"Jesus"
"... I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you put up with it easily enough." (2 Cor. 11:3,4)
Paul wrote these words of warning to the gentile converts of Corinth in 57 A.D., less than 30 years after the founding of "The Way" of Christ. Even earlier, about 51 A.D., Paul had proclaimed that: "... the mystery of Lawlessness is already at work ..." (2Thess. 2:7). Already, certain heresies (Gnosticism; Antinomianism; Mithraism, and others) were beginning to creep into the early church, and were being taught by supposed "Men of God".
Less than fifteen more years passed, and Peter wrote: "... False prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves." (2Pet. 2:1)
Jude, writing about the same time, warned: "For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness ('Lawlessness'), and deny our only Master and Lord, Yahshvah (sic: 'Jesus') Christ." (Jude 1:4)
Yahshvah Himself had prophesied this, during his ministry: "... For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect--if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time." (Mt. 24:24,25)
Now, nearly 2000 years have past, and those early errors have been multiplied through the ages, to the point that: "... the whole world is under the control of the evil one." (1John 5:19) That is: "... Satan, who leads the whole world astray." (Rev. 12:9)
How can this scripture be so, when nearly half the population of the world loudly proclaims the Name of "Jesus"? Could these good "Christians" be unwittingly under the sway of Satan?
Yes, sadly. Many, if not most professing Christians have been swayed, if not actually lost! Satan, in his most insidious disguise, actually poses as Christ Himself, and has virtually succeeded in deceiving the "whole world". He is the "other Jesus", and the "other spirit" Paul is warning us about! ... And, the "other gospel" is Satan's pale, pusilanimous imitation of the Gospel Truth! It is a gospel about the person of "Jesus", and not about the "Good News" message of Yahshvah, which concerned the coming of the Kingdom of God!
And so, Paul warns us again, concerning our day: "... There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God -- having a form of godliness but denying its power. They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth." (2 Tim. 3:1-7)
The truth is that the worship of the worldly "Jesus" of Satan is merely a modern extension of his ancient "Mystery" religion, a contemporary form of Baalism, very little different than what was practised in ancient Mesopotamia over 6000 years ago! Only the names have been changed to confuse the innocent.
Some readers will be aware that many of the elements in the ancient mythical stories of Baal ("The Lord", in ancient Semitic tongues) are very similar to the gospel records of Christ, our True Lord. Baal was born of a virgin. He was killed as a propitiation for sin, and gloriously resurrected as God, and Son of God. (These mythical legends date from 4000 years before Christ!) Pagan Baalism spread throughout the ancient world. The Baals were chiefly the Sun Gods, which appeared under various names in Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, Europe, and Asia. (Nimrod; Osirus; Ninus; Nebro; Cupid; Chronos; Saturn; Vishnu; Khons; Amoun; Bacchus; Buddh; Apis; Neptune; Tammuz; Adonis; Shem; Ra; Brahm; and many more.) The Baals' special day was (and is) the first day of the week. His birth was celebrated each year about the winter solstice, ie: Dec. 25th. His death and resurrection were marked at the spring fertility festivals of the Goddess (Ishtar; Isis; Astarte): "The Queen of Heaven", and "Mother of God".
Don't be misled by Satan's counterfeit! This world's "Jesus" may grant you a license to sin, but Yahshvah certainly will not! He has said: "The wages of sin is death." (Rom. 6:23) The Law of God may be "done away" by this "Jesus", but Yahshvah says it will stand forever! (Mt. 24:35; Mk. 13:31; Lk. 21:33) Yahshvah, the Author of the Law of God is the One who: "Changes not!" (Mal. 3:6) and who is " ... the same, yesterday, today, and forever." (Heb. 13:8) He and His messengers have been bringing the same message from the beginning: Repent! ... and sin no more! The Kingdom of God is at hand! ... and His Judgement is nigh!
There are two simple tests by which Satan's lies may be recognized, one in the Old Testament, and one in the New:
"To the Law and to the Testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn." (Is. 8:20)
"But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Yahshvah (sic: "Jesus") is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist--he denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also." (1Jn 2:20-23)
You can't go wrong if you measure your teachers by these two yardsticks. If they preach against the Law of God, or the Son of God, they are in error, and it hasn't "dawned" on them yet!
"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Yahshvah (sic: "Jesus") Christ has come in the flesh is from God..." (1Jn. 4:1,2)
If your teachers don't measure up according to either or both of these tests, you will know that:
"... Such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light (... even as "Jesus" Himself). It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve." (2Cor. 11:13-15)
I pray that God will now grant each reader the spirit of discernment, that they may distinguish between the "Jesus" of the world, who is a mere pretender to the throne, and Yahshvah, the King of Kings!
Do you think Yahshvah is honored when we have forgotten His Name? Is He honored year after year by traditional Pagan celebrations, supposedly done in His name? Do we honor Him by gathering to worship on Sun Day, when the Lord of the Sabbath has commanded us to "Remember the Sabbath ... and do all thy work ..." on the other six days? Yes, Yahshvah certainly answers the prayers of faith directed to Him, even in the Name of "Jesus", ... but, Yahshvah is not honored when "You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!" (Mk. 7:9)
King Solomon, in his wisdom said:
"Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His Commandments, for this is the whole duty of man." (Ecc. 12:13)
Yahshvah adds just a little more to man's duties: "Love ye one another, ..." (Jn. 13:34) and: "Go ye into all the world, and make disciples of all nations." (Mt. 28:19)
"This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Yahshvah." (Rev. 14:12)
"Then the dragon was enraged at the woman (the true church) and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring--those who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Yahshvah." (Rev. 12:17)
Will you be counted among those who obey God?