Bible Doctrine

Isaac Newton, discoverer of gravity, had a skilled mechanic make for him a model of the solar system. Balls representing the planets were geared together so as to move realistically in orbit. One day an atheist friend visited Newton. On seeing the model, he operated it, and exclaimed in admiration, “Who made it?” Newton answered, “Nobody!” The atheist replied, “You must think I am a fool. Of course somebody made it, and he is a genius.” Then Newton said to his friend, “This thing is but a puny imitation of a much grander system whose laws you know. And I am not able to convince you that this mere toy is without a designer and maker, yet you profess to believe that the great original from which the design is taken has come into being without either designer or maker!”

When man refuses to admit even the very existence of His own Maker, he shuts out of his mind vast oceans of basic truth, basic knowledge, fact, and understanding When he then substitutes fable for truth, he is of all men, most ignorant though he professes himself to be wise.

It can be very dangerous to carelessly assume, or just take some supposed truth or fact for granted. It’s much wiser and safer to get all the facts, and then decide. If someone tells you your house is on fire, you better check or you might be consumed in the conflagration. Most atheists and agnostics just take for granted that there is no supreme being in this universe. Confused by the many bickering, dissenting religious voices in the world, they don’t know what to believe. So they just throw in the towel and believe nothing.

Atheists and agnostics pride themselves on being “deep thinkers” when, in actuality, they don’t think deeply at all. They demand that a watch have a watchmaker, yet claim to believe creation has no Creator, life has no Life Giver, and the immutable laws of science and physics have no Law Giver!!! The little honey bee returns to the hive and by his little dance unerringly tells the other bees in which direction to fly to find pollen and how far they must fly before arriving at the source of pollen. The other bees concentrate fixedly upon the dancing bee and learn. I would suggest the foolish atheist and agnostic also learn from the little dancing bee. He ain’t doing the two-step.

Christ’s Faithful Servant (Galatians 1:10-12),

Donald Wiley

In I Corinthians 10, verse 13, we read this dogmatic statement: “There has no temptation (or trial) taken you (or, overtaken you), but such as is common to man (many others have faced and conquered what you now face), but God is faithful, who will not suffer (allow) you to be tempted above that (which) you are able (to bear), but will with the temptation (at that exact moment in time) also make a (God-made) way of escape (hence, a perfect escape route), that you may be able to bear (any trial, any temptation, any problem of life).” {Please note that all words of statements contained in parentheses are comments added by the author hopefully to make clearer what is being said in some scripture}. But that promise of deliverance is made only to those who have a vital, ongoing relationship with Jesus Christ. Unless and until one is submitted to Jesus Christ as the Lord of their lives they are pretty much on their own in this old world. They have no help available from on high.

Suicide is NOT the unpardonable sin. Many think it is, reasoning, “How can one ask forgiveness for committing the act of suicide? They can’t ask for forgiveness after they die – they’re dead. And if they were really sincere in asking for forgiveness before taking their own life, then they would stop and not commit suicide!” Right? Wrong! Millions of Christians die suddenly, having no warning whatsoever that their life is about to end. Most of those who so die have committed many sins, sins for which they have not asked forgiveness prior to their death! Does that mean they die lost? Unforgiven? Of course not. If that were the case, many dedicated Christians would die unforgiven and without hope.

One suicide wrote of how he saw life as a dirty trick pulled on mankind by some malevolent god. Another forty-seven year old suicide wrote of how there wasn’t forty-seven days of his life he would wish to live over again. One divorced sixty-one year old female wrote that she had lived sixty-one years too long, “The breaks were against me to the last.”

Suicides can be any age. Sometimes even children commit suicide. Often many suicides are teenagers. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people aged twelve to nineteen years in the United States. According to the CDC (the Center for Disease Control and Prevention) in 2021 there were 48,183 suicides in the United States!

The taking of one’s life – suicide – is self murder. Make no mistake, it is a sin and it is a crime. About the only way a suicide could be punished in this life was to refuse them burial in what was viewed as sacred ground, at least this was the view in Roman Catholic societies. Relatives of the deceased had to find somewhere else to bury them. Gradually that ban was lifted and those who died by their own hand were permitted burial among the rest of societies dead.

If one accepts the scriptures as authoritative in such matters, then a passage in Genesis Chapter 9 seems to clearly give God’s mind on the matter of taking one’s own life: “And surely (the shedding of) your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man…..” (See verse 5). God will require that justice be satisfied in the taking of one’s life even if one takes his own life. But do not read into that text more than it says. It does not say such an unfortunate is forever lost and consigned to hell fire. Just what God will require of the suicide is actually left unsaid.

When life becomes unbearable one needs to seek another avenue of escape other than ending one’s life. There is a burden bearer – Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “Come unto me ALL ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I WILL give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Notice that the summons is extended to all – all without exception. And the promise is that Jesus Christ WILL give such rest from the burden of depression, loneliness, fear, anxiety, a bad marriage – whatever!

Other than the Lord Jesus Christ, the greatest sufferer in all the Bible was a man called Job. Job’s sufferings are proverbial. In the 10th verse of Job 23, Job cried out, “He knows the way that I take…” There is not a sparrow that falls to the ground without our heavenly Father taking note of the same. (See Matthew 10:29). And, of course, some cynic might add, ‘Yes, but it falls to the ground nonetheless.” But the Holy Spirit left the scenario incomplete. Perhaps the tiny sparrow fell into some soft grass where the mother sparrow immediately went to its rescue. But whatever the completed scenario might have been, the passage is actually directed toward God’s interest and care for human beings, not sparrows. The next two verses read: “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows” (verses 30-31).

Some years ago the Holy Spirit opened to my mind the profound truth that Jesus uttered when He said, “the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” Look at your comb, or hairbrush, or pillow. The hairs of your head are continuously changing in number from one moment to the next. When Jesus said “the very hairs of your head are all numbered,” He was actually saying God’s attention on us is continuous, undeviating, unwavering. Satan would have the would-be suicide think, “God doesn’t care about me.” Yet scripture states quite clearly that “God is not willing that ANY should perish” (See 2 Peter 3:9).

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I have heard many a preacher say, “If you had been the only human on earth that needed saving, Jesus Christ would have still come to earth and would have died for you.” In that assessment they are right. You alone and all by yourself are intensely loved by God and valuable to His kingdom plans.

Barry Manilow wrote a song he entitled “One Voice” and, in the lyrics of that song, he speaks of “one voice singing in the darkness.” Troubled one, will you not listen to that one voice softly speaking, even singing, in your darkness. That voice is the voice of your Creator, if you will but listen. And that voice cries out in your anguish, “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” Turn a deaf ear to any and all voices that speak to the contrary. God loves you and assures you – it’s a promise – “You shall seek me, and find me, when you shall search for me with all your heart” (See Jeremiah 29:13). Seek the Lord and find Him for He is not far from every one of us. (See Acts 17:22-31).

I repeat, the taking of one’s life is NOT the unpardonable sin. I assure you those poor innocents who threw themselves off of the Twin Trade Towers as they were burning and in danger of collapse, did NOT commit the unpardonable sin. The horror of a slow death by fire compelled them to end their lives as swiftly as possible. Jesus Himself said, “the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41). Our Lord walked in our shoes, so to speak, for thirty-three years. He knows how difficult life can be. The taking of one’s life is an offense against God, but not the unpardonable sin. But most of us members of the human family offend our Creator in some manner, large or small, every day. So we dare not judge or condemn one who has committed an offense different from our own. The person who ends their life by their own hand is saying something quite clearly and as loudly as possible. They are saying, “I cannot go on any longer. I cannot bear this burden one more hour.” To the survivors, it is the final slamming down of the phone. We cannot answer. We cannot reply. We cannot repair the connection. Thank God our Creator’s understanding is unfathomable, His mercy limitless, His compassion all-encompassing. It is difficult at best to fully know one’s own mind. We cannot truly know the mind of another. Only God knows the real WHY when one terminates their fleshly walk for oblivion. The One who said, “Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest,” has quite often heard the words, “Into thy hand I commit my spirit.” Yes, even from the lips and heart of one moments before they stop their own heart from beating.

There are two great truths that every would-be suicide would do well to keep in mind: 1) One never knows what is around the corner of time. Perhaps the most fulfilling, happy, joyous days of one’s existence lies yet ahead, and 2) One can always hold out a little longer. Even those who say they cannot endure one more day or one more hour, if they would put down the gun, step back from the river’s edge, or take the noose from around their neck, they would find that they can indeed hold out a little longer.

There is a Christian song that says, “tears are a language God understands.” And that is true. God’s promise is to wipe away all tears from our eyes. We are not to stop the tears from flowing by killing ourselves. That really is no solution at all, for the suicide is then faced with the terrible sin of murder – self murder – and there will be a day of reckoning. “We shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ…every one of us shall give account of himself to God” (See Romans 14:10,12).

The would-be suicide has perhaps tried everything else. Why not try God? Why not surrender your life to the guidance and control of the Holy Spirit and enjoy that peace that surpasses all understanding? “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You” (Isaiah 26:3). The would-be suicide’s mind is fixed on self, one’s own problems and hardships. Fix your mind on God and on His goodness and eagerness to help, to bless and console.

Fear God and keep His commandments. One of those commandments is “Thou shalt not kill.” “Like as a father pities his children, so the Lord pities them that fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are but dust….But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear Him” (See Psalm 103:13-14, 17). God knows what you are made of, friend. He knows your emotions, your personality, your physical and mental strengths and weaknesses and all your disabilities, and, therefore, He says, “Come to me, and I will give you rest.” Take Him up on His gracious offer and live!

Know that the Great God of Glory is the One of whom it has been said, “God IS love!” I truly do not believe that the one who ends their own life prematurely will then come face-to-face with an angry God. They will come face to face with One who loves them enough to die for them and whose mercy has no bounds. But they will come face to face with One who must judge them for the terrible act of self murder. Please believe these things for they are true. And they will come face to face, following a resurrection, with One of whom the apostle Paul said, “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out..” (See Romans 11:33)

Christ’s Faithful Servant (Galatians 1:10-12),

Donald Wiley

Do me a favor. Give me the name of an ancient Assyrian or Babylonian prophet. How about a Persian or Egyptian prophet? OK, name a Hittite or Moabite prophet. Of course you can’t. Why not? There were none! Oh, they might have had their share of sorcerers and wizards, but I am talking about true prophets, prophets anointed by God to speak to the people His word, His truths. For thousands of years God revealed Himself solely to Judah and Israel. Isaiah, God’s own prophet, discerned this and wrote: “Verily thou art a God THAT HIDEST THYSELF, O God OF ISRAEL, the Savior” (See Isaiah 45:15). Through His prophet Amos, God quite matter-of-factly stated: “You (Israel) ONLY have I known of all the families of the earth” (See Amos 3, verse 2). God inspired the Psalmist to write: “He (God) shows His word unto Jacob (Israel’s name before God changed it), His statutes and His judgments unto Israel. He hath not dealt so with any nation (or any OTHER nation): and as for His judgments, they have not known them…” (See Psalm 147:19-20).

Notice, this inspired Psalmist says God had a “hands off” policy with all the rest of the world! “His judgments, they (all other nations) have not known them!” When they suffered drought, it wasn’t from God’s intervention. It was just a natural phenomenon. When they won a war waged against one of their neighbors, God had not granted them the victory. They simply had better intelligence, the best trained soldiers, more chariots, or a naturally gifted military leader.

The apostle Paul declared, “In times past (God) suffered (permitted) ALL nations to walk in their own ways” (See Acts 14:16). When Gautama Buddha began spreading his philosophy throughout ancient India about 500 B.C., God did NOTHING to prevent the people of India from embracing Buddhist teachings. When, even earlier, Hinduism began to grip the minds of millions throughout the Indus Valley, again God did NOTHING! He did nothing THEN. But God’s great time- table has not run out. For “it shall come to pass in the last days that the mountain of the Lord’s house (Bible metaphor for the Kingdom of God) shall be established in the top of the mountains (over all other kingdoms and governments), and shall be exalted above the hills (the lesser, smaller kingdoms and nations), and ALL nations (India, China, Iraq, Kuwait, etc.) shall flow unto it (finally permitted entry into the kingdom of God). And many people (earth’s billions) shall go and say, ‘Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, and He will (then, finally) teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths (now converted from the errors of Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, etc.), for out of Zion shall go forth the Law (God’s law – the law deceived “preachers” claimed was nailed to the cross), and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall JUDGE among the nations.” (See Isaiah 2:2-4). Those nations with which God had previously had a “hands-off” policy, those nations of whom it had once been truthfully said, “His judgments, they have not known them,” shall then enjoy God’s judgment – the judgment day so little understood by most professing Christians today!

Christ’s Faithful Servant (Galatians 1:10-12),

Donald Wiley

According to the New World Encyclopedia, the world’s oldest extant census data comes from China during the Han (rhymes with con) dynasty. It was taken in the year 2 A.D., hence at the time Jesus was still just a little boy. (A.D. is from the Latin “anno domini” and means “in the year of” our Lord” not “after death” as some believe). It is considered by scholars to be quite accurate. At that time there were 59.6 million people living in the Han dynasty, the world’s largest population. And, of course, at that same time there were tens of millions of people living in widely scattered nations all over the world, in Japan, Korea, the Americas, Europe, etc. They had no prophets, no Bibles, no knowledge whatsoever of a nation of people called Israelites. They looked for no Messiah, or Savior, or Son of God to appear. They would have had no idea that the prospect of eternal life would be available to human beings. Death was a glaring fact in all their lives. None had seen the dead come back to life to live again. So, have you ever wondered what was their eternal fate. Do you suppose it was their fate to live out a brief human life span, then to die and then experience oblivion? Or, worse yet, was it their inescapable fate to die and then have an immortal soul to plunge into hell fire and then burn for ever and ever? Are all such in a place called hell right now consciously enduring the torment of unquenchable fire?

Some argue, “Well, if they lived up to the light they were given, then they are saved and in heaven right now, walking up and down the golden streets and enjoying life more abundant amid unending splendors.” What “light,” friend? What light did a Chinese peasant have afforded him, or her, who lived before Jesus Christ even began His ministry and died before Jesus died or shortly thereafter?

I learned a long, long time ago that most believers, even their learned preachers don’t think too deeply. Instead of thumping their Bibles they need to thump their brains and THINK, THINK, THINK!

Name me a Chinese prophet. How about one that was Japanese? Surely you can name one or two who were Apaches, Mohawks, or Shawnee. You can’t? Do you know why? THERE WERE NONE!

If you will stay tuned and read what the Lord has graciously shared with me on this topic of which I now speak, then you will be given some light and understanding concerning this matter. You will come to see the grand mercy and goodness of God like you have never seen it before. You will stand in awe of your Creator and realize that when scripture says God is not willing that ANY should perish, it means that. (See 2 Peter 3:9). When scripture says Jesus tasted death for EVERY man, it means that. (See Hebrews 2:9). When it says that God so loved THE WORLD that He gave His only begotten Son, it means that. (See John 3:16). (Oh, you might have to temporarily set aside some of your erroneous thinking while considering what God’s infallible Word reveals. I hope you can do that).

To be continued……

Christ’s Faithful Servant (Galatians 1:10-12),

Donald Wiley

The prophet Isaiah was inspired by God to write, “The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (See Isaiah 11:9). “And IN THAT DAY (yes, at that time in the yet future) there shall be a root of Jesse (the father of King David), which shall stand for an ensign (standard) of the people, to it shall the Gentiles (the nations) seek, and His rest shall be glorious” (verse 10). There will be a glorious rest from the deceptions and false religions that have gripped the minds and hearts of men for ages.

Approximately 200 years after Isaiah, God inspired another lesser known prophet, the prophet Habakkuk to write again, “For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” (See Habakkuk 2:14). Just as the seabeds of earth are covered with thousands and thousands of feet of water, just so someday this earth will also be inundated with the truth of God. God has a plan, folks, and a wondrous plan it is. God wants us to know that His time for enlightening the world to the truth IS FUTURE! God’s not even trying to save the world in this present era, nor has He tried to do so in any previous era. If preachers would forget what they have been spoon-fed in their Bible colleges and seminaries, they would see the truth of God more readily and more clearly.

“Behold, the days come, says the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch (Jesus Christ), and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In His days (as reigning King) Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely….” (See Jeremiah 23:5-6). God isn’t even trying to save His chosen people, the Jews yet. Save for only a small remnant, they have been cut off in this present “church” age. (See Romans 9:1-3). Upon Christ’s return He will minister His Word and truth first to the Jews THEN to the Gentile nations. “The Lord also shall save the tents of Judah FIRST!” (See Zechariah 12:7). “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications, and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and shall be in bitterness for Him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn…….In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness” (See Zechariah 12: and 13:1).

And what follows after that?  “And He will destroy in this mountain (the Kingdom of God) the face of the covering cast over ALL people, and the veil that is spread over ALL nations.  He will swallow up death in victory, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off ALL faces, and the rebuke of His people shall He take away from off all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.  And it shall be said in that day, ‘Lo, THIS is our God (not Allah, not Vishnu, not Ra, etc.).  We have waited for Him (Romans 8:22-23), and He will save us (not cast billions of deceived humans into the fires of hell and torture them for trillions of ages).  This is the Lord.  We have waited for Him.  We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.'” (Isaiah25:7-9).  “And the Lord shall be king over all the earth.  In that day shall there be one Lord and His name one” (Zechariah 11:9).  God help you to understand is my fervent prayer.

Christ’s Faithful Servant (Galatians 1:10-12),

Donald Wiley

I find it difficult to convey even to a professing Christian’s mind the truth of how loving, considerate and merciful is the God of the Bible. Those who neglect, or flatly reject, the Hebrew scriptures, thinking they portray an angry, vengeful God, cut themselves off from seeing how considerate and truly merciful God actually is, for it is in the Hebrew prophets that God’s real nature and plan of the ages regarding mankind is expressed and revealed. When the Bible says Jesus tasted death for every man (Greek, “person, every human”), it means just that. (See Hebrews 2:9). When scripture says God is not willing that ANY should perish but that ALL should be brought to repentance, it means just that. (See 2 Peter 3:9). When Jesus said He came to seek and save that which was lost (to false religion, incorrect instruction, etc.), He meant just that. (See Luke 19:10). When John wrote that God so loved THE WORLD, he meant THE WORLD – all mankind including every ancient Babylonian warrior, every ancient Chinese peasant, every Inca, Aztec or Apache tribesman – EVERYONE WITHOUT ANY EXCEPTIONS WHATSOEVER! (See John 3:16).

John Calvin was in gross error when he taught that Christ’s atoning sacrifice was limited only for the “elect.”  He was also in error in his four other essential doctrines signified by the acronym TULIP.  God does not permit billions of humans to be born, live out a short lifespan only to then die and be tortured in hell fire for eternity never having been enlightened by God as to just how one inherits eternal life!  That is a doctrine of demons regardless of who might believe and teach it.

The Bible reveals that God sees mankind in three categories, not two. Most think there are but two categories: the saved and the lost. There are THREE: the saved, a relatively small number; the lost, in all probability even a smaller number yet; and the “uncalled,” the category with the overwhelmingly largest number of human beings – literally billions and billions! Most of humanity is not saved, not in Christ, but neither are most lost, as to be truly lost one MUST be a Christ-rejecter.  Though they are temporarily cut off from God, those billions will yet be summoned to join the ever expanding family of God when the Kingdom of God is finally set up on this earth.

Speaking primarily of the learned, Bible-literate Pharisees and Sadducees, Jesus said, “If I had not come and spoken unto them, THEY HAD NOT HAD SIN (charged against them), but NOW (since He HAD spoken to them, enlightening them to His true identity), they have no cloak for their sin” (See John 15:22). Again Jesus says, “If I had not done among them the works which none other man did (His healings, raising the dead, etc.), they had not had sin (charged against them), but NOW have they both seen and hated both me and my Father” (See John 15:24).

No one can get to hell without going around Mt. Calvary and the cross. Those who live and die without rejecting Christ, having never been enlightened to His mission to save them, do NOT die irrevocably lost. They die having never been called, never elected, never chosen by God to hear and understand the truth in this present age. They are “lost” only in the sense that they are not yet saved. Their opportunity to be saved from the consequences of sin and brought into the universe-ruling family of God is future. There are literally scores and scores of scriptures (most in the Hebrew scriptures, commonly called the Old Testament) that teach this truth clearly. There are a couple of scriptures that “seem to” say something different. But when those scriptures are carefully examined, especially in the light of the dozens of other scripture passages, one can easily see they do not teach what many erroneously THINK they teach and say.

The apostle Paul makes it clear in Romans, chapters 9 through 11, that God’s offer of salvation to His own chosen people, the Jews, IS FUTURE. Right now, at this present time, in the present era, only a small remnant has been offered salvation by having their blindness removed and having the Holy Spirit enlighten them to the reality of Jesus Christ having been their Messiah. Paul writes that eventually “ALL Israel shall be saved” (See Romans 11:26). He writes that God has made a covenant with them to “take away their sins” (verse 27, Romans 11). “For God hath concluded them all (save for a remnant) in unbelief, THAT HE MIGHT HAVE MERCY UPON ALL” (verse 32). After stating this grand truth, Paul then cries out, “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!” That’s right, God has to REVEAL these truths to the obedient ones who search the scriptures daily, proving all things. Human mind alone cannot search out and see these grand truths. (See Romans 11:33).

I watched a video, a documentary about Tibet, that tiny Buddhist country squeezed in between India and China. It showed a mother with a young 3 or 4 year old son in tow. She would prostrate herself lengthwise on the ground, arms outstretched before her and her legs totally straightened out along the earth. She would then arise, walk to the point her fingertips had reached and prostrate herself again in like manner, doing this thousands of times over until she reached the Buddhist temple nearest her home. Her little boy beside her did the exact same thing!! Had a truck careened out of a side street and ran over her and the boy killing them, what would be their eternal fate? Most Biblically ignorant preachers would say, “Well, since she was a full grown woman and a pagan Buddhist, she would go to hell. The little boy would go to heaven.” Wrong, wrong, wrong. Neither would go to hell and neither would go to heaven. Both would die, sleeping the sleep of death until resurrected in the coming earthly kingdom of God. They would then both hear the truth as Satan would have then been removed from the scene unable to deceive them any longer.  Both would then have an opportunity to be saved and granted eternal life in God’s kingdom. That’s what YOUR Bible teaches clearly. And it is a truth that shows we indeed do have a merciful, loving Creator who truly is not willing that ANY should perish.

Christ’s Faithful Servant (Galatians 1:10-12),

Donald Wiley

There is a passage in the 5th chapter of Matthew’s gospel account that I call the Sabbath Day’s Golden Text. This passage taken at face value contains a truth spoken by Jesus Christ that is so clear and plain as to be quite difficult to misunderstand. I do not say impossible to misunderstand as there are multiplied millions of Christians who quite evidently do not understand what Jesus was saying at all in this passage. This, of course, points up the fact that Satan’s ability to deceive the average Christian is unarguable. That is why there are so many differing, conflicting and utterly contradictory denominations in the Christian religion.

“And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain, and when he was set, his disciples came unto him. And he opened his mouth, and taught them….” (See Matthew 5:1-2). He then said, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets, I am not come to destroy but to fulfill (Greek “pleroo,” or “fully preach). For truly I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle (one iota, or one tiny bit) shall IN NO WISE pass from the law, till all be fulfilled (Greek, “kept” or “performed” check a good Greek/English lexicon). (verses 17 and 18, Matthew 5). Notice that Jesus says this “law” to which He refers cannot be changed, set aside or abolished IN NO WISE! He certainly will not do it. No apostle will be permitted to change or set aside this law. His death will not do it. His resurrection will not do it. IT CANNOT BE DONE PERIOD! Heaven and earth would have to pass away before such a thing could possibly happen.

But to which law did our Lord refer when speaking these words. God had given Israel many laws – dietary laws, laws governing various sacrifices, the law of circumcision, laws of separation from the Gentiles, etc. He begins answering that question in the 19th verse of Matthew 5 when He speaks of these laws being “commandments.” But He goes much further than that. He cites two of these commandments word-for-word so that there could be no doubt as to which commandments He speaks of, saying “You have heard that it was said by them of old time, ‘THOU SHALT NOT KILL.'” (Matthew 5:21) and “THOU SHALT NOT COMMIT ADULTERY'” (Matthew 5:27). Those two commandments are the sixth and seventh commandments of the Ten Commandments!

But Jesus goes a lot further than just quoting these two commandments. He expands upon them: “You have heard that it was said by them of old time (those under the Old Covenant), ‘Thou shalt not kill…..but I (the Messenger of the New Covenant) say unto you that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment, and whosoever shall say unto his brother, ‘Raca’ (an disparaging remark transliterated from the Aramaic into Greek) shall be in danger of the council (judgment by the Sanhedrin itself), but whosoever shall say, ‘Thou fool’ shall be in danger of hell fire.” (See Matthew 5:21-22). For, you see, when your fellow man is so belittled in your eyes and thinking that you can easily call him some such derogatory term, you are edged just a little bit closer to the point where you can do him bodily harm, even killing him.

Again, Jesus says, “You have heard that it was said by them of old time, ‘Thou shalt not commit adultery,’ but I say unto you that whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Matthew 5:28). And, of course, the same would go for the woman who lusts after a man. She, too, has already committed adultery in her heart.

In this discourse Jesus is fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah, “The Lord is well pleased for his righteousness’ sake. He will magnify the law, and make it honorable.” (Isaiah 42:21). And that is exactly what Jesus did. Far from doing away with the Ten Commandments, He made them all the more binding on the New Covenant believer. Not only are we not to kill or commit adultery. we aren’t even to think the thought or kill another’s reputation by using disparaging language when addressing another or speaking about another. The New Covenant believer is to bring “into captivity (or control) EVERY THOUGHT to the (same) obedience of Christ (our Elder Brother and Lord)” (See 2 Corinthians 10:5).

And why do I call this passage in Matthew 5 the Sabbath Day’s Golden Text? Because it plainly and clearly reveals that NONE of the Ten Commandments can be changed or abolished as long as the earth and heavens stand! Anyone who thinks Colossians 2, or Romans 14, or Acts 20, or any other passage teaches that such is the case are misinterpreting what they are reading, plain and simple. And they better take need to Peter’s warning that Paul wrote “some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned (in the scriptures as a whole) and (spiritually) unstable wrest (twist, distort, etc.), as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.” (See 2 Peter 3:15-16).

God help you to understand.

Christ’s Faithful Servant (Galatians 1:10-12),

Donald Wiley

There is a doctrine that is quite popular in many Christian denominations, the doctrine of the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ.  Rightly understood and presented this doctrine is one of the most glorious and awesome doctrines in the whole Bible.  But when misunderstood and perverted this doctrine can spell eternal death to all those who believe and accept it.

Simply stated this doctrine teaches us that in lieu of our sinfulness and alienation from God upon our surrender to Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior the merits of Christ’s perfect sinless life is credited to us.  God the Father then sees the believer as totally pure, holy and righteous without any taint of sin.  Full fellowship with Him is then possible. But, as with every other profound truth of scripture, Satan has perverted and corrupted this doctrine.  Satan’s clever counterfeit doctrine of Christ’s imputed righteousness assures the believer that this imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ extends throughout the believer’s life, at all times and in every circumstance.  Thus, God always sees the believer as righteous and pure even if that believer is a liar, a thief, an adulterer or worse!

Those who accept and believe Satan’s counterfeit doctrine are playing with fire, the Gehenna fire of hell!  The Most High God of glory is then viewed as a God who winks at sin.  He supposedly permits His sons and daughters to live life as they please for the most part. A holy life is not expected of them or commanded by God as He already sees them as holy, righteous and pure regardless of how sinful they might be.  And that,my friend, is a doctrine of demons.

The scriptures clearly state that fully surrendered believers are “justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God has set forth to be a propitiation (Greek, hilasterion, pronounced hil-as-TAY’-ree-on, “atonement”) through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness FOR THE REMISSION OF SINS THAT ARE PAST, through the forbearance of God” (See Romans 3:24-25).  Yes, Christ’s shed blood is accredited to us in lieu of our PAST sins.  God does not forgive future sins on credit.  If all our future sins are wiped out from the moment we surrender to Jesus as our Lord and Savior, then one could become a rapist, a serial killer, or even an apostate and still be viewed by God as holy, righteous and pure!  How absurd!  Some might argue, “Well, a truly converted believer would never be guilty of rape, or murder or become an apostate.”  Does that mean a believer would never tell a lie, or shoplift some small item?  Sin is sin.  Any sin brings defilement. 

Those who say God does not see a believer’s sin or sees even a sinful believer as holy and pure show forth their profound ignorance of God’s word.  When Ananias and his wife Sapphira lied to Peter as to the price of a piece of land they had sold God saw two liars and struck them dead on the spot.  (See Acts 5:1-11).  When Jesus looked upon the seven congregations of Asia Minor He saw their sin and uncleanness and rebuked them for it, commanding five of the seven to repent! (See Revelation chapters 2 and 3).

Why would God command believers, “Be ye holy, for I am holy” if He already sees us as holy and if the holiness and purity of Jesus Christ has already been shed upon us or imparted to us?  (See 1 Peter 1:15-16).

Friends, you better wake up lest you stand before your Lord at the judgment only to hear Him say “Depart from me, ye that work iniquity!”  God help you to understand.

Christ’s Faithful Servant (Galatians 1:10-12),

Donald Wiley

Jesus Christ, the Living Head of the church, the body of Christ on earth, calls, anoints and places teachers in the body of Christ. Those who attempt to perform that function on their own introduce confusion and gross error into Christianity. When Jesus Christ said, “I will build my church” He meant just that. (See Matthew 16:18). “God has set the members every one of them in the body, as it has pleased Him” (See I Corinthians 12:18). “God has tempered the body together” ( I Corinthians 12:24). And again, in the 28th verse of this same chapter, Paul repeats dogmatically that God has set teachers in the church.

A wise and honest hospital administrator is not going to appoint, or hire, a first year medical student to head up the department of surgery. He wouldn’t even place a graduate student in that position even after that student had studied and applied the medical arts for eight full years and graduated head of his class. The chief surgeon will be a physician who has practiced his profession for many years and is generally recognized as a skilled surgeon. Yet millions believe Jesus Christ anoints and appoints mere youths to be teachers in the body of Christ, youngsters who have never even read the Bible from cover to cover one time!! No wonder there are so many denominations in the Christian religion. It is a wonder there are not ten thousand or more!

And then there are some people, both men and women, who claim “God called me to preach” later in life. They drop their present jobs or professions, attend some Bible college somewhere and are “ordained” a few years later and assigned a congregation to pastor. Meanwhile across town, or in another state, some man or woman graduates from an opposing denomination’s Bible school and they, too, are “ordained” and begin preaching their brand of Christian doctrine. And this process goes on day in and day out across America and pretty much around the world.

Yet the Lord says to His hand-picked and carefully selected teachers of divine truth what He said long ago to His prophet Jeremiah: “Behold I have put my words in your mouth. See, I have set you this day over” the people of God. (See Jeremiah 1:9-10). To His church, Jesus says, “I will give you pastors (teachers) according to my heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding” (See Jeremiah 3:15). A truly called and anointed teacher of divine truth has an uncanny knowledge of scripture – ALL OF IT! He is as familiar with Zephaniah’s prophecies as he is with Paul’s letter to the Galatians. He is “at home” in Isaiah’s writings as he is with Peter’s two epistles. Show me a pastor, or teacher, who says, “I don’t get my doctrine out of the Old Testament” and I will show you someone you need to flee from as though they were pointing a gun at your head and about to fire!

God have mercy on any believer who does not comprehend what I have just written for I assure you Satan is deceiving you day in and day out.

Christ’s Aged Servant (Galatians 1;10-12),

Donald Wiley