Jesus or Yeshua, is the most misunderstood One of all time! Why, you ask?

Well just for starters, brace your selves, There is no "J" in the Hebrew language!!!! He was Jewish!!!
He was given a Hebrew name at birth; which by the way, was prophesied more than once in the Old Testament!!!

So the real question is this: Are we interested in pealing back the "traditions of man" to get at more of the real truth concerning the One we commonly refer to as Jesus of Nazareth?

Most people see Him through the lens of man made religion, and not through the lens of His words, His claims, and His deeds.

Because of this He is mischaracterized on a second by second basis. Because of this He is so misunderstood that even most Christians today don't truthfully know their OWN real LORD and Savior as He really was.

Having said that, does that threaten their salvation? In my opinion, not in the least!!!

So I challenge you to take the time to read what He said, and read what He did, meditate on His words and peel back the layers of tradition that have so skewed the truth concerning our beloved Saviour. I challenge you to do this objectively, and fairly as you would want some one to judge you thousands of years from now by your own words and deeds, long after your supposedly dead and gone!

The most Controversial thing about Jesus or Yeshua, is this. Was He just merely a prophet (true or false), or was He exactly who He said He was, "GOD Himself in the flesh "!!!

Was He born from a virgin birth?!

Did He die and Rise from the DEAD on the third day?!

These and many other themes are the focus of this lens. Are they controversial, You can bet your life that they are. Are they comfortable to deal with? You can bet your life that they are not!

I make no apology for the fact that my mind is already made up, and unmovable concerning the Deity of Jesus. I make no apology for the fact that I love Him more than I love my own self! I make no apology for the fact that I believe Him to be more real than reality itself!

It is necessary to say this so that you can judge the words I speak with complete honesty and candor.

Do I have a bias? You can bet your life I do! It is necessary for me to state this fact to keep the balance of truth concerning the facts I plan to present and my opinion of them completely transparent for you.

Now you can take a close look at what I say and judge for your self.

I only ask that you Judge Him by His words, not mine.

I am going to do my best to present Him to you as objectively as I know how. With all the alleged facts I have at my disposal. If I can accomplish this then I know, no matter what you think when it's all said and done, that I will have accomplished my testimony with honor and truth.

Psalms 42:7 (KJV) "Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me."

INTRODUCTION

I have prayed that the LORD Jesus grant me the wisdom and anointing to minister the things concerning the Word of the LORD that will yield a deeper understanding, and greater walk with the LORD Jesus [Y'shua].

I would like to speak to you first about the delicate nature of the subject matter I am about to cover. First and foremost I would like you to understand that I am neither your judge, nor your jury. Therefore if your views or thoughts differ from mine concerning the scriptures, I beg you not to take this document as an attack on you personally. My greatest interest and desire is for your well being. I have no doubt that the LORD has done some wonderful things in your life, and I am in no way challenging the things GOD has done for you, or the integrity of your walk with the LORD. This is my sincere attempt to make those wonderful things more meaningful, and add joy to your life.

I've been involved in heated discussions on the scriptures and their meanings several times since I started serving the LORD. It has been my experience that when anger appears, everything productive disappears. If you find something in this text that upsets you, I plead with you to try to reconsider your view on its scriptural merits. If you feel justified in your own view, there should be no bad feelings, just a difference of opinion for whatever reason. Let's agree, in brotherly love, to disagree when necessary. If you decide to read this statement of my understanding and faith, then both of us have something in common already; and this is that the LORD is dealing with us both in His own way, in His own timing, and He will accomplish what is his will and desire. My intent is to be part of His kingdom, and get as close to Him as I can, and nothing else.

WHY PEOPLE DON'T SERVE THE LORD

The first thing that comes to mind is that currently most people DO NOT serve the LORD because of many things. The two primary reasons are: 1). They have lack of knowledge or understanding, and 2). They have lack of faith. A necessary aspect of knowing the LORD is to fear him. By that I do not mean to be terrified to death of him, but rather the type of reverential fear you had for your parents as you grew up. If you had no parents when you were young? You must have had someone you looked up to and admired. Their words had authority over you, and you listened with focused attention when they spoke. It is in this vein that I speak, although more so with respect to the LORD. The BIBLE says in

Proverbs 8:13 (KJV) "The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogance, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate."

The Hebrew word for fear in both these verses is as follows:

3374. yir'ah, yir-aw'; fem. of H3373; fear (also used as infin.); mor. reverence:-- X dreadful, X exceedingly, fear (-fulness)._

Further the BIBLE says:

Proverbs 16:6 (KJV) "By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil."

The question that begs to be asked is why do people not fear the LORD? The obvious answer is that Satan, [Lucifer] (at one time the highest archangel which fell from heaven) Isa. 14:12, has deceived people by numbing their minds into thinking that the Word of GOD is nothing more than a mere fairy tale, and further, that the things GOD said in his Word constitute sin, are not wrong. Satan, in order to do this, has deceived men with an old axiom called "situational ethics". Or, in other words, "I'm OK, and you're OK", or "If it feels good, do it", or "What's it to you?" and on, and on, and on. Well, it says in GOD'S Word:

Isaiah 5:20 (KJV) "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"

Isaiah 5:21 (KJV) "Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!"

Isaiah 5:22 (KJV) "Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:"

Isaiah 5:23 (KJV) "Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!"

Another critical thing Satan has done to accomplish this was to numb people's minds into a faithless state called unbelief. If a person has no faith he will not even consider that the BIBLE is the Holy Word of GOD; therefore, he will not expose himself to the possibility of developing any understanding of GOD'S Word. Consider carefully the following scriptures:

Proverbs 14:12 (KJV) "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."

You see, a person can live their entire life thinking that they are good and all is well, but when they die and stand before the LORD, whom they have chosen not to know, they are not in a very healthy place. The Holy Word of GOD says in Hebrews:

Hebrews 10:31 (KJV) "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."

This is why having the fear of the LORD is probably the most important virtue a man could possess. Consider your attitude towards the LORD and read the following verses:

Proverbs 14:16 (KJV) "A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is confident."

Proverbs 14:27 (KJV) "The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death."

Proverbs 9:10 (KJV) "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding."

I believe that the reason fear of the LORD is so important is: If you fear the LORD according to his word, you will always be seeking for a way to do what is right (not in your own eyes, but in his!). What will this do for you? The biggest thing is that it will keep you always on the right road concerning GOD'S Word. In other words, it will keep you from entering too far into false doctrine, which, in this day and age is the greatest deception of mankind. The substantive proof for this assertion is in Matthew, chapter 24:

Matthew 24:3 (KJV) "And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?"

Matthew 24:4 (KJV) "And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you."

Matthew 24:5 (KJV) "For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many."

Matthew 24:11 (KJV) "And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many."

Matthew 24:24 (KJV) "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."

Matthew 7:15 (KJV) "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves."

THE GREAT DECEPTION!!!

The Word of GOD states, that in the last days there will be many false teachers. It also informs us, concerning the many Biblical doctrines of the day that we live in, the following:

2 Corinthians 11:13 (KJV) "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ."

2 Corinthians 11:14 (KJV) "And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light."

2 Corinthians 11:15 (KJV) "Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works."

These verses tell us that Satan has hired a bunch of preachers and false prophets to work for him. One might say that's not possible, but the Word of God states exactly the opposite. As a matter of fact people will make it easy for this to take place:

2 Timothy 4:3 (KJV) "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;"

2 Timothy 4:4 (KJV) "And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."

This is why having the fear of the LORD is probably the most important virtue a person could possess. And further should people not want to hear the truth of GOD'S Word they should consider this:

2 Thessalonians 2:8 (KJV) "And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:"

2 Thessalonians 2:9 (KJV) "Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,"

The above is in reference to the anti-Christ .

2 Thessalonians 2:10 (KJV) "And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved."

2 Thessalonians 2:11 (KJV) "And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:"

2 Thessalonians 2:12 (KJV) "That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness."

Can you see by the above scriptures that these people are allowed to believe a lie and be damned? Why? The answer is in the 10th verse "because they received not the love of the truth".

If they feared GOD, they would receive a love of the truth, and therefore please GOD, by obeying his Word, rather than trying to make an attempt at doing right ACCORDING TO THEIR OWN ATTITUDES, THOUGHTS, MORALS, AND JUDGMENTS.

Jesus said in Matthew:

Matthew 7:13 (KJV) "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:"

Matthew 7:14 (KJV) "Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."

Did you catch that? FEW!!! FEW!!! FEW!!! Few people will actually find the way to salvation. Why is this? They have no fear of GOD. Question: Are these people reading the BIBLE? Answer: YES. Question: Are they trying to please GOD? Answer: YES. Are they doing good works as Christians? Answer: YES. How do we know this? Read on:

Matthew 7:15 (KJV) "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves."

Matthew 7:21 (KJV) "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."

Matthew 7:22 (KJV) "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?"

Matthew 7:23 (KJV) "And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."

Do you see that these were the people that were allowed to be deceived by false doctrine? They had done many wonderful works of faith, hadn't they? They believed in JESUS, for they knew enough to call him LORD, didn't they? They even cast out devils in JESUS' name, and JESUS himself said:

Matthew 12:25 (KJV) "And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:"

Matthew 12:26 (KJV) "And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?"

Matthew 12:27 (KJV) "And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges."

Matthew 12:28 (KJV) "But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you."

So the question that demands to be asked is, WHAT WENT WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE??? I believe that they had no fear of JESUS to keep them on the straight and narrow path. I believe that they saw signs and wonders, and went after them rather than search the scriptures deeper for the truth of GOD'S Word. For the Word of GOD commands us to be diligent and search out the scriptures for ourselves. Consider what is written in 2nd Corinthians:

2 Corinthians 13:5 (KJV) "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?"

You may say, as I did at one point, the BIBLE is a big book, and who can know all there is to know to be right? Well, the answer is: It is not how much you know, or how much you think you know. Consider the Pharisees and Scribes of Jesus day. They were the most learned men of their times. The same thing is true of the Pastors, Priests, and Rabbis of our day, but look what Jesus had to say about them in a couple of places:

Matthew 15:7 (KJV) "Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,"

Matthew 15:8 (KJV) "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me."

Matthew 15:9 (KJV) "But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."

And again in Mark:

Mark 7:6 (KJV) "He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me."

Mark 7:7 (KJV) "Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."

Mark 7:8 (KJV) "For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do."

Mark 7:9 (KJV) "And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition."

Mark 7:10 (KJV) "For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death:"

Mark 7:11 (KJV) "But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free."

Mark 7:12 (KJV) "And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother;"

Mark 7:13 (KJV) "Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye."

Jesus had many other rebukes for the so called spiritual leaders of his day. The answer is having a right heart towards GOD so He can mold us contrary to our misunderstandings and errors. It's really quite simple when we get into it. Consider what GOD said in Isaiah:

Isaiah 35:8 (KJV) "And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein."

The Word of GOD states clearly that if a person seeks the way of truth, even if they were a fool, they could not err. As an interesting matter of fact, maybe it would be better to be a fool, as opposed to being wise in your own mind about the Word of GOD. I offer as proof, the following verse in Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 3:18 (KJV) "Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise."

Of course, this verse isn't telling a man to be stupid, or to act irrationally. It is telling a person to cast away their worldly knowledge, and gain spiritual knowledge, which the world sees as foolish. Well then, if it is so easy, how come so many are deceived??? There are two verses that immediately come to mind. In the 24th chapter of Matthew, Jesus was talking to his apostles about his second coming, and the end of the world. (Two different events) In the 24th verse he said:

Matthew 24:24 (KJV) "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."

In the original text the word "Christ" means "anointed one". So it can be understood here that he is talking about people, preachers et al, in general who are false "anointed ones", and think they are preaching the absolute truth of GOD'S Word. Notice also that he mentions "false prophets". This not only includes, in my opinion, people such as the Rev. Sun Yung Moon, who claims to be the modern day Christ, but also any preacher who is not preaching the whole truth of GOD'S Word. I must say that if YOU who are reading this claim to be a preacher, it is your absolute obligation to GOD to be in obedience to His Word. This standard applies to myself as well, and this is not intended to be an attack on you personally. However, I must say that anybody, myself included, that offers himself as a teacher of GOD'S Word, should be held to a higher standard of critique, and will be. The second verse that comes to mind is in 2nd Timothy:

2 Timothy 4:3 (KJV) "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;"

2 Timothy 4:4 (KJV) "And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."

These two verses state quite clearly what has happened by and large to the churches of today.

As what happened in Jesus' day with the Pharisees and Scribes, preachers today have turned GOD'S Word into pleasant sounding fables and stories, to please the ears of their congregations, the "Government", and board of directors, rather than telling it LIKE IT IS, and having everyone walk out. Rest assured that if they would preach the absolute truth, almost everyone WOULD walk out. Further, since most are involved in commerce, should they say something politically incorrect, the government would pull their 501(c)(3) tax status. Once people's donations cannot be tax-deductible, they quit making them, and there goes the whole preaching program right down the drain. But they can't preach the truth, because they often don't know it. They were simply taught a commercial trade that happens to involve teaching the Bible as its product and service. This doesn't mean that they are bad people, or don't have good intentions. They are simply deceived in varying degrees about the Word of GOD exactly as GOD said it would be in our times.

SO WHAT IS THE TRUTH ABOUT THE LORD???

All this discussion has brought us to this question. What is the TRUTH concerning Jesus [Y'shua] and His Word?

John 1:1 (KJV) "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

John 1:2 (KJV) "The same was in the beginning with God."

John 1:3 (KJV) "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made."

To tie this in and continue the thought let's read the 14th verse:

John 1:14 (KJV) "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."

So you say what does this mean?? The complete answer is in the 10th and 11th verses:

John 1:10 (KJV) "He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not."

John 1:11 (KJV) "He came unto his own, and his own received him not."

Do you see here that Jesus was literally GOD Himself embodied in flesh and blood. He was not the second person in the trinity as most teach. As a matter of fact, the word "trinity" DOES NOT EVEN APPEAR IN THE WORD OF GOD!!! Remember what we read previously in Matthew 15:9, Mark 7:7, 13 about "Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye". It's time to get back to the Word of GOD, and avoid teaching things that are not there.

With a little cursory research this doctrine can be traced to the early philosophers, who were not Christians [emphasis added], and had to explain to themselves the relationship of the "Logos" to GOD. Put quite simply this doctrine denies the deity of Jesus as GOD in the flesh. Let's tie John 1:10 in. Who does this speak of?

Genesis 1:1 (KJV) "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."

It states in Deuteronomy 6:4 the following:

Deuteronomy 6:4 (KJV) "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:"

Webster's definition of "one" is "Being a single unit or entity, Single in kind, A single individual: unit" or in other words "NOT TWO OR MORE UNITS OR INDIVIDUALS". Can you see that if Trinitarian doctrine were correct, you would have to have three Lords. A Lord the father, a Lord the son, and a Lord the Holy Ghost.

I am aware of several arguments that state "they" are one God, but this is a common confusion of the English language. How can there be three persons to one GOD who says quite emphatically, He is ONE LORD??? The three different aspects of GOD are explained quite simply in Genesis:

Genesis 1:27 (KJV) "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them."

So what image are we created in? How about body, soul, and spirit. So if that is what constitutes our make up, and we are made in the image of GOD, it shouldn't be so difficult to understand that we have "Body" = Son, "Soul" = Father, and "Spirit" = Holy Ghost. This is in perfect agreement with 1st John:

1 John 5:7 (KJV) "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one."

1 John 5:8 (KJV) "And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one."

There is one GOD revealing Himself through His creation, and explaining it in His Word. For the Word of God states in Romans:

Romans 1:20 (KJV) "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:"

Romans 1:21 (KJV) "Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened."

Romans 1:22 (KJV) "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,"

The confusion will remain until one critical piece of the puzzle comes together. This is that unless Jesus the Messiah gives you the revelation that He is GOD in the flesh, you will never get it. It doesn't come through knowledge because it takes a spiritual revelation that comes directly from GOD Himself. Why revelation? Because it takes a pure heart to receive it, and GOD in his vast wisdom has ordained it that way. You can't get revelation through mere intellect, it requires quickening from the LORD based upon the reading of the scriptures with a pure heart:

1 Corinthians 1:27 (KJV) "But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;"

1 Corinthians 1:28 (KJV) "And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:"

1 Corinthians 1:29 (KJV) "That no flesh should glory in his presence."

In further support of this I submit for your consideration the following scriptures:

Matthew 16:13 (KJV) "When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?"

Matthew 16:14 (KJV) "And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets."

Matthew 16:15 (KJV) "He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?"

Matthew 16:16 (KJV) "And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God."

Matthew 16:17 (KJV) "And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven."

Matthew 16:18 (KJV) "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

Matthew 16:19 (KJV) "And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

You have to understand some foundation principals in order for this to be clear. First the Greek word for "Christ" is "Christos" and it means anointed or Messiah:

5547. Christos, khris-tos'; from G5548; anointed, i.e. the Messiah, an epithet of Jesus:--Christ._

Therefore when Peter said "Thou art the Christ, the son of the living GOD" he understood the language and the culture of his day. In essence he said, thou art the flesh of the living GOD, because your son is your own flesh and blood, and he further said LIVING GOD indicating that He (GOD) was standing there before him in the flesh. When we think of the term "Son of GOD" we tend to think of it as we know it in our time and culture. But we can see with further study that as it is used in its BIBLICAL sense, with respect to Jesus, it is somewhat different. Consider what Jesus told his disciples in the book of John:

John 14:6 (KJV) "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

John 14:7 (KJV) "If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him."

John 14:8 (KJV) "Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us."

John 14:9 (KJV) "Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?"

Do you see that if the typical "father - son" relationship existed here, that Jesus could not have said, "he that hath seen me hath seen the Father". In the simple form of the thought being set forth, we can conclude the following. A father is someone who has begat a child, and a son is someone who has been begotten by a father. Therefore what we have here is this: We have GOD in his raw spiritual form, begetting a body of flesh and blood. This is stated quite clearly in the books of Matthew and Luke:

Matthew 1:18 (KJV) "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost."

Luke 1:35 (KJV) "And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God."

Do you see here that Jesus the fleshly man was begottenof the Holy Ghost, or spirit, of GOD? Therefore, what we have here in Jesus is perfect GOD, and perfect man. Let's go on in the book of John to further support this assertion.

John 14:10 (KJV) "Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works."

John 14:11 (KJV) "Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake."

According to John what we have here is a Father in a Son and a Son in a Father, not a Father and a Son separate entities. Do you see the substantive difference between the father-son relationship spoken of here, and one we normally think of? For sure, what we do not have here is a GOD the Father, and a GOD the Son, or else we might as well toss out, among others, Deuteronomy 6:4. The son of GOD was the flesh of GOD. The flesh wept, it hungered, it felt pain. But, different from our flesh, which possesses our soul and spirit, Jesus' soul and spirit were that of GOD Himself.

So we have a Father in a son, and not a Father and a son separate. Your son is your own flesh and blood. Therefore, GOD being spirit or Father in creation, became flesh and blood in redemption, and is the Holy Ghost, or sanctifying power, in His church or body today. You might say that you wish further proof of this. OK. Let every word be established between two or more witnesses, for the Word of GOD is full of scriptures that deal directly with this issue, so consider, if you will, the following:

Isaiah 42:8 (KJV) "I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images."

Isaiah 42:13 (KJV) "The LORD shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy like a man of war: he shall cry, yea, roar; he shall prevail against his enemies."

Isaiah 43:3 (KJV) "For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee."

What have we got here? Two Saviors, one of the Old Testament, and a different one in the New?

Isaiah 43:10 (KJV) "Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me."

Isaiah 43:11 (KJV) "I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour."

According to this verse there can only be one Savior, and that is GOD Himself.

Isaiah 43:12 (KJV) "I have declared, and have saved, and I have showed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God."

Isaiah 44:6 (KJV) "Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God."

Now keep in mind that at the time this previous verse was recorded, Jesus is not born, nor will be for another several hundred years. So let's jump ahead several hundred years and see what Jesus said through John about Himself concerning this specific issue:

Revelation 1:8 (KJV) "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty."

Please understand Alpha is the first letter in the Greek alphabet, and Omega is the last, the same as our A and Z.

Revelation 1:10 (KJV) "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,"

Revelation 1:11 (KJV) "Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea."

Revelation 1:12 (KJV) "And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;"

Revelation 1:13 (KJV) "And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle."

Revelation 1:14 (KJV) "His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;"

Revelation 1:15 (KJV) "And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters."

Revelation 1:16 (KJV) "And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength."

Revelation 1:17 (KJV) "And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:"

Revelation 1:18 (KJV) "I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death."

Do you see that Jesus is the revelation of the ALMIGHTY GOD, that no man can approach unto? What John saw, concerning how GOD appears, is exactly what Daniel saw in chapter 7:

Daniel 7:9 (KJV) "I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire."

Daniel 7:10 (KJV) "A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened."

Do you see the tie in between the Old testament view of One GOD and the New testament view of One GOD, and that He is the same GOD revealed in Jesus the Messiah? Let's go back to Isaiah and continue with the thought of one GOD.

Isaiah 44:8 (KJV) "Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any."

Isaiah 44:24 (KJV) "Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;"

Isaiah 45:5 (KJV) "I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:"

Isaiah 45:6 (KJV) "That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else."

Isaiah 45:7 (KJV) "I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things."

Do you see so far that the LORD is going out of his way to inform you that there is only Him and no one else that can claim the title of GOD? He consistently states that there are no gods beside Him, and no saviour beside Him.

Isaiah 45:15 (KJV) "Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour."

Did you catch that? GOD hid Himself in the Saviour!!! So if He is hid, could we say that it would not be obvious to the wisdom of man, that GOD Himself came up with a plan to seek out only the "pure in heart", and weed out those who would use commerce to see him??

Isaiah 45:18 (KJV) "For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else."

Do you see how this matches up with John 1:10 mentioned above??

Isaiah 45:21 (KJV) "Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me."

Isaiah 45:22 (KJV) "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else."

Isaiah 45:23 (KJV) "I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear."

Now, in the previous verse, GOD Himself swears that unto Him will every knee bow, and every tongue shall swear. We read in Isaiah 42:8 "I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images." This is GOD Himself saying this, that he will not give his glory to another. Let's read Philippians and see what is said about Jesus.

Philippians 2:10 (KJV) "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;"

Philippians 2:11 (KJV) "And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

There is surely adequate proof that the GOD of the Old testament is the GOD of the New testament, and His name is Jesus [Y'shua] the Messiah. But let's not stop here. Let's examine some of the scriptures, wherein Jesus spoke of Himself:

John 8:24 (KJV) "I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins."

Take notice that in the King James version of the BIBLE, the word "he" after the words "I am" is in italics. This means it was not in the original Hebrew text, it was added, possibly for clarity of English. This being the case if we read this verse omitting the added "he", it states that "for if ye believe not that I am, ye shall die in your sins". Keep this in mind when reading the following scriptures and I will explain in full further down.

John 8:51 (KJV) "Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death."

Now understand, no prophet ever said "if a man keep my saying". A prophet would always say something along the lines of, "thus sayeth the LORD", or, "thus sayeth the GOD of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob", always putting himself in a position separate from the LORD. Keeping this in mind, we will see that the Pharisees get real mad.

John 8:52 (KJV) "Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death."

John 8:53 (KJV) "Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself?"

John 8:54 (KJV) "Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God:"

John 8:55 (KJV) "Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying."

John 8:56 (KJV) "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad."

John 8:57 (KJV) "Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?"

John 8:58 (KJV) "Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am."

To understand the fullness of what was said here, we go back to the Old testament where the GOD of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob told Moses who He was in Exodus.

Exodus 3:13 (KJV) "And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?"

Exodus 3:14 (KJV) "And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you."

Exodus 3:15 (KJV) "And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations."

Do you see that in John 8:24 & 58 Jesus clearly stated that he was "I AM", or the GOD of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? Let's continue with the Words of Jesus.

John 10:30 (KJV) "I and my Father are one."

John 10:31 (KJV) "Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him."

John 10:32 (KJV) "Jesus answered them, Many good works have I showed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?"

John 10:33 (KJV) "The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God."

There it is. The Jewish people that Jesus confronted here knew that there was only one GOD, and when Jesus claimed that He and His father were one, He was stating that He was GOD in the flesh. These Jewish people had only two choices, according to the Old testament law. 1). To confess Him as the promised Messiah, or 2). To reject him as Messiah, and in doing so, as GOD also. The Jews knew full well that the Messiah would be GOD in the flesh. How, you ask?

Isaiah 9:6 (KJV) "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."

Isaiah 9:7 (KJV) "Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this."

The above two scriptures clearly set forth the precept that this "son" that would be born of flesh and blood, the Messiah, would be "The Mighty GOD, The everlasting Father".

John 12:44 (KJV) "Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me."

John 12:45 (KJV) "And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me."

Here it is, if you see Jesus, you see GOD. Tell me this: If, when you are looking at Jesus, you see the Father, how could there be a separate person from Jesus called the Father, and have any of the above Scriptures be true in any sense? We either have One LORD named Jesus who fulfills the revelation of GOD to man according to the Word of GOD, or we have a LORD the FATHER, and a LORD the SON, and possibly a LORD the HOLY GHOST. Not one, but three LORDS no matter how you cut it. If that's what you have, you have a huge Charlie horse between your ears trying to make sense out of any of the above scriptures, as well as many that follow.

This way of organized government religion, seeing GOD as 3 separate persons is, at best, ignorant. If we go on in the scriptures, it gets more clear that Jesus is the revelation of GOD to mankind, and not one of three persons as stated by those with no revelation.

John 14:6 (KJV) "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

One must ask himself this: If the Father is separate from Jesus, where had they (the apostles) seen the Father at any time? The answer is that they hadn't seen him anywhere, and that is made clear in the next there verses:

John 14:7 (KJV) "If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him."

John 14:8 (KJV) "Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us."

John 14:9 (KJV) "Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?"

Do you see?? How could the Father be separate from Jesus Christ, if when you see Jesus you see the Father? I believe that people get side tracked because they confuse humanity with deity. This is explained in the next set of verses.

2 Corinthians 5:19 (KJV) "To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation."

Consider this:

Colossians 1:12 (KJV) "Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:"

Colossians 1:13 (KJV) "Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:"

Colossians 1:14 (KJV) "In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:"

Colossians 1:15 (KJV) "Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:"

Do you see that Jesus is the physical image of the invisible GOD who created all things for Himself?

Colossians 1:16 (KJV) "For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:"

Does this agree with the first chapter of John?? I think it does in every way.

Colossians 1:17 (KJV) "And he is before all things, and by him all things consist."

Colossians 1:18 (KJV) "And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence."

Colossians 1:19 (KJV) "For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;"

Do you see here that according to the apostle Paul that it's all in Jesus? He goes further in chapter two to underline this single issue.

Colossians 2:4 (KJV) "And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words."

Colossians 2:5 (KJV) "For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ."

Colossians 2:6 (KJV) "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:"

Colossians 2:7 (KJV) "Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving."

Colossians 2:8 (KJV) "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ."

Colossians 2:9 (KJV) "For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily."

The question that begs to be asked is this: If all the fullness of the GODHEAD dwells in Jesus bodily, where in heaven or earth can you possible find any of the GODHEAD outside of Jesus? The answer is that you can't, unless you are convinced by philosophy and vain deceit, after the traditions of men, and the rudiments of the world of another option. You may ask at this point, is GOD someone who can be understood at all? Yes, according to the condition of a person's heart towards GOD one may perceive quite a bit. None the less, it still comes through revelation, not head knowledge, but from a pure heart.

1 Timothy 3:16 (KJV) "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory."

Did you catch that? GOD was manifest in the flesh. So let's continue with Colossians.

Colossians 2:10 (KJV) "And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:"

Colossians 2:11 (KJV) "In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:"

Colossians 2:12 (KJV) "Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead."

Let's consider the next set of scripture that puts GOD and Jesus in the same breath:

Titus 2:13 (KJV) "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;"

Titus 2:14 (KJV) "Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."

Now let's go to first John:

1 John 5:20 (KJV) "And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life."

1 John 5:21 (KJV) "Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen."

By now I have given you ample scriptural proof that Yahveh [hvhy] of the Old Testament is Jesus [Y'shua] of the New Testament. From this point on, it's up to the spirit of GOD to quicken these scriptures to your understanding, and reveal Himself to you, as he did to Peter. For Jesus said in one place concerning his apostles:

John 15:16 (KJV) "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you."

He did the choosing then, and He is still doing the choosing today.

WHAT DOES JESUS REQUIRE FROM YOU???

He requires faith combined with action.

The truth is clearly and simply stated so that anyone with a pure heart towards GOD can read and see for themselves what Jesus requires of them. Jesus said this to His disciples:

John 8:32 (KJV) "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

Set you free from what? From anything that separates you from the truth of GOD'S Word, further separating you from GOD. His desire for you is that you know him in the power of his word, and the power of his resurrection. This is summed up in a walk with GOD that gets closer and closer every day. I will now attempt to set down the way to enter into salvation as the scriptures have laid it out. Scripture always interprets scripture. So if you read something that doesn't line up, you have something out of place. No big deal; read on, pray, and seek out the truth of GOD'S Word, and the LORD Himself will grant you that which you ask for. Once He exposes you to it, it is your obligation to consider what he has shown you, and re-examine what you thought you knew. For you legal types, this simply put means you are the "Holder in due course of Truth" and you are obligated to perform unless you "Refuse it for cause". This is not wise when it comes to the Word of GOD, because He demands performance. The only issue is, put quite simply, "Deal with Me now or deal with Me later", your free will choice.

The scriptures don't define 5000 ways to be saved. The 5000 ways arise out of misunderstanding. So let us see what Jesus said, and what the apostles taught concerning the way to enter into salvation. After Jesus rose up from the dead, as testified to by many eye witnesses in the Bible, He said this in the book of Matthew:

Matthew 28:18 (KJV) "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth."

Jesus said that ALL Power in heaven and earth was given to him. This establishes absolute jurisdiction in every sense of the word. If this is true, then there is no power in heaven or earth but that of His alone. He also gave His apostles a command to baptize in a name (singular) of the father, (prepositional phrase) of the son, (prepositional phrase) and of the Holy Ghost. (prepositional phrase). These three prepositional phrases modify NAME in the sentence. So if a person is to be baptized properly, they must know and understand the NAME. There is a penalty for not knowing or trusting in the NAME. Consider the following scripture in John:

John 3:17 (KJV) "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."

John 3:18 (KJV) "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."

The next thing that is necessary is to understand the meaning of the actual word "baptism". This word comes from the Greek word "baptizo" and means:

907. baptizo, bap-tid'-zo; from a der. of G911; to make whelmed (i.e. fully wet); used only (in the N.T.) of ceremonial ablution, espec. (techn.) of the ordinance of Chr. baptism:--baptist, baptize, wash._

This means to fully immerse under water, not sprinkle. This precept goes all the way back to the start of the Old Testament , and was used very widely as a rite of cleansing for the unclean. The point is that this was not some new ritual invented by the apostles, but goes all the way back to Deuteronomy.

Matthew 28:19 (KJV) "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:"

Matthew 28:20 (KJV) "Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen."

So now let's focus in on the NAME:

John 17:25 (KJV) "O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me."

John 17:26 (KJV) "And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them."

OK here we see that Jesus came in His father's name and declared it to the world. If we examine his Hebrew name this becomes very clear. Jesus in Hebrew was Y'shua. "Ya" when combined with most Hebrew words is the abbreviation for "Yahveh". For instance "halaluya" means "praise Ya" or "praise Yahveh". When we unabbreviate the abbreviation "Ya", and we add the second half of the name "Y'shua", we get "Yahveh Salvation":

3444. yeshuw'ah, yesh-oo'-aw; fem. pass. part. of H3467; something saved, i.e. (abstr.) deliverance; hence aid, victory, prosperity:--deliverance, health, help (-ing), salvation, save, saving (health), welfare._

Therefore what we have in the raw essence of the name "Y'shua" is "Yahveh Salvation" , and therefore don't we have the LORD is become our Salvation? The answer is yes we do, and this perfectly fulfills the essence of the scriptures.

John 5:43 (KJV) "I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive."

Why should Jesus not have His fathers name? Doesn't a son possess his fathers name in our culture? So the NAME of the son should be easy, and we have:

Matthew 1:21 (KJV) "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins."

The last thing to deal with is the NAME of the Holy Ghost:

John 14:26 (KJV) "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."

So in conclusion, Matthew 28:19 was not a baptismal ceremony, it was a command to go and baptize in a name. The scriptures make it very clear that the titles of father, son, and Holy Ghost are identified by the name of Jesus. Well, as it turns out, a lot of folks don't think that water baptism is necessary. I would like you to compare the words of Jesus Himself with what they say. This is His church, and His kingdom, and as King he has absolute authority to make his own laws concerning that kingdom.

BAPTISM IN HIS NAME!!!
(There is no substitute)

Mark 16:15 (KJV) "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."

Mark 16:16 (KJV) "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned."

Once again we see there are two prerequisites to salvation according to Jesus. 1). Believing the gospel and 2). Being baptized. According to Jesus Himself, this verse makes baptism mandatory, not optional as some would have you believe. Do you want to be led by the traditions of man, or do you want to be led by the Word of GOD? The decision is completely up to you. Let's see if Luke agrees with what we have stated so far:

Luke 24:45 (KJV) "Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,"

Luke 24:46 (KJV) "And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:"

Luke 24:47 (KJV) "And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem."

Luke 24:48 (KJV) "And ye are witnesses of these things."

Luke 24:49 (KJV) "And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high."

This further confirms, in verse 46, that the name we are to use for remission of sins is that of Christ, or in other words, "Jesus", who is the Christ. Now, if we follow the apostles to Jerusalem, we should see what the apostles did in the 2nd chapter of the book of Acts, where they were "endued with power from on high", and have a greater understanding of exactly what these scriptures meant to them.

ENTER THE GIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST
(HOLY SPIRIT) (RUACH HA KODESH)

So we go to the second chapter of the book of Acts. Here we find that it is the day of Pentecost and all the apostles plus other disciples of Jesus are present totaling about 120 people. Now I would like you to read the entire chapter, but I am going to summarize the first part, if I may. In verses 1 - 13 the Holy Ghost is poured out on all the believers and they begin speaking in other languages as the Spirit moves them. In verses 14 - 21, Peter explains that this is the gift of the Holy Ghost that was prophesied of by the prophet Joel starting with chapter 2, and verse 28 of that book.

In Acts chapter 2, verses 22 -35, Peter explains how David was shown the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Now, let's start in verse 36:

Acts 2:36 (KJV) "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ."

Acts 2:37 (KJV) "Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?"

Acts 2:38 (KJV) "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."

Now let's stipulate that Peter clearly stated in verse 38 that water baptism was to be done in the name of Jesus, for the remission of sins. Question? Does this line up with Matthew 28:19, Mark 16:15,16, and Luke 24:47? I think that it does perfectly. For if Peter messed up and didn't understand what Jesus had taught them, surely one of the other apostles present would have corrected Peter. However what we see is total unanimous agreement amongst not only the apostles, but the entire 120 as well. Now some people would have us think that Peter made a mistake and didn't understand what Jesus had taught him. If this be the case then they're all messed up and nothing they say from here on can be trusted. As for me, I will put my trust in the Word of GOD, and let every man be a liar. No, Peter got it exactly right, he knew exactly what Jesus had taught them, and he carried it out without flaw. The problem is that people today who were not there with Jesus being taught night and day for 3 and 1/2 years, who don't understand the Jewish culture of that day, who don't understand the English language, who don't understand the Hebrew language, who don't understand the Greek language, who have no other interest in GOD but the tithe plate, have got this very important part all wrong. Concerning what Peter said and did on the day of Pentecost, we have abundant proof that he did it perfectly. How do we know? Because all the apostles plus 108 other disciples of Jesus were there, and not one stood to correct Peter on any point. We know there were 120 apostles and disciples in Jerusalem from chapter one:

Acts 1:12 (KJV) "Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey."

Acts 1:13 (KJV) "And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James."

Acts 1:14 (KJV) "These all continued with one accord in prayer and
supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren."

Acts 1:15 (KJV) "And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,)"

As a matter of fact they all preached, throughout the book of Acts, the exact same message. The second chapter of the book of Acts clearly establishes the FIRST salvation message ever preached after Jesus rose up from the dead. How could we have any faith in the rest of the BIBLE if this critical piece of the puzzle is in error?????? The answer is that this piece fits perfectly and we can have full faith in the rest of the BIBLE. So let's see what the people present did after hearing Peter.

Acts 2:39 (KJV) "For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call."

Acts 2:40 (KJV) "And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation."

Acts 2:41 (KJV) "Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls."

You might ask where did the three thousand come from? The answer to this is in the first part of chapter two where it states that a multitude of people came to listen, and see what was going on:

Acts 2:4 (KJV) "And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."

Acts 2:5 (KJV) "And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven."

Acts 2:6 (KJV) "Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language."

Is it different for us today? NO the promise is also to "to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call" according to verse 39. This means YOU if the LORD is speaking to you. The formula remains the same today as it was then. The LORD has expressly sealed it for all time in Galatians 1:6-9 and if anyone tries to change it, they do so to their own peril, read it for yourself!!!

Galatians 1:6 (KJV) "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:"

Galatians 1:7 (KJV) "Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ."

Galatians 1:8 (KJV) "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed."

Galatians 1:9 (KJV) "As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed."

There you have it, if anybody changes the gospel of Jesus Christ they are accursed. Take notice that all they have to do is change one part of the Gospel, and it's all over. Do you want to change any part of the Word of God, and argue this one in the supreme court of the White Throne?? I don't think so. I think it's one thing to say to yourself "I don't understand what the LORD said in verse(s) 1, 2, 3..." as opposed to "verse(s) 1, 2, 3... It is quite another thing to state that verse(s) 1, 2, and 3 mean something other than they state. Do you think that the remainder of the book of Acts, or the rest of the New Testament states anything different? Let's go see for our selves exactly what it does say. It is easy to lift one or two verses of scripture out of context so as to alter its meaning. However if we take them all, (Matthew 4:4 (KJV) "[M]an shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." And Luke 4:4 (KJV) "[T]hat man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.", we will find no contradiction, but rather a confirmation that the things stated are true beyond any reasonable shadow of a doubt. So let's go to the next instance of water baptism in the book of Acts. Let's see what Philip preached.

Acts 8:12 (KJV) "But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women."

Acts 8:13 (KJV) "Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done."

Acts 8:14 (KJV) "Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John:"

Acts 8:15 (KJV) "Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost:"

Acts 8:16 (KJV) "(For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)"

Acts 8:17 (KJV) "Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost."

Well it appears Philip baptized in the name of Jesus as commanded, and apparently the church at Samaria was all baptized in the name of Jesus. So there is no conflict that is detectable here. Let's go on to the next incidence of water baptism which is in the last part of this same chapter.

Acts 8:26 (KJV) "And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert."

Acts 8:27 (KJV) "And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,"

Acts 8:28 (KJV) "Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet."

Acts 8:29 (KJV) "Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot."

Acts 8:30 (KJV) "And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?"

A lot more people who are reading the scriptures should be asking themselves this same question, and should be responding with the same answer stated in the next verse.

Acts 8:31 (KJV) "And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him."

Acts 8:32 (KJV) "The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:"

Acts 8:33 (KJV) "In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth."

Acts 8:34 (KJV) "And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?"

Acts 8:35 (KJV) "Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus."

Take notice here of the fact that the only assertion of the scriptures to this point is that Philip "preached unto him Jesus". I say that to make you think. Examine carefully the next words out of the eunuch's mouth.

Acts 8:36 (KJV) "And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?"

Do you see that what has just taken place is that Philip preached the same Gospel that Peter preached on the day of Pentecost, and the eunuch is responding exactly the same as they did in Acts 2:37.

Acts 8:37 (KJV) "And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."

Acts 8:38 (KJV) "And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him."

Acts 8:39 (KJV) "And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing."

Also take notice of the fact that they both went down INTO the water. If all they were doing here was a little sprinkle job, why would they have to go down into the water? Why not just kneel down at the water's edge? The answer is that Philip was going to fully submerse the eunuch, and this required at least a sufficient amount of water to do this. So can we conclude that there is no contradiction here with Philip? I think emphatically yes, we can conclude that Philip preached the same Gospel, and obeyed it to the letter. The next story about people getting saved is in chapter 10, and this story is critical due to the fact, that up until now the only recorded people to be saved were of the Jewish faith. In this chapter it is clear that this is the first gentile, or person of foreign status, to receive the Gospel of Jesus, and act upon what was told to him. You should take time to read the entire chapter to get the full story, but suffice it to say that the first part of the chapter is a lesson for Peter. This was necessary to indicate to Peter that it was OK with the LORD for him to preach to the gentiles. So let's go to the heart of the issue.

Acts 10:1 (KJV) "There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band,"

This first verse is added here to indicate that Cornelius is not Jewish, and the story of the LORD dealing with Peter is what is omitted for brevity. So we will pick up with Peter preaching to the house of Cornelius.

Acts 10:39 (KJV) "And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree:"

Acts 10:40 (KJV) "Him God raised up the third day, and showed him openly;"

Acts 10:41 (KJV) "Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead."

Acts 10:42 (KJV) "And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead."

Acts 10:43 (KJV) "To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins."

Acts 10:44 (KJV) "While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word."

Acts 10:45 (KJV) "And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost."

Acts 10:46 (KJV) "For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter,"

Acts 10:47 (KJV) "Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?"

Acts 10:48 (KJV) "And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days."

Here we see that even after they received the Holy Ghost, Peter commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. He didn't say that they could if they wanted to, or if they saw fit, or maybe they didn't have to. He COMMANDED them to be baptized in the name of the LORD. For this he caught flack from the other apostles and disciples in Jerusalem, and had to defend himself.

Acts 11:1 (KJV) "And the apostles and brethren that were in Judaea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God."

Acts 11:2 (KJV) "And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision contended with him,"

BELIEVERS HAD TO BE RE-BAPTIZED!!!

The next thing of interest, pertaining to this subject, is found in the book of Acts, in chapter 19. Here we find precious ones who had heard about the coming Messiah, believed in Him, and some how had missed his coming. Let's see what happened here.

Acts 19:1 (KJV) "And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,"

Acts 19:2 (KJV) "He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost."

Acts 19:3 (KJV) "And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism."

Acts 19:4 (KJV) "Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus."

Acts 19:5 (KJV) "When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus."

Acts 19:6 (KJV) "And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied."

Acts 19:7 (KJV) "And all the men were about twelve."

These scriptures are extremely enlightening in two ways. First, when we read about Paul's conversion in Acts 9:3, we find that his conversion was a supernatural one ordained by the LORD Himself. Later in Galatians we see that Paul, after being converted, chose not to confer with flesh and blood, but to go into the desert for several years, and meditate on the Word of GOD. When he came back, he still did not see any apostle for another three years, and then only Peter and James for a short period. Paul states in Galatians 2:2 (KJV) "And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain.". So Paul had received the Gospel of Jesus Christ exactly correct by revelation alone. Further, to support this, he states that the apostles of reputation didn't add any knowledge to what he got from the LORD. Let's read Galatians 2:6 (KJV) "But of these who seemed to be somewhat, (whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me: God accepteth no man's person:) for they who seemed to be somewhat in conference added nothing to me:" What a tremendous confirmation of what I've stated so far! As a matter of fact, Paul states this very clearly:

Galatians 1:11 (KJV) "But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man."

Galatians 1:12 (KJV) "For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ."

Secondly, these scriptures are very important because they point out that these people had to be re-baptized. Why is this so? Because they were not baptized in Jesus' name, as the scriptures have so far pointed out. Ask yourself this question, if proper baptism is not important then why would these people have to be re-baptized? They were baptized by John at the river Jordan, and I believe that John's baptism was ordained by GOD. There can be only one answer, and that answer is that baptism in Jesus' name is a necessary part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The last point that is made here is that Paul baptized in Jesus' name by revelation. What a confirmation; it doesn't get any better than this.
MIRANDA WARNING TOWARDS PREACHING AN INACCURATE GOSPEL!!!

The task of preaching the Gospel of Jesus should not be taken lightly. First of all it is the Gospel of Jesus that we are talking about here. It is the sole property of Jesus Christ [Y'shua the Messiah], and will be adjudicated by Him alone. It is not the Gospel of Pastor X. Nobody has been given any license to alter it, or change it in any form whatsoever. To support this I will put GODS' final copyright near the end of this document, concerning the entire Word of God, and here I will restate the three verses in Galatians.

Galatians 1:6 (KJV) "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:"

Galatians 1:7 (KJV) "Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ."

Galatians 1:8 (KJV) "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed."

Galatians 1:9 (KJV) "As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed."

If this unnerves you a little bit, there is a remedy, and that is called repentance. I will get into that topic later. All I'm trying to do is establish all the individual pieces of the riddle, one at a time, and in the end I will tie them together.

THE MECHANICS AND OPERATION OF WATER BAPTISM

Baptism, in part, represents the performance of a contract. If this is in any way close to the truth, it would behoove us to understand the operation of this contract. Let's first establish a beach head in the Old Testament for this procedure:

1 Corinthians 10:1 (KJV) "Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;"

1 Corinthians 10:2 (KJV) "And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;"

1 Corinthians 10:3 (KJV) "And did all eat the same spiritual meat;"

1 Corinthians 10:4 (KJV) "And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ."

1 Corinthians 10:5 (KJV) "But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness."

1 Corinthians 10:6 (KJV) "Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted."

1 Corinthians 10:11 (KJV) "Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come."

The apostle Paul shows us how this particular contract was consummated in a symbolic baptism in the Red Sea. If you go back and read the story you will find out that prior to crossing the Red Sea, the children of Israel murmured against Moses. After crossing the Red Sea, the Word states that they sang the Song of Moses, or had a change of heart. This is the exact state of many who call themselves Christians today. They have come out of Egypt as the children of Israel did. They are up against the Red Sea [water baptism] on one side, and the Pharaoh [Satan] on the other side. The separating factor is the LORD between the Children and the Pharaoh by a wall of fire. Most Christians today can't understand why Satan seems to get his licks in from time to time. The answer, in part, is that they are still in arms reach, and only the Spirit of the LORD is holding Satan at bay. The answer is simple, cross the Red Sea, and put a barrier between the adversary and yourself that is impassable by Satan. So let's see how these principles of attitude apply in the New Testament. To do this, we will examine what Peter said about one aspect of this issue.

1 Peter 3:18 (KJV) "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:"

1 Peter 3:19 (KJV) "By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;"

1 Peter 3:20 (KJV) "Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water."

1 Peter 3:21 (KJV) "The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:"

I am not going to digress on the particular topic of covered in verse 19, but suffice it to say that the issue of verse 20 seams to be that the same WATER that saved Noah and his family condemned the rest of the world. The same WATER that represented freedom for Moses and the Israelites represented death to the Pharaoh and his army. In verse 3:21 it clearly states that WATER, "The like figure", "baptism", is what saves us. WHY?? Because it serves as a contract that you must sign, with your life as collateral, which states that Jesus Christ [Y'shua Ha Mashiak] was 1). The promised Messiah, 2). He was crucified and rose up from the dead on the third day, and 3). If you believe 1 & 2 with all your heart, you may then take advantage of remission of sins in His name through Baptism in his name. Do you see that your sincere belief in the Gospel of Jesus Christ is answered by a pure conscience in water baptism? Well, that is what Peter is saying here. What if the Gospel of Jesus is perverted in any way? Then the baptism that goes with it [the perverted Gospel] will be perverted as well, and of no effect as far as salvation goes. You say no!! Go back and read Acts 9:1-12. You might ask, how is your life collateral for this contract? I submit the following:

1 Corinthians 6:19 (KJV) "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?"

1 Corinthians 6:20 (KJV) "For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."

1 Corinthians 7:23 (KJV) "Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men."

After all that, I ask you, how can you find salvation according to the scriptures, and not be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ? Consider the following statement that Paul made about the New Testament equivalent to circumcision:

Colossians 2:11 (KJV) "In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:"

Colossians 2:12 (KJV) "Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead."

Do you see that by being baptized in Jesus' name, your heart has born witness to the Word of God, and in so doing, you have obeyed the Gospel?

Some people use Romans 10:9, all by itself, out of context, for the salvation formula. This is a tremendous misunderstanding, and lifts this scripture completely out of context. First of all, Romans 10:9 does not make void any other scripture. Or in other words, it does not state you don't have to be baptized in Jesus' Name, and taken in context, proves exactly the opposite. Secondly, is it possible that Paul rewrote significant portions of the book of Acts, and all that had been stated up to this point in chapter 10? Is it possible that the apostle Paul, who received the revelation of Jesus from Jesus Himself, who also stated the penalty for perverting the Gospel, who only four chapters before, stated clearly what water baptism in Jesus Name represented, all of a sudden out of the blue came up with a brand new idea and plan? Let's see what Paul, the author of Romans chapter 10, stated earlier in chapter 6, and then re-examine chapter 10.

Romans 6:1 (KJV) "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?"

Romans 6:2 (KJV) "God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?"

Question, how did we become dead to sin???

Romans 6:3 (KJV) "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?"

Romans 6:4 (KJV) "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."

Romans 6:5 (KJV) "For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:"

Romans 6:6 (KJV) "Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin."

Romans 6:7 (KJV) "For he that is dead is freed from sin."

Romans 6:8 (KJV) "Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:"

Romans 6:9 (KJV) "Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him."

Romans 6:10 (KJV) "For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God."

Romans 6:11 (KJV) "Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Let it be established that the apostle Paul understood water baptism in Jesus Name very well. Let it be established that he went to great length to make a substantial point here about its operation in relationship to sin. Without question, Paul clearly states that baptism represents a symbolic death and resurrection. Do you see how this ties in perfectly with 2 Peter 3:19, and with all the verses we studied in the book of Acts? Now let us go and carefully examine Romans chapter 10 for closure on this issue.

Romans 10:6 (KJV) "But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)"

Romans 10:7 (KJV) "Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)"

Romans 10:8 (KJV) "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;"

Romans 10:9 (KJV) "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."

OK, here it is. You must confess with your mouth, just as it says. Did not the eunuch in Acts chapter 8 confess Jesus with his mouth? Yes, he did, but then how did he establish what he stated verbally and believed with all his heart? He went down into the water, and was baptized, to answer a pure conscience towards God by the resurrection of Jesus. The next verse signifies this fact. Consider that when Jesus first came to John the Baptist, John said unto Jesus "I have need to be baptized of you".

Matthew 3:14 (KJV) "But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?"

And Jesus replied that it was necessary for righteousness sake.

Matthew 3:15 (KJV) "And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him."

Now, read on in Romans and see that belief requires action to be validated. If you really believe in your heart that the entire Gospel of Jesus Christ is true, you will not hesitate to obey it, and establish your conscience towards God by being in full compliance with His Word.

Romans 10:10 (KJV) "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

To further establish the fact that actions will establish the intent of the heart, we will read what the apostle James stated very clearly on this very issue.

James 2:14 (KJV) "What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?"

James 2:17 (KJV) "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone."

James 2:18 (KJV) "Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works."

James 2:19 (KJV) "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble."

James 2:20 (KJV) "But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?"

Do you see that just believing that there is only one God will not get you very far? The demons believe, and, I have no doubt, know on good authority, that God is real, and they even know who He is. Just saying "I believe", in light of scripture, doesn't cut it, and the devil himself would like nothing more than to convince you it does. So let's read on.

Romans 10:11 (KJV) "For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed."

Romans 10:12 (KJV) "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."

Romans 10:13 (KJV) "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

This verse is often taken out of context, due to the fact that it is a quote out of the Old Testament, whose meaning was made clear by Jesus Himself, and supported in fact by the Acts of the apostles. For it is written that you shall call upon the name of the LORD in baptism. The book of Romans goes on to support what I've stated so far. Listed carefully.

Romans 10:14 (KJV) "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?"

How can you believe correctly and act properly, when the Gospel that is predominantly preached around the world today, by most churches, is altered and in error??? Obviously, you can't.

Romans 10:15 (KJV) "And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!"

Do you see that you must obey the true Gospel of Jesus to have standing?

Romans 10:16 (KJV) "But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?"

Romans 10:17 (KJV) "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

Romans 10:18 (KJV) "But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world."

I think at this point it is obvious that Paul didn't write the 10th chapter of Romans to void out the 6th chapter of Romans, nor a host of other scripture. Romans 10, when taken in context, is a dissertation on the deeper spiritual underpinnings of faith as stated in the Old Testament, and further clarified in the New Testament. In the final analysis, it will be established that the scripture in Romans chapter 10 was not understood properly, in light of the rest of the scripture, if it is used as a formula for salvation by itself.

In reflection, I wish to restate that the water in the Red Sea that delivered Moses and the children of Israel, is the same water that destroyed the Pharaoh and his army. Also interesting is that, the water that saved Noah and his family, is the same water that destroyed the rest of the world. Could it be that water baptism in Jesus name will be the dividing line between Saint and Sinner???? Death and everlasting life??? Do you want to risk it in light of overwhelming scriptural proof in favor of baptism?? It's your choice, but let's not stop here. Examine the next three sets of scripture very carefully. When you do, please don't rationalize and say "well this applies, or this must apply, to others", for whatever reasons. Rather, ask yourself this: Could this possibly apply to me? And if so, maybe it would be better to deal with it now, rather than later.

Matthew 7:21 (KJV) "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."

Matthew 7:22 (KJV) "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?"

Matthew 7:23 (KJV) "And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."

Matthew 7:24 (KJV) "Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:"

Matthew 7:25 (KJV) "And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock."

Matthew 7:26 (KJV) "And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:"

Matthew 7:27 (KJV) "And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it."

Think about this for a moment. These people who are MANY, have prophesied in his name, healed the sick, and done many wonderful works in the name of Jesus. How is it that he does not know them? There are a few more scriptures that might add some insight to this question.

Matthew 8:5 (KJV) "And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,"

Matthew 8:6 (KJV) "And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented."

Matthew 8:7 (KJV) "And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him."

Matthew 8:8 (KJV) "The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed."

Matthew 8:9 (KJV) "For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it."

Matthew 8:10 (KJV) "When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel."

Matthew 8:11 (KJV) "And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven."

Matthew 8:12 (KJV) "But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Matthew 8:13 (KJV) "And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour."

There are many different views on the meaning of these scriptures. My view is that the Centurion got exactly what he wanted, nothing more, and nothing less. So, what did he get? He got his servant healed, and that's all. Did he ask the LORD what he should do to get saved? NO. Is it possible he could fall into the category of those in Matthew 7:21? Possibly. In order to go further with this one we must read some more scripture to understand the critical phrase "the kingdom of heaven".

Romans 14:17 (KJV) "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost."

Understand that when we talk about the "Kingdom of GOD" we are not exclusively talking about heaven from a pseudo-geographical standpoint. Heaven in this sense is certainly part of the "Kingdom of GOD", but the Kingdom of GOD encompasses a much larger issue. While we are here on earth, in the flesh, we experience the "Kingdom of GOD" by being filled with the Holy Ghost, or the manifest expressed presence of Jesus, as stated in John:

John 14:16 (KJV) "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;"

John 14:17 (KJV) "Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you."

John 14:18 (KJV) "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you."

In doing this, we partake of the promises GOD made concerning the rest that we could enter into where all the blessings of GOD exist. Another set of scripture that bears this out is in the book of Luke:

Luke 17:20 (KJV) "And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:"

Luke 17:21 (KJV) "Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you."

The "Kingdom of GOD" encompasses being in a place of relationship with GOD which produces righteousness, peace, and joy through the presence of the Holy Ghost. The Hebrew words for Holy Spirit are "Ruach Ha Kodesh". Given this, we can better understand what Jesus meant in Matthew 8:5-13. In doing so we can insure that we don't end up receiving many blessings from the LORD just to find out he was just giving us what we asked for, blessings, and nothing else. Ask the right question, and you will get the right answer every time. Ask the wrong question, and you will get the right answer to the wrong question, and you will end up in confusion. When Jesus saw the faith of the Centurion, he clearly stated that this man's faith was the greatest he had seen in all Israel. As a result of the Centurion's faith, his servant was healed the same hour. But then Jesus stated that << MANY>> would come from the East and West, and sit down in the KINGDOM OF GOD with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but that these people <> would be cast into outer darkness!!! WHY??? Re-read Matthew 7:21-23 above, "...[N]ot every one that saith unto me, LORD, LORD, shall enter in..." These people are using Jesus to gain access to all the promises of blessing and everything else written in the Word of GOD, i.e. healing, knowledge, righteousness, peace, joy, ... etc. They are doing many wonderful works in His Name. Then He states, to their surprise, "I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." Or "The children of the Kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness." Do you see the similarity here? If this upsets you, please don't close your heart and eyes to this now. Rather, pray for understanding, that your heart will not be hardened, and your eyes will be opened. Once again I state for the record, you can deal with this now, or you can deal with this later. Once you get to <> it's too late to fix that which is broken, and too late to proclaim OOPS, I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND!! In all sincerity, if your opinion of this is that I am in error for legitimate reasons, that is one thing, and the abundant grace of the LORD will cover a multitude of sin. However, if your reasons are not well founded in scripture, I plead with you to reconsider your opinion, in the name of Jesus. If you wish to deal with it now, you can easily overcome the fear, guilt, and lack of understanding by obeying the scriptures, which will set you free from any bondage.

The last set of scripture that bears this same message out, about the kingdom of heaven, is very clearly stated in Matthew chapter 22:

Matthew 22:1 (KJV) "And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,"

Matthew 22:2 (KJV) "The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,"

The marriage is obviously the marriage of Jesus to his bride, the true church.

Matthew 22:3 (KJV) "And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come."

Matthew 22:3 (KJV) "And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come."

Those who were bidden were Israel in the flesh, for the Word of GOD, and promises of GOD were committed into their hands, by the promises of GOD to Abraham. Obviously, Israel, as a nation, entirely rejected Jesus as Messiah. Israel was responsible for Jesus being crucified, and later the death of his apostles.

Matthew 22:4 (KJV) "Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage."

Matthew 22:5 (KJV) "But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:"

Matthew 22:6 (KJV) "And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them."

Matthew 22:7 (KJV) "But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city."

Well, in 120 A.D., Jerusalem was burned to the ground as Jesus prophesied in Matthew