You ask the question, but one is inclined to think that your mind is already made up. You are of the belief that the Pope is the Antichrist and the Roman Catholic Church is really an adaption of pagan religion to Christian terminology.
You probably view the fact that the following verses from the Bible, written sometime about 60 CE, clearly indicate that the Roman Catholic Church is being referred to:
- Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by giving heed to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, through the pretensions of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and enjoin abstinence from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. (1 Timothy:1–3)
You may have in mind, also, the fact that the Vatican has changed the Ten Commandments to exclude the second commandment by amalgamating it with the first commandment and redacting them before splitting the tenth commandment into two commandments. The Vatican has the third commandment as the second, whereas the Jews have always held the second commandment to be “You shall not make for yourself any graven images.”
- "You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a graven image, nor any manner of likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them, nor serve them. For I the Lord your G‑d am a jealous G‑d, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children of the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me; and showing mercy unto the thousandth generation of them that love Me and keep My commandments. —-"The Second Commandment - You shall have no other gods... Judaism, Torah and Jewish Info
When speaking of materialism and consumerism these are atheistic ideals that form part of economic philosophy. More to the point, understanding the truth about what Jesus taught is often misconstrued that people have to live in poverty and walk around like a holy man such as the Hindu sadhu.
Sadhu Sundar Singh memorized the Bhagava Gita and eventually saw the truth, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He became a Christian, who forsook the ways of the world completely, and walked the Earth, living the life of a holy man when he was not travelling to the West. One ordained clergyman met the Sadhu when he was traveling through the Western World (using materialistic means) and exclaimed that he was just like meeting Jesus Christ. Anyhow, even though material means were used for Sadhu Sundar Singh to traverse the globe (for he traveled through Europe, the USA and to Australia, before returning to India) this is what one writer reports:
- Finally, at the end of September, he returned to India, grieved about the greedy materialism he had seen in the West. In the East many people worship idols, he observed, but in the West people worship themselves.[1]
Has anything changed from after the 1st world war, when the Sadhu made his observation of the West. Note what the book of Revelation has Jesus saying to the Church of Laodicea:
- “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing; not knowing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. Therefore I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, that you may be rich, and white garments to clothe you and to keep the shame of your nakedness from being seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and chasten; so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. He who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. (Revelation 3:15-21)
We have to understand that while materialism can become an idol, it can become a subtle form of programming that allows people to think that they have sufficient goods and life is really great. All the people now have to do is develop a means to live for ever and everything will be fine. To which the One who has the keys of life and death effectively says, “Remember me! I am standing at the door of eternity.”
Recognizing the truth and realizing one’s own ineptitude to overcome death and its cause is what is required if a person is to discover the reality of Lord Jesus Christ having risen from the dead.
But your assertion appears to be that people are more in love with the present world than having any real interest in discovering what is to happen to them when they depart this world. They may go to church and make noises with a “fake it, to make it” mentality. They may make out that they are religious because it helps. Many organizations are religious in nature, such as the Freemasons. Becoming a Freemason evidently helps in job security within the world, but not in knowing Lord Jesus Christ.
The message to the people of the Church of Laodicea is often interpreted as referring to people living and enjoying the benefits of materialism. Can this be denied? Trusting in one’s material wealth and thinking one is somebody, relative to those who possess lesser amounts of wealth, does not curry favor with God. Only those who have a relationship with Lord Jesus Christ find favor with the Heavenly Father.
Therefore, if we let Lord Jesus Christ into our lives, we will probably be like Sadhu Sundar Singh and understand that the material is not where life is at. Peace and joy that comes from receiving the righteousness of Lord Jesus Christ is the beginning of life. This is where the true riches are to be found.
Nevertheless, God promises that we will be healthy, wealthy and wise, if we walk with Him (Proverbs 8:18).
You ask the question, but one is inclined to think that your mind is already made up. You are of the belief that the Pope is the Antichrist and the Roman Catholic Church is really an adaption of pagan religion to Christian terminology.
You probably view the fact that the following verses from the Bible, written sometime about 60 CE, clearly indicate that the Roman Catholic Church is being referred to:
- Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by giving heed to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, through the pretensions of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and enjoin abstinence from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. (1 Timothy:1–3)
You may have in mind, also, the fact that the Vatican has changed the Ten Commandments to exclude the second commandment by amalgamating it with the first commandment and redacting them before splitting the tenth commandment into two commandments. The Vatican has the third commandment as the second, whereas the Jews have always held the second commandment to be “You shall not make for yourself any graven images.”
- "You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a graven image, nor any manner of likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them, nor serve them. For I the Lord your G‑d am a jealous G‑d, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children of the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me; and showing mercy unto the thousandth generation of them that love Me and keep My commandments. —-"The Second Commandment - You shall have no other gods... Judaism, Torah and Jewish Info
When speaking of materialism and consumerism these are atheistic ideals that form part of economic philosophy. More to the point, understanding the truth about what Jesus taught is often misconstrued that people have to live in poverty and walk around like a holy man such as the Hindu sadhu.
Sadhu Sundar Singh memorized the Bhagava Gita and eventually saw the truth, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He became a Christian, who forsook the ways of the world completely, and walked the Earth, living the life of a holy man when he was not travelling to the West. One ordained clergyman met the Sadhu when he was traveling through the Western World (using materialistic means) and exclaimed that he was just like meeting Jesus Christ. Anyhow, even though material means were used for Sadhu Sundar Singh to traverse the globe (for he traveled through Europe, the USA and to Australia, before returning to India) this is what one writer reports:
- Finally, at the end of September, he returned to India, grieved about the greedy materialism he had seen in the West. In the East many people worship idols, he observed, but in the West people worship themselves.[1]
Has anything changed from after the 1st world war, when the Sadhu made his observation of the West. Note what the book of Revelation has Jesus saying to the Church of Laodicea:
- “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing; not knowing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. Therefore I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, that you may be rich, and white garments to clothe you and to keep the shame of your nakedness from being seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and chasten; so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. He who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. (Revelation 3:15-21)
We have to understand that while materialism can become an idol, it can become a subtle form of programming that allows people to think that they have sufficient goods and life is really great. All the people now have to do is develop a means to live for ever and everything will be fine. To which the One who has the keys of life and death effectively says, “Remember me! I am standing at the door of eternity.”
Recognizing the truth and realizing one’s own ineptitude to overcome death and its cause is what is required if a person is to discover the reality of Lord Jesus Christ having risen from the dead.
But your assertion appears to be that people are more in love with the present world than having any real interest in discovering what is to happen to them when they depart this world. They may go to church and make noises with a “fake it, to make it” mentality. They may make out that they are religious because it helps. Many organizations are religious in nature, such as the Freemasons. Becoming a Freemason evidently helps in job security within the world, but not in knowing Lord Jesus Christ.
The message to the people of the Church of Laodicea is often interpreted as referring to people living and enjoying the benefits of materialism. Can this be denied? Trusting in one’s material wealth and thinking one is somebody, relative to those who possess lesser amounts of wealth, does not curry favor with God. Only those who have a relationship with Lord Jesus Christ find favor with the Heavenly Father.
Therefore, if we let Lord Jesus Christ into our lives, we will probably be like Sadhu Sundar Singh and understand that the material is not where life is at. Peace and joy that comes from receiving the righteousness of Lord Jesus Christ is the beginning of life. This is where the true riches are to be found.
Nevertheless, God promises that we will be healthy, wealthy and wise, if we walk with Him (Proverbs 8:18).
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