App
The Mysteries of God & The Mysteries of Satan
Fred R. Coulter—November 7, 1992
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- Is there such a thing as the trinity?
- Is the Holy Spirit a person?
- Is the Holy Spirit a thing?
- What is it?
In part one we went through several sections out of the book My Catholic Faith by Louis Morrow. We covered the thinking and the philosophy of how they arrived at the doctrine of the trinity and how that the trinity is a mystery.
From: My Catholic Faith by Louis Morrow:
The doctrine of the blessed trinity is a strict mystery.
Which is telling you very clearly that you can never understand it. Whereas, we are going to see today, the mystery of God is something we are to understand. They do make one statement, which is partially true:
The mystery of the trinity was only revealed in the New Testament, period. Therefore we would not expect to find references to it in the Old Testament.
The part that is true is, that in the Old Testament you do not find that the Holy Spirit is ever depicted as a person. We will find, when we get into the New Testament in the way we will in part three that the Holy Spirit is not a person and the trinity was never taught in the New Testament!
On the cover of the book My Catholic Faith it shows a tower that says 'love and unity.' I did not know that that tower was there, but it is a picture of the Tower of Babel. I didn't realize that the little 'curlicue' stuff around it at the bottom is water, which was the whole purpose of the Tower of Babel, when they rebelled against God. It was so that if God punished them with a flood, they would survive the punishment of God.
Is that premeditated or not? Premeditated! Yes, it is! This also shows that the signs of Satan are always there. That's part of it. We're getting into the great Babylonian system today. Even IBM was bragging, 'What they started at the Tower of Babel, we are now able to finish.'
I also want to show you what this kind of thinking, which established the trinity, does. I think we're going to find this very profound. We want to cover something that is:
- an absolute true principle in the Word of God
- absolutely true concerning people's behavior
- absolutely true concerning the doctrines of this world
We're going to see a fundamental principle that is true.
James 4:12: "But there is only one Lawgiver, Who has power to save and to destroy…."
Verse 11: "Brethren, do not talk against one another. The one who talks against a brother, and judges his brother, is speaking against the Law, and is judging the Law. But if you judge the Law, you are not a doer of the Law; rather, you are a judge. But there is only one Lawgiver…" (vs 11-12)—which means:
- Who should judge the Law? God alone has the prerogative to judge the Law!
- What happens when people become, or set themselves up, or abrogate to themselves, the prerogative of God to judge the Law?
- People begin, in judging the Law, to pick and choose what they will and will not do, what they agree and disagree with!
We know they've done that concerning Sunday. 'Well, we know that the fourth commandment is, remember… Therefore, if you keep one day in seven you're good with God.' Nonsense!
What I want to show you here is, and the reason this becomes important is that if you judge the Law, you're going to eliminate the Laws of God that you don't like. What is it said of the carnal mind? 'The carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the Law of God; neither indeed can it be'
The Catholics, in setting up the doctrine of the trinity… Anyone who believes in the trinity is following the pagan doctrines of the Catholic Church. I'll just be very blunt in it and very frank and state it as that, because that's what it is. Anyone who believes in the trinity is believing in a cult. They are a follower of the biggest cult in the world, the Catholic Church. That doesn't matter whether they're Protestant or even like the SDAs. The SDAs are tainted with the doctrine of the trinity.
Here's what happens when they set themselves up in God's seat as the vicars of God and judging the Law of God.
From: My Catholic Faith, The Commandments of God
I the Lord Am your God, you shall have no other Gods besides Me. Ye shall not take the name of the name of the Lord, your God, in vain. Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it Holy.
Which here is the third commandment. You see the slight of hand that they did? In judging the Law, what did they eliminate? The second commandment! As strange as it may seem—in the Douay Version of the Bible, the official Catholic Bible—they still retain the second commandment in Exo. 20 as it is. Here they rearrange the Ten Commandments. Notice commandment #s 9 & 10.
Ye shall not covet your neighbor's wife. Ye shall not covet your neighbor's house.
They split the tenth commandment to make up for the second commandment. You know, brethren, there are a lot of people who don't know that. Catholics sure don't know that. They don't understand that. They feel that the pope has the ability to do that.
Let's read the true second commandment. Then we will show what this kind of attitude does. This is the fountainhead from which came the doctrine of the trinity!
Exodus 20:4: "You shall not make for yourselves any graven image, or any likeness…" This would do away with the fundamental visual reason for the Catholic Church to exist. Therefore, they must judge the Law of God as unworthy and they must exclude this commandment from their rearrangements of the commandments. What does the first sentence say?
Verse 4: "You shall not make for yourself any graven image or any likeness of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters under the earth." What is one of the signs of the Catholics? A fish!
Verse 5: "You shall not bow yourself down to them…" Bowing down is less than worshipping. I want you to understand that.
"…nor serve them, for I, the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands of those who love Me and keep My commandments" (vs 5-6).
I want you to know that's why I put this here. This become very important to see how this kind of thinking carries itself to judging the Law and eliminating the commandments of God.
The Mormons go one step further. They say, 'We believe the Bible in so far as it is accurately translated.' It sounds like a very good statement. However, anything they don't agree with has not been accurately translated, and it is to be interpreted in the light of The Book of Mormon, which is darkness.
The Catholic enumeration of the Ten Commandments differs from some of the Protestant enumerations.
Isn't that a nice way of putting it? It sounds so sanctimonious.
The Catholic division was in use in England until the Protestant Revolt. It is still used by most Lutheran Churches. The Catholic system is based on the Hebrew text and principally on the enumeration made by Saint Augustine. It was adopted by the Council of Trent….
which was the reformation against the (Protestant) Reformation
By it the first commandment contains everything relating to false worship and false gods.
Notice the justification, here. I want you to understand the thinking, because the trinity is established by Christological enumerations, or Christological reasoning; in other words, the theology of men, which came out of philosophy. How did they justify getting rid of the second commandment?:
By it the first commandment contains everything relating to false worship and false gods.
They're saying, therefore, we have eliminated the second one because it's all contained in the first. Did they not judge the Law?
The ten-fold division is safe-guarded…
Aren't we good people? We still keep Ten Commandments, isn't that nice?
…by dividing the last precept regarding desire into one relating to the sins of the flesh and the other relating to sins of the property, just as the acts against purity are forbidden separately from the acts against property.
That is philosophical reasoning. That is the justification of carnal-mindedness.
The English Protestant enumeration is based on Origen and others. By it, the worship of graven images is numbered as the second commandment…
So, the English are the result of the second commandment.
…and all the succeeding commandments thereby are advanced one over the Catholic enumeration. To safeguard the ten-fold division, the last two commandments were grouped together as the tenth. The Ten Commandments are arranged in logical order to embrace all laws necessary for the enforcement of the two precepts of charity—the two great commandments of love of God and love of the neighbor.
How can you love God if you worship and venerate images, when God said do not even make them? So, you see how these things come in and are just cleverly manipulated. They're not told to study even their own Bible; they are taught the Catholic doctrine. This is what you have, right here in the pages of a Catechism book. When you go through and pass all of those things, you become a member of the Catholic Church and believe just what is here. Let's notice how they condemn themselves as they go along.
The first three commandments comprise our duty towards God. The first commandment requires adoration and loyalty. The second requires reverence. The third requires formal service, the sanctification of a day for the exclusive honor of God.
That all sounds well and good, but look at how they have judged the Law of God to change it.
The last seven commandments comprise our duty to ourselves and our fellow men.
Are we obligated to obey the commandments of God? We are strictly obligated to obey the commandments of God.
So, what right do they have to eliminate the second commandment? They don't have a right to eliminate it! Those are the Words of God! They have set themselves up as the judge of the Law. Therefore, they are 'not the doers of the Law,' yet they contradict themselves by saying, 'We are strictly obligated to obey the commandments of God.' Listen to this next section, which is completely untrue.
God has imprinted the substance of the Ten Commandments in the human heart and mind and they have, therefore, binding force. Even if they had never been revealed, we are still obligated to keep them.
That is contrary to the Bible! The Bible says, 'where no law is there is no sin' I'm going through this to show that belief in the Holy Spirit as the third person of a trinity is idolatry; that's exactly what it is. The same philosophical reasoning that arrived at the trinity, arrived at removing the second commandment with justification. I can't believe that.
Romans 8:7: "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the Law of God; neither indeed can it be."
…they therefore, have binding force. Even if they had never been revealed, we should still obligated to keep them…
What does it say about how we will know sin? By the Law is the knowledge of sin!
…for they are dictated by reason and taught by natural law, rather than they were spoken by the voice of God and written with His very own finger.
When you come to the point of judging God's Word, then you begin putting in your own reasoning. As I have said concerning the doctrine of the trinity—maybe even in the Churches of God, undoubtedly it was in the Worldwide Church of God—once you start compromising with Satan, once you start compromising with these things and start edging toward it, you are not going to stop until you have been corrupted because Satan won't let you stop.
While it is true that reason does not tell us to sanctify Saturday or Sunday, it certainly requires us to keep some day, or days, Holy to give exclusive honor to our Creator.
Do the Catholics keep Sunday Holy? Nope! You couldn't keep it Holy anyway because God never made it Holy. God never put His presence in Sunday. You see how all of these things take place. The unfortunate problem is that Protestantism did not get rid of this basic philosophical foundation that the Catholics laid. They did come back to accept the second commandment. They understand that. Other than that, and understanding a little bit about the grace of God, how much understanding do they have of God's Word?
- they keep Christmas
- they keep Easter
- they keep Sunday
Then it explains the first commandment.
What are we commanded by the first commandment? By the first commandment, we are commanded to offer to God alone the supreme worship that is due Him.
I want you to follow the reasoning. That's the purpose of going through this. I want you to see the reasoning of men.
2-Cor. 10 shows you just exactly the whole process that happens here. If people are not following:
- the Word of God
- the Laws of God
- the commandments of God
- the Word of God as the rule in our lives
then you have all of these thoughts that come along. You have this reasoning process of philosophy, which exalts itself against the knowledge of God.
2-Corinthians 10:4: "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the overthrowing of strongholds, casting down vain imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought into the obedience of Christ" (vs 4-5).
Most people are not even aware of these things, absolutely not aware of it. Unless you came from a Catholic Church, you wouldn't understand these things the way they are.
Point 1: The first commandment requires us to worship and adore God and God alone. We must render God exclusive adoration. He alone is the Creator and Sovereign Lord of heaven and earth. We must worship and adore Jesus Christ because He is the second person of the blessed trinity, true God, even as the Father and the Holy Spirit. This commandment forbids idolatry and false worship.
Then why did they excise out the second commandment? We'll see in a minute. Their reasoning is absolutely amazing! Why I'm going through this a little more laboriously than perhaps I even intended to when I first started, is that I don't think many people are really up on the kind of reasoning that brings in false doctrine. They are unaware of the thought process that brings it forth. Here it is in living color, black and white.
"It is written the Lord your God shall you worship and Him only shall you serve (Matt. 4:10).
Point 2: Exterior, as well as interior worship, is due to God, because our bodies, as well as our souls, belong to Him. Very often exterior acts serve to arouse and increase interior devotion.
Then they go on and on about the different things.
Point 4: Adoration of God includes public worship. That is, worship in which a number of people participate. From the earliest times, God has given commandments about public worship to be rendered to Him.
Point 5: Public worship is during the offering of the 'holy' Sacrifice of the Mass.
I want to add something in here, too. We won't get into the whole doctrine of transubstantiation, but I'll add it here. Not only have they judged the Laws of God to remove the Laws of God, but they've also judged the Passover as unworthy of them. They keep the 'holy communion' where the priest has the power to command God to come down and become part of the bread that they have, which is called transubstantiation. When the priest renders these particular words, the host—which is the bread—actually becomes the physical body and the physical blood of Jesus Christ every time that commandment is given. This is nothing more than the doctrine of Baalism! I mention that in The Christian Passover book. I don't dwell on it long, but I mention it in the book. You can read the other part of it, here. Let's see how they handle this:
Veneration of saints: Does the first commandment forbid us to honor the saints in heaven? The first commandment does not forbid us to honor the saints in heaven provided we do not give them the honor that belongs to God alone.
they're reasoning in a circle
Devotion to the blessed virgin Mary and veneration of the saints are not opposed to the commandment to adore God alone.
If you eliminate the one that says 'You shall not make…' Even their existence is outlawed. So is 'bowing down' to... God didn't say, 'worship.' God didn't say, 'venerate.' He said don't 'bow down to them.'
We do not worship the saints. We only honor them as special friends and servants of God. We adore God alone. By venerating the saints, we honor God Himself…
Now we have a good work! Nonsense!
…Who is the cause of their 'holiness.' Without the help of God they would not have done anything Holy. We do not adore saints.
If you look up in synonyms, you will find what veneration is what? Adoration!
Should we not reverence…
If you don't adore them… See how they're talking in circles? That's the point I want us to get out of this.
…those who reflect God's perfections? So, we venerate the saints. Similarly, we honor outstanding persons on the earth, but we do not adore them. We give God the supreme honor and adoration called 'latria.' We honor the saints. We render the saints our venerations called 'dulia.'
It was just brought up by one of our astute members here, that if you will look at the so-called image of the virgin Mary, who is surrounded by lilies, right at her feet is a snake. How about that? The identifying signs continue, continue, continue!Not only do they condemn themselves in their words, but they condemn themselves in their pictures.
To the blessed virgin, we give special veneration called 'hyperdulia'…
If you're supposed to give 'hyperdulia' to the blessed virgin Mary, why, then, do they have the snake there. It looks like it's biting her foot and it looks like it has horns, too.
…because she is above all angels and saints as the mother of God, even the blessed virgin we do not and cannot adore.
They just said that they did.
However saintly, not all the saints and angels together can approach the infinite, holiness of God. A person who died in the grace of God and is already in heaven, is a saint.
No! A saint is one who is on the earth and has the Holy Spirit of God, because no one is in heaven. What did Peter say, 'David has not ascended into the heavens.'
Who are these saints? Because Jesus didn't return before John died and because the religion of the Gnostics and the Catholics, with blended in to rename all this pagan stuff 'Christian,' they don't believe in Christ returning. The Kingdom of God is on earth. Therefore, when you die you go to heaven. These people are supposed to be in heaven. What is one Scripture that tells us absolutely that that could not be? Christ, the Firstfruits, and afterwards, those that are Christ's at His coming.'
Section 2: In the strict sense of the term, a saint is one solemnly declared by the church to be in heaven and to be given public veneration. Before a person is declared a saint, rigid proof is required of a life of heroic virtue…
Col. 2, 'will-worship.'
…inquires are made into his life, virtues and writings. The process can go through three stages which, if satisfactory, and in people, declaration for three degrees, with titles given of venerable blessed and saint.
Like the Boy Scouts: Tenderfoot, Second Class and First Class Scout.
Why do we honor the saints in heaven? We honor the saints in heaven because they practice great virtue when they were on the earth and because in honoring those who are the chosen friends of God, we honor God Himself. If we are eager to show honor to earthly royalty, how much more should we honor the saints of God, princes of heaven. If we ask for prayers of our fellow men on earth, how much more eager should we be to ask the saints, our friends, in heaven?
You see that reasoning again, human logic applied. Then it shows that we honor them by:
- imitating their lives
- praying to them
If you're praying to something, are you not worshipping, them? You are!
By praying to them, we honor them by praising them in word and song and asking for their intercession. We may pray in private to anyone who we believe is either in heaven or purgatory…
to anyone we may believe
- How different is that from Buddhist ancestral worship?
- They are taking Christ's place because Who is the only Intermediary between God and men? The man Jesus Christ!
…but we are forbidden to give public veneration to anyone who is not beatified or canonized.
- by showing respect to their relics and images and by celebrating their feasts and taking them as our patrons and models
We ask them to intercede…
How do we know that the saints will pray for us? We know that the saints will pray for us because they are with God and have great love for us. The saints in heaven are with us, members of the Church of one body belonging to Christ.
The Church omits no opportunity to urge us to the veneration of saints. At baptism, we receive the name of a saint. Each day of the year, one or more saints are commemorated. Images and pictures of the saints are placed in the churches. Saints are invoked in the mass, in the litany and other public prayers. The church worships God and honors the saints as friends and servants of God. So, the churches and altars are dedicated and consecrated to God alone, although named after saints and placed under their protection.
If God is not able to protect it, if His name is not good enough, come on, where's the reasoning?
Relics and Images: Why do we honor relics? We honor relics because they are the bodies of the saints and objects connected with the saints and with our Lord. In a similar manner we preserve with reverence certain objects connected with great men—a sword, a coat or books. The remains of the bodies of saints, the cross on which our Lord died, the nails that crucified Him, are all relics. The clothes and furniture used by the saints are also held as relics. Only those relics are authentic to which the name of the saint or the Episcopal seal are attached. Relics cannot be sold.
Wonder why they sell them?
God has often shown His approval of the use of these relics…
notice this twisting of Scriptures
…by working miracles by the means of them. 'and when it had touched the bones of Elias the man came to life.'
that is the dead body(2-Kings 13:21)
Relics deserve to be venerated. The bodies of the saints were temples of the Holy Spirit and instruments by which God worked. God shows His approval of the veneration of relics by working frequent miracles at their application.
Then it quotes Paul sending out the anointed cloth.
Is it right to show respect to the statues and pictures of Christ and of the saints? It is right to show respect to the statues and pictures of Christ and of the saints just as it is right to show respect to images of those who we love on the earth.
notice their thinking
We cherish photographs of our family and friends. We cherish and honor our national flag, not because of the cloth of which it is made, but because of what it represents. In similar manner we respect sacred statues and pictures. The honor we pay sacred images and pictures is not idolatry because we do not adore them. God Himself, after giving the --?-- commandment, ordered the making of statues to be placed in the temple and God cannot contradict Himself. Sacred images do not promote false worship.
Absolute, false lie!
The benefits we derive from the veneration of saints:
A) Through them effective and sometimes supernatural graces are obtained. There have been instances of miraculous pictures and statues as well as crucifixes.
B) They help us avoid distractions while praying by fixing our attention.
C) They serve as a silent admonition to encourage us to imitation.
D) They are wonderful means for instructing the faithful in religion.
The greatest artists of the world have been Catholic artists. Their greatest masterpieces are treatment of religious subjects. Even the most unlettered can understand a picture.
That's interesting, where do we find the term 'unlettered?' Referring to Christ: unlearned, unlettered!
Even the Worldwide Church of God said that the trinity was not of pagan origin. So, I wanted to put this here.
from: The Two Babylons by Alexander Hislop
In Japan, the Buddhists worship their great divinity, Buddha, with three heads, in the very same form, under the name of "San Pao Fuh."
That's a deserving name.
All these have existed from ancient times. While overlaid with idolatry, the recognition of a Trinity was universal in all the ancient nations of the world, proving how deep-rooted in the human race was the primeval doctrine on this subject, which comes out so distinctly in Genesis.
When we look at the symbols in the triune figure of Layard, already referred to, and minutely examine them, they are very instructive.
You can look at the one here. That doctrine of the trinity, there, is almost the same as the front of the Catholic book.
Layard regards the circle in that figure as signifying "Time without bounds." But the hieroglyphic meaning of the circle is evidently different. A circle in Chaldea was zero; and zero also signified "the seed." Therefore, according to the genius of the mystic system of Chaldea, which was to a large extent founded on double meanings, that which, to the eyes of men in general, was only zero, "a circle," was understood by the initiated to signify zero, "the seed."
{note: full book The Two Babylons can be found at truthofgod.org}
Suffice to say that all of this comes out of paganism and the reasoning is the same. The reason that the trinity in the Catholic Church is called 'a strict mystery,' is because if they ever told the truth of it, they would reveal how pagan they are.
Let's come back to our senses and let's knock all of this into a 'cocked hat'—every bit of it, which can be done right here.
- there's only one way to worship God
- there's only one way to worship the Father
- there is only one way
- there is no other way
There's only one way, and that's through Jesus Christ; this way:
John 4:23: "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father is indeed seeking those who worship Him in this manner. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and in Truth" (vs 23-24). All of this falls by the wayside:
- when we let the Law judge the Law
- when we let God judge the Law
- when we get rid of the human reasoning that people have
- when we get rid of the doctrines of demons
and start following the things that are right! John 6:63: "It is the Spirit that gives life…"
- not a relic
- not an idol
- not a statue
- not the idolatry of the trinity
"…the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you, they are spirit and they are life" (v 63).
Let's talk about the mystery of God. We're going to look at the two mysteries—the mystery of God and the mystery of Satan.
(go to the next track)
The Mysteries of God:
- We are to know, God's mysteries are revealed
We're going through all of this dry diatribe, here that the Catholics have put out. Let's focus in on what the Truth of the mystery of God is.
- Is it a mystery that He is trying to keep secret?
- Is it a mystery that we cannot know?
- Is it a mystery that we cannot understand?
Let's see what Jesus said. The big mystery of the trinity is that they have to keep it a mystery because if the Truth were known people who would read the Bible would reject it. After all, how can you keep a church going if people reject what you teach? You can't!
Mark 4:11: "And He [Jesus] said to them, 'To you it has been given to know…'" God wants us to know! God's way is not a strict mystery that cannot be known. Jesus said:
Verse 11: "To you it has been given to know the mystery of the Kingdom of God; but to those who are without, all things are done in parables; so that in seeing they may see, and not perceive; and in hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them" (vs 11-12). Quite amazing!
We're going to see something else. There is more than one mystery, or secret, that God is revealing. We'll see it here in Luke. He puts it in the plural. This is the parallel account of the Mark 4:11-12.
Luke 8:10[transcriber's correction]: "And He said, 'To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of God…'" There are two fundamental mysteries. So, we are to know. That's why it's blasphemous to claim that the Holy Spirit is a person. That's why it is blasphemous to say that there's such a thing as a trinity and is in fact, idolatry and cultism. I'm tired of having these so-called intellectual theologians lay upon us being a cult because we don't believe in the trinity.
- Godliness
Here is the first part of the mysteries of God; 1-Timothy 3:16: "And undeniably, great is the mystery of Godliness: God was manifested in the flesh…" The true understanding of what Jesus really was and what He really did.
That's why the section in The Christian Passover about the meaning of the body of Christ and the flesh of Christ. I go through and show the nature of God and the nature of man, showing that man has 'the law of sin and death' in him. What we've covered during the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the past few years, that Jesus Christ had to have carried within His body 'the law of sin and death.' That is going to a bombshell to them. That is going to 'blow their minds!—that is anyone who does not understand the Bible. That is anyone from any of these churches and denominations.
The central doctrine of Catholicism is the immaculate conception of the virgin Mary, so that Jesus would be immaculately conceived and not have upon His soul the stain of Adam's sin. What is in The Christian Passover book absolutely obliterates the very foundation of Catholic doctrine, although I don't attack it head-on, I just present the Truth.
"…was justified in the Spirit…" (v 16). So that He could be raised from the dead. 'Made spiritually righteous' is what it means. He didn't need any justification for His sins, but what He did justified all of mankind when they repent and accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Therefore, He:
"…was justified in the Spirit, was seen by angels, was proclaimed among the Gentiles, was believed on in the world, was received up in glory" (v 16). That's one aspect of the mystery of God!
What is part of the test of faith for that? When they were having a lot of these doctrines that we're reading right now about the false doctrines of Christ, that's why this is written.
1-John 4:1: "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world." You want to know what motivates all these false prophets? False spirits!
Verse 2: "By this test… [or method] …you can know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God." That means the same kind of flesh that we have. There are very few people that will admit that.
Verse 3: "And every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not from God. And this is the spirit of antichrist, which you heard was to come, and even now it is already in the world." That's what we are reading. We're reading the confirmed doctrines of the spirit of antichrist.
- We are to become very sons of God
The other part of the mystery of God is that we become the children of God! One of the things that is said against us who believe that we will become 'as God is God'—although lesser in authority, the same kind of existence—is that they turn to Gen. 1 and they say that that is a doctrine of Satan the devil. What did Satan the devil promise Adam and Eve if they ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil? That they would become as God! On the surface it would seem like that's what it's saying, but what it really meant there in Gen. 1 is that you would become as God to determine what is right and to determine what is wrong, not that you would become a son of God. There is a difference in that. The second part of the mystery of God, which we are to know, is that we will become the very sons of God!
Let's see what the Apostle Paul said about this and what he was teaching, what he was preaching and what he was making known. He wasn't hiding it. He wasn't saying, 'Oh, brethren. We don't know the mystery of God. Oh, it's too deep for us to understand.' He didn't say that! He wrote in power and he wrote in boldness.
Ephesians 3:1: "For this cause… [Paul had a cause] …I, Paul, am the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles, if indeed you have heard of the ministry of the grace of God that was given to me for you; how He made known to me by revelation the mystery…" (vs 1-3). It was made known, not concealed but revealed!
"…(even as I wrote briefly before, so that when you read this, you will be able to comprehend my understanding in the mystery of Christ), which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His Holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; that the Gentiles might be joint heirs, and a joint body, and joint partakers of His promise in Christ through the Gospel" (vs 3-6).
Verse 9: "And that I might enlighten all… [Paul's whole job] …as to what is the fellowship of the mystery that has been hidden from the ages in God, Who created all things by Jesus Christ; so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the Church to the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places, according to His eternal purpose, which He has wrought in Christ Jesus our Lord" (vs 9-11).
Ephesians 1:9: "Having made known to us the mystery of His own will…" It is made known. It's not a strict mystery. It is not hidden. The true mystery of God is the plan of God being revealed through the Gospel to every one of us by the power of God's Holy Spirit.
- Christ in us, the hope of glory
Col. 1 is another part of the mystery of God. When the Holy Spirit is a person you don't understand this part of the mystery.
Colossians 1:26: "Even the mystery that has been hidden from ages and from generations, but has now been revealed to His saints; 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" (vs 26-27).
When we come to understand about the Spirit of God is directed by Jesus Christ, though it comes from God the Father. That is how Christ can be in us. Not that He as a person is in us, but through the power of the Holy Spirit we are to have what in us? What did Paul say? 'Let this mind be in you, which was in Christ Jesus.' That's how Christ is in you!
What is happening when churches are going out and adopting the trinity and rejecting the Truth of the Bible, they are rejecting the most powerful and the most fantastic thing that God can do for us! When we're done, we're going to full understand why the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is unforgivable. The two-fold mystery of God is:
- God became a man and took upon Him human flesh, as we have human flesh with 'the law of sin and death' within Him.
- through calling, repentance, baptism, receiving of the Holy Spirit, man can become a child of God, a full spirit being
That is the mystery of God being revealed!
Let's see how Paul constantly preached, constantly preached that this was known, that it was being revealed. Therefore, you see how the Truth of God flies in the face of all of this Catholic doctrine?
Romans 16:25: "Now, to Him who has the power to establish you, according to my Gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery…"—manifesting, revealing, making known. Paul understood.
"…that in past ages has been kept secret; but now is made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations unto the obedience of faith" (vs 25-26).
Those are some powerful words, it's made known. I want us to understand as we go through this that having the Spirit of God we have the greatest and most fantastic thing that could ever happen to us in this life. There is not a thing greater that can happen to any person in this life than to receive the Spirit of God the Father! That's why the doctrine of the trinity is such an absolutely blasphemous thing.
- We shall all be changed from flesh to spirit
1-Cor. 15. shows the finality of the mystery of God. Here is the finality of the mystery; 1-Corinthians 15:51: "Behold, I show you a mystery: we shall not all fall asleep, but we shall all be changed, In an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed…. [that's a mystery being revealed] …For this corruptible must put on incorruptibility, and this mortal must put on immortality. Now when this corruptible shall have put on incorruptibility, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: 'Death is swallowed up in victory'" (vs 51-54). Powerful words! Very basic, too!
- Marriage of Christ and the Church
Let's look at another aspect of this mystery. referring to the marriage of Christ and the Church.
Ephesians 5:30: "For we are members of His body… [the Church] …of His flesh… [because of the crucifixion] …and of His bones."
Not relics to be venerated, but the reference to the 'bones,' there, has to refer back to the creation of Eve from one of the ribs of Adam. Just as Eve was created from the bone of Adam, so are we created—the Church—from the innermost part of Christ, in an analogy and a figure of speech.
Verse 31: "For this reason shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined to his wife; and the two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery; but I am speaking in respect to Christ and the Church" (vs 31-32). That's another part of the mystery of the secret of God being revealed and made know as exemplified by marriage.
- Faith
We're talking about the qualifications for an overseer. Someone to teach the people. What are they to be doing? What are the qualifications?
1-Timothy 3:9: "Holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience." That is:
- to understand it
- to teach it
- to be convicted of it
- to preach it
- The seven stars
Rev. 1 is a perfect example about how God reveals the mystery with His Word! Here, it spoken very clearly. Here it is referring to the mystery of the seven stars.
Revelation 1:20: "The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, is this: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches; and the seven lampstands that you saw are the seven churches."
- Calling and understanding to the world
God explains what He means. God has to call a person so that they understand! That's why God the Father is the only One that can call and open your minds. We're talking about some things, brethren, which are really deep in God's Word.
We will see that there is going to be a time when this mystery will be finished. When Christ is here on the earth, it's going to be clearly revealed to everyone. It's not going to be a secret just held and understood by the brethren.
Revelation 10:7: "But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound the trumpet, the mystery of God shall also be completed, according to the Gospel that He declared to His servants the prophets." It's going to be finished at the resurrection.
Mysteries of Satan the devil
There's another mystery on the earth. There's another mystery on the earth, which manifests itself in two ways, and that is the mystery of Satan.
Note: Matt. 4:4 and Luke 4:4; the whole section in Matt. and Luke about the temptation of Jesus, and how that Satan said that he would give Jesus the whole world. Rev. 12:9—how Satan is 'deceiving the whole world.' That's why Satan's way is a mystery, because he doesn't want to expose who's doing it. Anyone in their right mind, if they knew it was Satan the devil, would not follow along. He's also called 'the prince of the power of the air, that spirit that now works within the children of disobedience' (Eph 2).
- Iniquity
2-Thess. 2 is where this mystery is called the mystery of iniquity, and we will see how this operates and what is the premise, the foundation, the heart and core of its operation.
2-Thessolonians 2:7: "For the mystery of lawlessness is already working… [during Paul's day it was already working] …only there is One Who is restraining at the present time until it arises out of the midst. And then the lawless one will be revealed…" (vs 7-8).
I don't know how far we are to the end of the age, but elections prove that the people are willingly deceived.
"…(whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth, and will destroy with the brightness of His coming); even the one whose coming is according to the inner working of Satan, with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in those who are perishing…" (vs 8-10)
Here is how the mystery of iniquity succeeds, though we can see it in action right here in this so-called My Catholic Faith.
"…because they did not receive the love of the Truth…" (v 10).
- they don't want the Truth of God
- they want their own way
- they don't want the Laws and commandments of God
- they want to judge those, create their own and say that they're of God
Verse 11: "And for this cause, God will send upon them a powerful deception that will cause them to believe the lie."
So, they believe in lies, fairy tales and deceptions. What was it that the Apostle Peter said? He said, 'When we came preaching, we came preaching the power of Christ! We didn't come preaching fables to you!' He came preaching the Truth.
- Babylon the Great
Rev. 17 is the other part of the mystery of Satan[transcriber's correction], called Babylon the Great, the whole civilization of this world. We're all familiar with this, but let's go over it and read it into the record.
Revelation 17:1: "And one of the seven angels who had the seven vials came and spoke with me, saying to me, 'Come here; I will show you the judgment of the great whore who sits upon many waters; with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication'" (vs 1-2). All the:
- spiritual drunkenness
- false doctrines
- not loving the Truth
- loving a lie
- enjoying those that lie
Isn't it interesting how Satan brings about things of evil on the earth? Now we are ready in America for full-fledged sex on public television. We're just a step away from it. He's already introduced all the little kiddies to bestiality. Probably, a lot of people think, 'My wasn't that a wonderful movie that Walt Disney put out called The Beauty and the Beast?' That's the way that Satan introduces his doctrines—and here's truly the beauty and the beast:
Verse 3: "Then he carried me away in the spirit to a wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting upon a scarlet beast that had seven heads and ten horns, full of names of blasphemy. And the woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and was adorned with gold and pearls and precious stones; and she had a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominations… [blasphemies] …and the filthiness of her fornication; and across her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH" (vs 3-5). I tell you what.
- There's nothing more blasphemous than what we read here, doing away with the second commandment!
- There's nothing more blasphemous toward God than the kind of worship that Babylon the Great puts out—whether it is:
- Catholicism
- Buddhism
- Mohammedanism
- Animism
whatever it may be, she is the mother of it! There is the mystery of Satan.
- the mystery of God is revealed
- the mystery of Satan is revealed
All Scripture from The Holy Bible In Its Original Order, A Faithful Version
Scriptural References:
- James 4:12, 11-12
- Exodus 20:4-6
- Romans 8:7
- 2-Corinthians 10:4-5
- John 4:23-24
- John 6:63
- Mark 4:11-12
- Luke 8:10
- 1-Timothy 3:16
- 1-John 4:1-3
- Ephesians 3:1-6, 9-11
- Ephesians 1:9
- Colossians 1:26-27
- Romans 16:25-26
- 1-Corinthians 15:51-54
- Ephesians 5:30-32
- 1-Timothy 3:9
- Revelation 1:20
- Revelation 10:7
- 2-Thessolonians 2:7-11
- Revelation 17:1-5
Scriptures referenced, not quoted:
- Colossians 2
- 2-Kings 13:21
- Genesis 1
- Matthew 4:4
- Luke 4:4
- Revelation 12:9
- Ephesians 2
Also referenced: Books:
- My Catholic Faith by Louis Morrow
- The Book of Mormon by Joseph Smith
- The Two Babylons by Alexander Hislop {full book: truthofgod.org}
- The Christian Passover by Fred R. Coulter
FRC:nfs
Transcribed: 07-24-17
Proofed: bo—8/22/17
