A Half-Pagan Christian
Scripture Reading : "And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon" Revelation 13:11 and Mark 14:71 "But he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this man of whom ye speak" .
Question 1: Why is it important to be wise when choosing a life partner to avoid marrying a lamplike beast? Opinion : There is a lot at stake especially your happiness. It's worth knowing that in prophecy and practical life there is a need to be aware of deception and its consequences on the spiritual and practical life. The three forms of deception are summed up in the book Great Controversy :
"The first persecuting power is represented by the dragon itself; in heathenism there was open alliance with Satan, and open defiance of God. In the second persecuting power, the dragon is masked; but the spirit of Satan actuates it,—the dragon supplies the motive power. In the third persecuting power, all traces of the dragon are absent, and a lamb-like beast appears; but when it speaks, its dragon voice betrays the Satanic power concealed under a fair exterior, and shows it to be of the same family as the two preceding powers. In all the opposition to Christ and his pure religion, “that old serpent, called the devil, and Satan,“—“the God of this world,“—is the moving power; earthly persecuting powers are simply instruments in his hands" GC88 680.3.
Part 1: The Dragon - Where the difference is obvious.
"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?" 2 Corinthians 6:14-15
I enjoy these Sunday studies because I feel that people are free to share their thoughts without fearing the wrath of anti-theology theoretical groupies. I am happy that we can disagree respectfully (iron sharpens iron) without the wrath of cancel culture designed to silence the voice of reason which is now considered as an absurdity.
Question 2. What considerations should a women consider when choosing a life partner?
"Before giving her hand in marriage, every woman should inquire whether he with whom she is about to unite her destiny is worthy. What has been his past record? Is his life pure? Is the love which he expresses of a noble, elevated character, or is it a mere emotional fondness? Has he the traits of character that will make her happy? Can she find true peace and joy in his affection? Will she be allowed to preserve her individuality, or must her judgment and conscience be surrendered to the control of her husband? As a disciple of Christ, she is not her own; she has been bought with a price. Can she honor the Saviour’s claims as supreme? Will body and soul, thoughts and purposes, be preserved pure and holy? These questions have a vital bearing upon the well-being of every woman who enters the marriage relation" LYL 23.1.
Question 3. What considerations should a men consider when choosing a life partner?
Let a young man seek one to stand by his side who is fitted to bear her share of life’s burdens, one whose influence will ennoble and refine him, and who will make him happy in her love. LYL 20.1
“A prudent wife is from the Lord.” “The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her.” “She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.” “She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.” “Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the Lord.” Proverbs 19:14; 31:11, 12, 26-29; 18:22. LYL 20.2
Let me vent a little...
It is my assertion by observation of the effort by ideologs to overturn social institutions for the purpose of a secretive synthesis which is plunging the world into an Era of Irrationalism. There is significant risk in daring to critique this new orthodoxy therefore cowardice is justifiable, Goliath will take away earthly support and correct your heresy, re-education to Irrationalism will integrate you into the community; things are definitely none binary and misgendering the "theybies" is now considered a criminal offense in the uncivilized Canada . We now fear to confront issues without identity politics triggering "flashbacks" of victimhood, let's tear down history and hallucinate about the flesh pots of Pharaoh but I am sorry but there is a remnant who are not going back to Egypt, we are not sons of the bond woman and her son with his Sharia, I refuse to be veiled forever. Let's not make issues out of the manner of the confrontation of the issue, of course I believe in respect and thoughtfulness when communicating but I certainly believe that this generation has sensitive ears and being easily provoked is now a virtue signal. Sorry but there is no virtue in being Irrational, I totally believe that the crisis of our time is that "contemporary philosophers are anti-philosophy and contemporary theologians are anti-theology. Consequently the anti-knowledge woke age despair of knowledge. The Christian at the end of the twentieth century is confronted with an overwhelming cultural consensus - - sometimes stated explicitly but most often implicitly : Man does not and cannot know anything truly" Robbins p326. So then, if man cannot know nothing truly, man can truly know nothing. Unless knowledge is possible, Christianity is nonsensical, for it claims to be knowledge. How can the sleeping zombies claim to be Woke, so then my friends, I should politely give a disclaimer, The Reading of God's Word is likely to trigger us all so that we can have "perfect hatred" of sin and therefore become distinguishable from the world. My desire for our study today is summed up in whole chapter of Psalm 139 but I will quote verses 23-24 "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" .
Part 2: The Beast or Half Pagan Christian. Where the difference is subject to debate and can be easily dismantled by research and critical evaluation.
"And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you," 2 Corinthians 6:16-17.
The study today is about a Two Faced Christian or a Half-Pagan Christian. Question 3. What does it mean to be Half-Pagan Christian? Is it worshipping according to "African context" e.g. Western classical music is viewed as holy but using African instruments is deemed to be a bedlam of noise and unholy? Analysis... Definitions. The Word half means 50-50 percent, the verse that comes to mind is Revelation 3:16 "So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth" . The word Pagan means "[L. paganus, a peasant or countryman, from pagus, a village.] A heathen; a Gentile; an idolater; one who worships false gods. This word was originally applied to the inhabitants of the country, who on the first propagation of the christian religion adhered to the worship of false gods, or refused to receive christianity, after it had been received by the inhabitants of the cities. In like manner, heather signifies an inhabitant of the heath or woods, and caffer, in Arabic, signifies the inhabitant of a hut or cottage, and one that does not receive the religion of Mohammed. Pagan is used to distinguish one from a Christian and a Mohammedan" Webster dictionary. The word Christian is also defined as "1. A believer in the religion of Christ.2. A professor of his belief in the religion of Christ.3. A real disciple of Christ; one who believes in the truth of the Christian religion, and studies to follow the example, and obey the precepts, of Christ; a believer in Christ who is characterized by real piety.4. In a general sense, the word Christians includes all who are born in a Christian country or of Christian parents". From the definitions of the words, it seems to me that one cannot succeed in being a Christian by practicing paganism but paganism has no problem with taking practices from other religions as long as these religions do not lead to rejection of paganism.
Question 4. In what ways can one surrender their individuality to that of another? Did the false missionaries who evangelize Africa colonize Christianity for their personal gain? Opinion : They changed the identity of the African by changing their names to Christian name. In some African countries they lost their languages and now speak English, French, Spanish and Portuguese and fellow Africans jest at the heavy accent of others while ignoring the accent of the western foreigners who attempt on rare occasions to speak our African languages. Analysis : Christianity should not be a reason to demean the cultural and social norms of others, it is not white supremacy!
Part 4. Lamb like Beast: 99% husband or wife material but 1% dragon.
Question 5. So what is the ideal character of Christianity?
"The ideal of Christian character is Christlikeness. There is opened before us a path of continual advancement. We have an object to reach, a standard to gain, which includes everything good and pure and noble and elevated. There should be continual striving and constant progress onward and upward toward perfection of character...." CT 365.3
1 John 2:15-16 " Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world".
How do we converge Bible theology and practical religion in one in view of culture, relationships and prophecy? Opinion : "Many take it for granted that they are Christians, simply because they subscribe to certain theological tenets. But they have not brought the truth into practical life. They have not believed and loved it, therefore they have not received the power and grace that come through sanctification of the truth. Men may profess faith in the truth; but if it does not make them sincere, kind, patient, forbearing, heavenly-minded, it is a curse to its possessors, and through their influence it is a curse to the world" DA 309.3.
One of the most scariest warning in the Scripture is in regards to the chameleon-like attack on the Christian, killing us softly through a going nowhere slowly doctrine of devils. "And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of Light" 2 Corinthians 11:14. Question 6. How and Why does Satan transform himself into an angel of Light? Analysis... Notice here the word Light is capitalized meaning that it is referring to Messangers of Christ (see also John 1:6-9). So then, the most dangerous Devil is one who looks like, feels like and acts like a Christian and yet is an enemy within the gates. "And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand" Daniel 8:25.
The devils understand that two cannot walk together if they are in disagreement (Amos 3:3), Question 7, In what ways does disagreement hamper relationships, how then do we change from divergence to convergence? Analysis... We are in a great controversy my friends, the method of opposition to God has been converted to modern order of things, we try to converge Christianity despite doctrinal differences, is this sustainable? (Question 8). Analysis... It seems to me that the Christian in our time has to understand that "the devil is in the details" smallprint... Lies are now alternative facts, a rational Christian now believes that because there is "few good man" in our ranks she can marry an Irrational wording with a purpose to "change him", things are now upside down, evil is now termed righteousness and righteousness is now evil, infanticide is now an badge for women rights and fashionable probably Candi B has done it so it's cool, to oppose it is misogyny which may soon be a criminal offense,prison is now for fact checkers and alternative facts are modern science, your bandana on your face will protect you against microscopic bacteria, witchraft is now reduced to African superstition while under the garb of western Christianity the world has been cursed with the anti-theology mysticism. What am I saying? The tyranny of Irrationalism is the status quo, to be independently minded is now believed to be sin and our theologians are now anti-theology. Many now fear heresy so much than they dare not walk on the bitten track, the anti-knowledge, anti-theologians and their doctrines are crucifying Christ in the personage of His messages and the congregation is neutral and indifferent and soothe their conscience with Church manuals which have modeled with evangelical earthquake that leaves the congregation salivating for Barrabus. Trickery is now called miracles, the clowns have left the circus, serious people are going to the church to practice gimmicks, reverence is out of the windows and bedlam of noise is now termed the moving of The Holy Spirit . It's not right that you return tithe and offering for all these years but still worshipping under a tree while the "robbers of thy people" are living lavishly. All I am saying is that the third phase of the dragon is only going to be revealed to the fullest when the furnace is heated seven times:
"As the storm approaches, a large class who have professed faith in the third angel’s message, but have not been sanctified through obedience to the truth, abandon their position, and join the ranks of the opposition. By uniting with the world and partaking of its spirit, they have come to view matters in nearly the same light; and when the test is brought, they are prepared to choose the easy, popular side. Men of talent and pleasing address, who once rejoiced in the truth, employ their powers to deceive and mislead souls. They become the most bitter enemies of their former brethren... G. C 608.1.
Summing up...
The books of Daniel and Revelation tells us a story about the Two faced Christian who is contrasted to Christ who is The Way, The Truth and The Life (John 14:6). "And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate. And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits" Daniel 11:31-32. Question 9, What flatteries corrupted the pure church to accept those who do wickedly against the covenant? Analysis... It was apostasy that resulted in this development :What rendered baptised paganism dangerous is that it differed greatly from open opposition it practiced and prospered for 1260 beginning from 677BC to 538AD and then from 538-1798. The open rebellion against God was carried out by the state and its exaltation of self reached its pinnacle through the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. "And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand" Daniel 8:25. The same story is told by the Revelator: "And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born" Revelation 12:3-4. The power that killed Christ is referred to as a dragon, interestingly Pharaoh also tried to kill Moses when he was born and exalted himself above God, is also referred to as the dragon. "Speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers, which hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself " Ezekiel 29:3. So the open opposition to God was done by the Dragon powers: Kings, Governors and Rulers. Question 6, what things in when courting should ring alarm bells and cause you to flee from the tree? Analysis... If he is violent while courting end the relationship right away...
Though opposition by the dragon was long and bitter, it failed to accomplish the desired purpose to obliterate True Christianity." Said a Christian, expostulating with the heathen rulers who were urging forward the persecution: “You may torment, afflict, and vex us. Your wickedness puts our weakness to the test, but your cruelty is of no avail. It is but a stronger invitation to bring others to our persuasion. The more we are mowed down, the more we spring up again. The blood of the Christians is seed” GC41. 3.
So then, the enemy decided to change the form of opposition by joining Christianity without conversion. Like Judas, these false disciples desired to exalt exalt themselves by taking away the Daily and replacing it with the abomination of desolation which still had traces of the dragon, there still remained a significant difference between pagans and the protestant. 538-1798 AD.
Question 10. In what ways can we distinguish pagan courtship from Christian courtship, is there a holy kiss before marriage? Question 11. Is sex before marriage justifiable? Question 12. What should you do when you identify baptised paganism in your relationships, especially if the idol is venerated? Analysis..."But there is no union between the Prince of light and the prince of darkness, and there can be no union between their followers. When Christians consented to unite with those who were but half converted from paganism, they entered upon a path which led farther and farther from the truth. Satan exulted that he had succeeded in deceiving so large a number of the followers of Christ. He then brought his power to bear more fully upon these, and inspired them to persecute those who remained true to God. None understood so well how to oppose the true Christian faith as did those who had once been its defenders; and these apostate Christians, uniting with their half-pagan companions, directed their warfare against the most essential features of the doctrines of Christ" GC44. 2.
The schizophrenic life of the modern Christian is as offensive to God and by our hypocritical influence we curse the world similar to the vilest infidel who rejects the truth and practices a lie, "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth" Revelation 3:15-16. The Scripture also teaches us that "For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven" Matthew 5:20. Theoretical orthodoxy and sound doctrine is necessary and commendable but can be insufficient for the saving of the soul if it's not brought to the practical life. Christ when responding to the question of His authority to do all the things he did, his response together with a parable of the two sons demonstrates the simplicity of the gospel;the doer of the Word is righteousness than the professor of theology. "But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him" Matthew 21:28-32. So my argument is that a two faced Christian is one who says "I go Sir" does not go but those who are blatant sinners who repent are more righteous.
"Love is a precious gift, which we receive from Jesus. Pure and holy affection is not a feeling, but a principle. Those who are actuated by true love are neither unreasonable nor blind. Mildness, gentleness, forbearance, long-suffering, being not easily provoked, bearing all things, hoping all things, enduring all things—these are the fruit growing upon the precious tree of love, which is of heavenly growth. This tree, if nourished, will prove to be an evergreen. Its branches will not decay, its leaves will not wither. It is immortal, eternal watered continually by the dews of heaven. LYL 30.3.
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