Early in the morning on the day Jesus was crucified in Jerusalem, He said to His captors:
...this is your hour, and the power of darkness.
Please know this truth today:
Jesus Christ is the enemy of all the religions of the world.
That is a strong statement, but you will come to understand it more clearly if you will simply consider what happened in Jerusalem: it was the religious crowd that wanted Christ to die---not the Romans, nor the citizens of the city. Rome did not have issues with Christ, and neither did the people.
As we have been sharing with you, the Son of God did not come to earth to launch a new religion: the Son of God came to earth in order that we, through Him, will come to know God---not religion. For if religion is all Jesus is about, He could have remained in Heaven. And if the world truly believed in God, there would be no need for religion.
For even after His resurrection, the Lord never told the disciples and apostles to go tell the world about a new program of dogmas and doctrines that would begin a system of rites, rituals, and traditions. A new religion is likened unto a new pair of bluejeans, a new way to bake bread, or new behaviours in order to lose weight.
Neither is there salvation for our souls in rites, rituals, and traditions: these are simple behaviours that can be taught. Man does not need God to learn a set of habits, and neither does man need God to help with another religion.
To whomever you yield your will, you will become them in you. Whatever you believe, you become. You become a walking, talking textbook of your beliefs. You become a mirror image of your beliefs.
So then, how is Christ the enemy of all the religions of the world? Because the religions of the world have rejected Christ, just as the religious crowd in Jerusalem rejected Christ 2000 years ago.
Christ is not welcome in religion. For to believe in Christ, people must reject religion.
Many of the world's religions acknowledge Jesus to some degree: as a good man, a nice man, or they may be generous and say that Jesus was a prophet.
The minds of people are captured and held captive by the power of darkness that reigns in all the religions of the world. Satan is the Prince of darkness and he is the Prince over all religions. Because of his deceptive power, people are not worshipping God because they are actually worshpping Satan and they do not even know it because they are living in deception. Because they have rejected Christ they have accepted another way because of what they see with their eyes and hear with their ears. They are a reflection---a mirror image---of their beliefs. Because Christ is the enemy of Satan, Christ is also the enemy of religion. Therefore, because the religious crowd cruicified Christ 2000 years ago, people of religion have been cruicifying Christ ever since the Son of God came to earth. In their minds, Jesus is still on the cross and still dead. For religion will never acknowledge that Christ came out of the tomb to live again and to reign forevermore.
So that, for we who believe in Christ, the Light of Christ shines in us and is reflected to others.
Christ is the Door to eternity in Heaven; and through faith you must open the Door and walk with Him.
Thus you are faced with two doors: the Door of Christ, or the door of religion. The door of religion is nailed shut, for religion is a coffin: a world of darkness where there is no light.
...this is your hour, and the power of darkness.
Please know this truth today:
Jesus Christ is the enemy of all the religions of the world.
That is a strong statement, but you will come to understand it more clearly if you will simply consider what happened in Jerusalem: it was the religious crowd that wanted Christ to die---not the Romans, nor the citizens of the city. Rome did not have issues with Christ, and neither did the people.
As we have been sharing with you, the Son of God did not come to earth to launch a new religion: the Son of God came to earth in order that we, through Him, will come to know God---not religion. For if religion is all Jesus is about, He could have remained in Heaven. And if the world truly believed in God, there would be no need for religion.
For even after His resurrection, the Lord never told the disciples and apostles to go tell the world about a new program of dogmas and doctrines that would begin a system of rites, rituals, and traditions. A new religion is likened unto a new pair of bluejeans, a new way to bake bread, or new behaviours in order to lose weight.
Neither is there salvation for our souls in rites, rituals, and traditions: these are simple behaviours that can be taught. Man does not need God to learn a set of habits, and neither does man need God to help with another religion.
To whomever you yield your will, you will become them in you. Whatever you believe, you become. You become a walking, talking textbook of your beliefs. You become a mirror image of your beliefs.
So then, how is Christ the enemy of all the religions of the world? Because the religions of the world have rejected Christ, just as the religious crowd in Jerusalem rejected Christ 2000 years ago.
Christ is not welcome in religion. For to believe in Christ, people must reject religion.
Many of the world's religions acknowledge Jesus to some degree: as a good man, a nice man, or they may be generous and say that Jesus was a prophet.
The minds of people are captured and held captive by the power of darkness that reigns in all the religions of the world. Satan is the Prince of darkness and he is the Prince over all religions. Because of his deceptive power, people are not worshipping God because they are actually worshpping Satan and they do not even know it because they are living in deception. Because they have rejected Christ they have accepted another way because of what they see with their eyes and hear with their ears. They are a reflection---a mirror image---of their beliefs. Because Christ is the enemy of Satan, Christ is also the enemy of religion. Therefore, because the religious crowd cruicified Christ 2000 years ago, people of religion have been cruicifying Christ ever since the Son of God came to earth. In their minds, Jesus is still on the cross and still dead. For religion will never acknowledge that Christ came out of the tomb to live again and to reign forevermore.
So that, for we who believe in Christ, the Light of Christ shines in us and is reflected to others.
Christ is the Door to eternity in Heaven; and through faith you must open the Door and walk with Him.
Thus you are faced with two doors: the Door of Christ, or the door of religion. The door of religion is nailed shut, for religion is a coffin: a world of darkness where there is no light.
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