In the previous posting I noted what God said about DOING and KEEPING His Word. In order to do and keep it one must KNOW it. His command to know, do and keep His Word is not new. Nor is religious man’s reaction to the commands He voiced and wrote through His prophet Ezekiel. In chapter 33 He warns about hearing and knowing but not doing what one hears and knows. In this chapter He described what was happening among the people of Israel as well as what is happening in the world’s so-called “church” today. In verse 7 He begins by telling Ezekiel to “… warn them from Me.” Ezekiel, as does all of God’s true watchmen, studies God’s Truth, listens to His Truth, then speaks that Truth to all. God holds as bloodguilty the minister who fails to do so (vs. 8). Verses 10,11 show that those to whom the minister speaks are steeped in sin. The Lord cries out to them: “As I live … I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked TURN FROM HIS WAY AND LIVE. Turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel” (today’s church–the Israel of God)? Through Ezekiel and today’s ministers God is issuing His call to the church to believe and obey Him. But the Bible-rejecting Counterfeit Church believes herself to be right. As the Apostle James (1:22) noted, she is deceiving herself, believing that her uber-churchivity makes her right with the Lord. Ezekiel zeroes in on the problem in verse 30 where he notes that religious people actually UPHOLD AND EXALT GOD’S MESSAGE WHILE REJECTING IT! They tell other people to hear that Word, saying: “Come, I pray you, and HEAR WHAT IS THE WORD THAT COMETH FORTH FROM THE LORD.” They know that the Bible is God’s Word and encourage others to come with them to hear it, making themselves feel righteous in the process. But as God points out in verse 31, they are deceiving themselves: “And they come unto thee (Ezekiel) … and sit before thee AS MY PEOPLE and HEAR THY (MY) WORDS, but THEY WILL NOT DO THEM; FOR WITH THEIR MOUTH THEY SHOW MUCH LOVE, BUT THEIR HEART GOETH AFTER COVETOUSNESS (self-direction).” They talk much about God, Jesus and Their Word, but then refuse to believe it and obey it, choosing rather the “ways of man.” God continues His condemnation of Truth-rejecters in verse 32: “And lo, thou (watchman) art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice … for THEY HEAR THY WORDS BUT THEY DO NOT DO THEM.” Satan has convinced members of the Counterfeit Church that hearing, believing, bearing witness to God’s Word makes them one with the Authors of that Word. As James said, they deceive themselves.

For this reason each of us must continually examine ourselves, working out our own salvation with fear and trembling by comparing our walk with that of Christ. Jesus Christ is the Truth; the Bible is the Truth about the Truth. Christ’s walk must be our walk, His purity our purity, His life our life if we are to qualify for eternal life. “At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast REVEALED THEM UNTO BABES” (MAT. 11:25). He went on to say that “No man knoweth the Son but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him” (vs 27). The Lord’s revelations come only to those who obey His Word. Lack of revelation has caused the Institutional Church to remain on the religious breast (Heb. 5:12,13), dying spiritually for lack of “strong meat.” Only those who have been weaned from the breast (elementary teachings) can be taught true knowledge from God (Isa. 28:9, 10,13). The “church” is being fed milk disguised as meat. See Bait and Switch. Like a child that receives only milk will die, the milk-preferring church is dead.

Today, as in Jesus’ day, many people follow Him, worship Him, hear Him and call Him their “Lord.” These people assume that they are His true disciples. But hear what He says to them: “Why call ye Me Lord, Lord and DO NOT THE THINGS I SAY?” (Lk. 6:46). Like their ancient counterparts, they deceive themselves, convinced that their religiosity has saved them. In Luke 47,48 Jesus describes the man who hears and DOES His Words as one who builds his spiritual house on a Rock. In verse 49 He describes the man who hears and DOES NOT DO His Words as one who builds his house on sand. Verse 49 describes the final outcome of that foolish man. The five foolish virgins suffer the same fate for the same general reason.

The lesson taught by the aforementioned Scriptures is plain–hear, learn, believe and do God’s Word. Only those who follow His commands will spend eternity with Him. God’s message to those who have chosen to believe Him–come out of Satan’s religious system and live. For those who prefer Satan’s version of Christianity (Catholicism/Protestantism)–go back to church.