The Beatitudes Expanded Part 1

Matthew, Chapters 5-7 are known as the "Sermon on the Mount". Matthew 5, verses 1-12, are known as the "Beatitudes," meaning "blessings." JESUS outlines eight characteristics of Christians who have the right attitude for salvation, ie, the attitude that we need to be blessed. The New Testament was originally written in Greek. Like modern English, Greek was the business language understood my most people in the ancient middle east. The English words used in a word-for-word translation of the BIBLE often do not give full justice to the layered meanings of ancient words. Here is an expanded translation of the blessings and a short discussion of the rest of Matthew Chapter 5, in modern English.

Verse	Explanation
1-12	JESUS said, blessed are:   The poor in spirit. (People who are humble enough to recognize that they are spiritually weak and need to beg GOD for the spiritual improvement/perfection that leads to salvation.) Those who mourn. (Those who are troubled about their own sinfulness, the sinfulness of the world, and sad (in mourning) for sinners who are spiritually dead (unless they repent). The meek. (Meek doesn’t mean weak like a baby. Moses was described as the meekest man in the world, but as GOD’s spokesman, he presided over the destruction of Egypt, the most powerful nation on earth. Meekness means to exercise power and authority gently and with kindness.) Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. (People who desire to be Christlike and go after it every day. They look forward to the time that GOD will rule with true justice.) The merciful. (Those who treat others like they want to be treated, and forgive in order to be forgiven by GOD.) The pure in heart. (People who have the right internal attitude for salvation - not double minded or hypocritical.) The peacemakers. (Those that make peace between GOD and the sinner – ie, those who bring the lost to Christ by action and example.) Those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness. “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me”. (Notice that this is the ultimate blessing. People who withstand trials, attacks, and suffering while maintaining their Christian example have a favored place in Heaven.)
13-16	Be an example and draw men to CHRIST.  Your “candle”, ie, righteous behavior is a light in the darkness of the sinful world.
17-20	JESUS fulfilled, accomplished or satisfied the prophecies and promises concerning the Messiah in the Old Testament. HE also satisfied the terms of the agreement (salvation) that the Jews had misunderstood. Belief in JESUS - through a sinless inner attitude - is the way to greater righteousness than can be obtained by external obedience to ritual religion – like that of the Pharisees.
21-42	Verses 21-42 restate the Old Testament law as spiritual requirements. JESUS points to having the correct inner attitude (reflecting the Beatitudes), as opposed to maintaining the appearance of righteousness (ritual religion) which characterized the Pharisees.
21-22	Hate and prideful contempt for other people; looking down on and judging them worthy of damnation is an attitude that is as bad as murder.
23-26	The accuser can be seen as satan reminding GOD (the judge) of your sins. Your time to make peace, ie, to admit and repent of your sins is your time on earth (while walking in the way).
27-30	Lust, even when not acted on, (per the New Testament) is as bad as physical adultery because it is your real internal desire – your true self that GOD sees just as plainly as the people around you see your face. The poor in spirit and pure in heart are sincerely seeking relief from sinful inner thoughts and attitudes.
31-32	Divorce and remarriage is adultery. One must look at the other New Testament verses concerned with divorce to determine how this applies to their life. Bottom line – dumping one spouse just because you want to marry someone else meets the BIBLE definition of adultery.
33-37	Do not make oaths or take vows. Occult religion is dominated by oath taking and is emblematic of man exercising his own will. The Pharisees had a tradition of making false oaths with hidden meanings as a way to lie, (especially to non-Jews) while feigning righteousness.
38-42	Do not exact revenge. Allowing GOD to repay those sinning against you, instead of fighting back, is a show of faith in real time. To lend or give without expecting a return is the right attitude.
43-48	Loving your enemies is approaching the perfection of GOD. JESUS forgave his murderers while HE was being tortured to death on the cross. The Pharisees didn’t realize that they were being driven by satan and demons to mock JESUS. We often don’t realize, in the heat of the moment, that when people are coming against us for no reason – they are being driven by demons.

PART VII - THE MEANING OF LIFE

The Question

The BIBLE acknowledges the type of person who only believes what they can see with their eyes. That person is referred to as the “natural man” - someone who dismisses spirituality and thinks the BIBLE is foolishness. 1 Co 1:18

Why am I here; what is the meaning of life? 

Despite his lack of spirituality, the natural man is still compelled to ask the age-old universal question: “why am I here, why do I exist, what is the meaning of life?”

The Answer...

One day out of nowhere, I suddenly realized that I knew the meaning of life!

I understood that our lives on earth are a test. A test to determine who, by their own free will, will seek JESUS, learn about HIM, believe in HIM, obey HIS WORD, and maintain that obedience to the end of their lives.

Those who pass the test will be allowed to spend eternity with GOD in HIS heaven.

The War

Most people hate to be taken advantage of – to be taken for a fool. Many unbelievers say that Christians are fools for believing a fairy tale. The BIBLE even acknowledges the idea that if the resurrection of JESUS was not real, that Christian obedience would be basically pointless. 1 Cor 15:17-19  However, allow me to propose a different possibility – the possibility that it is the unbeliever who is being fooled - by satan. Most cultures, throughout history, have believed in an evil supernatural entity like the one we know as satan. Why? Where did practically every culture in history get the same idea if it is just part of a fairy tale? What if satan is real and is duping everyone who dismisses the Gospel – literally stealing eternal life from everyone who he can convince to reject the love of JESUS?

It is the unbeliever who is being fooled... 

…And even if our gospel is veiled (hidden), it is veiled to those who are perishing (on the way to hell). The god of this age (satan) has blinded (clouded) the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4

satan is not fighting directly against GOD. GOD can squash satan like a bug any time HE chooses. The only way satan can hurt GOD is by spiritually killing you - convincing you to disobey GOD. That is the test – believe satan's lies or obey GOD. GOD made you for a purpose and wants you with HIM, but if you die in your sins, in disobedience, you will be forever separated from HIM.

You know that you are going to die someday. You know that evil exists. You know that people actively worship satan. If satan is real, it is logical that he would attack the church from within - tempting church people to hate others, to love money, to break every commandment - even molest children - and try to justify it. Don’t dismiss Christianity because of the bad example of satanized people who call themselves christians. Deceived christians are often practicing a religion that opposes the WORDS of CHRIST in the BIBLE.

At the same time, why mindlessly take the word of belligerent atheists who can’t or won’t believe? Atheists are generally operating on the assumption that life is basically random and has no real meaning. A quasi-religious faith in science, e.g., evolution, is generally required to bolster this belief. I am not an anti-science dummy, but understand that history shows an ongoing succession of widely held scientific beliefs being overturned and invalidated by new discoveries and new beliefs (theories) based on those discoveries. Those with a vested interest in the old paradigm will fight tooth and nail against the new knowledge, showing that people with faith in science can be just as closed minded as religious fundamentalists. On the other hand, atheists can simply have an agenda to protect behaviors that they know are not compatible with Christianity. And, of course, some atheists are just satanists in disguise, working overtime to kill your soul.

Some atheists are satanists in disguise, working to kill your soul

Make up your own mind – think for yourself - be an honest juror and examine the evidence. Read 3 pages of the BIBLE – Matthew Chapters 5-7 - and see how it squares with what you think you already know about Christianity.

It is your responsibility to save yourself  Php 2:12

satan thought he was winning 2000 years ago when he inspired the political powers of the day to kill JESUS. In a mysterious turnabout, killing JESUS helped serve to make an obscure homeless man, from a tiny rural town, in a small ancient country - THE MOST FAMOUS PERSON WHO EVER LIVED IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD - and spread HIS WORDS to every corner of the globe. Consider that. Why would so many people, in every age, in every part of the world, give up so much, including their very lives, to follow JESUS if there is nothing there?

The best thing that anyone can do for themselves is to take the possibility of salvation (through JESUS) seriously.

Look at JESUS for yourself.

Part VI - Authoritarian Followers and the Rise of American Christo-fascism

Social scientists have long known that a certain percentage of people, irrespective of religion and politics, are prone to follow any strong leader that represents the existing social and political order. Such people are known as authoritarian followers. We will see how basic human psychology plays a strong role when people are tempted to follow a politically fascist program.

According to a prominent expert:

“Authoritarianism is something authoritarian followers and authoritarian leaders cook up between themselves. It happens when the followers submit too much to the leaders, trust them too much, and give them too much leeway to do whatever they want--which often is something undemocratic, tyrannical and brutal.”

Authoritarian leaders are typically… “inclined to be intimidating, ruthless, and vengeful. They scorn such noble acts as helping others, and being kind, charitable, and forgiving. Instead they would rather be feared than loved, and be viewed as mean, pitiless, and vengeful. They love power, including the power to hurt in their drive to the top.”

They… “can easily pretend to be religious, saying the right words and claiming a deep personal belief… and gullible right-wing authoritarian (followers) will go out on almost any limb, walk almost any plank to believe them.”

Authoritarian followers tend to… “display personalities featuring:

1. a high degree of submission to the established, legitimate authorities in their society;
2. high levels of (cowardly group) aggression; (done) in the name of their authorities, (and often justified by religion)
3. a high level of conventionalism.

In North America, people who submit to the established authorities to extraordinary degrees often turn out to be political conservatives (and evangelicals), so you can call them “right-wingers.” 

__________________________________

This sounds like something that was written after the rise of Donald Trump, but it was published by (a secular university professor) Bob Altemeyer in 2006. If you take the time to study his essay, you will begin to understand how American fundamentalists can hold so many contradictory ideas that not only conflict with the US Constitution but with the religion that they claim to represent.   

https://theauthoritarians.org/Downloads/TheAuthoritarians.pdf. 

As I stated above, none of this is new to social scientists. Like many people, I found it telling that Donald Trump’s first wife claimed that the only book Trump ever read and kept close by, was a book about another manipulative authoritarian leader and anti-christ figure – Adolph Hitler.

Has Trump, the known con-man and liar, been studying how to manipulate his sycophantic followers for decades?

It has always been a mystery to me how real christians could ever follow an obvious anti-christ, especially given all the warnings in the BIBLE – but here we have it. Authoritarian followers are given someone to hate (minorities and immigrants), told that they are superior, offered a few false “christian” prophecies centered on culture war, dominion, and hate, offered a vulgar (but rich) leader to idolize, and they fall right in line. Trump’s diehard followers do not seem to be able to understand that he is a pied piper leading them to hell. They often cant or simply wont say why their loyalty is so unshakable – but given that it is their psychological tendency to follow the leader, they may not actually know. If you see yourself in this, pray for repentance. The BIBLE tells us that GOD HIMSELF will cause false christians to be totally deceived in the end times because they love the lies of their authoritarian leaders. 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12

The False Hope of Politics

America is a corporation by and for people who are willing to sell their souls for wealth and power. The rich bought the government long ago and there is nothing you can do about it. 

Politics is nothing more than a dog and pony show; a distraction sponsored by the rich to give the common people a continuing sense of false hope.

This generation has seen, with the last two presidents, that salvation in politics is an illusion. Obama put a black face on the same old neo-liberal pro-big business agenda. His presidency did little or nothing for average people – particularly blacks. Now we have the bizarrely incompetent Donald Trump. As with Obama, the only people who have benefited from his presidency are the rich. It should be plain that powerful people behind the scenes choose the candidates – at every level of government - to promote their agenda. The candidate will say anything, whether smart sounding and inspiring (Obama) or petty and ridiculous (Trump), to get the voters to continue to buy into a fundamentally flawed process.

Is Trump a blessing from GOD?

There is a verse in the BIBLE that shows exactly how real Christians are supposed to interact with false christians that lie and sin:

"But now I (Paul) write to you not to associate with anyone who (claims to be a christian) if he is known to be a fornicator/adulterer, or greedy, or is an idolater, or is a person with a foul tongue [railing, abusing, reviling, slandering], or is a drunkard, or a swindler or a robber. …You must not so much as eat with such a person." (Slightly expanded word definitions) 1CO 5:11

It sounds almost like it was written to describe Donald Trump, who has said on camera, that he feels no need of repentance - showing that he has little or no knowledge of Christianity. The false “prophecies” that claim Trump is a chosen christian leader are completely at odds with what the BIBLE actually says. False right-wing prophet Mark Taylor’s childish rhymes are fixated on patriotism, partisan political power, and prosperity. Like many previous false prophets and modern psychics, Taylor's predictions had to be revised after the fact to make them seem accurate. Originally, his main prediction said that Trump would run against and beat Obama - the prevailing racist right-wing fantasy of the time.

Trump's presidency is a blessing to those who voted for him?!

By voting for Trump, the right-wing political church exposed its anti-christian race pride, its love of money - as evidenced in its idolization of a supposed billionaire candidate, its love of lies, acceptance of false prophecy, and its general hypocrisy. That said, I still see the Trump presidency as a blessing to those who voted for him. Why? Because even though Trump voters willfully idolized and empowered an insincere, hateful, racist, anti-Christ figure to lead them, they are still alive (mostly) to be able to repent and be saved. (Repentance is not available in the afterlife.)

We have seen a preview of how a large portion of people who think of themselves as christians, having been deceived by their own idols, will accept an anti-christ figure if he pretends to support their hypocritical religious beliefs and political agenda. Eze 14:4 Like the ancient Pharisees, the American right-wing political church is looking for a version of jesus that will make them the rulers of the world – not for THE CHRIST who demands that they change their fundamentally sinful inner attitudes. (pun intended)

We are sojourners here on Earth – meaning travelers passing through. We are only here to be tested by God to prove whether we are worthy of living with him in heaven for eternity. The BIBLE does not encourage us to be patriots for a worldly nation or to seek political dominion over an earthly kingdom.  

Part V - Atheists and Right-wing political (false) christianity

Atheists and non-believers are strongly encouraged use the information presented here to call out the hypocrisy of false christians whose behavior is the opposite of love and challenge them to live up to the commandments of the religion that they claim.

The BIBLE says that real Christians show evidence of having the Spirit of GOD by these gifts: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control...”. Galatians 5:22

The logic of deception

Atheists and non-bible believers, suspend your disbelief for a moment and pretend that you accept the plot of the BIBLE like it was a movie. According to the plot, satan is the mortal enemy of GOD and wants to take over and kill as many of GOD’s people as possible. At first, it seems like the plot is about satan vs GOD, but it turns out, satan can only hurt GOD by killing the people HE loves. According to the plot, the closer people are to GOD, the safer they are – but most people don’t realize that satan can only kill them when they are out of GOD’s protection zone. satan can’t force them to leave the protection zone, but he can trick them into leaving on their own. When they do, he kills them.

In real life, satan tricks the church from within using false teaching. False teaching creates deceived christians who willfully move outside of GOD’s “protection zone."  (The protection zone is being obedient to GOD by showing love to others.) Non-christians, repulsed by the hypocrisy and judgmentalism of false christians, are also driven away from the “Protection Zone”. Rom 2:1

The sad reality is that many people influenced by modern atheism do not know that the ugly attitudes of the American right-wing political church are a complete misrepresentation of the real teachings of JESUS CHRIST.

Lack of knowledge

It is embarrassing to see atheist pundits on social media attacking the BIBLE on the basis of factually incorrect information; they are often attacking something that the BIBLE doesn’t actually say. Many times they are repeating something they have seen on the internet without knowing who wrote it or whether it has any basis in fact. This is because, like false christians, atheists do not know what the BIBLE actually says. Most of the zeitgeist type arguments against Christianity are just recycled heresies and arguments against the early church that were debunked over a thousand years ago. Only ignorance of the basic subject matter makes these arguments seem clever, plausible, or new. Consider that much of what you think you know about the BIBLE may be inaccurate second or third hand information that isn’t what the BIBLE teaches at all.

Atheists generally do not know what the BIBLE actually says 

What sense does it make to be passionately for or against something without actually knowing what it is? Hopefully, as a non-believer, you will take me up on my challenge in the next section. If you do, you will immediately understand that American right-wing political christianity (evangelicalism) is not christianity according to the BIBLE and that non-believers should not reflexively hate CHRIST, GOD, and the BIBLE because of the despicable hypocrisy of false political christians.

What the BIBLE really says – The True Meaning of Christianity

JESUS summed up the entire BIBLE in three sentences:

“You shall love the LORD your GOD with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second (commandment) is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:37-40

He called it the greatest commandment. We know it as the “golden rule”. What does it mean? The word translated here as “love”, is the Greek word “agape”. It means to show love through obedience. You prove your love for GOD by showing love to everyone else. The BIBLE points out that people who hate others cannot love GOD, so people in hateful churches do not really love GOD. 1 Joh 4:20 Be aware that this doesn’t mean that only love matters and you don’t have to follow GOD’s rules. I am pointing out that hateful christians who are trying to judge others are not obedient to GOD themselves.

The Atheist Challenge 

The challenge I propose is simple. I will point out a short section in the BIBLE that not only explains what Christianity is, but also shows how a true Christian is supposed to act. I challenge you (atheists and christians alike) to read these verses and learn what CHRIST said Christianity was and is still supposed to be. There is no excuse for any honest and reasonable person to refuse to read these few words on a subject that they claim to have a strong opinion about. In most print BIBLEs this selection is only 3 pages long. This link will take you to a plain English translation of Matthew Chapters 5-7 where JESUS HIMSELF teaches the following:

• The character of true Christians
• The difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament
• How internal attitudes are as important (spiritually) as outward actions
• How loving your friends and family is nothing special, but loving your enemies is approaching the perfection of GOD
• Pride and hypocrisy are despicable to GOD
• Those who love money hate GOD
• Judging others is the way to hell
• The golden rule – treat others the way you want to be treated
• False Christians will be cast into hell at the Last Judgment
• People who obey GOD are wise
• People who build their beliefs on man’s teaching will be destroyed at the time of tribulation (the storm)

I offer some insight on these verses here…

Satan - a simple argument

Doesn’t it seem like celebrity atheists only ever attack Christianity? They may say that all religion is a crock, but the real venom is usually saved for Christianity. I am not talking about the political incorrectness associated with attacking Judaism (anti-semitism) or Islam (racism against middle easterners). I am asking you to consider why celebrity atheists are rarely seen attacking satanism, eastern religion, or the new age? Surely EVERYONE knows that the religion of satanism is ubiquitous in the modern entertainment industry. Young Americans are well aware that many of their favorite entertainers have publicly announced that they sold their soul to the devil to achieve fame and fortune. (Considering the apparent lack of talent, it is easy to believe.)

Some celebrity atheists are satanists 

We all know that evil exists. We know that satanists exist – you can see them on YouTube. If satan isn’t real, why do wealthy satanists, who apparently can do whatever they want, continue to worship satan? Consider that if satanism is real and their professed enemy is the GOD of the BIBLE - then Christianity is real too. If satan is real, and his aim is to destroy the souls of as many people as possible (including you) – it would be consistent for satan to use every strategy to get people to dismiss the saving power of Christianity. Understand that at least some celebrity atheists are really satanists just pretending to be atheists. Their mission from the pit of hell is to kill your soul.

Challenge GOD

Nothing I say can be fully proven to you until the day you die, but regardless of whatever else you believe, you are going to die. At your lowest point, challenge GOD to show you that he exists - don’t let the falseness of right wing “christians” chase you away from learning about JESUS.

Part IV - Church Deception in the Endtimes

American right-wing church deception - flirting with damnation to serve the rich man’s agenda

Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee…

False Teachers

JESUS makes sure to tell us that deception is a mark of the end times. Mat 24:4 Beware of any church or church doctrine that encourages you to believe that you can dictate your relationship with GOD – that you can have your cake and eat it too. Church doctrines that encourage people to believe that they can satisfy their worldly desires and still be saved are soul destroying deceptions.

Many preachers only preach “smooth words” and will not talk about the sin being practiced by their own church members. They will not talk about hell, repentance, the end times or any other important theme from the BIBLE that might make their lukewarm church members feel uncomfortable. If your church does not continually preach about deception, repentance, the narrow way, judgement, hell, and end time tribulation, it is essentially misrepresenting the character of GOD.

GOD is love but HE is also judgement. As symbolized in the BIBLE by the “two-edged sword”, knowledge of the scripture cuts both ways - it saves those who obey but destroys those who do not. Many preachers are in hell because they misrepresented GOD’s character as love only, they deceived their members into believing that they did not have to fear GOD’s judgement. Churches that do not teach that salvation is conditional, are leading many church goers down the path to perdition. 1 Jo 4:1 2 Pe 2:1-6

Beware of false doctrines:

Proof Texting

Many of the false doctrines mentioned in this section rely on a deceptive strategy known as “proof texting”. Proof texting takes single sentences and phrases out of their proper BIBLE context and uses those few words to try to prove something that the BIBLE does not actually teach. Proof texting is lying by half-truths – a typical strategy of satan.

Most good Christian teachers say that the smallest division in the Bible that you should use as a Doctrine (a teaching to live by) is an entire paragraph. Always examine the doctrine of your denomination, your preacher’s sermons, and any other BIBLE teaching for proof texting. Ask for the context and see if that is what the BIBLE really says.

Prosperity Gospel - Materialism

The prosperity gospel seems to be the most popular false teaching in American churches today. Prosperity is a perversion of a true BIBLE concept – sowing (planting) and reaping (harvesting). GOD will reward you for helping those in need. Luke 6:38 However, GOD is probably not going to bless you for being deceived and giving all your money to someone preaching falsehoods.

The prosperity gospel is sometimes called “transactional christianity” because it is like a business transaction - a deal. You pay a preacher, hoping that GOD will pay you back with inflated interest. Sadly, many people have accepted the possibility of making money as the reason to go through the motions of Christianity. The BIBLE says that the love of money is idolatry and is the way to hell. Jas 5:1-5 1Timothy 6:10 Matthew 6:24

Hoping to get rich is the very opposite of taking up your cross and following JESUS. JESUS was essentially homeless and lived w/o even the meager material advantages of HIS day. Christianity is not a good times free boat. Christians are meant to have challenges. Every true Christian will see testing and tribulation. GOD chastens (corrects via tribulation) those who HE loves. Heb 12:6 That is the point, to be tested and overcome – to take up your cross (personal sacrifice) and deny yourself the pleasures of the world. Luk 9:23 The prosperity gospel is a false, idolatrous, “love of the world” gospel. James 4:4

Pretribulation Rapture (“Pretrib”)

The Book of Revelation describes the end of the world scenario where GOD judges the world through a series of catastrophes. At some point during these “tribulations”, the dead will be revived and taken (raptured) to heaven by GOD – along with the Christians who are alive at the time. Revelation is written in symbolic language which causes many good Christians to have different opinions about the timing of the event described therein.

People who accept the pretribulation rapture theory need to hear that the “pretrib” rapture theory is NOT actually presented in the Bible. The theory was created in the 1830’s by a man named John Nelson Darby and was popularized in America by an ex-con and swindler named Cyrus Scofield. (More on him later) People love the idea of being removed from the world before they are exposed to any suffering because, like the prosperity gospel, it is another “have your cake and eat it too” scenario.

Self-satisfied middle-class Americans have been deceived into believing that they will never have to see any tribulation or hardship, or even any inconvenience connected to their practice of Christianity. Note however, that GOD’s people never escaped tribulation in the BIBLE. GOD uses tribulation and suffering to drive sinful people to repent and seek holiness. Both the Israelites and the original Christians were persecuted - to death.

How many christians would take the mark of the beast right now to get a cure for Covid 19? 

The pretrib rapture doctrine has a potentially devastating downside. When nominal (in name only) christians realize that the tribulation has started and they have not been raptured, many will lose faith and even accept the mark of the beast because they won’t be emotionally prepared to deal with persecution and disaster. How many people – including nominal christians - do you think would accept the mark of the beast right now to get a proven cure for Covid 19? (Written early in the pandemic and not meant to conflate vaccines with the mark. After all, who would say such a thing about the polio vaccine - which almost everyone gets? The point is that neglecting to read the BIBLE can cause Christians to not take it's warnings seriously.)

At the very least, all Christians should be aware that the Pretribulation Rapture is just a theory (man’s teaching) and that they should prepare themselves for the possibility that it is not correct.

Once Saved Always Saved (OSAS) – Unconditional eternal security

Does your church teach that making a one-time profession of faith – claiming JESUS as your “personal Savior” - means that you get to go to heaven, no matter what? Many nice people believe this, but it is yet another “have your cake and eat it too” doctrine. The Bible teaches that God’s promises are conditional, based on your obedience to HIS WORD. The modern church takes obedience and the fear of GOD out of the equation, but you might not know that unless you have taken the time to read the BIBLE for yourself.

OSAS, or greasy grace as it is sometimes known, is the type of “broad way” teaching that JESUS told us to avoid. Mat 7:13-14 It skirts obedience, ignores Christlikeness, and shockingly, it completely ignores the Great White Throne Judgement where JESUS promises to damn sinful Christians at the last judgement. Mat 7:21 Like the Jews religion before the coming of CHRIST, the American church thinks it is getting away with its sinful formulaic partial christianity, which is really adultery against GOD. Jas 4:4

What OSAS does is keep people coming to and tithing to churches that don’t preach uncomfortable messages about obedience, self-sacrifice, and repentance.

The Calvinist doctrine of “unconditional election” morphed into the “once saved always saved” doctrine that Americans adore because, like the pilgrims, modern Americans want to justify their partial Christianity and their Love of Money. If you can convince yourself that because you once made some kind of legalistic commitment to God, that nothing you do after that point in your life will cause you to be damned, then you can go about making money by whatever means possible - even if it destroys the lives of other human beings. That is a tremendous incentive (from satan) to justify your actions and delude yourself that you are still safe.

If the Apostle Paul says he can be lost – so can you. 1Cor 9:24-27 and 1Cor 10

NO HELL and NO DEVIL

Many churches teach that there is no hell. If you don’t believe in hell, you are not a Christian. Why? Because you don’t believe the BIBLE. Christians believe the BIBLE.

The BIBLE mentions hell more than 100 times, as the pit, hades, tartarus, Sheol, Gehenna, lake of fire, etc. JESUS himself mentioned the existence of satan, the devil, the evil one, adversary, tempter, accuser, prince of demons, god of this world, belial, beelzebul, dragon, etc., at least 83 times in the New Testament. (American Standard Version) He mentioned the existence of demons 46 times. If you don’t believe what JESUS said, you are calling HIM a liar.

Dispensationalism and Cyrus Scofield

If your church uses a Scofield bible – RUN! Dispensational theology is not specifically taught in the BIBLE. It was formalized by John Nelson Darby in the mid-1800s. Scofield’s version of dispensationalism teaches that GOD has two different standards of judgement for Jews and for Christians. It led to the modern false teaching that Jews in Israel don’t have to accept JESUS to be saved. On the other hand, numerous BIBLE verses teach that the Jews and the gentiles (non-Jews) are under the same covenant – the New Covenant. There are no special rules for people that claim the Jewish religion. After all, JESUS and all the original disciples, as well as their enemies the Pharisees, were Jews. Did JESUS tell the Pharisees it was OK not to believe on HIM?
1 Corinthians 12:12-13 Ephesians 3:6 John 10:16 Romans 11:1-36.

Scofield’s bible, published in the early 1900’s, not only popularized dispensationalism, it popularized the pretrib rapture theory, and tragically, it also revived a blasphemous justification for anti-black racism.

Racism was baked into Southern Baptist right wing christianity through the Scofield bible’s footnotes. Scofield (a confederate army veteran) revitalized a pre-civil war pro-slavery justification known as the “curse of Ham” and thus, gave his blessing to continuing anti-black racism in the US. The “curse of Ham” theory is a grotesque misinterpretation of Gen 9:27; the BIBLE episode where Noah cursed his grandson Canaan, NOT his son Ham. Slavers and racists falsely claimed that the supposed curse gave them BIBLE justification to use Africans as slaves because all Africans were cursed through Ham – when Ham was not cursed by GOD or, in fact, cursed at all! People believed it because it was printed in a BIBLE; even though it was only a footnote. Many American christians continue to believe that their racism against blacks is justified because they heard somewhere that the bible says Blacks are cursed.

Of course, everything in the BIBLE points to the fact that it is the racist who is under the curse for ignoring JESUS’ command to love your neighbor and believing that GOD is sponsoring their hate. Jas 2:8-9

Dominionism and Patriotic Racism

Dominionism is a heretical right wing christian scheme that calls for a christianized government to take over all secular institutions and create a christian world government – a theocracy based on Old Testament law – a kind of worldwide Calvinism. Dominionism is white nationalism on steroids and is an end time deception from the pit of hell. Dominionists rarely admit it but behind the scenes their doctrine grew out of another heresy, so-called christian reconstructionism, which is an openly racist form of libertarianism.

Dominionism is white nationalism on steroids 

In total opposition to the BIBLE, Dominionism claims that Christ cannot return until this white American right-wing christian takeover of the world has been accomplished. There will be no need for a rapture because the victorious (white) church will have already begun god’s kingdom on earth. It denies that JESUS will return to rule over the earth – instead he will rule through his white church.

When JESUS came, the Jews did not recognize John (as the symbolic return of Elijah) and subsequently did not recognize JESUS, the promised Messiah. The ancient Pharisees didn’t accept JESUS because he was not the kind of worldly messiah they were looking for. They were expecting a military kingdom - not spiritual refinement that destroyed their sins. White dominionists are doing the same thing by rejecting the New Testament and the second coming – they want a worldly kingdom where they are in charge. Notice that their silly fantasy has GOD bound by man’s actions. Their focus is on the love of the world and racial domination of others – the BIBLE says that those who love the world are enemies of GOD. This is just another satanic “rule the world” fantasy – white supremacy gone mad. It’s cheerleaders are no doubt funded by the same rich men of the earth that satan has used to create all the other end time false doctrines.

Those expecting white American patriotic dominion over world affairs in our day will simply be cut off.

New Apostolic Reformation, 7 Mountains, Restoration, Purpose-Driven, Latter Rain, and Reconstructionism are just some of the new heretical protestant movements that are associated with Dominionism. If there are Dominionists in your church, they may not be open about what it really means.

The Bottom line - Recognize the False by Knowing the True

We can go on all day listing unbiblical practices and false church doctrines; satan has been way busy for 2000 years. The best way to get discernment is to study the WORD of GOD – the BIBLE - for yourself. By learning the things that are righteous and true you will automatically recognize those things that are evil and false. We are living in the age of deceit  – spend time in the WORD or be deceived. 2 Tim 3:16 2 Tim 2:16 1 Joh 4:1

Part III - CALVINISM and AMERICA’S RACIST “CHRISTIANITY,” the key to understanding America’s history of religious hypocrisy

Calvinism is a false version of Christianity. It came to America with the English puritans. Although it is essentially a heresy, it forms the basis of a religious system that allows Americans to believe that America is somehow a christian nation in spite of its legacy of deadly sin.

At first, you might consider this line of thought to be a theological rabbit trail, but the influence of Calvinism explains everything; not only the massive hypocrisy evident in American history, but also how a large portion of the American electorate could, in 2016, elect an anti-christ figure – an incompetent, vicious, criminal-minded, racist reprobate as president - and justify it as a religious obligation.

Although you may not recognize that Calvinism has impacted the way you think, Calvinist philosophy was incorporated into the American mindset from the very beginning. The so-called protestant work ethic, where people seek fulfillment in making and hording money, even at the expense of others, i.e., capitalism, is American Calvinism. Indian removal, native genocide, chattel slavery, oligarchy, revolution, manifest destiny, and exceptionalism, all of which stem from pride and the love of money, were justified by the anti-biblical Calvinist doctrines of the English settlers.

Calvinists were slave holders who murdered the natives to steal their land 

The early colonists in America, including the Pilgrims and Puritans, were Calvinists and although they claimed christianity, they were slave holders who murdered the natives to steal their land - a simple historical fact that cannot be denied by any sane person. Today, many of the worst tendencies of the modern American political right-wing protestant church are directly attributable to the influence of Calvinism. The Modern right-wing political church’s dominionist movement, that many Atheists fear as a budding form of theocratic fascism, is a specifically Calvinistic doctrine.

So, what is Calvinism - exactly?

To understand Calvinism, we need to recognize that it is derived from Catholicism and that Catholicism itself is not Biblical Christianity. That’s right, the most visible christian denomination in the world is not Christianity as taught by JESUS in the BIBLE.

Catholicism was created by the Romans in the 4th century. They hoped that by creating a universal religion acceptable to both pagans and christians they could strengthen their declining empire.

Catholicism is not Biblical Christianity 

Over time, the Catholics distorted the basic teachings of the BIBLE in order to assert control over the christian religion as a vehicle for political and economic domination. From the 4th century onward, the Romans incorporated unbiblical pagan doctrines into their catholic version of christianity, including things like the deification of Mary, idol worship, purgatory, fatalism, pagan holidays, and so on. They even removed the commandment against creating graven images (idols) from their Catechism (statement of faith) because the Catholics had incorporated pagan statuary into their rituals.

By the 1500’s the European Catholic church had become so corrupt, perverse, and un-biblical that a Catholic priest named Martin Luther (1483-1546) risked his life to protest the outrageous apostasy of the church. By this time, the Catholic church was actually selling licenses to sin, called indulgences. The inquisition (a religious court that killed and tortured people who did not obey the church) had been in effect for hundreds of years and eventually murdered more real Christians than even the pagan emperors of (pre-christian) imperial Rome. Luther’s protest against the murderous outrages of the catholic church was taken up by others and eventually led to a widespread European religious movement known as the protestant reformation.

In the middle 1500’s, John Calvin (1509-1564) created a false un-biblical church doctrine (teaching) meant to philosophically combat the errors of Catholicism. Calvin had been an employee of the Catholic church until he and his family were reprimanded by the church.

As a Catholic, Calvin had been dedicated to the occult teachings of an early Catholic priest, Augustine of Hippo, so-called called Saint Augustine (354-430 AD). Augustine had been an occult philosopher before becoming a Catholic and his former occult beliefs greatly impacted his political/philosophical version of Christianity. Augustine created much of the doctrine that the Catholics eventually used to justify their unbiblical worldly political control of Europe. He was the first to encourage the use of deadly force to make individuals and nations comply with the political and religious dictates of the church. Augustine’s heretical doctrines were derived from ancient philosophy, not the words of JESUS in the New Testament.

Calvin just recycled Augustine’s heresies 

After defecting from the catholic church, Calvin recycled many of Augustine’s heresies into his own doctrine, which became known as Calvinism. In short, Calvin’s theology was/is based in Augustine’s occult philosophical speculations instead of what the BIBLE actually says. Thus, Calvin’s religion was/is just an extension of Augustine’s warlike political Catholicism – and is a heresy, i.e., anti-christ.

Geneva 1541 AD

In 1541, Calvin was invited to become the protestant religious leader of Geneva, an independent city-state in Switzerland. Through a long series of political maneuvers, Calvin managed to transform Geneva into a protestant police state. It became illegal to disobey or to even disagree with Calvin in any respect. Like the Catholics before him, Calvin used imprisonment, torture, murder, excommunication (being banned from the church and consequently considered to be damned) and banishment (commanded to leave the territory - leave your extended family, your means of making a living and your property - or be executed) to force people to practice his new false version of Christianity. He presided over the executions of at least 58 people charged with various religious offenses (many others committed suicide in prison rather than submit to torture; the imprisoned were  tortured even if they were not guilty). See “Erasmus And The Right To Heresy” (published in 1934) for a recount of Calvin’s actions in Geneva.

Nevertheless, Calvin’s publications were so popular that Calvinism became the accepted form of Protestantism in many European countries. The church of England became Calvinist. A faction in the English church called the Puritans made it their mission to completely “purify” the Church of England of any ritual reminders of Catholicism. When the Church of England didn’t agree to their demands, the Puritans set out for America to create a Calvinistic theocracy. (1620)

The Puritans saw themselves as chosen people - white English people - going into a dark wilderness to create a society that would be a beacon of Christianity to the world. Christians are supposed to be a GODLY example that will make other people want to follow JESUS. Mat 5:14 However, the puritans in utter disobedience to the BIBLE, created a slave state, stole the land from the non-white people who lived there and murdered them instead of being that example that would make them want to convert to Christianity. 

Calvin’s false Augustinian religious philosophy – which called for the use of force to make people comply with the demands of the church leaders - allowed the Puritans to rationalize their use of deadly force (genocide and slavery) to get what they wanted (money) in the new world and still pretend among themselves that they were all saved Christians.

Calvin’s 5 Point Religious System

Calvin created what is known as a systematic theology; an attempt to arrange Christianity into a simple one-sided system of basic beliefs – done from a worldly academic perspective and not from a GODLY spiritual one. Calvin’s system was/is tainted by Augustine’s pagan philosophy, and is therefore based on a heresy. Calvin’s system can only be accepted if one ignores all the BIBLE verses that oppose his 5 main points. As such, like other heretics and cultists, Calvinists reject GOD’s WORD when it does not agree with what they want to believe. The 5 points are commonly summarized under the acrostic: T-U-L-I-P.

(T)otal Depravity
(U)nconditional Election
(L)imited Atonement
(I)rresistible Grace
(P)erseverance of The Saints

Total Depravity – also called Total Inability (to seek salvation)

Calvinists, through Augustine’s occultism, believe that all mankind inherited Adam and Eve’s original sin at birth and therefore are depraved, i.e., evil in every aspect of their being. For some reason, they also believe that mankind lost the free-will ability to choose to do good or to obey GOD – neither of which are stated in the BIBLE.

Total depravity reflects the influence of gnostic philosophy on Calvin by way of his occultic hero, Augustine. The ancient gnostics were an occult religious sect that believed everything in the material world was impure and evil. According to this belief, man’s physical being is evil and unable to choose to do good or obey GOD.

No one in the early church, including the original apostles, believed in total depravity. They actually believed that the gospel only made sense if people were able to choose to obey GOD out of their own free will. If GOD forced people to obey like slaves, they would not be obeying GOD out of love - they wouldn’t even be responsible for their own actions; invalidating the test for separating out those who will choose to obey GOD out of love.

The English Calvinists used the doctrine of total depravity to label anyone who refused to obey them as being depraved, evil, and under demonic influence; and therefore, worthy of death. Calvinists used Total depravity as a justification for using violence and murder to rule other human beings and steal their stuff.

(U)nconditional Election (Predestination)

Predestination is essentially the same as fatalism, the belief that everyone is born with an unchangeable fate, as taught by the gnostics and other ancient pagan religions. Calvin brought the gnostic heresy, fought for so long by the ancient church fathers, back into the mediaeval church.

Calvinism claims that your destiny was determined by GOD – at random – before you were ever born. Either you were created to be saved (predestined to be Elect) or you were predestined to be damned (un-elect). According to their false doctrine, because you have no free-will, and GOD has already chosen, there is nothing you can do about it. This un-Biblical concept is a main talking point that atheists use to criticize what they think is Christianity.

The puritan Calvinists hypocritically used the doctrines of election and total depravity to justify killing and enslaving the natives. They eventually claimed (1650’s) that the natives were satanic, depraved and not part of the elect, so the Calvinists could kill and enslave them and still consider themselves to be good because their victims were already predestined to their fate – like the Africans who they also enslaved.

Limited Atonement

Calvinist doctrine says that CHRIST didn’t sacrifice HIMSELF (atone) for everyone’s sins, only for the Calvinist “elect”. This heretical statement is so outrageous that even many Calvinists don’t buy it.

Determined Calvinists appear to use the doctrine of limited atonement to justify ignoring the great commandment spoken by JESUS:

“Love GOD and love your neighbor as yourself” Mark 12:30-31

If, as they say, JESUS only died for the “elect”, then the Calvinist is not required to treat those who he considers to be non-elect as his brothers. A virtual “get out of jail free” card that allowed them to murder and enslave other human beings and call it christianity. The native people who would not submit to the arrogant hypocritical Puritan Calvinists, who invaded their land and then demanded their obedience, were simply categorized as “not elect” and killed.

Irresistible Grace

Calvinism claims that since mankind can’t seek GOD or obey because of inherited sin, GOD forces the ones HE has chosen to be saved – even without their knowledge or consent. In other words, because GOD has already chosen them, the elect person can’t resist Calvinist salvation.

This is a logical flaw in the system because some people do reject Calvinism and some former Calvinists even reject Christianity altogether. How can people who openly deny GOD be accounted for in light of Irresistible Grace? Calvinists simply claim that these people must not have ever been saved in the first place.

Logically then, if Calvinists can’t tell whether another Calvinist is saved, how could they have ever had any basis for determining whether their historical victims weren't destined to be saved; and then use that determination as a pretext to slaughter them?

Perseverance of The Saints - the “elect” cannot lose the salvation that has been irresistibly forced on them.

Believing that you can’t lose your salvation (if, in fact, you are one of the elect) was another religious “get out of jail free card” used by people who took part in the commission of one of the greatest sins in history. Taking the Americas cost tens of millions of lives - as many as any war or political regime in history. Even Calvin himself admitted that his doctrine of perseverance was being used as an excuse by people who were determined to sin.

Perseverance of The Saints is closely related to the “Once saved always saved” false teaching that is so common in modern American right-wing political churches; particularly the Southern Baptist church. “Accept JESUS as your personal savior and you cannot be lost” - no matter what you do after that. Go out and live however you want and you still get to go to heaven.

This is not the BIBLE. Practically every promise in the BIBLE is conditional - a part of the contract between GOD and man. The word “testament” means contract. If you obey HIS WORD, then GOD will bless you according to the promises HE has made. GOD did not bless anyone for disobedience. Insanely, people seem to think that they can dictate conditions to GOD. “Once saved always saved” is a highly debatable doctrine, I would never encourage anyone to base their salvation on it. Why would JESUS give us the teaching on the Great White Throne Judgement if multitudes of christians are not deceived as to their eternal fate? Rev 20:11-15, Mat 25:31-46  If Paul said he could be lost – so can you. 1 Co 9:24-27 

THE AMERICAN CALVINIST FORMULA FOR SELF-JUSTIFICATION

This is the formula that American Calvinists used (and still use) to justify their sins:

• GOD pre-planned everything, including everyone’s actions and decisions.
• Certain people have been pre-selected (at random) to be saved and go to heaven when they die (specifically white Calvinists).
• When someone accepts Calvinist christianity (specifically white Calvinists), they cannot ever lose their salvation.
• As part of the elect, the Calvinist’s actions are pre-approved in GOD’s plan.
• So, whatever a Calvinist chooses to do, no matter how sinful, is considered to be GOD’s will.

Therefore, to a Calvinist, their will essentially equals GOD’s will. 

THIS IS THE KEY! 

If, as Calvinists believe, those already chosen for salvation (Calvinists) cannot lose their salvation, their sins do not count against them! 

This false teaching from the pit of hell, freed the English protestants in America to ignore the words of JESUS in the New Testament and commit whatever sins required to get money and political power (including destroying the lives of multitudes of innocent people).

CONCLUSION

Calvinism is against the BIBLE – it is a human philosophy that can easily be refuted by opposing teachings in the New Testament. It does not accurately reflect the teachings of JESUS and the Apostles. The point of this entire presentation is to show that Christianity and the BIBLE do not and never did justify the actions of the European Calvinists or the sinful actions of “christian” America in general. The Calvinists, like the Catholics before them, used their own false interpretation of christianity to justify themselves in doing things that were plainly anti-christ.

Satan fights the church from within, using temptation and false doctrine to get people to destroy themselves and destroy others.