Modern Christianity: The Pharisees live on
(an Assembly of True Israel, of the Diaspora)
Published in the Idle Babbler Illustrated, Vol. 4, Issue 3, Sept.-Oct. 1997. Put in electronic format by The Assembly of Yahweh. All items in "[ ]" are comments made by us. Reproduced by permission.
The Pharisees live on
If you had told a Pharisee of our Lord's [Yahshua's] day that he was about to approve the murder of Messiah, he would have told you you had eaten a bad pomegranate, then cinched up his phylactery. It was impossible for the likes of him to be deceived-so he thought. A similar response awaits he who tells the modern Christian, "you embrace the teachings of demons*." The Christian thinks too much of himself to entertain the thought. He's a Christian. He can't be deceived.
One of Christianity's Achilles heels is the pride of the Pharisees: "we can't be wrong." It is supposed that, since so many good people believe a thing, it must be right. But quite the opposite is true. Scriptural precedent shows that the religious majority (Israel in the wilderness, the Pharisees, the believing Jews [Judeans] of Paul's day) is always wrong. Truth comes, always, through the downtrodden remnant.
It is wrong to think of the Pharisees as evil-faced monsters with black, handlebar mustaches. They were kind, well-liked, and supported the local Boy Scout Chapter. Yet beneath this whitewashed exterior lived the demon* pride; the Pharisees gloried in their attainments in Judaism. It was their secret fear that others might get what they had, so they lorded it over other men.
Thus also with modern Christianity. Beneath her whitewashed exterior of humility is a secret pride that congratulates itself on the wise decision that "appropriated" Christ's [Messiah's] work. The professed "burden for souls" is also a sham, for when told that Christ [Messiah] did save all mankind at the cross, the Christian hates the news. Secretly, the Christian, like the Pharisee of old, doesn't want others to share his "praise." He is a hypocrite.
The final symptom? "You are invalidating the Word of God [YAHWEH] by your tradition." (Mk. 7:13.)
Some things never change.
The Hypocrisy of false expressions
"You are absolutely. totally helpless to save yourself."..........."You must make a wise decision in order to be saved."
"God controls all things."............................................................"God doesn't control man's free will."
"We can't boast about going to heaven.".........................................."If you go to hell, it's your own fault."
"Love never faileth."............................................................."Love can't overcome human stubborness."
"Men are in bondage to sin.".............................................................."Men are free to choose Christ."
"Grace is unmerited favor...."......................................"....given only those who merit it with faith and obedience."
"God is the Savior of all Mankind (1 Tim. 4:10...."............................."....except for about ninety percent of them."
"God's love is unconditional...."................................................"....as long as you meet certain conditions."
"God's will is unopposable...."................................................................"....except by the sinner."
"Salvation is not by chance."......................................................."There is no second chance to be saved."
"We have good news for you!".............................................................."Most of mankind will perish forever."
"God loves you!"................................................................................."....as long as you love him."
"Christ died for for all sin...."..................................."....except the sin of not believing that he died for all sin."
"The Good Shepherd seeks the lost sheep until He finds it!"......................."The Good Shepherd seeks until it's too late."
"God's justice was satisfied in the cross of Christ."............"God's justice demands eternal hell-fire torment or annihilation."
* Note: The word demon, comes from the Greek word, da i m on 'teach', (in english, associated with the word 'demonstrate'). The word demon, is also associated with a superhuman spirit being, almost always used in a good sense in previous profane Greek, but in the Septuagint it is used disparagingly of the gods of the nations, an evil spirit which has the power to 'obsess' (not possess) mankind.
Presented for aletheia, by the Assembly of YAHWEH, Cascade
A.O.Y., Cascade, P.O. Box 695 Kettle Falls, Washington, 99141