There are so many diverse currents of wind that blow in our lives and through the Ecclesia (church). All of them have a goal to accomplish, either divine in purpose or evil. There is a wind that started blowing shortly after the birth of the Ecclesia. This wind is much different than the winds we have talked about previously. The effects of this wind’s destructive power is visible both short and long term.
Paul encountered resistance from the breeze of seduction as soon as he started establishing the Ecclesia of Yahveh. This is made obvious in the letter to the Galatians.
Galatians 3:1 NKJV “O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched (fascinated) you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Yahshua HaMasheiach was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?” Paul was saying who has distracted you from the true Gospel? Who has seduced you to leave what you knew to be truth and follow after another?
As stated in a previous paragraph this wind is much different than the ones we discussed in the first few chapters of this book. The winds of seduction are very gentle, and many times soothing to the flesh. The horrible truth about these winds is just because they feel good does not mean they are good.
The first thing that happens when you are hired to work in a chemical plant is the employer takes you to orientation to be instructed as to the characteristics of the hazardous materials you will be exposed to. The main idea they try to impress upon you is that you cannot always detect the presence of deadly gases that are airborne. Therefore they give you a device to detect the deadly gases.
The use of the gas detectors is not a new practice. It probably originated with the coal miners. In the years past there were occasions where people would suddenly die while working in the mines. There was no apparent cause for their death. Eventually someone figured out it was gas that was causing the deaths. The most commonly encountered gas was natural gas. Natural gas is a silent killer, it has no odor neither does it have taste, the person would not know it was present until someone fell over dead. Necessity demanded that they devise a way to detect the presence of natural gas. The device they came up with worked very well. The canary was more sensitive to gas than humans so they just put a canary in a cage and carried it with them. This method was pretty primitive and the bird had to pay a dear price to notify everybody of the presence of gas. The only way the bird could save the lives of the miners was to give up his own life. When the canary died they knew that gas was present. Many times the death that is carried by the breeze is not detected by the natural senses. Just because you have not detected the death carried by the seducing wind does not mean it’s not there.
The fact remains that the seducing spirit has been at work big time ever since Paul’s day and has filled thousands of cemeteries with its trophies. The Orthodox Jews would come and try to seduce them out of the faith of Yahshua back to Judaism. This was just the start of this breeze. Then came Caesar Constantine and replacement theology.
The stage was set and the players in their places as though instructed and ordered by the prophets of Yahveh. Obviously, there were groups already on the scene while Paul was on earth ministering. He talked about the Galatians being so quickly removed from the Gospel that he taught them only to fall back into Judaism abandoning the Gospel of Yahshua HaMasheiach. There were many groups involved in the struggle for control of the early Ecclesia and not only the Ecclesia but the mind of the populace in general. There were many philosophies ranging from Plato to and including Greek Mythology.
Out of that struggle came two groups, one was called the Aryans and the other was called the Gnostics. There was about as many philosophies and theologies as a person could imagine. However, the main struggle in the Ecclesia was between Aryanism and Gnosticism. Each of these groups was trying to gain control or superiority over the other with the goal of controlling the doctrines of the Ecclesia. The resulting behavior was debates and even violence. This condition existed for almost three hundred and fifty years. The Ecclesia was in want of a strong leader that could exercise authority and direct the path it would take.
There was much strife between the two groups and much deception in the Ecclesia as a whole. There was always the risk of civil unrest or an outbreak of violence. Division between the groups flourished. Civil unrest or a violent outbreak was the one thing the Roman government hated most of all. All civil outbreaks were put down quickly and much effort was taken to see that they never happened at all.
It took the first one hundred and fifty years to decide whether they were going to have a triune godhead called the trinity or a quadripartite godhead called who knows what.
The big debate was over whether the godhead was made of three equal parts consisting of The Father, The Son and The Holy Ghost; all three of these essences or bodies being only one God or whether the Logos also had an equal part in the Godhead. This was a polytheistic doctrine that was later on to be called the Trinity. This doctrine had to be brought into the Ecclesia by the Greek philosophical mindset. It was Constantine himself that finally broke the dead lock between the two groups. At the Council of Nicea it was Gnosticism that came away with the advantage over all the other Christian thought. It became the mandated doctrine of the only church recognized by the government. Also, it was a great advantage to have the Cesar, a Gnostic, presiding over the council.
The result of council was a mandate on how the Gospel of Yahshua HaMasheiach would be taught The Gnostics would predominantly dictate the direction the church would take for the next 1800 years. Both groups, the Gnostics and the Aryans, had a variety of errors in their doctrine. Gnosticism was a Greek mindset and believed salvation was by knowledge. Therefore, there were a lot of Greek philosophical ideas introduced into the Ecclesia. The winds of philosophy were already trying to seduce the Ecclesia to leave the course of purity set forth in the Gospel of Yahshua the Messiah.
A Hebrew mindset would not have accepted a polytheistic doctrine. Every Hebrew child was raised with the following Scripture as the total guideline in their search for understanding the Creator. “Hear, O Israel: The Yahveh our God, Yahvehis one! 5 You shall love Yahvehyour God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength” ( Deuteronomy 6:4-5 NKJV ). The trinity concept could have never come out of the Torah or if you would prefer Hebrew mindset. The trinity doctrine was born out of Greek polytheism.
From the time the Apostles went to be with the Father there had been no single direction for the Ecclesia. This struggle went on until Constantine came along and held the Council of Nicea in approximately three hundred and fifty A D. The interesting thing about the Nicean Council was there was no Jewish voice heard in their midst. The council did not look upon the Hebrew favorably, as matter of fact they stayed away from anything that might appear to give credence to Jewish culture.
Now for the first time the Ecclesia had a defined direction in which it would go. Prior to the apostles falling asleep to be with the Father; the Ecclesia looked much like a Jewish Synagogue. The major exception being that the Ecclesia preached that Yahshua shed His blood, died, was buried, went to the heart of the earth and preached to the spirits in bondage then resurrected on the third day so we could be forgiven of sin. The attitude of the heads of Judaism was that Yahshua was a blasphemer. Otherwise the two appeared the same. They both kept all of the commandments even the fourth one (“Remember the Sabbath day to keep it Holy.”Exodus20:8) The early church believed that Yahshua completed what the law could not. Now for the first time control of the Ecclesia was about to be taken over and ruled by the gentiles. The very people that had been given charge of the Ecclesia Yah’s chosen people were put on the back burner or even excluded. There were doctrines that were accepted and declared to be the standard with the intention of discouraging the Hebrew from participating or becoming a part of the Ecclesia. The council was greatly concerned about any possibility of the Ecclesia being strongly influenced or controlled by the Hebrew roots of the Church (“the Christ killing Jews”) as the Hebrew people were referred to by the Church leaders of that time.
There was no real effort to include the Jewish people in the early church. I am talking about after the first two hundred years. As a matter of fact the council of Nicea instilled Articles and put them place knowing that they would be impossible for the Jewish people to accept as a whole.
The commandments could never change the nature of your mind, but Yahshua can give you a complete regeneration. In regeneration where not only your nature is changed but also your “want to” is changed, so that you not only keep the commandments, but you want to keep the commandments. Because of the sacrifice of Yahshua, Father Yahveh gave you the Ruach HaKadesh. The Ruach was given to overcome the weakness of the flesh and enable you to accomplish the keeping of the commands.
Now let me stop right here before all the arm chair theologians jump on me and declare that I am teaching that you are saved by works rather than by grace. I am not doing any such thing. I am teaching, however, that because you have been washed in the blood of Yahshua, you have been empowered by the same power that resurrected Him from the grave. It is not by your power that you live righteously but by the power Father Yahveh gave you through the Ruach HaKadesh. Therefore, you have nothing to boast about; it is the power of Yahshua working through you. That is the operation of Yahveh in your life. You don’t keep the commandments to gain eternal salvation. Because you have been saved by grace, you have entered into covenant with Father Yahveh and desire to please Him. Now if you don’t have the desire to please Him you probably were not regenerated. You just became religious. If that is the scenario, your state could be worse than before you had the religious experience. Before you had the experience you knew there was something wrong with your life; now you think you have arrived. Now you will just sit back and enjoy the free ride you have been given.
The problem is most Christians have not studied the Bible for themselves. It is even less likely that they have taken the opportunity to study “Church history.” Without the study of “Church history” it would be impossible to understand how the traditional church arrived at the articles of faith they have proclaimed to be sound doctrines. It was an extremely high price that was paid by Yahshua on the stake so that we who were born Gentiles might have an opportunity to have a relationship with Father Yahveh. The average Ecclesia member doesn’t have a clue to the price that was paid not only by Yahshua but by the many believers who followed in His footsteps. The Ecclesia is not only washed in the blood of Yahshua but also is bathed in the blood of many who followed Him. The opportunity you have to sit down in your home and read an English version of the Scriptures was won through much bloodshed and determination. Without the English translation of the Scriptures, we that are not of Hebrew birth would have had almost no opportunity to understand the terms of the Covenant. By the sacrifice of many we not only have the chance to stop and take the time to understand the terms of the Covenant but also to partake in it.
From 350 AD there was a great plot to take the Ecclesia out of Father Yahveh’s hands and put it into the hands of man so that he could run it in his own way. Constantine and the Roman government did much to advance the apostate system that became the mandatory Ecclesia. The Roman Catholic Church is guilty of greater genocide than any other organization on earth. Cardinal Bellarmine stated; “Experience teaches that there is no other remedy for the evil, but to put the heretics (Protestants) to death; for the (Romish) church proceeded gradually and tried every remedy: at first she merely excommunicated them; afterwards she added a fine; then she banished them; and finally she was constrained to put them to death.” (1) Cardinal Bellarmine a famous champion of Romanism cited by Schumucker, page 76. “That the Church of Rome has shed more innocent blood than any other institution that has ever existed among mankind, will be questioned by no Protestant who has a competent knowledge of history…It is impossible to form a complete conception of the multitude of her victims, and it is quite certain that no powers of imagination can adequately realize their sufferings.” (2) W.E.H. Lecky, History of the Rise and Influence of the Spirit of Rationalism in Europe, vol. 2, p.32, 1910 edition. [A lengthy article of the right of the Roman Catholic Church to do this, will be found in the The Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 12, p. 266.] Mr. Raywood Frazier, in the booklet “Catholic Words and Actions,” presents documentary proof of the intensive persecution of Protestants and non-Catholics in Columbia, South America, between 1949 and 1953. The Catholic Church had the support of the Columbian government in the destruction of many churches, and the liquidation of more than 1,000 documented cases – some of whom were shot, drowned, or emasculated. He says there is evidence of over 60,000 killed. Pope Pius XII awarded the President of Columbia with one of the highest awards which the Church bestows, and praised Columbia for its example of the Catholic faith. (Pp. 59,60) The atrocities that were committed by Adolph Hitler were influenced by the Roman Catholic Church. In 1933, Cardinal Pacelli (later to become Pope Pius XII) signed the Concordat which made Roman Catholicism the only recognized religion of Germany. Eugenio Pacelli (Pope from 1939 to 1958) was a brilliant diplomat, a cunning politician and a religious crusader. He was appointed Papal Nuncio to Germany in 1920 – the first since the Reformation! He, more than anybody else outside Germany, helped Hitler to power. (A pictorial documentary can be found at http://www.reformation.org/inquisit.html)
The intents and purposes of the Roman Catholic church become very clear when we hear its claim that the pope has the right to make declarations that even God Himself has to abide by. On page 27 in the “Duties and Dignities” by Luguori, he states: “And God himself is obligated to abide by the judgment of his priest and either not to pardon or to pardon according as they refuse to give absolution, provided the penitent is capable of it.” Roman Catholic Cannon Law stipulates through Pope Innocent III that the Roman Pontiff is the “vicegerent (agent) upon earth, not mere man, but of a very God;” and in a gloss of the passage it is explained that this is because he is the vicegerent (agent) of Christ, who is very God and very man.” Decretales Domini Gergorii translatione Episcoporum”, (on the transference of Bishops), title 7, chapter 3, Corpus Juris Canonice (2nd Leipiz ed., 1881), col.99;(Paris, 1612), tom.2, Devretales, col. 205. Such arrogance!! Such apostasy!! It’s no wonder we have come away with the idea that the church has the right to nullify the commandments of Yahveh and live in a manner that ignores His laws. We are so quick to declare that we are under grace and the violations of the commandments are not noticed by Father Yahveh. The scary thing about all of this thought is the system that determined for us what was a legitimate doctrine believed and to this day believes it can nullify the laws of Yahveh. This system was prophesied of hundreds of years before it came on the scene. There was a great need for a very special person to come on the scene spoken of by Daniel in the seventh chapter and twenty fifth verse. Daniel 7:25 NKJV “He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, Shall persecute the saints of the Most High, And shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand For a time and a times and half a time.” This prophesy was fulfilled when Constantine came on the scene. It was he who gave the ability to the Catholic Church to enforce all the changes in the Father’s laws
Constantine was convinced that if he would embrace Christianity; he would become invincible. This was not a far stretch for a man who worshipped Apollo, the sun god. He practiced polytheism so there was no problem adding one more god to his repertoire. Even more incredible is the fact that Constantine believed himself god.
The Catholic church likes to make the claim that the Apostle Peter was the first pope. The historical record plainly shows that Constantine was the one who put into play the system that became the Catholic Church. Because Constantine replaced the Father’s appointed times with pagan rituals. We can clearly see how his successors would conclude that they have the authority to change the Father’s covenant.
Please do not misunderstand me, I do not believe the Father ever lost control of the Ecclesia, neither do I believe He was ever wringing His hands over the situation. We are told by the Apostle Paul of the seduction (delusion) that Father Yahveh Himself was going to send. In 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 NKJV we are told that there are requirements that must be met that you might (or may) be saved; -“and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
One thing that got my attention about these Scripture years ago was if you wanted to be saved you had to develop a love for the truth. This is the prayer I pray almost daily; “Father give me an insatiable desire, a craving for the truth. The ability to receive the truth and the ability to recognize and reject the lie.”
Precious saint, you are not deceived until you hear the lie and accept it as the truth and become convinced that it is absolute truth. You must be convinced that the lie is truth before you can call it deception. I have talked to people who had certain truths working in their lives, but their pleasure was not in those truths. They would rather have been doing unrighteousness and were constantly looking for some way to commit those acts and feel justified. Their delight was not in the law of Yahveh but the lust of the flesh and that made them susceptible to receive the lie.
If the laws of Yahveh are not a delight to us we ought to be seeking the problem and asking Yahveh for the answer. Father Yahveh said He would take away the stony heart and give us a heart of flesh. He also said he would write His commandments on our heart and that they would not be a burden to us. If His commands are a burdensome thing as many preach; there must still be a stony heart involved. The minute you start talking about keeping of the commandments many will respond with this reply “You are not putting me back under bondage; I have been freed from the law. I live in the age of grace and you are just too legalistic.” My dear friend, out of love and concern for the well being of the Ecclesia; I want to tell you, you are either going to follow the law or you are going to be lawless. The Father has mercy on us because we love Him. How do we love Him? I can give you all kinds of answers but the Word states it is by “the keeping of His commandments.” In Deuteronomy 30:16-31:1 NKJV we are told in no uncertain terms what the Father expects of us. “in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the LORD your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. (17) But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, (18) I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. (19) I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; (20) that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.” This was not a suggestion, or a recommendation, but rather a command. Father Yahveh went even further and called heaven and earth as witnesses against you that you have been notified as to how you ought to conduct yourself.
Ha Satan started with Yahshua trying to tempt Him by perverting the Scriptures. In Matthew 4:6, it is recorded that Satan appealing to human nature and ego tempted Yahshua to prove who He really was by casting Himself off of the pinnacle of the temple saying “if you really are the son of Yahveh the angels will bare you up lest you dash your foot against a stone.” There are several issues here in this one Scripture that demand attention but for now I will attempt to deal with the one at hand. We should not be surprised at Satan’s tactics. Satan is not able to destroy Yahveh and has no ability to make Him go away. The only hope that Satan could possibly have is by causing confusion; he is still trying to pervert the Scriptures by saying, “You shall surly not burn in Hell. The God you serve is a God of love. He wouldn’t do that to you; the only instance in which he would do that is if you don’t admit that Jesus Christ is the son of God and join the Jesus club; that you might be saved. You are not saved by your actions but by the mercy of God lest any man should boast.” Please note: How subtly Satan perverts the Scriptures. We are not saved by our actions; there is no action apart from the blood of Yahshua that would qualify us for salvation. We are saved by grace and that changes our actions.
There have been too many years of self justification for the behavior that we are involved in at the time. The Church of England tried to suppress the printing of the English Bible by burning at the stake everyone they caught with an English translation. Or whether it be the Roman Catholic Church and the crusades where thousands were killed. The only crime they were guilty of was not agreeing with the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church,
We have a tendency and a desire to make acceptable what ever behavior we are involved in at the time. This is so dangerous because at the time we may be operating in the desires of the flesh or the emotions of the moment. That can run from hate to lust. This has been a problem ever since time began. The attitude of if you don’t agree with me on important issues such as worship I’ll kill you then every body is in agreement that I am right in what I believe. I mean if we have 100 percent agreement on method and direction of worship, we must be right. 100 percent agreement is worthless if Yahveh is not part of that 100 percent. How foolish we are sometimes in our thought process.
How do we avoid being seduced into error? The only possible way is to be determined that we are going to do everything according to the Word of Yahveh and not what someone says about the Word of Yahveh. It seems we want to dance around the fire but not get close enough to get burned by it. Sometimes we are in error because of bad judgment. Judgment errors are one area of your life where you do not want to make a mistake. A mistake in this area could cause serious repercussions if not remedied by revelation of Ruach HaKadesh and submission and obedience to it. However if we will follow the direction of the Ruach HaKadesh then the promises are in effect in our life for the good and not the bad. Please take care not to be seduced. It happens easily and hard to rectify.
The Trumpet