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Is that what you see? Do you believe that what you see is always what God sees?
Hello Amadeus, the other day we spoke about human gods. It was an idiom whereby people elevated themselves to a divine status. Pharaoh was the "son of Ra" and Julius Caesar was known as "son of god." As far as we are concerned we can forget all that jiggery-pokery, but that was current at the time of Christ and the Jews were intent on using it against Jesus.
Amen @Aunty Jane, the Catholic religion has adopted a lot of it's rituals from the Egyptian religions.Actually, what I have is a strong dislike for is the lies that masquerade as Christianity. Jesus himself forewarned that the same kind of apostasy that occurred in Judaism, would also occur in Christianity. A counterfeit form of the Christian Faith was to be sown by the devil (Matthew 13:24-30; 36-42) and these “weeds” which were sown long ago, were to grow along with the “wheat” in the same field....so both would exist in “the world” together, and identifying one from the other is vital....but not difficult.....you simply have to look at what they do, rather than what they say. Who are practicing what they preach? (Luke 6:46) Certainly not Christendom. (Matthew 7:21-23)
After Jesus’ death, the apostles worked hard to keep the truth from being corrupted by those who wanted to introduce their own ideas about many things. Paul said that there was one acting as a “restraint” against this tide whilst they were alive, but after their death and the final books of the Christian scriptures were written, that window was closed, and the restraint was removed leading to a full blown apostasy which took place within a very short period of time. From the second century on the ECF's began to deviate from the Bible’s teachings and a weakened form of the faith kept growing like the “weeds” that Jesus had predicted.
By the 4th century the situation was ripe for the Emperor of Rome to introduce a new “State Religion”....one Universal (Catholic) faith that would be enjoined on all of his subjects. But this was a political move rather than a religious one. The only way to unite his divided empire was to introduce a single religion that incorporated tenets of both faiths. This Emperor never became a baptized Christian himself until on his deathbed.
This religion was not Christian, but a sad fusion of pagan sun worship and a very weakened form of Christianity. The Emperor who introduced Roman Catholicism was a worshipper of Zeus all his life....and if you see statues of Zeus, you will see a striking resemblance to Catholic images of Jesus.
Since Jesus was a Middle Eastern Jew, for whom long hair was not permitted, (1 Corinthians 11:14) would this image really represent Jesus? And since images were forbidden in both Jewish and Christian worship, we have to wonder why Catholicism is full of them.....don’t we? (Exodus 20:4-5; 1 Corinthians 10:14)
At the Vatican, you will also see in St Peter’s Square a Babylonian sun wheel with an obelisk in the middle, which was imported from Egypt, originally representing the sun god Ra. Why is it there?
Sun worship is very visible in the Catholic religion and the main reason why it’s 'holy day' was moved to “Sunday”. It’s all hiding in plain sight if you know what you’re looking at. Even the bread is in the shape of the sun...
So, no....it is not “Christianity” that I have a problem with....it’s what masquerades as such....shown up in everything it believes and teaches. The whole system I believe, is a complete departure from all that Christ and his apostles taught. This is probably why they are so against “sola scriptura”....because they know that what they teach is not from the Bible.
Would you like to discuss those departures? And compare scripture with what the church teaches?
I do not doubt your sincerity for a moment, but I do have grave doubts about the foundations of your faith. I have come from Christendom, so I studied all those beliefs very carefully to prove to myself where they came from, and what the truth was. Are you willing to do that?
LOL....you said it....”Christianity, which has been around for 2,000 years is not teaching what is biblical”...I couldn’t agree more.
The Bible is not the word of man, but the word of God (1 Thessalonians 2:13).....no human is responsible for its contents and I can assure you of one thing....not a word in those scriptures was penned by a Catholic writer. Every book was written by a Jew....even the NT.
You have never done any study in the book of Daniel? His prophesies pertain to “the time of the end” which we are living in right now. It was at this time that God said he would ‘purify, cleanse and refine’ his worshippers....yet not all would consent to the cleansing, preferring to stick to their evil ways, like the Pharisees of old.
“As for you, Daniel, keep these words secret, and seal the book until the time of the end. Many shall fall away, and evils shall increase.”. . . . I heard what was said but I did not understand, so I asked, “My lord, what will be the outcome of all these things?” He replied, “Go on your way, Daniel, for these words are to be kept secret and remain sealed until the end time. “Many shall be purified, cleansed, and refined, but the wicked will persist in their evil ways.” (Daniel 12:4,8-10 - New Catholic Bible)
History is repeating, but the majority cannot see it...again, just like it was in the first century....the Jews rejected the truth based on what their defective religious leaders told them, and lost their place in God’s kingdom. It will happen again....
I feel exactly the same way about you guys.....
“Few” Jesus said, are on the road to life. (Matthew 7:13-14) Can you tell me why?
You have done well here. But... please do not expect that my course has been changed significantly. Someone on the forum recently mentioned that to be Divine is not necessarily the same as to be God. Those particular words were someone else's but the idea was already in me.
Well, the word divine was mine, and it was in connexion with humans, so I wouldn't let that put you off, but hey ho, whatever will be, will be.
I really have not delved into what men call philosophy in 50 years. You call it philosophical thinking. I call it the voice of God as I talk to Him and read the scriptures every day before doing anything else. What a mighty God we serve!
I am sorry Amadeus but I have to ask if it is alright for the sheep to follow Him only part of the way.
Your question is that of a Task Master.
That's not Amadeus though, but like millions of others, doubtless he learnt about the One God, without it being explained to him that One house comprises hundreds of bricks, and like the grains of sand on One beech that make One nation. The number of cells in our body must be countless, and each cell has its own place in the whole, but we are One. We have kidneys, liver, lungs, and a heart but we are One person. Is the multi-faceted omnipresent God in heaven and on earth, a single-celled being who can morph into a rock or a person? God can do all things. There is more to the Almighty than we can ever imagine.
Can a sheep go astray?
My friend, I am 78 years old and serving God as best I can by a daily surrender. I have preached and taught others in churches in the past [last time three years ago] but I have never received a penny from any man for that.
Saying it doesn't make it true.
But Amadeus, you know your Bible. How many days does it say the Good Shepherd cares for us? He cares for us ALL the days of our life. This is the God of David, Your God. Jesus is that same Good Shepherd who David knew. Say, "Praise His Glorious Name. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for being my Shepherd, all the days of my life!"
Sorry, I guess I misunderstood what you were asking. There is also this:
