Wednesday, July 10, 2019

SATAN'S GREATEST DECEPTION




by Pastor Mike Taylor 
12 "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13  For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
15  Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit."(Isaiah 14:12-15)

Last week I spoke of a real place called hell and the Lake of Fire. Let us talk about the angel that is working hard to send you there.
The bible speaks of a powerful angelic being that was called, in the beginning, Lucifer. The bible describes him as a most beautiful and powerful being that God had ever created. He was covered with the most precious of stones and his brightness was called “son of the morning.”

SATAN CAST OUT
12
 "Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre,(Satan) and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord God: "You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering: the sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created.
14 You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones.
15, You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you."
16  By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.”(Ezekiel 28:12-16)
God cast out Lucifer as spoken of in the five “I wills” found in your Bible and opened this message.

Lucifer was one of the main cherubs and was a powerful member of the Ark Angels, Gabriel and Michael being the other two mentioned in the Bible. He was an angel with great authority and possibly the most powerful of the three that served in the Temple of God.  It was, until Lucifer became consumed with his own beauty and pride entered into his heart. Lucifer was ,as we are, agents of free moral choice. Lucifer was the ruler of this earth, before our creation. His world was the one we now live on. What this earth was like before creation of Genesis 1, is not known, but the fossil records show that there was a world in times before our time, that was much different that what we experience now. That prior world was destroyed by Satan's wrath when God defeated him.

The bible speaks of a war breaking out in heaven as Lucifer convinced 1/3 of the heavenly host under his charge to rebel against God the Father, the Ancient of days with a deception that God wasn’t fair, or we deserve better, or some other lie that we can only theorize, but many angels followed him in war. Revelation speaks of this war:
12:7  “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
12:8  And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
12:9  And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” (Revelation 12:7-9)
 "Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time." Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. (Jesus Christ) (Revelation 12:12-13)

Unfortunately, Lucifer now renamed Satan the Devil, has been cast down to earth, his former abode and it is the same home that we reside in. The timing of this was before man was created, but note that in Job, Satan came in with the sons of God into the very throne room of God.
6 “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them.
And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?(Job 1:6-8)
Do I understand how Satan was allowed to enter and speak to God? No, I do not, but Job being the oldest of the Old Testament books, speaks of Satan wandered around the earth seeking those who he could devour and was able to enter heavens realm, as spoken of in this ancient book....There will come a time, when Satan will be bound to this earth, most likely during the Tribulation and he will know that his time of judgment is about to begin and his damnation is sure.


We know the the fallen angelic host were wandering this earth and when mankind from Adam brought forth human women, these angelic host saw that they were fair, and took wives of them creating the Nephilim which were before the great flood of Noah. Those were cast into the pit of darkness and chained for leaving their first estate with the intention of corrupting mankind.
And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,
That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Genesis 6:1-5)
Those angels were cast into a pit of darkness for their attempt to corrupt mankind, but that leaves many more demonic angels that are still on this earth.




SOME PEOPLE DON'T BELIEVE SATAN EXIST.

Some people don’t believe he really does exist and it is one of Satan’s master strokes of deception, that he doesn’t exist. Some blame him for everything, or the “devil made me do it” as Flip Wilson used to say as “Geraldine’ in a comedy sketch, or in the other extreme, they totally ignore him as any consequence in their lives. The bible gives ample proof that he is more than an adversary for the typical human being that is outside the protection of God the Father, through Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit as protectors. Satan is a destroyer of men’s souls.

It appears that the more carnally educated a person is, the less Satan is regarded as real, and vice versa, the less educated a person is, the more the devil is blamed for everything. In reality, the truth is probably somewhere in the middle of the two extremes. Satan is called our “adversary.” Who is this angel that the masses fail to recognize as their adversary and the corrupter of their souls?

RULER OF THIS PRESENT AGE

I’m going to lay a foundation from the scriptures so that we will understand more of what we are dealing with.

'
 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail drew a third of the stars [notice stars] of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born. . . So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan [there he is identified], who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”(Revelation 12:3-4, 9)

Stars are used in this passage and is a word used for angels. This was a major battle in heaven and the rebelling angels lost it and were cast out of heaven.
“For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment…..(II Peter 2:4 )

Here we continue on our explanation of what has occurred on this earth long before us. Another step is clarified in regard to the positions that the angels (or demons, if we want to call them that) are holding at this time. There is some debate over the word used in Greek here that Peter describes as “chains”, but might be interpreted as a pit, or silo which we know is a long cylinder dug in the ground in ancient time, or above the ground to store grain in modern times, but is used here to denote a place of darkness, restraint, or prison. The word "Hell" here in the English versions comes from the Greek 'tataroo' and it means "a place of restraint."
6 “And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day.”(Jude 1:6)

So, this horde of demon angels who has as their chief commander, Lucifer, Satan the Devil leading them , but many of them were cast into a pit called Tarturos which was a place lower than Hades or the grave, and chained until judgment is brought upon them, as mentioned above.. How many demonic spirits does Satan have to do his bidding? The Bible speaks of thousands upon thousands administering to God our Father, and ten thousand times ten thousand standing before Him in a vision given to Daniel chapter 7 of the throne room of God. Of the 1/3 of all angelic host that fell to the earth, it would be millions of demonic forces that attack mankind daily to tempt them to do evil, or come against them physically or spiritually. God gave each of these angels led by Lucifer dominion over this earth, and the responsibility to tend to the earth, as their domain, but they left it and rebelled, so God chained them to the earth in utter darkness, meaning no light of the Word of God, or the Father’s presence that brought them life. They were totally and forever separated from the love of God because of their rejection of His authority and His righteousness.

Jesus said Satan was a murderer and the father of lies….
….'He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”(John 8:44)


In summary up to this point, it’s clear how all of this fits together now, especially with those verses that we saw in Peter and in Jude; how clear it becomes when putting this together with Revelation 12, that what occurred was that God assigned the angels to the earth, that they were under their commander, Lucifer, who was the sum total of all that God could create by fiat and cram into a created being; that he was perfect in his ways until iniquity was found in him. We see a picture of a being of awesome beauty, of awesome power, of tremendous intelligence, also though a creature of free moral agency.

We are not given a full description of what Satan looked like as Lucifer, if he was human looking, or what his shape was, but he was a created being of incredible beauty and brightness. But what was totally perfect, evolved by his own mind and actions into something totally perverse, totally wicked, and committed to destroying God’s creation of mankind, as they were given the promise of being the Son’s of God and entering into God’s Family.

Can you picture in your mind, what might have been the reaction that Satan took when he realized God’s plan to make Man in His own image? I’m only thinking out loud, as I have no idea what went through this angelic beings thought process, but it would explain why and how he felt that God was not fair, that God was putting these frail humans before Lucifer and his host of angelic beings. He was not satisfied with his station in the plan of God. He wanted more, more power, more authority, and rejected being submissive to any other power other than his. He wanted to be God.
What are we up against?

I think that it's necessary for us to deal with the reality of one aspect of the situation. I don't think that God wants us to hide from these things. Once you begin to see what is arrayed against us, you are going to know that it is by grace that we are saved. If we had to fight Satan and his demons without God being on our side, we would lose in the blink of an eye. It would be that one-sided.


We live in a physical realm, but there is a spiritual realm that we cannot see with the human eye. It is a war that is being fought all around us, and it is for the souls of men and the defeat of God’s perfect plan.

Satan is described as a roaring lion ….
8  “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:(1st Peter 5:8)

A lion cares not for the prey, but to destroy the prey for food, to conquer it, to overpower the prey, and to kill. So the analogy of Satan as a roaring lion gives you some idea of his intent. He cares not for you, he stalks you, he desires your destruction, and he desires to make God out a liar at your expense.


AN ARMY OF MINISTERING SPIRITS

 In the book of Daniel, it gives you an idea of how powerful this force called Satan really is. Daniel had been praying for Israel for weeks, and the Messenger of the Lord came to him:
 “And, behold, an hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands.
11  And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling.
12  Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.
13  "But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia"(Daniel 10:10-13

This King of Persia in interpreted to mean probably Satan himself fought against this Messenger, which was most likely Gabriel and it required Michael to come to his aid as the Messenger has “wrestled” with the angel for 3 weeks in a spiritual battle to keep him from answering  Daniel’s prayer. Can we get an idea of the power that this being that withstood the Messenger of God
?

There is really a great deal of encouragement that comes from this section in Daniel 10. You can understand why the Apostle Paul and also the psalmist said that the angels are ministering spirits. They are ministering to the heirs of salvation. My reader these ministering Spirits are our protectors.
7 “And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.
13 But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?
14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?(Hebrews 1:7, 13-14)

All this was happening without Daniel even knowing what was taking place to prevent an answer to his prayer. These Ministering Spirits stand between us and certain annihilation, as that is Satan’s plan, to destroy every human being that he can convince to reject God and His free offer of grace found in His only begotten Son. He wishes to destroy you physically and ultimately spiritually for all eternity. He wishes you to join him in sure destruction in a fire burning with brimstone and sulfur that was designed not for men, but the devil and his angels.

Mankind is fighting a huge army of demons that have been cast down to earth to do the bidding of their chief captain, Satan. But our army, the army of God, is much stronger than the army we fight for all who believe. When Elisha prayed for
 his companion to see what and who was with them was stronger than what was surrounding the camp, as his servant was scared to death:

15"And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?
16  And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.17  And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha."(II Kings 6:15-17)

God struck this army with blindness and the army was defeated. So our army of 2/3 of the heavenly host are on guard to protect his chosen people, the elect, the children of God. This is but one example of God's protection to the believer. But it is not enough just to believe that there is a God, you must do more.


WHAT MUST I DO?

"You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!"(James 2:19)
 The demons believe in a most powerful God, who is our Father, our Creator and they tremble at the very thought of Him.

They know God's awesome power and 
they, unlike man, tremble! Maybe the better English word would be shudder before God! They recognize His power. They are terrified at the thought of God. They are thoroughly convicted that God is!


This verse goes a long way toward helping us to understand that saving faith is not the intellectual acceptance of a theological proposition, that is, that God is, but rather a belief that expresses itself outwardly in a changed life.

Do you understand what I said? The demons believe. They tremble in fear, but they will not obey God. We, too, can believe that God is. We give intellectual assent to a theological proposition. "Yes I believe that God is." But we may not even shudder and most assuredly, most of mankind will not submit.

Satan is most assuredly very real. To deny his existence is to put yourself most vulnerable to his evil ways, his temptations, and the wiles within his power to destroy each and every one of you. His most distinct focus and deception is for you to deny he lives for if he doesn’t exist, then you erroneously believe neither does God. So why would you need the One, when the other doesn’t exist?  But the bible proves that he does exist and is called the prince and power of the air, or god of this world, but God has made a way to defeat him:
1  " And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
2  Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
3  Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
4  But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
6  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
7  That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9  Not of works, lest any man should boast."(Ephesians 2:1-9)

To fight the good fight with must have the right armor, we MUST believe in the only begotten Son of God, in whom is the only Hope of defeating this most powerful adversary, Satan the devil. Don’t ever under-estimate his power.
8 “But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”(Romans 10:8-13)



If you realize that Satan is a real power in this earth, then how can we fight such a powerful force that shows its evidence all around our world today, in wars, famine, suffering, and men doing unspeakable things to one another?  I spoke of armor, what armor?
"Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15  And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16  Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18  Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;"(Ephesians 6:11-18)

If  you have not believed in the the Way, the  Truth, and the Life, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, then you are already defeated. Satan has you exactly where he wants you. You can believe there is a power called Satan, or you can ignore him, because to him, it doesn’t matter, as long as you don’t believe in his ultimate defeat, Jesus the Messiah.

If you have believed, then live a life that testifies to that fact. Embrace the Lord Jesus Christ and let Him be your protector, your shield, your buckler, your high tower, and the only true God in your life. With His grace and mercy along with multiple millions of Ministering Spirits, he can defeat the wiles of the devil that only wish to destroy you, because my friend, Satan is indeed, very real. How do you overcome this angelic powerhouse? It starts at the cross of Calvary....
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”(John 3:16-18)



This is Pastor Mike Taylor, praying for God’s salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ, to be a part of your life. If I can help you in any way, pray with you, counsel you, or just lend an empathetic ear to your cares, then drop me a line to pastormiketaylor@yahoo.com,
God bless you all, till we meet at Jesus Feet.

Dangers of the Hebrew Roots Movement


 





Have you heard about the heretical "Hebrew Roots" movement? It may sound innocuous or even like a "good thing." But it's a cult. Flee from it! Let's take a look at many of the horrible errors which show that the Hebrew Roots movement is both heretical and blasphemous. Beware the false gospel they regurgitate as well.
 
Here's a short list, and the article will detail each of these errors:
 
#1. Hebrew Roots movement denies the name of Jesus!
#2. Hebrew Roots movement throws out huge portions of scripture (and twists other scripture).
#3. Hebrew Roots movement tries to put us back under the law (commandments and ordinances of Israel).
#4. Hebrew Roots movement denies Gentiles can be saved! (*Note: A Gentile is anyone not born a Jew).
#5. Hebrew Roots movement uses non-biblical writings and places this above scripture.
#6. Hebrew Roots movement has made themselves a FALSE "god" and has replaced Jesus as merely the successor of Moses!
#7. Hebrew Roots movement falsely claims that only "Rabbis and Priests" can understand scripture.
#8. Hebrew Roots movement falsely claims that the Jews are not the Jews! They claim OTHER people groups are supposedly Jews.
 
As I started writing this article, I realized even just touching briefly on all the errors, heresy, and even blasphemy of the Hebrew Roots movement could take hundreds of pages! I will try to be as brief as possible, but it's very important that we understand the Hebrew Roots movement IS a cult, gives a FALSE GOSPEL, perverts and throws out a huge portion of God's word, and even goes so far as to attempt to annul Jesus' perfect finished work on the cross/resurrection.
 
Before we get into the details of the Hebrew Roots movement, I'd like to ask you if you've ever played the game called "Whack-a-mole"? When one mole gets squashed, another one immediately pops up!
 
Much like the silly "Whack-a-mole" game today, we are seeing cults, false doctrine, heresy, and blasphemy popping up one right after the other. They are ALL of the devil, and it's nothing new... the devil has been trying his evil best to corrupt God's word from day one. Just like the moles popping up left and right in the game, the devil keeps popping up into society and even in churches with so many errors and falsehoods!
 
The difference is that the Bible is NOT a game! God's word is something we should take literally, reverently, and with much respect! God is HOLY; His word is HOLY... we are mere humans and we have NO RIGHT to go messing with His word!
 
There IS a cure for the "whack-a-mole" cults and false doctrines. KNOW THE BIBLE. How can you do that? Do what the Lord told us to do... STUDY like a workman!
 
2 Tim. 2:15 "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (KJV).
 
Some other Bible versions water this verse down... But God's word makes it clear that God expects us to STUDY (not just read), and it requires hard work (like a workman). It also requires "rightly dividing" God's word as well so we can see to whom each part of scripture is speaking and what dispensation (time period) it is referencing. Honestly, this is no EASY task... but He does require it of each of us.
 
We can go to church every time the doors are open, but if we are not in God's word, studying it out ourselves daily (like a Berean - Acts 17:10-11), then we could be carried away by EVERY WIND OF FALSE DOCTRINE (Eph. 4:14).
 
Sadly, this is why many believers often don't recognize a cult when one pops onto the scene. If we spent more time in God's word, we'd easily recognize how these cults attempt to twist scripture.
 
We have seen many of these false teachings trying to be brought in by those who come in to Christian groups NOT to fellowship, NOT to learn, but intentionally to spread the devil's lies and dangerous cult nonsense! The Hebrew Roots movement is just one of many cults which we want to warn you about. But it is indeed a very dangerous cult with a false gospel.
 
Let's now look at why the Hebrew Roots movement is so wrong and so dangerous:
 
ERROR #1: Hebrew Roots cult denies the name of Jesus and blasphemes the deity of Christ.
 
They claim Jesus is not Christ's name. The Hebrew Roots movement calls Jesus by the Hebrew name "Yehoshua" and some say "Yeshua." As for the name "Yehoshua," the horrible part is that it means "Moses' successor." They believe Christ simply takes Moses' place, and do not believe He went to the cross, died for our sins, and rose the third day (the gospel in 1 Cor.15:1-4). It's blasphemy.
 
As for the name "Yeshua," this IS certainly an acceptable Hebrew name for Christ. Yet several Hebrew names also could be translated the same. The name "Yeshua" is a translation of the name given which means "Jehovah saves." Joshua also has the same meaning, as do a number of Hebrew names.
 
If you are a Hebrew-speaking person, it's perfectly fine to call Christ "Yeshua." That IS Jesus' name in Hebrew (or at least the closest translation of the Greek name given during that time).
 
My intent is NOT to deride anyone who uses the name "Yeshua" for Christ. My intent IS to show that when the Hebrew Roots movement uses either the name of "Yehoshua" or "Yeshua," they aren't referring to Christ, but instead they have made up a FALSE CHRIST who never went to the cross (in their twisted false gospel).
 
This is trending towards (or the inception of) the false religion that will be prevalent during the tribulation (the church won't be here for that), as we see in the following scripture (among others):
 
"For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect" (Matt.24:24).
 
That scripture is speaking to Israel during the tribulation. But even prior to the tribulation, the birth pains ("beginning of sorrows") are noted in Matthew 24:4-8. While the remainder of that chapter is speaking to, for, and about Israel during the tribulation, verses 4-8 are speaking both to the church AND to Israel, as we are both present on this earth prior to the rapture.
 
These birth pain indications noted in verses 4-8 are in full swing right now, escalating daily. This is but one of them:
 
"And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many" (Matt.24:4-5).
 
This is exactly what the Hebrew Roots cult is attempting to do. Replace our true Risen Savior with their false version of a mere 'Moses do-over,' so to speak. Sadly, they are gaining new converts to their false religion daily. But this is to be expected in these perilous last days.
 
Jesus is the English translation of the Greek word for Christ. Our true risen Savior! We English-speaking people call Him Jesus. Other languages (of course) translate His name into their own language. This is perfectly acceptable. However, the Hebrew Roots cult demands people call their version of a false Messiah "Yehoshua" or "Yeshua" (in their minds, meaning "Moses' successor, not Christ).
 
They have no authority to call Christ by another name since there are other names which mean the same thing. They also have no authority to claim only one name for Christ which was NOT given in Hebrew. The New Testament was written in GREEK. The Greek transliteration of the word for Jesus is "Iesou" (if they really wanted to get technical about the name). The English translation of that name is "Jesus." BUT the Hebrew Roots movement has falsely renamed Christ! They claim his name to be "Yehoshua" or "Yeshua," and this is how they arrived at it:
 
Word Origin from: YHVH and Yasha ("God delivers," one translation added to the other word meaning to form one word). They've taken both names and combined them, so it not only means "Jehovah saves," but INSTEAD (to them) it means "Moses' successor." Did you see that? (To them) Christ is ONLY "Moses' successor." VERY dangerous ground here!
 
They do NOT believe that Christ is the only begotten Son of God. What does scripture have to say about that?
 
"Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son" (1 John 2:22).
 
"And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world" (1 John 4:3).
 
"For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist" (2 John 1:7).
 
Clearly, the Hebrew Roots movement has the spirit of antichrist behind it. The devil himself spurring on a false gospel in these perilous last days. And sadly, many are falling prey to this end-time cult.
 
According to their erroneous theory, only those of the Hebrew roots movement who call upon the name of "Yehoshua" (or their version of "Yeshua") will be saved. They believe him to be only Moses' successor, and so they negate the cross entirely! Along with their other erroneous beliefs such as keeping commandments, etc. We will discuss that shortly.
 
So, when you ask them (someone in the Hebrew Roots cult) if ANYONE was saved prior to the Hebrew Roots movement inception, they will either not answer, or say that everyone during the last 2,000 years who accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior is doomed! This is just the first of their numerous, heretical, and even blasphemous errors.
 
PLEASE keep this in mind when someone tries to tell you that you must call Jesus by the name of "Yehoshua" or "Yeshua." Jesus IS the English translation of the Greek word "Iesou." Our risen Christ. And again, "Yeshua" IS indeed a proper translation for Christ in the Hebrew language. But the Hebrew Roots cult does NOT mean Christ when they say either "Yehoshua" or "Yeshua."
 
What does the Bible say?
 
Matthew 1:21 "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins."
 
Acts 15:11 "But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they."
 
Romans 10:9 "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."
 
The bottom line on the renaming and blaspheming of the name of Christ that the Hebrew Roots cult demands is this: While, if a person speaks Hebrew, this is perfectly acceptable to call Christ "Yeshua" if they so desire; however, it is NOT acceptable to demand that other folks must do the same (nor to demand the use of the word "Yehoshua"). We are English-speaking people. The name for Christ in English is "Jesus."
 
There is plenty of scripture to show that, for the English-speaking person, believing on the name of Jesus alone for salvation is the faith that saves us, and has saved countless English-speaking people throughout the age of grace/church age. Calling on and believing on the name of JESUS saves!
 
The Hebrew Roots cult would say that anyone who called on the name of Jesus was NOT saved! See how very dangerous this cult is? It's the exact OPPOSITE of the truth!
 
The Hebrew roots movement mistakenly claims that the New Testament was written in Hebrew. We know this to be false. History proves that the Old Testament was written in Hebrew, but that the New Testament was written in Greek. However, the Hebrew Roots movement has an agenda here. They falsely claim that the New Testament was written in Hebrew because they then attempt to sneak in false writings of latter years (after Christ) which are occultic and even mystical. (The Bible warns of these things very severely.) Yet, we know from factual evidence that Greek was the New Testament language and also was the international language spoken and written at the time of Christ.
 
We can also see why they want to make this false assertion... to cast doubt on the name of Jesus! Once you see their motives, you realize how demonically inspired their cult is. If their erroneous belief were true, then no one has been saved for the last 2,000 years (supposedly) until the Hebrew Roots movement came out.
 
That is one of the most outrageous and false claims of the Hebrew Roots movement. There are MANY more errors with that cult.
 
ERROR #2: Throwing out massive amounts of scripture.
 
Next, they focus on only a few verses (taken out of context) in the New Testament, and then they THROW OUT 99% of the rest of the New Testament. They even falsely claim that Paul's epistles are not true (omitting HUGE portions of vital scripture).
 
The reason they attempt this horrific tossing out of scripture is so that they can deny MANY parts of scripture that do not fit with their false theory and their false gospel!
 
Paul wrote 13 epistles of the New Testament (Romans thru Philemon). That is a HUGE amount of scripture the Hebrew Roots movement attempts to throw out or twist! All so they can push their false teachings.
 
This is much like (but even worse than) the cults of Mormonism and Jehovah's witnesses. Both of those cultish groups ADD to scripture (as does the Hebrew Roots movement). All 3 of those cults have fabricated their "own Bible" (a fake one). But even worse, the Hebrew Roots movement TAKES AWAY from actual scripture. They have not heeded God's words of warning. God gives mankind a VERY SEVERE WARNING not to tamper with His word (Rev. 22:18-19).
 
ERROR #3: Trying to drag the church back under the law.
 
The Hebrew Roots movement disregards the truth of Christ's FINISHED WORK on the cross/resurrection. But just as dangerous and false a teaching of the Hebrew Roots movement is that they believe (erroneously) that they have to follow the Old Testament commandments. Let's take a look at what God's word has to say about this:
 
Romans 10:4 "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth."
 
Galatians 5:4 "Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace."
 
So, what does the Hebrew Roots cult do with that clear and concise scripture? They simply throw it out! They reject and refuse to hear God's word.
 
In the Old Testament, God gave commandments which Israel was to obey. He knew it was impossible for mankind to completely follow the commandments because ALL have sinned (Rom. 3:23). We see in God's word that Jesus is the END of the LAW (commandments) (Rom.10:4). If we try to justify ourselves by works and law, we make Christ's finished work on the cross/resurrection to no avail! And to be sure, we cannot 'save ourselves.' Only Christ saves. Not our own works.
 
This issue alone would take quite a lot of discussion to fully cover; but in brief, the Hebrew Roots movement believes the following:
 
  • They attempt to place us back under the dietary restrictions of the OT law.
  • They attempt to place us under the MOSAIC law (law of Moses).
  • They attempt to place us under the mandate to observe feasts and traditions.
  • They attempt to place us under the customs and traditions of MANKIND as well.
  • They attempt to place us under all the LAW, when Christ is the END of the law!
 
There are many more errors with the Hebrew Roots cult movement as well. What does God's word say about dragging the church back under the law?
 
Acts chapter 10 gives the account of Peter. Having been raised and steeped in the Mosaic law, he had always eaten only those things the Jewish people considered to be "clean" (as was the Old Testament law). God gave Peter a dream, and showed him 3 times that HE had cleansed what was formerly thought of as "unclean." Since the cross, no longer are we required to eat of the dietary restrictions of the Old Testament law. God answered Peter and said "...What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common (impure)" (in Acts 10:15).
 
Paul also had much to say about this as well. He was irate with Peter for his mistake of trying to force Gentiles to keep the Jewish laws. Here is how Paul "called Peter out" about his grievous error:
 
Galatians 2:14 "But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?"
 
Paul was righteously upset that Peter was trying to Judaize the Gentiles rather than teach the truth of the gospel.
 
Here is more of Paul's answer to Peter in how we are now justified by FAITH and NOT WORKS.
 
Galatians 2:16 "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified."
 
In the Old Testament, Israel was required to sacrifice innocent/blemish-free animals to cover their sins because they could not keep the commandments (no one can; we ALL have sinned, Rom 3:23). Christ came and HIS perfect finished work on the cross/resurrection did MUCH MORE than merely COVER our sins... it totally WASHED AWAY OUR SINS. The Hebrew Roots movement is a total mockery of what Christ did on the cross!
 
The book of Hebrews is a thorough study in the differences between law and grace. It's another discussion which would take pages and pages of information to fully discuss. So, in brief, we need to understand that Jesus paid the "ONCE FOR ALL" sacrifice of His perfect, sinless self, shedding His own innocent blood.
 
Heb. 10:10 "By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."
 
No longer are we required to sacrifice animals for covering of sin... because Jesus was the PERFECT sacrifice. Not just a million times superior to animal blood, but not even comparable. Jesus alone is the only propitiation acceptable to God.
 
Heb. 10:4 "For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins."
 
We see there that animal sacrifice only covered the sins of the people, and it did not TAKE AWAY the sins (as did Christ's finished work on the cross).
 
Hebrew Roots also attempts to say we must keep the feasts. They go so far as to demand that we keep the Passover. What does God's word have to say about that?
 
Christ IS our Passover! 1 Corinthians 5:7 "... For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us."
 
No longer does ANYONE need the blood of animals to merely COVER sins, as was done in the Old Testament. Jesus IS our passover sacrifice. A ONCE and FOR ALL perfect passover sacrifice. No further sacrifice needed. Again, His precious blood shed for our sins didn't just cover them; it washes our sins completely away!
 
The Hebrew Roots Movement implies that Jesus' perfect work on the cross/resurrection was un-needed. THAT IS blasphemous!
 
The Hebrew roots cult tries to drag people back under the law - not just in dietary restrictions, but in keeping of the feasts, keeping the commandments, and so many other ERRORS.
 
The important thing to note: We are NOT under LAW but under GRACE. We no longer are required to keep any of the dietary laws either.
 
One of the reasons the Hebrew Roots movement wants to THROW OUT all of Pauls' epistles is because they prove beyond a doubt that Christ is the END of the law! (Rom. 10:4).
 
We need to recognize that since the cross we are NOT required to keep ANY of the feasts, customs, or the Mosaic or Levitical law. Jesus paid it ALL for us! That is not to say it's in any way wrong to observe the feasts, should we so desire to (see: Colossians 2:16-17 and Hebrews 10:1). But by no means must we!
 
There is MUCH more scripture dealing with this, but if we stayed on just this one issue, we would never get to the rest of the Hebrew Roots errors.