JESUS CHRIST OF THE BIBLE (2)

Most traditional churches believe that Jesus Christ was in the grave from Friday to Sunday - celebrated by Good Friday and Easter Monday. But in truth, He was in the grave from Wednesday to Saturday when He arose on a Sabbath day - a full three days and three nights in the grave! As Jesus said that no sign will be given except the sign of Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights (Jonah 1:17) so shall the Son of Man be  (Matt 12: 39-40) - nothing more and nothing less.

Jesus Christ was the WORD made flesh upon His incarnation as a Human Being. He was with God the Father right from the beginning (John 1: 1-2) and was the SpokesPerson of the Old Testament in the encounters with Moses. After His incarnation, the WORD became known as Jesus Christ, a Man born of the virgin Mary. Jesus always spoke and expressed the truth and will of God the Father. The truth and will of God are expressed in the Bible (The WORD in written form), the Laws of God and the gospel of the kingdom of God which Christ was commissioned to preach ('I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent ' -Luke 43).  Most preachers ignored the gospel and preach only the Person of Christ, mistaken that the kingdom of God is the church or the gospel about Christ (different from the gospel of Christ that the Lord preached) - but they are all separate and distinct (See Acts 8:12, Acts 28:31). A true minister of Christ must preach the full gospel or none at all.

The question as to why Jesus was delivered to the Romans to be executed is not fully understood by most Bible teachers. Most taught that the Jews do not have the mandate to put any of their own to death, citing John 18:31, 'It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death' . However, in practice, they do have the power to authorise capital punishment except where it involved treason or sedition against the Roman government. Stephen was accused of blasphemy and was stoned to death by the Jews (Acts 7:59-60), there is no mention of Roman government involvement in that case. On several occasions, the chief priests and scribes attempted to kill the Lord Jesus (Mark 11:18; Luke 19:47) and even the Jews (John 10:31), with or without approval from the Roman authority.

Although accused of blasphemy by the high priests, the religious leaders conspired to finish off Jesus through false charges of treason - by leaving the unpleasant task of execution to Pontius Pilate.  They were all mistaken into believing that Jesus was going to set up the kingdom of God there and then in His first advent. That would threaten their own authority among the Jews with tacit support from the Roman government. Fast forward two thousand years later, the church is still mistaken that Christ had already set up the kingdom of God when He first came - in the church and the through preaching the gospel of grace! The truth is the kingdom of God has yet to be established, but will only be when He returns (Rev 11:15).

It is a fact that the Lord Jesus Christ came to die for the sins of mankind and accepting Him as Saviour will give the hope of eternal life after resurrection. But this hope of eternal life will be realised only after His Second Coming, not anytime before. All who are dead, both believers and unbelievers, are sleeping in the grave, and not in heaven (John 3:13) or roasting in hell (Proverbs 30:4) as many Christians believe. Acts 2: 29 and 34 state unequivocally us that not even David - a man after God's own heart - has gone to heaven but is in the grave. Hebrews 11:13 further confirms that even the founding fathers of the Old Testament times have all died in faith, yet to receive their promise of eternal life! The Apostle Paul in Romans 8:19 states, 'the creation eagerly awaits for the revealing of the sons of God' - all those who are called and chosen as members of the Divine Family will be in the first resurrection when Christ returns.

The rest of all humanity who have ever lived will be resurrected as reconstituted flesh and blood mortals in the second resurrection towards the end of the millennium age and be given all the truth to accept Christ as Saviour. Those who refused will be annihilated in the lake of fire. All who received forgiveness and salvation though the shed Blood of Christ (Acts 4:12) will be given immortal life in the kingdom of God. Christ and His chosen saints will rule the earth and then the universe for all of eternity. All these and more are clearly stated in God's Plan of Salvation for mankind through the seven Holy Days' festivals found in Leviticus 23. These are God's universal truth meant for all mankind regardless of race, background or when they lived. But only a small group will have the faith to believe the WORD at face value and will be greatly rewarded.

JESUS CHRIST OF THE BIBLE (I)

Millions of people are celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ the world over every Christmas season. But sadly, few understand Who is He and what is the purpose of His ministry on earth and why is He coming again. Millions and perhaps billions down the centuries taught they know better, since the message of Christmas is well publicised and rooted in the festive season of merry-making, celebration and commerce. However, the true Jesus Christ of the Bible is far different from 'another Jesus' that the Apostle Paul spoke of in 2 Corinthians 11:4.

To begin with, Jesus was certainly not born on December 25 as the story weaved it out to be. Luke 2:8 tells us that there were shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night when Christ was born. Since it is winter season in December, both sheep and shepherd could not  be out in the field as it is rainy and cold. The likely explanation is that in the Roman world, December 25 is a time of merrymaking to celebrate the idolatrous pagan festival Saturnalia with exchanges of gifts and presents.

From a young age, Jesus was well acquainted with the Law of God - the commandments, statutes, precepts and judgments. He kept the Holy Days of God while He walked the earth. After all, as the Rock of the Old Testament (1 Cor 10:4), it was Jesus Christ who delivered the Ten Commandments to Israel atop Mount Sinai. As God of the Old Testament (John 1:1-3), Christ knew and understood the customs and traditions of the Jews very well.

Movies and paintings portray Jesus Christ as an effiminate Guy with long hair, as theologians mistaken Him to be a Nazarite sworn with Nazarite vows. But nowhere in Scriptures is mentioned that Christ had sworn such vows, otherwise He would not have drank wine and touched any dead body as that would be forbidden and considered unclean. If Jesus Christ had worn long hair, that would have gone against the customs of His times as man of those days kept their hair short. Scriptures teach that Christ escaped His enemies several times by merging with the crowd, and if He had kept long hair that would distinguish Him like a sore thumb. Besides, the Apostle Paul advised against keeping long hair for men (1 Cor 11:14) as it is a dishonour to do so. Certainly, such a distorted image of Christ falls squarely against the teachings of the Bible!

During the first centuries B.C and A.D., the Jews were very much oppressed by the Roman occupation in paying of taxes (up to 40 percent of their crop produce) in addition to the tithe (10 percent) for the Temple. In such harsh conditions, many were hopeful of the Messiah to come and deliver them from oppression of the Roman authorities. Many had been deceived by self-proclaimed false christ during those times, but only few truly believed Jesus Christ as the true Messiah as prophesied and sent by God the Father.

The Jews of the times of Christ could not accept Him as their Messiah because they misunderstood Scripture. They thought that their Messiah would come in pomp and glory to demolish the Roman Empire and set them free from bondage and establish an eternal kingdom based on various Old Testament prophecies. But man's ways are not God's ways (Isaiah 55:8). God sent Christ to proclaim the Gospel of the kingdom and to die for the sins of man, so that man can be reconciled back to God. Christ's first advent was to qualify to rule the kingdom of God upon His return when He overcome the temptations of Satan in the wilderness. Because Christ was obedient to the Father's will, He was granted the right to rule in the coming kingdom - the divine government that will bring justice and peace to the whole world. That has yet to happen - the Jews missed the mark and so do millions of Christians in Christendom today!

The Roman authorities felt threatened, and so do the Jewish religious leaders in the days of Christ because they were fearful that their own standing among the Jews and hence their jobs as civil servants of the Roman Empire would be undermined.  They inderstood that Christ was preaching the Gospel of the kingdom - the divine government that will replace all human governments - but they misundersood the exact timing. The religious leaders mistakenly thought that the kingdom of God would come in Christ's time on earth. Even Christ's own disciples got the timing wrong right up to the time of His ascension, when they asked Him, 'Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?' (Acts 1:6).

It is God the Father,  and not Christ Who called each and every one of His children to repentance (John 6:44,65) and lead the Christian way of life so as to be born into God's kingdom at the first resurrection (happen at Christ's Second Coming). And to be born into the kingdom of God - His divine Family - one must live according to the laws governing the kingdom of God. The teaching of the Sermon on the Mount is the epitome of the laws and principles governing the kingdom. What the millions in Christendom believe and practise today are mostly contrary to Scripture, being deceived into believing that the Old Testament has been done away with as 'Christ had nailed it to the cross' -and that those teachings are only for the Jews. As foretold by Christ and the Apostle Paul, most will simply miss it all!

GOD'S HOLY DAYS (2)

The first three festivals represent the personal responses to the workings of those whom God has called and chosen. But the Feast of Trumpets heralds the start of God's intervention in the affairs of mankind on a global basis.  The Feast of Trumpets typifies the Second Coming of Christ Who will return to earth to establish the kingdom of God. Revelation reveals the sequence of events leading to His return in a series of seven trumpet blasts. The sounding of the last trumpet blast by the seventh angel culminates the establishment of the kingdom of God (Rev 11:15).

The establishment of God's kingdom on earth is the consummation of the blessed hope prophesied by the prophets of the Old Testament (Isaiah 9: 6-7; Daniel 2:44, 7:18,22, 27) and reinforced by His disciples in the New Testament (Acts 1:6). This Feast speaks of the Messiah (Jesus Christ) coming to rule as a King with authority and power. Christ on His first advent had clearly differentiated between His first and second coming (John 18:36-37). The Lord had emphasised the importance of spreading the gospel - the good news of the coming kingdom of God - instead of focusing on when it will happen (Acts 1:6-8).

The Feast of Trumpets also signals a resurrection of the dead. "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first  (1 Thess 4:16) -  and this is followed immediately by the people of God who are alive at that time (verse 17). Scriptures call this 'the first resurrection' - Rev 20:5, which is also known as  'a better resurrection' - Heb11:35. When Christ returns to establish His millennial kingdom on earth, there will be perfect government, peace, prosperity and an abundant way of life like never before.

While the Passover symbolises the shedding of Christ's blood for the atoning for our past sins, The Day of Atonement typifies the reconciliation of God and all of humanity. The difference between the two is that the Passover is applicable to those whom God has called, The Day of Atonement  carries universal application to all of mankind. Moreover, it signals the removal of the main instigator of sin - Satan himself will be incarcerated for a thousand years during the milliennial rule of Christ (Rev 20: 2-3).

The Day of Atonement is looking forward to the time when mankind will no longer be under the deception and influence of Satan and his demons. The sending away of the 'scapegoat' into the wilderness  (Leviticus 16: 21-22) is a typology of the removal of the sins of the people and placing it upon the evil spirits to whom it belongs. Since spirit beings cannot be annihilated, Satan and the demons will probably be cast into the outer corner of the universe where there is blackness of darkness forever and devoid of anything good (Jude 12-13) - an existence far worse than death!

The next Holy Day in God's Master Plan for mankind is the Feast of Tabernacles. The Apostle Peter spoke of the times of refreshing and the times of restoration of all things (Acts 3:19-21) on the day of Pentecost. But what exactly do these mean?  The times of refreshing refers to the banishment of Satan depicted by the Day of Atonement and the times of restoration of all things refers to the return of Christ's reign on earth when He comes symbolises by the Feast of Tabernacles. Together with the sons of God being born again as immortal spirit beings into the Divine Family, they will begin the restoration of planet earth and all the value systems of this world (Satan inspired) being replaced with God's laws and righteousness. That is the good news for the future of the new Jerusalem and new earth will be as paradise.

The prophet Isaiah prophesied not just of Christ's birth and His earthly ministry (Isaiah 9: 6-7), but also His return in power and glory (Isaiah 66:15-16). The Feast of Tabernacles is also a reflection of the rest symbolises by the weekly Sabbath (Hebrews 4:1-11). It celebrates the great harvest to come for all of humanity when they will all know Christ and the ways of God the Father. One of the restoration processes is to reverse the effect of sins, when the blind will see, the deaf will hear, the lame will leap and the deaf will hear (Isaiah 35:5-6) without the need of medicine and surgery. Even the nature of the animal kingdom will be changed as they live in harmony with each other (Isaiah 11:6-7).

The purpose of the millennial rule of Christ is to bring the multitudes into the kingdom of God with the help of kings and priests who are called during the church age (Rev 5:10). They will be given power over the nations (Rev 2:26). Since it is God's desire that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 2:4), the Lord Christ explains how this will come to pass. In John 7: 37-38, Christ mentioned on the Last Great Day (the eighth day - Lev 23:39) that all who thirst will receive the power of the Holy Spirit, a symbolism that the Holy Spirit will be poured out upon all flesh (Joel 2:28) - but this has not fully taken place in the church age. Billions  of people who have died without their spiritual needs being met will be resurrected (John 5:28-29; Acts 24:15) to have the opportunity to learn God's truth and be refreshed after Christ's return.

GOD'S HOLY DAYS (1)

God' s holy days are specific commandmants for all man to keep, whether Jews or Gentiles. These holy days are spelt out in Levitius 23 but man change it to holidays. As such millions are celebrating man-made holidays without knowing and understanding their origins in the mistaken belief that they are worshipping and honouring God. But nothing is further from the truth - they are actually worshipping and honouring God in vain - 'And in vain they worship Me,  teaching as doctrines the commandments of men' (Mark 7:7).

The prophet Daniel prophesied in 7:25 that a 'ten-horn' kingdom would change the times and law of God - a direct reference to a revivied Roman Empire now forming in Europe. The current Eurozone turmoil bear testimony to what is forming and going to happen as prophesied in Scriptures. The fourth commandment on Sabbath keeping was and still is on the seventh day (Saturday) and never on Sunday. Similarly, Christmas and Easter were never God's holy days to keep, but Christianized by churches, theologians and preachers in collaboration with businessmen of the world for merry-making and profits.

Such pagan holidays as Christmas (Saturnalia), Easter (festival of Ishtar), New Year and Halloween are variations of sun and idol worship and are condemned in the Old Testament as idolatry. They were practised by the Romans and the Greeks long before the first advent of Christ. Many have misunderstood the true meaning of Colossian 2:16-17 - what it actually meant is that only the true Church (body of Christ) can decide on what is the sabbath (which is Saturday) as determined in Exodus 20:8-11 and God's holy days as determined in Leviticus 23. Such important commandments should not be determined by men.

God's seven annual Holy Days are also called Feasts or Sabbaths. Each of the seven Holy Days is a typology of the Master Plan of God the Father for mankind, which many theologians wrongly assumed it is only for the Jews. Four times in Leviticus 23, God states that His Feasts are a statute forever (14, 21, 31, 41) to be celebrated as the promise of hope for all mankind. The first is the Passover (Lev 23:5; 1 Cor 5:7) which Paul instructed the church to keep the feast (1 Cor 5:8), although the mode is changed but the spirit of it should be intact. The Passover denotes God's plan for His chosen people (Israelites ) to be free from slavery in Egypt. The church is the modern equivalent as a people called out from the systems and values of the world. The Passover feast was observed by Christ, His apostles and the church of the New Testament (Matt 26:2, 17-19; Mark 14: 12-16; Luke 2: 41-42, 22:1, 7-20; John 2: 13, 23, 6:4, 13:1-30; 1 Cor 11: 23-29). Paul and the other apostles consistently taught that all Christians are to follow the example of Christ (1 John 2:6).

This is followed by the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Lev 23: 6-8; Acts 20:6), the lesson of leaving sin behind in our life after the cleansing Blood of Christ. It is also known as the Days of Unleavened Bread (Acts 12:3). When the Israelites fled Egypt ( a type of  'former sinful life' ), they ate unleavened bread for seven days (Exodus 12:15). Jesus kept this Feast of Unleavened Bread as a child (Luke 2:41) and as an adult (Matt 26:17).  The celebration is a remembrance that God delivers us from our sin and eternal death. Our observance of the Feast is to remind ourselves of Christ's help in delivering us and helping us overcome sin through the indwelling Holy Spirit in our life.

God reminded His people how they harvested their crops is how He is going to harvest people for His kingdom. The next festival, The Feast of Pentecost ( Lev 23: 15-22; Acts 20:16 - also known as Feast of Harvest  in Exodus 23:16) represents the firstfruits (the church - James 1:18)) gathered at the spring harvest in ancient Israel. The gift of Pentecost is the Holy Spirit signified by the speaking in various languages, with the people of different language group hearing the speech of the disiples in each of their own native language as if different interpreters were present, but there were none except God's Holy Spirit. Because of human weaknesses and frailty, all believers would need the help of the Holy Spirit to live a life pleasing to God. Jesus Christ is the firstborn among many brethren (Rom 8: 29) and the church is the firstfruits (James 1:18) - which means that subsequent fruits will come after Christ's return (Acts 15:17).

THE THREE RESURRECTIONS

The Bible is clear on the resurrection of the dead. But not all humans who have ever lived will be resurrected at the same time . For there is an order of the resurrection, as the Apostle Paul states in 1 Cor 15:22-23, ' For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming'. Those who are Christ's - meaning those true disciples who have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit  (Rom 8:11) - will be in the First Resurrection (Rev 20:5) as the firstfruits of the salvation. The rest of humanity will have to await the Second Resurrection towards the end of the Millennial Age - 'But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished (Rev 20:5)'.

The Apostle Paul describes the First Resurrection clearly in 1 Cor 15:51-53 thus, ' Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed - in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.' Those raised at the First Resurrection will reign with Christ for a thousand years (Rev 20:5-6). Those in the First Resurrection will never die again - they are born again as spirit beings and immortal (Rev 20:6)! This is a 'better resurrection (Hebrews 11:35) as they will bear the likeness of Christ (1 John 3:2), the image of the heavenly Man (1 Cor 15:48).

The rest of the dead (Rev 20:5) are all who died but never truly knowing Christ (though many claimed otherwise  -Matthew 7:21-23) including all those who rejected Him as their personal Saviour are two different groups of people facing different destinies. Those who never rejected Christ but yet do not have the real truth will be offered salvation at the second resurrection at the great white throne judgement recorded in Revelation 20: 11-12. The prophet Ezekiel prophesied of all the dead Israelites coming back to life as their graves were opened to become flesh and blood human beings again (Ezekiel 37:1-10). A merciful God will not allowed any to perish without first letting them know the truth.

Millions wrongly assume the Great White Throne Judgment as condemnation for all mankind who never knew Christ. But this is inconsistent with Christ's teaching in Matthew chapter 11. Jesus clearly teaches that all who are in the graves (all the dead) will hear His voice (John 5:28). Christ warns in Matthew 11:21-22, 'Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.'  What Christ is teaching here is about a future judgment when people of His day and age will be judge alongside those who lived centuries earlier.  And all these people will be judged according to their works. They will given ample opportunities to repent of their sins and receive salvation after the second resurrection!

Going down in Matthew 11:23-24 , Christ was comparing Capernaun and Sodom. Even though the people of Sodom sinned greatly some 2,000 years before the time of Christ, they would had repented had Christ done a similar work among them as He did to Capernaum! But all will be given opportunity to repent after the judgment by Christ and offered salvation for those willing to truly repent of their sins as the blood of Christ is available for all people of all ages. Even more astonishing teaching came from Christ in Matthew 12:41 where Christ states that the men of Ninevah will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented in the preaching of Jonah and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. Similarly, the queen of the South (Queen of Sheba)  too will be resurrected in a future judgment to condemn the state of unbelief during the times of Christ, when that generation lived some one thousand years earlier than the times of Christ (Matt 12:42). Since there is no indication that the queen was saved, she could not have arisen to condem the spiritual state of another age during the time of judgment if she is 'burning in hell'.

Paul affirmed the similar truth in Romans 11:26 when he states that the whole house of Israel will be saved . How can this be since most are non believers and were already dead long time ago? For there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just (first resurrection) and the unjust (second resurrection)- Acts 24:15. Why is this so? Because blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles has all come in - Rom 11: 25. God's MasterPlan has a timeline for everything under the sun, but only those who are called fully understand the truth (Proverbs 25:2; Matt 13:11).

A perfect and merciful God has to be just. Those who knowingly and wilfully defy God will be judged in the final and third resurrection for which there is no possibility of resurrection - the second death - in the lake of fire (Rev 20:14-15). The wages of sin is death and not eternal life in hell. God in His mercy will annihilate them in the lake of fire (Malachi 4:1) as if they have never been born, to put an end to their misery.

WHY ALL THE HUMAN SUFFERINGS?

The issue of human sufferings has been debated for millennia and will continue so till Christ returns to set up the kingdom of God on earth. As long as life exists on earth, sufferings in whatever form looks set to continue and will get increasingly worse as this church age draws to a close. The problem of sin is real, but most have no clue what sin or sins are involved that cause all the tragedies, with many incidents befalling on innocent lives. However tragic these sufferings were and are, a time is coming when all the sufferings will be history, and that is the good news the world is ignorant about.

Everyday, newswire is flooded with events of disaster and seemingly hopelessness of one kind after another. Diseases, natural disasters like volcanic eruption, tsunami, flooding, drought, poverty, conflicts and wars within and without borders  are happening at double quick time all over the world. The governments and power that be are powerless to address these problems, and will never be able to do so. The big question in the minds of most believers is why isn't God doing something, if He is omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient as the Bible claims Him to be so.

While it is true that sin can bring sufferings, it is not the only cause of it. In fact, many innocent people suffer tremendously in this life and died without knowing why. But all the sufferings in this world is not in vain and certainly not without God's knowledge. God is not intervening to prevent it from happening because suffering is part of God's Master Plan for mankind to develop character of Christ-likeness. In Galatians 5:22, longsuffering  - which is to suffer long - is mentioned as one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. One of the reasons Christ suffered was so that He could learn obedience to God the Father (Hebrews 5:8).

I remembered as a kid watching the workers from my dad's hardware shop hammering out a piece of molten red hot iron into the desired shape they intended to form. My dad told me that the more times the malleable red hot iron is cooled in cold water after each shaping, the harder the tool implement will turn out to be. Such lessons on character formation and development had left an indelible mark on me. Little did I know then, that whatever I had seen and experienced as a child have great implications and applications for Christian living later on in my life!

Those who are called in this church age will suffer trials and tribulations in order to qualify as sons  of God to rule and reign with Christ in His coming kingdom (Acts:14:22; 2 Tim 2: 12). All others who are not called in this church age suffer as a consequences of sin of this fallen world whom Satan is currently in control (2 Cor 4:4).  Sometimes, good people faced tragedy or disaster simply because they were at the wrong place at the wrong time. They may have done nothing sinful or evil to cause their death.

The Good News of the Gospel of the kingdom of God is that when Christ returns to establish the kingdom of God on earth, there will be peace and prosperity on all the earth. War and suffering will be history and all peoples on earth will learn the ways of God (Isaiah 2; 2-4). Even the animal kingdom will be reconciled to one another (Isa 11: 6-8), for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea (v9). But till then, things will get worse before it gets better as the world marches towards the Great Tribulation with cataclysmic events of sufferings such as it had never seen or experienced!

The world has to undergo sufferings so that mortal humans will learn the lessons  of sins and disobedience to God's holy laws. Those who eventually learned and accept God's ways in exchange for lasting character will be born again into spirit being of immortality in the world to come and into eternity. They have great work ahead to develop the whole of the universe! All these are part of God's Master Plan for man in this present mortal life to be made perfect through sufferings (Hebrews 2:10). Those who are not called in this present church age will have the opportunity to learn the whole truth come the millennial age.

THE GREAT COMMISSION

The world's churches are divided as to what is the Great Commission, some think it is to spread the gospel of salvation through the cleansing Blood of Jesus Christ. as their Lord and Saviour. For others it is to make disciples of Christ. Yet some churches feel that mercy relief and good works is the way to reach the world for Jesus Christ. While many will disagree on the focus, most agree that they are doing the will of God by bringing many into the kingdom of God. Sincere as they all are, none of these is the Great Commission commanded by Christ for the true church of God!

God will only use the church that truly understand, teach and obey all His truth to do His work under His government, with Christ as the Head of the Church. All those who are not led by His Holy Spirit fall outside His inner court are doing all kinds of "church work" on their own efforts - without His presence! The spirit of error (1 John 4:6) has entered all kinds of churches. God is doing a short work (Romans 9:28a) through those whom He has called in these last days to warn His people of the coming Great Tribulation (Matt 24:21).

Christ prophesied that "This gospel of the kingdom of God (also called kingdom of heaven - not kingdom in heaven) will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations and then the end will come (Matt 24:14)". The gospel of the kingdom of God is NOT the gospel of salvation as Christ has not walked the road to calvary then. In fact, one of the purposes for His first advent was to preach the gospel of the kingdom of God (Luke 4:43) and to establish the church to continue His work after His ascent to heaven. Christ commissioned His disciples to do likewise (Matt 10:7; Luke 9:2). Even after His death and resurrection, the Apostles Philip and Paul preached the gospel of the kingdom of God, clearly showing that the Person of Christ is different from the kingdom of God (Acts 8:12; 28:31). Many wrongly assume that the kingdom of God is synonymous with the gospel of grace, the church or the Person of Christ.

The kingdom of God refers to the government of God, with God the Father as the Head of the divine Family and Christ as the Head of the church. As disciples of Christ, we are called to continue His work of preaching the gospel of the coming government of God on earth. But most traditional churches are calling the followers to be busy doing everything else except preaching the very gospel Christ's disciples are called to do. Such disobedience will automatically disqualify them from being members of the true church which Christ is heading. If Christ is not leading them, they are none of His (Romans 8:9). Whatever they may say or do, they are not members of His body but assume they are. Hence, the proliferation of splinter groups, confusion and disagreement over theology and even apostasy within the Christian fraternity

Not only are the churches not feeding the flock with the truth as commanded by Christ (1 Pet 5:2) , they are confusing many with erroneous teachings and weird practices not found in Scriptures but contorted by men. King David in Psalms 22:28 and again in 67:4 clearly prophesied that Christ will return to rule in His kingdom on earth. There can be no other gospel, and Christ came as a Saviour and Prophet to proclaim the gospel and by His death (the means of the gospel), sinful men can enter the kingdom of God as immortal spirit beings (the end of the gospel). But rebellious men are out to reject His rule over them (Luke 19:27).

The Great Commission commanded by Christ is to make disciples that will do the work of God  and these include preaching the gospel of the coming kingdom of God (Matt 24:14; Mark16:15), feeding the church with the truth (1Peter 5:2-4; Matt 24:45-47) and warn the lukewarm church to repent in time before the coming Great Tribulation (Ezekiel 33: 5-11; Rev 3: 14-21). However, most churches are simply busy doing all kinds of things except the work of God. They simply believe in Jesus - believing that Christ is the Son of God - which is well and good but not good enough for even the demons believe too and tremble (James 2:19)! But true disciples are the ones who believe Jesus - His very words, commandments and practices - and do them (James 1:22)

Sadly, many churches are on the great omission rather than fulfilling The Great Commission. Those who are not being called in this Church Age will have their chance of salvation in the Millennial Age after Christ returns to set up the kingdom of God on earth (Rev 11:15), with its Headquarters in Jerusalem. All who are called into His church (John 6:44; 1 Cor 12:18) are true disciples who do the work of God (Acts 5:32) will be born again as immortal spirit beings in the Family of God (1 Cor 15:53-54) to teach and rule with Christ in His coming kingdom (1 Pet 2:9; Rev 3:21).

THE PURPOSE OF LIFE

When my paternal grandfather died in 1965, I was devastated. As a kid, I had no clue what life and death hold, and where my grandfather was heading to. I had no idea what life was all about, although I had always wonder why humans have to be born, live and then died. Thank God, I have found the answer to the mystery of life.

The Creator God, has a Master Plan for human being. You and I are all part of that grand Master Plan, whether we know or acknowledge it or not. Atheists may deny the existence of God, cynics will scoff at all truth and things divine, but we cannot escape the reality of what God wants to accomplish in and through us. Just like the Pacific salmon has a purpose for their life - to return to their birthplace to spawn before it dies - human has a purpose for being.

When the first man Adam and his wife Eve disobeyed God, they chose to be self reliant instead of
God reliant. As a result, salvation was cut off from man when God sealed off the tree of life in the Garden of Eden (Gen:3:24). Throughout the millennia, only a small handful of mankind was called to become sons of God and given the Holy Spirit to lead them into eternal life and inherit the kingdom of God (Luke 12:32). God the Father has predestined those He knew and called them with His offer of sonship (Eph 1:4-5). Sadly, because of sin and the lure of this world, only a small group will ultimately bear fruit (Matt13:23) and be chosen for sonship (Matt 20:16b; 22:14).

Evolutionists are attempting to discover the purpose of life through evolution and chance, with humans at the top of the pyramid chain. Religionists are trying to explain life's cause and effect through karma and reincarnation. Only a correct understanding of the Bible explains it  all. In Genesis 1:26, it is recorded that God specifically made man in His own image and likeness - meaning to say that man is made to be the God kind. This differentiate man from all other form of animals. Hence, the human mind is far more complex and superior than animal instinct. The evolutionists simply cannot understand that all human being has a God given spirit which none of the species in the animal kingdom possess. When the human spirit is united with God's Holy Spirit, it could beget the person with eternal life.

God is omnipotent. But there is one thing He cannot do - and that is He cannot transform mortal human to have godly character like Christ through fiat by means of a magic wand. This is because man is created as a free agent to have free will and free choice. The only way man can develop lasting godly Christ-like character is through trials and tribulation of life. However, God has given His Holy Spirit to all those He has called as sons of God to assist in the development process. Only those true disciples who seek after Him and are wise to understand His ways will ultimately make it as born again spirit being in the coming kingdom of God. For God only give His Spirit to those who obey Him (Acts 5:32).

Every man has to be tested in the physical life in order to qualify for eternal life. This is because once a person is born again as a spirit being, he/she is like an angel endowed with immortal life that will never die (1 Cor 15:54). Before a person can qualify to that stage, God has to ensure that the person has learned the lessons of life to ensure that he/she has the right quality to become members of  His divine family in His kingdom - which is the government of God tasked to rule and reign the whole earth during the Millennial Age and then the universe throughout eternity.

It is worthy to note that the kingdom of God or kingdom of heaven is not referring to citizenship in heaven itself, otherwise it should be named kingdom in heaven. The kingdom of God or kingdom of heaven will be headquartered in Jerusalem on planet earth, to rule the world when Christ return. That is why Christ taught that, 'Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth' (Matt 5:5). God has given man 6,000 years of  self government, but man has repeatedly failed to govern  the people and  the land according to His laws, and hence the mounting problems the world is facing, inspite of all technological and economic advancement. It is God's ultimate plan to save all mankind, but man has to be tested to qualify for eternal life. Otherwise, countless billions of demonic beings will set to inherit the universe for all of eternity. That would be the mother of all tragedies!

The Apostle Paul was unequivocal and repeatedly states that those with undesirable characters will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor 6:9-11; Gal 5:19-21; Eph 5:3-5), whatever man may say about them. In other words, such people will not be born again as sons of God, for only sons born of God will be in the first resurrection to become kings and royal priesthood when Christ returns to claim His kingdom (Luke 19:15). Unless repented in time before His imminent return, they will be in the second resurrection to become reconstituted human beings again as the rest of humanity towards the close of the Millennial Age. Then, they will be given ample opportunity to repent when all truth will be made known with Satan and his demons incarcerated for a thousand years. Those who choose God's way will be given eternal life while those who refuse will end up in the lake of fire, totally annihilated ("second death'' - Rev 20:6) as if they were never born (Malachi 4:1). A merciful God will put them out of their misery.

EXERCISE THE POWER OF GOD

The Holy Spirit is God's power. In Luke 1:35 and 4:14, the Greek word for dunamis means power, dynamic, dynamo or dynamite. It is this same power that  prophet Jeremiah wrote, "I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are on the ground, by MY GREAT POWER and by My outstretched arm, and have given it to whom it seemed proper to Me".  The same is repeated in Jeremiah 32: 17.

The first recorded martyr in the New Testament, Stephen, saw the source of this power when He looked to heaven, "But he (Stephen), being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God". Endowed with God's power, Peter and John were able to preach the Gospel with boldness even though they were uneducated and untrained men (John 4:13,31).

The Apostle Paul wrote in Colossians 1:16-17 that it is through God's power He created all things, both in heaven and on earth. It is through this same power that He preserves all His creation (Nehemiah 9:6). Some preachers may tell you to 'reach deep within' to tap the 'inner self '. But the Bible is clear that the power of the Holy Spirit is a gift received after true conversion and did not reside at birth.

Most are mistaken into believing that the Holy Spirit is part of the trinity of God, like God the Father and Jesus Christ. If that is so, then Christ should be called the son of the Holy Spirit, since God (Father) sent His Spirit to beget Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:5 tells us that God has given us the earnest of the Spirit (KJV). True disciples of Christ receive only a token of God's Spirit, with greater measure of it to come after the resurrection. This clearly shows that the Holy Spirit is not a person, for one cannot receive a part or portion of a living being, let alone a God Being! Though not a living person, the Holy Spirit is active like rivers of living water (John 7:38). The currents of a river are powerful that can generate hydro-electricity for energy consumption.

True believers need to exercise the power of God, much like exercising the muscles to prevent atrophy. Christ was fully aware that without God (Father)'s Spirit, He can do nothing (John 5:30), and He strived to stay connected with the Heavenly Father through His Spirit. We are admonished to be filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18)  and through it develop the godly character that God desires for His children. In order to do so, we must think and act like Christ, Who set the example for us to follow.

There are four ways to exercise the power of God's Holy Spirit - pray, study the Bible, meditate and fast. Christ prayed constantly and for long hours into the wee hours of the morning before His scourging and crucifixion. He fasted for forty days and quoted the word of God to ward off temptations from Satan while being tested in the wilderness. To meditate is to contemplate and ponder over what we have learned from studying the word of God that are pure and good (Phil 4:8).

In addition to the four disciplines, the true disciples of Christ also need to obey the word of God. For the Holy Spirit is given by God to those who obey Him (Acts 5:32). God allows trials and tribulations in our life to mold and shape us in the likeness of Christ - as what the Apostle Peter wrote as the trial of faith (1 Pet 1:7). But faith without works is dead (James 2:20). So we need to do good by serving with a humble attitude and compassionate heart. By doing good works, we are helping to stir up the spiritual gifts which God will give to those who are obedient to Him.

A Christian needs to produce good fruits  by connecting to Christ through the Holy Spirit, much like a tree that will produce good fruits by the nutrients taken in from the root source. Without which, we could be in danger of working things out in the flesh. We all need to examine our life constantly to see if the Holy Spirit is evidently working in our life!

What Actually Is Speaking In Tongues?

More and more traditional churches are going down the Charismatic route thinking that they ought to get a piece of the action about invoking the spiritual gifts and the more controversial speaking in tongues. But what is all these about few truly understand. Most of the Charismatic leaders share about their tongue experience, but are tongue-tied to explain what it actually means in the light of Scriptures. They allow their experience to be the new norm in the interpretation of Scriptures.

While it is absolutely true that a Christain must receive the gift of the Holy Spirit in order to be led by it and be 'quickened' (resurrected) from death at Christ Second Coming to receive salvation, it is another thing to be flippant with God's spiritual gifts. Yet most who claim to speak in tongue have no clue what they are babbling about. The Apostle Paul made it very clear when he wrote, 'Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be IGNORANT' . It is not God's intention for His people to be ignorant of what tongue really is.

There are nine spiritual gifts listed in 1 Cor 12: 8-10, and Paul emphasisd that not everyone receives every gift, but rather the gift given to a person is for everyone. Nowhere in Scriptures is mentioned that one must speak in tongue to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Christ teaches that all true disciples are known by their fruits (Matthew 7:20), not by their tongues. Again it is recorded in John 13:35, 'By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another'. From these simple principles alone, those who teach that every Christian is to receive the gift of tongue is in direct violation of Scriptures.

1 Corintinians 13 is a chapter on spiritual gifts, admonishing that faith, hope and love are the greatest of all spiritual gifts one should seek. Yet countless millions in tarry meetings are mesmerised in seeking after tongues, why? The Apostel Paul answers this in 2 Cor 11: 13-15, 'For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore, it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.'  Many are seduced by false ministers into Satan's counterfeits, working signs and wonders, when Christ Himself clearly warns, ' A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah ( a reference to His death and Resurrection) Matthew 16:4 '.

Millions the world over are deceived (Rev 12:9) falling right into Satan's death trap. Since they bear the mark of the Beast (part of the mystery Babylon) they will undergo horrendous sufferings in the coming Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord! The preachers and leaders who entice their followers to do likewise will receive the greater punishment as hypocrites, and there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 24:51).

When God gives the gift of tongues, they are known foreign languages that require interpretation (that is why the gift of interpretation is required). The word 'unknown' is in italics added by Bible translators. Only those who are serious seekers of the Word of God will find the truth, for the truth will set them free (John 8:32). Those who do not seek the truth of God's word is because there is no light in them (Isaiah 8:20) and they do not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved (2 Thess 2:10).

The incident in Acts 2 was a one time occurence and has not happened since, contrary to what men may claim. The Apostle Peter spoke his own language and different people of different languages heard as if he was speaking to them in their own language. The miracle happened not only to the one speaking but also to all those hearing. This account is unique because it is the founding of the New Testament church which Christ promised will happen (Matthew 16:18). All other accounts of speaking in tongue happened only to the one speaking. God gave an extraordinary miracle because it is uniquely important at the founding of His church!

Subsequent accounts of speaking in tongues recorded in Acts chapters 10, 11 and 19 were not the same as the account in Acts 2. There is no tarry meetings or waiting on the Holy Spirit and nobody cajoled anyone to speak in tongues. The incidents in Acts 10 and 11 were to affirm that God gave His Holy Spirit to the Gentiles through faith in Jesus Christ (Gal 3:14). In the Acts 19 account, the disciples understood repentance from John the Baptist, but they need to be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, and Paul laid his hands on them to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and they did speak in tongues. All these accounts were quite different from the one in Acts 2.

Pentecostal meetings are full of drama and begging for His Spirit. Nowhere does the Bible teaches that. But Acts 5:32 teaches that God will give His Holy Spirit to those who obey Him. This can take place only after true repentance, not simply mumble some sinner's prayer as commonly taught by traditional Christianity. Receiving God's Spirit is a mark of being a Christian (Romans 8:9) but not necessarily the gift of tongues. The Day of Pentecost is the founding of the true church of God and are the firstfruits of the harvest (James 1:18, Rev 14:4). Subsequent harvests will come after Christ return to establish the kingdom of God on earth when all human beings will be resurrected (Ezekiel 37; John 5:28-29; Acts 24:15) and given the opportunity for salvation through the Blood of Christ (Phil 2: 10-11). By then, the Spirit of God will be made available upon all flesh who believe on Christ for salvation (Joel 2:28; Acts 2:18, 21). That is the Good News of the Gospel of the kingdom of God!

WHERE ARE ALL THE DEAD?

I read a news report about a murderer in the United States who was given the death sentence and the family of the victim wished that the condemmned murderer will "forever burn in hell". In many of the funeral wakes I have attended, the pastors invariably comfort their parishioners that their deceased loved ones "are now in heaven enjoying a blissful life with Jesus". Are such beliefs based on biblical truth, or are they adapted by some novelists who popularised these notions on misunderstood biblical verses? We shall soon find out.

The belief that man has an immortal soul started at the Garden of Even when Satan lied to Eve with the statement, "You will not surely die" (Genesis 3:4).  Make no mistake, the Bible is uneqivocal that death is the absence of life - man does not have an immortal soul and there is no life beyond the grave. The Bible uses the word "sleep" to describe all those who are dead. The dead in Christ are not in heaven, neither are the "lost" burning in hell! All true disciples of Christ who are asleep are awaiting the first resurrection at the Second Coming of Christ. The rest of humanity are awaiting for the second resurrection to happen sometime towards the close of the millennium age.

The number of biblical verses supporting the above statements are simply overwhelming, and I shall attempt to quote some of them. Soloman states in Ecclesiastes 3:19-22, 'For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breadth; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity. All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust...For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?'  Only the spirit in man will return to God who gave it (Eccl 12:7b), but the spirit in man is not conscious of its existence, much like our physical DNA. Similarly, David says in Psalm 6:5, ' For in death there is no rememberance of You; In the grave who will give You thanks.'  The Psalmist in 115:17 says, 'The dead do not praise the Lord, nor any who go down into silence.'

The patriarch Job asks in Job 14:14,' If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, till my change comes (First Resurrection - to become immortal born again spirit being)'  Job knows that God will hide him in the grave till His wrath is past (Job 14:13) - the coming Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord before he will be resurrected to immortality. The prophet Daniel was similarly assured by the Archangel Michael recorded for us in 12:13, ' But you go your way till the end, for you shall rest (die), and will arise to your inheritance (the kingdom of God) at the end of the days.' The same assurance was written by David in Psalm 17:15, 'As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness (born again as immortal spirit sons of God in God's divine Family).'

To put to rest the doubts of those who think that the New Testament era is different from the time before Christ, John 3:13 records the words of Christ, ' No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.'  The Apostle Peter preached the same after Christ resurrection, ' Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.' (Acts 2: 29) ; ' For David did not ascend into the heavens' (Acts 2:34).

But many will quote Luke 23:43, saying that Jesus told the thief on the cross that 'today you will be with Me in paradise'. In the original manuscript there is no comma in the verse but added by bible translators. The correct translation should be, 'Assuredly, I say to you today, you will be with Me in Paradise.'  If Christ had promise the thief paradise on that very day, then Christ lied as He was in the grave for three full days. In fact, Christ did not ascend to heaven as yet when Mary Magdalene saw Him after His resurrection (John 20:17). What Christ was promising the thief on the cross was that since he repented, but was not baptised and did not receive the  gift of the Holy Spirit, he will not be in the first but in the second resurrection towards the close of the millennium age. By then planet earth would have been restored (Acts 3:21) to become a paradise much like before the Fall.

The Apostle Paul affirmed us that Christ has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep (1 Cor 15:20). He (Christ) is the first to awake from sleep (death) and the true church, who is the firstfruits (James 1:18) will follow likewise when He returns. Till then, all the dead - whether in Christ or not - are asleep in the grave (RIP) and their body sees corruption (decay). But those in Christ will be raised to immortality where there is no more suffering and death (1 Cor 15: 50-58). Only an immortal spirit body that has been born again in the likeness of Christ (1 John 3:2) will be able to enter and inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor 15:50).

Coming back to the story of those who wish that the murderer will forever burn in hell, this concept was popularised by novelists in the thirteen century and beyond. Many misunderstood the parable about the Rich Man and Lazarus recorded in Luke 16:19-31. That was not hell fire in the allegory. If it was so, can dipping the tip of a finger in water able to cool the tongue of the rich man in a fiery hell fire inferno? The allegory in Luke 16 is teaching us about humility and stewardship, and a special warning for those who are wealthy not to despise and marginalise the poor.

A passage in Revelation 6:9-11 is often used by those who to support their belief of the immortal soul. But this passage is an allegory to explain that the blood of the martyrs who died for the truth of the gospel will be avenged by God when the time for the numbers of those who are called and chosen has all come into the kingdom of God. Those martyrs who died in righteousness were told to rest a little longer (RIP) before justice is done.  For all died in faith (Hebrews 11:13), including all those in the hall of faith like the patriarchs of old and have yet to receive their promise of salvation.

Alas, do watch and pray for the time is coming when our redemption (from mortality to immortality) draws near (Luke 21:28). The good news is that after salvation, the sons of God will be earth bound to help govern the whole earth. Christ clearly states that in the Sermon on the Mount, 'Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth'. Those who are overcomers will become sons of God in God's divine Family (Rev 3:21) to form the Government of God with Christ as the King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev 19:16). That in the nutshell, is the Gospel of the kingdom of God!

WHAT IS THE TRUE GOSPEL?

Many professing Christians assume that they understand what is the true gospel. Sadly, most do not. They assume that the true gospel is about the Person of Jesus Christ. But Christ came in the first century A.D. as a Prophet to bring the gospel of Good News from the Heavenly Father about the coming kingdom of God on planet earth. His first advent was first prophesied by Moses in Deuteronomy 18:15. Though Christ is preached in conjunction with the gospel, He is not the gospel. This can be verified in Acts 8:12 when the Apostle Philip preached 'the kingdom of God AND the name of Jesus Christ'. Similarly, the Apostle Paul preached ' the kingdom of God AND teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ' (Acts 28:31).

Throughout the centuries, man has invented many gospels - all false - such as the gospel of grace, social gospel, the gospel of faith healing and many others. There is only ONE true gospel which was preached by all the Old Testament prophets  (Acts 3:21), our Lord Jesus Christ and the early Apostles. Christ Himself started the ministry of preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God after He was tempted by Satan to give up His mission.  Mark 1:14-15 records that 'Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, saying "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel."  He states categorically in Luke 4:43 that it was for this purpose of proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom of God that He was sent (by the Heavenly Father). In fact, most of His parables are in direct or indirect reference to the kingdom of God!

The deception is so strong (Rev 12:9) that the Apostle Paul warned the churches in Galatia not to pervert the gospel OF Christ (Galatians 1:7) - the very gospel of the kingdom of God that Christ came to preach. However, many went on to pervert it by changing it to the gospel ABOUT Christ! Christ preached the gospel even before He walked the road of Calvary. The Old Testament prophets preached the same gospel long before His first advent. The promise land is a typology of the kingdom of God. However, Christ was prophesied to come as a Messenger of the covenant (Malachi 3:1c).

Simply put, the gospel means Good News and kingdom means Government. Thus the gospel of the kingdom of God is about the coming Government of God which will be installed on earth at Christ Second Coming (Daniel 7: 13, 14, 18, 21, 22, 27; Rev 11:15; 20:4). Christ will be the King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev 19:16) and when every knee should bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Philippians 2:10-11).

There are four criteria for a kingdom - King (Lord Jesus Christ), territory (earth), citizens (humans who survived the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord) and laws (ten commandments and the law of Christ - Sermon on the Mount). Christ will rule with His disciples who will be resurrected in the First Resurrection (Rev 20:6) and born again as immortal sons of God in the Divine Family (Rev 3:21; 1 Jn 3: 2; 1 Jn 5:1). Many preachers are mistaken thinking that the kingdom of God is within the heart and mind of believers - all base on the wrong understanding and translation of Luke 17:21. Christ was speaking to the Pharisees who will not inherit the kingdom of God. In that verse, Christ was referring to Himself in the midst of them as He is the Divine Representative of the kingdom!

The Apostle Paul consistently preach the gospel of the kingdom of God recorded for us in Acts 14:22; 19:8; 20:25; 28:23 & 31. So did the Apostle Philip in Acts 8:12 where he differentiates the gospel from the person of Jesus Christ. Many sincere preachers quotes 1 Cor 15:1-4, mistaken the gospel (verse 1) to mean that Christ died for our sins (verse3). But they are two separate matters. Christ's role is important as without His death and resurrection, there is no forgiveness of sins and no means to enter the kingdom of God! The other Apostles like Peter (2 Peter 1:11) and James (James 2:5) also preached the gospel of the kingdom of God.

In Acts 3:19-21, the Apostle Peter refers to Christ Second Coming as the presence of the Lord, when all things (lost to Satan and sins) will be restored as the Garden of Eden before the Fall. The Lord Himself preached the gospel in all the cities and villages, synagogues (Matthew 9:35), healing every sickness and every disease among the people and He taught His disciples to do likewise (Matthew 10:7). All those who are the true disciples of Christ are commissioned to do so as recorded in Mark 16: 15-16, ' Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned'.  Can we not take heed?

Matthew 6:33 commanded us to seek first the kingdom of God and the Lord's prayer instructed us to pray, 'Thy kingdom come' (Matt 6:10). But the true gospel has not been preached since the early centuries and when those who do were martyred. But Christ prophesied in Matthew 24:14 that 'This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end (of the church age) will come'. Are you ready? Do watch and pray that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things (Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord) - Luke 21:36!

WHAT IS THE HOLY SPIRIT?

Millions of Christians from various denominations the world over sing and worship the trinity - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. But is this the true God of the Bible, three-in-one? The fact of the matter is that the concept of trinity is never found in the Bible, it was 'invented' sometime in the fourth century A.D. by the Roman Catholic Church. Revelation 12:9 tells us that the world is being deceived by Satan who does not want human beings to know the real Creator - consist of two Supreme Spirit Beings - God the Father and God the Son, Jesus Christ. There is no  mention of a third God Being! The Holy Spirit is from God, but is not a unique Individual Person like the Father and Son who form the God-Head. Two supreme Persons but one in purpose and unity. Let's consider the facts  straight from the Bible.

1. Genesis 1:2 -The Spirit of God
The Spirit of God is the power of God, for Jeremaih 27:5 clarifies thus,' I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are on the ground, by MY GREAT POWER and by MY OUTSTRETCHED ARM, and have given it to whom it seemed proper to Me.
Similarly, Isaiah 59:1 states, 'Behold, the LORD'S HAND is not shortened, that it cannot save, nor His ear heavy that He cannot hear.'
All these show that the Holy Spirit is God's means for dealing with His creation. Perhaps, it is the Spirit of God that makes God omnipotent, omnipresence and omniscience!

2. Genesis 1:27 - Male and Female
God created human in His image with only two gender - male and female. Satan is trying hard to create a third gender to corrupt mankind. All who follow suit will face the punishment come the day of reckoning.

3. Psalm 51:11 - A Psalm of David
David repented of his sin with Bathsheba in Psalm 51. In verse 11 of the Psalm, David requested God to not take the Holy Spirit away from him. If the Holy Spirit is a third member of the trinity, he would have asked the Spirit of God directly not to leave him instead.

4. Daniel 7: 13-14 - The Coronotion of King Jesus
Daniel 7:13-14 portray the prophecy of the coming Coronation of Jesus Christ (the Son of Man) as the King of kings and Lord of lords by the Heavenly Father (Ancient of Days) in the coming kingdom of God. Even in such a magnificient occasion, there in mention of the presence or involvement of the Holy Spirit throughout the Coronation of Christ and the sons of God in the divine Family.
5. Joel 2: 28 - Pour out My Spirit on All Flesh
One cannot 'pour' a person onto another, let alone on all flesh. God is a PERSON, a supreme immortal Spirit Being and not a blob of nebulous creature like Gasper the Ghost! Those who beg to differ should read the Psalms and Ezekiel chapter 1 carefully.
6. Matthew 6:9-13 - The Lord's Prayer
In the Lord's Prayer, Christ did not teach His disciples to pray to the Holy Spirit. But always to address our prayer request to the Heavenly Father and ask it in the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen. In addition, when the Lord Christ was asked by His disciples when will the end of the (church) age be (Matthew 24:3), He replied, 'But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.'  Clearly, this indicates that apart from the Heavenly Father, nobody knows. But there is no mention of the Holy Spirit for such an important event!

7. John 1 - The Word
John chapter one records the very beginning even before the universe was created. In the beginning was the WORD, and the WORD was with God and the WORD was God. He (The WORD) was in the beginning with God.
This tells us that before Jesus Christ was incarnated in the flesh, He was named the WORD - literally means the spokesman -  the WORD and GOD THE FATHER existed before everything else was created. There is no mention of a third being, let alone a supreme immortal SPIRIT GOD BEING!

8. John 17 - The Night Before Christ's Crucifixion
Christ prayed to His Father in heaven on the night before His crucifixion. Throughout the long prayer, not a single word was mentioned of the Holy Spirit in the conversation between the Father and the Son. If the Holy Spirit is a member of the trinity, surely He should be a part of the whole salvation plan of mankind!

9.Acts 8:18-19 - The power of miracles
Simon the sorcerer wished to purchased the power of God with money when he saw the miracles the Apostles Peter and John performed on the laying on of their hands to receive the Holy Spirit. Surely, Peter and John would have rebuked them for blasphemy if the Holy Spirit is a God Being. But that was not the case.

10. Ephesians 1:13-14 - The Holy Spirit is a guarantee of redemption
Romans 8:9-17 clearly spell out that only those who have the Holy Spirit dwelling within them (their mind and heart) and are led by the Spirit of God are true Christians who will be resurrected to immortal life as sons of God at the Second Coming of Christ. That is why all true believers have to be baptised by the Holy Spirit of God in order to receive resurrection!
The Holy Spirit is a seed of guarantee from God that this is His promise to all who are true believers. Nobody will use a person as a guarantee, let alone God.

11. Apostle Paul's Epistles
In all of Paul's opening epistles, he greeted the brethren with, 'Grace to you and peace from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ.'  There is no any mention of greetings from the Holy Spirit in any of his epistles. In fact, there is no record of any dialogue between the Holy Spirit with any other being!

12. Hebrews chapter 1 - Conversation between Father and Son
Hebrews 1 records the conversation between the Heavenly Father and the Son Jesus Christ, but no mention ever of the Holy Spirit. It is about God's vision of establishing His Divine Family for the sons of God to be born into His Royal Family as immortal spirit beings. Satan was mad that he was never offered the privilege, but to mortal human beings.
The trinity is a closed family concept which Satan loves and invented to deceive humans, in an attempt to short change their full potential to become divine spirit beings. God's vision is an open family concept for Him to reproduce Himself by expanding His Family and Government which will never end (Isaiah 9: 7).

13 Passage in 1 John 5:7-8
Perhaps the most problematic passage is found in 1 John 5:7-8 where it states about the Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit that bear witness as one. However, these two verses were never in the original Greek manuscript whcih was truly inspired. These were added by Latin Vulgate Translation probably sometime in the fourth century A.D. The Apostle John consistently used the words Father, Son and the Holy Spirit in his original manuscripts.

14 Revelation 1:1 - The Government of God
The beginning verse of Revelation shows the order of God's government in handling the Word of Truth. God the Father handed the scroll of Revelation to His Son Jesus Christ, and Christ in turn handed it to the angel. The latter then gave the vision to the Apostle John who recorded it down in the book of Revelation. There is no record of the involvement or presence of the Holy Spirit. The term Holy Spirit is not a name of a person, but a term used to indicate a place in ancient times!

15. Comforter and Blasphemy
Some defend that the Holy Spirit is a counsellor, comforter and one should not be blasphemed. It is worthy to note that the Holy Spirit is from God but not another God Being, unlike the Father and the Son. God works through His Spirit of power to accomplish His purpose for His church much like a surgeon works on his patient with miniature robot inside the patient's body but under the command and control of the medical expert. Like in ancient times, to reject the emissary sent from the emperor attracts the death penalty. Similarly, to reject the Spirit of truth sent by God is to reject God and that is blasphemous!

Some may ask why is it that the Holy Spirit is addressed as a 'He' in the Bible. The answer is that in the original manuscript written in the Greek language, there is no gender differentiation. The translator deemed it a 'He' but in Romans 8:16, the King James Version (The Authorised Version of the English Bible) translated as 'it'. So there is some inconsistency here in terms of translation.

The concept of trinity originated from Babylon shortly after the death of Nimrod. He was immortalised as Tammuz and together with his mother/wife Semiramis and their son Horus formed the first triad deity. Subsequent religious practises throughout the centuries also uses the triad deity concept in many Western and Eastern religions which the Bible condemns.

Revelation prophesied that God will judge every individual who practices such idolatry when Christ returns to set up the kingdom of God on earth (Rev 11:15), ' MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS, AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.'  (Rev 17:5). Will you take heed and be kept from the day of trial which will come upon the whole earth? Only those who do not bear the mark of the beast will ultimately be born again as immortal sons of God in the Royal Family to rule and reign with Christ the whole earth and after the Millennial Age, the universe!

THE 144,000 SEALED

The 144,000 mentioned in Revelation chapters 7:4-8 and 14:1-5 are the firstfruits called throughout the 6,000 years of man's history who will be born into God's Family as the sons of God. These saints of the first  resurrection (Rev 20:6) will reign with Christ in the kingdom of God when He returns to establish His rule on earth. They have not been defiled by false doctrine (woman represents false church) as they understood and practiced the purity of the truth (religious virgins) as commanded in Scriptures (Rev 14:4; John 4:24).

Noted that the 144,000 were sealed by the Holy Spirit (Rev 7:4; Eph 1:13). They also have the name of the Father written on their forehead (Rev 14:1), much like what Christ prayed to His Father on the night before His crucifixion (John 17:11), and the Apostle Paul who adds, 'I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named' (Eph 3:14-15). The 144,000 do not represent physical Israel but rather spiritual Israel - true Christians - who will be assigned to rule over the twelve physical tribes of Israel under Christ's twelve Apostles during the Millennial kingdom!

These 144,000 saints were from all ages past including those martyrs who died at the hands of the false church mentioned in Rev 17:6. Figuratively, the martyrs who 'cried' out to God for justice were told to wait for the number to be fulfilled (Rev 6:9-11). There are some who will fall away and new members added to the tally to make up the final 144,000 before the close of the church age. Christ warned His true disciples to 'hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.' (Rev 3:11). Paul affirmed this point in Romans that, 'blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in' . And so all Israel will be saved. (Romans 11:25-26).

It is worthy to note that the sealing of the servants of God happened just before the Great Tribulation when the angel cried out to the four angels not to harm the earth until the servants of God were selaed on their foreheads (Rev 7:1-3). The forehead represent the mental faculty of man where decisions are made, and that is what differentiate man from animals. It is in the heart and mind that the Spirit of God resides. These are the 'ten thousands of His saints' who will be in the first resurrection (Hebrews 11:35 - better resurrection).

The word 'seal' is mentioned in many passages in the Bible. Jesus Christ first mentioned this in John 6:27 when He said, 'Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.' The Apostle Paul affirmed this truth in Ephesians 1:13, 4:30 and again in 2 Cor 1:21-22 where it states, 'God has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.'

Christ has said that His church is a little flock (Luke 12:32) and the 144,000 are the firstfruits of salvation (James 1:18; Rev 14: 4). Jesus Christ is the firstborn among them all (Rom8:29). Subsequent harvests will come during the Millennial Age with Christ on the throne as the King of kings and Lord of lords. As firstborn means God's choice, the 144,000 saints from all ethnic background and nationalities are the called and the chosen (Matthew 20:16)  who were predestined (Eph 1:4-5) to become immortal spirit beings as members of His Family. There is no doubt that the firstfruits are members of the true church of God who are called by His name (John 17:11).

THE GREAT MULTITUDE

Many Christians will not believe in a time of the Great Tribulation that will occur, setting the stage for Christ Second Coming. Revelation 7:9-17 mention the "Great Multitude" of people coming out of the Great Tribulation and will not have to undergo the Day of the Lord - the latter is a one year period of God's Judgment upon the earth. The use of future tenses will and shall in these verses indicate that the conversion of this Great Multitude happens only at Christ's Return. The Great Multitude came out of the Great Tribulation are not sealed with the Holy Spirit (as no mention of such), unlike the 144,000 who are sealed with the Holy Spirit which is specifically mention (Rev 7:4).

In Scriptures, the multitude refers to people of all nationality, race and tongue as can be seen in Exodus 12:38. There is no doubt that this refers to a large group of people all all segments of society and could number in the millions, ten of millions or more. The Lord Christ was very specific in His commandments to His first disciples to 'make disciples of all nations' (Matthew 28: 19-20), not just believers who believe that He is the Son of God Who died for their sins. Disciples are more than just believers as disciples are expected to live out Christ's words and commandments in every facet of their lives.

The 'Great Multitude' refers to in Revelations 7:9 are Christian believers and non-believers living at the time of the Great Tribulation from all corners of the globe, but they do not make the grade as disciples of Christ as they fall short of God's standard. They do not have the Spirit of God indwelling within them (no mention of having being sealed) but they repented during the Great Tribulation (time of Satan's wrath) and hence will not have to undergo the one year period of God's Judgment known as the Day of the Lord. The Great Multitude will be protected from the plagues set to unleash upon earth during the time of God's Judgment. The future tenses of will and shall indicate that their conversion is completed only at Christ's Return.

The number is inumerable as the exact figure of people that falls within this group has yet to be determined, kind of fluctuating as more people truly repented and experience true conversion while some have fallen away. This will intensity as the time of Christ's Return draws near. What this means is that some will be added to the list and some will drop out of salvation. Clearly, this shows that the doctrine of once save always saved cannot hold water.

When Christ returns, the resurrected saints will be born again as immortal spirit beings to rule and reign with Christ as the King of kings. But there will also be human beings who survived the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord moving into the Millennial Kingdom. The Great Multitude of people who have just being converted will serve under the sons of God as lords, with Christ as the Lord of lords. They will form part of the structure of human government of each nation on earth under the Family of God, which consist of Christ and the born again sons of God.

It is worthy to note that during the two-and-half year of the Great Tribulation, the Two Witnesses (Rev 11:3) sent by God will have warned the nations to repent to escape the coming Judgment of God. Those who understand Bible prophecies but have not believed and obeyed will repent in time to be part of the Great Multitude. Before the onset of the Great Tribulation, many Christians have been overwhelmed by  'the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful' (Mark 4:19). Sadly, only in adversity will people repent and turn to the true God for help and salvation.

THE ROOTS OF DECEPTION

From the time of Christ and His first Apostles, the true Gospel and all the accompanied truth from the Holy Scriptures were preached to faithful men and women who kept them by handing the truth down through the centuries. But it wasn't easy as detractors fought tooth and nail to destroy the truth as warned by many of the early Apostles in Scriptures. After the close of the first century A.D. with the passing of the Apostle John, things took a turn for the worse. Polycarp, a trusted disciple of John had to fight to defend the true faith.

At the Mount of Olives, Jesus Christ revealed to His disciples the key events to come that will usher His Second Coming recorded in Matthew 24. The books of Daniel and Revelation record corollary accounts of events leading to Christ's return. He prophesied that deceived preachers will preach about Him (Matthew 24:5) rather than His message commissioned by God the Father (Luke 4:43) on the coming kingdom of God. The Apostle warned of this in 2 Corinthians 11: 3-4. Many have turned the Gospel of Christ into a Gospel about Christ (Galatians 1: 6-9).

According to church history, all these falsehood and lies have their roots from Simon Magus, the sorcerer recorded in Acts 8. In A.D.45, Simon founded a competing church in Rome using a mix of Babylonian pagan practices with distorted Christian principles to destroy the true church of God that denied him an apostleship. His ultimate goal was domination of the  world religion and government. The Roman emperor Constantine the Great saw Simon's brand of Christianity as a unifying force for all the squabbling peoples of Europe and proceeded to legitimize the Universal or Catholic Church.

The Universal church, with its new found status from the backing of the Roman emperor began to grow in power and stature. The true church of God became its target for martyrdom. It cast aside the Bible as insufficient and introduced extra biblical doctrines and practices, often a mixture of paganism sourced from Babylon. Such persecutions against the true church of God are prophesied in Revelation 2: 8-29; 12:6, 13, 17; Daniel 7: 23-25, where Rev 12:6 prophesied the period of 1,260 years from A.D. 325 beginning with the Council of Nicaea and ending in A.D. 1585 when Catholic dominance in England ended. Verse 13 of chapter 12 speaks of Satan's attempt to crush the true church of God and the worse that is yet to come during the Great Tribulation (verse 17).

Many left the land of their birth to escape persecution. Among the faithful are God's people known as the Lollards, Paulicians and Waldenses, to name just a few. A wealthy French merchant named Peter Waldo was converted to the true faith and began to preach the kingdom of God as taught by Jesus Christ to His close disciples. The Catholic Inquisition led by Pope Innocent 111 condemned many true church members to martyrdom by burning them alive in 1211, with 80 of Waldo's followers died at the stakes.

The Catholic church forbid the reading of Bible by laymen and made it a crime punishable by death and also made illegal the translation of the Bible into the vernacular for the common folks. After the opening of theological education starting in Oxford and Cambridge, more scholars realised  that the Catholic teachings did not harmonise with the Holy Bible.

Scholars like William Tyndale made great efforts and sacrifices to produce the Bible in the English language. His life was often in danger with threats coming from the Universal church. By the time the King James version came on the scene in 1611 with King James 1 on the throne, Europe had endured two centuries of bloody war over the translation of the Bible. But the harm of heretical teachings among the early church had infiltrated in all quarters of church life save a small remnant belonging to those who are members of the true church of God.

Many had died to give Christians the privilege to read and study the Bible in the English language. However, many are unaware that the interpretation of the Bible had been distorted through centuries of wrong indoctrination from the Universal church. In Revelation 6:2, the Bible warns us of the emergence and spread of a false faith branded in Christianity. Such deception was and still is perpetrated through a mixture of paganistic practices and unbiblical doctrines and humanistic traditions with its origin from Babylon. As warned by Christ and the New Testament writers, the deception started right after Christ's ascension to heaven and the founding of the New Testament Church.

THE TRUTH ABOUT EASTER

Countless millions of Christians the world over celebrate Easter without a clear understanding of the true meaning behind it. The presumption is it commemorates the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. There is only one verse in Acts 12:4 which mentions the word Easter in the King James translation. But the correct translation should be Passover, as was the original meaning of the Greek word Pascha, there is no other meaning attached to the word.

The Passover tells the story of God's deliverence of the nation of Israel from their bondage in Egypt through the ten miraculous plagues. The people of Israel was commanded by God to keep it as a rememberance forever (Exodus 12:14). The Lord's supper was instituted to replace the need to slaughter a lamb as Christ is the perfect Lamb of God whose death has brought about our deliverance from sin and death. There is biblical command to observe the Passover (1 Cor 5:7-8), though in a new spirit, but no such command to observe Easter. Neither the Lord Christ nor any of the early Apostles observe Easter, save the Passover.

It is paradoxical that what the Bible commands, such as the observance of Passover (the 14th day of the first month of Nisan), few do; but no such Biblical injunction to observe Easter, most do. The origin of Easter is derived from pagan religion, with name like Ishtar, later changed to Easter. It has its roots from Babylon which traced back to Nimrod and his mother/wife Semiramis. Nimrod was also known as Tammuz and was worshipped as a god in Babylonian culture. Semiramis was also named Ishtar from which the  term Easter was derived. Ishtar was known as Astarte to the Greeks and Ashtoreths to the Jews - the worship of such goddess was condemed in Scriptures as an abomination to the Lord (1 Samuel 7: 3-4; Rev 17:5)! Their son Horus was also worshipped with horoscope become common practice in modern times. Centuries ago, the Anglo Saxon worshipped their fertility goddess named Eostre, from which the name Easter could have been derived.

After America was founded, Easter was first celebrated as a kind of spring festival to welcome the arrival of warmer climate in the northern hemisphere. Similar term like Lent also came from pagan religious practices and not from the Bible. The symbol of the easter egg is nothing more than an adaptation of the fertility rites of pagan worship and also a symbol of spring for the Europeans. All these are paganistic practices with a Christian logo embossed for credibility. Modern humanistic thinking and reasoning have given it a lift for purpose of commerce and publicity, albeit in the name of God!

The Easter rabbit has its origin from Egypt, where rabbit is a symblol of fertility due to their rapid rate of reproduction. None of these is ever mention in the Bible as these pagan lores predate Scriptures. The Apostle warned in 2 Cor 11: 3-4, 'But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted - you may well put up with it!' Whatever man may conjure up and do, dressing up pagan worship with Christian logo, God is not impressed. The Scripture is clear - man's thoughts and ways are not His thoughts and His ways (Isaiah 55:8).

Truth is, Easter is nothing more than Astarte, also known as Ashtoreth and the queen of heaven. All these originated from the Tower of Babel and the Babylonian system carried on till these last days which God will ultimately punish and destroy. All those who are associated with the Babylonian system effectively carry the mark of the beast and will not be protected from the coming Great Tribulation with all its horrendous sufferings and chaos. There are two church system worshipping God side by side. One is bona fide and the other fake. Those who are called need to wake up from their stupor and be counted to avoid being on the wrong side of the great divide come the day of reckoning!

THE HOLY SPIRIT

Who and what is the Holy Spirit is a question that few Christians fully understand. Many think that the Holy Spirit is the third member of the Trinity. But the Bible never states so. Many simply believe what others have told them to believe, not knowing that they are simply following the belief and teachings of paganism, streaming from fables written by novelists to outright presumption!

Simply put, the Holy Spirit is the POWER that emanates from God. It is NOT a distinct supreme GOD BEING like God the Father and God the Son. There are only TWO distinct supreme Beings that form the God-Head of the universe. Genesis 1:27 tells us that God created man in His likeness -male and female - there is no third gender. Christ promised His disciples that they shall receive POWER, after the Holy Spirit is come upon them (Acts 1:8).

Jeremiah 27:5 states it clearly, 'I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are on the ground, by MY GREAT POWER and by MY OUTSTRETCHED ARM, and have given it (the Holy Spirit) to whom it seemed proper to Me ( ref: Acts 5:32)'. The Holy Spirit comes from God and is the SPIRIT of GOD, being a part of Him. When Christ was on earth, He has the Spirit of God the Father. When He returned to heaven, His disciples has the Spirit of Christ that dwells in them. Man also has a spirit (the spirit in man -Proverbs 20:27; 1 Cor 2:11). If the Spirit is another Being, then it should be Quadnity. Should that be so, then the spirit of man is also another man, since man was created in the image of God.

In Acts 8:19, Simon (Magus) the magician desired to purchase the power of God from the Apostle Peter by offering the latter money. No way can the God Being of the universe be bought by any means! Since the Holy Spirit dwells in the mind of all true disciples of Christ, then the trinitarians are implying that a God Being has to be splitted into multiple parts to indwell each of them. But the supreme God Being is a unique Person, not 'Gasper the Ghost' floating in and out of space as the movie would suggest. Those who beg to differ are not worshipping God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24).

There is no prophecy either in the Old Testament or the New Testament about another God Being coming down or dwelling on planet earth other than Jesus Christ. If the Holy Spirit is another God Being, then Jesus Christ should be named the Son of the Holy Spirit since He was conceived of the Holy Spirit. In Greek language, the Spirit of God is gender neutral. In the King James version in Romans 8:16, the Spirit is translated as 'itself'.

King David in Psalms 51:11 pleaded with the Lord not to take His Holy Spirit from him. This shows that the Holy Spirit is part of God and not a distinct God Being, otherwise he would have pleaded with the Holy Spirit directly not to leave him. All over the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit is being described as a type of oil, water, air and even typified as a dove. Besides, Scriptures tell us that the Holy Spirit will be poured out upon all flesh. In no way can a person be poured out onto another. To describe a human being as such is an insult, let alone a supreme God Being!

In all of Apostle Paul's epistles, he greeted God the Father and God the Son Jesus Christ, but no mention of the Holy Spirit. Similarly, Jesus Christ in His prayer to His Father on the night before His crucifixion recorded in John 17, there is no mention of one word about the Holy Spirit. Neither are we told to pray to the Holy Spirit in the Lord's prayer (Matthew 6:9-13). The conversation between the Father and the Son recorded in Hebrew chapter 1 makes no mention of the Holy Spirit as well. And Christ stated categorically thus, 'I and my Father are one' (John 10:30). Can a member of the God-Head be ignored in such important work of God?

In John 1: 1, the Apostle John assures us that the WORD was with God (the Heavenly Father) even before the creation of the angels and all material universe. Christ before His incarnation was known as the WORD, meaning the spokesman of the God-Head. The meaning of One God is One in unity and purpose in the original meaning of the Scriptures. Also, in 1 John 3:9, the Apostle John writes that one who is born of God, His seed (Holy Spirit) remains in him. This clearly tells us that the Holy Spirit is not another God Being. In fact, in the original manuscript, the root word for seed is the same word that is used for human sperm.

Those who are true disciples need to be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit because it is the Spirit of God that will resurrect all who were asleep at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. To reject the Spirit of God is tantamount to rejecting God and is considered blasphemy, much like in ancient times when a subject who had rejected the emissary sent by the emperor warrants the death penalty. There are some text in 1 John 5:7-8, 'In heaven: the Father,the Word and the Holy Spirit and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness on earth'  that were added by Latin Vulgate translators probably in the 4th century A.D. but were not in the original Greek manuscript which is the true inspired Word of God!

The deity 'triad' concept has been around even before the time of Christ. Most pagan religion has this in their belief system. It all started with Nimrod and his mother-wife Semiramis and son Horus. After Nimrod's death, Semiramis decided to immortalized the three of them in a deity 'triad' worship which was subsequently copied in various forms, found even in Greek philosophy and in novels that were then popularised. They are part of the Babylonian system that God will severely judged during the coming Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord!