The Mystery of Protestantism #6

Explaining and understanding Paul's message in Colossians Two

Fred R. Coulter—August 26, 2017

- Video | - PDF | [Up]

{note that the first 25 minutes is a memorial and is left out of transcription}

Let's rehearse what we always need to remember when talking to Protestants.

• Jesus said that He did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. He came to fulfill, make complete.

The Old Testament was not complete without the New Testament. If you have a part of a car, don't you want it complete? When you have a complete car, are you going to say that it's done away? or Are you going to use it? You're going to use it! You're going to drive it!

• The Epistles of 1st, 2nd & 3rd John—the one who says, 'I know Him' and does not keep His commandments is a liar.

They may not know they're liars; some may. 'Hereby we know Him if we keep His commandments. And the one who says that he knows Him {Jesus Christ] is obligated to walk even as He walked.' Now the trap has been set.

• How did Jesus walk?
• Did He keep Sunday?
• Did He keep Christmas?
• Did He keep Halloween?
• Did He keep New Years?
• Did He keep Easter?
• NO!
• Did He love God with all His heart, mind, soul and being? Yes!

That said, there are couple of Scriptures that ask, 'Who can instruct God?' I'm going to give a sermon on Isa. 42 & 43, which is actually a prophecy of the whole New Testament. If people say that the church changed it from Sabbath to Sunday, say, 'Really?' and read them:

Isaiah 40:12: "Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out the heavens with a span? And who has comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance? Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, and who was His counselor that he might instruct Him?" No man! No man can say:

God, I've got a better idea. Look at all of those pagans out there and they all worship Mithras and keep Sunday. They believe in their savior who was raised from the dead. Now then, think how many more we could get in the congregation and be in the church if we just changed the day of worship from Sabbath to Sunday and get away from all those bad, nasty Jews.

That's a summary of a terrible part of history, but true. No one is going to instruct God!

Verse 13: "Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, and who was His counselor that he might instruct Him?' 'Oh, Uncle Joe, could you help Me solve the problem on how to make gravity?"

Verse 14: "With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him and taught Him in the path of judgment, and taught Him knowledge, and made known the way of understanding to Him?"

Then you say, 'Do you think King David is going to be resurrected?' Yes, yes indeed! 'Do you know what he's said about the Law of God?' No, because they never read the Old Testament! It says, 'The Law of God is perfect!'

Why would you want to changed something that is perfect? Those who like motorcycles like to 'chop' them, making them their own way.

Verse 15: "Behold, the nations are like a drop in a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the scales; behold, He takes up the isles as a very little thing. And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts of it sufficient for a burnt offering. All nations…" (vs 15-17)—that's quite inclusive!

So, if anyone things that they're going to change what God has done try eliminating gravity and see what happens. It will never happen!

Verse 17: "All nations before Him are as nothing; and they are counted by Him as less than nothing, and vanity. To whom then will you compare God? Or what likeness will you compare to Him?" (vs 17-18).

Verse 23: "Who brings the rulers to nothing; He makes the judges of the earth as vanity."

Verse 25: "'To whom then will you compare Me, or who is My equal?' says the Holy One."

A lot of powerful Scriptures back there in Isaiah.

Today we're going to example part of Appendix Z {from The Holy Bible in Its Original Order, A Faithful Version} For those of you who do not have the it, there's going to be a printout coming with the monthly letter. Otherwise turn in the Bible to Appendix Z.

{Note: the Faithful Version Bible is found, with commentaries and appendices, at: afaithfulversion.org}

I'm going through these because I know pretty much for sure, just talking to people, that not everyone who had The Faithful Version Bible has really studied the appendices. All of these appendices are geared to helping people understand the Bible, and answers Protestantism and Catholicism and their major doctrines.

This is why Appendix A—Fourteen Rules for Bible Study—so you know how to study the Bible. Isn't that the logic place to put it? The very first in the appendices? The fourteen rules are very simple. So, we're going apply all fourteen of the rules here in studying Col. 2.

(go to the next track)

The Apostle Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles. The Gentiles were all of those people who were not of the 12 tribes of Israel. A lot of the Jews in the area of Palestine at that time mistakenly said—and they still do to this day—that the northern ten tribes were absorbed into the Gentiles and were counted as Gentiles. That being said, let's see what Paul says in Col. 1: here's for any Protestant who believes in the trinity.

Wouldn't you say what starts out the opening of a letter is a very important part of the letter? Here's how all Paul's epistles open, primarily first.

Colossians 1:1: "Paul, an apostle by the will of God, and Timothy our brother." How is this the will of God? How was Saul called? Knocked to the ground in a blaze of glory! He was made blind for three days to teach him the lesson that God alone is going to do this. He was also told that he was going to suffer a lot of things, and he's going to take the Gospel message to the Gentiles.

Verse 2: "To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colossi… [a city in Asia Minor  [very close to Laodicea] …Grace and peace be to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." The most important thing is that blessing from God.

Not only does it go to the brethren there, but this a blessing also on the whole book of Colossians, everything he's writing.

Verse 3: "We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying for you continually since hearing of your faith in Christ Jesus, and the love that you have toward all the saints; because of the hope that is laid up for you in heaven…" (vs 3-5)—not souls going to heaven. Then Paul talks about the Gospel.

Verse 6 is interesting. Here's a verse that an atheist could read it and say that it didn't happen.
"…which you heard before in the Word of the Truth of the Gospel; which has come to you, even as it also has in all the world…" (vs 5-6). It didn't happen then, so how do you answer this? This is a prophetic perfect, which is a prophecy that it will be!

Where do we find that? Matt. 24; Mark 13! This Gospel shall be proclaimed and it shall be published in all the world! Has that progressively been done and still being done in a great, great way today? Yes, indeed!

"…and is bringing forth fruit, just as it is among you, from the day that you heard and knew the grace of God in Truth; even as you also learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ for you" (vs 6-7).

"…and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthily of the Lord… [v 11] Being strengthened with all power…" (vs 9-11).—in your spiritual life.

This is why we have the Sabbath every week. Just like you eat every day in order to keep the physical body going, we have the Sabbath every week to keep the spiritual knowledge and power, and Word of God, in us so we can grow in grace and knowledge.

Verse 12: "Giving thanks to the Father, Who has made us qualified… [v 13]: Who has personally rescued us from the power of darkness and has transferred us unto the kingdom of the Son of His love."

Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God, so you can't be into the kingdom, yet; but unto it, because we're all under the jurisdiction of the Kingdom of God as Christ—Who is Head of the Church—and the Father, Who is the great Sovereign of the universe.

Verse 14: "In Whom we have redemption through His own blood, even the remission of sins; Who is the image of the invisible God, the Firstborn of all creation" (vs 14-15).

There are those who do not believe that Jesus was manifested in the flesh. They turn to this verse and say that He was the '…Firstborn of all creation.' What does that mean?

• He was called the Firstborn of Mary
• He was called the Firstborn from among the dead

Is the resurrection from the dead the greatest creation of God? Yes, indeed! That's what it's talking about. We will see it explained here very clearly.

Verse 16: "Because by Him were all things created, the things in heaven and the things on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether they be thrones, or lordships, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him and for Him. And He is before all, and by Him all things subsist" (vs 16-17)—because He upholds all things by the Word of His power (Heb. 1).

Verse 18: "And He is the Head of the Body, the Church; Who is the Beginning, the Firstborn from among the dead… [that's how He is the Firstborn of all creation, born from the dead] …so that in all things He Himself might hold the preeminence."

We're to be grounded and steadfast (v 23).

Verse 26: "Even the mystery that has been hidden from ages and from generations, but has now been revealed to His saints"—the plan of God!

What is God doing? That's what all the philosophers were wondering! Some of them got close, but how many of them ever knew? None of them! Look at them today, and what's happening today: transhumanism, transsexualism, hooking computers up to our brains. There's an article out there that says if you hook your brain up to a computer you have no rest. "…the mystery that has been hidden from ages and from generations, but has now been revealed to His saints."

Stop and think about how precious and fantastic is the knowledge of God that you have.

Verse 27: "To whom God did will to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."

• Christ in us by the power of God's Spirit
• the Father in us by the power of the Spirit of God the Father
• we are then a temple of God
• we are His workmanship

The reason that Paul wrote all of this is because of Col. 2, which becomes very, very interesting.

Let's describe how the Protestants pick and choose and come to the Scriptures with a precept thing in mind. What is the precept thing that they always have? Jesus abolished the Law!

There are some things that Paul wrote that are difficult to understand; Col. 2 is part of it, especially when it's by the King James Version.

Sidebar on translating the New Testament: Remember that years ago you came to Sabbath services and hear a sermon and the minister says that the King James Version really doesn't have it right, but here's what it means… People would say, 'Well, if that's what it really means, then why don't we have a Bible with what it really means?

What that does, if it's translated correctly, is take away the power of the minister to look superior, by saying, 'The Greek says this' when it's translated wrong. Why would they use a Bible that's translated wrong? The King James, when you get into it, has a great many vital errors.

We're going to cover the whole first chapter of Colossians, but there are three key verses that are very difficult to understand in the King James. This is zeroing in on a verse separate by itself to make a full interpretation. What are the rules of Bible Study? The verse before and the verse after! The verses before that verse and the verses after that verse, and sometimes the chapter before and the chapter after, and what other Scriptures say!

When you take this translated this way in isolation, and then preach the Law has been nailed to the cross:

Colossians 2:14: "He has blotted out the note of debt against us… [they view the Law of God as being against them] …with the decrees of our sins, which was contrary to us; and He has taken it away, having nailed it to the cross."

How did He do that when He was nailed to the cross? They never ask that question. We'll answer that one as we go along here, we have the explanation right here

Reading from handout {also from Appendix Z: Faithful Version Bible, pg. 1380}

In the Greek, "handwriting of ordinances" is chriographon tois dogmasin—which literally means "Handwriting in decrees or dogmas." In the New Testament, dogma always refers to 'decrees' written by men…

• Luke 2:1—the decree of Caesar Augustus
• Acts 16:4—the decree by the apostles
• Acts 17:7—the decrees of Caesar
• Eph. 2:15—the commandments in the decrees of men

Now a key thing to understand:

…Nowhere in the entirety of the Bible does dogma, "decrees," refer to any part of the Law of God. Therefore, this phrase in Col. 2:14 has nothing to do with Biblical Law.

So, what does it mean?

…As we will see, the phrase refers to a written account of one's sins called 'a note of debt.' In his epical book The Two Babylons, Alexander Hislop writes…

You need to read that book. Online at: http://ldolphin.org/PDFs/The_Two_Babylons-Alexander_Hislop.pdf
—proving that Catholicism is the worship of Nimrod and Semiramis.

…concerning the Greek religious practice, which the converts in Colossi had undoubtedly formerly practiced…

[Hislop writes]: "A work of some note on morals, called Merits and Demerits Examined, [described how] a man is directed to keep a [written] debtor and creditor account with himself of the acts of each day, and at the end of the year to wind it up [in summary]….

Those Gentiles in Colossi never new anything about keeping the Laws of God, the Old Testament or what the Jews were doing except by observation. They were never practicing any of those things.

Even to this day there are a lot of people who say you ought to keep a journal or diary. Well, if you want to that's up to you. One thing that does is it never blots out your sins that you commit that you didn't want to write down in your diary. Are people really honest with a diary? No! Another thing, it always brings to remembrance the things that you put down that are negative about what other people did to you and you can't forgive them.

You can have a diary if you want to, but I don't! I'm glad I don't. There would be too many things in there against me.

…If the balance is in his favor, it serves as a the foundation of a stock of merits for the ensuing year…

Oh, I've been good!

…and if against him, it must be liquidated by future good deeds [justification by works]….

What's the main thing we've found? Works of law! The Jews had them through their traditions.

…Various lists and comparative tables are given are given of both good and bad actions in the several relations of life; and benevolence is strongly inculcated in regard first to man, and, secondly, to the brute creation. To cause another's death is reckoned at one hundred on the side of demerit; while a single act of charitable relief counts as one on the other side"

Here is what the Greek actually means:

Thus, the phrase in Colossians 2:14 should be translated as 'note of debt against us with the decrees of our sins'—or a symbolic listing of our sins against God. Our sins and the debt of our sins were nailed to the cross when Jesus
Christ was crucified and died.

What is sin? The transgression of the Law! The Law was not nailed to the cross because there is still sin! 'Where there is no Law there's no sin.'

Now, just think of someone wanting to know about God, going to a Protestant church and the minister says, 'Now see, it says that the 'blotting out of handwriting of ordinance was against us, contrary to us and taken out of the way, nailing it to the cross. Jesus had the Law nailed to the cross.'

One verse! How much knowledge does a new convert have? None! He wants to do good. Maybe he has some conviction of sin, but you read that and the carnal mind says 'Hallelujah! I'm free!' But that isn't what it says.

Why did Christ have to die such a terrible death? Because He took upon Him the sins of the whole world, for every human being on the earth that has ever been or will ever be! Christ was Creator of mankind!

Upon repentance of sins to God the Father, Jesus Christ blots out the 'note of debt' through the remission of our sins. Jesus Christ , Who knew no sin, was made sin for us. He was nailed to the cross as a sin offering for the sins of the whole world. The 'note of debt' of sins was symbolically nailed to the cross, NOT the commandments of God, which stand forever.

Now let's read the verse before, and that helps us have a clear understanding of v 14:

Colossians 2:13: "For you, who were once dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh…"

Knew nothing of the Laws of God. Maybe had some exposure to some of the traditions of the Jews, but weren't practicing any of those.

"…He has now made alive with Him, having forgiven all your trespasses" (v 13).

• Where were they symbolically noted? In the note of debt!
• Where also are all of your transgressions recorded in your life? In your mind! On the tablet of your mind!

So, we need those blotted out—don't we? Yes, indeed!
Verse 14: "He has blotted out the note of debt against us with the decrees of our sins, which was contrary to us; and He has taken it away, having nailed it to the cross."

Those two verses give us some real good sense of what Paul is talking about, and cannot be twisted and turned to an interpretation that the commandments have been nailed to the cross.

Verse 16 is another one they turn to when they say, 'What about the Holy Days?' What are we to remember in the context? They were uncircumcised Gentiles! The circumcision of the heart…

Verse 11: "In Whom you have also been circumcised with the circumcision not made by hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with Him in baptism…"' (vs 11-12). That's how circumcision of the heart takes place: baptism and the receiving of the Holy Spirit.

"…by which you have also been raised with Him through the inner working of God, Who raised Him from the dead" (v 12).

Verse 16: "Therefore, do not allow anyone to judge you in eating or in drinking, or with regard to a Festival, or new moon, or the Sabbaths."

(KJV): "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ" (vs 16-17).

(NIV): "These are a shadow of the things that were to come…" (v 17).

What is the version that most of Protestantism uses today? New International Version (NIV)! Did Jesus come? Yes! 'You don't have to do these things because He came.' You see how that works. That's why the mystery of Protestantism is hard to figure. They use so much of the Bible, but they misuseit.

(go to the next track)

Jack reminded me of a very important verse, because he's had his run-ins with the Jehovah Witnesses. Every once in a while to entertain himself he invites them in. Here one verse that he quotes them. Keep this in mind. Why is that important? Because this is a prophecy of the end-times!

Revelation 14:12: "Here is the patience of the saints; here are the ones who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus."

This Scripture proves that if you have faith, you will keep the commandments. They go together like a nut and a bolt, you need both. You have to have faith.

Jack said that by the time he got done showing some other Scriptures, they say, 'Well, I've got another appointment to get to.' Or they just kind of stare at him and they finally leave.

Delores says that when she was talking about keeping the laws and commandments, her grandmother says, 'That's the old Law, you don't have to keep it.' Then when it got uncomfortable, she says, 'Are you calling your grandmother a liar?'

Keep this in mind: The Colossians were predominately Gentile! Knowing nothing of the Old Testament, knowing nothing of the Laws of God, and probably very little about Judaism. Most of that in the Roman Empire at that time was despicable hatred and virulent disgust with anything that the Jews did. The Romans went so far as to say that God gave the commandments to the Jews to show that they are the vilest people on earth. So, you think anti-Semitism is alive today; it was virulent back then.

Verse 16 (KJV): "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ" (vs 16-17).

They point to that and say that the body of Christ is the church and the church says that you don't need to keep those things. This shows that they shouldn't keep them, so they claim. What is that? That is so deceived that you don't want to let the Truth in! That's the wrong kind of faith!

Verse 17 (NIV): "These are a shadow of the things that were to come…"

Let's read it the way it should be translated; Verse 16 (FV): "Therefore, do not allow anyone to judge you in eating or in drinking…"

The reason being is because there were two schools of philosophical religion: teetotalers and debauchers. What would they be judged for in eating? If they were eating pork, shrimp, lobster and all the things that are unclean, which the Gentiles ate, who would judge them for eating it? How would they be judged in eating. Here was a new convert from Colossi going to visit some of their old friends and they have a ham on the table! They announced that they didn't eat pork anymore. So, they judge you because you don't eat pork.

Would there be any judgment against you by them if you ate it with them? No! We're going to see that every one of these things that they were being judge for was because they were keeping them, not because this was a Scripture that says they're done away.

"…or with regard to a Festival, or new moon… [singular, having to do with the calendar] …or the Sabbaths… [every week] …which are a foreshadow of the things that are coming… [present tense participle] …but the Body of Christ" (vs 16-17).

How do we understand this? In order to be judged negatively by their former friends, or anyone in the community, eating or drinking, or with regard to the Festivals, new moon or Sabbath means they were keeping them! That does not mean doing away with them.

About 6 p.m. yesterday I got a call from a concrete man about doing some work on our driveway. I told him, 'You probably can't do the work if you want to do this on the weekend, because I can't have you doing it on Saturday.' He asked, 'Why?' That's our church day! 'Oh, really?'

How deep did that sink in? Then he said, 'How about if I come over tomorrow and talk it over with you?' that's our church day! 'Sunday?' Yeah, about 11 a.m. on Sunday! He didn't say, 'That's my church day.' Interesting! I don't know what he thinks about me, but you know for sure in his mind he's made some kind of judgment concerning that.

That's why we have the book: God's Plan for Mankind Revealed by His Sabbath and Holy Days.

An Analysis of Colossians 2:16-17
(Faithful Version, pg 1381)

I'll let you read that!

Colossians Two Divided into Elements A and B, beginning with verse One
(Faithful Version, pg 1382)

This becomes important because it shows a contrast and it helps you categorize the thinking of Paul's writing, the structure of it.

A. "Now I want you to understand what great concern I have for you, and for those in Laodicea…

At the end of this epistle Paul says that he wants it read in the Church of the Laodiceans, too.

…and as many as have not seen my face in the flesh; that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, unto the knowledge of the mystery of God…

This tells us that these things bring knowledge and understanding.

…and of the Father, and of Christ; in Whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge' (verses 1-3).

Why did Paul put this here? Because of the philosophical arguments of the Greeks!  They thought that they were the most intelligent people on earth, and at that time they may have been.

B. "Now I say this so that no one may deceive you by persuasive speech" (verse 4).

• Can it be persuasive? Yes!
• Where was that speech to lead to?
• Where did it come from?

This is comparing the Greek way with the way of God!

A. "For though I am indeed absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing and beholding your order, and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, be walking in Him…

Walking means obeying!

…being rooted and built up in Him, and being confirmed in the faith, exactly as you were taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving" (verses 4-7).

What were they taught? Eating, drinking, new moon, festival, Sabbath days! They didn't have that knowledge before. Therefore, v 16—in judging them—shows they were doing it and Paul tells them "…exactly as you were taught…"

B. "Beware lest anyone takes you captive through philosophy…

Philosophy was the Greek religion! Greek: 'philo sophia'

…and vain deceit, according to the traditions of men, according to the elements of the world, and not according to Christ" (verse 8).

That's quite a warning! When you're done with this, I want you to read all the As altogether, and then read the Bs altogether. Then you will get a clear picture as to what this is really telling us.

A. "For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily…

If Christ be in you, and God the Father in you!

…and you are complete in Him…

All the philosophies of men are 'good works to make you right with the great spirit.' You don't need those philosophies of deceit, traditions of men, elements of the world.

…For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and you are complete in Him…

Whatever God has said, whatever Christ has said, "…you are complete…"

• you don't need anything from men
• you don't need anything from philosophy
• you don't need any of the false doctrines of the Protestants

And lo, they sound so good!

…Who is the Head of all principality and power…

Why does Paul say that? Because they were looking to lesser gods, so he's saying that Christ is greater than all of them. Who did they have? Zeus, Apollos, Mars, Diana!

…in Whom you have also been circumcised with the circumcision not made by hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with Him in baptism…

We've already covered that in Rom. 6.

…by which you have also been raised with Him through the inner working of God, Who raised Him from the dead. For you, who were once dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh…

Can you think of a Scripture to add to that? Remember the young man who came to Jesus and said, 'O Lord, I'll follow You but have to go bury my father, first; let me go.' Jesus said, 'Let the dead bury their dead.' Spiritually speaking, those who don't have the Spirit of God are spiritually dead, regardless of the religion they have, regardless of how they may interpret the Bible.

• it's got to be in Truth
• it's got to be in faith
• it's got to be in Christ
• it's got to be in the Word of God
• it's got to be by the Word of God
• it's got to be through the Word of God

Comparing and putting together!

…He has now made alive with Him, having forgiven all your trespasses….

So, if Sabbath-keeping, eating and drinking and the Holy Days, and so forth, are sin, then if they were keeping them they were still in their sins. They're not, because all of their sins have been forgiven.
…He has blotted out the note of debt against us with the decrees of our sins, which was contrary to us; and He has taken it away, having nailed it to the cross. After stripping the principalities and the powers, He made a public spectacle of them, and has triumphed over them in it [through His crucifixion and resurrection]" (verses 9-15).

What we need to understand is that on that Passover Day in 30A.D. everything was being controlled by God, Satan, the angels and demons—everything!

What was Satan busy doing? Having Judas go to the high priest to betray Jesus! Satan entered into Judas and he went to the high priest and said, 'I'll betray Jesus for you.' They gave Judas 30 pieces of silver, which is the price of dead slave.

Remember when they were coming toward Jerusalem and the apostles said, 'Lord, where are we going to keep the Passover?' Why didn't Jesus tell them where they were going to keep the Passover? Who was with them? Judas! He didn't tell them because it was all arranged. There was probably an angel leading the man carrying the pitcher of water and He said, 'Go follow him.' The man who preparing his upper room and no one was there, an angel was probably inspiring him to do it, get everything ready. That was all done because Jesus didn't want Judas to know where they were going to keep the Passover, because that would have been a convenient place to arrest Him.

Where was Judas when the Passover began? With them! So, when Judas left, he knew where they were going to go. Jesus wasn't arrested in that man's house. All the angels and demons were active and busy, and it was kind of like a huge umbrella covering all of Jerusalem spiritually, if you could keep that in mind.

Everything was coordinated by God; everything done was in accordance with all of the prophecies and Scriptures. Let's add one more verse to that.

Daniel 10:21: "But I will show you that which is written in the Scripture of Truth…."—which is in heaven.

Therefore, when they started writing the New Testament, these were the things that God wanted them to write about, and this is why we have the New Testament. Paul said, 'God-breathed!'

Let's see what they were going to substitute if they went along with them. Concerning philosophy, psychology is all based on philosophy and if people go to psychologists in the world they're going to get the world's answer. There are certain parts of psychology I suppose are true if they agree with the Proverbs. But the truth is that we have everything we need in the Bible. That's why we have it; it's the greatest book in the world.

Let's see that what was mentioned in this comment could have happened to them if they hadn't followed what Paul said.

B. "Therefore, do not allow anyone to judge you…

Don't let them do it!

…in eating or in drinking, or with regard to a festival, or new moon, or the Sabbaths, which are a foreshadow of the things that are coming, but the body of Christ. Do not allow anyone to defraud you of the prize…

What is the prize? The resurrection and reward! This tells us that if you get involved in philosophies and things of the world and traditions of men, it can lead to loss of salvation; that's what Paul is saying. Also, into false worship, which is actually worship of Satan and the demons.

…by doing his will in self-abasement…

Things that humiliate the body! There are Catholics in the Philippines who are crucified every Easter, as if that's a good work. One of the practices of Catholicism is if you want to humble yourself, you beat yourself with special little whips, little chains, that you whip over your back until it breaks open the skin and you bleed.

• Does that make you righteous? NO! It makes you bloody and it's painful!

No righteousness comes of that.

• Is that beating greater than what Christ took?
• Is your blood greater than His blood?

That's what people get into!

…and the worship of angels…

That's demons! Who is the head one that wants to be worshipped? Satan! He wants to be thought of as 'God'!

Sidebar: If you believe in the trinity, you believe in God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit as person, you accept Satan as sitting in the throne of God with Christ! He's always wanted to be God.

• Are there demon that are sweet? Nice? Persuasive? 'Holy'? Gentle? Compassionate?

Yes, to deceive!

• Are there nasty, mean, evil ones?
• Which evil is worse: the sweetness to deceive? or The horror to kill?

They're both evil because it ends in spiritual death!

When I see these men go around following the pope and things like that, I think: he's got all these men possessed by self-righteous demons thinking that they're going to show God that their way of salvation is better than God's way. That's what Catholicism is all about! Satan's counterfeit!

I suppose William Donahue will get mad at me one of these days, but so be it! Do you know who he is? He's the head of the Catholic Anti-defamation League!

…intruding into things that he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his own carnal mind and not holding fast to the Head…" (verses 16-19).

In other words, if you do these things you're leaving Christ!

A. "[T]he Head from Whom all the body, being supplied and knit together by the joints and bands, is increasing with the increase of God. Therefore, if you have died together with Christ from the elements [see Gal. 4:8-10] of the world…" (verses 19-20).

That's through baptism! He's saying to check out your baptism!

B. "…why are you subjecting yourselves to the decrees of men as if you were living in the world?….

Stop and think: How could that have happened to a Church of God that once knew the Truth? Lack of faith! Lack of faith! Lack of faith! A little bit! A little bit! A little bit! They were persuaded by persuasive speech.

…They say, "You may not handle! You may not taste! You may not touch!" The use of all such things leads to corruption. It is according to the commandments and doctrines of men…

What do the Catholics say? We do not need the Bible to preach the Gospel! Their Gospel is NOT the Gospel of Christ, though they put His name on it, but it is a false Christ!

• What did Paul say in 2-Cor. 11? False apostles and false Christs!
• What did Paul say in Gal. 1? Some are coming along with a different gospel!

Paul says that there's no such thing as a 'different gospel.' There's only ONE! That's what it's like in the world. I'll have to admit I've been watching TBN a little more regularly, and I'm seeing some patterns that are very interesting, indeed! How they use the Bible, and it's all about modern psychology. They use the Scriptures that way for coping in the world. Some talk about salvation, but all talk about going to heaven. We're going to talk about heaven coming to the earth!

…which indeed have an outward appearance of wisdom in voluntary worship of angels…

Every time someone bows down to the virgin Mary, you are bowing down and worshipping an idol to Satan the devil and the demons behind it! The reason that when people go to St. Peter's Basilica and they feel so overwhelmed with all the 'holiness' that is satanic deception! God will never be where there are idols! Never! Paul says, 'What do idols and Godliness and Christ and the Father have agreement with? Nothing!

…and self-abasement, and unsparing treatment of the body, not in any respect to the satisfying of the needs of the flesh" (verses 20-23).

When you take all of this together, you find that this is a warning against the 'religions' of the world infringing upon the Truth of God! It is a warning against taking the things from the world and trying to inculcate them within the doctrines of the Bible, Christ and God.

Sooner or later the path leads to destruction!

All Scriptures from The Holy Bible in Its Original Order, A Faithful Version (except where noted)

Scriptural References:

• Isaiah 40:12-18, 23, 25
• Colossians 1:1-7, 9-18, 26-27
• Colossians 2:14, 13-14, 11-12, 16-17
• Revelation 14:12
• Colossians 2:16-17
• Daniel 10:21

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• Isaiah 42; 43
• Matthew 24
• Mark 13
• Hebrews 1
• Colossians 1:23
• Luke 2:1
• Acts 16:4; 17:7
• Ephesians 2:15
• 2 Corinthians 11
• Galatians 1

Also referenced:

from The Holy Bible in Its Original Order, A Faithful Version:

• Appendix Z: Understanding Paul's Difficult Scriptures Concerning the Law and the Commandments of God
• Appendix A: Fourteen Rules for Bible Study

Books:

• The Two Babylons by Alexander Hislop (http://ldolphin.org/PDFs/The_Two_Babylons-Alexander_Hislop.pdf)
• God's Plan for Mankind Revealed by His Sabbath and Holy Days by Fred R. Coulter

FRC: bo
Transcribed: 9/3/17

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