Ecclesiastes 9:4 "For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion."
The real story in the Garden of Eden isn't about some talking snake deceiving newly weds into eating sinful apples. That wouldn't be a reality but a fable. Faith has absolutely nothing to do with believing in fables. Jesus is The Way, The Truth and The Life. He never promoted the systems of men or their doctrines. The precepts of men keep people in bondage but the Truth makes you free. It's utter nonsense to cling onto fables, and clearly shows the extreme level of indoctrination, occurring in mainstream Christianity. It's the belief of the systems of men and their traditions and fables over GOD's WORD. Most Christians who buy into to the doctrines of men, and devils, are caught up in the ways and wisdom of this world. They never see past the illusions and hypocrisies within their own minds, rendering themselves neutral and lukewarm as soldiers in the battlefield. They respect persons in judgment and judge by the appearance, judging not righteous judgment, but hypocritical judgment. All of the leaders that they accept, choose or vote into religious, political, financial and educational offices will be the wrong leaders and shepherds. Moffatt translates 2 Timothy 4:3-4 as:
2 Timothy 4:3 "For the time will come when people will decline to be taught sound doctrine and will accumulate teachers to suit themselves and tickle their own fancies;"
2 Timothy 4:4 "They will give up listening to the Truth and turn to myths."
myths = G3454. muthos (moo'-thos) - Perhaps from the same as G3453 (through the idea of tuition); a tale, that is, fiction (“myth”): - fable.
G3453. mueō (moo-eh'-o) - From the base of G3466; to initiate, that is, (by implication) to teach: - instruct.
G3466. mustērion (moos-tay'-ree-on) - From a derivative of μύω muō (to shut the mouth); a secret or “mystery” (through the idea of silence imposed by initiation into religious rites): - mystery.
Those under the spirit of slumber will turn to fiction and become initiated, or indoctrinated, into satan's counterfeit religion, which is another gospel, another jesus. The indoctrinated will praise the new world order and it's leaders, and call them saviors. It's the backwards world that we live in, where money, recognition and status equate worthiness. The masses will give up all of their freedoms for the illusion of unity, equality, financial stability and protection from terrorism. The double-mindedness and hypocrisy of religious men will lead to the great apostasy in the end times. Restoring a state of Israel, one that is geographic and physical, and spiritually demonic, is not a Christian but an antichrist cause. If you're a Christian, yet you align yourself with Christ-hating people, does that make you single-minded or double-minded?
People perish spiritually due to lack of knowledge in our FATHER's Word. The belief of one myth allows more through the doors of the mind, even seven more wicked than the original, and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Without knowing that Cain was a result of the sexual union between satan and Eve, a Christian will easily turn to myths. If you've been taught error for most of your life in church, you're malnourished, but it doesn't mean you're not a Christian. Feeling discomfort or cognitive dissonance is due to the unstableness in your mind from the doctrines of devils. Swallow your pride, experience humility, and come into the Kingdom of GOD as a little child, for a child's mind is open, an indoctrinated mind is closed. Get into the meat of the Word.
A living dog is better than a dead lion. It might also be better to be a living heathen than a carnal, spiritually asleep, so-called religious Christian, who doesn't know up from down. Truth be told, many Christians lack spiritual discernment, good ol' common sense and critical thinking skills. They don't know when to view something literally or when to understand it figuratively. From years of indoctrination and conditioning, they've mixed man's word, science fiction and fables into their understanding of the Holy Scriptures. And a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
"It may be asked, “How are we to know, then, when words are to be taken in their simple, original form (i.e., literally), and when they are to be taken in some other and peculiar form (i.e., as a Figure)?” The answer is that, whenever and wherever it is possible, the words of Scripture are to be understood literally, but when a statement appears to be contrary to our experience, or to known fact, or revealed truth; or seems to be at variance with the general teaching of the Scriptures, then we may reasonably expect that some figure is employed. And as it is employed only to call our attention to some specially designed emphasis, we are at once bound to diligently examine the figure for the purpose of discovering and learning the truth that is thus emphasized."
"From non-attention to these Figures, translators have made blunders as serious as they are foolish. Sometimes they have translated the figure literally, totally ignoring its existence; sometimes they have taken it fully into account, and have translated, not according to the letter, but according to the spirit; sometimes they have taken literal words and translated them figuratively. Commentators and interpreters, from inattention to the figures, have been led astray from the real meaning of many important passages of God’s Word; while ignorance of them has been the fruitful parent of error and false doctrine. It may be truly said that most of the gigantic errors of Rome, as well as the erroneous and conflicting views of the Lord’s People, have their root and source, either in figuratively explaining away passages which should be taken literally, or in taking literally what has been thrown into a peculiar form or Figure of language: thus, not only falling into error, but losing the express teaching, and missing the special emphasis which the particular Figure was designed to impart to them."
"This is an additional reason for using greater exactitude and care when we are dealing with the words of God. Man’s words are scarcely worthy of such study. Man uses figures, but often at random and often in ignorance or in error. But “the words of the Lord are pure words.” All His works are perfect, and when the Holy Spirit takes up and uses human words, He does so, we may be sure, with unerring accuracy, infinite wisdom, and perfect beauty. We may well, therefore, give all our attention to “the words which the Holy Ghost teacheth” (Bullinger).
Mainstream Christianity refers to many of the real truths in GOD's Word as false doctrines. They often takes what's figurative in the Word as literal and what's literal as figurative. They look at Adam and Eve as mythical creatures who committed mythical sins. It's truly a reflection of their own self-righteousness and pride that they cannot come to terms with the fact that Adam and Eve fell committing the same sins as common men. They'd rather turn their itchy ears to disney style fairy tales.
Many Christians put the media, education and the precepts of men before GOD's Word. So arrogant in their own conceit and self-righteousness, they fail to realize that they're preaching to a world of heathens about all of mankind descending from one man, the Earth being only thousands of years old, and that Adam and Eve brought sin into the world by eating "forbidden" fruit. Seriously, how much does such a so-called Christian really know or understand? It's a sad truth that the majority of Christians are superficial believers that go through the motions of a "Christian" life. It's hypocrisy for folks to believe that we have a loving GOD that punished Adam and Eve for being deceived by a literal, slithering snake to eat off a fruit tree.
Indoctrinate means to teach (a person or group) to accept a set of beliefs uncritically. In the term "critical thinking", the word critical, (Grk. κριτικός = kritikos = "critic") derives from the word critic, and identifies the intellectual capacity and the means "for judging" and of being "able to discern". Accepting a set of beliefs uncritically is accepting them without discernment. The problem intensifies when the beliefs held are contrary to one another, producing double-mindedness, holding two contradictory beliefs in one’s mind simultaneously.
If you know something is wrong and you do it anyway, that's not a compromise. Thoughts, words and actions are intimately connected, so you really don't compromise within yourself knowing good and doing the opposite of it. Because you understood something wasn't right to do, and yet, you did the opposite. It requires the second belief or decision for the action to take place. Living a double life or by double standards are also forms of double-mindedness. Cognitive dissonance is the mental discomfort experienced when a person is double-minded, or performs an action contrary to his beliefs, ideas or values, or when confronted with truth that conflicts with his existing beliefs, ideas or values.
Indoctrinated minds lack critical thinking skills. Critical reading and critical thinking work together. When Christians cannot understand what's meant to be taken literally and figuratively in the Word of GOD, they're not being critical thinkers or readers. Indoctrination is also passed down from one generation to the next by the traditions of men.
Mark 16:17 "And these signs shall follow them that believe; In My name [Jesus Christ] shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;"
Mark 16:18 "They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover."
Some Christians go so far as to intepret speaking "new tongues" as meaning speaking gibberish, which no man can understand. They think it's an angelic tongue from the Holy Spirit, when all they're doing is entertaining evil spirits and spreading confusion. The word "tongues" in this verse simply means languages or a naturally unacquired one, like learning a second language, or with the use of interpreters. The Word would eventually be spread throughout the world, and the Gospel would be shared in multiple languages by different kindreds and races. When the Holy Spirit speaks through a person (as on the day of Pentecost), it's in a cloven tongue, meaning everyone listening will understand it in their own mother tongue, or native language, down to the dialect and even accent. No interpreter is necessary; it is not gibberish like some churches teach.
Other so-called Christians play with venomous snakes and drink different poisons, as if they're tempting GOD. They take what's meant to be understood figuratively as literally. Unless you're a professional snake handler, toying with a venomous snake will likely lead to premature death. Drinking poison leads to the same outcome. The real poison is the malicious lies, slander and gossip which people will say against you. The poison and wickedness used against you will not harm you when you're doing the will of GOD and teaching His real Truth. You'll be rejected and persecuted by other Christian brothers and sisters, because they're indoctrinated and only know the "feel good" messages and fables of organized religion.
The Lion King - pt 5 (the lion and adder)
The Lion King - pt 6 (thorn tree)
The Lion King - pt 7 (Garden of Eden)
The Lion King - pt 8 (sweeter than honey)
The Lion King - pt 9 (false lion of Judah)
To be continued...
Peace in CHRIST JESUS,
Spread-the-Truth
Mr baptist.
