable. They create guilt, depression, stifling childhoods and marriages, and downright unhappy congregants. Most ex-JWs, myself included, will attest to this; my own mother tried to commit suicide many times and was regularly in mental health facilities, as were many other women I knew in local congregations. It wasn’t unusual to see women in the back rooms crying during meetings, talking among themselves about their oppressive and abusive marriages but knowing they could do nothing about them. Depression was common, as was alcohol abuse and the use of antidepressants. Most men I knew in the religion were angry, oppressive, condescending, arrogant, and downright rude to congregants; after all, they could certainly afford to be, since they had absolute authority over members and anyone who didn’t like it could be disfellowshipped and was going to die at Armageddon. Many of us children grew up nervous, anxious, afraid of our own parents, terrified to go to meetings for fear of a beating, and dreading yet another Saturday being dragged out into the preaching work.

At the end of the day, this religion costs people their lives, not to mention children their innocence and many people their happiness, all because of scriptures they obviously don’t understand, predictions they have to repeatedly change, and teachings which seem to do nothing but allow them to wield more power over others.

The power that cults and other such groups have over their members is referred to in the legal arena as “undue influence,” and I absolutely hate that phrase. Why? Because it doesn’t even come close to describing the horrific abuses and control this religion has over its members.

I don’t know how to define Jehovah’s Witnesses, but if the words of a woman who survived the Jonestown massacre could easily be applied to them, I would say there’s probably a number of labels that would fit, “cult” being just one."

TheAbove quotes are extracted from the article entitled, Beware the Cult-Like Control and Abuse of Jehovah’s Witnesses - you can read the whole article by clicking HERE.

30 Questions to Get a Jehovah’s Witness to Think!

The image above is taken from https://jwvictims.org/beware-the-cult-like-control-and-abuse-of-jehovahs-witnesses/

Resurrection of Jesus 

1. If Jesus was resurrected as an invisible spirit, like the Watchtower teaches, why did Jesus say he was going to raise his physical body from the dead (John 2:19-22)?
    

2. If Jesus, the man, ceased to exist at his death and was raised from the dead as Michael the Archangel, why did Michael deceive the apostles into believing that they were witnessing Jesus in a resurrected physical body (Luke 24:39)?
    

3. If Jesus is now living in heaven as an invisible spirit creature, like the Watchtower teaches, why did Paul write many years after the ascension of Christ that he is dwelling in heaven in a physical body (Colossians 2:9)? Note: The Greek word, somatikos, means physical, tangible body.
    

4. If Jesus is now Michael the Archangel, why does 1 Timothy 2:5 say that the mediator between God and men is the man, Christ Jesus, and not the spirit, Michael the Archangel?
    

5. Can you show me a verse in the bible that clearly says Jesus is the Archangel Michael? How can Jesus be Michael since Hebrews chapter 1 stresses the superiority of Jesus over the angels and that all the angels worship him? Why would Jehovah command that the entire angelic realm worship another angel? Note: The Watchtower bible changes the word worship, in Hebrews 1:6, to “do obeisance to”. However, see section below on the New World Translation. 

The Watchtower Society 

6. Since the Watchtower was wrong in the past about many of its teachings and the light continues to get brighter (Proverbs 4:18), how do you know that the current teachings are correct and won’t change?
    

7. Why did the Watchtower magazine (Nov 15, 1981, p. 21) say to “come to Jehovah’s organization for salvation” when Jesus never directed us to an organization for salvation but to him?
    

8. When you joined the Jehovah’s Witnesses, did you read information for and against the Watchtower so you could make an educated and well rounded decision based on both points of view?
    

9. Has anyone become a Jehovah’s Witness after reading the bible alone without the aid of Watchtower material?
    

10. If I were to join the Jehovah’s Witnesses, would it be okay for me to do research into the Watchtower’s past by reading non-Watchtower material?
     

11. Since the Watchtower was in error many times in the past, are you obligated to believe that all the current teachings are God’s truth?
     

False Prophecies 

12. If Jesus’ invisible presence began in 1914, like the Watchtower teaches, why was the Watchtower teaching in 1929 that Jesus’ invisible presence began in 1874? How did they finally figure out that that teaching was false? Reference: Prophecy, 1929, p. 65.
     

13. Since the Watchtower claims to be God’s prophet (The Watchtower, April 1, 1972, p. 197) and have falsely predicted Armageddon to occur in 1914, 1918, 1925 and 1975, do you think they meet the criteria of Deuteronomy 18:20-22?
     

14. Can you show me in the bible where it says to give false prophets a second or third chance to get it right?
     

15. If the Watchtower really is Jehovah’s prophet, like they claim, can you show me anything they predicted that came to pass?
     

The New World Translation 

16. Why did Hebrews 1:6 in the 1970 version of the New World Translation say, “Let all God’s angels worship him” and not “do obeisance to him” like the new versions say?
     

17. Why does the New World Translation insert the word “other” four times into Colossians chapter 1 when it isn’t in the Greek manuscripts at all? Doesn’t this change the meaning of the text?
     

18. Why does the New World Translation place the comma in Luke 23:43 in a different location than it does every other time when Jesus says, “Truly I tell you”?
     

19. Can you show me a list of Greek scholars who approve of the New World Translation’s New Testament translation?
     

20. Can you show me a list of the people who were on the New World Translation Committee along with their credentials in the ancient Biblical languages?
     

The 144,000 

21. If the Watchtower’s teaching that the 144,000 were filled in 1935 is correct, can you explain how Jesus, his apostles and their immediate followers couldn’t get 144,000 converts in 1800 years, but the Watchtower got 6 million converts in 125 years?
     

22. Why does the Watchtower teach that only 144,000 people are born-again when 1 John 5:1 says that everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God?
     

23. Why is there only one judgment period from God to test the endurance and worthiness of the 144,000 before they are guaranteed of eternal life, but the other sheep have to endure through this life, the 1000 year millennium plus pass an unknown final test before they are counted worthy of eternal life? Why is salvation so much easier for the 144,000?
     

24. If Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are not part of the 144,000 with a heavenly hope, why does Jesus say in Matthew 8:11 that they will be in the kingdom of heaven?
     

Identity of Jesus 

25. According to Jesus in John 17:3, how many true Gods are there? Would you say that whatever is not true is false? Doesn’t the New World Translation call Jesus “a god” in John 1:1? Since there is only one true God and all others must be false, is Jesus a true God or a false god?
     

26. If Jesus was God’s Master Worker in creation, why does Jehovah say, in Isaiah 44:24, that He created all things by Himself?
     

27. If Jesus is a created being, why does he get twice as much worship, in Revelation 5:12, as Jehovah gets in Revelation 4:11?
     

28. If Jehovah created Jesus, why does John 1:3 say that all things came into existence through Jesus and apart from him not even one thing was made? Doesn’t this place Jesus outside the realm of created things?
     

Miscellaneous 

29. If everlasting life comes by taking in knowledge (John 17:3), how long do I have to study with the Jehovah’s Witnesses to be assured that I have enough knowledge to live forever? 1 year? 5 years?
     
30.  If we pay for our personal sins when we die, like the Watchtower teaches, how will the great crowd who survive Armageddon pay for their sins since they will never die but go right on living into the millennium?                    (Source: http://www.towertotruth.net/Articles/30_questions_jw.htm )