When we replace God's Word with our tradition, we are siding with the Usurper, who said, "Yea, hath God said...?" Gen 3:1.
The Jews added hundreds of rules and regulations to the keeping of the Sabbath. Jesus did not defer to their tradition. How did Jesus keep the Sabbath? By worshiping the Father and meeting human need.
How do we worship the Lord? It is laid out in Psalm 150. We are to praise Him with the sound of the trumpet, with psaltery and harp, with the timbrel and dance, with stringed instruments and organs. We are to praise Him upon the loud cymbals, and the high sounding cymbals.
In Isaiah 53:4 in the Hebrew it reads, "Surely He has born our sicknesses and pains." Just as Jesus bore our sin, He, also, bore our sickness and pain. Although, I come from an extended family of six (soon to be seven) doctors, five nurses, one veterinarian, and one chemical engineer, Jesus has been my Healer for forty years. I recommend the book, Christ,The Healer by F.F. Bosworth. Claim the promises of God.
In Revelation 9:21;18:23;21:8;22:15 the word, "sorcery," is "pharmakeia," "pharmakeus," "pharmakon," "pharmakos." (You may want to do a word search on "Google.") Every pharmaceutical has side effects. But when you trust in the promises of God, He is glorified, when He heals you. Jesus did not do many works in Nazareth, because of their unbelief. Mt 13:58. Unbelief comes out of an evil heart. Heb 3:12. God is looking for faith in Him and in His Word. "So then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God." Rom 10:17.
The New Testament Church was Pentecostal. The pattern for church worship was laid out in 1 Corinthians 12, by the Apostle to the Gentiles - the Apostle Paul: the Word of wisdom, the Word of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, working of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, divers kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. The New Testament Church was interactive.
Where in the Scripture are there female pastors? "This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. A bishop must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilante, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre, but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the Devil. Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the Devil." 1 Tim 3:1-7. It is for a man to rule the church and to be in authority over God's people.
The abstaining from unclean meats was never taught to the Gentiles. Jesus, the clean became an offering for the unclean, so that we may be clean. It was a part of the Ceremonial law, which was nailed to the cross. Col 2:14. The Apostle Paul wrote, "I know and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean...For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." Rom 14:14,17.
Hellfire is not eternal. Jeremiah 17:27 says Jerusalem was to be destroyed with unquenchable fire. Jerusalem is, no longer, burning. Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed with everlasting, or, eternal fire. Jude 7. And that fire turned them "into ashes" as a warning to "those that should live ungodly." 2 Pe 2:6. These cities are not burning today.
The word "forever" is used 56 times in the Bible in connection with things that have already ended. In Jonah 2:6, "forever," means three days and nights. Jonah 1:17. In Deut 23:3, this means, "10 generations." In the case of man, this means, "as long as he lives," or, "until death." 1 Sam 1:22,28;Ex 21:6;Ps 48:14.
The Devil will be cast into the lake of fire, be turned into ashes and cease to exist. Rev 20:10; Ezek 28:18,19.
The word "hell" is translated from several different words with various meaning: 31 times from "sheol," which means "the grave," 10 times from "Gehenna," which means "the place of burning." This is a transliteration of the Hebrew, "Ge-Hinnom," which means the "Valley of Hinnom." This valley southwest of Jerusalem, was a garbage dump. Though at one time it smoldered, it no longer does today.
Matt 25:46 says the wicked will receive "everlasting punishment," but not punishing, which would be continuous. The punishment of the wicked is death, which is everlasting. The wicked, the Beast, the False prophet, the Devil, those that receive the mark of the Beast will be destroyed in the lake of fire. Rev 19:20;20:10. Death and hell will be cast into the lake of fire. Rev 20:14. And whosoever is not written in the Book of Life will be cast into the lake of fire. Rev 20:15.
Jesus said, "He that rejecteth Me and receiveth not My Words, hath one that judgeth him: the Word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken of Myself; but the Father which sent Me; He gave Me a commandment, what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that His commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak, therefore, even as the Father said unto Me, so I speak." John 12:48-50. We will be judged by the Word of God.
We should imitate the Bereans: "These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the Word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so." Acts 17:11.
Our allegiance must be to the Word of God, alone.
The Jews added hundreds of rules and regulations to the keeping of the Sabbath. Jesus did not defer to their tradition. How did Jesus keep the Sabbath? By worshiping the Father and meeting human need.
How do we worship the Lord? It is laid out in Psalm 150. We are to praise Him with the sound of the trumpet, with psaltery and harp, with the timbrel and dance, with stringed instruments and organs. We are to praise Him upon the loud cymbals, and the high sounding cymbals.
In Isaiah 53:4 in the Hebrew it reads, "Surely He has born our sicknesses and pains." Just as Jesus bore our sin, He, also, bore our sickness and pain. Although, I come from an extended family of six (soon to be seven) doctors, five nurses, one veterinarian, and one chemical engineer, Jesus has been my Healer for forty years. I recommend the book, Christ,The Healer by F.F. Bosworth. Claim the promises of God.
In Revelation 9:21;18:23;21:8;22:15 the word, "sorcery," is "pharmakeia," "pharmakeus," "pharmakon," "pharmakos." (You may want to do a word search on "Google.") Every pharmaceutical has side effects. But when you trust in the promises of God, He is glorified, when He heals you. Jesus did not do many works in Nazareth, because of their unbelief. Mt 13:58. Unbelief comes out of an evil heart. Heb 3:12. God is looking for faith in Him and in His Word. "So then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God." Rom 10:17.
The New Testament Church was Pentecostal. The pattern for church worship was laid out in 1 Corinthians 12, by the Apostle to the Gentiles - the Apostle Paul: the Word of wisdom, the Word of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, working of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, divers kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. The New Testament Church was interactive.
Where in the Scripture are there female pastors? "This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. A bishop must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilante, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre, but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the Devil. Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the Devil." 1 Tim 3:1-7. It is for a man to rule the church and to be in authority over God's people.
The abstaining from unclean meats was never taught to the Gentiles. Jesus, the clean became an offering for the unclean, so that we may be clean. It was a part of the Ceremonial law, which was nailed to the cross. Col 2:14. The Apostle Paul wrote, "I know and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean...For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." Rom 14:14,17.
Hellfire is not eternal. Jeremiah 17:27 says Jerusalem was to be destroyed with unquenchable fire. Jerusalem is, no longer, burning. Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed with everlasting, or, eternal fire. Jude 7. And that fire turned them "into ashes" as a warning to "those that should live ungodly." 2 Pe 2:6. These cities are not burning today.
The word "forever" is used 56 times in the Bible in connection with things that have already ended. In Jonah 2:6, "forever," means three days and nights. Jonah 1:17. In Deut 23:3, this means, "10 generations." In the case of man, this means, "as long as he lives," or, "until death." 1 Sam 1:22,28;Ex 21:6;Ps 48:14.
The Devil will be cast into the lake of fire, be turned into ashes and cease to exist. Rev 20:10; Ezek 28:18,19.
The word "hell" is translated from several different words with various meaning: 31 times from "sheol," which means "the grave," 10 times from "Gehenna," which means "the place of burning." This is a transliteration of the Hebrew, "Ge-Hinnom," which means the "Valley of Hinnom." This valley southwest of Jerusalem, was a garbage dump. Though at one time it smoldered, it no longer does today.
Matt 25:46 says the wicked will receive "everlasting punishment," but not punishing, which would be continuous. The punishment of the wicked is death, which is everlasting. The wicked, the Beast, the False prophet, the Devil, those that receive the mark of the Beast will be destroyed in the lake of fire. Rev 19:20;20:10. Death and hell will be cast into the lake of fire. Rev 20:14. And whosoever is not written in the Book of Life will be cast into the lake of fire. Rev 20:15.
Jesus said, "He that rejecteth Me and receiveth not My Words, hath one that judgeth him: the Word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken of Myself; but the Father which sent Me; He gave Me a commandment, what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that His commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak, therefore, even as the Father said unto Me, so I speak." John 12:48-50. We will be judged by the Word of God.
We should imitate the Bereans: "These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the Word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so." Acts 17:11.
Our allegiance must be to the Word of God, alone.
