The Apostle Paul tells us that, prior to his conversion, he had been the leader of his Pharisaic brethren in the zeal toward the “traditions of the fathers” (Gal. 1:14). It was only after meeting Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus that he realized that, though he had “known” throughout his adult life that he was spiritually “alive” and walking in the will of God, he had actually been spiritually dead and was the servant of Satan. It was only after receiving God’s Law that he realized that he was a sinner. Until that time he was “alive.” But “then the Law came, and I died” (Rom. 7:9). He realized that, because he had disobeyed God’s Law, he was a sinner. And knowing that sin brought spiritual death, and that in order not to remain dead he had to obey God’s Law. His problem had been that, not knowing the Law, he did not know God’s definition of sin–the same problem suffered by the Institutional Church today. The Apostle John solves that problem for the New Testament Church. While writing under the power and direction of the Holy Spirit he wrote: “TO TRANSGRESS THE LAW IS SIN; FOR SIN IS THE TRANSGRESSION OF THE LAW” (1 Jn. 3:4).

Upon being confronted with God’s Law, Paul realized that he was spiritually dead. He spent the rest of his life warning others not to repeat his deadly mistake by disobeying the Lord’s “holy, just and good” Law (Rom. 7:12). It was at the point of receiving God’s Truth that Paul realized that he had been living a lie. He had been obeying the religious traditions that had been handed down from generation to generation. This is the soul-destroying spiritual disease which, for approximately 1700 years, has been secretly destroying salvation seekers whose leaders have substituted man-made church doctrines (traditions) for God’s Law.

Having been born into an uber-religious family, I was the recipient of such generational error that is Biblically known as “HEATHENISM.” Several times in the Holy Bible God warns us to: “Learn not the ways of the heathen for they are an abomination unto Me.” Over the years that I have been writing on this website and speaking on Youtube I have periodically spoken and written about the heathenization of the church. Though I no longer teach on Youtube, my teachings can still be seen and heard at www.proveallthingsofgod.com.

I periodically write about the numerous heathen beliefs and practices which the church “knows” to be of the Lord. I repeat these deadly errors in order to remind readers of the control Satan exercises over professing Christendom. Because the church clings to his “truths” and refuses to hear God’s Truth, I occasionally remind readers to follow God’s command found in Second Corinthians 6:14-7:1. Read that passage with care and obey God’s orders. In this series we will examine a number of Satanic (heathen) teachings (traditions of the church fathers) that are believed to come straight from the heart of God. Let us begin.

THE RAPTURE: In 1830 an Irish woman named Margaret McDonald had a dream in which all Catholic people were taken to heaven just before the Great Tribulation began. Believing the dream was a truth sent to her from God, she shared it with her priest who, agreeing with her, preached it as a message from the Lord. In short order it became a God-ordained, undeniable fact that spread throughout the Catholic Church like wild fire. Such good news could not be contained. Before long it had infected the Protestant Church system. Today the so-called “rapture” is a universally-proclaimed “truth”–a “thus saith the Lord” fact. Read about it in detail using the key word–Rapture.

ORIGINAL SIN: During the latter part of the 4th century in a North African region called Hippo a viral disease was killing small children at a rapid rate. Their parents, believing that water baptism was necessary for entrance to heaven, began to pressure their local Catholic priest, named Augustine, to baptize their children soon after they were born. Knowing that baptism represented the removal of sin, and that sin was the breaking of God’s Law, and that the children had not broken the Law, Constantine did not see the need to baptize them. However, being under intense pressure to do so, he agreed to baptize all young children under his authority. However, he had to formulate a rationale that church elders would accept. His solution to the problem was to declare that all people were sinners at birth due to Adam’s sin which was miraculously transferred to his descendants, which included all of mankind. In short order the theory caught on and was soon being preached as “Gospel truth” throughout both Catholic and Protestant churches. What made the lie so easy to believe was that Adam’s sin transferal enabled church people to sin and get away with it. Because sin was “natural” it was beyond their control. One could not be responsible for something he/she could not control. Read more about this error using the key word–Original. It is from this Satanic church “truth” that so-called “sinners saved by grace” emerged.

THE TRINITY: Following Roman Emperor Constantine’s edict making Catholicism the state religion for the Roman Empire, the people of the nations the empire conquered were forced into the Catholic Church. Some of these people worshiped a god having three heads. In order to placate those people the church embraced their god, but with a slight change. In the Catholic version there were three separate, and united gods which came to be known as the “Trinity.” Originally, the “three in one” trio consisted of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. After undergoing a series of changes the church eventually settled on the Father, the Son and The Holy Spirit.

LIFE AFTER DEATH: A popular belief found among the world’s pagans was that, immediately following death, the deceased entered either a paradise or a fiery pit, depending on his/her obedience to the god his/her people observed. Once introduced to the church, this theory quickly became “Bible Truth.” This in spite of the fact that the dead are buried and that ends it. The whole of professing Christendom rejects the Lord’s clear teaching that the dead go to the grave where they will remain until the return of Jesus Christ. Until that time the dead are unaware of anything that is going on in the universe. They are dead. Period. Read Life After Death: What, When, Where? Key word–After. L.J.