How Would A Follower of Christ Learn the Bible?
Does it not make sense that for one to be taught knowledge of the Bible, today, it would of necessity have to be done in the exact same fashion it was done in the first Century?
The vast realm of Religious Christendom's followers regardless of whatever Religion is followed, are taught by their Religious Leaders of whatever Denomation or sect they belong to. The question is, though, would they ever really learn anything about the Bible by a dependance on these self-appointed Religious leaders? We will learn the answer to that, is an emphatic No! Absolutely not a thing! What would be the reason for that? There are many; but let me cover the most important ones, beginning with the words of Jesus in the following:
11He replied, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them." {Matthew 13:11 NIV} So! The First Century Christian's were given, or granted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of heaven; while others we're not given, or granted. {Matthew 13:11-15} Was one never to be given this Knowledge in the first place, he/she could never learn a single solitary thing about the Bible. It would be a sealed Book to them. The best they would be able to do is gain a mere superficial surface, cursory knowledge which would avail them absolutely nothing. That is the first major hurdle we must get over, but there is one other equally as important, if not more so, that Luke will tell us about in his words on this subject:
45"Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures." {Luke 24:45 NIV}
Consider this! If we are not given this Knowledge; if we have not had our minds opened to grasp the meaning of the scriptures; one might just as well close the Book and move away from it, because try as you might without these two things being done for you, you would be wasting all of your time and energies for absolutely nothing. Now for the most essential thing needed to learn the Bible today, and Jesus himself will tell us what that is:
8"But none of you should be called a teacher. You have only one teacher, and all of you are like brothers and sisters. 9Don't call anyone on earth your father. All of you have the same Father in heaven. 10None of you should be called the leader. The Messiah is your only leader." {Matthew 23:8-10 CEV} That's pretty clear isn't it? There was only one teacher, and only one leader in the first Century! Has that suddenly changed? Not according to the words of the Apostle Paul it hasn't, he showed that, that could never change in his following words:
8"Jesus Christ never changes! He is the same Yesterday, Today, and Forever." {Hebrews 13:8 CEV}
Knowing now as we do, that we must be granted to understand the Holy Writings and to that end have our minds opened to grasp the meaning of what we are reading; and following Jesus as our one leader and teacher, aids us in understanding more properly his words at John 14:6- which words were as follows:
6"I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life!" Jesus answered. "Without me, no one can go to the Father." {John 14:6 CEV} From this we learn that it doesn't take a Rocket - Scientist to know to be following the way of the truth, to be led to everlasting life, we, must do just as those early Christian's did: follow in his footsteps just as they all did. Jesus took these words a step further though, and by so doing put everything into the hands of his Father. Note what he next tells us:
44"No one is able to come to Me unless the Father Who sent Me attracts and draws him and gives him the desire to come to Me, and [then] I will raise him up [from the dead] at the last day." {John 6:44 AB}
Consider now, just why Jesus was the only way to the Father; that there was no other way in the first Century, there is no other way now as well. Paul will give us the reason for that with his following words:
5"For there [is only] one God, and [only] one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6Who gave Himself as a ransom for all [people, a fact that was] attested to at the right and proper time." {1 Timothy 2:5,6 AB} Nows the time!
This tells us that Jesus had given his very life to occupy his position as the only way to the Father. He was the only one mediator between Man and God, there was no other way but than through him, and him alone. He was the only one now alive forever to plead before his Father in behalf of those allowed to approach him. Note these following words of the Apostle Paul on this:
24"For Christ (the Messiah) has not entered into a sanctuary made with [human] hands, only a copy and pattern and type of the true one, but [He has entered] into heaven itself, now to appear in the [very] presence of God on our behalf." {Hebrews 9:24 AB}
25"Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede {Attempt reconciliation} for them." {Hebrews 7:25 NIV}
Now! I don't care, what Religious Organization on this earth, of whatever Religious Denomination on this entire Planet; none of them can enter into the Santuary in Heaven to plead before Jehovah on behalf of those who have been drawn by Jehovah to his Son. I'll allow any of you, to tell me which sinful human on this earth would even be allowed into the Santuary in Heaven as Jesus is allowed? Once more, it wouldn't even be possible to do. Only ONE can do it! The one who gave his very life to do it. Every Religious Organization on this Earth right now are a standing joke; you name the Religious Organization you think it is, and I'll break out in hysterical laughter at you. So will Jehovah! So will Jesus; and more especially Jesus who died to hold that position.
What would one might suppose is the major problem today of the Self Appointed Self exalted, audacious Religious Organizations and their Leaders on this earth at this time? I'll allow the Apostle Paul and John to explain what their probelm is; and it's a very, very, serious problem as you will see from the following: First the Apostle John:
19"We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one." {1 John 5:19 NIV}
Now that's not the half of this Story! It is merely the beginning, as you will learn from these other words of John:
9"And the huge dragon was cast down and out--that age-old serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, he who is the seducer (deceiver) of all humanity the world over; he was forced out and down to the earth, and his angels were flung out along with him." {Revelation 12:9
John has here told us that the Religious Organizations all over this earth now, at this time, as well as all of their followers, are under the power and control of satan the devil. That he has decieved them all into believing, that they represent the God of the Bible; having been appointed by him. Now how does Paul explain how satan has achieved his goal to decieve them all? Pay close attention to the words of Paul now:
3 "If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing. 4 Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God." {2 Corinthians 4:3,4 NLT}
So, un-be - knowns to the entire empire of Religion on this earth; all their followers included, are in actuality worshipping the god of this World, who has blinded their minds and misled the entire inhabited earth; controlling as he does the entire realm of Religious Christendom. Is it any wonder we have teachings such as the Trinity Doctrine, the Immortal Soul teaching, the Torment if a fiery Hell for all eternity? Only the devil could be behind such teachings as that, because they all run counter to the actual truth of the Bible. Spread as they are by the first liar and Father of the lie. Jesus called him. {John 8:44} The entire realm of Religious Christendom are all Children of the devil, following blindly along in the footsteps of the devil. That is why Paul made this following statement:
20[NO!,] but that the things that the Nations Sacrifice --they Sacrifice to Demons and not to God; and I do not wish you to come into the fellowship of the Demons. 21Ye are not able the cup of the Lord to drink, and the cup of demons; ye are not able of the table of the Lord to partake, and of the table of demons; 22 do we arouse the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than He?" {1 Corinthians 10:20-22 YLT}
All the while making profession that they are Christian's, they are nothing of the sort; they worship the demons as Paul has clearly shown us. Their violent War-like records, killing over 100 Million in our century alone speaks volumes against their claim to being followers of the Prince of Peace, and shows them all up for the Religious Hypocrits that they really are. Their record is writtten in a dark red stain of Blood. That has incurred them heavy Blood-Guilt. Which will require a heavy accounting.
Up to this point we have learned that this entire World is under the power and control of satan the devil, Blinded and Misled by him; but what of the real Children of God that John mentioned?
We know that Jesus was their one leader and one teacher in the first Century; should it be any different today? Has Jesus relinquished his Power and position as the one teacher and one Leader over to any of the Blind misled Religious teachers of today, who sacrifice to demons and not to God? How foolish for anyone to believe that. As the one teacher notice what Jesus had to say to those first Century Christian's:
15 "I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you." {John 15:15 NIV}
16"Jesus answered, "My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me." {John 7:16 NIV}
Now would one who Worshipped the demons, sacrificing to them, be a friend of Jesus? Would he have revealed everything his Father had taught him, to a devil Worshipper? Would he reveal everything his Father had taught him, to the Nations who sacrificed to demons and not to his Father, God? What a terribly rediculous notion that really is, is it not? That would be absolutely impossible for Jesus to do; the very idea is unthinkable, too repulsive to even entertain in your mind.
But teaching them while he walked this earth was one thing; how would he, after his ascension to the right hand of his Father be able to continue on with his teaching? We learn that next:
15"If you love me, you will obey what I command. 16 I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— 17the Spirit of truth. And The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you." {John 14:15-17 NIV}
So, in order to continue learning the Truth they needed Jesus to obtain the Holy Spirit for them from the Father, and keep this in mind, Jesus is the only one capable of gaining the said Holy Spirit for anyone; no Religious Leader on this earth is able to do that, because as Jesus had told us here, the World cannot accept the Holy Spirit, that neither do they see it nor do they know it; hence the reason for their Blind spritual condition; added to being already blinded and misled by saten, plus the main principle reason behind all of their false teachings. The Trinitarians cannot properly understand the Holy Spirit, so any description they would give of it would of necessity have to be false reasoning, quite naturally. It could not be anything else but false. Notice now what they ere enabled and motivated to do after receiving the Spirit of the Truth, the Holy Spirit:
26 "But I will send you the Advocate—the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me. 27 And you must also testify about me because you have been with me from the beginning of my ministry." {John 15:26,27
So their work now was as Paul said it was, they would now testify about "the Glorious good news of the Glory of Christ ..."
But they had gained all the Knolwedge of everything the Father had taught the Son; but how were they equipped to maintain that knowledge and draw on it as needed, when needed? We will learn that next:
25 "I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. 26 But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you." {John 14:25,26 NLT}
We know that when Jesus had ascended back to the right hand of his Father, he had received the Promised Holy Spirit, and was able to pour it out at Pentecost; baptizing his Followers with Holy Spirit and Fire as promised them. they then would have the gifts of the Holy Spirit and would now be enabled to carry out his command to Baptize and teach people of the Nations, everything he had commanded them. Notice the words of Peter: {Matthew 28:18-20}
33"Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear" {Acts 2:33 NIV}. {Luke 24:49} {Acts 1:4,5}
Notice now how their knowledge would progress as guided now by Holy Spirit in the hands now of the Christ from the invisible Spirit Realm:
13"But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come." {John 16:13 NIV}
So, they would not only know ALL Truth, but even events for the future would be revealed to them. Recall these following words of Jesus to them. What was his intent in telling them the following: ..."for he lives with you and will be in you." {John 14:15-17 NIV} The Apostle John will explain that:
27"As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him." {1 John 2:27 NIV}
Now we're down to the key point, as to how knowledge is gained and maintained today! One needs this special anointing to teach us all things without the aid of any Religious Organization or any Self claimed Prophet of Jehovah God on this earth. As John here tells us: "You do not need anyone to teach you, his anointing teaches you about all things."
While all of the early Christian's were being taught by the Christ, the Apostle Paul was not yet among them. He as we all know was a violent persecuter of the early Christian's. His conversion did not occur until after the ascension of the Christ while Paul was on the road to Damascus. Read the account now:
3"As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" 5"Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied. 6"Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do." 7The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything. 10In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, "Ananias!" "Yes, Lord," he answered. 11The Lord told him, "Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight." 13"Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. 14And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name." 15But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. 16I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."{Acts 9:3-16 NIV}
Keep these following words in mind, as I show you what the Apostle Paul had to say about the way he was taught after his conversion: "You do not need anyone to teach you, his anointing teaches you about all things." Now for the words of Paul:
11"I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. 12 I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ." {Galatians 1:11,12 NIV}
1"For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles 2Surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you, 3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly." {Ephesians 3:1-3 NIV}
6"We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" 10but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things,even the deep things of God." {1 Corinthians 2: 6-10 NIV}
Keeping in mind that Paul was Apostle to the Nations, and he has clearly told us here, that his teachings came by means of REVELATIONS from the Heavenly Spirit Realm. {Romans 11:13} he has also told us that there was no other way to gain the hidden wisdom, but by it being revealed by God, who reveals it by means of His Holy Spirit. In reference to himself as well as all of the Apostles and first Century Christians, he tells us that it has been revealed only to them, that none of the Rulers of his age even understood it. He said, and I repeat: "No Eye has seen, no Ear has heard, no Mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who LOVE HIM.
No Religious Leader on this earth today, have Eyes that see, Ears that hear, or Minds that conceive what God has prepared for those who love him. The reason they do not is because God has not revealed it to them by means of his Holy Spirit. They could never learn even the most simple basic Bible teachings much less the deep things of God. Note the words of Jesus on this:
10"The disciples came to him and asked, "Why do you speak to the people in parables?"11He replied, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 13This is why I speak to them in parables: "Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. 14In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: " 'You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. 15For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them. 16But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it." {Matthew 13 10-17 NIV} {Isaiah 6:9,10} Isaiah words it thusly:
9"And He said, Go and tell this people, Hear and hear continually, but understand not; and see and see continually, but do not apprehend with your mind. 10Make the heart of this people fat; and make their ears heavy and shut their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and turn again and be healed." {Isaiah 6:9,10 AB}
The words of Jesus and Isaiah that you have read here, is a description of the entire Realm of Religious Christendom who think they know so much; but in reality know absolutely nothing at all. Jehovah is not allowing them to see, hear, or comprehend a word of his many truths in the Bible. He withholds his Holy Spirit from them, and lacking that Holy Spirit no one, no Religious Leader on this earth, or any of their followers will ever understand a word of the Bible. They are, as brought out in this writing held in satan's power. They are Blinded and misled by him. They are not granted to understand a word. Their minds have not been opened to grasp the meaning of the scriptures. They do not understand 'the illumination of the glorious good news about the glory Christ who is now the very image of God.' {2 Corinthians 4:3,4}
In point of fact, they are all together, every Religion on this earth now; Satan's Woman, BABYLON THE GREAT sitting atop the Wild Beast in John's Revelation. They are the MOTHER OF THE HARLOTS and disgusting things of the earth; soon to be judged and condemned by Jehovah God; in one Day her plagues will come Because Jehovah God who Judges her is very strong, so said the Apostle John; and she will be completely burned with fire. {Revelation 17:1-6;18:4-8} So! My advice? Do what John commanded: "Get out of her my People if you do not want to share with her in her sins, if you do not want to receive part of her plagues." "For her sins have massed together clear up to Heaven, and God has called her acts of injustice to mind." Stay in there, you Die. Come out you may live; but it's your choice!
No one will ever learn the Bible in association with any of them. They are devoid of the Holy Spirit, and the only one who can anoint you with the Holy Spirit is the Christ seated at the right hand of his Father ever since his ascension in the first Century. The only one who has recieved the Holy Spirit, the only one who can pour it out; and remember this; there is only ONE MEDIATOR between Men and God, the Man, Christ Jesus. The only way of approach to the Father. There is no other way. Only he can enter Heaven itself to plead for us. {Hebrews 9:24;7:25} As Jesus has told us: "I am the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE, and NO Man can come to the Father BUT BY ME." {John 14:6
Do you really want the Truth? Do you really desire to have everlasting Life? Then go to the only one who can give it to you. {Matthew 11:28-30}
One last very crucial point to remember. Only Jehovah God can draw any that wish to be drawn to his Son, that being done would have free approach to Himself. The decision to do that drawing rest solely in the hands of the Father. Not the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses as they would have us all believe; nor is it in the hands of any of the Main-line Religious Leaders of this World. Was Jehovah for any reason, to decide one will not be drawn, then that one is dead in the Water. So, any that really wish to be drawn had best be on their very best behavior; because you can fool yourself, you can fool the entire World; but you cannot fool Jehovah God, who knows the hearts and minds, and thoughts of all. {John 6:44} {1 Samuel 16:7} {Psalm 139:2-4}
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