Destructive Heresies

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• Of all the errors that have crept into the Christian Church, one of the most destructive is the teaching that the Law of God has been done away with. Theologians and pastors claim that the Decalogue, the 10 Commandments, was nailed to the cross. This is a misunderstanding of Colossians 2:14 which states, "Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross."
• The question is, "What was nailed to the cross?" 
• In Exodus 20, we read that God wrote the 10 Commandments with His own finger, engraving them in tablets of stone. This emphasizes the permanent and unchangeable nature of God's holy laws.
• God then dictated to Moses the laws regarding rituals, the sacrificial system, and the feast days. These were given to deal with the sin problem. More importantly, they pointed ahead to the sacrificial work that Christ, the Lamb of God, would accomplish on the cross. Moses wrote these laws on scrolls with his own hand. In other words, they were recorded by handwriting. 
• It was the ceremonial laws that were nailed to the cross. They were fulfilled in Christ. They were made null and void when Jesus said, "It is finished" (John 19:30) because they accomplished their purpose. 
• The validity and importance of the Ten Commandments was not diminished on the cross.
• Years after Christ ascended to Heaven, the Apostle Paul wrote that "the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good" and that it is "spiritual" (Romans 7:12,14).
• The Apostle John wrote, "We do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments." "He that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him." "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous" (1 John 2:3; 3:24; 5:3).
• In the Earthly sanctuary, the Ark of the Covenant represents the throne of God. The 10 commandment tablets written with the finger of God in stone were placed in the bottom of the Ark. This indicates that God's law is the foundation of His kingdom. It is the constitution of Heaven.
• The law is also a transcript of God's character and His righteousness, pointing us to His holy and sinless nature. 
• God's law is intended to lead us into righteous living and to develop a Christlike character. "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul" (Psalm 19:7)
• The cross of Christ stands as a testimony to the sacrifice required to pay the penalty for violating the law of God.
• Declaring that God's holy law was nailed to the cross is a dangerous teaching that leads people to justify living in sin. 

For Additional Study go to https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/topics/law-god

• The Sabbath was established at the Creation of this planet. It was created as an integral part of a seven-day week (Genesis 1:1; 2:2).
• God blessed it, sanctified it and established it as a day of rest by His example (Genesis 2:3).
• The intervals of time we use -- the minute, the day, the month and the year -- are all based on astronomical movements of the Earth and the Sun. The Sabbath is not based on any movements of nature. It is based only on the Word of God when He spoke it into existence at Creation.
• The seven-day cycle has persisted for thousands of years without interruption. It has never been changed. Some have tried but failed. Every culture, from tribal units to great empires have followed the seven-day weekly cycle.
• God placed the Sabbath in the heart of the 10 Commandments, which He wrote in stone with His own finger, establishing it as unchangeable (Exodus 20:8-11; 24:12).
• Jesus was crucified and died on the sixth day, the Preparation Day. It was also the Passover day. He lay in the tomb on the seventh day, the Sabbath. He rose on the first day of the week (John 19:14,31,42; 20:1). Even in death, Jesus rested on the seventh-day Sabbath, making a powerful statement about the importance of the day to God.
• A major point in the message of the first angel is an appeal to return to the true worship of our Creator God. The message contains the creation part of the Sabbath commandment. "Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters (Revelation 14:7)
• For Additional Study go to https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/topics/sabbath

• On March 7, 321 AD, Emperor Constantine declared the first day of the week to be  the "venerable day of the sun," establishing the first Sunday law. 
• Following the establishment of that law, the Roman Catholic Church changed God's designated day of worship from the seventh day to the first day of the week. It did so without any Scriptural authority, claiming its own authority to change the day of worship.
• The Catholic Church, in order to compromise with and attract pagans, used Roman law to establish Sunday as the Christian day of worship.
• Most theologians, priests, pastors, and teachers will tell you that the Sabbath was done away with. They say it was nailed to the Cross along with the other nine commandments. According to them, it is no longer significant. 
• They tell you that the Sabbath was given only to the Jews. They tell you that God changed the day of worship to Sunday in honor of Christ's resurrection. Is any of this true? Is any part of what they tell you correct? The answer is No!
• The sacrificial ceremonies all pointed ahead to Jesus Christ and the plan of salvation. After His death on the Cross, these no longer had spiritual value. This is what was nailed to the Cross, not the Sabbath (Colossians 2:14,15).
• The Sabbath was never just for the Jews. It was created and observed 2400 years before there was a Jew!!! The Sabbath was made for all of humanity throughout time (Mark 2:27) .
• The Jews and judaizers attacked Christians for abandoning the legalistic ceremonies and procedures of the Jewish religion. Nowhere in the New Testament do we find any attacks against Christians for changing the Sabbath to the first day of the week. If that did happen, the entire Jewish religious system would be in an uproar that would still be felt today. The fact that no such change occurred in the early Christian church is a clear argument from silence that the Sabbath was not changed by Christ or His disciples.
• Jesus foretold the destruction of Jerusalem 40 years before it occurred. He told the disciples to pray that their flight from that destruction would not be on the Sabbath day. This indicated that He knew the Sabbath was still in effect at that future time (Matthew 24:20).
• Some 20 years after the resurrection of Christ, the Apostle Paul visited a group of women on the Sabbath day (Acts 16:13).
• The Apostle John received visions on "the Lord's day." Nowhere in Scripture is the Lord's Day identified as Sunday. He was in vision on the Sabbath day. Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath - the Lord's Day (Revelation 1:10; Mark 2:27,28; Luke 6:5).
• There are several references to the first day of the week (Sunday) in the New Testament. None of them say anything about God changing His day of worship from the Sabbath ( the Lord's Day) to Sunday. The passages do not indicate that the early church was worshiping on Sunday (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:2; Luke 24:1; John 20:1,19; Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:1-3).
• The truth is that the Roman Catholic Church removed the Sabbath and changed the day of worship to Sunday. It did this on its own authority and not on the authority of God (Matthew 15:3; Mark 7:8,9,13).
• Jesus declared that He is the "Lord of the Sabbath (Matthew 12:8; Mark 2:28; Luke 6:5)." Since He is the Creator of the Sabbath (Genesis 2:3) and has claimed ownership, only He has the right and power to change the day.
• The sanctity of the true Sabbath has been compromised. The Catholic Church, Protestants and all those who observe Sunday as the day of worship do so in open opposition to the God who created the Sabbath.

For Additional Study go to https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/questions/why-do-some-christians-observe-sabbath-sunday

• Jesus promised that He would come back to Planet Earth and take the redeemed to be with Him in Heaven. He gave us many details about what will take place at His return.
• Following His death and resurrection, Jesus visibly ascended into the clouds while his disciples watched. "He was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight" (Acts 1:9). Angels came to them and said. "This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11). 
• Jesus will return visibly in the sky, not in secret. He told us  we "shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory" (Matthew 24:30). John the Revelator wrote "Behold, He is coming with clouds (Rev 1:7) .
• Jesus warned that false christs and prophets would arise before His return. Some would claim to be Him. Other people influenced by false doctrines will say that Jesus is in New York or Paris or in the desert. Jesus told us not to listen to them, but to the Word of God (Matthew 24:4,5,23-26).
•  Jesus said that we "shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory" (Matthew 24:30)
• His return will be an incredible and visible event. Jesus said "For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be (Matthew 24:27).
• He also said it will be a very loud and audible event. "And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet" (Matthew 24:31). "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" (1Thessalonians 4:16). It will literally be noisy and loud enough to wake the dead!
• There is no secret return of Christ recorded anywhere in the Bible. What verses are used to support this non-existent event are taken out of context. 
• There are those who use the statement of Jesus that He "will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee" as justification for their false belief in a secret coming and a secret rapture of the saints.  The preceding phrase says "If therefore thou shalt not watch" (Revelation 3:3). This, along with the Apostle Paul's statements in 1Thessalonians 5:2-3 and 2 Peter 3:10, indicate that "the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night" do not indicate a secret coming, but a warning to be spiritually prepared and ready for His coming. He's coming when most will not expect Him. The cataclysmic "day of the Lord" will come upon unsuspecting and unprepared peoples, just like the unexpected arrival of a thief at midnight.

• A prominent but false teaching today is that Jesus will come secretly and rapture His people into Heaven before the great tribulation occurs on Earth. True Christians would simply disappear and be taken to the pearly gates. This would be great news, if it were correct! Unfortunately, there is no Scriptural support for this dangerous belief. The few verses that are used to support it are taken out of context or applied in order to fit the teaching.
• What does the Bible say about the rapture? There will be a "taking up" but it will not be a secret. Notice these descriptions of that day when Jesus returns.
• "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: 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" (1Thessalonians 4:16-17). This passage is grossly misapplied to a secret rapture, but every part of it describes a visible, audible, physical and glorious event at Christ's return. 
•  Another passage incorrectly used to support a secret rapture is found in Matthew 24:30-31: "And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." These verses again describe a noisy and glorious event. But notice that it clearly states that the redeemed will be "gather[ed] together" at the Second Coming of Christ, not before the tribulation as believers in the secret rapture claim.
• One of the many problems with this theory is that Jesus stated He would come with "power and great glory" (Matthew 24:30). A secret coming would rob Him of that glory.
• Another false interpretation is also found in Matthew 24. The Bible says "But as the days of [Noah] were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be" (Verse 37). So what took place then? The people "knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be" (Verse 39). The passage continues with "Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left "(Verses 40-41). These two verses are used to justify the false teaching of a secret rapture. However, the questions must be asked, "who was taken and where were they taken?" Verse 39 tells us that the flood waters took the people away. It's clear that the people who despised the warnings and refused salvation died in the flood. The disciples of Jesus asked Him specifically where the people in the last days would be taken. "And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles (vultures) be gathered together" (Luke 17:37). In other words, they die at the return of Jesus, destroyed by the brightness of His coming (2Thessalonians 2:8). Their bodies are left exposed on the Earth where the vultures will gather. The purpose of this passage is not to describe a secret rapture, but rather is a clear message to be prepared for Christ's return. Jesus said to "Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh" (Matthew 25:13).
• Another important point in this false belief is that those who are not secretly raptured will have seven years to accept Christ and His sacrifice and be saved. They will go through the tribulation but will be saved in the end. This a dangerous teaching. People will be lost because they're told they will have plenty of time to make a decision for Christ after the rapture. They can take the attitude that it's no big deal if I miss the rapture. I'll have seven years to get it right. Problem is, there is no seven year period of tribulation in the Bible. This idea comes from a gross misinterpretation of a prophecy in the Book of Daniel. What is given as a prophecy about Christ and His ministry has been falsely attributed to the actions of some evil being called the Antichrist.
• When Jesus returns, probation will be closed and all decisions finalized. Jesus says, "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. . . . and my reward is with me" (Rev 22:11,12). There will be no second chance.
• When John Henry Darby promoted this false theory in the 19th Century, many churches rejected it. Some stated that it was of demonic origin, connecting it with the vision of a charismatic women. Then in 1909 Cyrus I. Scofield promoted the idea of dispensationalism, which provided a foundation on which the secret rapture could be built. The commentary in his study Bible regarding the end times is grossly flawed. The Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsey brought the secret rapture into public popularity in the 1960's. The film A Thief in the Night, and the Left Behind book and film series solidified its acceptance. The secret rapture theory is accepted worldwide by most Christian denominations, particularly American evangelicals.
• The question is, does public acceptance of a false concept make it right? Only Bible-based truth can make any idea or belief valid.
• There will be a "rapture," but it will occur at Christ's second coming and will be accompanied by a visible, audible, physical and glorious event. The redeemed saints will rise to meet Jesus in the air and will be with Him forever (1Thessalonians 4:16,17).
• See also The 70 Weeks and the 7 Years of Tribulation

• The idea that the human soul is immortal originated in Greek philosophy and mythology. It is a pagan concept that has influenced nearly every belief system and religion in the world. Buddhism, Hinduism and others promote reincarnation. Muslims, Jews and most Christian promote the belief that when a person dies, he lives on in either Heaven or Hell for eternity.
• Over the centuries, Christian theologians have made a special effort to justify the theory of the immortality of the soul. They take Bible passages out of context, twisting their meaning to support  this belief.
• What does the Bible say?
• The clearest verse in the Bible about immortality is found in 1 Timothy 6:15,16. Referring to the Father, it says that "the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality." God alone has or possesses endless life. All created beings are mortal.
• Those who accept Christ's offer of salvation will receive the gift of eternal life. In Romans 6:23 we read, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Notice that those who do not receive the gift of eternal life die. This is an eternal death. They do not live on. Man does not have eternal life unless God gives it to him.
• The well-known text in John 3:16 states "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Note again that those who do not receive the gift of eternal life perish. They do not live on in an eternally burning Hell. They perish.
• Ezekiel 18:4,20 says that "the soul that sinneth, it shall die." This is the eternal death.
• In Matthew 10:28 Jesus said, "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell (Gehenna)." Note that "destroy" does not mean eternal punishment. It's the same as "perish" in the verses above.
• The Bible speaks in many places about a coming resurrection at Christ's return. The Apostle Paul wrote about that resurrection day in 1Thessalonians 4:16: "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: 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." This is the resurrection of the righteous. The dead who died in a saving relationship with God will return to life at the Second Coming of Jesus. This is when immortality is bestowed on the redeemed.
• 1 Cor 15:51-54 describes what will take place when Jesus returns: "Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep (die), but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory." Again, the Bible says that the gift of eternal life is bestowed upon the redeemed at Christ's return.
• After the Millennium, the wicked dead will be resurrected. After their judgment, they will be burned up in the lake of fire (hell). They will cease to exist forever. (Read Revelation 20:11-15; 2 Peter 3:10).
• See Also: Death

• What happens when we die? Where do we go? What's on the other side?
• Humans have been asking these and other questions for centuries. As a result, all kinds of ideas and theories have developed. Reincarnation is a major belief among the Eastern religions and philosophies. In the Western world, the Catholic Church adopted the theory of the immortality of the soul from Greek philosophy and mythology. With that as a foundation, false ideas about death and the afterlife followed.
• As always, we need to go to the Bible to learn what God says on every topic. Human ideas and theories that conflict with Scripture are dangerous.
• So what does the Bible tell us about death?
• The wise King Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes 9:5, "For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing." Simple and direct. The dead no nothing.
• Genesis 2:7 tells us "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." The Biblical formula for life is body + breath = living soul. Remove the breath and the body and all that is in it dies.
• Ecclesiastes 12:7 adds that when a person dies, "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it." 
• A psalmist wrote, "His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish" (Psalm 146:4). The dead have no conscious thought. The dead know nothing.
• Do righteous people go to Heaven when they die? The Bible says, "The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence" (Psalm 115:17). If people went to Heaven when they died, surely they would be praising the Lord there. 
• King David asks the question, "shall the dead arise and praise thee? (Psalm 88:10). He answers that question in Psalm 115:17, "The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence." Those who die are not in Heaven praising God or in Hell cursing Him. 
• Speaking to God, the psalmist wrote, "For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?" (Psalm 6:5)
• The Bible refutes the false teaching that people immediately go to either Heaven or Hell after they die. King David, a man after [God's] own heart (Acts 13:22), is not in Heaven now. After Christ's resurrection, Peter spoke to the crowds in Jerusalem. He said, "Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. For David is not ascended into the heavens" (Acts 2:29,34).
• The dead await the resurrection. Martha, referring to the death of her brother Lazarus, said "I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die  (John 11:24-26). Jesus is speaking here of eternal life and eternal death.
• See Also: The Immortality of the Soul and Spiritualism

• Someone once said that the greatest, most cruel tyrant in the history of the world wasn't Hitler, Stalin, or Pol Pot. Each of them was responsible for millions of deaths. If you believe in an eternally burning place of suffering and pain, called hell, then your response would have to be - God. If you believe that God sentences people to eternal torment after they lived a disobedient life of 30, 70 or 90 years, then you have to acknowledge that He is cruel beyond measure. Many people over the centuries came to that conclusion and walked away from a God who would do such an act.
• The problem with that conclusion is that it is not true. This is yet another of heresies developed by the papal system. They interpreted Scripture in a way that eventually enabled them to control the thoughts and actions of the people. During the Dark Ages, rich and poor, kings and queens were all controlled by the papacy through threats of excommunication and eternal hellfire. 
• A burning hell has its origins in Greek mythology. Hades was the god of the underworld and ruled on the other side of the River Styx. Originally, misbehaving gods were sent to the volcanic fires for a period of time for punishment. Later, humans were sent to Hades to spend eternity in the place named after him. Again, we find that pagan mythology was adopted into Catholic theology.
• For five centuries the idea of an eternally burning place of punishment was debated. Augustine (354–430 AD), a theologian and philosopher, shaped Roman Catholic thought and doctrines. He was responsible for initiating or supporting many of the church's false doctrines and beliefs. It was through his influence that the idea of an eternally burning hell entered into the Catholic belief system.
• So, what is the truth about hell? What does the Bible say about it?
• First, God is not a vengeful tyrant. The Bible tells us that God is love (1John 4:8). He is not just loving, He is love. It is Who He is. It is His character. A God of love isn't going to watch humans burn forever because of a few years of disobedience.
• In Ezekiel 33:6 God tells us, "I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked." If that is true, which it is, then surely He would take no pleasure in watching human beings suffering in everlasting flames.
• Second, hell is not an ongoing event. It is not burning now. It is a one time event that takes place after the 1000 years predicted in the Bible. The wicked dead will be resurrected to face their decisions to refuse the salvation offered through Jesus Christ. Revelation 20:9 says "and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them." Malachi 4:1 says, "For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as  an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be  stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch." They will be destroyed, burned up, in the lake of fire. Even the most well-known verse in the Bible, John 3:16, says that the wicked "perish." That fire then purges the Earth of all the damage humans have done to it. 2 Peter 3:12,13 tells us that "the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." 
• The lake of fire will, more importantly, purge the universe of evil forever. God says that "he will make an utter end: affliction (sin) shall not rise up the second time" (Nahum 1:9).

See Also: Death and The Immortality of the Soul

For Additional Study go to https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/questions/what-does-bible-say-about-hell

•  Believing that the people who die are in Heaven or Hell, or are disembodied spirits roaming around the Earth, leads to very dangerous deceptions. The belief in ghosts and the spirits of dead people will be a powerful tool of Satan in the days before the return of Christ. 
• Unfortunately, Western culture, and especially Christianity, have embraced the belief that the dead can speak with us. A search of the internet will reveal numerous sites that teach people how to talk with the dead. Satan is using every available device to convince you that you can communicate with the dead. Television, the Internet, phones, video games, movies, music, apps are all making talking with the dead a safe and normal activity. It is all a deception to destroy your soul.
• Spiritualism is communicating with the dead. This is impossible because the Bible tells us that "the dead know not any thing." (Ecclesiastes 9:5). It says that in death "thoughts perish" (Psalm 146:4). Psalm 115:17 notes that, "the dead praise not the Lord." 
• According to the Bible, the dead "sleep" until the return of Christ. It was Jesus, referring to the death of Lazarus, Who said that "Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep." "Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead" (John 11:11,14).
• When Jesus returns to this planet, He will call forth the redeemed who are sleeping in their graves. They will rise and will join with the righteous living, and meet with Jesus in the air. Then and only then are the living and the dead able to resume verbal communication.
• So if the dead know nothing, are sleeping, and are not in Heaven praising God, then how can they be communicating with loved ones? With whom are people really communicating? The Bible identifies those who masquerade as the spirits of dead humans as demons. 
• "In the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils" (1 Timothy 4:1). Luke writes about a man "which had a spirit of an unclean devil" (Luke 4:33). Revelation 16:14 warns about "the spirits of devils, working miracles" in the last days.
• Scripture clearly speaks against occult practices of any kind. God Himself said, "There shall not be found among you any one . . . that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord" (Deuteronomy 18:10-12). Note that "a consulter with familiar spirits" and "a necromancer" (someone who talks with the dead), God views as an abomination.
• King Saul went against God and consulted a medium of Endor. The medium called up a spirit "ascending out of the earth" (1Samuel 28:13), who identified himself as the dead prophet Samuel. This story is an example of the deception and lies of which demons are capable.
• King Manasseh and others were condemned by God because "they used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger (2Kings 21:6).
• Based on the Bible, ghosts, spirits of the dead, familiar spirits, spirit guides, channeling spirits, and apparitions, and are all demons appearing as dead loved ones or masquerading as supernatural authorities from "the other side." If you have communicated with the dead, or are planning to do so, you put yourself in a dangerous spiritual position and open yourself to fatal deceptions.
• Ephesians 6:12 warns us that "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."
• The great news is that Jesus has already overcome the powers of darkness. His sacrifice of love on the cross demonstrated that He "spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it (Colossians 2:15).
• Communicating with the dead is a dangerous belief and practice, and is especially a concern in these last days.  

See Also: Death and The Immortality of the Soul

• The lie that we can communicate with the dead is spread throughout the world by demons. There is one very unlikely place that Satan uses to deceive Christians to enter into communication with the dead -- the Church.
• The fastest growing deception today in mainstream Christianity is the introduction of spiritualism into the body of Christ. A Christianity Today article in 2023 stated that 42% of Evangelical Christians have communicated with the dead. That's an astonishing number! Evangelical Christians are the ones who believe the Bible is the Holy Word of God and that it should be obeyed. But the Word of God says that speaking with the dead is "an abomination" (Deuteronomy 18:10-12)!
• How can this be? It's simple. Satan is introducing Christians to believe they are talking directly to Jesus, when through pagan inspired rituals, they are actually speaking to Satan or one of his demons. The idea is not new. It's just getting more popular.
• Contemplative Prayer is not prayer at all. It is a method, a practice or steps used to empty a person of thoughts and feeling, and allow a spirit to access our minds. It is a "Christianized" technique that is used in Eastern meditation by those who follow New Age teachings, Eastern Mysticism, the Eastern religions, Wicca and the Church of Satan. It is not Christian, and has infiltrated the Christian Church under the guise of prayer. However, it is a tool of Satan.
• Contemplative Prayer is not new. It was first introduced to the Catholic Church through Ignatius Loyala, the founder of the Jesuit Order. He developed it as a disciplinary practice to teach and control the minds of his followers. He developed it out of Eastern mysticism. 
• Today, many pastors, Bible teachers, seminary professors, televangelists,  and YouTube celebrities practice the same techniques taught by Ignatius Loyola. If you listen to them you will hear them saying, "God told me" or I spoke with Jesus and He said. . . " Was it really God or a demonic spirit?
• The previous pope, Francis, was a member of the Jesuit order and followed the teachings of Loyola daily. Two Americans that he said he admired were Dorothy Day and Thomas Morton. Dorothy was an avid promoter of the practice of Contemplative Prayer and was active in teaching others how to communicate in the spirit world. Thomas Morton wrote 61 books, promoting the practice of Contemplative Prayer.
• There are many warnings in the Bible about end time deceptions. When the disciples asked Jesus about the destruction of Jerusalem and the end  of the world, He responded by saying, "Take heed that no man deceive you" (Matthew 24:4).
•  A powerful warning is found in 2Corinthians 11:13-15: "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works."
• We've been told ahead of time that this type of deception would come. We are advised by God to test the spirits. 1 John 4:1 says to us, "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."
• God communicates with us through His Holy Spirit. He does so by filling our thoughts with conviction, encouragement and direction. He fills us with His Word. He does not ask us to empty our minds, which would open the way for Satan's influence. Sometimes, the Holy Spirit will communicate with us through dreams and visions, but these are rare occurrences. Nowhere in the Bible do we find that Jesus, an angel or a dead loved one can be conjured up at our beck and call. 
• If you attend a church, a Christian ministry, such as Walk to Emmaus, or participate in any group that teaches the techniques of Contemplative Prayer and how to contact your spiritual guide, Jesus has a message for you: "Come out of her my people" (Revelation 18:4).

See also: Spiritualism

• The statement "Once Saved Always Saved, while not found in the Bible, is taught and believed by entire denominational groups. It is a dangerous concept because it leads people to believe that once they accept Christ as their personal Savior, they can live as they please and still get to Heaven. 
• If we continue our old sinful lifestyle, it makes a mockery of Christ's death on the cross. He died to pay the penalty for our sins. He did not die to save us in our sins. He died to save us from sin. 
• There are many places in the Bible that refute this concept of "once saved always saved." Romans 8:13 says, "For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live." The New King James version makes it clearer: "For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." 
• After accepting Christ's sacrifice (justification), God's salvation plan is to change us and develop a Christlike character within us, replacing our old sinful nature (sanctification). 
• 2Corinthians 5:17 states, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
• Romans 8:1 -- "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."
• Bible references for further study on this subject:
•      Romans 6:21-23
•      Galatians 5:19-21, 24
•      Galatians 6:8
•      Ephesians 4:21-24
•      Ephesians 5:3-5
•      Colossians 3:5,6
• and many more.

• According to Bible prophecy, the nation of Israel has no part in the events prior to Christ's return. This may come as a surprise to many people. Books such as The Late Great Planet Earth and the Left Behind books and movies have profited through a false last day scenario.
• In order to understand why the nation of Israel is not included in Bible prophecy, we need to turn to the Book of Daniel. 
• In Daniel 9:24-27, God tells Daniel that there will be a 490 year probationary period to give the Jewish people a chance to get their act together and return to the true worship of God. Daniel 9:24 says "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy." This probationary period began in 457 BC and ended in 34 AD. 
• Jesus began His ministry in 27 AD with His baptism. He died on the cross in 30 AD. In 34 AD, the Jewish religious leaders stoned Stephen to death. This marked the end of the 490 year period of probation and the end of God's patience with the Jewish people. As a nation, they were no longer God's chosen people.
• Israel as a country and as a people have no role in last day events. Individual Jews can make a decision to accept Christ as their personal Savior, but the nation of Israel has lost its status as God's chosen people. 
• Anyone who accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior is now considered to be a part of spiritual Israel. Galatians 3:29 tells us that  "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."
• Despite the Evangelical Protestant focus on Israel and all of the media reports about the importance of the nation of Israel, neither the country nor the religion play any role in end time prophecy.

See also: Seven Years of Tribulation for more details on the 490 year prophecy.

• Did you watch any of the Star Wars movies, or the Hobbit Trilogy? They are popular fantasy adventure movies. Well, the seven year tribulation theory is right up there with them in the fantasy category! An entire scenario has been built on nothing but a misinterpreted passage. In fact, it's based on the misunderstanding of one word!
• In this fantastic story, we have a secret rapture and the rise of a man called the antichrist. He will bring about world peace and wow the people with his wisdom and power and many will follow him. After 3 1/2 years he will break his treaty with Israel and then set up his throne in the rebuilt sanctuary. He will require that he be worshiped. Then anyone who won't receive his mark will be tortured or put to death. At the end of the seven years, Christ will rain down judgements. He will come and set up His kingdom. That's just the summary of events. The entire theory is so elaborate that it rivals the Star Wars epic.
• So where does all this start? First we need to backup a bit. In Daniel 9:24-27, God tells Daniel that there will be a 490 year probationary period to give the Jewish people a chance to get their act together and return to the true worship of God. Daniel 9:24 says "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy."
• A week consists of seven days. Seventy weeks would then be 70 times 7 days, or 490 days. It is commonly accepted among Bible scholars that a day in Bible prophecy equals a year. (Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6). So 490 days is actually 490 years when looking at Bible prophecy.
• In Daniel 9, the seventy weeks are divided into segments. The first is seven weeks (49 years), during which Jerusalem would be rebuilt. The next segment is 62 weeks (434 years). This is the time God spent appealing to the Jewish people to turn their hearts toward Him.
• In Daniel 9:25 we read, "Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times." Historically, the command to rebuild Jerusalem occurred in the autumn of 457 B.C., when the decree by Persian King Artaxerxes went into effect. This prophecy reached to the baptism of Jesus in 27 A.D.
• Daniel 9:26 tells us that "after threescore and two weeks (62 weeks) shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself." The Hebrew for "cut off" refers to the Messiah's death. Notice that it is "after" the 69 prophetic weeks, or 483 years, that Messiah would be cut off during the final consecutive week - the 70th week. 
• Daniel 9:26 also says, "and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined." This is where the problem begins. This is a parenthetical statement about what will happen after the Messiah is crucified or cut off. Forty years after the death of Christ, in 70 AD, Jerusalem was completely destroyed by the Roman army.
• Daniel 9:27 says, "And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease." Correctly understood, "he" refers to the Messiah. In the middle of the 70th week of this prophecy, three and a half years after His baptism and the beginning of His ministry, Jesus was nailed to a cross and died. At the moment that He cried out "It is finished" (John 19:30), the massive curtain in front of the Most Holy Place in the sanctuary was ripped in two from top to bottom by an unseen hand (Matthew 27:51). This signified that the sacrificial system was ended. It was no longer needed because the "Lamb of God" that it pointed to was sacrificed on the cross, paying the penalty for our sins. 
• Three and a half years after the crucifixion in 34 AD, the Jewish religious leaders stoned Stephen to death. This marked the end of the 490 year period of probation and the end of God's patience with the Jewish people. As a nation, they were no longer God's chosen people.
• Now we come to the problem and the critical one word error.
• The word "he" is the issue. Daniel 9:27 says, "And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week." In this false belief, the word 'he" is applied to "people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city" in verse 26. To add to the error, it's not applied to the Romans but to a mysterious figure called the Antichrist who will appear on the scene after an equally mysterious secret rapture some 2000 years in the future! 
• Where did this crazy idea of a 2000 year delay in the completion of the prophecy come from? It was created by the papacy during the Reformation to turn the focus away from the pope. Many of the Reformers believed and taught that the pope was the antichrist. So as part of the Vatican's counter reformation, what should be applied to Christ was applied instead to a future antichrist figure. This was purposely done to get the antichrist stigma off the back of the papacy.
• Problem 1: The "he" refers to the Messiah, not to some future figure. This small word has led to the creation of a non-Biblical scenario that is misleading the Christian world. The Left Behind series of 16 novels and five movies and its fantastic story line, is founded on this error.
• Problem 2: Nowhere in the Bible do we find any prophecy that presents a gap between parts of the prophecy. Those who hold to this error stop the 490 year prophecy after 483 years and then move the last seven years forward 2000+ years, in order to begin their fantasy adventure!
• Problem 3: The entire timeline covered by the seven years of tribulation theory has no Biblical basis. This false belief will result in the loss of salvation for billions of people who don't study the Bible for themselves. Why? Because it prompts Christians to look to Israel and some future antichrist instead of  Jesus Christ. It turns their minds away from what Jesus has done for us on the cross and the complete fulfillment of prophecy and Scripture. It leads many to believe they will not have to endure the tribulation. It leads many more to think they will have plenty of time to repent during the seven years.
• People are awaiting a secret rapture that will not occur. Everyone alive will go through a period of tribulation that will begin soon. There is no second chance period of seven years. All decisions for Christ must be made now, before probation closes for the human race.

See also: Israel in Prophecy and The Antichrist

The Bible reveals the characteristics of the Antichrist that help us identify it. Before we begin, it’s important to understand that the Bible reveals the Antichrist power as a false religious system that sets itself up in the place of God on Earth. The prophecies focus on this system and not on individuals. There are sincere Christians who are part of this system. To them Jesus says, “Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues (Revelation 18:4).

• Daniel 7 tells of a prophetic vision given by God to Daniel, revealing the sequence of empires from his time forward. In it he saw four beasts. Verse 17 tells us that “These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.” They represent Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome. 
• Verse 7 says that the fourth beast, Rome, was “dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.” That accurately describes the conquests, power and brutality of the Roman Empire. The beast had 10 horns that represent the 10 kings or kingdoms of Western Europe into which pagan Rome was eventually divided.
• Verse 8 brings in an additional character to the vision. Daniel wrote “I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.” 
• This power would replace the Roman Empire as it collapsed and would be found in the midst of the Western European countries. It would be a continuation of pagan Rome’s power, but in a different form.
• At first its power and influence was small, but this little horn is described later as “more stout than his fellows” (Verse 20). In other words it was greater than the countries from which it came up. The only power that followed the Roman Empire in Europe is the Roman Catholic Church. A. C. Flick wrote that “Out of the ruins of political Rome, arose the great moral Empire in the ‘giant form’ of the Roman Church” (A. C. Flick, The Rise of the Medieval Church [1900], p. 150).
• There are specific characteristics of this little horn power revealed in the Daniel 7 prophecy that identify it as the Roman Catholic Church.

1. “he shall be diverse (different) from the first” (Dan 7:24). The Roman Empire and the 10 kingdoms that were spawned during its collapse were secular political powers. The Roman Church was a religious political power.
2. “it had ten horns. . . And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise” (Daniel 7:8,24). The Roman Catholic Church rose up in the midst of the 10 people groups or kingdoms of Europe. 
3. “three of the first horns plucked up by the roots. . . and he shall subdue three kings” (Daniel 7:8,24). The Ostrogoths, Heruli and the Vandals were completely wiped out under the direction of the Roman church over religious issues. Total genocide.
4. “in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things. . . . the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things” (Daniel 7:8,20). This power would have a man who leads it and who speaks for it. The pope is the leader of the Roman Church and speaks for it before the world. The influence of the papacy over the centuries literally brought kings and rulers to their knees in submission to the pope’s directives and policies.
5. “I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them. . . . and shall wear out the saints of the most High” (Daniel 7:21,25). Before and during the Dark Ages, it is estimated that as many as 50 million people who would not submit to the Roman Catholic Church in either religious or political matters, were persecuted, tortured and killed. The church was responsible for the notorious Spanish Inquisition and other inquisitions led by the Jesuits. The Crusades, massacres such as The St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre, the hunting down and killing of almost a million Waldensian Protestants, and other atrocities were conducted by or under the direction of the papacy. Pope John Paul II issued over 100 public apologies during his reign as pope, apologizing for the violence and killings in the church’s past history and admitting that they took place.
6. “the saints of the most High. . . shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time” (Daniel 7:25). In prophetic time, a “time” is a year, “times” is two years, and a “dividing of time” is a half year. This is based on the Hebrew language of the Old Testament. This formula comes out to three and a half years. We find this time period mentioned again in Daniel 12:7 and in the Book of Revelation (Revelation 12:14). Parallel time periods are also found covering 42 months (Revelation 11:2; 13:5) and 1260 days (Revelation 11:3; 12:6). Using the 30-day monthly calendar in use at the time of this prophecy, all three time periods are equal in length. Next, we follow the Biblical guideline that one prophetic day equals a year (Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6). Using the three time periods we find that the saints would be persecuted by the papacy for a period of 1260 literal years. Did this happen? Yes! With the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, the popes became both the religious and civil leaders of Rome. The beginning of papal temporal authority and political power began in 538 AD. The church’s control over the people, along with its atrocities, continued until February 20, 1798 AD. On that day, Napolean’s General Louis-Alexandre Berthier invaded Rome, deposed Pope Pius VI, and took the pope captive. He was imprisoned in France where he died. By capturing the pope, Berthier ended the 1260 years of the temporal power of the papacy. Other popes followed, but their power was now confined to religious and moral matters.
7. Revelation 13:3 tells us that the papal system was “wounded to death” in 1798, but it also says that the “deadly wound was healed.” It continues to heal today, and will rise again to temporal and political power in the near future.
8. “and think to change times and laws” (Daniel 7:25). The Roman Catholic Church changed the day of worship from the seventh-day Sabbath (Saturday) to Sunday, which it says fulfills God’s command to “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8). It claims that it has the authority to do so. The change was not on the authority of God. Jesus challenged the religious leaders for changing what God established. He said, “Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. . . . making the word of God of none effect through your tradition” (Mark 7:9,13). 

• The Roman church also changed God’s commandments by removing the Second Commandment that speaks against the worship of images and the veneration of saints, which is an integral part of Catholic worship. It shortened the fourth commandment from 94 words to eight, and it divided the Tenth Commandment into two commandments. 
• It changed the Biblical concept of the priesthood into a doctrine that claims a priest is an “alter christus - another Christ.
• It changed the services of the Biblical sanctuary (which came to an end at the Cross) into the Catholic Mass with its pagan Roman rites and the heresy called the Eucharist.

9.   “And he shall speak great words against the most High” (Daniel 7:8,11,20,25). The list of blasphemous heresies in the papal system is long. Here are some examples:

• The papacy claims to be God on Earth. In an encyclical letter on June 20, 1894 Pope Leo XIII wrote: “We Hold Upon the Earth the Place of God Almighty.” This encyclical statement has never been reversed.
• The church claims the right and power to forgive sins. Only Jesus can forgive sins.
• The church requires Penance be performed after sins are forgiven. Although it appears to be a followup action to forgiveness, it is an attempt to work for that forgiveness. The Bible says “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). Christ’s sacrifice is sufficient for us.
• The issuing of indulgences to pay for the removal of sins and to receive God’s blessings. Yes, the church still sells indulgences in various forms today!
• The church promotes baptism by the sprinkling of water on an newborn infant’s head to remove its original sin. To sin is a choice and infants have not been charged with sin by God. Sprinkling is contrary to God’s instructions for a person to be baptized by immersion (Matthew 3:16; Romans 6:3,4).
• The church claims the power to bring Jesus down bodily in the communion bread and wine -- the Eucharist.
• After reviewing the Bible descriptions of the character and actions of the Antichrist, it is clear that the little horn power is the papacy. No church or individual fits every point revealed in Scripture. The Roman Catholic Church began its rise to power as the Western Roman Empire collapsed. It adopted Rome’s structure, rites and rituals, compromising God’s truth with paganism.
• The Reformation reformers believed that the pope in their day was the Antichrist, so this is not a new concept. The papacy’s efforts to stop the Reformation movement were successful to a degree. It turned many eyes away from the truth about the papal system. Today, Satan has blinded the eyes of many by taking the identifications of the papacy as the Antichrist and turning them to an imaginary figure in the future. The Antichrist is here now and is slowly increasing in power and influence. A world crisis of some kind is all that is needed for it to step up and regain its former power. Jesus warned of persecutions and killing in the last days. Now we know who is capable of fulfilling His prediction.
• 2 Thessalonians 2:3,4 tells us to "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God."

See also: The Change of the Sabbath to Sunday and The Rapture

For Additional Study go to https://www.amazingfacts.org/study/bible-study-guides/who-is-the-antichrist/

• The millennium is a 1000 year period referred to in the Bible, but the word “millennium” does not appear anywhere in Scripture. The 1000 year period only appears in Revelation 20. There, God has laid out a simple plan, but like so many other corruptions of the truth, it has been made complicated and confusing.
• The Roman Catholic Church teaches that the thousand years is a symbolic period that began at the birth of Jesus and continues until His return. Some Protestants join with them in this belief. In their interpretation, the Catholic Church is still following its counter Reformation plan to distance the papacy from end time prophecies about the real Antichrist.
• Most Evangelical Protestants focus on Christ’s reign during the thousand years. Most believe that He will return and then He will reign on Earth for the thousand years. Other Protestants believe that the world will be evangelized through the preaching of the Gospel during a figurative time period and then Jesus will come. When He does, He will be able to save almost everyone. Interesting, but none of this is Biblical.
• In order to fit the thousand years into the false scenarios of a seven year tribulation and the rise of a mysterious antichrist, and the restoration of the Jewish temple, Protestant Evangelicals have made this a difficult and confusing subject. There are as many opinions as there are scenarios.
• Which one is correct? What does the Bible say?
• Revelation 19  describes the Second Coming of Christ to the Earth. Revelation 19:11-12 says, “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.”
• At His return, both the righteous living and resurrected dead rise to meet Jesus in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:16,17). 
• Revelation 20:1- 3 tells us that, following the return of Christ, Satan will be bound for a thousand years. Since the wicked dead are destroyed by the brightness of Christ when He returns (2 Thessalonians 2:8) and the saints are in Heaven with Jesus, Satan and his demons have no one to tempt or deceive. In this way he is bound. At the end of the thousand years he “must be loosed a little season” (Verse 3).
• In Revelation 20: 4, thrones are set up in Heaven and the judgment of the wicked takes place. Who is doing the judging? The redeemed. “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them. . . . and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” Revelation 20:6 continues, “they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” So, the redeemed are in Heaven during the thousand years in the presence of God, not on Earth. They review Heaven’s books and confirm that the judgments of God are just and fair.
• Revelation 20:5,7,8 state, “But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. . . . And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth.” The nations are the lost who are resurrected to face the judgment of God, which was confirmed by the redeemed in Heaven.
• The Apostle John shares, “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. . . . And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:12,15). Revelation 20:9 says that "fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them."
• SUMMARY: The sequence described in the Bible is clear and simple. Jesus returns. The righteous rise to meet Him in the air. The wicked are destroyed at His return. Satan is left to roam a devastated Earth for a thousand years with no one to tempt or deceive. At this point, God has already completed the judgment. During the thousand years, the redeemed are given the opportunity to confirm that God’s judgments are right and just and to vindicate His character. At the end of the thousand years, the wicked dead are resurrected to face their judgment. When that is complete, the wicked are destroyed." Sin never shows its ugly face again anywhere in the universe (Nahum 1:9).
• After the final destruction of sin, along with those who chose to cling to it, the New Jerusalem comes to Earth. Revelation 21:2,3, tells us that "John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God."

• Like so many other truths that the Roman Catholic Church has corrupted, the belief that we must confess our sins to a priest is not Biblical. It is a misapplication of Bible verses. Human beings have no power or authority from Heaven to forgive sin. Only Jesus can forgive sins.
• Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. He freely offers forgiveness when we repent of our wrongdoing and come to Him and ask for forgiveness. This means that His sacrifice and the shedding of His blood will erase our sin if we are truly repentant.
• When we sin, we come to Jesus for forgiveness, not to a priest. 
• 1 John 1:9 is a powerful promise: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Isn't that a wonderful promise?!!! 

• The greatest of all the heresies enacted by the Roman Catholic Church is the Eucharist and the concept of Transubstantiation. It is called Holy Communion.
• The Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox Churches believe that the bread and wine used in the Mass actually become the physical body and blood of Christ. They believe that Jesus in His divinity bodily enters into the bread and His blood into the wine. This process is called “transubstantiation.”
• According to Catholic Answers, “Jesus is substantially present—body, blood, soul, and divinity—in Holy Communion. People may misunderstand and believe that the Eucharist is only a symbol of the body and blood of Christ. It is much more than that. Catholics often refer to this as the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Think of the Real Presence as the core of what the Eucharist is: in other words, its “substance". . . . In offering the Sacrament of the Eucharist, the substance of bread and wine change into the body and blood of Christ, while the accidents (taste, appearance, etc.) remain unchanged” (https://www.catholic.com/tract/eucharist).
• The concept of the bread and wine becoming the physical Presence of Christ was introduced as early as the 4th Century AD and again in 1215 AD. The Council of Trent in 1551 AD fully adopted this heresy by stating, “Because Christ our Redeemer said that it was truly his body that he was offering under the species of bread, it has always been the conviction of the Church of God, and this holy Council now declares again, that by the consecration of the bread and wine there takes place a change of the whole substance of the bread into the substance of the body of Christ our Lord and of the whole substance of the wine into the substance of his blood. This change the holy Catholic Church has fittingly and properly called transubstantiation" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd edition, 2019, paragraph 1776).
• The Catholic communion bread is called a “host” because the church believes that it is hosting the presence of Christ. The Catholic Mass, where this transubstantiation takes place each day, has it roots in pagan rituals. In these rituals, people would gather to eat the flesh and drink the blood of their gods. This practice dates back to ancient Egyptian religious practices and was common during Greco-Roman period. 
• What is the basis for the church’s teaching? As with so many other false beliefs, the church misinterpreted or misapplied clear Scriptural statements and concepts.
• On the evening before His crucifixion, Jesus shared the Passover meal with His disciples. During the meal, “Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body” (Matthew 26:26). This was a symbolic statement, not a reference to a physical transformation. Jesus previously said, “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst” (John 6:35). During the Sermon on the Mount, He said, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6). Using symbolism, Jesus was saying that if we believe in Him He will satisfy our spiritual hunger and thirst. He is the source of spiritual life.
• Jesus also said, I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (John 6:51). His statement is not about physically eating His flesh. Neither is it suggesting that He would come bodily into the bread. He was saying that the bread was symbolic of His life that would soon be sacrificed on the cross. It is through His death on that cross that we may have eternal life.
• The Bible says that “Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God” (Romans 6:9-10). Although Scripture is clear that Jesus died once for all, during every Catholic Mass performed around the world each day, Jesus is again sacrificed.
• Many Protestant churches that take part in Communion do not accept the concept of transubstantiation. They believe it to be a memorial of the sacrifice and death of Jesus on the cross. The Apostle Paul wrote, “For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come” (1 Corinthians 11:26).
• So why is the belief that the presence of Jesus enters physically into the bread and wine the greatest of all the heresies enacted by the Roman Catholic Church? It is because the church teaches that a mere human priest has the power to command the presence of the Son of God, the Creator of the universe, to come down and enter physically into bread and fermented wine.
• Not only is this practice in opposition to Bible truth, it is pure idolatry. 

• Roman Catholics venerate the saints, and especially Mary. In Catholic theology, she is more than a saint, having a higher standing in Heaven than the other saints. Pictures and images of her are found throughout the world. Statues of Mary adorn churches and cathedrals. They are found in schools, parks, and in the front yards of homes. People bow down before her statues, kiss her feet and offer up prayers to her. The rosary is prayed to her with 50 Hail Mary's and only five Our Father's. The Church has declared that Mary was so holy that she was conceived in the womb of her mother without original sin - the Immaculate Conception.
• The Catholic Church insists that Mary is not worshiped. She is venerated. There is a fine line between worship and veneration. When a person bows down before a statue and prays to the person represented by it, that is idolatry and it is worship. It’s no different than pagans bowing before and praying to Baal or Molech. It’s a violation of the first of God’s Commandments: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3). The Second Commandment clearly says, “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image . . . Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them” (Exodus 20:4,5). The veneration of Mary and the saints is the reason that the Catholic Church removed the Second Commandment.
• Some of the major titles the Catholic Church has given to Mary are: Mother of God, Mother of the Church, the Divine Mother, Blessed Mother, Blessed Mary, Blessed Virgin Mary, Holy Virgin, Most Holy Virgin Mary, Immaculate Conception, and Madonna.
• It wasn’t until the Middle Ages, also known as the Dark Ages, that the veneration of Mary began to enter into Catholic practice. Today, billions of people pray to her. They pray to her for guidance, comfort, protection, salvation, and help in whatever life issues they face. What Catholics don’t realize is that she has never heard any of those prayers.  
• The Bible is clear: “the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward”   Eccl 9:5. "His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish" (Psalm 146:4). "The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence" (Psalm 115:17). Mary and the saints of the Catholic Church are dead, sleeping in their graves until the resurrection when Jesus returns to the Earth. They neither hear nor answer prayers.
• There have been alleged appearances of Mary that led to world-wide attention: Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of Fátima, and Our Lady of Loreto. Since Mary is dead and knows nothing about this, these manifestations were demons assigned to mislead the people and perpetuate the myth of Mary.
• The Bible mentions very little about Mary. She was an ordinary woman, called to an extraordinary mission, to give birth to the Messiah. She was not born without sin. She lived as a human among humans and died the death of a human. Like all the other dead, she knows nothing about any of this. She would probably be horrified if she knew how her name has been used by Satan to distract people from the pure worship of God.

• The Roman Catholic Church claims that the Apostle Peter was the first pope. It claims that a continuous line of popes followed him. This teaching is called apostolic succession or papal succession. Is this true, Biblically and historically? No!
• Peter was not the head of the early Christian Church as claimed by the Roman Catholic Church. He was not the first pope. He was an evangelist, sent out by God to share the Gospel, mainly with the Jewish people.
• Peter had always been outspoken and after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, he spoke out more boldly about Jesus. Acts 4:13 mentions “the boldness of Peter and John.” Although he was outspoken and is mentioned often in the Book of Acts, this does not make him the leader of the early church. In all of his statements and in the miracles Jesus worked through him, Peter was doing the work of an evangelist, an apostle, a “sent out one.”
• The leader of the early church was James, along with a council of elders, referred to as “the brethren.” In Acts 15:13, James addressed the council about sending Paul and Barnabas to preach to the Gentiles. Paul referred to this meeting in Galatians 2:9, where he wrote, “And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.” After Peter was miraculously set free from prison, he went to the house of John Mark. Once inside, he told those gathered there, “Go shew these things unto James, and to the brethren (Acts 12:17). In Acts 21:17,18, we read, “And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present.” It is clear in the Bible that James was the leader of the young church, not Peter
• In the beginnings of the Christian church, people met together in small groups and house churches. These various small groups were each led by a person designated as an elder, overseer, or bishop. Near the end of the 1st Century, church leaders over a city area were called bishop, such as the Bishop of Rome. It wasn’t until the 5th Century that the Bishop of Rome exercised ecclesiastical authority over the Roman Church.
• The Catholic Church claims that Peter was the first Bishop of Rome. Nowhere in Scripture do we find mention of Peter living in Rome. It is merely a tradition with no historical support that Peter held the position of first Bishop of Rome. Near the end of his life, Peter traveled to Rome where he was allegedly put to death by the Emperor Nero. A few of the early church fathers wrote of Peter leading the church in Rome, but that wasn’t until nearly a century after Peter’s death. By then, the church began using Matthew 16:18 as support for its claim that Peter served as the first pope.
• Matthew 16:18 has been falsely applied to Peter. In Verse 16, Jesus asked Peter, “‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered and said,"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church. . . ”
• The important question is this: Was Jesus saying He was going to build the Christian Church on Peter? The answer is No. The Roman Catholic Church abused the context by applying it to Peter and designating him as the "rock" upon which the Church would be built. It wasn’t until four hundred years after Peter’s death that this misinterpretation began to be applied to him.
• Throughout Scripture, Jesus is referred to as the Rock (Deuteronomy 32). In 2 Samuel 22:47, He is called “the rock of my salvation.” In Psalms, God is recorded as the Rock more than a dozen times. In 1 Corinthians 20:4, Paul describes Jesus as “that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.” On the day of Pentecost, Peter calls Jesus “the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.” This refers to the cornerstone on which the church was to be built. In Ephesians 2:20 Paul states that “Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone.” There are many, many more references in the Bible to Jesus being the Rock, the cornerstone on which the Christian Church was built – not Peter.
• The true context in Matthew 16:18 is that the church would be built on Peter’s declaration that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God,” and that He is the foundational Rock of the church.

• Baptism is a public declaration of a changed heart. When a person recognizes his need of a Savior, surrenders his life to Christ, and confesses his sins to Jesus, a public statement of his commitment follows. Baptism symbolizes the washing away of sin, but it’s more than that. 
• The Catholic Church and some Protestant church groups practice the sprinkling or pouring of water on the head of an infant or adult for what they call baptism. The church started baptizing infants in the 2nd and 3rd Centuries. The practice wasn’t fully adopted as a church ritual until the 5th or 6th Centuries. The church claims that babies are guilty of original sin and that their baptism is necessary for salvation. It teaches that while the infant did not choose to sin, nor is it personally guilty, it must be baptized to free it from the inherited sin of Adam and Eve. The Bible nowhere supports this interpretation.
• Early in its history, the Catholic Church practiced baptism by immersion. Churches built up to the 12th Century had baptistries. Many of them can still be seen today. In 1311 AD at the Council of Ravenna, it was declared that pouring water on the head of adults was a suitable substitute for immersion. Convenience became an unscriptural tradition that is still practiced today.
• Does it really matter whether baptism is by immersion or by the pouring of water. Yes! Scripture is clear that baptism is to be by immersion. The word "baptism" means to submerge or dip.
• We have the example of Jesus. Matthew 3:16 tells us that “Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him.” Jesus went into the water and was baptized.
• The people came to John the Baptist “and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins” (Mark 1:5). The people went into the river and were baptized.
• When Philip met with the Ethopian and studied the Scriptures with him, they passed by some water. The man asked what would prevent him from being baptized? Philip replied, “If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest (Acts 8:37). “They went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip (Acts 8:38-39).
• Baptism is more than getting wet in a church ritual. If a person goes into the water of baptism with an unchanged heart, he’ll come out of the water as nothing more than a wet sinner. Baptism is a powerful connection to Christ’s sacrifice for us. 
• Baptism by immersion becomes a personal connection with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. In baptism we are crucified with Christ, die to self, are buried with Jesus by being submerged in the water, and we rise out of the water, resurrected by Him to a new life. The Apostle Paul wrote, “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection. Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin” (Romans 6:3-6).
• The Bible tells us that when a person is baptized, she enters into a new connection with Jesus. Galatians 3:27 says, “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” She enters into a special relationship where she lives her life following the example of Jesus and desires to become like Him. Putting on Christ means putting off the old sinful nature and surrendering self. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new ( 2 Corinthians 5:17).
• Sprinkling or pouring some water on a person’s head misses the meaning of baptism and waters down the personal experience with Jesus.

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