Spiritual Babylon Captivity

Natural Israel refused to keep God's law and drifted into idolatry so God sent them into Babylonian captivity.  I find that what happened to natural Israel's unfaithfulness to God exactly patterns the Church's unfaithfulness to God has led us into captivity to Spiritual Babylon.   In less then 200 years the Church leadership was actively involved in the worship of Mary:  

A Marian devotion in Christianity is a gift (total or partial) of oneself, or one's activities to the Virgin Mary, i.e. a willingness and desire to dedicate oneself to, or venerate her, either in terms of prayers or in terms of a set of pious acts. Such prayers or acts may be accompanied by specific requests for Mary's intercession toGod.^[1][2][3][4]

-- Nimrod the grandson of Noah was worshiped as the Sun god.  His wife Semiramis worshiped as the Queen of Heaven, and her son Tammuz worshiped as Nimrod reincarnated and a miraculous birth.   This was represented as the Mother with the Babe in her arms, the Mother and Child.  

Paganism, pagan customs and idol worship drifted into the Church and we were held in bondage "darkness" from 200 AD until about the 15th Century when light began to break forth in 1517 with Martin Luther.   Just as Israel was still in bondage to Babylon when some work began to rebuild the Temple of God the bulk remained in Babylon.  Just as work began to restore righteousness to the Church of God, most remained behind in Spiritual Babylon.  Still true today.  Let me contrast: 

Babylon	Zion
Self	Jesus
Flesh	Spirit
Earth	Heaven
Law	Grace
Death	Life
Doing	Being
Bondage to flesh	Liberty in spirit
Kingdom of Men	Kingdom of God
Elected appointment	Jesus as Head
Rules and regulations of men’s own making	Spirit led
Man pleasing	Spirit sensitive
Busy and church work	Obedient to Holy Spirit
Accomplish in self strength	Accomplish things in Holy spirit power
Authority in manmade doctrines	Authority in Word of God
Sectarian and divisive with many divisions of people	One body in spirit
Programs, mind controls and preys	Worships in spirit and truth
Denominations, doctrines, heresies, creeds, traditions, personal views and opinions	Preaches Christ and Him crucified
Clergy system – want to make a difference between themselves and others	Priesthood of all believers
Answers to man and their institutions as the authorities	Answers to God as highest authority
Imagination	Revelation
Conforms people to its own image	Transforms people into the image of Jesus
Increases itself in power, position, riches & domination	Decreases that Christ may increase
Counts the money	Counts the cost
Preserves and protects itself	Lays down its life
Schemes, organizes and promotes to execute its own plan in its own way and time	Waits upon God to raise up what He wants in His timing
Goes after things and people to possess them	Seeks the Lord with his whole heart to be possessed by Him
Seeks to build a city, a power and a name for itself	Seeks the city of God
Seeks to gather people to itself	Longs to be gathered to Jesus, to be a disciple, willing to deny self, take up cross and follow Jesus, self denial is the cross we bear.
The old man will rise up and attempt to control and dominate	The old man of flesh and sin has to be rendered dead, to lay down life defines the NT concept of agape love

Unfortunately we are all blind to ourselves unless God opens our eyes to give us understanding.  We are still captive to Spiritual Babylon even today!  We have refused to come out of Her and to go to Him outside of Jerusalem (the camp of organized religion).  We still worship men, buildings, denominations, religions.  We still elevate men as clergy, we still build men's kingdoms and call them God's.   We still refuse to help the orphan, widows and poor, while all the time planting money into systems (broken cisterns that hold no water).  We are rich and increased with goods, we are the 7th Church of the Lukewarms and know not that we are still blind, miserable and naked to God!    We are still in bondage to this day to the Spirit of Babylon, yet we boast as did the Jew (we have never been in bondage to any man!)  

Even when it is told us in our ears we still refuse to hear.  Our ears have become dull of hearing, our minds dumbed down to a form of worship with our hearts far from God.  We ever learn but never learn.  We have turned from truths to fables.  We have itching ears but hire our own men to tickle them.  

Judgment is coming to Babylon.  We are admonished to leave Her.  In one  hour she will be destroyed and her children with her.  Come out of her and be not partakers of her sins.

Be blessed, Billy and Jan 

What the Bible teaches about Giving

I have become more convinced as time progresses that we have put all our efforts and money into the building of men's kingdoms and the elevation of men and denominations and have completely missed our real calling, "love your neighbor as yourself".   The heart of God has always been toward the poor, orphans and widows.  We are commissioned by God to remember the poor Gal 2:10 and Pv 19:17 but as I have searched the Word of God I have failed to find even one reference to buying and building men's kingdoms of lands, buildings, padded pews, and paid professional salaries.   His ways are not our ways.  

It is standard policy to drop tithes and offerings in the bucket and "presto" we have done our religious duty of service to God.  We have been faithful stewards of our increase.  But have we really?  Have we ever stopped to consider what portion of what we give in the bucket goes to the poor, orphans, widows and strangers?  Have we ever asked to see the budget break down of where all the money in the bucket goes?  I will dare say the huge and vast majority of the money goes to keep the "system"" going, and a very tiny portion, if any at all, goes to help others besides ourselves.  

I have become more aware that because the Church was not faithful, just as Israel was not faithful to God, strayed into idolatry, that God allowed His people to be  captured and placed into bondage to a religious system Babylon (both natural and spiritual).  We are in bondage to Spiritual Babylon and don't even know it.  Everything we do spiritually is to increase the power of Spiritual Babylon over us.  We have made idols of men, preachers, religious denominations, buildings with steeples and have left off the following  God in Spirit and Truth.  We have loved to worship in the high places!  The vanity of man and the pride of life dictates where we "go to worship" rather than being led by the Spirit of God.   The proof is where we "plant" our money.  Have we remembered the poor, orphans, widows or have we only remembered "Big Church"?  

Because we as a ""denomination" have done a few benevolent things does that make us "godly"?  If so then the US government is godly    They give welfare, food stamps, WIC, section 8 housing, etc.  Of course not!  Just because Spiritual Babylon has done a few good things does not make it right or righteous.  We have been place into bondage to a religious system that uses high places (pulpit) to teach the traditions of men instead of the truths of God.  Shame on us for not discerning! 

Here is God's indictment against us:  We are blind miserable and naked!  We need to buy of Him.  Rev 3 we find God shut out of His own Church knocking to get in.  The parable of the 10 virgins said we are slumbering and sleeping!  Over and over again we proof we have eyes and can't see, ears that can't hear!  

This is probably not the kind of Christmas story you'd love to hear, but none the less, I feel we need to examine ourselves (no one else can examine you).  Are we really in the faith?  Or have we believed in vain?  

Next time you decided to "give to God" why not consider helping someone besides ourselves and our group or our denomination or our system?    View this Video  where 92% of the money goes to help the poor and compare that to the budget of Big Church.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Haq2tekD19Q

Be blessed and have a very blessed Christmas the time of giving!  BW and Jan 

The Greatest Lie Ever Told!

What is the 1st and greatest lie ever told?   Satan said, " You shall NOT surely die!" and the Church and all humanity has believed that lie ever since.  Let me explain:

The first Adam was a living soul.  God breathed into his nostrils the breathe of life and that life (soul)  of the air breathing animal or man resides in the blood.  All air breathing animals have soul (life) and just like humans that breathe air that life (soul) is in the blood.  For that reason we were forbidden to eat or drink blood, but rather to pour it upon the ground.  What gives us soul life is the breathe of God and when we die the breathe of God returns to God.  This is NOT Eternal Life.  This is only natural life, soul life, borrowed from God's breathe.  When we die the life  (soul/breathe) returns to God.  Only God has Eternal Life,  His Spirit alone is Immortality.  Soul does not equal immortality, Spirit does.

Here is the lie:  You shall not surely die.  Your soul will live forever somewhere either in heaven or hell.  (lie)

Adam was bared from access to Eternal Life residing in the Tree of Life.  Without the Tree of Life NO ONE has eternal life.  We all die, i.e. cease to exist. Satan says "You shall NOT surely die" and we bought that lie it hook line and sinker and preach it every week in the high places called pulpits.

Let me give some examples of how we bought this lie.  #1. "Adam was created with the Spirit of God and the day he ate of the fruit he died spiritually".  (lie) Not Bible!  The first man Adam was living soul and the 2nd Adam a Life Giving Spirit.  We are not born with Spirit Life for that is the gift of God.  We are born like the animals with soul life and we die (cease to exist) exactly as do the animals. IF A = B and B=C then A=C

Lie #2:  "Man is a 3 part person, body soul and spirit." (lie)  We are born Adamic with soul life until we receive the Spirit of God in New Birth.  Then there is Body, Soul, and Spirit.  Without New Birth we have only soul life and the soul that sins shall die.  All have sinned thus all shall die exactly as do all animals that have soul.  IF A = B and B=C then A=C

Satan says: "You shall NOT surely die"  #3. Religion says your soul lives forever somewhere thus agreeing with Satan we don't die.  Religion teaches us the immortality of the soul (lie)  which the Bible does not teach.  For some reason we understand the animals with soul die but we don't.  We believe the great lie.   "We shall NOT surely die".

#4 The Hindu and Buddhist believe we will come back in another life.  (believing the lie)

#5 The Spiritualist believe God is in everything, thus we are God and we will never die because God never dies.

#6 The Christian believes the soul will never die but continue to live somewhere / heaven or hell for all eternity.  

The Bible teaches the soul dies and only Jesus has immortality.

If we correctly taught God's Word we would teach men that without God in them do not have Eternal Life and  they will die someday.  Unless we are born again of Spirit Life we have no Eternal Life in us (The Tree of Life) and we will die.  No, instead we have concocted a mixture of Greek mythology of Hades,the god of the underworld, and the underworld  where all the souls of men never die but will exist in Paradise or Torments for all eternity, we shall NEVER die our soul lives forever!   The Great Lie!  

Instead of telling men the truth that sets them free and gives them Eternal Life (Immortality), we dangle them over flames of torments forever and ever time without end, thus  lying on God and showing God to be some terrible unforgiving being!  Shame on us!  Who could torture men time without end for never hearing, knowing or believing the Gospel?  Not my God!  

The soul that sins shall die.  It shall Not live forever somewhere but it shall die.  That is what God said.  Who then do you believe? 

Be blessed, BW 

What is the real saving name?

Acts 26: 12  “And while I was going for this cause to Darmsuq with the authority and approval of The Chief Priests,” 13“At noonday, Oh, King, while on the road, I saw a light from the heavens greater than that of the sun, which burst upon me, and upon all who were with me.” 14And we all fell upon the ground, and I heard a voice, which said to me in Judean Aramaic, “Shaul, Shaul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick the goads.” 15“And I said, “Who are you my lord?” And our Lord said to me, 'I am Yeshua the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.'   Acts 26: 12

Now, I have been questioned what difference does it make Yeshua or Jesus, since He knows who we are talking about?  Right you are, He knows what is in our hearts/minds before we speak.  What if we could not even speak His name at all, because we were unable to speak.  He still knows in whom we have believed, the point of our faith!

That is not my point.  My point is this:  If we are going to make a whole denomination on the "Name of Jesus" and tell men and women if they are not water baptized correctly "In the Name of Jesus" they cannot be saved then I believe we must examine our stance.  "Jesus" was not His name.  It is an English rendering of the Hebrew name Yeshua.  So if the correct name must be "mouthed" in water baptism for it to be correct then do it right and say "Yeshua"!  There was no "J" in any language until the 15th century.  That is my 2 cents on that!

So that you will see I am not "straining at a gnat"  http://www.upcbaypoint.com/Articles2/early_church_baptism.html

As sure as you start saying "you must do this and that to be saved"...you enter into "troubling waters".  

(example)  You must be circumcised to be saved:  

Phil 3:2 New Living Translation (©2007)
Watch out for those dogs, those people who do evil, those mutilators who say you must be circumcised to be saved.

The Sin Debt

I went to the bank and borrowed $1,000 and signed a contract agreeing to pay back the $1,000 in a certain period of time.  I understood that I had a debt to pay.   

The time came for the debt to be paid and I could not pay it.  I had a debt I could not pay.

So my dad agreed to go to the bank and pay my debt for me.  He agreed to pay the Banker $1,000 and the Banker agreed to accept $1,000 as payment in full for my debt.

But before my dad could get to the bank with the money, I decided to come up with the money and pay the debt myself.  I went to the Banker with money in hand to pay my $1,000 debt and he told me that the debt for "me" was no long just $1,000 but I was in debt to the bank for ever and ever, time without end.  I could never pay my debt off no matter how much I paid. 

I asked, What about the "contract" that say my debt was $1,000 only and if I paid it or my dad paid it it was the same amount.  The Banker said no, if your dad pays it is $1,000 but if you attempt to pay you can never pay it off...ever in a million billion years, time without end.  

I protested the unfairness of this policy of the bank and asked to have the judge hear my case.  The judge agreed with me that the debt was $1,000 whether my dad paid it or if I paid it the price is the same!  $1,000 was all the debt was because the "contract" stated so.

I have said that to says this:  I had a sin debt that I could not pay.  My Father paid the debt in full for me.  But suppose that I had decided not to accept my Father's payment on my debt and decided to pay my own debt.  Is the debt price different because I pay and not my Father?  No the "contract" say that "the wage of sin is death".  Not the wages of sin is eternal payment for ever time without end for a million billion years.  The debt my Father paid for me is the exact same debt I would have to pay for myself should I choose for Him not to pay and I, myself will pay.  The wages of sin is death.  Did my Father pay the debt if full when He died upon the cross?  The answer is YES!  Did my Father pay over and over again time without end suffering and burning in torments for my sin debt?  The answer is NO!  Because if the debt for sin was death and Jesus paid that price then those that choose to pay their own sin debt will die.  They will not be force to  pay a different amount forever and ever.

Now, if that is not true, here is where you can help me:  If the consequence of sin (sin debt) to to burn forever and ever in eternal torments time without end...then I propose Jesus DID NOT pay the sin debt for anyone.  Why? Because He is not currently twisting in the flames!  Since the "contract" says death is the price...then the price is death for Him or for me.  Help me see the error in my logic, please.  BW

Called of God to pastor this church

How many of us have heard the expression, “I am called of God to pastor this church”? I am sure most have heard it and perhaps many have said it, but let’s look into the Word and see if this is possible.

Men have been called of God to be kings (Saul, David), priest (Aaron), prophets (Elijah, John the Baptist), apostles, (the 12, and then Paul and then others). But what is surprisingly absent is anyone in the Bible ever called to be pastor!

The verse says God set in the Church (the Body of Christ Universal) first apostles (missionaries), prophets, evangelist (preachers), pastors (elders = shepherds = overseers), and teachers. These are all describing the offices or positions. There are special callings of God for men, but strangely “called of God to pastor this church” is absent!

Let’s look at this strange thing we call “pastor of the church”. The Word said if any man desires the office of (overseer = presbyter = bishop= elder) he desires a good thing. What did we just learn? That a man can “desire” this office. Secondly the Word says “appoint” (overseers = presbyters = bishops= elders) in every church. What have we learned here? Men “appoint” plural (overseers = presbyters = bishops= elders) in every church (singular). Thus we have plural leadership as elders in every local assembly. Sounds good. Next the Word list out the qualifications of (overseers = presbyters = bishops= elders) in every church (singular) as a men of good report, not given to wine, husband of one wife, not a novice…etc. What have we learned here? Men can desire the office (overseers = presbyters = bishops= elders) in every church (singular) and men will appoint them according to the qualifications listed in the Word. If they are appointed by men they are not called by God! Men desire, men appoint, men fit the qualification, but surprisingly absent is “Called by God to pastor this church”. How strange is that when you really study the Word?

That my friend should make it clear something is amiss in the modern church of “Men called of God to pastor this church“!

Be blessed, Billy and Jan