If A Hardhead Like Me Can Learn. . .

I am saddened and concerned over the state and condition of today’s Church and Christians. Things seem to have gotten worse and the Church has become very shallow. The Basic principles have been lost, through lack of use. Other basic Bible beliefs have been corrupted or changed to mean something completely different than intended.

Am I perfect? NO! Have I learned it all? No! Am I casting stones? No! Do I have a Critical Spirit? No! As a matter of fact, I have been pretty hard headed and it has taken a long time for me to learn anything at all. I am sure glad that God never gave up on me. I am also not trying to pick on Pastors. I love Pastors, even ones I disagree with, and consider them my brothers and co-laborers in Christ.

I do believe that after 59 years as a Christian, that God has been able to teach me a few things. If I had listened better and obeyed more, I am sure He would have taught me even more, and has more to teach me yet. One thing that the Lord has taught me is to use Discernment, which many fail to use. They call it judging or being critical. We are told to: “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,” (Ephesians 5:15 KJV) If we are walking circumspectly, we are aware of what is going on around us, we are discerning. We are weighting whether something is good or evil. We do need to walk circumspectly, we need to use discernment. This is very lacking in today’s Church. “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”(1 John 4:1 NKJV)

I am not bragging on myself, I am just saying that if even a hardhead like me can learn, it looks like today’s Church could have learned also. I am not saying that the Pastors and their flocks are dumb. Most Pastors have years of Seminary training, college degrees and some years of experience. Most even study their Bibles. Most all of them are better orators than I.

Their flocks are a product of not only what they have heard their Pastor say, but what many of the TV preachers say. Many of the beliefs that the flock come up with are from some of the “Christian Fiction” books that they read. Just for free: many of the books in Christian Book Stores should be listed as “Fiction”. This is just another area that we need to use Discernment. If something does not agree with God’s Word, it is false, it is Fiction. There is a lot of stuff that may sound good, but does not line up with God’s Word.

I have heard Pastors and laymen say that all we need to do is get people saved and all the other problems will disappear. They will add that getting people saved is the only job of the church, other things may be fine but they are not the job of the church. Well, how has that been working?? The Church has not changed the world or even the United States (in a good way). Our country is in a terrible spiritual decline. There are not only more problems outside the church, but problems within the church have increased. Today’s Church is not only failing to save the world and thereby solve it problems, but they have forgotten how to handle problems within the Church. They have forgotten Matthew Chapter 18, concerning church discipline, and do not follow it. “Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.” (Matthew 18:15 KJV) The Church has got the reputation of killing their wounded. As brothers and sisters in Christ we should care for one another, pray for one another, and help one another. “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.” (Galatians 6:1 KJV) Instead of following what the scriptures tell us, they will attack the person. What kind of witness is that to those outside the Church?

I once told a lady, that Bikers treat each other the way Christian should treat other Christians. Bikers, for the most part, understand brotherhood. Yes, how “Christians” treat each other, in today’s Church is a far cry from what it should be, but that is just a small part of the problem.

Definition of terms
What are some of the other problems? A big problem is definition and understanding of terms used in the Bible. There are terms that are applied to the wrong people, people lumped together under one term, terms used incorrectly, and complete misunderstanding of terms. Without an understanding of the definition of words used in the Bible, verses can mean many different things depending upon the word means to each person.

A wise old man, once said: “It ain’t what we don’t know that is hurting us so much as it is knowing so much that just ain’t so”. Today’s Church believes and teaches a lot of stuff that just is not so.

Israel = Jew ?
Most Pastors / Preachers understand that the Biblical nation of Israel divided into two nations. The northern ten tribes had a tax revolt. After that, the scriptures speak of the House of Israel and of the House of Judah (made up of the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and many of the Levites). The two nations became known as the Nation of Judah and the Nation of Israel. I am often surprised that they know this and yet, still refer to all of them as Jews. There are thirteen tribes and only one of them was called Judah. The southern Nation was called Judah even though it also contained the tribes of Benjamin and Levi. Some how Pastors and their flocks will refer to anyone of any of the tribes as a Jew. They call Paul a Jew, even though he was from the tribe of Benjamin. They call Moses a Jew, even though he was from the tribe of Levi. The even call Abraham a Jew, even though he would have to be a descendant of his own grandson. They claim the terms are interchangeable, but they are not. Calling all Israelites “Jews” is like calling all Americans, “Texans”. While someone from the tribe of Judah is also an Israelite, all Israelites are not Jews. Although a Texan may also be an American, not all Americans are Texans.

Gentile, non-Jew?
Another word, in the Bible, that there is a lot of misunderstanding about is: “Gentile”. The common understanding of the word “Gentile” to day is non-Jew. However, that is not what the word means in the Bible. This fact, alone, can cause a person to misunderstand who a scripture is referring to. Most often, in the Bible, the word “Gentile” means nation, sometimes it means heathen, and sometimes it has referred to an Israelite. Therefore, assuming that the word “Gentile” means non-Jew, would be incorrect and misleading.

A very interesting study into the Meaning of the Word “Gentile” as Used in the Bible was done by Curtis Clair Ewing. In it he stated:
“. . .the word gentile is a translation of the Hebrew word goi (singular) and goyim (plural) and the Greek word ethnos (singular) and ethne (plural). Using the word gentile to translate these words is often misleading because it is a misapplication of the Hebrew and Greek words as used in the Bible. The modern use of the word has come to mean non-Jew or non-Israel, but that meaning cannot be maintained in the face of the evidence I will present in this study.”
“The Hebrew word goi is a collective noun meaning nation or sometimes a collective body of people. But it has been translated into English many different ways. The word occurs 557 times in the Old Testament. The Authorized Version of the Bible translates it gentile 30 times; heathen 142 times; nation 373 times; people 11 times; another once. But the American Standard Revised Version cuts the occurrence of gentile from 30 to 9 times, and then shows in the footnotes of 5 of those 9 times that the word nations should have been used.”

“The same thing is true of the Greek word ethnos. It occurs 164 times in the New Testament. In the Authorized Version it is translated gentiles 93 times; heathen 5 times; nation or nations 64 times; and people twice. In the American Standard Revised Version it is gentiles 96 times in the text and 7 times in the footnotes, making 103 occurrences altogether. But in the footnotes it is corrected 15 times to read nations , making the final count 88. So not only the Hebrew word goi but also the Greek word ethnos has been translated to read nations more than any other word.”

“Though the word gentile and the word heathen are used many times in the Bible, we must face the facts that there are no Hebrew or Greek words that would demand this translation.”

“One important thing to always keep in mind is that goi and ethnos are collective nouns and cannot properly be translated to mean an individual person. They always refer to a group. There is no such thing as A GENTILE; it is always plural.”
As can be seen, this one word, alone can lead a person to believe something not meant by the scriptures. Before we leave the word “Gentile”, here is one more quote from C. C. Ewing:

“In referring to Israel . . ., let us note the verses which follow below found in the Old Testament and New Testament which refer to Israel ... as a nation and use the Hebrew word goi and the Greek word ethnos . To demonstrate a absurdity of always translating the word goi or ethnos as gentile we suggest that you read the following verses substituting the word gentile or heathen , for nation or nations: (underline added)

Gen.12:2 - “I will make of thee a great nation.” (I will make of thee a great Gentile?)
( I will make of thee a great heathen?)
Gen. 17:4,5 - “A father of many nations have I made thee.” ( a father of many Gentiles have I made thee?) (A father of many heathens have I made thee?)
Gen. 25:23 - “Two nations are in thy womb.” (try the word gentile or
heathen in that verse)
Gen. 20:4 - “Lord, wilt thou slay a righteous nation?” (heathen?)
Gen. 35:11 - “A nation and a company of nations.” (try the word gentile or
heathen) .”)
Gen. 48:19 - “Thy seed shall become a multitude of nations.” (try the word gentile or
Heathen) likewise in the following verses
Isa. 1:4 - “Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity.”
Isa. 10:6 - “Send him against an hypocritical nation.”
Jer. 31:36 - “Shall cease from being a nation before me.”
Luke 7:5 - “He loveth our nation and hath built us a synagogue.”
John 11:48 - “The Romans will come and take our place and nation.”
John 11:50 - “That one man should die for the people and that the
whole nation perish not.”
Acts 24:2 - “Worthy deeds are done unto this nation by the
providence.”
Acts 24:17 - “I came to bring alms to my nation.”

As we can see, properly understanding the words that have been translated “Gentile” can be very important in understanding what the scripture has to say.

Christianity from Judaism?
Another problem is that instead of praying for understanding and digging into God’s Word, the church sometimes looks to other sources for a deeper understanding. Some churches believe that they can learn more about Christianity by inviting Jewish Rabbis to speak to them. These churches suffer from the illusion that Christianity came from Judaism and therefore they can learn more about Christianity by learning about Judaism. These churches have been deceived.

Christianity did not come from Judaism, they are opposites. Christianity came from Yahshua the Christ, who is and was from the beginning. There was nothing before Him. There was no Judaism. Judaism came from the teachings of the Pharisees. Let us look at the following quotes.
"The return from Babylon and the introduction of the Babylonian Talmud mark the end of Hebrewism and the beginning of Judaism." from Rabbi Stephen F. Wise, formerly the Chief Rabbi of the United States as quoted in the article by Bertrand L. Comparet “The Bible is not a Jewish Book”
“. . . Judaism . . . Pharisaism became Talmudism, Talmudism became Medieval Rabbinism, and Medieval Rabbinism became Modern Rabbinism. But throughout these changes in name . . . the spirit of the ancient Pharisees survives, unaltered . . . “
from page XXI of “Pharisees, The Sociological Background of Their Faith”, first edition. by Rabbi Louis Finkelstein, the head of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, often referred to as “ The Vatican of Judaism “(also quoted on page 24 of “Facts Are Facts” by Benjamin H. Freedman)

A reading of the 23rd Chapter of Matthew, shines light on what our Savior though of the teaching of the Pharisees, know now as Judaism. Example:

“But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.” Mathew 23:13
Does that sound like their teachings would have any kinship with Christianity? The teachings of Judaism is very different from the teachings of Christianity, or at least they have been. More and more, Christianity has became polluted with the teachings of Judaism. Inviting Jewish Rabbis to speak at churches, just pollutes Christianity further. Remember, salt is not destroyed, it is diluted or mixed with something else until it is useless.
"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.” (NKJV) Matthew 5:13
How could a church grow in knowledge, about Christianity, from those who hate Christ? Today’s church is ignorant about the real teachings of Judaism and how anti-Christ those teachings are. Let us read what the Jewish Rabbis have to say about Jesus.
“I have not the slightest sympathy for Christianity or Jesus. As a believing Jew, not only is Jesus not “God”, but he is neither Messiah nor prophet. For the Jew he was a blasphemer, one who attacked the Torah as unchanging divine law and who was a false prophet and heretic.”
from page 49, “The Jewish Press”, 6 January 1989, New York, NY (page 227 GCP)


“Can Jesus then qualify, at least, as a “Prophet” from the Jewish point of view? the answer is negative for he did not live up to standards of Hebrew prophecy exemplified by the early and later Prophets. The Hebrew Prophet was first and last the mouthpiece of God. None of the Prophets of Israel ever taught in his own name and on his own responsibility. The “I” of the Prophet is God; the “I” of Jesus, however, is himself. He taught on his own authority, frequently in oppoistion to the authoritative teachings of the Rabbis of the time, . . .”
from page 130 of “Judaism and Christianity, The Differences” by Dr. Trude Weiss-Rosmarin, published by Jonathan David, New York.

Note:
“He that hateth me hateth my Father also.” John 15:23 KJV
“Whosoever denieth the Son the same hath not the Father:” I John 2:23
“. . .He that honoureth not the Son Father honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.” John 5:23

“Three major dogmas distinguish Christianity from Judaism: original sin, the Second Coming, and atonement through Jesus’s death. To Christians, these beliefs are needed to solve otherwise insoluble problems. For Jews, however, these beliefs are not needed because the problems do not exist.”
from page 83 of THE NINE QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK ABOUT JUDAISM by Dennis Prager and Rabbi Joseph Telushkin ISBN 0-671-45293-5

“The confusion in the minds of Christians concerning Fundamentals of the Christian Faith is unwarranted and unjustified. It need not exist. It would not exist if the Christian clergy did not aid and abet the deceptions responsible for it. The Christian clergy may be shocked to learn that they have been aiding and abetting the dedicated enemies of the Christian Faith.”
from page 9, paragraph 2, of the book “Facts Are Facts” by Benjamin H. Freedman (note: He was not a Rabbi, but he was Jewish)


Part of the confusion, in the churches, is because of a false belief that the holy book of Judaism is the first 5 books of the Bible. In fact, the first 5 book of the Bible, to them, are what ever the Talmud says they are. The Bible is not their holy book.

“This is not an uncommon impression and one finds it sometimes among Jews as well as Christians - - that Judaism is the religion of the Hebrew Bible. It is of course a fallacious impression. . . . Judaism is not the religion of the Bible.”
from pages 59 & 159 of “Judaism And The Christian Predicament”, by Ben Zion Bosker (New York, NY Alfred A Knopt, 1967) (as quoted on page 4 of Is The Judeo-Christian Gospel The Biblical Gospel by Lawrence Blanchard)

“The Bible anyway is not the book that primarily determines the practices and doctrines of Orthodox Jews. The most fundamental Orthodox Jews are largely ignorant of major parts of the Bible and know some parts only through commentaries that distort meaning . . . Judaism, as it came to be known, did not exist during the biblical period.”
on page 2 of “Jewish Fundamentalism in Israel” by Prof. Israel Shahak of Hebrew University, Jerusalem, and Prof. Norton Mezvinsky of Connecticut State University

“Important changes in the life of the Jewish people also made many of the Biblical laws inapplicable or entirely obsolete. Therefore the Rabbis had to sanction the abolition of such laws and provide adequate substitutes.”
from: page 233 of The Jewish Religion by Julius H. Greenstone, Ph.D. copyright 1915, 1920. reprinted 1951 – The Jewish Chautauqua Society

But what about the Hebrew Bible?

“. . . the [Hebrew] Bible is the edited remains of the national Hebrew literature. . .It is edited, because the scribes made some changes in it and made the different books fit together and teach certain lessons. . .”
from page 14 of “Introduction To Judaism” by Beryl D. Cohon, 3rd printing 1937, Bloch Publishing Company, New York, “The Jewish Book Concern”

Changes in the Bible to teach certain lessons? Doesn’t the author have something to say about that?

“And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” Revelation 22:19

Divorced ?
Another, yet common, problem is with the belief that a person that has been divorced can not be a preacher, deacon, or Sunday School Teacher. The verse often used to try and justify this belief is, 1 Timothy 3 :2 “ A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;”
Today’s church, generally, teaches that a divorced person has had more than one wife and is therefore no longer qualified. They apply this to all divorced people - - - except one. Who is the one that they exempt from their rule? God himself.
Jeremiah 3 :8 “And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.”
God divorced Israel and according to their rules, is not qualified to be the head of the Church. However, God is the head of the Church and He does not break His own Law. Therefore their rules against people that are divorced are void and are in conflict with God Himself.

You Must Obey Government?
It is interesting to me that in today’s church two oppisit things are generally taught. One one hand, they seem to think that God’s Laws have been done away with, nailed to the cross. On the other hand, they will state “Romans 13, brother. Romans 13.” You must obey the law and the men who make it. It would seem that while doing away with God’s Law, they preach blindly obeying man’s law.

I recently made a statement that sin is a violation of God’s law, not man’s law. This is the response I received. (I left the name out)

Leonard this is ______ and I'm sorry buddy but you need to read Romans 13,
"1 Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2. Consequntly, he who rebels against the authority iws rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3. For rulers hold no terrorfor those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authoority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. 4. For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5. Therefore it is necessary,to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.”
It is a sin to break the law.

I am not sure what translation she is using, so I’ll show those verses in the KJV, so that we are all on the same page. Her response is exactly what you can expect to hear in the average Judeo-Christian church. I love her as a sister in Christ, so please do not think that I am picking on her. How much of a brother in Christ would I be if I just let her continue to believe a lie. Perhaps, I may have offended her by my statement, but that was not my purpose or intent.
First the scripture.
Romans Chapter 13 (KJV)
1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:
4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
5 Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. The Bible is the best commontary on the Bible. It explains itself. Romans 13 quailifies exactually what type of leaders we are to follow or obey. Otherwise it would be a blank check and there should not have been the American revelotion, we should have obeyed England. Hitler should be obeyed. And I guess Peter was wrong, when He said: "Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men." (Acts 5:29 KJV) Maybe it is because he didn't have romans 13 then, or is it he understood the principle better than most Christians do today.

Romans 13 is not an instruction for us to obey just anyone in power. Romans 13 discribes the only ones we are to obey. It does not say that all rulers / leaders are like that.

First of all, the scripture speaks of “the higher powers”. This country is was set up to be, for the people and by the people. Those in office are “Public Servants” and NOT rulers. I understand that much to often our “Public Servant” act like rulers, but that is because we have not been doing our job and have let them. We have been bombarded with lies, like “You can’t fight City Hall”. It is your City Hall and they are suppose to be working for you. You don’t have to fight City Hall, if the people you have elected do not want to carry out your wishes, put someone in office that will. The point is that they are not rulers, but Public Servants.

Even if a person wants to think that these verses apply to our Public Servants, it still has to been within the context of what Romans 13 is saying.

“3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:”

Have there been any rulers, leaders, or Public servants that have been a terror to good works? We all know there have been and are people in posistions of power that are a terror to good works. Are they a terror to evil instead? Have good people ever been afraid of their ruler, leader, or public servant? Have our rulers, leaders, or public servants been giving us praise for our good works? I guess if we are to obey any ruler, leader, or public servant and their laws, we should just ignore verse 3 and 4.

Romans Chapter 13 verse 4 continue the thought: “4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.”

Have all rulers, leaders, or public servants been, acted as, the minister of God? We have had many that pretended to be Christians to get our vote and then went on to do all kinds of ungodly things and passed many ungodly laws.

In 1st John 3:4, it defines sin and it is talking about God's law. " Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law." (1 John 3:4 KJV) But if a person believes that God’s Laws have been done away with, then this would have to mean, man’s laws. I am sure the scripture is not referring to man’s laws.

Even Moses could not have been saved from death if man’s laws had been obeyed. It would have been sin. The disciples of Christ broke the laws of the Pharises, was that sin? I think not. Daniel broke the Kings law and continued to pray as he always had, was that sin? I think not. There are many other examples.

God’s Laws remain the same. Man’s laws are always changing. With God, what was wrong yesterday will still be wrong tomarrow. With man’s laws, what was wrong yesterday may be just fine tomarrow. With man’s laws, going to church might be premitted today, but outlawed tomarrow. Man is not perfect, God is. Man’s laws are not perfect, God’s are.

This is why we are to follow and obey God and not man. Man will always let us down, God never does.

Am I saying that we should brake all of man’s laws because they are not God’s laws, of course not. Scripture tells us to live at peace with our fellow man, in as much as is possible. If we can follow man’s laws without breaking God’s laws or bringing shame to His name, by what we do, then follow man’s laws. But do not try to envolve God into making people obey men, by calling it sin to disobey. #

Other Problems
There are other problems, and I may add some of them later, but I think that I have given you something to think about and correct.