Religion

Exodus 17:6 Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

Everything that occurred to the Jews in the Old Testament, is an example and teaching of what occurs in the life of a Christian. We can see that the Jews were slaves in the Land of Egypt. This is symbolic of a non-believer being a slave to sin. Just as the Jews had to cover their door posts with the blood of the passover lamb to avoid destruction, the Christian must be covered by the blood of Jesus in order to avoid destruction in Hell. Just as the Jews went through the baptism of the red sea, leaving Egypt behind , so too when the Christian becomes baptized, they are symbolically leaving the world and their sinful ways behind. In the book of Numbers, the Jews are traveling through the wilderness on their way to the promised land, led by Moses, the Christian is also traveling through this fallen world on their way to Heaven, led by Jesus.

We can see in this verse, that the Rock which Moses struck, is a figure of The Messiah who was struck on the cross. 

John 19:34 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.

In John 7 verse 37 Jesus says this:

John 7:37 If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive.

Just as Moses struck the rock in the wilderness and out of it came water, when the roman struck Jesus on the cross, out of Him came water. Both of these examples in Exodus and John point to the Holy Spirit which would come forth from the sacrifice of the Messiah. 

1 Corinthians 10:4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

The Jews drinking water out of the rock in the wilderness is symbolic of the Christian receiving the Holy Spirit, that spiritual drink, once they truly believe in Christ. He is The Rock.

1 Peter 2:7-8 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.

Unto you which believe, He is precious, speaking of Jesus. Unto them which be disobedient, He is a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, especially to them which stumble at The Word. Here we see, just as Jesus is figuratively represented as the rock, so too is The Word represented as The Rock. 

Throughout the Bible we can see many parallels between Jesus and The Word. Just as Jesus is 100% man and 100% God, so too is this book written 100% by man and 100% by God. In John 8 Jesus is called the light of the world. In Psalm 119 The Word is called a light onto our path. In John 6 Jesus says that He is the bread of life from heaven. In Deuteronomy 8 God's Word is the bread from heaven. In John 5 we see that Jesus is the Judge of all mankind. In Hebrews 4 we see that The Word is our Judge. Jesus is the Truth in John 14. The Word is Truth in John 17. Jesus is our Rock. And The Word is our Rock. 

This book, The Word of God, is the Rock upon which our faith is built, out of which flows the river of the Holy Spirit. This delivers the good news. This is The Way to everlasting life. This is The Truth. The Word of God is everything. It is eternal. Heaven and earth will pass away, but This Word will stand forever. There is nothing more important. There is nothing more sacred. There is nothing of more value that a man can possess, than The Holy Bible. This book is the Rock of our Salvation.

Exodus 20:18-25 And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not. And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was. And the Lord said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold. An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee. And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.

What God creates is holy and pure. What man creates is profane and polluted. The work of God's hand is righteous. The work of man's hand is idolatry. The Bible is a work of God. Religion is the work of man.

God tells us that anything added to His Word, or taken away from it, is a perversion. The untouched rock, the unhewn stone, The Holy Bible is the only true altar of faith. If the stone is cut by a man, it is defiled. If the stone is manufactured in any way from its original state, it becomes polluted. If the human mind takes God's Word, and creates their own theology from it, they are spiritually wielding a tool against The Rock, forming it to their own understanding, thus desecrating what is written. 

When Orthodox Bishops wrote their catechism, they lifted a tool against The Rock and carved out their own doctrine. When the Catholics invented the seven sacraments, they wielded a hammer against This Book, shaping their own altar. When Joseph Smith recorded the book of Mormon, inspired by a fallen angel, He took a buzzsaw to The Word of God, sculpting another belief system. When Muhammad, also under demonic inspiration, composed the Quran, he took a pick ax to God's Word, and broke out his own ideology. When certain Rabbi's created the Talmud, they cut out teachings from this holy text, forging their own altar. When Jehovah's Witnesses put forth their version of The Bible, altering God's words, they fashioned a new religion from The Rock. John Calvin drove a spike into that same Rock, and out of it came his theology; Calvinism. Piece by piece he chiseled away every scripture that speaks of free will and personal responsibility, and threw it into the dust bin. The Hindu's took a crowbar to Genesis 3, following the example of Eve, and wedged their stone out of the perfect one, to worship the Serpent. What they refer to as Kundalini, The Bible refers to as Satan. Every religion of the world is created by man. Every religion of the world finds its roots in The Bible. But they do not follow The Word of God in its totality. They follow their own ways. They follow their own versions. They read from their own books. They hewed out their own altars. All of them are false. All of them are vain. And all of them are profane. 

The totality of God's Word is The Truth. Jesus Christ is The Truth. Anything added to it is a dilution. And anything taken away from it is robbery. All these religious systems are idols formed by the hands of men. They are hewn stones taken from The Rock, every one of them; polluted altars. 

Jeremiah 17:5 Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord.

Psalm 146:3 Do not trust in princes, In mortal man, in whom there is no salvation.

1 Corinthians 2:5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

You cannot trust man or religion with your eternal destination. Trust in Jesus Christ and His Word, alone.

1 Corinthians 11:18-19 For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it. For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.

Under the umbrella of Christianity, there are over 10,000 different religious denominations. Each one, a uniquely carved stone, taken from The Rock of God's Word. These disparate denominations all hold to contradictory doctrines and viewpoints of The Bible. Many of them claim to be "the true church" and "only way to heaven", which is a heresy in it's own right. No religion or organization can get you into heaven. Only Jesus Christ Himself can bring you to heaven. In this verse, Paul tells us that the reason for each division in the church is a result of different heresies or false teachings that are approved by people, causing them to break off from the main body. Thus, individual sects of Christianity exist because they each hold onto distinct heresies and false teachings, which ultimately clash against The Word of God. 

Imagine the Truth as a minted $20 bill. There are thousands of fake $20 bills in the marketplace, all of which are counterfeits, holding no actual value in our economy. But the value of the $20 minted bill holds true. The same goes for the Word of God. This is the minted truth from the mouth of God, and The Word holds the only true value in God's economy. The religions of the world are nothing but counterfeits.

The only way you can spot the difference between a real and fake 20 is if you know exactly what the genuine one looks like. Only then can you spot the fakes. In Christianity, this is called discernment. And the only way you can have discernment, is if you actually read God's Word, study it, understand it, and live it, yourself. 

Luke 10:38-42 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

In this story, Martha and Mary each represent a certain type of believer, both of which we can learn from. 

Let's look at Martha first. Martha knows Jesus. She welcomes Him into her home. She calls Him, Lord. She's got her crucifix up on the wall. She's got her Bible on the nightstand, or in a closet somewhere. She volunteers at her church. She serves at all the potluck dinners. She really looks like a Christian! But she does not have a saving relationship with Jesus. She knows God, but she does not honor Him as God. She's religious, but she's not born again. She may have Christ in her home, but she does not have Him in her heart.

Now look at Mary. Mary knows that Jesus is God, and she glorifies Him as God. She is seated at His feet, in submission and obedience, hanging onto His every Word. Not only is she reading her Bible, but she's living it. She doesn't care about things of the world, like Martha. She's not stressed or consumed with earthly distractions. Her focus is entirely upon the good part, the eternal part, and the only thing that's needed: which is her personal relationship with The Lord Jesus. Mary chose the good part. Martha chose religion. The same choice belongs to every human being...choose wisely. 

Matthew 7:21-23 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 

The Bible says to enter in at the straight gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many there be that go in there: But straight is the gate, and narrow is the way which leads unto life, and few there be that find it. 

Who do you think Jesus is talking to here? He isn't speaking to the masses. He isn't speaking to the unsaved multitudes. He left them behind two chapters ago. Jesus is speaking directly to His disciples. This is a message for the Christian! Few of them will find life, and many of them are on the road to Hell! 

How is this possible? They "believed" in Jesus. Many of them on the day of Judgment called Him Lord! And what did He say to them? Depart from me, you criminals, I never knew you. How many....How many millions of Christians are going to be destroyed in Hell after hearing those piercing words. All these people had religion: they did the rituals, they gave to charities, they went to church...some of them were even casting out demons...but Jesus never knew them! They all had religion, but they did not have a relationship! 

The narrow way is not an Orthodox way. It's not a Catholic way. It's not a Jewish way. It's not a Muslim way, or a Mormon way, or a Hindu way, or a Baptist way, or a Protestant way! The narrow way is The Bible way! 

Many people may call themselves Christian, but they do not live as Christians. They may hear The Word, but they are not doers of The Word. And The Word of The Lord says; they will be cast into fire with the rest of the hypocrites! 

Matthew 23:13 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.

Matthew 23:15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

Matthew 23:28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

Matthew 23:33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

Jesus's message to the religious leaders of Israel, is the exact same message to the church leaders today! Corporate religion slams the door of heaven shut against men. Their leaders do not enter, nor do their followers. Jesus calls these hypocrites children of Hell. He describes them as the blind leaders of the blind, both of which are falling into the pit. They look good on the outside, they say the right things, they read from The Bible, they praise God with their mouths, they show much love with their lips, but they do not obey His Words, and they all chase after their own desires. 

Religion sends people to Hell just like sex drugs and alcohol do. In fact I believe more people go to Hell clinging to religion than they do sex drugs and alcohol. 

There's only one way to God; and it's not through a church, it's not through a preacher, it's not through Mary, it's not through your good works, it's not through the eucharist, and it's not through your sacraments! The only way to God is through God's only Son: The Lord Jesus Christ from Heaven. Get out of religion and get into a relationship with Him! Start praying, start fasting, start reading The Bible, set your affection, your attention, and your love on Jesus with everything you got. Only then will you recieve His Spirit, and only then will you truly come to know Him.

Luke 3:4-9 As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

John the Baptist prepared The Way of Jesus Christ, preaching a message of repentance. This new path paved the way, making salvation an equally available opportunity for all people. Whether you're Jewish, one of God's people up on the mountain, closer to Him by knowledge of His Word, or whether you're a gentile in the valley, having never known God, Jesus brought the mountains low, and the valleys high, leveling out the playing field for all to be saved. 

Here, John is preaching against the religious leaders with the same vehemence that Jesus did. These scribes and Pharisees all had religious pride. They believed that because they were "children of Abraham", and were born into the Jewish faith, that they already had salvation. They thought they were going to Heaven by birthright. Calling them vipers from Hell, John made it clear that they couldn't be further from The Truth. And it is exactly the same with Christians today. 

Oh I was born Christian! My whole family's Christian! I believe in Jesus! I go to church! I'm a child of Abraham! I'm a child of God! Well guess what. The devil believes in Jesus too. And all of that means absolutely nothing! This faith can't be outsourced to a group of men, it cannot be delegated to your religious affiliation, it cannot be inherited from your family, and it is not something you are born into! That's why Jesus says you must be born again! You must make the faith your own. The burden of salvation is upon you as an individual!

He who is thirsty will be given drink. And he who is hungry will be given bread. You have to thirst. You have to hunger. You have to want to be saved in order to be saved! You can't wait for God to save you-He's waiting for you to come to Him! You have to seek him with the fullness of your heart; with all your mind, all your soul, all your strength and all your might! Have you done that? Do you pray to Jesus? Do you read your Bible? Do you deny yourself? Have you turned away from wickedness? Have you been completely transformed by Him? 

If you haven't, you're not saved. It doesn't matter whether you're Christian, or Jewish, or you're born into it, or your mother's a sunday school teacher, or your fathers a priest, it doesn't matter! No family member can save you, no pope can save you, no pastor can save you, no religion can save you, no government can save you, no president can save you! No one can save you but Jesus Christ Almighty! The one who gave Himself for you! The one who bled and died for you! You have to build a relationship with Him! You must seek Him in order to be found! 

Be saved, repent, believe The Gospel, receive the Holy Spirit, purify yourself, wash the blood off your hands and cleanse your heart from evil! If you're an adulterer, stop being an adulterer! If you're a drunk, stop drinking! If you're a pothead stop smoking! If you're having sex outside of marriage, that is against God's will for your life, stop doing it! Repent! Turn to Jesus! Turn away from sin and ask Him to forgive you! If you haven't done this you're going to Hell.