IN SEARCH OF TRUTH

   Just over three years ago, I began a journey in search of truth. 
   To accomplish this task:
      1.  I went to the Bible.
      2.  I went to the internet.
   In so doing, I have made many interesting discoveries, two of which are these:
      1.  most of the history we have learned from schools is mostly wrong;
      2.  most of the beliefs we have been taught to believe as truth are mostly lies.
   So then, to ascertain truth, what must we do?
   Follow this simple outline and you will know truth:
      1.  Educate yourself.
      2.  Teach yourself.
      3.  Learn for yourself.
      4.  Study for yourself.
      5.  Conduct your own research and analysis to arrive at your own answers and your own  
            conclusions.
      6.  Do not expect to hear truth from rich and powerful people, for most of these accumulated
           their wealth and power by lies and deception.
      7.  Beware of people in fancy suits and priestly garments, knowing that people are not
           necessarily as they appear to be.
      8.  Get alone with Christ, asking Him for help, and He will give you revelation in the
           knowledge of Him.

PUPPETS ON STRINGS

   In general, people all over the world have never been to school for Bible lessons; consequently, people all over the world have little to no education in the knowledge of God.
   As a result for this lack of the knowledge of God, they are as puppets of religion, or puppets on strings.
   As such, they are unable to think for themselves, for they rely on puppet masters to tell them what to do, how to sit, when to stand, when to kneel and bow their heads, and when to arise and leave the building.
   Unable to feed themselves from the Word of the Lord, they rely on puppet masters to read to them, to tell them simple stories that will either delight their emotions, or imprison them with guilt.
   As a result for this lack of the knowledge of God, going to church or religious services is not much different than going to a theater to watch a show.  From week to week their behavior is about the same, and, from week to week, the show is about the same:  for they watch a repeat performance, time after time, and throughout their lives.
   As a matter of fact, people will never learn any more from a religion than they know today, and they will never know any more from a religion than they could have learned thirty, three hundred, or three thousand years ago; for all religion contains is the knowledge of men, which is no more than a production from the imaginations of men.
   For the only purpose of religion, created by evil men, is to deceive people from knowing God.
   Jesus of Nazareth is a real person. 
   Jesus of Nazareth is not an idol, a statue chiseled from stone, nor an image such as a painting or a photograph.
   Jesus is alive, living and breathing.  He is not a religion, and a religion does not contain Him, nor own Him, nor control Him.
   Jesus is not a puppet on a string.  And we who believe in Him are not puppets. 
   Therefore knowing Christ enables us to know the knowledge of God:  things past, things present, and things future.
   Religion can only be imagined to be real from within the imaginations of men.
   So what are you going to do today?  What are you going to believe?
   Do you really want to be a puppet on a string? 
   Give Christ a chance and you will be free from the slavery of religion.

A POCKETFUL OF MONEY

   Judas Iscariot went to church with Jesus for three years, only to sell his soul to the devil for thirty pieces of silver---or a pocketful of money.
   Judas walked and talked with Jesus.  He saw the miracles that Jesus performed and he heard the words that Jesus spoke.  But when money just fell out of the sky, Judas turned his back against Jesus and stepped into the darkness---from which he never returned.
      For the love of money is the root of all evil:  which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.  (1st Timothy 6:10)
   By itself, money is not evil; but, when people fall in love with money, a great change happens in their minds and in their hearts. 
   The love of money produces envy, jealousy, greed, strife, contention, division, divorce, drugs, disobedience, prostitution, pornography, gambling, and also hypocrisy, suicides, murders, and assassinations. 
   When people love money, money becomes their idol, their god, and the object for all of their faith, devotion, affection, and worship:  for now they believe that money is the answer to all of their dreams and visions, the solution to all of their problems, and they perceive themselves as gods:  believing they can do all things because they are masters of the vault.  They see themselves as above the laws of man, but also above the laws of God, for they believe that money can buy anything, even their salvation at the store of religion. 
   There are many lessons to be learned from the life of Judas Iscariot, chief of which is the love of money.  Judas closed the door to heaven and went to hell because he turned his back against Jesus Christ the Lord, the only person who could save his soul from eternal damnation---for nothing more than a pocketful of money.
      For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?  Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?  (Mark 8: 36, 37)
     

THE DEVIL'S POTION

   If you could control the world's money, religion, and drugs, you could control the world---and people would kneel to you and kiss your ring.
   If you could get the whole world dependent on money, on religion, and on drugs, you could control the world---and people would kneel to you and kiss your ring.
   If you could control the world, you would become a god to all the people on the earth---and people would kneel to you and kiss your ring.
   The wealthiest and most powerful people in the world today are gaining control of the whole world because they are controlling the money, religion, and drugs.
   Today, drug addiction is a global epidemic---far greater than any other addiction known to man---and far greater than diseases such as measles, Ebola, or HIV.
   Drug addiction is the control of the minds of people; and when the minds of people are under the control of the drug lords, the behaviors of people are also under their control.  Therefore, if you could control the minds of people, you could control their will.
   Drug trafficking is under the control of the wealthiest and most powerful people in the world today, for they know that drugs is the devil's potion.
   The Bible has been warning us that this day would come upon the earth.  That day is here now, and the world is falling to its knees in the name of money, in the name of religion, and in the name of drugs.
   Therefore, be watchful:  for one man will arise upon the earth to rule the earth because he will have total control of the world's money, religion, and drugs.  That man is called Antichrist, and he is dwelling among us now.  Look for him in priestly garments.

LIVING IN AN ARTIFICIAL WORLD

   According to the Bible, Satan is the god of this world.  (2nd Corinthians 4: 4)
   Therefore, this world is Satan's dominion.  This world is his kingdom.  And this world is the devil's sandbox.
   The devil rules over governments, and the devil rules over religions.
   Everything that we see in this world is man made, and everything is artificial, not designed to last.
   Kingdoms arise, and kingdoms fall.
   Nations arise, and nations fall.
   Governments arise, and governments fall.
   One by one they all rise up, and one by one they all fall down.
   Living the dream is the same as living in an imaginary world, a world that is artificial.
   That which was here yesterday is gone, and that which we see today will be gone tomorrow, being replaced by the newest brand of artificial.
   Everything is artificial, not designed to last.
   We get educations, get jobs, build houses and have families, working our way through various systems to provide for ourselves and for our families, to hopefully save enough money to retire, play golf, walk along sandy beaches, take naps, eat and drink, watch television, and wait to die. 
   Everything is artificial, not designed to last.
   Governments are artificial, television is artificial, and so is entertainment, business, sports, movies, and music.  Nothing is designed to last.
   Religions, too, are artificial because they are created from the imaginations of men:  filling the heads of people with false gods, false beliefs, false hope, false salvation, and complete with an artificial heaven where people believe they will arrive in their own imaginations---even to believe that certain men of the earth are gods.
   So here we are, living another day in an artificial world, and still exhibiting the same behaviors that previous generations lived:  hoping for a better day, a day when the world could be at peace, but peace has always been an allusive vision, a dream too far.
   This world is a sick place to live, for people are either dead, or they are dying.
   Conditions are the same as when Christ arrived in Bethlehem two thousand years ago when sick people did not want the Lord's message of love, hope, and peace; therefore, men of religion killed Christ because men of religion want people to die, not to live. 
   The love we know in the world today is all because of the love of Christ.  Take that away and the world is no more than a slaughtering pit of men against men, families against families, nations against nations, and people against God. 
   While men talk peace, they hold daggers behind their backs.
   If you are looking for this world to be a better place in which to live, stop looking.  Stop hoping. Stop dreaming.  And stop believing in men in fancy suits and priestly garments.  Instead, believe in the Bible and you will be correct.
   The only good that happens in this world is because of the love of God that abides in the hearts of people who have come to believe in Christ.  That's it.  And that is all.  Everything else is artificial, not designed to last.

WALNUT GROVE

                                               Photo by:  Blue Ridge Mountain Genealogy

    According to the history of the Stone Mountain Baptist Association of Wilkes County, North Carolina, church minutes do not reflect the beginning history of Walnut Grove Baptist Church.  Based on county deed records, however, there was a Walnut Grove Church as early as December 29, 1884, and it was a member of the Primitive Baptist Association in 1884.  Its pastor was Calloway Blevins.
   Prior to 1848, there was a church, an arm of New Covenant Baptist Church, located in the same immediate vicinity, and the name of that church is not known.  On April 29, 1848, a new name was given, Mount Zion Baptist Church, which ceased to function in 1873.  Mount Zion was a member of the Primitive Baptist Association.  It seems logical that this is the church from which Walnut Grove Missionary Baptist Church had its beginning.  Walnut Grove was organized on or before 1876, a member of the Mountain Union Association, under the leadership of Calloway Blevins.
  The earliest Minutes of Walnut Grove date to 1895.  In 1897, the church called for a pledge to build a new building, and church records reveal that the present church building was completed on the present site before October, 1908, about one half mile north of the original site.  In May, 1909, a dedication service was preached by Rev. Callie Blevins, assisted by Elder W. W. Myers and Rev. Grant Cothren.  In the 1940s, the church was rebuilt and later Sunday School classes were added.
   In 1897, Walnut Grove withdrew from the Mountain Union Association to become a constitutional member of the newly-formed Stone Mountain Association.  Calloway Blevins was the first Moderator of the Stone Mountain Association, an elected position that he served ten times.
   Some of the ordained preachers at Walnut Grove are these:
   Troy Blevins, 1910; S. L. Blevins, 1916; Callie Pruitt, 1916; Gar Pruitt, 1941; Minter Blevins, 1943; Major Caudill, 1949; Andrew Blevins, ?.
   Former members of Walnut Grove, but ordained in other churches are these: 
   Fred Blevins, Ernest Blevins, Hilary Blevins, Garfield Gambill, Famon Blevins, A. W. Pruitt, Uriah Hanks, Avery Blevins, Jimmy Pruitt, Gordon Joines, WajTie Blevins, and Chelsie Johnson.
  

PHARISEES, 2014 A.D.

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


   False prophets are the same as false teachers, false preachers, false ministers, and false priests, and they are the leaders of false churches.
   To better understand false churches is to come to a better understanding of the Pharisees, for it is in them that we will find the seed of false churches.
   The Pharisees were members of a Satanic secret society, known today in Judaism as the Kaballah, which is a mystery religion that Jews learned during the Babylonian Captivity, and which they brought with them when they returned to Israel. 
   As you read the four Gospels of the New Testament, you will always see the Pharisees lurking in the shadows, following Jesus, agitating, questioning, and trying to trick Jesus, or to find sufficient evidence which they would use to justify killing Jesus. 
   Because the Pharisees were followers of Satan, they knew exactly who Jesus was and why Jesus came to Israel.  Therefore, they knew that Jesus is the one and only true Son of God, and, for this reason, they did not want the people of Israel to know the truth about the Lord, as they also knew that their assignment was to assassinate the Lord:  to shut the mouth of Jesus, to keep Him from talking---while believing that, with Jesus dead, the story of Jesus would simply disappear, that the disciples would return to their fishing boats, and that there would never be any evidence that Jesus was ever on earth.  What they did not know, however, was that Jesus would arise from death!
   Even after the resurrection of Christ, the Pharisees knew that, too, because the devil told them.  But because they could not find Jesus to kill Him again, they went after the followers of Christ to kill them in order to stop the message of Jesus from being preached in Jerusalem, and, from there, to other parts of the world. 
   For the next three hundred years, the killing of Christians continued while the preaching and teaching of Christ continued throughout the provinces of the Roman Empire.  They could not stop the message of Christ, however, and Satan was continuing to lose the battle and not win.
  Thus the devil devised a plan, an evil plan, a plan of deception, a way to trick people and to capture their souls by building a church that would look like a church, and there the Jews created the First False Church of Rome, preying on innocent and ignorant minds---convincing people that they had to enter this church in order to be Christians.  Thus the people did as Rome said to do, for the people were already slaves to Rome, and, instead of dying as they saw Christians dying, they entered the church out of fear for their lives, and, while there, they had their minds indoctrinated with false teachings---while not knowing that the devil was standing behind the curtain.  Not only did adults enter this snare, but they also brought their children to learn to do likewise.
   Something that was invisible to the people of Rome at that time is the fact that this false church was the beginning of an organized and orchestrated anti-Christ movement that would continue to operate through the minds of families, even to this day, eighteen hundred years later---while maintaining the appearance of a Christian church, which looks like pristine chapels, leading them to believe:
              Everything is wonderful.
              Everything is lovely.
              Everything is beautiful.
   As a result of this anti-Christ movement, this First False Church of Rome has taught generations of families how to be false Christians.  Because the ministers are false prophets, their teachings are false, and the beliefs of people are also false; but because the people do not know the truth of the Word of the Lord, they do not know that their minds have been indoctrinated and conformed with lies, and so they live their lives with the belief that they are Christians while teaching their children to do the same, which is precisely what the devil wants them to do. 
   Therefore, it should be clear and easy to understand that the Pharisees transferred their minds and doctrine to others, which found a launching pad in Rome, and that, through them, millions of people have been deceived for the past eighteen hundred years, all over the world, generation by generation, and family by family, by false ministers and false priests.
   Jesus said:
   But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men:  for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
   Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
   Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and all uncleanness.
   Ye serpents, ye generations of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? (Matthew 23: 13, 15, 27, 33)
   Pharisees are among us today, in 2014, standing in the pulpits of false churches:  teaching people to believe as they are told to believe, to live in obedience to them, to kneel to them, and how to appear as Christians through their acceptance of dogmas and doctrines, rites and rituals, and by never accepting Christ and by never accepting the Bible.  Because these Pharisees live with dual personalities, their followers also live with dual personalities.  By their words they say they are Christians, but Christ is not in their hearts; and thus they live their lives as hypocrites, or as Pharisees, just like their teachers, their role models.