Within the religious community nothing has changed since the Garden of Eden episode in which the church rejected God’s statement of Truth–“Sin and you SHALL surely die”–and embraced Satan’s statement of false truth–“Sin and you shall NOT surely die.” As a result, billions of well-meaning, totally deceived God-seekers have died “knowing” that their next stop would be at the Pearly Gates of heaven where Jesus awaits with a key to their mansion. Sadly, the “truths” noted above are Satan’s lies. Christianity’s “proof” of her oneness with God consists of false faith based on church doctrine and fuzzy feelings based on the belief that if it feels good it must be from God. These false and fuzzy errors have rendered professing Christendom deaf to the voice of God. As a result, the Lord’s question to Adam–“Where are you?”–continues to resonate throughout the Christian world. Adam was spiritually “lost.” He admitted that he was hiding from the Lord. The difference between Adam and the modern church is that Adam realized and accepted his spiritual condition; modern Christianity is oblivious to hers. By disobeying God, Adam and Eve, knowing that they had separated themselves from Him (Isa. 59:2), hid and covered themselves with fig leaves. Modern Adams and Eves neither recognize their lost condition nor attempt to cover their sins from public view. Instead they proclaim their power to defy God’s Word and have not only gotten away with it, but have received eternal life as a reward for doing so. Jesus proclaims judgment upon such Bible rejecters in Matthew 15:8,9 where he condemns those who worship Him in vain by rejecting His Words and obeying the words of men. “Vain” perfectly describes the Truth-rejecting/God-rejecting church (Lk. 10:16). Anyone who refuses to “hear” God’s voice in these two passages is indeed separated from God (Isa. 59:2).

Another statement from the Lord that reveals His attitude toward His Word is found in Revelation 14:6,7. Here we find Him describing His Word as eternal, universal and the basis of judgment for the entire world. In 1 Peter 4:9-11 He tells us that the judgment referred to in Revelation 14 is on-going in His church where His Bible is the only standard for such judgment. Bear in mind that Peter was referring to God’s church, not Institutional Christianity. Even within the true Body of Christ judgment is on-going. Jesus made it clear in Matthew 24:24 that even the “very elect” can be deceived by Satan. That being true, what does this say about Counterfeit Christianity–Catholicism/Protestantism? Why does the Lord require His people to judge themselves? He provided the answer in Matthew 24:24 where He said  that only those who continued to walk in righteousness until the end (of their lives or of the age) would be saved. That walk requires total reliance upon His Holy Word as one’s guide. THERE IS NO RIGHTEOUSNESS OUTSIDE OF GOD’S WORD. THERE IS NO SALVATION OUTSIDE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. Christianity’s reliance on false faith and fuzzy feelings as “proof” of her salvation has taken her through Satan’s wide gate and along his broad way that leads to destruction (Mat. 7:13,14). God’s people base their “walk” on His Word–His road map–that leads to His Father’s kingdom. God’s attitude toward His Word is unwavering. Should we not have the same attitude?

Amos 3:7: God does not keep His ways and plans a secret. Those who know Him and are known by Him know by His Words spoken through the Prophet Amos that He does NOTHING unless He first tells His messengers. In 2 Peter 1:20,21 He tells those with eyes to see and ears to hear that His prophets and apostles record what He spoke (and speaks) to them, much of which concerned (concerns) the future. Prophecy consists of knowing and proclaiming what God will do in the future. Through the Apostle Peter God declared that no man can interpret His Words, but that holy men heard His Words, then spoke and recorded them under the power of the Holy Spirit. Nothing has changed. God still speaks through His obedient servants.

In chapter 2 verses 1,2 He warned that false prophets within the church would preach and teach “damnable heresies” and thereby deny the One Who died for them. Sadly, He added, many church people would believe and follow those who speak evil of the ways of God. Note it: to deny His Word is to deny Him. Today such evil speaking is called church doctrine which has been formulated by evil men who, seeking a following, tell people what they want to hear. As a result the Counterfeit Church bases her eternity on false faith founded on their (false prophets’) heatheanistic doctrines and fuzzy feelings produced by their heathenistic fantasies concerning the future. God’s true saints believe John 20:21 where we are assured that the Words of God were written so that we can believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that BY BELIEVING (WHAT WAS WRITTEN) WE CAN OBTAIN ETERNAL LIFE THROUGH HIS NAME. Through the Apostle James God proclaimed that faith without works is dead faith (2:14,17,20). WE CAN HAVE ETERNAL LIFE ONLY BY BELIEVING (AND OBEYING–WORKING) THE HOLY BIBLE. L.J.