In the Image of God
It amazes me to see just how few people really understand what God had in mind when he created man. I know I have posted some deep and thought provoking teachings. Much of it may be going right over some people’s heads. My posts were an endeavor to feed those who are hungering for more insight into Biblical Prophecy. This Blog grew out of the increasing realization that the Antichrist has been revealed. I feel God has used Stephen Hanchett’s prophetic vision to make clear some things that many of us may have felt for quite sometime, but couldn’t really believe. I am thankful for the work he has done to fit many of the pieces together.
In this post I think it would be good to have some basic understanding of true foundational orthodox Christian milk.
All of creation was made by God, nothing exists without him. A fundamental difference between Christian theology and eastern philosophy is that the Christian believes that God made all things SEPARATE from himself. He is everywhere but not everything. Eastern religions believe that everything is a part of God. Therefore they do not believe that evil really exists, they say it is just a state of mind. If God is everything and evil existed, then God would be part evil. That is how the thinking goes. Tell that to those men that had their heads cut off by Islamic terrorists.
God is capable of fellowship within himself (he is a triune God) but he chose to have a love object apart from himself. Therefore he created man. In order for man to love God and not be like a machine, he had to give us a free will to choose, and an opportunity to use it. He placed in the garden that opportunity. We chose to know good and evil on our own rather than have God teach us. Man went from being God conscious to being self conscious, and then he knew that he was naked. Satan (was also created by God, and there is some theological debate as to if he was made evil or became that way) is very subtle and deceiving. He came to Eve, (who had not gotten the commandment directly from God, she had heard it from Adam, and this is why God brought our salvation through the seed of the women. She was deceived; Adam knew what he was doing.) and said “Hath God said?” He had caused her to question Gods word. Then he asked her if she could eat of all the trees in the garden. This took her attention off all that she could have and put it on the one thing she couldn’t have. Covetousness and desire entered into the world. Now God foreknowing that man would fall, could have just destroyed it all and started anew, but he had built into his creation a redemptive plan. All of creation fell with Adam, and was cut off from God. Our eyes were veiled from seeing God. Adam was a “Son of God” in that he was directly begotten of God. We are the sons of man, our father is Adam. What people don’t understand when they say “if I don’t come to Jesus I am going to hell?” is that they are in a sense there already. We are cut off from God in a dying suffering world. Jesus came into the world to save us, offering us a way to life instead of this death. Jn:3:17 “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” When we are born into this world we are born of Adam and the flesh. When we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ we are then “born again” .This is not just a doctrine, this is a reality. It is received by faith. If we have been born of God it changes us to walk as though Christ is come in our flesh. Antichrist says one thing and then does another like George Bush. I believe there are many that know the doctrine but don’t know Christ and there are those that don’t know the doctrine but are born of the spirit ( I can expound on that some more if anyone asks about it). As I have said before we are not saved by our doctrines, we are saved by faith, and a walk with the Living God. Doctrine is given to communicate, and help us to grow in our knowledge of God and mature us spiritually.
If we are then “bought with a price” the blood of Jesus, good works will come as a result. This is your new nature. Good works come because you are God's, not to earn your place.
Eph:2: 8: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” No one will be able to come before God and say “I deserve to be here”. If we got what we deserved we would all go to Hell. Every false religion in the world is a system of works. Only Biblical Christianity says you can’t earn it. It is a gift. So there is nothing for you to boast about. The catch is in order to receive this gift you must realize you are a sinner and no good in you. You must humble yourself to know you are sick and need the “physician”. God resists the proud. Now this is where most of Christendom stops. They are born and only interested in being a baby and being saved from Hell. We are called to much more. Salvation is just the beginning. Everything Jesus did, he did not as God but as Man. He was not just the revelation of what God was like, but what God intended Man to be like. 1Jn:3:2: “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”
I will talk more about growing up into maturity and moving in the power of the spirit in these last days in another post. For now I want to stay with more foundational truth.
I have said in another place that we are NOT all Gods children. We are all part of His creation, but not all are his children. As you have read this I hope you have understood, that we are born into a fallen creation, and there are many evil influences stalking mankind. There are those that find selfishness, rather then selflessness; pride rather than humility; lies rather than truth, more appealing. These are not of the seed of God.
Jn:8: 42: “Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
43: Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.
44: Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. 47: He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.”
This seems to lead us to another question. Can they be saved? Do they have a free will?
I can only say God is just and he knows what he is doing. Can the Clay ask the Potter why hast thou made me so? The Bible seems to be teaching two different doctrines, Free Will and Predestination. Both are true. In Exodus it tells us that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. Jn:6:44: “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.” Maybe you will understand it somewhat with this analogy. As you are approaching the Gates to the Kingdom, over the top you see sign that says “Enter according to your free will” then as you pass through the gates and turn around and look back from inside the sign over the gates says “Predestined of God”. We think we are seeking, but we wouldn’t be, lest the father was drawing you. As you struggle with this world you fight battles with your will, but as you move in the spirit and become closer to God you realize how you were preordained from the foundation of the world. In a sense you have always existed in the mind of God..
True Christians know that God is supernatural and with Him all things are possible.
We as young Christians need to be fed and kept from error. How do we do this? The early church fathers knowing that many false teachers were seeking to corrupt the truth of the gospel, designed a simple creed that we could commit to heart, knowing that everyone in those days couldn’t have a Bible. “The Apostles Creed” If we could keep the tenants in that we could never wander too far into error. Now we have access to the Bible, and I have said in another place that it is without error. I also believe that it was written by God through men. Mt:22:29: “Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.” When I said without error I meant in its original form. We read translations. But we can study in the original languages. Some would say that it has been corrupted over the years. That is not true, only people that don’t know what they are talking about would say that. We have so many copies of the original texts that it is almost embarrassing. The scribes that made these copies were professionals. There was a rigid system of checks to make sure that every “Jot and Titel”
was accurate. Rom:15:4: “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”
This is what the Scripture says about itself; 2Tm:3:16: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” Now when we take the Bible if we say I can believe this but not that, what we have done is made our selves the author of truth, deciding for ourselves what we want to believe. It says in that verse ALL SCRIPTURE. Now I realize that it takes faith to believe this. I didn’t wake up one day and decide to believe, but it was built on evidence through seeking to know the truth. We take steps. St Augustine said “Man seeks to have knowledge without faith but without faith he will have neither knowledge nor faith.” When you take a step of faith you will get the conformation that the step you took was real. When you sit in a chair you sit in it because you look at it and there is evidence that it will hold you. Then you take that step of faith and sit in it and have the confirmation that it will hold you. I know also some would say “how about all the evil that has come as a result of the Bible and religion”. That is just what the devil would love you to believe. There is a very simple answer to truth, It bears good fruit. Every tree is known by its fruit. Mt:7: 15: “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
16: Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17: Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18: A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19: Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20: Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 21: Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”
Gal:5: 22: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23: Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
This brings us to the answer at the top of this post, WHY? He did it for Love.
Jn:3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
“God is Love” 1Jn:4:16
Be comforted and encouraged by this in the days ahead.
15 comments:
Hi Peter,
I have two questions for you.
Firstly, have all people who have populated the earth since Jesus' crucifiction and therefore only pathway to salvation had the opportunity to know the truth about it. I have always understood that they had but it would seem to me that dependant an individual life in history there would have perhaps been a more compelling case. For instance, assuming that people don't leave it too long, end times will give a compelling answer to many people, and whilst I realise that many people will be caught up in other things, are they not at the advantage to say at the extreme, someone 500year ago on a remote island somewhere. Your help with this would be really appreciated. Please acceot my apologise if this seems a muddle, for some reason this morning, my mind knows the questions but my brain can't formulate it!
The second question is the new appointment at the world bank. Paul Wolfowitz. He is pro Israel, pro Iraqi war and now the head of the world bank. With the power assumed and the authority of he world bank position, so you think that he will fulfill any role in the end times? Obviously you do as you indicate we are in them; but what I mean is.... could this guy be 'false' prophet?
Do you have to be baptised or christened to be recieved as saved, even if you accept and know the path to salvation?
Thank you Peterz you have done an admirable job in aswering my questions but I do have some more questions for you but I don't have time to post them right now.
I believe Mr Hanchett is either losing his way or he has never meant to do anything but discredit the Republican party.He seems to believe the Dems are ok and that it is only the Rep that are corrupt and that is dangerous thinking because although I believe ther is no doubt that Bush is an evil man we will not know for sure if he is the final anti-crist until the time is right and believing he is without question might lead you to miss the real one. 70yrs ago one could have easily said Hitler was him as he before Bush did all the same things. Bush is obviously using the same tactics and he probably would not be able to do these things if Hitler did not come before him. In the same way Bush might just be paving the way for someone else. I know the bible does not tell us the anti-crist will definatly be a Republican for I believe you know just as well as I do he could be a Democrat who has not come yet, maybe even a woman.
God Bless and keep up the good work.
First let me say to Rob, I will answer your question more completely in another post, I asked if anyone wanted me to explain more when I said"I believe there are many that know the doctrine but don’t know Christ and there are those that don’t know the doctrine but are born of the spirit. I believe that your question is what about those that may never have heard the Gospel. More in a post.
Question 2 Do we need to be baptized? Baptism is part of our salvation. It is a physical identification whith christ. I will again more completely answer that too.
To the third question. I would have to agree with Mr Hanchett in his belief that Bush is the Antichrist. I realize that there were many other examples of antichrist in history, but as you may have read in my post below "What Day is it" The time is right with Bush and he fits too perfectly. I don't think Hanchett is saying that the Republicans are the only bad guys. But at this point they are controlled by a rightwing fundamentalist mentality that is evil, and deceiving. I am sure that he is fully aware that there are plenty of evil Democrats, but they are not the ones in control now, and the Dems have been standing for a more solid Christian principle. The Republicans control the Supreme Court, Congress, The Senate and the Media. I believe there is ample evidence to prove they stole this election again and even evidence that 9/11 was not what most people think. Sorry sir, But George Bush is in my mind unquestionably the incarnation of evil and deception. The Antichrist. I wish and hope we are wrong.
Peterz I thought the Orthodox Church was the eastern curch.
You said every false religion in the world is a system of works.
Then do you consider Islam one of those religions. They consider the Koran the word of God just as you believe the Bible is. Please comment on this subject.
I see you said you must be baptised
before you can make it to heaven.
So are all the people who died before Jesus came denied heaven.
I know is says all the dead in christ will be resurected but what of the ones who died before baptism
First off Peter I thought that Jesus was to return before the deceiver would be revealed. So does that mean Jesus has returned and he is revealing the anti-crist through Mr. Hanchett ?
To the first question: When I used the term "Orthodox" I was not speaking of the Greek Orthodox or the Eastern Orthodox or any other denomination or sect. I was using the word in its Dictionary definition of the word
or•tho•dox (ôr“th…-d¼ks”) adj. 1. Adhering to the accepted or traditional and established faith,
To the second question: Are you asking the question because you really want an answer or are you looking for a fight? If you really want an answer, I will at this point say that when any writing contradicts the Bible, and teaches otherwise, I must choose to believe the Bible. The Koran teaches that Jesus was not born of a virgin, and those that teach it are infidels. Jesus was born of a virgin because his Father was God; the blood that flowed through his veins was eternal blood, shed once for all man kind forever. The Koran also teaches that Jesus was not really crucified, but miraculously escaped from the cross and another was crucified in his place. Paul taught us that if “Christ be not crucified our faith is in vain” Mohamed lived 500 years after Christ. Peter said 2Pt:1:16: For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. He was willing to die for that. Now someone is not telling the truth. Jesus is the only one that said he was coming back. I wouldn’t be looking for Mohamed.
To the third question: If you would go back and reread what I said about baptism, you will see I did not say that you must be baptized to be “Saved” I said it was a part of our salvation. It is a physical identification with the death and burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. We must get over the idea that salvation is just a born again thing. Yes there is a birth where we go from death unto eternal life, but from there, there is much more to experience and know. Does the bride know all there is to know of the bride groom on her wedding night? How much more is there when dealing with the wonders and glory of the Infinite God. Do you think we are going to be floating around on a cloud playing a harp for all of eternity?
To the forth question: You obviously have not read my other posts nor have you actually read the Bible for your self. You have been listening to the false prophets that have been deceiving the church. Don’t be slothful when it comes to knowing the truth. You can not let anyone else spoon feed you lies. Just in case you won’t start the seeking process, I will again post this, in the hope that it will stir you and shake you loose for what you had believed. 2Thes.2:1: Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2: That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
3: Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall NOT come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be REVEALED, the son of perdition;
God Bless.
The Eastern church calls themself the Orthodox Church obviously you don't believe that, you believe the Roman Catholic church is Orthodox I presume. So tell me do you have to be circumcised and follow kosher diets to save your soul. These would be laws that Jesus followed so shouldn't we also or is the old testament not to be followed literally?
Why were some books of the old testament left out of the English & Protestant versions? I presume You use a Catholic Bible.
I will also presume(a lot of presuming because you gave no straight answers)you do believe Muhamed is a false prophet. Now I am no muslim but I am pretty sure
they do believe in the virgin birth , you might want to check that out again and do not they believe Jesus is returning also & not Muhamed?
I will presume you do believe that God is revealing the anti-crist through Stephen. Now I will presume again that you & Stephen are right & Bush is the anti-crist & these are the end times just what is the point of Stephen's work (you know the fruit)what are we supposed to do? Go vote Democrats into office? Will this save our souls? Will knowing who he is do anything? Or are we supposed to be scared into being good christians not because of any regaurd for are fellow man but just to try & save our souls? Don't you think God can see through that, is that not why he is to let us be deceived?
Now I will answer your question.
" Do you think we are going to be floating around on a cloud playing a harp for all eternity?"
Of course not . I believe there is no reward. I do good for my fellow man because we are all one. What you do for one you do for all just as what you do to one you do to all. I could no more do wrong by someone then if I did it to myself.
And is that not what Jesus was teaching through all your scripture & interpretation,is that not the heart of it all? We are all one consciousness, Our lives are but an illusion of self through
flesh. As you correctly say the flesh is meaningless. I do not do good for the fear of some eternal death or the reward of ever lasting life. The punishment of your sins is knowing you did it to yourself . Why do you do good Peterz, because you are affraid to
die? You do not have to answer me on that one, that is a question you can answer to yourself for I need not know.
I know you don't believe my theory
because it does not fit into what you have researched all these years and I know you will probably say I am damned even though I treat my fellow man as he is myself but remember the pharisees researched & studied & interpretated the scripture & could not see what was in front of their face even though they thought of themselves as good men.
Don't be to overconfident in yourself. I have listened to you and kept an open mind to what you were saying and have tried to learn from it.I have come up with my own belief not on what someone has told me my whole life or from my own desire. If it were from my own desire I would believe the rapture and a nice heaven to go to and play my harp but I know this not to be true. I have derived it from my search for the truth as I have done since I was a child and if my questions seem sarcastic they are not meant to be. When I am trying to learn somthing I take nothing for granted & I presume to know nothing myself for that is the only way you can fully comprehend what you are truley being taught I am merely giving you a chance to teach me what I do not know. And I am not a church going person nor do I claim to be an expert on the bible for I have only just begun to read it to learn more. I have not been listening to "false prophets that
have been deceiving the church"
unless you consider yourself one of them but then I will decide that for myself also.
Looking forward to your response .
To the poster above, God bless you. (That is not sarcasm, but my sincere prayer) It appears that both were true. You are both looking for a fight and wanting answers. I am delighted. If you were satisfied with what you believe, you wouldn’t be seeking both on here and where ever else you are looking. That is wonderful. I have confidence in Jesus’ words, “Seek and ye shall Find”. I believe I have answered the questions above in my previous post correctly however briefly. I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I know that God has made me responsible for much and to teach his flock. I think that perhaps the fight in you has come from a bit of mistrust. I also think to some degree, that is a good thing. You want to see if I am the real deal. You asked “Why do you do good?” Well sometimes I wonder how much good I do, but any good that I do is not me because there is no good in me. It is Christ that works in me. Now you asked is it because of being afraid? I will certainly and honestly say yes, there is that fear of God in me. I believe I follow Jesus mainly because I have seen the master and fallen in love. I ache at the condition of the world and the suffering. I hunger and thirst for right and fairness and love and peace. I want to follow God out of love, but I have prayed, “Lord if you can’t love me in scare me in”. Christianity teaches that you can never be good enough, but you can be forgiven and justified by faith. You can not reach God, but he can reach you. Consider this, If God is All Powerful there are no coincidences. I am not saying we can always find the meaning in everything that happens, but this is not a chance universe. You did not stumble upon these pages by accident. It may be that God as a result of your search lead you. Weigh the words you’ve read in what I have said and taught, and let the Holy Spirit guide you. You will know the truth, and the truth shall bring forth fruit and set you free. Don’t trust me, trust God.
For those who make it to the millenial kingdom, how are we told life will be?
we can only imagin the beauty.
1Cor:2:9: But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
What happens to all the people who were born into no religion or a different belief other than Christianity......live their lives as "good" people but are unsure of their beliefs??........Are they not saved? Are they damned? I've met many many religious hypocrytical people (mainly Christian).....What happens to them for judging so harsh towards those who are not Christian or do not believe in Christ? God loves us all for who we are. I don't think Christians are any better than Muslims, Hindu, Bhuddist, even Atheist. We must speak through our actions not through our words. What are your thoughts?
I believe you have erred in stating part of the way through your post that we have many copies of the "original" texts to the bible. To my knowledge the earliest available texts we have to the NT are from about maybe 170 CE. If you have knowledge of any original transcripts I would love to know more specifics. For the record I am an atheist, but I enjoy studying religious texts and find the thought of finding the original texts sort of exciting to say the least.
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