The Immaculate 'Mis'Conception

In the almost 30 years that I was a Roman Catholic, and the fact that my home church was the Immaculate Conception Church in Pompey New York, I always thought the name was referring to the 'immaculate conception' of Christ. The Biblical truth of how the virgin Mary was infused by the Holy Spirit of God, and conceived a child, our Christ, Jesus, born without sin. After getting saved, and becoming a new man, born again, with scales falling off my eyes, I soon learned that this catholic term does not refer to the birth of Christ at all! To my shock and disbelief, I was to discover that this term actually refers to the false doctrine, made dogma (official doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church) in the mid 1800's by Pope Pius IX, that Mary herself was actually, also, born without sin!
The veneration and adoration of Mary was not part of the teachings and practices of the church until later in the 4th century, when the 'fallen church', under Constantine, began to emerge. Certainly during the time of the writing of scripture, and the apostles, Mary was never considered 'holy' or someone to be venerated and followed. She was simply a believer and follower of Christ. There is absolutely no evidence to the contrary that exists in the Bible, or any other early scholarly writings of the times. As a matter of fact, during the times of Christs teachings and ministry, while he was a man on earth, he himself certainly never directed us to go through his mom or any other apostle or 'saint' to get to Him. The Catholic leaders like to point out that since Jesus, at Mary's request, turned the water into wine at the marriage in Cana, he naturally will do her bidding and answer her requests now in heaven. This would mean that Jesus would actually have to view Mary, in heaven, much the same as he did here on earth, as his mother. But, I will submit to you now, that Jesus did treat Mary with respect, as his mother, while he grew to be a man, but once his ministry began, the Biblical evidence shows that Jesus took on the role of savior and Lord, and Mary was to him, someone who needed him for salvation, just as any other human born into this world does.  The most crucial evidence of this, which the Holy Spirit showed me early in my walk as a true believer, was when Jesus was hanging on the cross, just before he died. There, at the foot of the cross was Mary, his earthly, born in the flesh mother, weeping at the fate of her son, and by her stood John, the apostle which, the Bible says, Jesus loved. Jesus, seeing that his mother, acting as any mother would, still viewed him as her son who is about to die, and having compassion for her, yet keeping his purpose, said to her "woman, behold your son" referring to John standing with her. Then he turned to John and said "behold, your mother".  What he was saying to Mary here is quite simple, in plain terms, he was telling her "Mary, I am no longer to be viewed by you, or anyone else, as your son. I am your Savior, your Lord from this point on." Knowing the empty place this would leave in her heart, he replaced that emptiness with the disciple whom he loved, and offered John as his earthly replacement of a son. Mary had other children, including sons, so Jesus wasn't just providing Mary with a son to care for her needs by some Jewish tradition, he was separating his earthly man requirements, we all have, to respect and obey and love our parents, from whom he was always intended to be, her(our) Savior, Lord and God. I can assure you Mary is not in heaven pulling motherly rank on Jesus and getting him to do our bidding (answer our prayers). She is falling at his feet and worshiping him just as every deceased 'saint' is doing in heaven!

Certainly we all have been given the freedom of choice by God. He has not tried to cram his truth down our throats, or force us to believe in Him and His truth. But, through love and righteousness, he has given us his Word and his Spirit as our guide. Once we come to him in faith, he has promised us his help, and we can enjoy his love and fellowship and trust in him, and him alone. There is no need for any other, and to look to anyone else in prayer because God is "too hard, or too stern to approach directly" is not only an insult to the Lord, but it will surely bring his anger and wrath upon you. How can God, the Lord, be like this you may ask? Well, his anger and wrath is toward the Devil, and all his ways. If you are being influenced and led by the Devil, then you too will share in his punishment. Bottom line, if your name is not written in God's book of life, than you will not be spared of the same fate that Satan surely will find. Being baptized, especially as an infant, does not guarantee anyone a place in heaven, though we do not get there by our works and good deeds either. One must be born again, and have the Holy Spirit of God living and working in them. Then, and only then, can we find the right path and follow the right way. Surely, we would not find ourselves praying to, trusting in, or worshiping anyone, or thing, besides Him who is above all others, who's name is life, and who's purpose is true, Jesus Christ, our savior and Lord, above, or below, Him, there is no other.

God Bless.

"I've heard it all before!"

"Mark, what are you doing? Don't you realize what you are pointing out is old worn out rhetoric? Today we are much more tolerant and accepting of our brothers and sisters in the Catholic faith, and they us. What makes you think you have the complete understanding of whether someone is saved or not? How arrogant and self-righteous can you be anyway? You should not judge, or you will surely be judged, that's what the Bible says! Why do you feel you need to stir up trouble anyway, let each person do as they see fit, just worry about yourself. I'm sure you can find plenty wrong with yourself that needs correcting! You should be more like me, I can be comfortable and enjoy fellowship in any Christian church I go to, because I am not looking for a perfect church, besides, if I thought I needed to go to a perfect church, once I walked in, it would no longer be perfect! Be a peace maker, not a trouble maker. God is the judge, not you!"

Are you thinking this, or at least some part of it? Well, if nothing stated above fits your thinking, and you actually agree with things I have shared, then why are you not following this blog? Why would you not want me, or others, to think you are reading this, or that you agree? If you think I am wrong, why have you not corrected me, or challenged any of my statements? When your ears have heard truth, regardless of whether you should chose to embrace it or not, you will stand accountable before Christ for how you followed, obeyed and shared that truth. Even if you say to yourself, amen, about a truth you know to be from the Bible, yet you neglect to defend that truth to those you see are in denial of that very truth, you yourself are no better than they, in the eyes of God.
Jesus did not give us his Word and send his Spirit to us as an option for living our lives, he gave us them for us to have life! Without his Word and his Spirit in our lives, our lives are meaningless, and nothing we do, outside of his truth and his Spirit, has any value whatsoever. You or I cannot be good enough, kind enough or smart enough to gain the favor of God without full surrender and adherence to the truth written in the pages of the Bible, God's holy Word. Who are we to decide what we will believe and what we won't believe? If God wanted us to figure it all out on our own, then why did he have to come here and die for us and leave us his Spirit to remind us of all truth? Yes, he gave us a free will to chose him and his truth, but he certainly did not leave it up to us to define that truth. He defined it, clearly in his written Word., and knowing we would have trouble seeing that clearly, he gave us his Spirit, a pair of glasses, if you will, so we could see that truth more clearly.
What I have shared in this blog is truth, right from the Word of God. I am not sharing my opinions, rather, I am sharing with you the very same things the Spirit of God has shared with me in enlightening me to the truth contained in the pages of the Word, the Bible. I am also sharing with you the enlightening that the Spirit of God has shown me over the years in regards to the false faith I was taught and raised in, though with good intention and purpose, yet still a false teaching, and thus a deterrent to life! I chose to share the words and truth that bring life, that come from the Word of God and have Spiritual meaning and interpretation, not mine or someone else's. I have to know that the truths I believe, come from Christ, you or I should trust no man in these matters. This can only be accomplished by a complete surrender to Christ, a repentance of our sin and our rebellion, and an openness to accepting his Spirit, to guide and direct us. This my friends, is exactly what Christ meant when he said, we must be born again! If you are relying on the teachings of a hierarchical religious order to teach you what is true and what is false, you are subjecting yourself to their will in every matter. Do not believe the lie that only certain "spiritually gifted" men can properly interpret scripture for you. God has given each and every one of us what we need to understand his truth, and we can all share equally in the guidance of his Spirit, we only need to surrender, that is all.
It is my hope that, if you haven't already, you will give your life over to Christ and his leading, and if you have, you will seek his Spirit to guide you into a more complete understanding of his truth. If you are there now, and you are saying amen to this, then God Bless you and keep seeking him, but more importantly, share him with others! Share his truth, help others to see their need for him, and have life!

God Bless.

Who's your God?

I have heard everyone from supposedly 'saved' born again Christians to Islamic and Buddhist believers saying that we ALL worship the same 'god', it's just that we all choose different ways of doing this. Well here is the absolute, undeniable truth of it, that comes right from the mouth of God himself, if JESUS isn't your God, than you have no God. Period. We will look at those scriptures in a moment. Anyone who claims to be a Christian, whether born again, catholic or other, must claim that Jesus and God are one, and anyone who rejects Jesus AS THEIR God, rejects God himself, and is lost.

If you are catholic, I am sure you are saying to yourself that your church definitely claims Jesus is God and worships Jesus as God, and hold all this to be true all throughout its teachings, right? Well, yes and no. The catholic church does (sort of) teach the very same thing that is taught in the Bible about Christ, but then they expand on that teaching by adding their own papal 'ex-cathedra' decrees in their 'sacred councils'. They seem to want to 'have their cake, and eat it too' to say the least, trying to appeal to all "people", and confusing and perverting the true message of the Gospel. Let's take a closer look at what exactly they are teaching their priests and Bishops when they bring them through seminary and then turn them out to teach the "masses".

~

DOGMATIC CONSTITUTION ON THE CHURCH 
LUMEN GENTIUM
SOLEMNLY PROMULGATED BY HIS HOLINESS
POPE PAUL VI
ON NOVEMBER 21, 1964

CHAPTER II
ON THE PEOPLE OF GOD

16. Finally, those who have not yet received the Gospel are related in various ways to the people of God.(18*) In the first place we must recall the people to whom the testament and the promises were given and from whom Christ was born according to the flesh.(125) On account of their fathers this people remains most dear to God, for God does not repent of the gifts He makes nor of the calls He issues.(126) But the plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator. In the first place amongst these there are the Mohammedans, who, professing to hold the faith of Abraham, along with us adore the one and merciful God, who on the last day will judge mankind. Nor is God far distant from those who in shadows and images seek the unknown God, for it is He who gives to all men life and breath and all things,(127) and as Saviour wills that all men be saved.(128) Those also can attain to salvation who through no fault of their own do not know the Gospel of Christ or His Church, yet sincerely seek God and moved by grace strive by their deeds to do His will as it is known to them through the dictates of conscience.(19*) Nor does Divine Providence deny the helps necessary for salvation to those who, without blame on their part, have not yet arrived at an explicit knowledge of God and with His grace strive to live a good life. Whatever good or truth is found amongst them is looked upon by the Church as a preparation for the Gospel.(20*) She knows that it is given by Him who enlightens all men so that they may finally have life. But often men, deceived by the Evil One, have become vain in theirreasonings and have exchanged the truth of God for a lie, serving the creature rather than the Creator.(129) Or some there are who, living and dying in this world without God, are exposed to final despair. Wherefore to promote the glory of God and procure the salvation of all of these, and mindful of the command of the Lord, "Preach the Gospel to every creature",(130) the Church fosters the missions with care and attention.

DECLARATION ON 
THE RELATION OF THE CHURCH TO NON-CHRISTIAN RELIGIONS
NOSTRA AETATE
PROCLAIMED BY HIS HOLINESS
POPE PAUL VI
ON OCTOBER 28, 1965

3. The Church regards with esteem also the Moslems. They adore the one God, living and subsisting in Himself; merciful and all- powerful, the Creator of heaven and earth,(5) who has spoken to men; they take pains to submit wholeheartedly to even His inscrutable decrees, just as Abraham, with whom the faith of Islam takes pleasure in linking itself, submitted to God. Though they do not acknowledge Jesus as God, they revere Him as a prophet. They also honor Mary, His virgin Mother; at times they even call on her with devotion. In addition, they await the day of judgment when God will render their deserts to all those who have been raised up from the dead. Finally, they value the moral life and worship God especially through prayer, almsgiving and fasting.

~

Where does one start? I can, myself, hardly believe what I am reading coming from the one Christian 'faith' that claims to hold all truth. On the surface, as one reads this, it seems to appear that they are claiming that the people of 'faith' they speak of, DO need to accept the Gospel message to truly come to the 'fullness' of Christ. But they also give high scores for just plain being good, and moral, and claiming to worship the God of Abraham. They pretty much excuse them from the requirement to be 'born again' , as Christ said we MUST be to enter heaven. Lets say he, pope Paul the VI, fully intended, in these words 'spoken ex-cathedra (ie: coming straight from the mouth of God) that anyJudaist, Islamic, Buddhist or other must also take one more step and accept Jesus as Lord. Well, this is true, that they need to accept Christ, but it is not just another 'step closer to God', it is the only way to even acknowledge, or even come to God. No one is 'good enough' to please or approach God, and this is why we need Jesus. How can any Christian say that Jews and Muslims pray to our same God, but then turn around and admit that they do not accept Jesus as savior, and Lord, and say that he was just a mere mortal prophet? Can one even pray to God and bypass Jesus? Is this even possible? Lets see what the Word of God says.

Jesus speaking to the Scribes and Pharisees in the Temple, when they questioned him about his claims about himself, in John 8:58 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am." When Moses asked God what is the name he should say to the Hebrews, so they would know it to be their God that has sent him (Moses) with this message, and God replied to him in Exodus 3:14 "I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you." Jesus used the same name, therefore Jesus claimed he was God, and this is what the religious Jews of his day claimed to be a heretical statement, and ended up being the reason they had him crucified!

John 14:6 "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. 7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him." Jesus stated clearly here, to look at me is to look at God.

Matthew 11:27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweththe Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. The Son will reveal who the Father is, not the opposite! You cannot claim to have God, and then somehow, if you are lucky, come across the son! Nor can you expect that your good deeds and your trust in the "creator" or the prophets of old, will give you a 'leg up' to someday (or maybe not) come to know Christ. If Christ isn't first, you are on the wrong path, that big old wide road that leads to destruction!

And in John 15:16 "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." What ever we pray or ask of the Father, must be through the name of JESUS. Any other prayer, veneration or worship is in vain. God does not hear our prayers unless He hears the name of his Son. This is true for every single person who lives on this planet, there is no group of "special" people who are exempt from this requirement. We live in the New Testament age, where Christ is King, and all men's souls subject to his judgement. Our prayers also should only go directly to the Son, and not through some dead person (that's a subject for a later discussion).

If for some reason you, or someone else, have never heard the Gospel message about the Son, and you sincerely seek the truth, whether up on that mountain top in the Himalayas or wherever, Jesus will hear and see the genuineness of your heart, and He will reveal Himself to you, and at that point God would be revealed as well. He can do that, he's done it many times in the past, and will continue until the day he returns. So no man is without excuse, and the Roman Catholic popes should know this, but apparently they are more interested in making friends with the world, then keeping to the Word of God!

There are many more scriptures in the true Word of God, the Bible, that I could quote and make comments about, but you need to yourself search for Christ, and his truth, if you believe people can pray to God, and not know Christ. This is impossible! It cannot happen, and no organization, especially one who claims to have the 'full' Gospel message, should ever lead men astray, and give them 'pats on the back' for adoring and loving God when Jesus is simply a "man" to them. Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and yes even "Christians" are all on the road which leads to destruction if they think they, or others, can obtain mercy from God, and not have Christ as their one and only Savior. Can a Jew, Muslim or other be saved? YES, and many are, but ONLY those who acknowledge Christ as LORD, and Christ is God, and are born again into this faith. Believing Christ once lived, and was a great 'teacher' or 'prophet' (which he was!) is NOT all that is required for your "ticket" to heaven, or journey down the 'right path'. You and others MUST first accept Jesus IS God, and his name alone, is above every other name, and he is the great I AM! And when one finally sees this, one would be severely convicted about their sin, turn, and repent, and give their lives over to the one who saves men's souls from the pits of hell, Jesus Christ.

May God(Jesus) Bless you, and draw you in!

Who's your Father?

My father was a gentle, hardworking loving dad. He has passed away.

Nick Palladino was my father, he gave me physical life. No one else can say that. No other male being on this earth, can truly, honestly, say that. When my dad was alive I called him daddy, dad, pops, bitzy(no idea why?) and of course my father. After he died and was gone, I have not needed someone to 'take his place' here, or represent him here for me. If I was a babe or young child, then I suppose I would need a 'dad' to support me and my family, and of course love me, but he would never be biologically considered my father. Even with a full adoption and name change, my genetic DNA would still be in part (yes, you too mom) from Nick Palladino, my father. So I believe I have made this point clear, we only have one true father in the flesh, established at conception, and no way to change it, nor would I want to.

My Father is a gentle, righteous, loving God. He lives!

God is my heavenly Father, he gave me Spiritual life, and no one else can claim that. No other being on this earth, or in the heavens, can claim to be my Spiritual Father, only God. I have no need for two or three Fathers, since God is everywhere, he sent his Son to save me, I've invited his Spirit to live in me, why do I need another? I don't, and if you have God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit in you, you don't need another Father either. It really is that simple. As the Bible tells us, in Christs words, in Mt.23:9 "And call no man yourfather upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven."

So, why do the catholics refer to the pope as the "Holy Father" and their 'priests' as "Father"? Most of them do because it is, to them, simply a title, like Mr., or Sir, and think nothing of it. That certainly is understandable, and I too, at one time, did the same, albeit, not knowing what I was really saying and doing. In light of the fact that I believe most lay-catholics have this mindset about it, I think I should first show what the Roman Catholic church doctrine says about this subject. I will show a small portion of the decrees, showing the key points they make. You can always go on line and google the documents I list and read the entire script, it is just too much, and a little confusing, to read in this forum.

DOGMATIC CONSTITUTION ON THE CHURCH 
LUMEN GENTIUM
SOLEMNLY PROMULGATED BY HIS HOLINESS
POPE PAUL VI
ON NOVEMBER 21, 1964

In regards to Bishops/Priests:

Let them, as fathers in Christ, take care of the faithful whom they have begotten by baptism and their teaching.(186)

('whom they have begotten' ? We are 'begotten of the Father', God, through Christ according to scripture, not by an act of man)

On account of this sharing in their priesthood and mission, let priests sincerely look upon the bishop as their father and reverently obey him.

Bishops, as vicars and ambassadors of Christ, govern the particular churches entrusted to them (58*) by their counsel, exhortations, example, and even by their authority and sacred power,

DECREE ON THE MINISTRY AND LIFE OF PRIESTS
PRESBYTERORUM ORDINIS
PROMULGATED BY HIS HOLINESS,
POPE PAUL VI
ON DECEMBER 7, 1965

CHAPTER II SECTION 2 
Priests' Relationships with Others

The Christian faithful, for their part, should realize their obligations to their priests, and with filial love they should follow them as their pastors and fathers.

What are catholics instructed to do?

http://www.wikihow.com/Address-Catholic-Clergy

Address Western Church Diocesan Priests verbally as "Father Last Name."

Address the Pope verbally as "His Holiness" "Your Holiness" or "Dear Holy Father"

So, I don't believe I am saying anything new here most catholics and people do not already know.

Everyone simply believes it is just a title, and they are correct, that is just what it is.

The issue here is, who deserves those titles?

God defines the word "Holy". Yes, the Bible tells us to be Holy, but how do we know what that means? It goes on to say Be Holy as Christ is Holy. Our 'Holiness' is from God and Christ alone, it's not 'ours'. We cannot produce it, create it or do any sort of work to attain it. Holiness comes from God, and is possessed by Him alone. We only share in it, byHim being in us. So therefore the only one that should, or could ever be addressed as 'His Holiness' or 'Holy Father' or for that matter 'Father' is God and God alone, who to the Christian is Christ.

To address the pope with these titles is also in direct contradiction to one of our earliest commandments that came from God Himself, commandment NUMBER ONE, "You shall have no other gods before me." To refer to, or think of a priest(man) or a pope(man) in this manner, is to place them directly between you and God, and therefore they have become a 'living god' before God. The same concept, especially, applies to praying to dead 'saints', Mary etc. To send up prayers to them is to place them before God, and God warned the Hebrews (and us) NOT to do this. To give anyone, living or dead, a title or name that belongs to God and Christ alone is to blaspheme the name of God, and thus the catholics have violated yet another commandment "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain." The very church that purports to uphold the ten commandments (although there are many, many more commandments Christ gave us that we are required to uphold as well) can't even get past the first one!

It is not my desire to be mean spirited or "ant-catholic" in my statements here. It is my desire to bring truth to one of the biggest lies 'men of faith' have brought before the 'believers'. We simply just cannot go on being ignorant about these subjects. God DOES hold each and every one of us accountable for our own actions. We choose to call someone what we choose to call them, and we only call someone something they tell you to call them, either out of ignorance or devotion to them. Imagine the audacity of the person if, for example, your boss required you to address him a 'his holiness' or 'supreme ruler' or even 'father'. You would immediately quit (I hope) and go find a job with a boss who is not insane! Wouldn't you? But, we are not talking about a job here, this is ETERNITY we are talking about. That is one apple cart I, for one, am not willing to upset! And my desire is for my soul to remain on God and Christs side of eternity, and steer clear of the prince of this worlds.

If you have read this post, then you cannot now claim ignorance about this topic. This is exactly why Christ told us to go out and preach his Gospel message, because once it 'falls on the ears' of man, it cannot be removed from their judgement in the end. Whether you adhere to his teaching or not, you cannot escape the truth, and the truth will prevail. If you are catholic, and you continue to address your 'priest' or 'pope' in this manner, than you are, and will be held, accountable for that.

I sincerely hope this subject has spurred some thought, and desire, to find out the real truth of your faith. I am willing to answer any questions or even hear your comments about this, or other topics I have, and will, address in this blog.

God Bless.

The Only Way to Salvation

Today the catholic church is a bit different in how it presents itself than it was just a few short years ago (and much, much different than it was many years ago). In the year of the Lord in which I was born, 1964, The Roman church (just one month and a day after I was born, not that has any significance, whatsoever, except to show how not so long ago it was) completed and issued the teachings from Vatican Council II. This document is titled: "Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, solemnly promulgated by his Holiness Pope Paul VI on November 21, 1964". (John Paul I and John Paul II both were serving as Bishops at the time this was completed, they were, of course, to become popes later).

What you hear today, spoken by priests, laymen and even the apologists for the catholic faith, seems to be a bit watered down from what the words of this council, from Pope Paul VI himself, speaking "as Christ" here on earth and proclaiming "infallible", "uncorrectable" words because his 'words' come directly from the Spirit of God (From Vatican Council I 1869-1870 on the infallibility of the pope).

Here is a sample of some of those 'words' that he imparted to the 'faithful' on the subject of "The way to salvation";

Chapter II.14 (I added the bold to highlight some key points)

"This sacred council wishes to turn its attention firstly to the Catholic faithful. Basing itself upon Sacred Scripture and Tradition it teaches that the Church, now sojourning on earth as an exile, is necessary for salvation. Christ, present to us in His Body, which is the Church, is the one Mediator and the unique way of salvation. In explicit terms He Himself affirmed the necessity of the Church, for through baptism as through a door men enter the Church. Whosoever, therefore, knowing that the Catholic Church was made necessary by Christ, would refuse to enter or remain in it, could not be saved.

There it is, black and white, and no official document (dogma spoken ex-cathedra ie: infallible) has ever been issued to refute that statement. As a matter of fact, they go on further to say if anyone should refuse to believe this doctrine, then they are condemned as anathema (separate from God, going to hell, no way out-anathema). What ever any catholic, pope or bishop or priest or laymen say to the contrary is all smoke and mirrors, because once a pope says anything "ex-cathedra" even he himself cannot change that (according to their teaching). It IS TRUTH to them, and that is it. What ever is "said" after that is just meant to give the "appearance" that they are not exclusive, but indeed they are, and they chose to, mostly, hide that from the people these days.

So there it is, if you do not walk into the doors of a catholic church and/or practice their teachings and have their sacraments, you are NOT SAVED AND GOING TO HELL (according to what the catholics teach anyway).

So what does the Word of God, the Bible, say about this subject?

I think that just by reading these verses, you will see which makes the best sense and is really the Word of the Lord. (italics are added by me)

John 10:7 Jesus said: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep." ('verily, verily' means 'listen, listen closely')

John 10:9 Jesus said: "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out , and find pasture."

(going in and out tells me that no matter if we are here or there, in a building or a square, Jesus is found because He desires to live IN US. With true faith in Him, there is no place He cannot be found to those who seek Him in TRUTH. However, Jesus cannot be found when we look for him outside of His Word.)

John 14:6 Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but but by me."

And in verse 23, Jesus replies to one of his disciples questions about why He would manifest himself to them (the disciples) and not the rest of the world? (which is exactly what the catholics are saying in their teaching that Jesus can ONLY be found there in the catholic church)

Jesus said: "If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him."

The catholic apologetics will argue, since Christ is the door, and the catholic church is Christ's true church, than therefore the door is affixed to the catholic church and these verse's all say that. But, is that how the disciples and the early church saw it?

First of all the Roman Catholic church never existed, by name, until 300-400 years after Christ died and rose again. So there was no building in which to "hang" that door on!

Secondly, the Bible tells us of MANY people getting saved in many different cities, in many different countries.

Just in the book of Acts alone:

Jerusalem(vs.1-8), Damascus, Judea, Galilee, Samaria, Lydda, Joppa(vs.9),Caesarea(vs.10), Antioch(vs.11 where disciples were first called 'Christians'),Paphos(vs.13) Iconium, Derbe, Syria, Cicilia(vs.14) Lystra(vs.16) and many others.

How did these people get saved if they did not have a Roman catholic church to walk into?

Did Christ decide to hang the door on the Roman church centuries later because they were the best ones for the job? No, according to even the catholic teaching, the church began with Peter. So then I guess Peter had to be involved in the salvation of all those people, in all those cities, in some way or another for them to claim salvation. You would be hard pressed to find out if Peter visited all these places, and certainly, they didn't have his letters to read because Acts was written before Peter wrote his letters. (Furthermore there is no mention of Peter EVER being in or near the Church of Rome in the scriptures, and no historical proof, from records during his generation, either. Paul wrote the book of Romans in the Bible, and he never greeted the Bishop of Rome (whom the catholics claim was Peter) in the opening of his letter? How rude!) How did these people get saved? Was Christ different back then? Did He change His mind? Was God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit more generous back then, and then somehow decided to reside in only one place centuries later?

A logical man, who truly seeks the Lord and His truth could never believe this, it just does not make sense, nor line up with the Word of God, and that my friends is what this blog is all about.

Does it line up with the Word of God or not?

And watch out when the catholics claim that we are mere 'fallible men' and not able to understand the true meanings of the writings of scripture. And somehow we need help from them to interpret the meanings, because they have the wisdom of the Holy Ghost, and we do not (considering their actions of the past, and today, this statement is quite unbelievable!).

I will leave you with this scripture and Word from Christ who was addressing His disciples, and of course us, knowing we too would follow the way: John 15:13-14

"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you."

He spoke this to ALL his disciples, who were with him, not just Peter, and his Word speaks to us today. The Spirit lives in each and everyone of us that will repent, hear, and obey, Christs WORD.

God Bless.

"Don't put all your eggs in multiple baskets"

  Is there even such a thing as “GOOD FRIDAY”? When did we start celebrating Easter? Who decided Christ died on Friday? I will do my best to help you understand, through the Biblical Word of God, just what is wrong with elements of celebrating 'Easter', good Friday and the Catholic, and even main stream Christian, claims of this "holy season".

I have no issue with, at the time of year when Christ was crucified and rose again, remembering that, pondering on that, being thankful, and celebrating our new life in Him. What I have issues with is when I hear people refer to this as a “holy time” and how they need to prepare for the “Easter season.” This is something we should consider and ponder year around, and what we should be preparing for is the soon return of Jesus Christ!
This day, 'Easter' Sunday, is not any more “holy” than any other Sunday, or for that matter any other day of the week. This was clear to the apostles, it is what Christ taught us, and unfortunately man made religion has brought us to this place of not searching out the full truth.

First of all Paul, writing under the direction of the Holy Spirit, rebuked the Galatians in Chapter 4 verses 9-11 for “observing days, and months and seasons..” he referred to them as “returning to the weak and beggarly elements.” Is this where we want to be as Christian's? Not me, I chose to be more like the Berean's (Acts 17:11), and study the scriptures, and live as Christ taught.

So, technically speaking, as again, I do not wish to emphasize days or season's as being important, but rather my goal is to dispel the lies of man, and show that Jesus had to be crucified on Wednesday and rose from the grave on Saturday and here are the scriptures and history to prove it:

Jesus said, just as the sign of Jonah, that he would be “ in the belly of the Earth 3 days and 3 nights” Matthew 12:38-40/Jonah 1:17 He did not enter the 'belly of the earth' until after he said "It is finished", breathed His last breath, and died. His time being tried, beaten, hanging on the cross and dying do not count in the three day and night period.

Jesus said he would rise on the third day. Mt.16:21/Mk.10:34/Lu 24:7

“the third day” and “three days and three nights” are synonymously used in scripture as is described in Genesis when Jesus himself created the earth. The first DAY included daylight/night and so on. Gen. 1:4-13. (Even so, the “third day” after Friday is Monday, no matter how you try to explain it!)

Jesus understood and taught how many hours were in a DAY, 12 for daylight, 12 for night. John 11:9,10 A full 24 hour period.

Jesus arose “AFTER 3 days” (this would have to mean a full 72 hours) Mt. 12;40/Mk. 8:31

At the time the Bible was written, and Jesus walked the earth, according to Jewish tradition, the next calendar 'day' always began at sundown (6pm) Lev.23:32. The day did not begin at 12am as our “modern” calendar is based on, which comes from a Pagan calendar system, brought to us by none other than our friends from Rome. The night (dark) hours were first, then the daylight hours, but each were their own 12 hour period. We know Jesus was tried in the morning, Mark 15:1, which begins at 6am (start of the Jewish daylight hours), and if Jesus died shortly after the “ninth hour” (of the 12 hour daylight segment of the day), this would be around 3pm in the afternoon. Mt.27:46-50/Mk.15:34-37/Lk.23:44-46.

Jesus was crucified on the “preparation day” the day before the “high Sabbath.” This was the Passover Sabbath, not the weekly Sabbath on Saturday (I will discuss this later). Because of this fact, special arrangements were made by the Jews to have the bodies of the crucified removed from the crosses before sundown (Sabbath day begins at 6pm). This is why they besought Pilate to have their legs broken. Jn.19:31-33.

He was then taken down and buried quickly by Joseph of Arimathea. Jn.19:42.

The Bible says these things took place “when the even was come” the Greek word translated “even” here is “opsios” meaning “late afternoon” Mk.15:42.

The tomb was discovered empty early in the morning, on the first day (Sunday) while “it was yet DARK” and Jesus was NOT there (Jn.20:1,2) And even an Angel spoke and said “he is not here: for he is risen, as he said” this means he did not rise on Sunday morning. Mt.28:6+ Remember, the day of Sunday started at 6pm, so if it was morning, and yet dark, it was likely anytime between 12am and 6am that the women got to the open tomb.The Bible clearly states that it was 'discovered' on the first day (Sunday) that Jesus 'was risen', it never states that Jesus ROSE on Sunday, read it carefully. Mt.28:1-6/Mk.16:2-6/Lk 24:1,2/Jn.20:1,2. The Greek word here rendered 'was risen' is “anastas” and has the meaning of “having risen” which is the PAST tense.

So, since we are told he died at around 3pm, we know this cannot be 3pm Sunday, that is too late, they already came to the tomb way before that. If he 'rose' prior to Sunday morning (daylight hours), that means he had to rise on Saturday which would have to be in the early evening in order for it to coincide with when he was crucified/buried (to complete the 72 hour period). We simply don't know anything about the time from when he was laid in the tomb until the time the women saw it empty. Jesus well could have returned from the 'belly of the earth' at 3pm or so on Saturday, and sat inside the tomb unwrapping himself, talking with the Father or Angels or whatever. He could have rolled the stone away at anytime before the women came and just roamed around the garden waiting for his followers to come to Him. And that they did on Sunday, that we know, and that is ALL we know, except there had to be ONLY, and ALL of, 3 days, and 3 nights.

So this then means he was crucified on Wednesday afternoon, and buried before the start of the next day. This makes sense because most Bible scholars believe, on the year Jesus was crucified the “HIGH DAY” Passover Sabbath fell on Thursday. John points out that this was a 'high day' Sabbath in Jn.19:14,31. We also know that the “last supper” was “first day of the feast of unleavened bread or preparation day meal” for the Passover. Mt.26:17/Mk.14:12/Lk.22:7-8/Jn.13:1

There were two Sabbaths that week, Passover, and the weekly Sabbath on Saturday. Carefully compare verses from Mk.16:1 and Lk.23:56.

Saturday was the weekly Sabbath and those that loved Christ, knew they would have to wait for the following day to anoint his body and do the customs that the Jewish people did for their deceased loved ones. And may I say, isn't it fitting for the Lord to actually rise from the dead on the SABBATH! Countless times he showed the Pharisees and Sanhedrin the error of their thinking of “God's ways” by healing and helping people on the Sabbath. What better way to drive this point home than to himself rise up from the dead, on the Sabbath, and thus fulfill his mission to save the souls of men! IT IS THIS VERY POINT WE NEED TO FOCUS ON, 24 hours a day 365 days a year.

In light of all this historical and Biblical information, how did the religionists come up with Friday as the day of the crucifixion? Well, again, just like claiming December 25th to be the day of Christs birth, they established the day of the crucifixion of Christ and even the most important resurrection to coincide with yet more pagan god(dess) veneration's.
His birth, his death and his resurrection, the three most important events in Christianity, were all  falsely dated and named for the purpose of appeasing the Pagan worshipers into accepting a form of Christianity. Thus giving them an avenue to continue in the worship of their false gods, while at the same time, appearing to be honoring Christ (because Constantine, the Roman Emperor in the 4th century, established Christianity to be the official religion).
The word Friday comes from the ancient pagan goddess of peace, joy and fertility named "Freya" who's sacred image was the fish. The Romans called the goddess of sexual fertility Venus, who's day of veneration was on Friday. I guess this explains fish on Friday, because that rule was NEVER mentioned in the Bible or any other ancient Christian writings. Another thing that may surprise the born again Christian is the symbol of the fish, widely accepted by many in the world to symbolize Christianity, actually comes from this custom of pagan tradition! Of course the claim is, now, that it symbolizes Christs multiplying of the fish, but he also multiplied bread as well, so that is really a weak argument for the use of this symbol. I think it is important to know where these symbols really came from, though  I cannot judge how God feels about using them, I just know we will influence, and lead to salvation, more souls by our example, and love for the truth, than by what emblems we have on the back of our cars!
So we see why the Roman Catholics wanted to establish Christs crucifixion on Friday. Even they, at that time, knew full well the Jewish traditions and culture of Christs time on earth, and though they do not claim this to be true, they intentionally misled, and continue to mislead, the "masses" to believe this lie and appeased the pagan worshipers of their day, and the ecumenical believers of today.

As far as the name Easter goes, you will not find this word in the early writings (in Greek) of the scriptures and only one translation today, the King James version, uses the word Easter (only once), but its interpretation is simply "passover" in the Geek language, and all Bible scholars know this. The word Easter comes from the English language and it is derived from the Pagan goddess of spring, Ishtar (also known as Eoster,Ostera, or Astarte). Ishtar was pronounced by the ancient Babylonians the same way we pronounce the word Easter today. So, technically speaking, the word Easter is not a Christian term at all, and has, in it's original meaning, nothing to with with the Christian faith. Quite frankly, it bothers me to refer to that great and marvelous gift of the resurrection that Christ gave us, with a Pagan term for a false god. I try, with all my effort, to just simply say 'happy resurrection day', this makes more sense to me, but others may wonder what I'm saying when I say this on Saturday! ;)

So, in conclusion, do we have an Easter service on Sunday? I think we should always go to church on Sunday, but see no value, or Biblical requirement, in having an "Easter" service. The preaching of the resurrection is appropriate any time of the year, and should never be focused on any one day above another, or one season above another. To treat Easter Sunday any different than any other Sunday, in my opinion, is idolatry. It must be, because if Easter Sunday can somehow hold special significance, special grace or mercy from above, than man will wait for that day to come, rather than give it to the Lord the moment the need arises. Therefore the day is made into an idol, and of course the name itself, as you have learned, comes from idolatrous practices. I don’t think one has to look very hard to see this very thing happening in the church today, and yesterday. We are all so happy and blessed to see a church full of people on Easter Sunday, but, not too concerned when we see church practically empty when the 4^th of July falls on a Sunday!

Having said that, should we also have a “Good Friday” service? Absolutely NOT, because it is NOT truth, nor is it required of us. Did you ever wonder why it was called “good” Friday anyway? What was good about that day? (though the actual day was Wednesday) If you were alive back then, and were a true follower of Christ, this would have been seen as a very BAD day! The only thing that made Jesus’ death on the cross “good” was his resurrection! If he never resurrected, the day of his crucifixion would be remembered as a horrible thing. So, our focus should be on Jesus, who is alive now, and not crucified and hanging dead on a cross. He is sitting at the right hand of God, and is our KING! He wants us to know why he had to die for us, of course, as is told us by his Word. But, he does not want us to keep putting him back up there on the cross time and time again! He has conquered the grave, his sacrifice for us was once, 2000 years ago, he is alive, and he is the giver of life!

The end does not justify the means here. My feeling is, that more souls will be won to Christ if this truth is put out there, in a loving way. People who doubt the resurrection story because it “makes no sense because there's not three days between Friday and Sunday” would then not have reason to doubt, only face their 'unbelief'. This is a MUCH better way to win souls to Christ, THE TRUTH! Who can deny that?

Man's wisdom says, "don't put all your eggs in one basket" but, God's wisdom says "put all your eggs in one basket, mine (Gods), there they will be safe, and not one broken".

God Bless

My History

Maybe my last name gives it away, but I was born and raised a Roman Catholic, in a very good, Catholic family. Yup, I had all the sacraments, and did just what I was told, well, as much as any other Catholic I knew did anyway.

Now my initial baptism of course was when I was an infant, so no recollection there. Although I do remember seeing a picture my mom had of me in a little white dress being held by my Aunt and Uncle. I never quite understood why everyone, including all the boys in our extended family, had to wear that little white dress, but, the fact that I couldn't remember a bit of it, did bring me some comfort.

Next was confession, I just remember thinking how cool it was that I actually got to go inside that box I walked past every Sunday wondering what it was there for, and how cool the thing looked with all those secret compartments in it! When I first went in, I did just what I was told to do, go in, draw the curtain and kneel. As I was kneeling there, I can remember looking around and seeing a small bench/seat to my left and this metal mesh with tiny holes in front of me, but behind the mesh wasn't the compartment next to it, as I thought I should see, it looked like just the wall. I moved in closer to get a better look at it when 'zip', the piece of wall behind the mesh slides quickly to one side and I jumped back. Oh man I thought, what did I just do, then I hear a familiar voice say to me "what are your sins my son". Oh, I get it now, I thought to myself, the priest opened that, and is in there, somewhere, I can't see him but, boy, I can feel him breathing! So I confessed all of my sins that I could think of, I think I even made a couple up just because I wanted him to be sure that I was really confessing! He laid out my contrition, and I was nervous about this part, but when he said "say three our Fathers, two hail Mary's and be nice to your sister" I thought "wow, piece of cake! I know the words to those prayers already, and my sister is kinda fun, so this is nothing! Boy was I relieved! I did not know this at the time, but I had just completed another step towards getting to know who God is, and also toward securing my salvation, but really, I just thought I was doing what I was told to do, and I was good with that.

Next was first communion. This is where you get to wear a suit, have a cake shaped like a cross and get cards from your relatives with money in them! Well most of the cards anyway. Honestly, I do not recall any mention, or my having the understanding, that the Eucharist wafer actually turns into the REAL flesh of Jesus, and the wine, his REAL blood. Perhaps this is too much for a child this age to truly understand, so this exact teaching of the church is saved for a later time? I never did catch that teaching at a later time either, oh I'm sure it was mentioned or taught, but I think I might have had my mind on when this religion class would end, so I could go outside to play! To me, from day one, I always thought they were saying that as a figure of speech, you know, like Christ did in the Bible, symbolic. That made sense to me. I guess one has to be 'grown up' to believe that Christ meant that literally.

Which now brings us to confirmation. For some reason I cannot remember much of my confirmation, and for the life of me, I do not know why (?). All I remember is I was pledging to remain a catholic and promising to practice all I have been taught. I do not recall having the understanding that when you kneel up front, and the priest goes by with the Bishop, and at the very moment the Bishop touches you he imparts to you the Holy Spirit, and now you are a Spirit filled believer. This is what the catholics claim to be the baptism of the Holy Ghost. If I had known this to be a literal event, I would have said, excuse me sir, but when you touched me, I didn't feel anything but your touch. Shouldn't I at least feel the Spirit move me? I don't know maybe a warm feeling, or sudden wisdom of thought? Something? I do not recall a thing, and quite frankly, by this time, the sacraments of the church were getting a bit tiresome. I and all my good catholic friends were teenagers, with raging hormones, and girls were now cute. Okay, whatever you say, go ahead and touch me with your staff or whatever (don't remember exactly what our Bishop did) just get this over with because I need to go out there and find me a nice confirmed catholic girlfriend now!

If you are reading this, and you are, or were, a catholic, than most of you know exactly what I am talking about. Most of us grow up in this faith and never REALLY understood what it was that we were being taught. I was a darn good catholic boy. I served on the alter. I rang the bells, and poured the cup of wine and added the 'drop' of water. I stood there faithfully and held that 950lb book that the priest read from after he ate God, and I put the tray under every one's chin, so that no crumb of our Lord would fall to the rug below, but instead, would land safely on Mr. Farley's quite large tongue. I'll never forget that tongue, it still scares me to think about it to this day! Of course, I did not know that was why I had to hold that tray, I just thought they had only enough wafers for the catholic town folk and we didn't want one to fall to the floor because someone might have to go without. Or maybe it was to keep the potential drool from falling to the floor in case Mr. Farley didn't swallow back his saliva when that huge appendage came shooting out of his mouth after saying AMEN! Either way, I never asked, nor did I ever question.

The Lord was after me for many years, and finally at the age of 29 I had had enough! I commanded that the Lord tell me what I should do, and I will do it! (as I thought I was saved, and all set, and catholic, and good and all that). That following Friday I committed my life to him, and since 1994, I have experienced Him, His truth, His Word and of course His salvation. I experienced the true baptism, that I willing partook of, I was filled with the Holy Ghost while I was praying to God one night, alone in bed, and let me tell you, you know somethings going on when the Holy Spirit enters you! Wow, I had no idea what was happening because I was saved only a month or so, and Catholicism never taught the truth about the Holy Ghost, and how He truly works in us. Believe me what happened was real, but not unusual or weird to me, it was right, I never felt so right before! Our God is truly an awesome God, and He loves us and wants to give us His best. But He will never force His will on us, we MUST choose him when He calls.

Has God been, or is He now calling you? Be blessed in that if He is, because His Word tells us that no man can come to Him, lest they are called BY Him. So, if God is tugging at you (you know what I mean when I say that, because I knew, but tried to fight Him) it means He sees in you what He wants with HIM! But, you MUST choose Him, don't worry about the details. Yes, things will change, and some things drastically, but life on the side of Christ (in true knowledge of Him), not only is better life, but is incredibly better afterlife! (Hell is real, torturous, and not where any man wants to be, but sadly most choose to go there!) Choose HEAVEN, but choose the right path to get there, because; "wide is the gate and broad the path that leads to destruction, but narrow the gate and difficult is the way that leads to life, and few there be that find it."