An Acrostic of the Word “Church”

C

Stands for Christ’s. The church belongs to Christ by right of purchase, Acts 20:28. “Take heed unto yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit hath made you overseers, to feed the church of the Lord which he purchased with His own blood.” The church is peculiarly Christ’s.

H

Stands for Head. The we read about in the Bible has only one head – that head is Christ. Ephesians 1:22f, “…and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is his body….”

U

Stands for Unity. The church must be found in unity – Christ prayed that “…they may all be one…” (John 17:20ff). Compare: Acts 4:32; I Corinthians 12:20; 1:10; 12:13. Unity!

R

Stands for Revealed. The kingdom the prophets wrote about and foretold was made known, hence revealed in Acts 2 – a fulfillment of Daniel 2 and Isaiah 2 and others. Acts 2:16, “This is that….”

C

Stands for the Cross. We have noted that Christ paid the price. He died on the cross for the sins of the world – Romans 5:8; Galatians 5:24; John 3:16. Song: “I Gave My Life for Thee,” “He Paid It All.”

H

Stands for Haven. The church is a haven for the saved. The Bible tells us that Christ is the Savior of the body (Ephesians 5:23); that means the body is made up of the saved. Acts 2 tells us “…the Lord added to the church those that were saved….” It is our haven now; our hope for the future in a place reserved for the faithful in Christ, our Heavenly Home. Haven – Hope – Heaven!

Jess Whitlock

Mistakes Made About the Messiah’s Birth

The word Christmas cannot be found one-time in God’s Word. That means it is impossible to put “Christ back into Christmas,” since He was never there! Christ was born prior to 4 B.C., since Herod died in 4 B.C. But, Herod was alive at the birth of Jesus Christ (Matthew 2:1).

Contrary to what you have heard, Jesus Christ is NOT “the reason for the season.” Catholicism and Visa and Master Card and Macy’s are the “reason for the season.” The corrupted church introduced the “mass of Christ” which was then shorted to “Christ’s Mass”, and now we have CHRISTMAS!!!

We can read prophecies and fulfillment of prophecy in regard to the Savior’s birth (Isaiah 7:17; 9:6; Micah 5:2; Hosea 11:1; Matthew 1-2; Luke 2). Many religious groups will have large crowds at this time of the year, made up of many folks who will not darken the doors of the church building until “Easter” Sunday. Some of my brethren now host “Christmas” parties to compete with their “Easter” celebrations and “dedication” of babies and elder reaffirmations!

MISTAKE # 1: December 25th is the exact date of Christ’s birth. This date was arbitrarily set by the corrupted church in the 5th century. Dates for His birth have been set in almost every month of the year. It is not at all likely that His birth was in the winter time. Jesus prophesied the coming destruction of Jerusalem in Matthew 24:19-20, “But woe unto them that are with child and to them that give suck in those days! And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter…” Travel in the cold rainy season would be more difficult for a mother. Joseph and Mary made a 65 mile journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem to be enrolled (Luke 2:1-5). This was by decree of Caesar, and was to insure all paid their tax. The powers that be, like today would want all to be counted. They would pick a time when travel would be easy, not difficult.

MISTAKE # 2: The Bible commands us to commemorate His birth! Nowhere does the Bible authorize Christians to celebrate the birth of Jesus. We are commanded to commemorate His death, burial, and resurrection. This we do each Lord’s day (Acts 20:7; Matthew 26:26-29; I Corinthians 11:20-ff; 15:14). We celebrate the “birth” of Christ from the tomb, through His glorious resurrection! The “trees” in our homes, decorated with baubles of various shapes and colors are borrowed from the fatherland: Germany! Our “feasts” with loved ones come from pagan feasts to the god of harvest (Saturn); and the god of light (Mithras). Let us keep our traditions separate from paganism and enjoy time with friends and family.

MISTAKE # 3: The Bible says there were THREE wise men who came! WHERE does the Bible tell me so? Matthew 2:1-3 begins, “Wise-men from the east came…” There were at least two magi who desired to give three types of gifts to the Messiah. There could have been 2 or 20; or 4 or 40. The Bible does not say. Haven’t you ever wondered why three strangers inquiring about a baby caused such a stir?? “And when Herod the king heard it, he was TROUBLED, and all Jerusalem with him.” (Matthew2:3 Emphasis mine, JW). When you look on a nativity scene, a Christmas pageant, or one of your cards, take a moment and count ‘em! There are always three (3) wise-men!

MISTAKE # 4: The wise men (3 or 30) visited the baby in the stable! Again, look on church lawns with the manger scene, and there you will see the THREE wise men. The Bible does not say they came to the stable where Jesus was born! Let your fingers do the walkin’ and let the Bible do the talking’: “And they (the magi, JW) came into the HOUSE and saw the young CHILD with Mary His mother; and they (the magi – JW) fell down and worshipped…” (Matthew 2:11 – Emphasis mine, JW). The shepherds were at the manger. Tradition dictates the animals; not the Bible. The wise-men came into a “house” to see the “child,” not a babe. Their arrival was at least 40 days after His birth, could have been much more! Herod’s decree was to kill all male children up to two years of age (Matthew 2:16). 1 Thessalonians 5:21 still reads, “Prove all things…”

MISTAKE # 5: Mary rode a donkey and the 3 wise-men rode camels! Let me challenge you to find book, chapter, and verse authority for either of those traditions! The Bible nowhere teaches any such thing. Christmas cards influence more people than the Word of God. The weather conditions for the night of the Savior’s birth are likewise unknown to man today. Let us be careful to separate FACT from FICTION, whether it is in regards to the birth of Jesus Christ, or any other subject of God’s Word!!

We rejoice that Christ Jesus was born. Without His coming, we would be without a perfect sacrifice, without the conquering of death, without hope of resurrection; hence, no salvation attainable or possible. We do celebrate the coming of the Messiah, and His coming again! Let us not celebrate in a religious way, those things that God has not commanded nor authorized! “And whatsoever ye do, in word or indeed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Colossians 3:17).

Jess Whitlock

Jehovah Versus All the Gods of Egypt?

Ramses the Great: the Man and the Myth. About 20 years ago I went to Dallas for that exhibit. It was impressive to learn about the man, but there was myth! The claim was made that Ramses was the Pharaoh of the Exodus. It is my conviction the date of the exodus was ca. 1446 B.C. It is my conviction that the Pharaoh of Egypt at the time of the exodus was probably Thutmosis. Moses and Pharaoh observed God’s “Ten Lesson Course” as God came to the tenth plague.

“For I will go through the land of Egypt in that night, and will smite all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am Jehovah” (Exodus 12:12). The one true God took on all the gods of Egypt and overcame many idol gods that belonged to Egypt:

1. Water of the Nile became blood, water was undrinkable. (Exodus 7:14-24). The spirit of the Nile was called Hapi, the goddess of the Nile was called Tauret, and the Nile was considered the bloodstream of Osiris.
2. The plague of frogs covered the whole land. (Exodus 8:1-15). Egypt looked to frogs as the goddess of birth, and named this goddess Heqt or Hekt.
3. Next the lice came upon men and beasts alike. (Exodus 8:16-19). Seb or Geb was Egypt’s earth-god. Remember the lice came from the dust at the hand of Moses.
4. Next came the swarms of flies. (Exodus 8:20-32). The flies came only upon the land of Egypt and not in Goshen. Egypt had a fly-god called Uatchit.
5. The plague of murrain (diseased livestock) was next. (Exodus 9:1-7). Egypt had many gods fashioned as bulls or cattle; Apis, Ptah, Hathor, Mnevis…
6. The plague of boils affected only the Egyptians. (Exodus 9:8-12). Sekhmet was the goddess of epidemics, and Serapis was their god of healing. The latter god was in the form of a serpent. Look at the insignia of medical institutions today and behold the serpent! Yet, Egypt’s magicians were unable to appear before Pharaoh because of this plague.
7. The plague of hail mingled with fire followed. (Exodus 9:13-35). Egypt had a sky-goddess that was appropriately named Nut. Isis and Seth were the deities of Egypt to protect the crops. Shu was the god of the atmosphere. (His name was mentioned quite frequently during the 4th plague).
8. Then it was time for the locusts to make an appearance. (Exodus 10:1-20). Serapia was the protector of Egypt from locusts! Recall that Isis and Seth served as protector of crops. The crop loss in Egypt was 100%.
9. Then came three days of darkness. (Exodus 10:21-29). The sun-gods of Egypt were myriad; Ra, Atum, Horus, Amon-ra, et al. There was no light in Egypt for three days. Egypt even had a god of the sunset, Tem. But, there was no sunrise neither sunset for three days. There was light in Goshen.
10. The final plague was the death of the first-born. (Exodus 12:29-36). Pharaoh was considered a god and his first-born died. Heqt or Hekt was the goddess of birth, and Meskhenet presided at childbirth. Selket or Serqa was Egypt’s guardian of life.

Jehovah God went “against all the gods of Egypt” and won hands down!

Jess Whitlock

Mistakes Made About the Messiah’s Birth

The word Christmas cannot be found one-time in God’s Word. That means it is impossible to put “Christ back into Christmas,” since He was never there! Christ was born prior to 4 B.C., since Herod died in 4 B.C. But, Herod was alive at the birth of Jesus Christ (Matthew 2:1).

Contrary to what you have heard, Jesus Christ is NOT “the reason for the season.” Catholicism and Visa and Master Card and Macy’s are the “reason for the season.” The corrupted church introduced the “mass of Christ” which was then shorted to “Christ’s Mass”, and now we have CHRISTMAS!!!

We can read prophecies and fulfillment of prophecy in regard to the Savior’s birth (Isaiah 7:17; 9:6; Micah 5:2; Hosea 11:1; Matthew 1-2; Luke 2). Many religious groups will have large crowds at this time of the year, made up of many folks who will not darken the doors of the church building until “Easter” Sunday. Some of my brethren now host “Christmas” parties to compete with their “Easter” celebrations and “dedication” of babies and elder reaffirmations!

MISTAKE # 1: December 25th is the exact date of Christ’s birth. This date was arbitrarily set by the corrupted church in the 5th century. Dates for His birth have been set in almost every month of the year. It is not at all likely that His birth was in the winter time. Jesus prophesied the coming destruction of Jerusalem in Matthew 24:19-20, “But woe unto them that are with child and to them that give suck in those days! And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter…” Travel in the cold rainy season would be more difficult for a mother. Joseph and Mary made a 65 mile journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem to be enrolled (Luke 2:1-5). This was by decree of Caesar, and was to insure all paid their tax. The powers that be, like today would want all to be counted. They would pick a time when travel would be easy, not difficult.

MISTAKE # 2: The Bible commands us to commemorate His birth! Nowhere does the Bible authorize Christians to celebrate the birth of Jesus. We are commanded to commemorate His death, burial, and resurrection. This we do each Lord’s day (Acts 20:7; Matthew 26:26-29; I Corinthians 11:20-ff; 15:14). We celebrate the “birth” of Christ from the tomb, through His glorious resurrection! The “trees” in our homes, decorated with baubles of various shapes and colors are borrowed from the fatherland: Germany! Our “feasts” with loved ones come from pagan feasts to the god of harvest (Saturn); and the god of light (Mithras). Let us keep our traditions separate from paganism and enjoy time with friends and family.

MISTAKE # 3: The Bible says there were THREE wise men who came! WHERE does the Bible tell me so? Matthew 2:1-3 begins, “Wise-men from the east came…” There were at least two magi who desired to give three types of gifts to the Messiah. There could have been 2 or 20; or 4 or 40. The Bible does not say. Haven’t you ever wondered why three strangers inquiring about a baby caused such a stir?? “And when Herod the king heard it, he was TROUBLED, and all Jerusalem with him.” (Matthew2:3 Emphasis mine, JW). When you look on a nativity scene, a Christmas pageant, or one of your cards, take a moment and count ‘em! There are always three (3) wise-men!

MISTAKE # 4: The wise men (3 or 30) visited the baby in the stable! Again, look on church lawns with the manger scene, and there you will see the THREE wise men. The Bible does not say they came to the stable where Jesus was born! Let your fingers do the walkin’ and let the Bible do the talking’: “And they (the magi, JW) came into the HOUSE and saw the young CHILD with Mary His mother; and they (the magi – JW) fell down and worshipped…” (Matthew 2:11 – Emphasis mine, JW). The shepherds were at the manger. Tradition dictates the animals; not the Bible. The wise-men came into a “house” to see the “child,” not a babe. Their arrival was at least 40 days after His birth, could have been much more! Herod’s decree was to kill all male children up to two years of age (Matthew 2:16). 1 Thessalonians 5:21 still reads, “Prove all things…”

MISTAKE # 5: Mary rode a donkey and the 3 wise-men rode camels! Let me challenge you to find book, chapter, and verse authority for either of those traditions! The Bible nowhere teaches any such thing. Christmas cards influence more people than the Word of God. The weather conditions for the night of the Savior’s birth are likewise unknown to man today. Let us be careful to separate FACT from FICTION, whether it is in regards to the birth of Jesus Christ, or any other subject of God’s Word!!

We rejoice that Christ Jesus was born. Without His coming, we would be without a perfect sacrifice, without the conquering of death, without hope of resurrection; hence, no salvation attainable or possible. We do celebrate the coming of the Messiah, and His coming again! Let us not celebrate in a religious way, those things that God has not commanded nor authorized! “And whatsoever ye do, in word or indeed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Colossians 3:17).

Jess Whitlock

It Survives Still!

In I Peter 1:25 the record reveals, “But the Word of the Lord abideth forever, and this is the Word of good tidings which was preached unto you.” As a young preacher I preached a lesson called “3 Reasons Why I Believe The Bible” and later changed it to “7 Reasons Why I Believe The Bible.”

Now as a not so young preacher it is “12 Reasons.” In each outline my final point has remained the same. I believe the Bible to be God’s inspired, inerrant and infallible word because of its indestructibility! The Bible has been subject to attack from without and within. A book written by mere men alone could not have undergone the attacks the Bible has sustained, and still survive!

Consider the persecution of the early Christians for believing the gospel message. Some were burned alive, others were delivered to the lions, still others were crucified, some were placed into leather bags with scorpions and snakes – then thrown into a body of water. The listing could go on. The first translators of the English Bible were persecuted and some martyred for their efforts.

Contemplate the efforts of modernism and liberalism toward the destruction of the Bible. One of their most vicious attacks has been through the modern versions (perversions) of Scripture; whereby they have denied the deity of Christ, the existence of hell, the virgin birth of our Lord, the resurrection, the truth that one day this earth will be burned up, Jesus’ teaching on the subject of divorce, that there is but one church, ad infinitum.

Call to mind the efforts of denominationalism to “kill” the Bible. Both the state and the corrupted church tried to stamp out its influence during the middle ages by openly burning copies of the Bible and subjecting those who owned a copy to severe persecution and sometimes even death. Yet, in spite of all these attacks across the ages – the Bible lives on!

Continually the Bible is attacked from without and within. The Bible still survives! Ingersoll held up a copy of the Bible and said, “In 15 years I’ll have this book in the morgue.” Fifteen years rolled by and Ingersoll was in the morgue – the Grand Old Book lives on. Voltaire said that in one hundred years the Bible would be an outmoded and forgotten book. At the end of that century, Voltaire had died and his house was used by the Geneva Bible Society to print, store and distribute the Bible. Recently in a pulpit in this area a preacher (?) held up a copy of the King James Version and a copy of the New International Version. He adored and praised the NIV – then referring to the KJV he stated the world would be better off if all the copies of it (KJV) could be gathered up and cast into a giant fire. Nobody came to the defense of God’s precious Word that day. But, to this day the Bible remains the #1 best seller and KJV of the Bible outsells all the others (NIV included) combined! The Bible lives on!

Clifford’s poem, “The Hammer and The Anvil” says it...

Last Eve I passed beside a blacksmith’s door

And heard the anvil ring the vesper chime;

When looking in, I saw upon the floor,

Old hammers worn with beating years of time.

“How many anvils have you had,” said I,

To wear and batter all these hammers so?”

“Just one,” said he, then said with twinkling eye,

“The anvil wears the hammers out you know.”

And so, I thought, the anvil of God’s Word

For ages skeptic’s blows have beat upon;

Yet, though the noise of falling blows was heard,

The anvil is unharmed – the hammers are gone!

“But the word of the Lord abideth forever...”

Jesse Whitlock

We Come to Worship God!!!

“But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth: for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:23-24). Worship is a precious privilege for God’s child, and God’s children come together to worship Him!

The mighty Messiah speaks to a woman of Samaria in John 4. The woman was interested in the place of worship. The Jews worshipped only in Jerusalem (Deuteronomy 12:5-11). The Samaritans worshipped “on this mountain”(John 4:20), i.e., Mount Gerizim. A tremendous change in worship is about to take place. The Son of God declares, “the hour is coming and now is.” Soon there would be a transition from the Old Law of Moses to the New Testament of Jesus Christ! The place would not be any designated building or structure. Wherever “true worshipers…worship the Father” results in true worship. True worshipers will worship only God the Father. We know there is true worship. Also, there is vain worship (Matthew 15:9; II John 9-11), and ignorant worship (Acts 17:23-31).

True worship is rendered to “the Father in spirit and truth.” The majority of worship in the religious world today is not offered in (1) spirit, or in (2) truth. In order for worship to be acceptable we must have the correct Object: God, the Father, and Creator (Genesis 1:1; Exodus 20:9-11). We must have the correct Attitude: in spirit, i.e., sincerely, the soul of man worships the Creator. Finally, we must have the correct Way: in Truth, i.e., in accordance with the Word of God (John 17:17; Colossians 3:17). When we worship God as a “true” worshiper this will exclude human traditions, innovations, and the commandments of men! True worship is centered on God and not on man.

God still seeks true worshipers and those “who worship Him MUST worship in spirit and truth” (emphasis mine – jw). The true worshiper of God will worship Him from the very essence of his being. (Genesis 1:26-27; 2:7-ff; and Isaiah 45:18).

Let us worship God on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7). We are to Sing (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16), we are to Pray (Philippians 4:6), we are to partake of the Lord’s Supper (I Corinthians 11:20-ff), we are to give as prospered (16:1-2), and there will be the Teaching of His Word (Acts 2:42; 28:31). Let us worship God both in SPIRIT and in TRUTH!

Jess Whitlock

Mark 16:9-20 – Inspired or Not Inspired?

Satan has always been the number one opponent of the inspired Word of God! From the moment he dared to add the word not to God’s Word in Genesis 3:4, until the present, he has sought to vilify the Word of God through any means. He even attacks the authority of the Word of God in versions and perversions, by means of footnotes, alternate readings, and appendixes. For multiplied centuries after the formation of manmade denominations, the overwhelming majority understood that baptism was essential to one’s salvation. With the passing of time Satan has convinced the vast majority of men that baptism is not essential to the subject of salvation. Mark 16:16 cannot be refuted by the religious opponents of the words of Christ Satan decided it was time to deceive!

New International Version — A footnote: [The most reliable early manuscripts and other ancient witnesses do not have Mark 16:9-20].
Revised Standard Version — These words are not found in the text at all, but are relegated to a footnote with this statement: “Other texts and versions add as 16:9-20 the following passage” (16:9-20).
The Amplified Bible — A brief footnote: “Verses 9-20 not in the 2 earliest manuscripts.”
The Berkley Version – A brief footnote: [Verses 9-20, are not found in the majority of the most reliable manuscripts]
Simple English Bible — A footnote “Verses 9-20 do not appear in 2 important Greek manuscripts.”  
McCord’s New Testament — Satan has even sought to deceive our own brethren. Brother Hugo McCord was a sore disappointment when he failed to correctly translate monogenes as meaning, “only begotten” (cf. John 1:14, 18; 3:16, 18; I John 4:9). Also, Brother McCord enclosed Mark 16:9-20 in brackets. He does devote pages 516-518 in the appendix to a detailed study of the controversy — He does conclude, “verses 9-20 are the only possible candidate to be the end of Mark.” Why leave the question in the minds of readers by the use of brackets? Many will never read the appendix!
American Standard Version (1901) — Even here, verses 9-20 are set apart from the text by this footnote: “The 2 oldest Greek manuscripts, and some other authorities, omit from verse 9 to the end. Some other authorities have a different ending to the Gospel.”

This is not an exhaustive list. Did you note the misleading statements such as: “The 2 oldest Greek manuscripts…omit verses 9-20”? Friend of mine, the two oldest Greek manuscripts are not available. These mis-translators should have said the two oldest Greek manuscripts available, i.e., Aleph and B of the fourth century do not contain these verses. If you reject Mark 16:9-20 on the basis of the Vaticanus, will you be consistent and omit I Timothy, II Timothy, Titus, the last half of Hebrews, and all of Revelation?

If not, why not? As to the Sinaiticus manuscript, this work contains passages that we know to be apocryphal. Will you consistently accept those apocryphal writings? If not, why not? When you look at the manuscripts and versions: 22 favor Mark 16:9-20 and only two are opposed to Mark 16:9-20! How is Satan doing? (I Peter 5:8: John 8:44; II Corinthians 4:4; 11:3). The “god of this world” is doing well!

Jess Whitlock