Issued: 10/24/21  Revised: 1/8/24

“And no wonder, since Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.”

2Corinthians 11:14

PLEASE NOTE:  Because Bible versions sometimes differ from each other in crucial ways, the version quoted here will be the one that best clarifies the point being made.  For a quick comparison between versions, please go to: http://www.biblehub.com.

   All bracketed material may be authorial comments, attempts at proper syntax, or minimal rewordings of Scripture for the sake of clarity and continuity.  These emendations will not be italicized.

   The “/” will be used to signify “and/or.”  The symbol “↔” is used to connect verses corroborating each other and so establishing doctrinal truths (Matthew 18:16↔2Corinthians 13:1).

   In differentiating between Yahweh Son [Jesus] and Yahweh Father [the Most High God], lower case letters have been used when discussing the former; upper case letters are reserved for the Only and Most High God.  Since Jesus was at pains to differentiate himself from Father, we have followed his lead here.

   The term neo-Christians will be used to differentiate between false Christians and Jesus’ true followers.

 Pretense is the offense mechanism of inferior minds and souls.  No matter how much of a sham or failure a person might be—and we have notable examples in daily newscasts, pretenders lack originality and authenticity.  Their offensive tactics are symptomatic of wanting to be something they are not/could never be; and they go about this in truly brazen ways worthy of their unspiritual father (John 8:44).

 Lusting for the authority bestowed on Yahweh Son proxy God by Yahweh Father (Isaiah 14:14), Satan went about power-grabbing by tripping Eve (Genesis 3:4-5); canvassing angelic followers (Job 4:18; Ezekiel 28:16,18, 31:8-9,16-18↔2Peter 2:4; Jude 1:6; Revelation 12:4,7-9, 20:2-3); driving a wedge between Father and His creatures (Revelation 12:10); and mimicking divine templates in matters of worship.  If Father had His Sabbath day (Exodus 31:13), a beloved city (2Chronicles 6:6; Psalm 87:2), a Gospel and a mediator revealing it to men (John 7:16; 1Timothy 2:5), so would Satan devise spurious counterparts upstaging Father in order to hog virtual worship.  There would be no truth in such worship; but to the father of lies, adoration extorted through guile and wile would suffice as long as compliant humanity went along with his subterfuges.

   One of these comes in the form of dogma, a word whose literal meaning in ancient Greek is “that which one thinks is true” without necessarily being so.  Some examples are Sunday worship, Christmas Day, counter gospels, and Marian Cult which are old pagan ways given neo-Christian veneers.  These would not exist were they not fabricated, inculcated, and abetted by religious leaders down the ages; after all, Solomon told us that men’s future immoralities would be replays of immoral past ones (Ecclesiastes 1:9-10).  Congregants could not have cared less as long as their expectations were met and gratified.

   In the Old Testament, following the split between Israel and Judah (Zechariah 11:14), prophecies pertaining to Israel [shadow] trace Judaism’s [substance] transgressions, whereas Judah’s [shadow] map out Christendom’s [substance] apostate ways. This is why the so-called “lost tribes of Israel” disappear from the record in order to shift focus onto Christianity [i.e., Judah, Jesus’ “tribe” (Romans 1:3↔Revelation 22:16; Hebrews 7:14); the earthly Jerusalem being shadow to the substance of the Heavenly City, mother of us all and Father‘s eternal abode amongst His people (Galatians 4:26; Hebrews 11:16; Revelation 21:3).  Because he lived in Jerusalem prior to its fall to the Babylonians, Jeremiah is Christendom’s most relevant prophet, for under his watch both Jerusalem and Judah-—meaning Judeo-Christians of all generations—were singled out for major excoriation.

   Sabbath violations had been the norm in Jerusalem (Nehemiah 10:31, 13:15-18; Jeremiah 17:21-27).  Watered-down counter gospels had been concocted and preached to keep folks happy while alienating Father (Nehemiah 9:29-30,34; Isaiah 30:9-11; Jeremiah 6:13-14, 16:10-12, 23:15-17,20; Lamentations 2:14, 4:13; Ezekiel 5:6, 22:26; Romans 10:3).  The reviled cult of the queen of heaven had been an all-time favorite, and no amount of divine threats could compel adorers to stop paying homage to her (Jeremiah 7:18, 44:15-25).  This is why we find transgressors amongst Judeans of all social strata (Jeremiah 6:6-14, 7:17-18, 8:5-11, 44:24-27; Ezekiel 5:5-6, 8:16-17, 22:26-27; Zephaniah 3:1-4; Malachi 2:11) enacting the very deeds commonplace amongst Christians today.

   Satan’s objective is transparent:  To deprive Yahweh Father and Yahweh Son/Jesus of the reverence they deserve and expect.  As per Hosea 7:13 and 11:7, Satan has accomplished this particular goal by twisting the true meaning of John 10:30:  Positing that Father and Son are the same Person, Son is being worshipped as if he were Father, and Father is not being worshipped at all.  Even in the traditional Lord’s Prayer, Father is not due the praise specific to Him: “Yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever” (Matthew 6:13).¹ Although it is true that Luke’s version (Luke 11:2-4) omits this recognition, there is no reason for failing to follow Jesus’ instructions as recorded by Matthew, especially since Matthew heard Jesus whereas Luke did not. Neglected also is Jesus’ implicit suggestion that the Kingdom is Father‘s (1Chronicles 29:11; Matthew 6:33; John 14:2; 1Corinthians 6:9); in truth to be inherited by Jesus and to be ruled by Jesus, but only because Father willed it so (Psalms 2:7-8; Ezekiel 22:20-23↔Revelation 3:7; Hebrews 1:2). 

 By which means does the Great Pretender get away with virtual worship? Let us count some ways.

Daniel 7:25: Changing Times and Law

   The Seventh-Day Sabbath of the Commandment (Friday sunset to Saturday sunset) is Father‘s prescribed sign between Him and His peoples (Exodus 31:13; Ezekiel 20:12; Mark 2:27-28). Though Yahweh Son proxy Creator/Jesus instituted it (Genesis 2:2-3) and called himself its Lord (Matthew 12:8; Mark 2:27-28),² it was observed by his followers (Luke 6:1-5, 23:56; Acts 1:2; Revelation 1:10) and subsequent generations of converts for about 300 years. In 1Corinthians 16:1-2, Paul talks about collecting alms on the first day of the week [i.e., Sunday↔John 20:1] so as not to violate the previous Sabbath with matters of money [↔Nehemiah 10:31, 13:15-18].³ Sunday, on the other hand, was a Roman pagan holiday celebrating Sol Invictus [the Unconquerable Sun], a solar deity whose cult became official—surprise!—on 25 December AD 274 and subsequently became his “birthday.”

   On track to becoming the empire’s religion, Roman Catholicism replaced the Jewish Sabbath of the Commandment (Exodus 20:8-11↔Daniel 7:25) by the more popular Sunday [on AD 336? or 364?]; according to Eusebius, on grounds of being “more authoritative and more highly regarded and first in rank, and more honorable than the Jewish Sabbath.” When its time came, Protestantism⁴ did not seem to mind the switcheroo and further institutionalized transgressing the Fourth Commandment.  We should remember that defaulting on any one point of the Law Jesus mandated (Matthew 19:17) makes one guilty of violating all (James 2:10).

   Pushing the envelope of abominations further, December 25 became Jesus’ birthday [unspecified and irrelevant in Scripture] because he had been transmogrified from opposing the worship of false gods into one himself:  Christos Helios [the true Apollo], Christ the True Sun, Christ the Eternal Sun.⁵  We owe these ‘upgrades’ to so-called early ‘Church Fathers,’ theological vectors for the spawner of non-existent deities.  Results:  A yearly celebration of Satan’s “birthday” on December 25 and a weekly Sun-day worship of him. 

 Why is Sunday so important to Satan?  Proxy Creator Son instituted the Seventh-Day Sabbath for men to worship the Creator Father, given that Creator Son called everything into being by wielding Father‘s power (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2-3). We must also keep in mind that by implementing Father‘s will and not his own, Father and Jesus are one in singleness of purpose (John 5:19, 10:30, 12:49), though not con-substantial as Catholic dogma argues. Thus by worshipping Father on Seventh Day Sabbath, Son is equally worshipped (John 5:23); whereas Sunday worship, a man-made convention, proclaims the “god of this world” as Creator (Luke 4:6; 2Corinthians 4:4; 1John 5:19).

 The same can be said for December 25.  In Roman times this day came in the heels of the Roman Saturnalia running from December 17 to 23, during which gifts were exchanged and human appetites overindulged.  In AD 274 the Roman emperor Aurelian declared 25 December the birth date of Sol Invictus; there is some argument about Pope Julius I (AD 337-352) formalizing the nativity of Jesus on that day.  Whether this is true or not the ploy stuck; and to this day Jesus, the excuse for the ruse, is memorialized as having been born on December 25.

   Does any of this matter a lot in the scheme of redemption?  Yes.  For one thing we were not told when Jesus was born, nor instructed to commemorate his birthday.  We were given explicit instructions about Sabbath keeping; and even as the truth stares back at us daily from our Sunday-starting calendars, we still do what is convenient for us.  It would certainly dampen our TGIFs if we had to quit work late Friday afternoon and be grounded at home; a downer having to spend all of Saturday in prayer and meditation. It is certainly better to quit Sunday service and pursue fun activities for the remainder of the day.  Certainly Father would not mind when and how long worship is rendered unto Him as long as it is done?  Ay, there’s the rub:  He does (Proverbs 1:28-30; Isaiah 1:13-15).

  The same applies to December 25.  Thinking we are celebrating the birth of mankind’s Savior, we are memorializing Satan as our savior.  Again the pretense and usurpation of Jesus’ credentials to re-direct the kind of worship Satan would not otherwise revel in. 

Galatians 1:8-9: Angel-Revealed Gospels

   As gospels go, the Bible is most singular in its methodology of validating teachings on the testimonies of multiple witness (Deuteronomy 19:15; Matthew 18:16; John 8:17; 2Corinthians 13:1); hence the non-stop repetitions (Jeremiah 26:5, 29:19; Acts 26:22; Titus 1:9).  Gospels like the Book of Mormon and the Koran, on the other hand, are accepted at face value on the testimony of their revealers, Joseph Smith and Muhammad, respectively. 

The Book of Mormon

   The Book of Mormon was ostensibly revealed to Joseph Smith by an angel who in 1835 Smith identified as Moroni.  In life Moroni had been the last prophet-warrior writing on golden plates the source material for this gospel.  Moroni buried these plates before he died following a great battle; after which he was presumably conscripted into the angelic host and tasked with directing Smith in the 1820s to the tablets’ burial site.  According to Smith, he copied them, translated them, and returned them to Moroni.

   What is wrong with this story?  For one thing, as is the case with all human beings, Moroni’s soul should have gone back to Father in an unconscious state never again to partake in human affairs (Ecclesiastes 9:5-6, 12:7).  This is what the Bible tells us; elders of the Mormon Church, vouchsafing for a gospel totally and completely extraneous to Scripture, [a perpetual no-no↔Deuteronomy 4:2; Proverbs 30:6; Ecclesiastes 3:14; Revelation 22:18-19)], claim something else.

   For another, angels came into being on Second Day of Creation,⁶ created for the express purpose of aiding the heirs of salvation (Hebrews 1:14; Revelation 19:10). As such their numbers do not need replenishing.  It is true that their population will diminish when Satan and his fallen angels are burned at Armageddon; but after it, the citizenry of Father’s Kingdom in terms of righteous angels and souls will be complete.  The idea that Moroni was transformed from human into angel lacks Scriptural basis and contradicts Scripture’s contention that the righteous dead will all be raised at the same time upon Jesus’ return (Daniel 12:2; Matthew 24:30-31; John 5:28-29; 1Thessalonians 4:15-17; Revelation 20:6).

   Of course Joseph Smith had no way of knowing who Moroni was unless told by Moroni himself; nor, as was the case with Prophets (Exodus 3:11-12, 7:1; Isaiah 6:8-9; Jeremiah 1:4-9; Ezekiel 2-4) and Apostles (Mark 16:15; John 15:16;  Acts 9:15), does Scripture vouch for either Moroni’s or Joseph Smith’s callings/commissions: Father will never do anything unless telling men about it (Amos 3:7, 4:13)].  But forewarning that Satan would resort to this trickery, Scripture provided us with Galatians 1:8-9:  “But though we, or an angel from heaven [Moroni among others], should preach unto you any gospel other than that which we preached unto you, let him be anathema.  As we have said before, so say I now again, If any man [Joseph Smith among others] preaches unto you any gospel other than that which ye received, let him be anathema.”

   This time Paul gave the answer to the eternal conundrum:  Should men believe Father or other men? The alternatives had been clearly stated. “For am I now persuading men…to please men, or God?  If I were still pleasing men, I should not be a servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10). “Let God be found true, but every man a liar” (Romans 3:4). “Let each man be fully convinced in his own mind” (Romans 14:5). “Surely you know that when you surrender yourselves as slaves to obey someone, you are in fact the slaves of the master you obey—either of sin, which results in death, or of obedience, which results in being put right with God” (Romans 6:16). To which James later added:  “Whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:4). 

 Not only must there be disagreements amongst Christians so that those who are approved may be revealed (1Corinthians 11:19), but the free will to believe what one chooses differentiates the wheat from the chaff. Those who pride themselves in being masters of their destinies by doing what they please will find enlightenment too late (Proverbs 5:11-14).

The Koran

   Islam has a Biblical pedigree that Mormonism lacks:  It is the nation promised to Hagar (Genesis 21:17-21) in the person of Abraham’s illegitimate first-born, Ishmael, reputed father of Arabs.  Islam is covered under the parameters of Father‘s first promise to Abram [note name], which involved land holdings in this order of things (Genesis 12:1-7).  Note that by the time Ishmael was 13 years of age (Genesis 17:25), he was not counted among Abraham’s future progeny inheriting the “everlasting possession” (Genesis 17:8).  It was then that Abram’s name was changed to encompass the entire Judeo-Christian family of faith (Romans 9:6-8; Galatians 3:7-9); and why circumcision of the flesh [Mosaic covenant], prefiguring that of the heart [faith-based covenant] became obligatory (Genesis 17:10-14; Jeremiah 4:4; Romans 2:28-29).⁷

   Notice also that once Isaac entered the picture, Sarai [now renamed Sarah] changed her tune:  Hagar’s child would not inherit with her legitimate son (Genesis 16:2, 21:10); and Yahweh Son proxy Angel God confirmed Sarah’s judgment (Genesis 21:12-20).⁸ Centuries later Paul wove these threads into one meaningful tapestry:  Hagar and Sarah allegorized both of Father’s pacts, the worldly one [Sinai] and the spiritual one [Heavenly Zion]; those born of the flesh would persecute spiritual progeny (Galatians 4:21-31); and Jesus, not Isaac, would be the ruling scion over Father’s people (Galatians 3:16).

   In undermining Father’s plans, Satan’s options are limited, but he can score bull’s-eyes by spinning Biblical norms [what Paul called “darts” (Ephesians 6:16)].  Prior to Muhammad, Muslims had relied on Jewish scriptures; the Koran was their game-changer.  Like Jesus, Muhammad did not write anything down:  His followers did that.  Unlike Jesus, who had pre-existed as Yahweh Son and received his instructions from the proverbial horse’s mouth (John 8:28,12:49), Muhammad assimilated what some angel calling himself “Gabriel” revealed to him over a 23-year period.  Whether this was an agent for good or evil, neither Muhammad nor his followers could tell the difference. The Koran lacks the system of checks and balances that the Bible does.

  In the Old Testament Yahweh Son had intimated his incarnation (Isaiah 52:6; Ezekiel 34:11).  He had been identified as the Creator-Husband (Isaiah 54:5; Jeremiah 31:32).  Father had called him into being and made him principal heir (Psalms 1:7-8); ranked Son highest Angel while inferior in rank to Him (Hebrews 1:6↔Genesis 41:40); and appointed him co-ruler as well as future High Priest and Judge of all flesh (Psalms110:1,4,6).  When Jesus came along, both he and his Apostles confirmed his bona fides by corroborating each of the above contentions—in chronological order, John 3:13, 6:38 [incarnation]; John 1:3, Mark 2:19, Colossians 1:16, Hebrews 1:2-3 [Creator-Husband]; Matthew 28:18, 1Corinthians 15:25-28, Hebrews 7:21-28, John 5:22, Acts 17:31 [co-ruler, High Priest, Judge]; John 6:39, Colossians 1:15-16, Hebrews 1:2, Revelation 3:14 [created being and principal heir]; Hebrews 1:8, Revelation 3:12 [highest Angel but inferior to God in rank].  As mentioned before, the agreement among “witnesses” is what establishes Biblical truths.

   What follows does not pretend to be a comprehensive critique of the Koran; for our purposes here, we will focus on certain spins emblematic of Satan’s handiwork.

   The “Gabriel” who revealed the Koran to Muhammad cannot have been the Gabriel of the Bible, whose role in Daniel (8:16-26) was to sketch history’s roadmap until the destruction Babylon the Great “not by human agency” (Revelation 18:8)—she who wages war against the “Prince of princes,” meaning Jesus, and his saints (Revelation 13:7, 17:6).  In Daniel 10:20-27, Gabriel parses prophetic times to highlight Jesus’ baptism, the coming of the Messiah, and his crucifixion.  This is the Gabriel who later was sent to Mary with news of Jesus’ imminent birth:  “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High.  The Lord God will give him the throne of his father, David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. There will be no end to his Kingdom” (Luke 1:32-33).  This Gabriel knew his Jesus well.

   The Koran’s “Gabriel” relays a different message.  “Christ the son of Mary was no more than a messenger; many were the messengers that passed away before him.  His mother was a woman of truth… Allah will say: ‘O Jesus son of Mary!  Did you say to men [to worship you and your mother] as gods in derogation of Allah?’  He will say: ‘Glory to You!  Never could I say what I had no right (to say).  Had I said such a thing, you would indeed have known it. You know what is in my heart’…And when Jesus son of Mary said:  ‘O children of Israel! surely I am the apostle of Allah to you, verifying that which is before me of the Taurat [Torah] and giving the good news of an Apostle who will come after me, his name being Ahmad [Muhammad]’; but when he came to them with clear arguments [?] they said: ‘This is clear magic.’” (Sūrah 5.75, 5.116, 61.6).

   What was this “Gabriel” saying?  That Jesus was neither the only way to the Father nor exclusive mediator between Father and humanity (John 14:6; 1Timothy 9:5):  He was just one more among a succession of prophets.  Moses had not meant Jesus to be his lawgiving successor (Deuteronomy 18:15); according to the Koranic “Gabriel,” Jesus declared Muhammad to be that lawgiver.  The accusation that Jesus’ wanted to be worshipped as God is vintage Satan:  partly true because Son had been the proxy God interacting with Israel in the Old Testament, but wholly false in that Jesus never claimed equality with the Father (John 14:28).   In point of fact Jesus always stressed Father’s superiority in terms of power (Matthew 6:13; John 5:30), miracles he performed (John 14:10),⁹ assigning duties (Mark 10:37-40; John 5:22), and Owner of what Jesus stood to inherit (Matthew 11:27; John 14:2).

   What this “Gabriel” was doing was stoking religious animosity between Muslims and Christians using John 10:30 [plus the Holy Spirit] to concoct a triune god in the fashion of the times­­—triune gods were a dime a dozen in antiquity.  For Muslims this smacked of polytheism.  “Certainly they disbelieve who say:  ‘Surely Allah is the third (person) of the three; and there is no god but the one God; and if they desist not from what they say, a painful chastisement shall befall those among them who disbelieve’” (Sūrah 5.73).  “Do not say: (Allah is a) Trinity.  Give up this assertion; it would be better for you.  Allah is indeed just one God” (Sūrah 4.171).

  And then there was the heresy of Allah fathering a son.  “Far be it from His glory that He should have a son.  To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and in the earth” (Sūrah 4.171)…“for it is not consonant with the majesty of (Allah) Most Gracious that He should beget a son” (Sūrah 19:92).  “Gabriel” admitted that “to David We gave the Psalms” (Sūrah 4.163), but he seems to have forgotten Psalm 2:7, where Yahweh admitted His paternity by willing Son into existence out of nothingness (Romans 4:17↔Genesis 1:3; Colossians 1:15; Revelation 3:14).  Either “Gabriel” was redacting Psalms or suggesting Allah would not compromise his “majesty” by siring a son as men did.

   And why not do further mischief by dragging Jews into the controversy?  “Gabriel” dished out the doozy that “Ibrahim [Abraham] was not a Jew nor a Christian but he was an upright man, a Muslim, and he was not one of the polytheists [i.e., Trinitarian Christians]”(Sūrah 3.67).  Prior to Abraham there were technically neither Jews nor Muslims:  He was the progenitor of both, as Ishmael’s [Arabs↔Genesis 21:18] father and Jacob’s [Israel] grandfather.  Thus “Gabriel’s” criterion is not met:  By preceding Muslims, Abraham cannot have been a Muslim.  But the point of Scripture is that faith, not ethnicity, determines “Jewishness” (Romans 4:16; Galatians 3:6): Human beings are so stuck on ethnicity that they cannot see God’s spiritual genome for the chromosomes.

   The proof lies in the fact that Jesus, though of the tribe of Judah through Joseph’s lineage (Hebrews 7:14), did not share a single nucleotide with him; yet Jesus was the “seed” of Abraham, not Isaac, in whom all the nations of the world would be blessed (Genesis 22:18; Acts 3:25-26).  We see the point, do we not?  The flesh profits nothing but the soul gives life (John 6:63); and all souls are apportioned by a God who has no nationality (Job 31:15; Psalms 139:13; Isaiah 44:2; Jeremiah 1:5; Zechariah 12:1; Luke 1:15).  It is the soul, not the flesh that will make the transition into Father‘s Kingdom; thus ethnicity, tribalism, or whatever has no bearing on Father’s redemptive plan (Galatians 3:28).  Though it is true that salvation came from the Jews (John 4:22), this was because Jesus was born in their midst, not because he was genetically one of them, which of course he was not (Matthew 1:20; Luke 1:35).  And Father had His personal reasons for choosing Israel, which had nothing to do with mortal ancestry, no matter how much Jews spin their “chosen” status (Deuteronomy 7:7, 9:4-6; 1Corinthians 1:27-29).

   But we digress.  The Koranic “Gabriel” knew that Arabs had an axe to grind with Jews regarding Ishmael’s unceremonious banishment, so he portrayed Jews and Christians as Islam’s heretical archenemies:  “O you who believe!  Do not take the Jews and the Christians for friends; they are friends of each other; and whoever amongst you takes them for a friend, then surely he is one of them, surely Allah does not guide the unjust people” (Sūrah 5.51).  “The Jews will not be pleased with you, nor the Christians until you follow their religion…And if you follow their desires after the knowledge that has come to you, you shall have no guardian from Allah, not any helper” (Sūrah 2.120).

   In view of New Testament persecutions and most of human history, when have Jews and Christians been ‘friends’?  And have not Muslims tried to ram Islam down non-Muslim throats as violently as Jews and Christians have done within their respective constituencies?  In name of Yahweh Jews persecuted early Christians; in name of God European Christians persecuted Jews and annihilated non-Christian civilizations; and in our day and age, in name of Allah, Muslim zealots beset Christians in Arab countries, attack Jews throughout the world, and terrorize their own people in Islamic enclaves.  The crock that any human religion or any race is superior to any other is proven false by the one thing shared amongst all:  The communal evil in men’s hearts (Ecclesiastes 9:3).

   One last item:  “That they said (in boast), ‘We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah’; but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not.” (Sūrah 4:157).  What is “Gabriel” saying here?  That Jesus did not die on the cross but that Allah pulled some smoke and mirrors trick making onlookers believe that it seemed so; that the writers of the Gospels were not reliable chroniclers; and that if all four of them were hoodwinked regarding Jesus’ crucifixion, the Bible’s golden standard of multiple witnesses settling all truth is worthless.  Furthermore, the resurrection never happened; Jesus never appeared to the Apostles after death; and who they watched ascending to Heaven was self-delusion.  Bottom line:  Christianity’s New Testament is a sham.

   Why?  Paul prepared us for that one, indirect proof that Father foreknew about “Gabriel’s” gyp-spel:  “If Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is without foundation, and so is your faith.  In addition, we are found to be false witnesses about God, because we have testified about God that He raised up Christ—whom He did not raise up…And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.  Therefore, those who have fallen asleep in Christ have also perished…If I fought wild animals in Ephesus with only human hope, what good did that do me? If the dead are not raised, ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die’” (1Corinthians 15:14-18,32).

   Simply put if Jesus did not shed his blood, then human sinfulness has not been remitted (Hebrews 9:22).  If Jesus, herald and partaker of the first resurrection (John 5:29; Colossians 1:18), did not rise from the dead, then both he and Paul spoke off the top of their heads.  The “wild animals” Paul fought against were men, a staple of Scriptural symbolism (Leviticus 26:22; Deuteronomy 7:22; Jeremiah 27:6); and he prevailed over them with help from Father’s resurrected Son and empowered world-steward (Matthew: 28:18; 2Corinthians 1:8-10; 2Timothy 4:17)—or so Paul deluded himself, according to “Gabriel’s” version of events.  Towards what end?  The conclusion that if the New Testament was false, Christians had either better enjoy the only life they had, the very sin Yahweh would not forgive amongst His people (Isaiah 22:12-14); or that Christians’ only option for salvation was conversion to Islam. A gospel by any other name would ensnare as well.

   Can we conclude that the Koran is Satan’s brainchild?  For one thing it denies Jesus’ divinity and Messiaship.   Though we did not discuss it, it elevates Mary to a position of prominence the Biblical Jesus never accorded her during his earthly ministry; we will return to this in Part IVb of this series.  Being as clever as he is, Satan must have known that using the name “Gabriel” would give him away, since the Biblical Gabriel had gone on record identifying Jesus as Messiah and as Son of the Most High God (Luke 1:32).¹⁰ Had Father left Satan to his own devices, we would have never known the difference, even if Paul warned of a deceiving angel heralding a spurious gospel.  Satan had no alternative but to call himself “Gabriel” because Father wanted us to find an “out” to Satan’s deception, which is the safety valve Paul talks about in 1Corinthians 10:13 and from which we extrapolate this:  “But God is faithful, and He will not allow you to be [deceived] beyond your [understanding].  Instead, along with [Satan’s deception] He will also provide [the hidden wisdom↔Deuteronomy 29:29; 1Corinthians 2:7-15; John 16:13↔1John 2:27), so that you may [not fall prey to Satan’s wiles].”

   Having said all this, Muslims are entitled to their beliefs as Judeo-Christians are to theirs, with the proviso that the twain cannot—should never—meet.  Parts of the Koran make liars out of beings we hold in reverence, especially Jesus; no matter what proponents of interfaith dialogue—another of Satan’s “darts”— claim, all roads do not lead to Father, only Jesus does (John 14:6).  Since there is no fellowship between light and darkness (2Corinthians 6:14), we have been instructed to anathematize gospels like the Koran; and that is what we should do until the matter is settled on Judgment Day.  Do not get mired in religious alliances that heap discredit upon Father and spell doom to you.

   But that should not deter us from realizing who must be behind people pushing for interfaith outreaches when there should be none.  Nor should Christians be complicit in the shenanigans of anti-Muslim politics, for throughout Islam there are Christian converts paying dearly for their new found faith; and even amongst pious Muslims there must be those whose morality and deeds please Father. Peter, an elitist Jew, came to this realization (Acts 10:28,34-35); as did Paul in Romans 2:13-15 regarding people whose reasonings made them “a law unto themselves.” The redeemed that will inhabit the Heavenly Jerusalem will be gathered from all nations and religions of the world (Isaiah 19:21-25, 27:13, 60:5-10, 66:18-21; Zechariah 14:16; Matthew 24:31; Revelation 7:9); for Jesus’ mandate was to preach the Gospel to all human beings in hopes that by hearing they would believe and be included in Father’s universal family, unfettered by nationality, creed, race, or ethnicity (Matthew 16:15-16; Romans 10:17; Galatians 3:27-28).

   Those of us who know Father should honor His appeals to non-violence and non-hatred in any shape and form.  Let Satan’s genocidal brood wield the sword that draws human blood:  They who kill with it will perish by it (Exodus 21:12; Matthew 26:52; Revelation 13:10).

   Which is what Satan is really after, is it not?

Galatians 1:8-9: Human-Concocted Gospels

Prosperity Gospel

   Not to be outdone, modern evangelism has come up with its own counter-gospels.  There is the wildly popular “Prosperity Gospel,” piggy-backing on a God Who prides Himself in not being a respecter of persons; but Who ostensibly showers upon prosperity adherents all sorts of financial blessings and physical well-being, while billions of people languish in poverty and hunger and untold others are sacrificing life and limb to spread His true Gospel.  Not for “Prosperitarians” Jesus’ request to divest oneself of financial blessings for sake of the poor (Luke 18:22); or that donating out of one’s surplus is no substitute for true alms-giving (Luke 21:3-4); or that in end-times the faithless would be preoccupied with worldly concerns (Luke 17:26-29); or that his true followers could only expect hatred and persecution while in the world (John 15:18-19; 2Timothy 3:12); or that the abundance of some should offset the needs of the many, so that there might be equality (2Corinthians 8:14); or that donations to religious causes do not earn brownie points but are counted as debts paid to Father rather than dividends from Him (Romans 4:4).

   Prosperity cheerleaders are the latest incarnation of the Pharisees Jesus reviled, enamored of name recognition and wardrobe (Matthew 23:5-7).  Judging by their bank accounts, which are a matter of public record, they are today’s wolves in designers’ clothing.  Jesus and the Apostles logged tens of thousands of miles on sandaled feet; but since physical comfort is considered a prosperity entitlement, prosperity cheerleaders travel to evangelical shindigs on limos and jets.  Their “god” wants to spare them undue physical challenges; why not pony up and buy new jets to transport the casters of “daddy’s” nets (Ezekiel 29:3-5↔Matthew 4:19)?

   In the Old Testament, have readers noticed the switch from “priests” to “shepherds”?  Priests tripped Jews (Jeremiah 5:31, 8:9; Lamentations 4:13; Malachi 2:7); but shepherds trip Christians.  How do we know this?  From Yahweh Son—the pre-existing Jesus—himself:   “Look, I myself will search for my sheep and seek them out… I judge between sheep and sheep, the rams and the male goats (Matthew 25:32-33)…You my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, are men, and I am your God” (Ezekiel 34:11,17,31).  What did Jesus call himself?  The “good shepherd” come to earth in search of his flock (John 6:38-39, 10:14-16; 1Peter 2:25).  Who is the Judge of all flesh?  Jesus, for “the Father doesn’t judge anyone, but He has made His Son the Judge of everyone” (John 5:22; Acts 17:31); as well as the proxy God/Creator of all things (John 1:3, 20:28; Colossians 1:15-19).

   But who are the “bad” shepherds?  “Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves!  Should not shepherds take care of the flock? You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals [live off your congregants’ assets], but you do not take [spiritual] care of the flock.  You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured [done no life-transforming charitable work].  You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost [failed your ministries (Jeremiah 10:21, 12:10-11)].  You have ruled them harshly and brutally [peer pressure; threats of excommunication; hostage to repressive cults]. So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals [a standard symbol for godless men (Psalm 53:3-4; Ezekiel 22:27; Zephaniah 3:3; Acts 20:30)]…I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock.  I will remove them from tending the flock [by sending the Holy Spirit so that no human teachers are needed (John 15:26; 1John 2:27)], so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves [by invalidating their ministries].  I will rescue my flock from their mouths [metaphor for endangerment↔2Timothy 4:16-18], and it will no longer be food for them” (Ezekiel 34:1-10).  We need not explain that “pastors” is today’s equivalent for “shepherds.” 

   Jesus bemoaned the fact that animals fared better than him (Matthew 8:20); but the self-enlisted prosperity phalanx of his army owns real estate holdings that could possibly house all the immigrants at the southern border.  They may do the talk but given their expensive shoes, doing the walk is out of the question.  Yet like “daddy,” they do trade human souls for votes to prop up political antichrists.¹¹ 

  Liberation Theology

   The aim here is to free the oppressed socially, politically, and economically.   These are laudable goals, to be sure, but counterproductive to the objective of Father’s “baptism of fire” (Hebrews 12:5-8↔Jeremiah 29:13; Hosea 5:15 Zechariah 13:9).  The Paul who said, “God has called us [to live?] in peace” (1Corinthians 7:15), seems to be contradicted by Peter:  “Slaves, be subject to your masters with all reverence, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those difficult to bear” (1Peter 2:18); but there is no contradiction.  Paul’s is a statement of fact:  God wants all men to live in peace, but such a goal is not attainable in this world as long as Satan exists (Jeremiah 8:11, 12:12↔John 16:33; 2Timothy 3:12). It will be the norm in Father’s earthly Kingdom (Isaiah 2:4, 11:9, 14:5-8; Revelation 21:4).

  Peter is talking about the trials that must be endured for having defaulted on Father’s covenant:  The root cause behind human suffering.  Daniel 5:21 tells us that the Highest God sets whomever He wants over human kingdoms, a fact confirmed by Paul in Romans 13:1.  While Father’s conception is for rulers to do good and not evil (Romans 13:3), it is Satan, this world’s steward (John 14:30; 2Corinthians 4:4; 1John 5:19, who hand-picks his cohorts (Luke 4:6); so that rulers devolve into corruption and undermine divine precepts of justice and equality (Proverbs 29:12).  Still Father permits Satan to act through secular rulers, as victimized Jesus let Pilate know in no uncertain terms (John 19:11↔Isaiah 53:10; Zechariah 13:7).

   But Peter ultimately agrees with Paul:  “For the Lord’s sake submit yourselves to every human authority: whether to the king as supreme, or to governors who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right” (1Peter 2:13-14).  If these authorities betray their duties, as it is prophesied they will do, the patient forbearance of the faithful chafing under injustice is the standard against which Father “purifies” righteous souls (Psalms 89:32; Proverbs 20:30; Hebrews 12:10) and judges those refusing to abide by His rules (1Peter 2:15-23).¹² 

   Though liberation theology may not always resort to violence against oppressive institutions, the act of resisting them is tantamount to resisting Father and bringing condemnation upon would-be ‘liberators’ (Romans 13:2).  And, as history has consistently shown, in the musical-chairs game of politics rallying behind some ‘liberator’ may ultimately empower a worse oppressor than the one he replaces. When and only if authorities force a showdown between obedience to Father or to them is a line reached that cannot be crossed:  “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).  This may get us into trouble but such is the price we must all pay for Jesus’ name.  Besides faith, ‘standing-down’ patience is essential to save our souls (Luke 21:19).

   Thus however high-minded and seductive, liberation theology is another satanic “dart” leading us astray.  Father will conduct His business His way, in His own timeline (2Peter 3:9), and according to an agenda pre-planned before time was (Isaiah 37:26, 46:9-10).  Human input, suggestions, or alternatives are neither asked for nor needed.  Unconditional obedience to Father is key to the attainment of cherished hopes men will never be able to deliver on—not while Satan pied-pipes them towards the valley of decision where the weeping and the gnashing of teeth will be (Joel 3:14; Matthew 13:42).

¹ Such is Satan’s ascendancy over men’s minds that anyone consulting the handy on-line resource biblehub.com can see translations which both omit or render in full the passage in question.  Even on this essential prayer, Christians cannot be on the same page.

² What was Jesus hinting at by calling himself Lord of the Sabbath? That he was Father‘s proxy Creator, the “glory” he had shared with Father before the foundation of the world (John 17:5).  Why else would a man born sometime before the Common Era claim lordship over a day predating human history? 

³ We should not misinterpret Paul’s comments in Romans 14:5 and Colossians 2:16-19. The gist in these is that Christians should not engage in criticizing others or allowing criticisms against themselves in matters of observing Father‘s decrees. We have been told that the Seventh-Day Sabbath is inviolable and will be observed eternally even in Father‘s Kingdom (Exodus 31:17; Isaiah 66:23; Ezekiel 22:26); that should be enough for us to comply. Our only duty is to keep restating what Scripture says and let listeners do as they decide (Ezekiel 3:17-21↔John 9:41, 15:22). It is the unrighteous who impose their dogmas on others by forceful means.

⁴ The harlot daughters of Revelation 17:5? The false prophet of Revelation 16:13-14, 19:20, 20:10?

⁵ Satan would of course use solar symbols associated with Jesus [Genesis 1:3-4↔Psalms 2:7 / John 1:7-10, 8:12↔Genesis 1:14-18; Philippians 2:15; 1Thessalonians 5:5 / Revelation 22:16↔Malachi 4:2; 2Peter 1:19) in order to steal his “light.”

⁶ If we interpret “waters” above Heaven as angels and “waters” under Heaven as human beings (Revelation 17:5). See series Genesis 1: The Myth That Never Was.

⁷ The faith-based symbolism is very apt:  The “skin” sloughed off exposes the true essence of the person [the heart]; the flesh gives way to the inner soul; and the perishable is discarded for the sake of the immortal.  There is more to the Bible than meets the eye.

⁸ Please note the interplay between “God” [Father] and the “Angel of Yahweh” [Son].

⁹ As Paul later did (1Corinthians 2:4-5).

¹⁰ Apparently Father did not consider paternity an affront to His majesty.

¹¹ Souls are also marketable goods in Babylon the Great’s portfolio (Revelation 18:13).

¹² This is why the Apocryphal Books of Maccabees is in disagreement with Christian doctrine: The Maccabeans did take arms against their oppressors.  Despite their many laudable deeds, the sword the Maccabeans wielded was stained with human blood; not the sword Zechariah 4:6 commanded be used in the waging of spiritual wars and which Jesus would arms his soldiers with (Matthew 10:34; Ephesians 6:12-17).

 The Maccabees, like Joan of Arch, may be icons of liberty to their respective nations, but in terms of Scripture, they—and their followers—transgressed unnegotiable norms (Matthew 26:52; Revelation 13:10).