INCARCERNATION! WHAT?

Jesus Christ: Incarnated or Created?

We now will examine the historical background of the development of what has become the cornerstone of Christian orthodoxy, the doctrine of the “Incarnation.” We will see that this doctrine arose neither in a vacuum, nor strictly from the text of Scripture. It was the result of the influence of certain beliefs and attitudes that prevailed in and around the Christian church after the first century. Pagan mythology, Gnostic views of redemption and human pre-existence, and the misunderstanding of Johannine language all contributed to the teaching that God Himself became a man, which is the essence of “Incarnational theology.”

Although the “Incarnation” is assumed to be a basic tenet of Christianity, the term is used nowhere in Scripture. This is even admitted by Trinitarian scholars: “Incarnation, in its full and proper sense, is not something directly presented in Scripture.” The doctrine of the Incarnation was actually formulated during the next several centuries. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church verifies this fact:

The doctrine, which took classical shape under the influence of the controversies of the 4th–5th centuries, was formally defined at the Council of Chalcedon of 451. It was largely molded by the diversity of tradition in the schools of Antioch and Alexandria…further refinements were added in the later Patristic and Medieval periods.

The reason the councils and synods took hundreds of years to develop the doctrine of Incarnation is that it is not stated in Scripture, and the verses used to support it can be explained without resorting to a doctrine that bears more similarity to pagan mythology than biblical truth. Teaching the Jews that God came down in the form of a man would have completely offended those living at the time of Christ and the Apostles, and greatly contradicted their understanding of the Messianic Scriptures. This doctrine is derived most prominently from the gospel of John, and in particular from the phrase in John 1:14 (KJV): “And the Word was made flesh….” But was “the Word” synonymous with “the Messiah” in Jewish understanding? Hardly. The Jews would have understood it to mean “plan” or “purpose,” that which was clearly and specifically declared in Genesis 3:15—a “seed” of a woman who would destroy the works of the Devil. This plan of God for the salvation of man finally “became flesh” in Jesus Christ. This verse is not establishing a doctrine of Incarnation contrary to all prophetic expectations, nor a teaching of pre-existence. It is a teaching of God’s great love in bringing into existence His plan to save mankind from their sin.

Before proceeding, we must define what is traditionally understood by the “incarnation” of Christ. Keep in mind that we strongly affirm the reality and necessity of the virgin birth of Christ as the only way he could have been born without the inherent sin of mankind that would have disqualified him from becoming the Lamb of God. But the traditional “formula which enshrines the Incarnation …is that in some sense God, without ceasing to be God, was made man.”

We will quote the New Bible Dictionary, a Trinitarian source, for a working definition and explanation of this doctrine:

It appears to mean that the divine Maker became one of His own creatures, which is a prima facie contradiction in theological terms. When the Word “became flesh,” His deity was not abandoned or reduced or contracted, nor did He cease to exercise the divine functions which had been His before…The Incarnation of the Son of God, then, was not a diminishing of deity, but an acquiring of manhood.

One wonders how a pre-existent “God the Son” can become a man without any “diminishing of deity,” or that he could live a “fully human” life without ceasing to exercise the divine functions he had been exercising since eternity began. Trinitarians say this is part of the “mystery” of the Incarnation. The New Bible Dictionary admits that the concept is not developed or discussed in the New Testament:

The only sense in which the New Testament writers ever attempt to explain the incarnation is by showing how it fits into God’s overall plan for redeeming mankind…This evangelical interest throws light on the otherwise puzzling fact that the New Testament nowhere reflects on the virgin birth of Jesus as witnessing to the conjunction of deity and manhood in His person—a line of thought much canvassed by later theology.

If the deity of Jesus was not at first clearly stated in words (and Acts gives no hint that it was), it was nevertheless part of the faith by which the first Christians lived and prayed…The theological formulation of belief in the Incarnation came later, but the belief itself, however incoherently expressed, was there in the Church from the beginning.

We disagree with the assertion that the doctrine of the Incarnation was “in the Church from the beginning.” Since the doctrine is clearly not in Scripture, how can it possibly be considered a part of “the Apostles’ Doctrine”? Because scholars admit that this doctrine is biblically tenuous, we must examine why Christian theologians of the third century and later became so preoccupied with establishing it as the cornerstone of a Trinitarian Christian faith. In doing so, we will see some of the changing assumptions and beliefs that led to the development of this doctrine. We must first establish the fact that the very process of turning from historical truth to mythology was clearly prophesied by the apostle Paul at the end of his life. This is amazing but not surprising, in light of the many times in Scripture that God has warned His people about being influenced by pagan culture.

 Creation, Not Incarnation
Jesus makes clear reference to two distinct categories in John 3:6 when he says that the “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” Jesus clearly declared God to be “spirit” (John 4:24). Note that he did not say, “I am spirit,” or “God is flesh” or even “The Father is spirit.” By thus placing “God” in the category of “spirit,” when he himself is clearly a man of flesh and blood, Jesus effectively excluded any possibility that he was God. If God, being spirit, can incarnate Himself as a man, then the clear scriptural distinction between flesh and spirit disintegrates. But God the Creator, who is spirit, can create flesh, as He did in Genesis 1. His spirit brooded upon the face of the water, speaking into being things that had not existed before. These things were in “the flesh,” but were not He. They were His creation, but He stood apart from them and judged them to be very good.
Creation is the means by which God has brought things to pass outside of that which would occur naturally. He caused a human life to begin in the womb of Mary by an act of supernatural creation, not mystical incarnation (Matt. 1:18; Luke 1:35). He waited for a willing woman to bear this child, a woman whose confession and testimony were befitting the honor bestowed upon her. In this way He brought into the world a human being who fulfilled the necessary conditions for becoming the Messiah. That was only the first hurdle. Then He had to work with the growing child to help him maintain his sinless condition until the time he could be anointed with holy spirit and thus be empowered to do the work to which he was called (Acts 10:38). Yes, God had to provide (by creation) the body that could be sacrificed, but Jesus had to obey Him flawlessly for his body to finally be the perfect sacrifice that it needed to be. Thus, God and Jesus each had a responsibility that the other could not perform, and upon which our redemption depended.
The assertion that Jesus was God in human flesh nullifies the absolute necessity of Christ’s obedience, because, as God, no temptation he faced would have been genuine. God cannot be tempted, because God cannot sin (James 1:13). It is also axiomatic that God can neither “obey” nor “disobey” Himself. Nor does He need to command Himself to do anything, for as God, the perfect moral being, He always acts in a timely and perfectly righteous manner. Another unsolvable problem caused by the “incarnation” is that it destroys the plan that God established of a First Adam and a Last Adam. Romans 5:12–19 clearly defines a critical, logical parallel between Adam and Jesus Christ in the context of the redemption of mankind. A major consequence of the doctrine that God became man is that it destroys this key parallel, for Adam is hardly comparable to an eternally pre-existent being. Rather, he was a created being made in the image of the One who created him, God. Adam was not “fully man and fully God,” “100 percent man and 100 percent God,” “co-equal with God the Father,” or “of the same substance as the Father.” Adam was a created, empowered being who chose to disobey a direct command of God, with dire consequences to himself and all mankind as a result.
Jesus Christ was also a created being, made a man in the same way that Adam was originally made, that is, a masterpiece of God’s creation, given dominion over Paradise and every creature He had made. Jesus could have no intrinsic advantage over Adam, or his qualification as Redeemer would be legally nullified. He was the Last Adam, not the first God–man. The differences between Adam and Jesus were circumstantial, not essential: Adam started tall with no navel; Jesus started short with a navel. Adam was created fully formed and fully able to comprehend the voice of God. Jesus had to learn from his parents. Adam did not have to suffer the indignity of a humble birth and be considered illegitimate, the son of common folk. Adam had only to dress and keep the garden and care for his wife. He had to keep from eating the fruit, or die and bring death to all his descendants. Jesus had to drink the cup of suffering and die so he could be raised to conquer death and make it possible for others to eat of the “fruit” of eternal life.
In a head-to-“Head” comparison, Adam had every advantage, yet Jesus overcame where Adam fell. He chose to obey God’s will, which was that he present himself as a perfect sacrifice for sin. For the legal requirements of redemption to be satisfied, whatever Adam was, Jesus Christ had to be. Scripture declares very clearly that Jesus was a created human being like Adam was. In fact, they were both the result of God’s direct creative activity.
As we have stated, the whole Bible is simply the story of two Adams. Except for the initial genetic perfection that they shared in common, the contrast between them is stark. Here is perhaps another way to summarize Romans 5:12–21:

 Two Adams

• Two created beings
• Two Sons of God
• Two men
• Two gardens
• Two temptations
• Two choices
• Two attitudes
• Two decisions
• Two results
• Two races

 Other Problems with the Doctrine of the “Incarnation”

Aside from its mythological character, what are other problems with the idea of God becoming a man? First of all, it is illogical and self-contradictory when we are true to the accurate biblical usages of words. The Bible explicitly states that “God is not a man…,” (Num. 23:19), which defines two distinct categories, God and man. In terms of logic, it could be stated in this way: If God is not a man, then if someone is a “man,” he cannot be “God.”
God’s holiness precludes Him from becoming anything other than what He is. Rubenstein points out the illogic of the assertion that “God can do anything.”
Athanasius [a bishop of Alexandria who spearheaded what became the orthodox Trinitarian position] says that God can do anything He chooses to do, and that He chose to turn Himself into a man for the sake of our salvation. Jesus Christ is not one of God’s creatures, he insists, but God Himself, incarnated in human form. These sound like clear statements, but, actually, they are hopelessly confused.
Can God do anything He chooses to do? Of course—except those things that are inconsistent with being God. Can He choose to be evil or ignorant? Could He be the Devil—or nothing at all?
Perfection cannot be improved upon or changed. He is not a pantheistic “god” who dwells in everything. He is holy, meaning that He stands apart from and above His creation, yet is intimately involved with it. Therefore, God cannot alter His essential nature, which by definition is perfect, and perfection cannot be improved upon. But even if He could, in doing so He would, by definition, no longer be “God.”
If Jesus Christ is “God in human flesh,” there are other scriptural casualties. First, it renders the pathos of Gethsemane virtually meaningless, when Jesus prayed three times for this cup to be removed from me (Luke 22:42). If he is “of the same substance” as the Father, and an eternally integral part of a “Godhead,” then his will is of necessity the same as “God’s.” If he struggled only in his “human side,” as Trinitarians argue, while accepting the assignment in his “divine side,” we are certainly left unimpressed by the difficulty he faced, compared to the way we face temptation without the benefit of a “divine” side that is sure to dominate.
If it were “God’s” will that Jesus should die, and Jesus is “God” in human flesh, then it was clearly also his will to die. Why then did Jesus wrestle so intensely with the assignment to sacrifice himself, finally surrendering and saying “…nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done“? If this struggle were between his divine and human natures, then why invoke God his Father in prayer in what was really an internal, almost schizophrenic, struggle?³³
In our considered opinion, attempting to artificially exalt Christ via theological manipulation results in the complete negation of the heroic character of this free act of his will. Unless he was really a man, “…in all points tempted like as we are…” (Heb. 4:15 – KJV), with real freedom to turn his back on the assignment, the value of his act as a magnanimous sacrifice (an emptying of his own will and desire) is virtually eliminated. If he were God, he could hardly deny himself or disobey his own directive. Seeing Jesus as an empowered human being who had to obey God like we do is the proper context and backdrop for appreciating his heroism. Seeing him as essentially God, endowed with a divine perspective of human events, results in a view that he was only going through the prearranged motions. In that case, his heroic commitment and example collide with his supposed “deity” and sink into a gray and uninspiring sea of inevitability.
Along with the demise of Christ’s heroism is the destruction of the logic of Philippians 2:8–11, and a diminishing of his exaltation based upon the merits of his obedience. Scripture here reveals that God highly exalted Jesus Christ in response to his humbling himself to be obedient unto death, even a death as humiliating and painful as crucifixion. If Christ were “co-eternal” and “pre-existent ” with “God the Father,” and if he already occupied the highest position in glory before the “incarnation,” then what is the significance of this special exaltation relative to his obedience unto death? Was he not simply returning to his former elevated station, one that could hardly be denied him since he willingly gave it up with the understanding that he would be able to return to it? If we are truly concerned about giving Christ his proper due and honoring him appropriately, does it not make more sense to place his accomplishments in a theological framework in which his heroism is more apparent rather than less?³⁴ Consider the power of James Moffatt’s translation of Isaiah 9:6 in this regard:

Isaiah 9:6
For a child has been born to us, a son has been given to us; the royal dignity he wears, and this the title that he bears—”A wonder of a counselor, a divine hero, a father for all time, a peaceful prince!”

Yet another casualty of the “Incarnation” is the significance of his Lordship. Acts 2:36 says that God made Jesus of Nazareth “both Lord and Christ.” If Jesus Christ were already “God,” then one cannot comprehend the granting of the title “Lord” to him as anything particularly notable, because he already had every right to the title and had already been exercising it in the Old Testament. Again we find that man-made theological attempts to exalt Christ beyond what is specifically revealed in Scripture result in a radical demeaning of the value of his obedience and accomplishments on our behalf. Man, however sincerely, cannot add to Jesus’ greatness by making him something that Scripture does not. In fact, any attempt to do so significantly subtracts from the greatness of the biblical message. When we let the Word of God speak for itself and allow every piece of the puzzle to fit together without squeezing it to fit our own traditions or preconceived notions, both God and His Son are glorified, reason is satisfied and the Christian Church is blessed as it builds upon a sound cornerstone.

The Big LIe -- Consequences of Believing Satan's Lie!

The Father of Lies

Among other things, Jesus Christ came to expose Satan's methods. Chief among these is the Devil's consistent contradiction of God's Word.

John 8:44 (KJV)
Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

In John 10:10a (KJV), Jesus clearly revealed Satan's intentions: "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill and to destroy…." Satan's ultimate goal is to promote death and destruction, as the Bible makes clear.

Hebrews 2:14
Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil.

The Devil holds the power of death, and one of his most effective aids in exercising this power is the lie that death is in reality the gateway to everlasting life and ultimate wisdom. He first told this lie early in Genesis.
Perhaps you recall that Satan's first recorded utterance in Scripture was a challenge to the veracity of God's Word. Satan said, "…Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" (Gen. 3:1 - NIV). This deceptive misquote of God's revealed Word led to his second utterance, "…Ye shall not surely die" (Gen. 3:4 - KJV), which was just the opposite of what God had said to Adam.

Genesis 2:16 and 17 (KJV)
(16) And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
(17) But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

God said, "thou shalt surely die." Satan said, "…Ye shall not surely die." Scripture makes clear who was telling the truth.

Romans 5:12 (KJV)
Wherefore, as by one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Death, both spiritual and physical, was the result of man's believing Satan's lie. The idea that there is really no such thing as death is still being promoted today, even within the Christian Church. Satan's purpose has remained the same: to promote the idea that humans do not actually die, but go on living after their death whether they believe God's Word or not. In this way, he obscures the light of the good news of Christ and his resurrection, one's only hope of deliverance from death unto everlasting life.

 False Hope

The false doctrine that the dead are alive and already in heaven or hell is so well entrenched in the average Christian's mind that he has probably never considered its harmful ramifications. Understanding that Satan is the "father" of this lie explains why the consequences of believing it are so serious. The first, and perhaps most serious, consequence of believing this doctrine is that it changes the Christian's focus from the appearing of the Prince of Life, Jesus Christ, to the coming of one's own death.

In 1829, the Scottish Bible scholar Edward Irving, in a lecture entitled "The Second Advent of Our Lord," stated that:

Instead of looking to that glorious event [the Lord's appearing], and to all the circumstances connected therewith, the church has nearly forgotten it, and instead of it, to take up with miserable substitutes, such as that every man should think but of the day of his death; from which consideration there comes not joy nor strength, but weakness and oppression....

In contrast, the late Dr. Walter Martin, a noted Christian apologist, in his epochal work The Kingdom of the Cults, which well represents the position of orthodox Christianity on this subject, wrote:

The great hope of the believer, then, is the joy of personal union with the Lord, and this union, the Apostle Paul tells us, takes place at the death of the body.

How sad it is to teach God's people that the hope of a Christian is his own death, and how opposed to God's perspective that death is an "enemy," as 1 Corinthians 15:26 (KJV) clearly states: "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death." Biblically, death is a thief not a benefactor. Death takes away life; it does not give a greater life.

In attempting to preserve the traditions of historic, orthodox Christianity, such teaching that the "dead" are "alive" blatantly contradicts God's Word and further entrenches the Christian Church in this error. Those who have mistakenly propounded this doctrine have apparently overlooked the many verses plainly stating that the focal point of a Christian's hope is not his own death, but the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ from heaven. For example:

John 14:2 and 3 (KJV)
(2) In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
(3) And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

1 Thessalonians 2:19 (KJV)
For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?

1 Thessalonians 4:16 and 17 (KJV)
(16) For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
(17) Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Titus 2:13 (KJV)
Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

It is the occasion of Christ's appearing from heaven that Christians should anticipate as the way of deliverance from the bondage and corruption of death. Jesus Christ is the only gateway to everlasting life and the only means by which believers will have access to God's presence in Paradise. When Jesus Christ comes again, he will fashion new, glorious bodies for us (Phil. 3:21). Apart from having these new bodies, there is no hope of entrance into the presence of God. Near the end of his life, the Apostle Paul wrote the following about this occasion:

2 Timothy 4:8 (KJV)
Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

Shifting the event that triggers our entrance into the presence of God from Christ's appearing to our own death is nothing short of satanic subterfuge. In the minds of many, Satan has subtly changed the gateway to eternal life from Jesus Christ to death itself. Considering the past actions of God's archenemy, this clever trick is totally consistent with his methods. The Christian's hope is not death, but the appearing of Jesus Christ. When he appears, each Christian who is still alive will exchange his mortal body for a glorious immortal body, and each believer who has died will be raised to glorious and everlasting life.

 Who Needs Resurrection?

A second consequence of believing the doctrine that the dead are alive is one that has drastic implications for biblical integrity and harmony. Believing that all the dead are conscious in heaven or hell reduces the great truth of resurrection to virtual insignificance. Death must be true death if resurrection is to be meaningful. If death involves only the body, with the soul and / or consciousness living on, then resurrection has lost at least half its significance.

If all believers have gone into the presence of God at their deaths, the monumental importance of Jesus Christ's resurrection is negated. If Abraham, David, Job, and others were already in heaven as disembodied souls or spirits, enjoying the presence of God in "eternity," then our enemy, death, had already been vanquished before Christ's resurrection and eternal life was available without Christ. In fact, if it were true, as many teach, that Enoch, Elijah, and Moses went to heaven bodily, then Jesus is not even the only human in heaven with a body. Such teaching contradicts the Word of God, confuses sincere Christians, and dilutes their joy of hope.

It also leads to a question posed by Wycliffe, Tyndale, Luther, and others during the course of Christian history. If disembodied souls are able to live and enjoy the presence of God in heaven for eternity, then what is the need for a resurrection?

If a body is not required for life in the "hereafter," then God is going to a lot of trouble for no apparent reason by "reuniting" everyone with his body. And the physical death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, serving only to allow the disembodied soul or spirit to be united with a body that it obviously can do without, seems to be of little significance.

The teaching that the soul lives on after death destroys the uniqueness of Christian doctrine, that is, that Jesus Christ's bodily resurrection is prerequisite to anyone being given everlasting life. With so much biblical emphasis on the resurrection of Jesus Christ, any doctrine undermining it is highly suspect.

 That Sounds "Familiar"

A third consequence of believing the doctrine that souls live on after the body dies is that it plays into the hands of those who promote the practice of communicating with the dead. Today, many people, both Christian and non-Christian, attempt to communicate with the spirits of the dead, often in séances or via "channeling." Such practices are similar to ancestor worship, historically a practice of most non-Christian religions. Pagans believe that the spirits of departed ancestors intervene in their lives, both for good and evil. Thus, as godlike beings, they must be worshiped and entreated. Superstition and fear of the unknown are always hallmarks of such false doctrine.

If there really are "departed souls" or "spirits" that are conscious and have knowledge of eternity or other matters of interest to those of us still earthbound, why not communicate with them? Because they are not there to answer. What will answer are evil spirits (fallen angels currently under Satan's dominion) impersonating the dead. In the Old Testament, however, God expressly forbade communication with such "familiar spirits." For example:

Leviticus 19:31 (KJV)
Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God.

Leviticus 20:6 (KJV)
And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.

Deuteronomy 18:10 and 11 (KJV)
(10) There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch.
(11) Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.

2 Kings 23:24 (KJV)
Moreover the workers with familiar spirits, and the wizards, and the images, and the idols, and all the abominations that were spied in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, did Josiah put away, that he might perform the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the Lord.

They are called "familiar spirits" because these evil spirits are familiar with people who have died and can even reproduce their likenesses and personalities as if they were still alive in the realm of the "hereafter." The judgment of God against Saul, Israel's first king, which led to his death, was in part caused by his attempt to divine the LORD's will through a familiar spirit impersonating Samuel (1 Sam. 28:7–9; 1 Chron. 10:13 and 14). It is appalling that the orthodox Christian position cites this record as evidence that the dead can appear and communicate to the living.

Sometimes a familiar spirit will appear to a person who is not actively seeking to contact the dead. Although such experiences are very convincing to those who see what appears to be a dead friend or relative, God's Word exposes this counterfeit as another satanic attempt to convince people that the dead are actually still alive.

Scripture makes it plain that contacting the dead is a sin forbidden by God. Surely those supposedly living in heaven with God would not sin by initiating or participating in contact with the living.

There is nothing in the New Testament that changes God's Old Testament prohibition against attempting to communicate with the dead. The reason for this is simple: The dead are unconscious in "gravedom" and cannot communicate with the living. If anything is communicated, it will be from evil spirits attempting to deceive people into accepting that the dead have not "surely died."

 Death: Friend or Foe?

A fourth consequence of believing the doctrine of immediate entrance into heaven at death, and the corollary teaching that death is God's will, is that it may subtly undermine a Christian's will to live by causing him to accept death as a "friend." But God's Word is clear:

1 Corinthians 15:26 (KJV)
The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

If a person is persuaded that death is a "friend" that will introduce him to the glories of eternity, he may adopt a cavalier attitude toward his own death. Satan can then wield the power of death more easily, manipulating the untimely death of his victims by fatal disease, murder, suicide, or accident.

BONUS:

 Why should a Christian aggressively cling to life on earth and endeavor to live it to the fullest when a much brighter and higher existence awaits him with God "on the other side"? Does this teaching motivate a Christian to behave in a manner that will cause him to prolong, preserve, and enjoy his earthly existence and service to God? To the contrary, one's belief in an immediate afterlife might even cause him to hasten his own death. In fact, history contains a great many records of Christians who have committed suicide so that they could "be with Jesus." Tragically, they have often taken others with them to the grave by murdering them first.
One effect of this false doctrine may possibly be seen in the context of a serious illness. It is generally understood that an individual with a strong will to live is more likely to survive a life-threatening illness. How ironic that Christian believers who have access to God's miraculous, supernatural power for deliverance often negate it by a truncated will to live based on their misunderstanding of the true nature of death. Unbelievers who think that this life is all there is can too often muster more of the innate and God-given instinct for survival than does a child of God. Does it glorify God that His people should have less desire than unbelievers to live as long as they can on earth? Does this help win the lost and persuade them of the benefits of following the way of Jesus Christ?
In the same vein, many Christians are very fatalistic about the moment of their deaths. Perhaps to deal with the fear of death, they assume the Lord already has the day picked. When their "number is up," they will die regardless of their behavior, thoughts, or even prayers. They think that God alone determines the day of their death when He is ready.
There is, however, no biblical justification for the idea that the day of one's death is "set in stone." Rather, the Bible is replete with examples of men and women shortening or prolonging their lives by the way they lived—for example, Saul (1 Chron. 10:13) and Hezekiah (2 Kings 20:1–6).
Although believing that God determines the day of one's death may seem comforting to a misguided believer in, say, an airplane bouncing through turbulence, it actually may work against him. In a critical situation, intense prayer and supplication would be much more beneficial than passively waiting to see what God's will is. It is obvious that our own choices go a long way toward determining what kind of life we live and for how long. Thinking fatalistically, one is probably less likely to do those things that make for a long and healthy life.
If it were true that it is God who determines one's appointed time to die, then death would be a friend and God would be its cause. Neither is true. God's will for man is a long, healthy, and prosperous life as a testimony to His love and goodness (e.g., Prov. 4:10, 9:11; Eph. 6:3). Jesus said that he always did the Father's will (John 4:34, 5:30, 6:38, 17:4), and he healed all who came to him in faith (Matt. 4:23, 8:16, 9:35; Luke 9:11).

Of course, most Christians who teach that God kills His people seldom say it that way. They usually say, of a Christian who has died, that God "called him home." What an incredible euphemism! Think about it. "Home." What visions the word carries with it: a hot meal, a warm bed, a loving family. But what are people really saying about a saint who has died when they sweetly say that God "called him home"? They're saying that God, Who is love, light, and goodness, ran him down with a bus, ate out his insides with cancer, or had him beaten to death in an alley. Repulsive? Yes, death is just that.
Although Jack Sharkey, former world heavyweight boxing champion, was hardly known as a spokesman for fundamental Christian orthodoxy, his statement in 1978 upon hearing of the death of his friend, boxer Gene Tunney, is representative of its confusion. Sharkey said that Tunney's death "makes me think it's too bad. We all get along and the good Lord takes us." How can the good Lord do bad things?
The Word of God clearly states that God is "good" (Mark 10:18) and that death is an "enemy" to His people (1 Cor. 15:26). God tells us also that it is the Devil who holds the power of death (Heb. 2:14) and that the Devil was a "murderer from the beginning" (John 8:44).
It should be noted here that although death is of the Devil, this does not mean that a Christian who dies is "bad" or "out of fellowship" or "possessed." Because of the fall of Adam, physical death is the inevitable end of life for each person unless he is still alive when Christ again appears.
If the Church fails to change its wholly untenable biblical position that the "dead" are actually "alive," it will unwittingly continue to play into the hands of spiritualists, adherents of Eastern mysticism, and the proponents of the rapidly growing New Age movement, who deny both the significance of Christ's resurrection and the unique opportunity for everlasting life through faith in his name. It will also continue to offer people a weak and false hope based on paganism rather than the comforting and satisfying truth of God's Word.

Mamas don't lets your babies grow up to be HOMOS!

Homosexuality: The Way of Life
Introduction
God warns us that there are those in the world who promote evil as good and good as evil, who replace light with darkness, and who substitute sweet for bitter.

Isaiah 5:20
Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!


Obviously this is going on in the world otherwise God would not have felt it necessary to warn us about it. Furthermore, it is going on intentionally, deliberately, with full knowledge. Conditioning us to believe that evil is good and good is evil, what the bible refers to in Ephesians as the systematising of error, is the world's modus operandi, the way it works. The devil is the god of this world, so this makes sense. As an example, let us look at homosexuality and compare viewpoints - God's and the world's.


Leviticus 20:13
If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.


Can God's will for homosexuals be any clearer? In the old testament, they were to be executed. Executed? That's right, they were to be stoned to death. That is a harsh penalty. If God commanded his people to stone homosexuals to death, does that mean then that perhaps they are not just nice people enjoying an alternative lifestyle, as the world advocates? Well, God certainly doesn't think so. That is the old testament, what about the new testament?


Romans 1:26-28,32
For this cause God gave them up unto vile [repulsive, repugnant, disgusting, putrid] affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature [lesbians]:

And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly [homosexuality], and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind [an insane mind - to commit homosexual and lesbian acts is criminally insane], to do those things which are not convenient;

Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

Verse 32 clearly states that homosexuals and lesbians are worthy of death. That is explicit and clear. What about Jesus Christ then? What did he think? He was all love, right? (stay tuned)!

Homosexuality: The Way of Life
Section TWO
Devil Spirits -- running rampant -- keep the "church" clean: The HOMO trip is straightly an attack on our lives; orchestrated by our adversary! Yes, we never ought to be willing to compromise on truth, yet as ministers of the Word we need to be prepared to offer deliverance to all, in all categories of life, when people want the deliverance. This is by possession of devil spirits, and the Word of deliverance is always the way to freedom. Otherwise put them out of the church, and avoid, and rebuke them sharply. We need be faithful ministers, without compromise, in order to keep the "household" of believers uncontaminated. A little(or lot of in this matter) leaven, leavens the whole lump!
Isaiah 5:20
Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
John 10:10
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
The god of this world paints evil with a colourful brush, while at the same time painting christianity with a drab brush. How he colours the senses realm in this manner is quite illuminating to observe.
Did you know that most homos and lesbians are recruited when they are drunk? If they had not been drunk, that door would not have opened and they would not have been corrupted. However drunkenness isn't forced on us, it is something we open our minds to by our own freedom of will, it is something that we allow into our lives through the influences of the world and social pressure. God warns people not to get drunk, not because he wants us to have no fun, but because he wants us to enjoy life and avoid the serious problems that drunkenness brings.
1 Peter 5:8
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
The United Nations is the Illuminati. Their aim is one-world governance. The powers and money behind the United Nations is the same power and money that was behind the Illuminati when they first formed, and it is the same power and money that was behind the French, Russian, and Chinese revolutions. It is the same power and money behind the so-called democratisation of the Muslim and Arab world today. It is the same power and money behind every human rights organisation on earth. They are all struggling for the same cause, all marching beneath their trite little banners of world peace and an end to poverty. The hidden truth behind their banners however is somewhat more terrifying.
The United Nations has declared that every human being has a right to life. Chapter and verse please. That statement, though couched in fancy religious robes, is not scriptural. Does the United Nations really believe that homosexual monsters that rape and murder little boys should be protected from justice and not executed for their horrific crimes? Obviously, they do. Everyone has a right to life, they say, and they go out of their way to stop us from executing the bastards.
What about the human rights of all the sodomised and murdered young boys we keep hearing about? They are even raping and murdering babies now. Does the United Nations care more about protecting monsters from justice than in protecting our children from them? Obviously they do, but why? That is the question we should be asking about the United Nations. Why does the United Nations protect such criminals and do nothing to provide justice for our murdered children? Could it be that their leaders indulge in such practices? Well, who is running the world?
The United Nations stands in direct opposition to the bible on justice. God's word is clear on the use of the death penalty. So, we have a choice to make. Are we going to put our trust in God and his word, or in the Illuminati United Nations and its words?
What the bible says about homosexuality is what God thinks about homosexuality. God instituted the death penalty for homosexuality, not me. I am merely telling you what the bible says. If our courts are protecting homosexuals and our schools are promoting it as a healthy lifestyle to our children, then something is seriously wrong. So the next time some young boy gets raped and murdered by homo paedophiles, don't go blaming God, blame the United Nations because they are responsible. They are the ones who have dismantled the laws that God told us to put in place to protect us and our children from such foul creatures.
If people understood the god of this world, no one would do anything for him. He knows this, so he hides from view. From behind the scenes he entices, seduces, and bribes those within his grasp to do his bidding. Fortunately, quite unlike the true God, the god of this world is not all-knowing, nor is he all-powerful, nor is he everywhere present. He can only be in one place at one time.
Job 1:7
And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
Since the god of this world isn't all knowing and isn't everywhere present, he must have some kind of worldwide intelligence network in place in the senses realm through which he remains informed. The god of this world doesn't depict himself as an all seeing eye for no reason. Obviously, these earthly operational networks are shrouded in secrecy and mystery to keep them concealed. Indeed, we even refer to them as secret societies. Secret societies have been around since Nimrod, back in the book of Genesis. There have been so many of them, and they are so veiled in mystery and intrigue, that it is almost impossible to track them and to know what is going on within them.
On May 1, 1776, Adam Weishaupt, founded a secret society that he called the Order of Perfectibilists, which later became the Order of Illuminati.
Secret societies, as the term implies, like to remain secret, hidden from view.
Most of this misinformation and deception has been disseminated by secret societies themselves to cover their tracks. Weishaupt himself wrote:
"The great strength of our Order lies in its concealment; let it never appear in any place in its own name, but always covered by another name, and another occupation . . . Of all the means I know to lead men, the most effectual is a concealed mystery. The hankering of the mind is irresistible."
According to the vast majority of the information now available on the Internet regarding Weishaupt and the Illuminati, Weishaupt was ineffectual, he denounced the Illuminati before he died, the Illuminati was destroyed in Bavaria, and there is nothing to worry about. If you believe that, you need to change your source of education and replace the Internet, along with your televisions and newspapers, with a source a little more reliable, like the word of God. Just because the devil conceals himself from view does not mean he does not exist.
I have the right to choose what I believe. I choose to believe God's word rather than the words of the United Nations. I choose to think of homosexuality as the depraved, disgusting perversion worthy of death that God's word says it is.
No, I don't hate homosexuals. I love them enough to tell them the truth and give them an opportunity to change. Nor am I homophobic. I'm not afraid of them in the slightest, which is what a phobia is. It is time to warn our children against homosexuality and prevent the world from grooming them for it.
The United Nations won't like my stance?
If they have a problem with God and his word, I suggest they take their grievances up with him. You make up your own mind. The world stands in active opposition to God's word because the devil is the god of this world.
The United Nations and the legions of human rights and environmental organisations it has spawned over the last few decades claim they are fighting for freedom and peace. However, when you take a closer look behind the slogans they march through our media you will soon realise that all the so-called human rights they champion are being doled out to monsters and criminals, while good honest people are being stripped of their rights to protection from them.
Secret society members control the world. They hold all the top positions and all answer to the same people at the top of the pyramid of secret societies. The World Bank, The United Nations, The Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House), The Trilateral Commission, The Council on Foreign Relations, The Department for International Development, The World Health Organisation, The International Red Cross, Greenpeace, CND, Amnesty International, the World Council of Churches - to name but a few - are all controlled by the same men and all work together towards the same goal - the dismantling of all sovereignty worldwide and the institution of a single world government. Did you know that at the time of writing this, there were 1500 newspapers, 100 magazines, 9000 radio stations, 1500 TV stations, and 2400 publishers worldwide owned by just 3 companies? That is how the god of this world controls what you think.
All the world's top terror and criminal organisations are secret societies.
John 10:10
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
If we want an abundant life, we must come back to the word of God and walk in the way of life.

 Homosexuality: The Way of Life
Section three

The world may change our laws and call homosexuality normal healthy behaviour, while at the same time criminalising those who dare to stand against them, but the word of God stands.
Isaiah 5:20
Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
Promoting homosexuality is calling evil good, while prosecuting those who stand against them is calling good, evil. Promoting homosexuality is putting darkness for light, and bitter for sweet. This is the way of life in the 21st Century in this category. Choose wisely your way.
John 10:10
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
If we want an abundant life, we must come back to the word of God and walk in the way of life. To further our understanding of this, let's consider a record from the old testament.
Genesis 19:1
And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;

It was customary in that day for residents of a community to lodge and entertain travellers. There were no newspapers, televisions, or Internet in those days, and as travellers brought the latest news from around the country, this was a mutually beneficial arrangement. This was their bed and breakfast system - news in exchange for lodgings. Lot had room in his house, and he was doing what was customary by offering hospitality. On this particular evening however, unknown to him, he met two angels.
Genesis 19:2-5
And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night.

And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.

But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter:
And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.
It says the men of the city, both young and old, from every occupation and lifestyle, surrounded Lot's house and demanded that he hand over the two men that they may know them, or have homosexual relations with them. This is unrestrained homosexual gang rape. Sound familiar? It is happening all around us in the 21st Century. How do cultures become infested with homos like this? So called human rights and tolerance, of course. Look, this is God's word. This is the way of life. Look around you, the way of death is everywhere.
Genesis 19:6-10
And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him,

And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.

Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof.

And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door.

But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door.

The homos of Sodom were going to gang rape Lot for daring to confront them. If homosexuality is not dealt with according to God's word, this is where it always leads, to gang rape, violence, and murder.
Homosexuality is not normal behaviour, it is a disease. It is abhorrent and those who become so depraved they indulge in such practices, according to the word of God, should be executed. Homosexuals are not born, they are recruited. It is not genetic.

These last few decades have seen an increase in sexual violence around the world that is staggering. It is due entirely to the legalising of homosexuality - granting homosexuals and lesbians protection by law - and by censoring news reports so as not to expose their brutal sexual predations. In the old testament, God's people were to stone them to death. They were not to be tolerated, they were not to be given jobs as politicians, they were not to be ordained as ministers and priests, they were to be stoned to death. Not only did God advocate the death penalty for homosexuality in the old testament, he had Paul warning us about it in the very first chapter of the book of Romans. What about Jesus Christ then? What did he think? He was all love, right? (stay tuned)!

Homosexuality: The Way of Life
Section FOUR
Homosexuality: The Way of Death
Isaiah 5:20
Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
There is another record in the old testament where a man, his wife, and his servant were travelling through Israel. As night fell, they entered Gibeah, a city of Israel, to seek lodgings.


Judges 19:15
And they turned aside thither, to go in and to lodge in Gibeah: and when he went in, he sat him down in a street of the city: for there was no man that took them into his house to lodging.


To understand why he sat in the street, we have to understand that it was their culture to look after the needs of travellers. All the bed and breakfasts were closed even though there were vacancies. This traveller was observing the correct cultural protocols in seeking lodgings for the night. However, no one took them in.


Judges 19:16-21
And, behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at even, which was also of mount Ephraim; and he sojourned in Gibeah: but the men of the place were Benjamites.

And when he had lifted up his eyes, he saw a wayfaring man in the street of the city: and the old man said, Whither goest thou? and whence comest thou?

And he said unto him, We are passing from Bethlehemjudah toward the side of mount Ephraim; from thence am I: and I went to Bethlehemjudah, but I am now going to the house of the LORD; and there is no man that receiveth me to house.

Yet there is both straw and provender for our asses; and there is bread and wine also for me, and for thy handmaid, and for the young man which is with thy servants: there is no want of any thing.

And the old man said, Peace be with thee; howsoever let all thy wants lie upon me; only lodge not in the street.

So he brought him into his house, and gave provender unto the asses: and they washed their feet, and did eat and drink.


Finally, one old man of this city extended kindness and courtesy to the man. This traveller was not poor because he was sitting in the street, quite the contrary, there was no want of anything. He was simply looking for bed and breakfast in the customary manner.


Judges 19:22
Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him.


Here we go again, unrestrained homosexual gang rape and violence. No wonder all the bed and breakfasts were closed - no one wanted the homos breaking down their doors at night to gang rape their guests.


Judges 19:23-29
And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them, and said unto them, Nay, my brethren, nay, I pray you, do not so wickedly; seeing that this man is come into mine house, do not this folly.

Behold, here is my daughter a maiden, and his concubine; them I will bring out now, and humble ye them, and do with them what seemeth good unto you: but unto this man do not so vile a thing.

But the men would not hearken to him: so the man took his concubine, and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her, and abused her all the night until the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her go.

Then came the woman in the dawning of the day, and fell down at the door of the man's house where her lord was, till it was light.

And her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way: and, behold, the woman his concubine was fallen down at the door of the house, and her hands were upon the threshold.

And he said unto her, Up, and let us be going. But none answered. Then the man took her up upon an ass, and the man rose up, and gat him unto his place.

And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, together with her bones, into twelve pieces, and sent her into all the coasts of Israel.


These last few decades have seen an increase in sexual violence around the world that is staggering. It is due entirely to the legalising of homosexuality - granting homosexuals and lesbians protection by law - and by censoring news reports so as not to expose their brutal sexual predations. In the old testament, God's people were to stone them to death. They were not to be tolerated, they were not to be given jobs as politicians, they were not to be ordained as ministers and priests, they were to be stoned to death. Not only did God advocate the death penalty for homosexuality in the old testament, he had Paul warning us about it in the very first chapter of the book of Romans.
Just for the record, the bible does not advocate or condone lynching, public riots, or civil unrest, it advocates administering justice through existing judicial systems. Those in government are responsible for how they govern the countries to which they were elected to serve..
The world may change our laws and call homosexuality normal healthy behaviour, while at the same time criminalising those who dare to stand against them, but the word of God stands.


Isaiah 5:20
Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

Promoting homosexuality is calling evil good, while prosecuting those who stand against them is calling good, evil. Promoting homosexuality is putting darkness for light, and bitter for sweet.
Choose wisely your way.
Like the true God, the devil is also spirit, and just as the true God needs men and women to teach and minister so as to bring light to people's minds, so the devil requires men to move his darkness.

Ephesians 2:2
Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:


The prince of the power of the air, the devil, the god of this world, determines the course of this world. The devil promotes his agendas through the world by way of those who work for him. Without men and women working for him, the devil would have no power or influence in the physical realm. Adam and Eve handed this authority and power to the devil when they fell, and it is this authority and power that the devil uses to mobilise his forces. Always remember though, that our fight is not against people.


Ephesians 6:12
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Principalities, powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness from on high are all clues as to how the devil manipulates things through the senses world. Spiritual wickedness that steals from us, kills us, and destroys us has a source from which it emanates.
Evil is intelligent, it is systematic, it is bold, it is powerful, and it has a rich purse. The word consistently warns us about the nature of this world.

Philippians 2:15
That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

1 John 2:15
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.


Do you love the political systems of the world? Do you love the power, dominion, and authority of the world? Do you love freemasonry, communism and one world governance? If you do, you lack understanding of the spiritual nature of life.

According to the word of God, homosexuality is a perversion so foul it warrants the death penalty. Just a few decades ago, homosexuality was a criminal offence both in the United States and in the United Kingdom. What happened to those excellent laws that kept us protected from them? Who dismantled them?

In the past few decades homosexuality has been promoted on television, in our newspapers, in the movies we watch, in the books we read, the art we enjoy, the music we listen to, and in every other form of art and entertainment imaginable. It is even being taught in our schools to our children. We kiss our children on the cheek in the morning and send them off to spend their day being groomed for homosexuality in our State run schools. This is an example of the truth of Isaiah 5:20.


Isaiah 5:20
Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
What about Jesus Christ then? What did he think? He was all love, right? (stay tuned)!