Why are we here
I curse your website
Why all the 'hostility' toward Dr. Kennedy?
Why are you so angry?
What did God "will" for Adam and Eve?
More questions on the word "aion"
It has been a great pleasure
More on the Trinity
What do you have against Jehovah's Witnesses?
Is God to blame for all the suffering mankind experiences?
Israel was not "cursed with a curse" in Mal. 3:9
Does the Lord make things complicated?
Thank You
How grateful I am
Extremely mixed up theology
Saved in grace through faith
Thank You
Do you believe we have free will?
Are you a cult?
Hell fire
Searched 35 years for Rich Man & Lazarus!
Hal Lindsey
Who are you, and what is your background?
Thank You
Why do you have a poor attitude toward Christianity?
Is God really sovereign?
More on Sovernity
"A bulldozer clearing out the garbage in my mind"

Dear Ray:

I truly wish that I understood why we are here on this planet. I feel like I'm in the middle of two very upset and powerful beings of some kind.  I feel like God and Satan have a terrible disagreement between them, and, somehow we as humans are in the middle of their battle. I feel awful being here on this earth and in the middle of these two and their anger/battle.

I know that God wants us to love him and denounce Satan. I am told that we are to worship God. I am told that God is a loving God. I see a lot that is good on this earth just as much as I see a lot of bad on this earth.  I feel it is unfair for us to pay for Adam and Eve's sin.

I am angry at God and at Satan. I do not feel driven to worship God and to give him praise at this moment of my life. The only way that I can become close to this creator is if someone could please explain and help me to seriously understand why we are here?

It amazes me how many people think that they are answering my question, and in reality I don't receive an answer for my question.

I wish so much that I was  not created, only because I hate not understanding and never to find the answer to my question that makes sense.

I rely on my common sense and I need a common sense answer in order to enjoy my life on this earth. Of course, there are those that say that I have to accept Christ etc to receive this holy spirit (ya-da-ya-da-ya-da) in order to receive the light of understanding etc... I hate it too that some people say that we will know the answer when we die as to why we are here.

Thank you for your time.

[Ray replies]

I am sorry that I don't know your name, but thank you for you interest and your email.

Christianity does not give you a straight answer because the doctrines of Christianity contradict most of the truths of God's Word.

There are answers, however.

I will give you some of the reason "why we are here."

1. A great and wise creator GOD PUT US HERE. He started the human family.

2. God is not stupid, He had a grand and eternal purpose in mind for making mankind.

3. God has many attributes, powers, knowledge, etc., that obviously mankind DOES NOT. But, God DOES WANT us to have those same attributes, especially LOVE!

4. Qualities of character such as Love are not instantaneously created, they must be developed. That development takes a creation, circumstances, and time. And so, God creates all these things necessary for their development.

5. Although God is GOOD, He nonetheless has a knowledge and understanding of both good AND EVIL. And so we TOO much come to an understanding of both good and evil. Why? Because ALL KNOWLEDGE hinges on their proper understanding.
   
   People say things without ever realizing how stupid or impossible their thoughts or statements are. Most Christians suppose that if Adam and Eve had not sinned, then we all would STILL, right now, be enjoying the beautiful life of happiness and bliss in a fabulous garden of Eden. NOT SO!!! Adam and Eve did  NOT appreciate what they had with God in the garden before they sinned. They had NO CONTRAST to compare it with.
   
   Now here is a key piece of understanding and wisdom. God wants CHILDREN. God is building a FAMILY. Children are to grow up and have the attributes of their parents. But these things must be LEARNED BY EXPERIENCE!  Not only didn't Adam and Eve appreciate what they had, they ABSOLUTELY COULD NOT have appreciated what they had, because they experienced ONLY GOOD.
   
   Try to come up with even ONE VIRTUE, such as love, patience, honesty, goodness, faithfulness, loyalty, obedience, bravery, etc., etc., etc., ANYTHING of a virtuous nature, that does not involve the overcoming of SOME FORM OF EVIL! There is you answer! There IS NO VIRTUE, NO CHARACTER, NO STABILITY of any kind in any one, except he overcomes some form of EVIL.
   
   Now can you see why we are here? Now can you see why there is not only good, but so much evil in the world? It is necessary! God did not put it here simply to make us miserable! God is NOT in a battle for supremacy with Satan. God CREATED Satan. God USES Satan. And Satan too, will be saved after he has done all of his dirty work. God will make him repent.

6. God is enlarging His family into BILLIONS of sons and daughters.  This life is part of the training ground to be the very SONS OF GOD.

All evil including DEATH itself will be abolished when God has used them to bring His family to a level of love and righteousness that He desires. We will then inherit all that God has and all that God is. God is truly OUR FATHER.

I hope that helps your understanding a little better. Life will not always be miserable and painful as it may seem to you now. This too shall pass.

Sincerely,

Ray

Hi my name is Rev. Mr. and Mrs. G,

I pray that God will have mercy upon you! Because you being a man of God (as you so claim), should know that God does not tolerate the mocking of his anointed people!  And any weapon formed against them will never prosper.   If you want proof of this read 1Kings about the kids who mocked Elijah and got eaten by a bear.  Pharaoh and any other man that mocked a prophet or person of God saw his wrath. 

Where is your anointing?  Where is the illnesses that you have healed?  Where is the dead you have raised? Where is the blind you made see?  Where is the deaf you made hear?  Jesus said in Mark that those signs would follow them that believe him.  I don't see that kind of anointing on you. You want to know why? Because you cant deny God and Say you believe him. You are a hypocrite.  

The Holy Spirit will lead you to truth and Understanding, but you don't have that because you don't have the Holy Spirit and as long as you deny a trinity you will never have the Holy Spirit.  You have sown seeds that will reap an awful harvest of unspeakable damage, but Satan's little tactics and used through people like you never prosper. 

In the Name of Jesus I curse your website and Pray that it falls apart and is completely destroyed.  Along with your cult.  Gods word says that whatever is released on earth is released in heaven.  I hope this letter comes as warning for you to change your ways, and for you to repent before it is too late. 

Jesus said in Revelation to the Church of Laodicea "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art luke-warm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth."  That sounds like free will to me and that people will go to hell. And if you don't believe in hell talk to some people who have died and gone to hell and came back you know near death experiences, there are people who have changed their lives to Christ because of that.  May God again have mercy on your soul!

Praying for you,

Rev. Mr. and Mrs. G

[Ray replies]

Dear Reverend and Mrs. G:

Thank you for your e-mail and comments.

I see from your e-mail that it is you, not I who is pronouncing the 'CURSES'!  All I have to say to that is, "May God BLESS you with understanding and a LOVE for God's Truths"!!

My papers and articles are far from perfect, but I guarantee you that there is a TON of Scriptural truth in all of them, and that truth is being taught at considerable expense for which we have never received a penny.

[Webmasters note: This was true when written. But since then some have insisted on helping us pay for our advertising costs]

It is a JOY to see people freed from religious bondage. I get e-mails by the hour telling me how much they appreciate the TRUTH.

I do not 'mock' the two men who's sermons I critique. I 'EXPOSE' their teachings for the evil heresy that it is.  I am aware of many bible translations (certainly not all) that translate "hades" into the English word "hell," and come up with all kinds of fanciful ideas of how horrible the pain and suffering and torture will be there for most of mankind for all of eternity. These teachings, however, are NOT SCRIPTURAL. I prove that in my two letters to John Hagee and Dr. Kennedy. Greek "aions" and NOT English "eternities."  And there is NO CONSCIOUSNESS in hades (Hebrew: sheol, often translated 'hell'). I prove that in my paper! I Scripturally PROVE IT. You can't DISprove it, that's why you didn't even try.

I understand your anger--I have smashed the noses off of some of your most sacred cows (idols of the heart, as Ezekiel calls them).

The only "weapon" that I am capable of using is the "Sword of the Word," and it WILL PROSPER over the enemies of God's WORD!

Paul didn't believe in the "trinity" and I don't think anyone would want to suggest that HE didn't have God's Holy Spirit.

As I am teaching the truths of God's Word and it is YOU who are pronouncing a "CURSE" on this work, maybe you need to heed your own warning. I pronounced A BLESSING on you! Besides, you can't pronounce a CURSE on all the thousands of people who have already been BLESSED by this humble web site.  It's too late for your curses; the people are already being blessed.

May God be with you always as you yield to His will in you life and SEEK TRUTH--it will set you free.

Sincerely in Christ's service,

Ray

Ray,

I hope you feel better now !

This is about you and God... not D.James Kennedy.

The Holy Spirit that God allows to exist in us revealed your hostility through your rhetoric.

My prayer for you is that God through his son will show you his love in a way that is according to his will, not  yours.

Ok... So lay it on me Ray ! ....   Dump

[Ray replies]

Dear Dump:

Thank you for your e-mail and comments.

I have no 'hostility' toward Dr. Kennedy. Why would you ever suggest such a think. I love Dr. Kennedy. He's a good-looking man of superior intelligence with a pleasing personality and tries to do what he thinks are many wonderful works in this world. He's a very fine man, I am sure.

His teaching on the ultimate destiny for most of the human race, is however, damnable heresy. I expose that heresy by the Scriptures. I make it so clear a child can understand it. There was NO hostility in my heart for either John Hagee or Dr. Kennedy.  Many many people have been helped and have turned to God or REturned to God after reading my paper. I noticed that you didn't find anything SPECIFICALLY wrong or unscriptureal about my paper.

I welcome criticism. TEN THOUSAND people a month come to the web site. [Webmasters note: Now many more than 10,000 per months visit bible-truths.com] Not all are blessed; many disagree with it. However, not one has EVER specifically and scripturally challenged the overall principles that I teach. The main one being that Jesus Christ really is the SAVIOUR OF THE WHOLE WORLD. He WILL save it. Jesus is very good at what He does and what He does is SAVE!

May God grant you a spirit of wisdom and proper discernment.

Sincerely, in Christ's service,

Ray

I read your letter about John Hagee's sermon, and I was saddened.  I don't usually watch John Hagee but the words you were quoting he said I believe also.  People are in desperate need of repenting.  I'm not a fighter and I'm not trying to argue with you but there most assuredly is a place called hell, because if  there wasn't Christ would not of came to set us free from the law of sin and death. 

Mr. Smith I can't help but think your so angered over this because maybe your not sure about someone you loved who pasted away.  God does love us, he loves sooooo much that he sent Jesus   to reconcile us back to him.  God is a just God, a infinite mind will never understand a finite mind.  But the Word says the just shall live by faith.  I have faith not in myself but only in the Blood of Jesus.   ask the Lord to forgive you of your sins and ask Jesus into your heart before it is to late for you.  Jesus loves you Mr. Smith.

Sincerely, 

Melissa   God Bless You

[Ray replies]

Dear Melissa:

Thank you for your e-mail and your concern for my eternal salvation--not to worry, our Lord and our God is many times greater than the tiny, confused, weak, and evil god that is often portrayed in modern religions.

When you say that you KNOW there is a hell, what you are saying is that you have seen the word "hell" in the KJV bible and men have interpreted for you what that word hell means. You like the idea that you and others are special and will be saved, while the majority of men women, pregnant women, little boys and little girls by the billions and billions who have NEVER EVEN HEARD OF THIS JESUS YOU ARE SPEAKING OF THAT LOVES US SOOOOO MUCH, will be put into some fabled hellhole of real fire the have their eyeballs burned out without water, without mercy, without hope, for ALL ETERNITY!!!!!

This Christian doctrine (borrowed from the most barbaric heathen and pagan religions) is the most damnable heresy to every be taught in the history of the universe. I am so utterly amazed that Christians by the million upon millions not only swallow this hogwash of satanic evil, but actually revel and gloat with joy over the idea that most of humanity will be tortured by fire for trillions and trillions and trillions and trillions and trillions and trillions (you know, Melissa, even 3-4 SECONDS of having one's flesh burned with real fire is excruciatingly painful--what human father with a CARNAL MIND even, would torture his own children by burning their flesh with FIRE. We put people like that in JAIL, but Christians WORSHIP such a fiendish monster!), and trillions and trillions and trillions and trillions and trillions of billions of quadrillions of centuries, never, ever, ever, coming to an end--pregnant women, little boys and little girls, just being burned and  tortured day and night for trillions and trillions.....

Kinda makes one SICK IN HIS HEART AND STOMACH DOESN'T IT?

Maybe you need to read my material again and repent of ever believing that our loving Heavenly Father would treat His worst enemies this badly, let along His CHILDREN! Think about it, Melissa--practically no one else has ever taken the time to even consider the enormity of torturing people with fire ENDLESSLY! Jesus said that we should LOVE OUR ENEMIES. Do you really believe that God is a HYPOCRITE and tells us to do one thing and then HE does the opposite by HATING MOST OF HUMANITY FOR ALL ETERNITY. He would be "AN ETERNAL GOD OF HATE"!

Eternal torture is the most damnable lie even concocted by Satan, Melissa. I will give you the gospel in four verses:

1. "God WILLS that ALL mankind be SAVED" (I Tim. 2:4). But will His will be done?

2. "Thy WILL B-E DONE..." (Mat. 6:10).

3. "GOD I-S LOVE" (I John 4:8). But won't love fail when it comes to saving everyone.

4. "LOVE N-E-V-E-R FAILS" (I Cor. 13:8).

Even a child can understand these simple truths of God and of His plan and of His Love for all humanity. How could we have EVER DOUBTED IT?

May God be with your spirit as you seek out these profound truths of God's Word.

Sincerely in Christ's service,

Ray

Sir,

Gods first "will" if you can remember was when he created Adam and Eve.  He didn't "will" for them to sin. But what did they do? What did he do about it? He banished them from his presence in the Garden of Eden!

Think about it! He did not kick them out then bring them back, there were no more chances, once God lets you out, your not getting back in. THINK about it.

[Ray replies]

Well of course we are getting into a mature subject here, and I certainly would not expect Sunday School children to understand it, it does take some spiritual maturity.

God ABSOLUTELY has raised up people for the EXPRESS PURPOSE OF SINNING so that God could show His power in the earth by simply CONTRAST. See Rom. Chapter nine. (I notice that you are not one to be burdened by quoting Scriptures to back up your statement). Pharaoh was raised up for the EXPRESS purpose of GOING AGAINST God's will and SINNING so that God could then DESTROY HIM. Read it. Paul plainly says so. Stop using human arguments and reasoning. If you can't show me by the Scriptures, then you can't show me.

God planted the true of the knowledge of good and evil, not Satan. And God planted it right in the midst of the Garden where Adam and Eve would surely see it. God watched as Satan maneuvered his way to Eve so as to deceive her. God watched the whole thing! Stop believing that God is surprised or shocked by the actions of His creatures--He is NOT!   Besides, the tree contained the knowledge of  GOOD! Or did you never notice that? It was GOOD that they ate of the tree. It was GOOD that they disobeyed God. God   KNEW THAT THEY WOULD SIN AND DISOBEY FROM LONG BEFORE HE EVER CREATED THEM. 

How stupid do you think God is?  It is blasphemy the way people talk about God and give Him no more reasoning powers or abilities than sinful men. It is a SHAME. God knew exactly was HE was doing and He knew exactly everything that Adam and Eve WOULD DO. He is  GOD. He knows ALL. Must I quote you all these simple Scriptures that most Sunday School children already know?

The Lamb of God was "slain from the FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD," the Scriptures tell us. Not from the "sin of Eve."  God made provision for the salvation of Adam and Eve BEFORE HE EVER CREATED THEM--that is Scripture! That is not mans' theories!  I don't have time or space to explain the whole plan of salvation to you in one e-mail. Read ALL of my letters to Kennedy and Hagee, then write me if you have a question.

One last thought for you. God DID create men spiritually weak so that they cannot resist sin. "ALL have sinned..."It obviously IS God's will that for a time we go AGAINST His will. But. . .BUT, NO ONE EVER goes against God's "INTENTION." There is a giant difference. Paul's detractors ask in Roman's nine, "For who has gone against God's INTENTION?" And the answer is, absolutely NO ONE. It could not even BE God's will that all be saved, unless first ALL ARE LOST! 

If only theologians could come to understand that God is not running a damage control center from His throne of the universe. God is NOT picking up the pieces. He is not trying to get things back to being as good as they once were. He is not trying to figure out how to outsmart Satan. He is not falling behind, numerically, as far as how many will be saved and how many will be lost. God is far smarter and wiser and the stupid men who come up with these insane and blasphemous theories and doctrines.

God has a PLAN. (Wow, now there's a revelation for theologians). And God is working out that plan to perfection on a perfect schedule, and He will loose NOTHING! Paul tells us in Rom. 11:36 that ALL is out of God and THROUGH God and FOR God. God is creating man in His OWN IMAGE. It is a PROCESS. That process is on perfect schedule. It WILL be successful. Christ IS the saviour of the world and therefore, He WILL SAVE THE WORLD. How can you be a minister of the gospel and doubt God's ability to save all of His children? That's insane.

Anyway, I gotta go, I have many more e-mails to answer.

May God guide you into His perfect will.

Sincerely,

Ray

Ray

AIONIOS spelled aijwvniob  in GREEK MR.SMITH means everlasting or eternal. it  DOES not mean a few days. 

1. without beginning and end, that which always has been and always will be.

2. without beginning 

3. without end, NEVER to cease, EVERLASTING.

Go get you a GREEK LEXICON from your nearest bookstore, or I will send you one FREE. I have been studying GREEK and Hebrew  manuscripts for 20 years, I was not born yesterday, so I dare you to tell me  that I don't know what I'm talking about. Quit looking up words in Webster's  Dictionary, that's for 5 year olds, and start studying the real word.  I have  done my homework, I say NOTHING without backing it up!!

Furthermore I really  don't care what you believe, if its in the BIBLE, and you still don't believe it your gotta answer to GOD. MR. SMITH. You are one of those people that would not believe in an EVERLASTING PUNISHMENT even if JESUS came down and told you  to your face its real. You would still try to dispute it. MATTHEW 25:46 says  And these shall go away into EVERLASTING PUNISHMENT but the righteous into life eternal. Now the verse is right in front of you, how can you dispute it?  The word aijwvnioB is used here. See I even know how to spell in GREEK.

[Ray replies]

Dear Doctor B:

In an earlier e-mail you told me that I couldn't prove ANYTHING from the word "aion" because it was not in the original, but was inserted LATER. Now you keep using the word "aion" to defend YOUR theory of eternal torment. I don't think you know which side of this word you are on, Doctor!

Besides I have already asked you a half dozen times what was the Greek word that was replaced without authorization for the word "aion" and you have yet to answer. I don't think you can answer! Besides, do you have any idea of the impossibility of tampering with between five and ten THOUSAND Greek manuscripts that have been located to date?

I never got my definition out of Webster's Dictionary. Why do you say such things? Usage defines a word. And here is how God, in His very WORD, defines and uses the words "aion" and "aionios."  And who ever said it means a "few day?"  Your sarcasm is deceitful, Doctor. 

First let me show you that even Dr. Strong defines "aion"two DIFFERENT ways:

1. Strong's Greek Dictionary, p. 9, #165 aion, age, course, eternal, ever, evermore, without end.
   
   BUT, notice this from Strong's SAME Greek dictionary:

2. Strong's Greek Dictionary, p. 78, #5550 chronos, a space of time (in general, and thus properly distinguished from 2540, which designates a FIXED OR SPECIAL OCCASION; and from 165 [AION], which denotes a PARTICULAR PERIOD OR INTERVAL..."

There it is: Aion, a PARTICULAR PERIOD OR INTERVAL!!! This definition is correct, as is his first definition, "Aion, an AGE"!!!

Here then is absolute proof from the Scriptures themselves that an aion is an AGE or a PARTICULAR PERIOD OR INTERVAL:

• There was time BEFORE the aions (I Cor. 2:7, "BEFORE the eons"). Therefore, NOT eternal .

• God MADE the aions (Heb. 1:2, "MAKES the eons"). Therefore, NOT eternal.

• There were aions in the PAST (Col. 1:26, "hid FROM eons"). Therefore, NOT eternal.

• This PRESENT age is called an aion (Gal. 1:4, "the PRESENT wicked eon"). Therefore, NOT eternal.

• This PRESENT age will come to an END (Mat. 24:3, "The END [or conclusion] of the eon"). Therefore, NOT eternal.

• There is coming another aion AFTER this present aion (Luke 18:30, "the eon TO COME").  Therefore, NOT eternal.

• There are, in fact, coming multiples or FUTURE AIONS (Eph. 2:7, "the ONCOMING AIONS).  Therefore, NOT eternal.

• Some aions are even contrasted with OTHER AIONS (Eph. 3:21, "the eon OF the eons").  Therefore, NOT ETERNAL.

• All aions will come to all their ENDS (I Cor. 10:11, "the  CONSUMMATIONS [plural] of the eons [plural]." Therefore, obviously not possible to be eternal!!

Now there is Scriptural proof. We don't need Webster's Dictionary and we don't need Strong's Lexicon. The Scriptural usage of the words "aion" "aions" and "aionios" prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Greek "aions" are NOT English "eternities." 

This is not my or someone else's opinion, Doctor. THIS IS PROOF. You have just seen the PROOF in your own bible. You cannot continue teaching that God will torture most of humanity in some fabled hellhole of fire for all eternity, when God says that it is His will (and God will perform ALL of his will, desire, word, etc., etc., etc. "ALL MY DESIRE WILL I DO" Isa. 46:10--11) to save  ALL MANKIND (I Tim. 2:4, ALL John 12:32, EVERY KNEE AND EVERY TONGUE Phil. 2:10-11, in Christ shall ALL BE VIVIFIED ( Cor. 15:22, ALL MANKIND Rom. 5z:19, a ransom for ALL to be testified in DUE TIME I Tim. 2:5-6, yet he SHALL BE SAVED yet thus, as through FIRE I Cor. 3:15, God Who is the Saviour of ALL MANKIND I Tim. 4:11, the WORLD may be saved through Him John 3:17,

And HE is the propitiation for our sins; and not for our sins only, but also for the SINS OF THE WHOLE WORLD I John 2:2, conciliating THE WORLD to Himself, NOT reckoning their offenses to them II Cor. 5:18-19, God, Who is the SAVIOR OF ALL MEN I Tim. 4:10, etc., etc., etc., etc.

"THESE THINGS COMMAND AND TEACH" (II Tim. 4:11). You don't ACTUALLY command and teach that God is the "SAVIOUR OF ALL MEN" do you, Doctor?  No, of course you don't. You don't even BELIEVE these verses I just quoted, so how could you teach them.

Shame on you, Doctor. You are NOT teaching the GOSPEL [GOOD NEWS] of Jesus Christ. Your beloved eternal torture in a fabled hellhole of fire for all eternity is a damnable doctrine of devils and demons. Give it up, and begin treating your Heavenly Father and His HOLY WORDS with dignity and respect!!!

Sincerely in the name of Jesus Christ, THE SAVIOUR OF THE WHOLE WORLD!

Ray

L. Ray Smith
20 March 2002

Dear Sir,

My name is Richard D. and I live on a little Island off the coast of North Carolina and I came upon your web site by chance and was totally alarmed at what I was reading.

I'm almost seventy three years of age and as you can see I've been around for a long time. For forty years I just took what came by knowing that something was very wrong, yet I did not know what to do about it. So I decided to take some courses from Moody Bible Institute to get a better footing or background in the Scripture.

Well the doors started opening up which to this day I believe that it has been the Holy Spirit that has been the guiding principle. For the last thirty years or so I thought I was all alone in my thinking and beliefs then out of the blue you came and now I know that I have not been alone.

It has been a great pleasure to read every thing that you have on the net. I have come to find men as far back as 1784 that have thought and wrote about the same as you, (God does work mysteriously) I am proud to know you if by only your writings.

As for the T.V. Evangelists I am well acquainted with the off button, and I had a similar you might call a run in with a graduate from the seminary at Wake Forest University and because I don't have an education he thought I was as dumb as a box of rocks and didn't know anything about the Scripture. By a slim chance he may be right but my faith in Jesus Christ will over come anything.I say slim with a mouth full of bubble gum (just for fun).

It has been my pleasure as well as a learning experience to have met you on this electronic contraption of modern science-will be looking for your future writings. May GOD be with you.

Richard D.

[Ray replies]

Dear Richard:

Thank you for your kind words and comments.

May God grand you more years of healthful living and growth in His Word and will for your life.

Sincerely,

Ray

I will try to be as specific as possible in my address.  This paper that you have written on the trinity does not glorify God in the slightest and would not if you were correct or incorrect.  It gives me no pleasure to say this but it is true.  The manner in which it is presented makes it easy to dismiss it because it is in direct opposition to God's word.  This paper is not at all loving or gentle. 

We are told "As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."(Jn 13:34)  This passage in and of itself would allow me to dismiss what you have to say.  I hope that you will sincerely look at your motives for writing. 

Also I do not believe that any of the articles on your site will attract anyone to Christianity in any way which is one of our purposes for still being on this earth. 

Since you seem to have not put very much research into the subject (being as you have found no arguments for the  trinity that had any substance to them) I will give you a few things to look up.  I have found Jonathan Edwards' Essay on the Trinity ( www.jonathanedwards.com) to be very helpful.  I had been having questions about the trinity and he answered many of them (with scripture). 

I also suggest that you find other bible dictionaries to look your words up in.  A dictionary that I have (Dictionary of the Bible Edited by James Hastings and put out by Schribners) never uses the word theory in its definition of the trinity and it gives many arguments (using scripture) for the trinity. 

I hope that I have not offended you in any way but that what I have said has given you thought and will inspire you to write your papers in a more Godly fashion.  Thank you for reading my letter.

Yours Truly,

Michael

Ephesians 4, 1 Timothy 3, Romans 12:9-21

[Ray replies]

Dear Michael:

Thank you for your comments. You have a knack for using a lot of words without actually saying anything. Just EXACTLY what did I write that you find fault with? Quote me a word, sentence, paragraph, that is NOT Scriptural.

I believe it is the Truth of God that offends you, and not my articles.

You said I should get a HASTINGS Dictionary of the Bible by Schribners. Well just for you, Michael, I just happen to have a "HASTINGS Dictionary of the Bible by Schribners, and I will quote from page 1015 under the topic:

"THE TRINITY--The Christian doctrine of God (q.v.) as existing in three Persons and one Substance is NOT DEMONSTRABLE BY LOGIC OR BY SCRIPTURAL PROOFS..."

Are you sure this is the Dictionary you wanted me to check with reference to Scriptural proof for a trinity? According to Mr. Hastings, one would have to use ILLOGICAL AND UNSCRIPTURAL data in order to prove a trinity. My mind and spirit REBELS against illogical and unscriptural doctrines. You can believe them if you wish, however. A lot of Christian doctrines are not to far removed from Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy.

Actually, the trinity theory is the least of my worries or interests. I wrote that paper on the trinity because a lot of people asked me to. I only despise one GIANT, COLOSSAL, EVIL doctrine of Christendom and that is the teaching that Jesus Christ will utterly fail at saving the sinners of the world and that His Father will then torture the majority of humanity, including men and pregnant women, and boys and girls, by burning their eyeballs out with real fire in a hellhole of insane torture without hope or mercy FOR ALL ETERNITY!!!!! 

I believe that most people who read my paper on the trinity theory will find it extremely honest and well-documented, both secular and Scriptural. Maybe it is offensive to you that I "answer a fool according TO A FOOL" when quoting experts in their respective fields of heretical scholarship. I believe that NOTHING shows respect toward God more than TOTAL AND COMPLETE HONESTY!

Contrary to your condemnation of my writings, I have a drawer full of emails and letters from my readers who have either turned to God or RETURNED to God after coming to realize that God really is a God of Love and Mercy.

If you have anything SPECIFIC to criticize about my writing, I'll be happy to answer any questions or criticisms. I am not perfect, but am striving to be, so any help you can give me will be appreciated. You will have to get SPECIFIC, however, Michael, because this email has not been helpful at all.

May God grant you the kind heart that you only pretend to have. 

Sincerely in our Lord's service,

Ray

What is it that you believe about the trinity that we do not (Jehovah's Witnesses)?  I read your paper and I probably missed it because I was so intrigued with your reasoning.  And probably because my mind and eyes were tired from reading so much. 

What is it you have against JW theology?  I am aware JW's are NOT perfect (because no human organization can be perfect) but I would like to have your opinion on your problems you have with JW's.  I am 17 and know I have the truth unless there is something missing I am not aware of. 

I do appreciate your writings and finally (FINALLY) someone has something against the trinity and hell doctrines.  There is only 1 other site that doesn't completely bash JW's and others of the like mind. 

What I think is that "Satan has blinded the minds of the unbelievers" (1 Cor. 4:4 I think).  And no matter how perfect you explain it (and you did a pretty good job) people just don't want to listen.  They come in the conversation like they are automatically right because everyone believes in the Trinity and I MUST be wrong just because I am a JW.  Anyway, I'll stop rambling.   Please reply when it is convenient.

Ryan

[Ray replies]

Dear Ryan:

I don't have anything "AGAINST" Jehovah's Witnesses.I applaud their not teaching eternal torment, however many of their other teachings are just not true.

It would take DAYS to go through just the basics. I don't have the time. Plus, I don't know everything they believe. I'll go through just a couple of sentences of the first page of a chapter entitled, 'WHAT ARE THE TEACHINGS OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES?" found in a book entitled, "Religions in America." This chapter was written and/or edited by the late Milton G. Henschel, director of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society.

"Jehovah is the only true God. His supremacy has been challenged by Satan, who caused the rebellion in Eden and who puts the integrity of all men to the test. God's primary purpose is the vindication of this supremacy....Christ took power in heaven as King. This happened in 1914 .... Christ is now in his second presence. He will always remain invisible to humans, but his presence is proved by world events since 1914, which fulfill all the predictions of Matt. 24."

How much of that is scripturally true? Not much.

God's supremacy has not been challenged by Satan. Satan can do no more than God allows. Have you never noticed in the first chapter of the book of Job how Satan must ASK PERMISSION before touching anyone? 

Satan didn't 'CAUSE' a rebellion in Eden. Eve lusted after the forbidden fruit and sinned.  And it was GOD who planted that tree and it was GOD who put it right in the middle of the garden, and it was GOD who made it beautiful and desirable to make one wise, etc., etc. It was NOT SATAN who did these things. Furthermore, the forbidden tree contained the "knowledge of GOOD." If Adam and Eve wanted to know 'good' it was to be found in that very forbidden tree. You see there IS NO knowledge of good without a knowledge of evil. That's why God put them both IN THE SAME TREE!!!

Satan does not put the "integrity" of all men to the test. Men HAVE NO INTEGRITY!! Men [Adam, humanity, the carnal natural mind] are hostile toward God and His spiritual law. Man is self-centered, lustful, greedy, unholy, unthankful, stubborn, carnal, rebellious, with a heart that is deceitful above all things. Integrity? Man has NONE to be challenged.

The "primary purpose" of God is NOT the vindication of His name. God doesn't have to prove anything to anyone--especially Satan. God's primary purpose is to have SONS AND DAUGHTERS. To expand His FAMILY. To enlarge His Kingdom. To have children who "know both good and evil" and have come through a life experience that makes them finally DESIRE GOOD ABOVE ALL ELSE. All that ever was, is, or ever will be is for the GLORY OF GOD!

Jesus did NOT take power and Kingship in 1914. Jesus was given all these things at His resurrection two thousand years ago. After His resurrection, Jesus told His disciple, "Given to Me [then, not 1900 years later] was ALL AUTHORITY IN HEAVEN AND ON THE EARTH." (Matt. 28:19. See Revelation for proof that Jesus was ALREADY King of kings and Lord of lords nineteen hundred years ago when John wrote Revelation.

Christ is NOT now in His second presence. Christ will return in glory and splendor to all His saints.

Jesus will NOT "always remain invisible to humans." "We are aware that, if He should be manifested, we shall BE LIKE HIM, for we shall SEE Him according as He IS" (I Jn 3:3). We will "SEE HIM." There it is.

All the prophecies of Matt. 24 have NOT been fulfilled as yet. "Except those days were shorted, no flesh at all would be saved alive" (Matt. 24:22). That has never happened before or after 1914. There has never been a time that unless that period were shortened by certain days, all flesh on earth would have been destroyed. That's nonsense to say such a thing.

"For then shall be great affliction, such as has not occurred from the beginning of the world till now; neither under any circumstances may be occurring again" (Matt. 24:21). I guarantee you that times were much worse during world war II than during world war I. 1914 was a walk in the park compared to the holocaust and the carnage of the 1940's.

"Now immediately after the affliction of those days the sun shall be DARKENED and the moon shall not be giving her beams, and the stars shall be FALLING FROM HEAVEN, AND THE POWERS OF THE HEAVENS SHALL BE SHAKEN" (Matt. 24:29). Ryan, such a thing has never happened in the history of the world! But notice that this MUST happen first BEFORE Jesus returns, "And THEN [not in 1914, but 'then'] shall appear the SIGN OF THE SON OF MANKIND IN HEAVEN...all the tribes of the land shall grieve, and they shall SEE THE SON OF MANKIND COMING on the clouds of heaven with POWER and MUCH GLORY" (Ver. 30).

Salvation to the Jehovah's Witnesses is not far removed from the "happy hunting grounds" of the American Indian. We will NOT sit around under our fit trees for thousands and thousands of ages sipping cider and singing gospel music, Ryan. The saints and believers being called NOW in this age, are being prepared to reign WITH CHRIST ON HIS THRONE AS KINDS AND PRIESTS to save the entirety of the universe. For ages upon ages we will reign with Christ. This is a far cry from the expectation of the Jehovah's Witnesses and their eternal paradise in fields of clover.

Anyway, I don't have time to go through the whole book. There's a couple of sentences for you to consider.

Till next time....

Sincerely,

Ray

Ray,

I stumbled upon your website and read some of your explanations of biblical doctrine. I must admit, I was encouraged at your in-depth research and interest in scriptural truth.

The bible say's at Proverb's 2:1-5 "My son, if you will receive my sayings and treasure up my own commandments with yourself, so as to pay attention to wisdom with your ear, that you may incline your heart to discernment; if, moreover, you call out for understanding itself and you give forth your voice for discernment itself, if you keep seeking for it as for silver, and as for hid treasure you keep searching for it, in that case you will understand the fear of Jehovah, and you will find the very knowledge of God."

I have come to realize, most people do not put forth that kind of effort in learning bible truth's. Instead, the rely on the interpretation of their ministers and rely on their own thoughts of what the scriptures mean.

Again Proverb's 3:5 say's, "Trust in Jehovah with all your heart, and do not lean upon your own understanding. In all your ways take notice of him, and He himself will make your path straight." As I read some of your comments, I thought to myself, "could he be? "He sure sounds like one of Jehovah's servants."

Then I read a reply to one of Jehovah's servants. You said, "I don"t have anything against Jehovah's Witness. I applaud their not teaching eternal torment, however many of their other teachings are just not true."

That is why I am writing to you. Your explanation, basically means that, you feel that God is to blame for all the suffering mankind experiences.

You say:

God's supremacy has not been challenged by Satan. Satan can do no more than what God allows him to do.

Have you ever noticed in the first chapter of Job how Satan had to ASK PERMISSION before touching anyone? Satan does not put the integrity of all men to the test.What the bible say's. First the bible book of Job did not say that Satan asked God's permission to touch Job. If you NOTICE in the 1st chapter of Job, Satan did not ask for permission to touch Job. He asked GOD to touch Job, big difference in what you say.

Actually that whole account describes a challenge towards God and Job. Job's integrity to God was challenged and Satan charged God, that He was mistaken in the way He created humans, and that none would want to do the right thing when put under pressure. In fact he claimed that under test they would even curse God! (Job 1:8-12; 2:3-5) Yes, Job's integrity to Jehovah was challenged. Then Jehovah with confidence in that integrity and knowing His own ability to recover and reward Job, PERMITTED Satan to test Job's integrity to the limit.

So yes, the book of Job proves that Satan does challenge man's integrity towards God. He was an outstanding example to all true Christians of integrity to God under trial. Satan does put the integrity of man to the test.

Remember our example Jesus? What was Satan doing to Jesus during his temptations? Was not Satan trying to get Jesus to be disloyal to God? Was that not a challenge of Jesus integrity to God? The answer is clear, yes it was.

You say Satan did not cause the rebellion in Eden. Eve lusted after the forbidden fruit and sinned. And it was GOD who planted the tree and it was GOD who put it right in the middle of the garden and it was GOD who made it so beautiful and desirable to make one wise, etc., etc. It was not Satan who done those things.

What the bible say's:

The way you put it, you feel that because God put mankind in a beautiful garden like home, with an abundance of food, that He is to blame for the rebellion in Eden! That could not be any farther from the truth. The bible says that Jehovah's original purpose for mankind and the earth was for man to live forever on a paradise earth. He gave them a wonderful home, the Garden of Eden, which means, Park of Pleasure. He gave them a wonderful fulfilling assignment, they were to fill the earth and subdue it ( Gen. 1:28 ). God wanted them to extend the paradise throughout the whole earth. They were to take care of the Garden and spread it out. What a wonderful assignment! Who doesn't like to garden? not many. Adam had other duties too. He had to name the animals ( Gen. 2:19 ).Yes, the creator gave mankind a perfect start, it could not have been better. What a caring God he proved to be!

So was it God who caused the rebellion in Eden like you claim or was it Satan, the one who you believe did not cause it? LOOK at the bible's account. In Genesis Chapter 2 and 3 it records the creation. It says that God made the Garden of Eden, like you claim. It does say that god made every tree desirable to ones sight, like you claim. Does that mean that, just because God provided beautiful trees good for food, that he caused the rebellion? as you claim!

Notice Ch. 3 describes Eve being confronted by a serpent. That serpent spoke to her, enticing her to eat from the tree ( Gen. 3:1,4,5). WHO WAS THIS SERPENT? The bible say's that Satan the Devil used that serpent, much in the same way a ventriloquist uses a dummy, to entice Eve to rebel against God. In the book of Revelations, Satan is refereed to as the "Original Serpent" ( Rev.12:9; 20:2 )

And notice it was only AFTER Satan had questioned about the tree, that it became something longed for the eyes and was something desirable to look at ( gen.3:6 ). That is why the bible say's CONSEQUENTLY, which means, as  a result of: ( after Satan had questioned her about the tree ) the women saw that the tree was good for food and so on. So it was because of Satan the Devils questioning Eve concerning the tree, that caused her to violate God's law, concerning that tree.

Think about it ! Adam and Eve had been living in the garden for some time now. Do you think that she had never seen the tree before? Not likely. It was only after Satan said that she would be like God if she ate from it, that she began to look at the tree differently.

It is very clear that it was Satan who promoted rebellion against God in the Garden of Eden, NOT GOD! And by you blaming God for the rebellion, you're saying that he is the cause of wickedness committed in human history, He is the source of all wars, the crime ,the immorality , the oppression, the lying, the hypocrisy, the disease, which was the direct result from the rebellion in Eden. But the bible clearly states that "You are not a God taking delight in wickedness." (Ps. 5:4) Any one loving violence His soul certainly hates."( Ps 11:5) " God... cannot lie"( Titus 1:2 ) " From oppression  and from violence he will redeem their soul, and their blood will be precious in his eyes."( Ps 72:14) " God is love"(1 John 4:8)"he is a lover of righteousness and justice." (Ps.33:5)

GOD DOES NOT CAUSE SUFFERING!

In closing, I hope you prayerfully consider this letter. I also pray that in your studies, Jehovah helps you to see, He has an organization on earth, which is Jehovah's Witnesses, doing his will which is that all sorts of men come into an accurate knowledge of the truth and be saved by means of the Good news of God's Kingdom. ( 1Tim.2:;4 ) (Isaiah 43:10) (Matthew 24:14)

Sincerely,

Derrick

Ps If you want to talk more I'd be happy to.

[Ray replies]

Thank you for your email and comments.

I will briefly go through your comments:

You said, "...you [that's me] feel that God is to BLAME for all the suffering mankind experiences." Well, I would say "blame" is a very poor choice of words to describe what I believe regarding this matter. Blame denotes being WRONG or doing BAD or SINNING. God NEVER sins! A sin is a MISTAKE, a MISSING OF THE MARK, a FALLING SHORT of the ideal, whatsoever is not OF FAITH, and LAWLESSNESS. 

God is not to BLAME for any of these. God is, however, responsible for EVIL and SINNERS, and everything else in this universe, seeing that it was He Who created it.

It does no good to hide one's head in the sand and pretend that God has nothing to do with EVIL. I heard Billy Graham teach the whole world from the national cathedral after 9/11 that, "God is not the author of evil." But of course, Billy Graham doesn't use the Scriptures for his authority, but rather the unscriptural traditions of men:

Isa. 45:7,  "I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace [good] , and CREATE EVIL;  I the LORD DO ALL THESE THINGS." 

God most certainly IS the creator of EVIL!

Contrary to the pagan and unscriptural traditions and heresies of Christendom, God IS responsible for ALL, because "ALL IS OF GOD" (Eph. 1:11, Rom. 11:36, II Cor.5:18), Etc.

You can't quote a Scripture that states that God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, and therefore conclude that God is opposed to anyone ever dying. God Himself makes WAR IN RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Have you never read ALL of the Bible:

"Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not EVIL AND GOOD?" (Lam. 3:38).

"...an experience of EVIL hath God given to the sons of man to humble him thereby" (Ecc. 1:13, Concordant Translation).

"Or has not the potter [GOD] the right over the clay, out of the same kneading to make one vessel, indeed, for honor, yet, on for DISHONOR?" (Rom. 9:19-25).

"...I [GOD] will bring EVIL from the north, and a GREAT DESTRUCTION" (Jer. 4:6).

"...Hear, O earth:  behold, I [GOD] will bring EVIL upon this people..." (Jer. 6:19).

"And he said, I [the lying spirit] will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets... and He [GOD] said, ...GO forth, and DO SO" (I Kg. 22:22).

"He [GOD] turned their heart to HATE HIS PEOPLE..." (Psa. 105:25).

"...Thus said the Lord; Behold, I FRAME EVIL AGAINST YOU, and devise a device against you..." (Jer. 18:11).

"O LORD, why has THOU MADE US TO ERR from thy ways, and HARDENED OUR HEART from thy fear?" (Isa. 63:17).

"...so shall the Lord bring upon you ALL EVIL THINGS, until he have destroyed you..." (Josh. 23:15).

"...shall there be  EVIL in a city, and the LORD HAS NOT DONE IT?" (Am. 3:6).

"Thus saith the Lord of hosts... go and SMITE Amelek... DESTROY... SLAY both man and woman, INFANT AND SUCKLING..." (I Sam. 15:2-3).

These may not be verses for Sunday school children, but they are Scripture for the mature.

God "SCOURGES every son that He receives." If you know anything about "scourging" you know it is quite severe. Job's afflictions were QUITE severe, our Apostle Paul's afflictions were QUITE severe.

God created EVIL, and God uses EVIL. But, He uses it for a GOOD AND HOLY AND RIGHTEOUS PURPOSE! "Evil" has nor moral bias. Evil is only a SIN when men use evil against other men. When God uses it, it is NO sin.

I did not say that Satan said: "Lord God, may I have permission to beat the hell out of Job?"  I was merely showing that that WAS the implication of the discussion. Being "permitted" to do something is the same as "permission" to do something; there is no difference.  Now, notice your OWN words:  "Then   Jehovah...PERMITTED Satan to test Job's integrity to the limit."

Jesus Christ is not a man to be compared with us, as when Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness.

You suggest that I feel that God "...is to blame for the rebellion in Eden!   That could not be any farther from the truth. The bible says that Jehovah's ORIGINAL PURPOSE...." Again, I don't like your choice of words, "blame." Let's say "responsible."  And that IS the truth.

You mention God's "original purpose" suggesting that that purpose has now been thwarted and has forced God to go to plan 'B'!  Now that is nonsense!  NO ONE thwarted God's original plan. God is not going to "Plan B." Contrary to all Christendom, God IS NOT RUNNING A DAMAGE CONTROL CENTER FROM HIS THRONE IN HEAVEN!!!

No one. ABSOLUTELY NO ONE will ever thwart God's original plan! It is blasphemy to even suggest it! God has always known the beginning from the end. How and why, pray tell, would God have provided a Sacrifice "SLAIN FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD" (before Adam and Eve were ever created), if God did not plan for Adam and Eve TO SIN and disobey and eat of the forbidden fruit, and thereby have need of a SAVIOUR?

We have to have a little sensibility about us. God Himself possesses a knowledge of good and evil. God wants SONS. Sons posses the attributes of their Father. It was necessary for us to learn of good and evil. They are both in the same fruit tree, as there can be no knowledge of good without a knowledge of evil. All of life's knowledge is a contrast. We cannot appreciate health unless we see sickness, we cannot appreciate food until we get hungry. When cannot know what light is unless we experience darkness. 

Your theory that man would have been happy in the Garden for all eternity if he hadn't eaten of the forbidden fruit is nonsense. He didn't really know that ANYTHING in the Garden was good--he had never experienced EVIL! It's that simple and it's that profound. God is truly WISE!

God has designed men to be spiritually WEAK. Men go against God's WILL--God planned for men to go against His will--it was His original INTENTION. But...BUT, absolutely NO ONE HAS EVER OR EVER WILL, GO AGAINST HIS INTENTION! Romans 9:19 should read, "Why, then, is He still blaming? for who has withstood HIS INTENTION?" And the answer is, "absolutely NO ONE"!

You casually mention the Serpent, Satan the Devil in the Garden. Where did HE come from? Who created HIM? How come HE was permitted to destroy Adam and Eve? Where was GOD during all this? Christians put Almighty God on the level of human beings. With the same weaknesses, the same stupidity, the same inept plans, etc., etc. God IS NOT A MAN!   These things did not "just happen" in the Garden without God's KNOWING or without God's PERMISSION, or without God's INTENTION that they happen!

In your closing paragraph you use all caps stating: "GOD DOES NOT CAUSE SUFFERING!"  I'm sorry, that statement is just not true. Job was a perfect and upright man, and yet God TOLD SATAN TO INFLICT HIM WITH UNIMAGINABLE SUFFERING!

Read it again!

David suffered all the days of his life. Paul suffered like no man who has ever lived (II Cor 11:22-28). Jesus personally said how severely Paul would have to SUFFER (Acts 9:16). Jesus Christ SUFFERED (Mat. 16:21). And it "PLEASED GOD TO BRUISE HIM" in that suffering of death on the cross!! It is through MUCH trials and tribulation [suffering] that we enter the Kingdom of God (Acts 14:23).

And even more, Peter tells us that for the very PURPOSE OF SUFFERING we were called! "For for this were you called, seeing that Christ also SUFFERED for your sakes, leaving you an example [or copy], that YOU SHOULD BE FOLLOWING UP IN THE FOOTPRINTS of Him..."

Just one more: "So that, let those also who ARE SUFFERING [why? for what purpose? by Whose hand?] according TO THE WILL OF GOD commit their souls to a faithful Creator in the doing of Good" (I Pet. 4:19). It is "according to the will of God" that we suffering. I don't mean to be overly critical of your comments, but they just aren't Scriptural.

May God guide you into His wisdom and perfect will for you life.

Sincerely,

Ray

Good afternoon Ray,

Thank you for all your efforts.

However I have checked one thing with a friend who reads her bible - born again Israelite believer - in Hebrew and she told me the text in Malachi does say "atem mehara", meaning exactly "you are cursed" and not "you have cursed".

I just thought you might be interested, since you say you seek to restore Truth.

With blessings

Ann

[Ray Replies]

Dear Ann:

What a crock!

There is no "atem mehara" meaning "you are cursed."  That's a lie.

Here are the Hebrew words used in the spurious King James phrase: "You are cursed with a curse" ..."attem [ye] arar [curse--a verb] merah [a curse--a noun]."

"Ye curse a curse."  Who is doing the cursing with a curse? God? NO--"ye"--Israel: the "whole nation."  The next phrase:  "attem [ye] qaba [defraud] kol kol [the whole] goy goy [nation]."

Ye curse [ME with] a curse, [and] ye defraud [Me this] whole nation."

"Me" is understood. There is no Hebrew word in this verse for "me."

Plainly and clearly and emphatically it is stated that it is "YE" [the whole nation] and not "God" who is doing the "cursing" and the "defrauding" in this verse.

God be with you,

Ray

Hi Ray,

I have been reading the 60 pages on The Rich man and Lazarus. Wow ! You sure went into detail. How long did it take you to do all this amazing research? 

I have a long ways to go yet to finish reading what you wrote but so far it looks like you have some very interesting points and it's easy to follow. I plan to get back to you later. I may have a lot of questions. Hope you don't mind.  

Is that your picture on the front page?

One question I have right now is how can the average Christian possibly get the true meaning of this Parable if it took such extensive research? 

It seems that most Christians in a life time would never go to the extent that you have. Does the Lord make things that deep and complicated? The way you break things down does seem complicated but the research and time you must have put into this is over whelming.       

Darleen

[Ray replies]

Dear Darleen:

Yes, that is my picture. Although I should probably update it seeing that that picture is about six years old.

A few words regarding the understanding of the Scriptures.

1. Almost everything in the entire  Bible is SPIRITUALLY discerned.
    
2. Jesus taught in parables so that his listeners in public would NOT understand a thing He was saying. He had to teach the meaning of these parables to His disciples in private.
    
3. Once you understand thoroughly a half dozen spiritual TRUTHS, the rest is kinda easy.

One will never ever understand the Scriptures with the mind set and carnal mindedness of the Christian tradition. You must understand a few spiritual Truths that are totally rejected in all religions of the world and atheists as well. Here are a few:

• God is totally Sovereign. That is, He is in control of EVERYTHING and ALL THE TIME. Many people actually claim to believe this, but they really really don't.

• The words "everlasting" "evermore," "forever," "for ever AND EVER[?]," and "eternal" are nowhere found even once in any Hebrew or Greek manuscript from which our modern language bibles are translated.

• Man does NOT have a "free" will that can make decisions independent of his Sovereign God. 

• Man is mortal, not immortal as Christendom teaches. Therefore, when people die, they are DEAD, not alive in a different geographical location.

• The ONLY hope for believers is that there will be a RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD.
  
  [There are unscriptural] Biblical doctrines that are of no value to Christendom. They teach that dead people go to a place called hell and a place call heaven WHEN THEY ARE DEAD!

• Hell is not the translation of any word in either the Hebrew or Greek Manuscripts.
   
• Heaven and hades (often translated hell) are not geographical locations.

• God will save all mankind, seeing that He IS THE SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD.

• God is a family and not a trinity.

• We are under a New Covenant, and the old is passing away.

• God is LOVE (no really, He really is, He would never torture most of His creation in fire for all eternity).
  

Well, there you have it. Understand those few principle and the Bible is a whole new book.

With these few spiritual Truths in mind Darleen, even you can become a Biblical scholar.

God be with you,

Ray

Thank you...

I could write pages upon pages on how much understanding you have opened up for me. (And I am sure many others) I cannot even begin to tell you how many questions you have helped me to find answers to. And how for the first time God, Christ's teaching &Faith finally make sense to me. In all honesty, maybe I cannot put all of it into words.

One thing I can do, is say Thank You, genuinely ... from my heart to yours.

Sincerely,

Kimberly

Dear Pastor,

Words cannot express precisely how grateful I am to our Lord and Saviour and our heavenly Father for connecting me to your website on the internet. Last night I read the Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man and what a revelation it was.

I was reminded of Jeremiah 3 :15 "And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding" and Jeremiah 29 : 13 " And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart"

Finally He is faithful that promised. Thank you for the job well done

Fondest regards,

Simon

Sir;

Over the years I have read some extremely mixed up theology, but congratulations you have the worst theology I have ever read. Where did you get these terrible ideas? Where was the rich man? when he died?

Do you realize you have made a mockery out of every theologian that has ever lived. Spurgion, Moody, Sunday, Torres, Edwards, King, Wycliffe, Polycarp, Henry, Reese, Trumbull, and I could go on. You mean everyone's wrong and your right? Wow you must be up close and personal with God for Him to single you out and reveal the word of truth to only you.

Please get saved and you will no longer have these doctrines of demons in your mind.

You beat all!

D.L.

I've read some of the other emails you have received, many thanking you for the scriptures that you have brought to light. Some other emails simply attacking you for the sake of saving face. Who wants to be the one to admit their wrong?  Well I am just another one of the thank you notes.

I have had quite the odd journey so far trying to sort though ALL the information that's out in the world, trying to find what is truth.

I was raised in a household where my mother was Buddhist and my father didn't seem to have strong convictions as far as church was concerned. I was simply left to my own devices to find faith, religion, some form or path to follow in my life. Later on I was converted to the Mormon faith, which was my first real experience with Christianity. I had too many unanswered questions though and after a time I simply could not remain associated with that church anymore.

Afterward I started to search for what TRUE CHURCH there was. I visited Orthodox Russian churches, Methodist churches, and as of recently an independent fundamental Baptist church ( I dare you to say that five times fast ).

Each one of these churches only brought me more questions, and actually I started to become quite depressed. To think that my loving god would destroy some poor little Tibetan monk for not accepting Jesus, when he doesn't even know who he is. This brought me no end of personal pain, to the point that I WANTED to doubt that their was a savior, or that perhaps the Buddhist doctrine of life is suffering must be true, for I was surely suffering spiritually.

I decided to search the net and see what other people perhaps had to say on it, maybe I could find some shred of information, and sure enough when I typed in the word HELL, up popped your site. The things that I read brought me no end of joy, and moreover it made sense to me.

I am a father of three children and never would I think to permanently destroy or punish them more than what is necessary to teach them a lesson. If my children are "bad" I send them to their room, "out of my presence" to contemplate the thing that the have done and to want to change their behavior, and go to sleep till the next day. But afterward  when they wake up we can discuss what they have done and they can be back together with me. Why should I expect less of my own father that is eternal and ULTIMATELY loving?

I felt my heart lift when I read your discourse and have come to a conclusion on what church to belong to, which is namely THE CHURCH or "the body of Christ". I think that I understand now that the church is within us, and that as long as my faith love and praise is for our lord and savior Jesus, and our eternal father in heaven, that I should not fear some pain of hell or more to the point I should not have to fear for those who don't know.

I would like to know though about your ideas of choice versus free will. I will use John 6:40 for example , the part where "that everyone which seeth the Son, and beleiveth on him, may have everlasting life." I know it is only a part quote but there are others similar to it. I also AM NOT a great bible quoter and am still learning MANY different things. But people use this type of quote to suggest that those that do not BELIEVE in Jesus, or do not know that he ever existed will not have eternal life. Your help on this would be greatly appreciated.

Also can you recommend any particular churches or organizations that I can get my family in touch with in the southern new Mexico area near El Paso. I would like for them to have somewhere where we can take the kids and try to grow in our faith.

Thank you again for taking the time to place this information on the Internet, you are helping so many people this way.

Sincerely, Matthew

[Ray replies]

Dear Matthew,

Thank you for your e-mail and your comments.

I am so pleased that my site has helped you in your search for the true God!

Yes, Matthew, we are "saved in grace through FAITH..." (Eph. 2:8), but even THAT FAITH is not our own until God GIVES IT TO US! Notice Rom. 12:4, "God IMPARTS to each the measure of FAITH." AFTER God gives us HIS faith, then it becomes OURS! Pretty simple, huh?

May God be with you, Matthew.

Sincerely,  Ray

Dear Ray

I would like to (A) share things I witnessed my self, (B) make a request,  (C) Thank GOD for opening my eyes, by using you as his vessel, and lastly (D) thank you for opening your self up to GOD's insight and spreading GOD's message.

I live in San Antonio, TX. and have for a long time been searching for the true WORD of GOD on my own for over 25 yr's. I've talked with many priest, reverends, pastors, deacons, evangelist..etc. All of which either left me more confused or plainly had no answers, just more double talk. I even went to the facade that is Cornerstone Church, to hear Mr. Hagee make a mockery of God's Word. I witnessed him ask for the Tidings; proclaim that only happy people go to heaven; watched him bless 12 tribal flags by calling dead ghost and/or spirits to evoke their (ghost) power onto the said flags...etc. I still do have blind acquaintances that continue to attend his services. Glory to GOD! that I now have this knowledge to share with them and many others who are lost and confused in their endeavor strife to reach salvation.
                  
And finally. I ask of GOD, through you for any interpretations of the Revelations book,or directions, were I may attain this knowledge.
                                        
Sincerely,  Rodger in GOD's service

Ray,

I don't want to "bare" with you because that would be a sin. (Smile). But I do bear with you while reading you work. I think you left out some IMPORTANT portions of scripture in your trinity exposition, and that is when Stephen was being stoned and he saw the heavens (plural) opened and saw the glory of God and Christ at His right hand. (Two separate beings).  Acts 7:55 & 56  where was the Holy Sprit? According to those scriptures He was in Stephen. And since the Holy Spirit is part of the Father AND the Son. I always capitalize His Name as I do the Father and the Sons.

I was invited not to attend a "Christian" Pentecostal church due to the fact that I was a cultist because the Lord revealed this truth to me... Jesus stated many times that His will was different than the Father's. "I did not come to do my own will, but that of the Father". (John 4:34  5:30 6:38).  "Father if it be YOUR will let this cup pass from Me. nevertheless, not MY will but YOURS be done. Two separate wills from one Being??? (Matt. 26:39).

I do believe that we have free will and that we can be our own gods in our decisions. If it is true that we are not creatures of free will, then everytime I sinned, it was not me, but God doing it. Since God cannot sin, or be tempted to sin, I have of my own free will done so.

My personal opinion is that you should not name individuals when you expose the truth that our Father has given you. Just write what He has revealed to you and never mind attacking those who contradict the scriptures. Many more people will  be open to receive the gift the Father has given you if you stop attacking others. You do yourself and our Lord a great disservice when you handle such wonderful revelation so belittlingly.

IHS,
Roberta

[Ray replies]

Dear Roberta:

Thank you for your e-mail and comments. I take some exceptions to what you said, but I hope that doesn't alienate us in our mutual quest for God's Truth and Will in our lives.

That there are many more Scriptures that show that God is not a trinity, I am well aware and stated such in my paper. I just decided to keep this article as short as possible.

I do NOT believe we have a "free" will.  It is GOD who "wills" in us. Choices have nothing to do with free will.  All choices are caused. There is no such thing as a choice that DID NOT have a cause! And when a choice is CAUSED to happen, it could NOT have been prevented. Think about it for a couple of thousand hours as I have and it will all become clear to you. There are hundreds of Scriptures that show that God is Sovereign and that man is caused to make his choices by circumstances that ONLY GOD CONTROLS.

It is not true that if you have no free will, then it is God Who does or commits your sins in you. No, YOU SIN BY VOLUNTARILY [NOT "freely" OR WITHOUT A CAUSE] DOING WRONG. You do wrong because you [and me too, sister] were created too spiritually WEAK NOT TO SIN. And it was NOT A MISTAKE [sin] on God's part to MAKE US WEAK so that we sin. He did it for great purpose. God does not sin by creating creatures THAT DO SIN.

As far as "attacking" people, Roberta, I don't think that in any way I have ATTACKED these false teachers that I expose. I "expose" them and their false teaching, and for this I have Paul's command and example.

Not to leave out Christ's example of the same:

Christ, publicly, in the town square if you will, EXPOSED the hypocrites of His day.

Mat. 23:

• 1, "Then Jesus speaks to the THRONGS and to His disciples saying:
• 13, Now WOE TO YOU, SCRIBES AND PHARISEES, hypocrites!
• 16, WOE to you, blinde guides!
• 17, Stupid and blind
• 27, inside they are CRAMMED WITH THE BONES OF THE DEAD AND ALL UNCLEANNESS
• 31, you are the sons of those who MURDER THE PROPHETS
• 33, SERPENTS! PROGENY OF VIPERS!" Etc.

Paul INSTRUCTED us to "...EXPOSE THOSE WHO CONTRADICT" (Titus 1:9). "...of whom are Hymeneus and Philetus [named individuals], who SWERVE AS TO TRUTH, saying that the resurrection has already occurred, and are subverting the faith of some" (II Tim. 2:180. "...which some, thrusting away, have made shipwreck as to the faith; OF WHOM ARE HYMENEUS AND ALEXANDER, whom I give up to Satan..." (I Tim. 1:20), Etc., etc., etc.

Thank you again, Roberta, for you comments. May God be with you.

Humbly in Christ's service,

Ray

I am a Sophomore Bible Student @ Florida Bible College. I am taking a class on cults and my professor assigned me your church.

Please answer  the following questions:

Do you hold that you and you alone have the correct interpretation of the Bible?

When you started your religion and new doctrine, did you have any form of schooling or advanced training in the Bible?

Do you believe that Jesus rose from the dead and is the Messiah the Son of God?

Do  you have another work other than the Bible that you accept as inspired?

Do your followers hold you as a prophet or priest?

Thank you for your help in this matter.

Robert

[Ray replies]

Dear Robert:

Thank you for your e-mail and your demeaning curiosity about me.

First of all, maybe your professor should do his own homework before giving assignments which label people he knows nothing about.

I will try to answer your questions succinctly:

I am NOT a "cult." However, if you read the latest books on what constitutes a "cult," you will find that the [orthodox] Christian religion fits ALL the categories that qualify a religion as a cult.

I DO NOT have a "church." I belong to the body of Christ, which is the only true called-out assembly.

No, I do not hold that I alone have the correct interpretation of the Bible.

I DID NOT start a "religion!"

The Scriptural doctrines that I believe are NOT mine, and they are NOT new.

My "advanced training in the Bible" did not come from a school.

Yes, I believe that Jesus "rose from the dead." But, probably, unlike your professor, I REALLY BELIEVE THAT JESUS WAS DEAD BEFORE HE WAS RAISED.  Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world--Jesus Christ's "body" did not die for the sins of the world!  We do not have a "cadaver" for a Savior! Jesus Christ, "HE" (not just His dead body) is the savior of the world, therefore, contrary to Christian teaching, Jesus Christ's HIMSELF died, and Jesus Christ HIMSELF was raised from the dead!

What makes you think I accept the "bible" as being "inspired?" I believe the Holy Scriptures written in Hebrew and Greek ARE INSPIRED! Bibles are translations, or as with KJV a revision of a revision, and thus are open to human error.

I DO NOT HAVE "followers."  I tell my readers to believe in and follow Jesus Christ!

And I pray to God that no one who reads my material thinks that I am a "prophet or priest!"

I hope this answers your questions.  Be sure to show this note to your professor, and say "hello" for me.

Humbly in Christ's service,

Ray

Dear  Ray,

I  am  afraid  Ray,  as  it  seems  that  you   have  been  misled  by  the clever  devil,  to   think  that  you  will  only  be  saved  in   that  fire. Yes  it  is  indeed  true  that   Jesus  came  to  save  sinners,  but  those sinners   must  believe  the  gospel  now  to  enable  the   Lord  to  save them!  Salvation  will  not  come   after  death  but  is  attained  now, through  faith.

You  will  not  be  cleansed  in  a  fire  after   you  have  died.  Such concept  comes  from  the   devil,  simply  to  misled  you  and  those   that do  not  want  to  believe.  This  serpent,   does  not  want  to  be  thrown there  alone,   but  he  wants  to  take  you  with  him.

The  demons  are  afraid  of  being  thrown   in  that  place  to  an  extent of  begging  the   Lord,  not  send  them  back  to  hell,  when   He  was still  living  in  the  flesh. See Luke 8:31; It   is  indeed  your  democratic  right  to  choose   to  go to  hell.  You  will  not  blame  anyone   but  yourself.  Please  think about  that!  You  are   not  in  good  hands  as  you  don't  believe   the whole  gospel,  but  the  serpent  has  you.

You  simply  refuse  to  read  carefully  the  book   of  Isaias  the prophet  in  chapter  66  verses   22-24  for  your  own  good.  The  devil has   twisted  your  poor  mind  for  your  own   destruction.

If  God  would  save  sinners  through  fire nbsp; as   you  are  suggesting, John  would  not  have  told   the  Pharisees  and  the  Sadduces  to produce   fruits  in  this  life  that  befit  repentance.   He  would  simply have  told  them  to  wait   until  they  are  cleansed  in  the  lake  of fire.  God  has  not  failed  to  save,  but  it   is  people  like  yourself who  refuses  to  believe   the  true  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  and  be saved.  My  God  will  not  force  anyone  to   come  to  Him.  He  always ask  humbly  but   many  people  simply  ignores  His  pleas!

Lastly,  if  you  do  not  repent,  your  punishment   will  be  much greater  than  that  of  any   other  ordinary  sinner  only  because  your are   busy  contaminating  the  minds  of  the  people   who  Christ  died for  in  the  cross.  You   must  understand  that  they  will  die  for their   sins  but  the  blood  will  be  sought  by   God  from  you.  Read Ezekiel 3: 17-21.

There  is  absolutely  nothing  that  you  will  help   me  with!  Your  type of  the  gospel  is  from   Satan  and  his  demons.  He  is  your  father and  the  father  of  all  sinners  that  refuses   to  repent!  BEWARE,  you are  on  your  way  to   Hell  and  the  everlasting  Lake  of  Fire.  It does  not  matter  whether  you  believe  it  or   not,  it  will  surely take  place  only  because   God  has  said  so.

The  buck  stops  here,  nevertheless,  I  will  surely   pray  for  you that  your  poor  soul  should   be  saved  from  the  coming  destruction.

Thanks  for  your  ill-informed  gospel!

Yours  in  Christ  Jesus,

Dan

[Ray replies]

Dear Dan:

I am sure that you are completely convinced that what I am saying in my material is wrong, evil, and of the devil. You are primarily basing all of that on a few mistranslation and false teachings of Christendom.

Your knowledge of the word "hell" is quite lacking. Hell has NOTHING to do with fire. "Hell fire" mentioned in the KJV is from the Greek word "Gehenna."  It is a valley south of Jerusalem. It used to be the city garbage dump. As such it was on fire. As garbage and organic materials were constantly thrown into this fire, the worms there did not die out, but kept on multiplying until there was nothing left to eat. The valley is STILL in Jerusalem, Dan, but the fire is OUT and there are no WORMS there.

The word "hell" in the KJV is translated from the Greek word "Hades" which means the UNSEEN or etymologically, UN=PERCEIVE or IMPERCEPTIBLE.  There can NOT be feelings, torture, pain, etc., in a place that by its very name means to have NO PERCEPTION OF ANYTHING!! People must first be resurrected from Hades before they will have perception again.

Are you interested enough in the Word of God to study this word and see if I am correct?

In Luke 8, the demons did not fear going to "hell." Read it, Dan, they feared being put back into the "deep" as it is in KJV or more properly the "submerged chaos." It is the SAME word translated "bottomless pit" in Rev. where Satan is held for a thousand years, and THEN he is put into the "lake of fire" (Ver. 10). (He is held in the pit because God has one more dirty work for Satan to perform before he begins his purification in the lake of fire (not the pit).

There is NO WORD in either the Hebrew or Greek scriptures that means "eternal" or "everlasting" or "for ever and ever."  Since there is NO SUCH WORD IN THE BIBLE, all such translations are WRONG and misleading.  See the first ten pages of my letter to John Hagee for absolute proof of this. If you don't agree, prove me wrong SCRIPTURALLY!

Dan, on a personal note. I know you feel very smug and comfortable in calling me OF THE DEVIL and that the DEVIL HAS ME and that I AM OF MY FATHER THE DEVIL, etc., etc. However, a word of warning:  The one time that the Pharisees accused Jesus of doing something of the devil or the prince of demons, He warned them that if something really is of THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD and one says that that is really THE SPIRIT OF THE DEVIL, then they have committed a sin that will NOT be pardoned in this life (or age or world) or in the age to come. Such people WILL have to suffer the punishments of the lake of fire to be purified of such evil sins.

Sincerely, 

Ray

Ray,

I am 55 years old and have been searching for at least the last 35 years the "true" explanation of the parable of the Rich Man & Lazarus.

Let me tell you a little about my background. I was raised in a "Christian" home, going to church with my father to a Pentecostal church. My mother took my sister to a Baptist church. This separate-church-going of my father and I, and my sister and our mother, took place during our teenage years, as my mother was not very happy being the "Pentecostal" environment. Since we (my sister and I) and nothing to say about where we would attend, I continued with the Pentecostal tradition, and my sister with the Baptist tradition of our family.

I was very active in the church, attended and participated in many Bible discussions among the youth group, read and "studied" the Bible on my own at home, accepted what the minister was telling his "flock" to be the "truth." YET, when I got out of high school and into college (for court reporting, at the age of 20 being a full-time court reporter), I had so many questions in my mind about what I had learned in church and the answers I would receive when asking questions during my teenage years did not align with the Scriptures.

The questions I had were these: Questions about the soul, mind, body, spirit, grave, Hades, Sheol, people going to Heaven immediately after they die, when in the next breath the minister would talk about the "rapture" and I would say to myself, " If a person dies and immediately goes to Heaven, and then when the rapture comes, is he doing to fly back into his grave in less than a twinkling of an eye so that he can be part of the resurrected ones in a twinkling of an eye to go back up into Heaven? I told myself, "This is utter nonsense, but how and where do I find the "truth" to this?" When I asked the minister these questions, he gave me such double-talk that it made no sense and I was more confused then than I was before I asked the question.

So I have "literally" been searching the Scriptures (not figuratively) for the past 35 years trying to find the answer. And lo and behold about 5:00 this morning, I was on the internet and in the "Search" field, I put in "hell" and found your site referring to the two letters to James Kennedy and John Hagee. I have watched them on TV countless times. I have watched TBN countless times, along with Benny Hinn, Pat Robertson, Billy Graham, etc., etc.

When I read your "two letters," it was as if my "eyes were opened" and I started crying like a baby. After 35 years (in fact, my whole life) in not finding the "truth," I came across your two letters and all my questions were answered in the information that you presented. Now it all makes sense.

My question now is, do I have your permission to print out all your information and send it to my family and relatives, as I want them to know the "whole truth and nothing but the 'truth'?"

Since age 20, I have not attended any church with any regularity, only a hit-and-miss type attendance, only because my questions were not being answered. Every time I would watch TBN, Paul & Jan Crouch, Benny Hinn, or anyone else, it was as though everything they were saying or preaching about equivocated to nothing more than whipped cream on top of garbage.

My last question is, where do I find a group of people with whom I can associate, who have also discovered the "truth" as I found out early this morning? I live in Port Huron, Michigan. I work at home as a medical transcriptions, doing this since 1991, having retired as a court reporter after 26 years. My wife and I just moved here recently from Las Vegas, where we were for a year; before Vegas, we lived in Orlando, Florida.

Lastly, I want to say, Ray, thank you, thank you, thank you so very much for all the effort and time it took you to write those two letters. Your information has opened my eyes, and for the first time in my life I can attempt to try to explain the parable of the Rich Man & Lazarus by use of your two letters.

By the way, have you gotten any response back from all those "ministers of righteousness," to whom you sent those letters? I can think of at least 350 people immediately I can send this information to, most all of whom are Pentecostalites or Baptists, some Methodists, and I need your permission to do so.

Thank you very much again, Ray.

Sincerely,

Loren

I AM EXTREMELY UPSET ABOUT THE EGO INFLATED WHOREMONGER ON TBN NAMED HAL LINDSEY.

DO YOU HAVE ANY "TAKE" OR DISCREDITING INFO ON HIM?

HE IS USING THE TERRIBLE TERRORIST ACTIONS TO SCARE THE AMERICAN PUBLIC EVEN MORE SO THAN JUST THE NEWS AND THEN HE ASKS FOR "LOVE GIFTS".

HE IS NO BETTER THAN OSAMA BIN LADEN IN MY OPINION.

CAN YOU HELP?

THANKS, BRAD

[Ray Replies]

Dear Brad: 

Thank you for your email. I don't know too much about Hal Lindsey other than I saw his show a couple of times.

His whole prophetic scheme rests on and revolves around the idea that there is coming a FIFTH world ruling empire to control the whole earth before the second coming of Christ.

This theory, which is also held by virtually ALL Christendom and certainly all those on TBN is, however, untrue and unscriptural.

In Daniel's prophecy there were to be four world ruling empires. (1) Babylon, (2) Medes and Persians, (3) Greco-Macedonian--Alexander the Great, (4)Rome.  After Rome and before Christ's return there will be predominantly TEN nations controlling commerce and virtually everything else in the world. This Christian teaching of a FIFTH world ruling empire coming out of a so-called revival of the Holy Roman Empire is a myth. The TEN nations that Daniel's Prophecy mentions "...but they shall NOT cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay." The obviously will NOT be a single world-ruling empire.  So much for Lindsey's ability to teach Biblical prophecy.

If you understand that Christendom is BIG BUSINESS. The name of the game is MONEY. Lots of MONEY!  Their main interest as I see it is, POWER, FAME, AND FORTUNE. They have NO interest in truth. I have proven that to myself after sending them my open letters to Kennedy and Hagee.

Humbly in Christ's service,

Ray

[more]

In the e-mails sent to Ray somewhere, one person wanted more info on a Pastor of TBN named Hal Lindsay, You gave him a verse which debunked the myth of a fifth world ruling empire. But you also mentioned the 4 kingdoms and gave specific names, How did you come to that conclusion? Was it further research (So far, none of what I saw in Daniel's Prophecy pointed to those 4 in particular so I was just wondering)

Thank you for your answer on this.

[Ray Replies]

Dear Jeff:

Actually, Daniel's prophecy DID point to the four kingdoms that I mentioned.

The "head of gold" is specifically said to be that of King Nebuchadnezzer of BABYLON. The prophecy then states that there would come AFTER him a kingdom of "silver" which would be inferior (inasmuch as silver is inferior to gold). And, sure enough, after Babylon came the empire of the Meads and Persians. After them was to come a third (brass), which was Alexandra and the Greeks (and Macedonia). And after that was to come a fourth (iron) which we all know historically was the Roman empire.

Let me know if that answers your question.

Sincerely,

Ray

Hello,

I was sent the link to your website by one of my dear friends. My friend told me that he read some of the articles on your website and now he questions his faith. He is questioning everything that he has believed in now.

I was wondering if you could, perhaps, send me more information about yourself. Who are you, what is your background, what kind of education have you had?? I would like to decide for myself if you are a reliable source or not. What seminary did you attend? and what is your degree in?

Thank you for your time.

in Christ,

Crystal

[Ray Replies]

Dear Crystal:

Crystal, I'm just a small potatoe. I think we should go to the SOURCE and find out what credentials He had.

Dear Jesus Christ: 

I would like to know more about your background, especially your formal education. Did you attend seminary? Do you have degrees from Jerusalem Tech? How many? In what special line of theology? I want to determine for myself if you are a man to be trusted or followed.

Ever since you and your twelve buddies have been teaching, people around here are beginning to questions all the wonderful things the Pharisees have been telling us for many years.

Quite frankly, many of your new teachings scare me. I don't think that you should be causing people to lose their faith in the great Scribes and Pharisees. They have DEGREES don't you know?  They are great DOCTORS OF THE LAW and I don't think you should talk about them the way you do. Especially calling them HYPOCRITES and SNAKES and such.

Do you reckon, Crystal, that the Twelve Apostles all had seminary schooling and degrees from Jerusalem Tech?

Sincerely with just a bit of sarcasm thrown in,

Ray

P.S. You don't want to read my material, you want to read the damnable heresy of those ministers that I critique. Dr. Kennedy has SIX DOCTORATE DEGREES!!!! He also doesn't have clue as to what the Gospel of Jesus Christ is. Or WHO Jesus Christ is. Dr. Kennedy (with six doctorate degrees and reads Hebrew and Greek fluently) believes that Jesus Christ will not be the Saviour of the world and therefore His Father is going to TORTURE men and women, boys and girls, by the BILLIONS who have never even heard of Jesus Christ, in a hellhole of REAL FIRE by burning their eyeballs out with fire for ALL ETERNITY!

P.P.S. I do have a Bachelor of Arts degree, but I don't like to brag about that--it's just a piece of paper.

[Crystal replied but I cannot find it, sorry, but here is Ray's response. Webmaster]

Dear Crystal:

I did not wish to offend you. I merely wanted you to think about what were saying. By the way, what about the twelve apostles. Do you think they all had degrees from Jerusalem Tech?

The reason I used a little sarcasm on you, Crystal, is that I have learned a lot of Scriptural things from a lot of writers and scholars. However, I have never learned ANYTHING of real spiritual value from the head of a large institutionalized church denomination who paraded a long list of theological degrees and credentials. If you want to know WHAT I BELIEVE, WHERE I AM COMING FROM, WHAT IS THE SOURCE OF MY BELIEFS, etc., just read the material on my web site.

The first thing the Pharisees said regarding the ministry of Jesus Christ was, "Is this not the CARPENTER'S BOY?" "Can anything GOOD come out of Nazareth?"   And they perceived that the Apostles were UNLEARNED, that is they didn't have any theological degrees from the local theological cemetery. (Excuse me, I meant, seminary. A theological cemetery is a institution of higher learning where they  BURY THE TRUTH).

I have nothing to hide. My life is an open book. However, sometimes people ask me about my personal prayer life. I don't know if they want to know how long I pray, how often I pray, what room I pray in, what position do I pray in, do I pray with my eyes open or closed. When I tell them that I am in constant prayer--all day long,  they are offended. One asked me: "You mean you don believe in CORPORATE PRAYER?"  You can't please everybody.

I know that I am a little rough around the edges, but trust me, God will know how to take care of that.

If you have a question, Crystal, I would be happy to reply to you. But don't ask me to write an autobiography. I learned most of what I know about the Scriptures by begging God to reveal His truth to me, and by meditating, praying, and studying God's Word in dozens of translations by the thousands and thousands of hours.

In a nut shell:  I believe that God is the Creator of heaven and earth and all that there is.  I believe that Jesus Christ is the SAVIOUR of heaven and earth and all that there is. Unlike most of Christendom, I believe that Jesus Christ will not fail at saving all of God's creatures and children. Jesus Christ is very good at what He does, and what He does is SAVE!!!

Let me give you the Gospel in four verses:

1. God WILLS that all mankind be SAVED (I Tim.2:4). But will God's will be done?

2. Thy WILL B-E DONE... (Mat. 6:10).

3. God IS LOVE (I John 4:8). But will God's love fail to save all humanity?

4. LOVE N-E-V-E-R FAILS (I Cor. 13:10).

God bless you as you seek His perfect will for you life, Crystal.

Sincerely,

Ray

Mr. Smith,

Thank you. Years ago I realized that all that I knew of the bible was what I had essentially been told by others. I began a long study after that, using the NIV, American Standard, Amplified, Strong's Concordance, Vines' Dictionary, etc. What I learned changed my life and my relationship with Jesus Christ.

I am 46 yrs. old and recently my little brother, a very intelligent but reclusive 36 yr. old, high paid computer nerd, asked me for help in his questioning of his faith. I had been praying for this for a long time, but had never approached the subject with him. I knew that he was a very angry sort of agnostic. Things he had read in the bible just didn't make sense to him when held up against what we had originally been taught, etc.

A defining moment for him happened a number of years ago, when our sister and husband (both devoted Christians), after praying ceaselessly over their only child (19 months old), lost her to an unknown congenital heart defect. They have found peace and strength (and 4 more kids) with God, but our brother never has.

Honestly, in the face of my brother's intellect and anger I was somewhat at a loss as to the approach to take. Add to that the fact that he had been reading a lot of atheistic, bible disapproval stuff and that our contact is almost exclusively by e-mail and... well it seemed very daunting. Until this morning, when my search of the net turned up http://bible-truths.com. At last, here was someone putting into words what I had come to a conclusion of in my studies; answering many of the inconsistencies of God's nature taught by the churches of today.

Thank you, thank you, thank you Ray. I feel that I can point him to your article and it will answer many of the questions he has poised to me and give us a place to start a dialog on. I feel sure that your explanations of God's Word will bear fruit with him.

But I've got to ask you..... is there more? Have you written on other subjects concerning God's Word? I have questions I feel that you have studied that I would like to read your findings on, etc. Some of them
were barely mentioned in the letters at your site and only served to raise more questions for me.

Yours in Christ Jesus,

Joel

I AM SORRY YOU HAVE SUCH A POOR ATTITUDE WHEN IT COMES TO CHRISTIANITY. THE PASTORS YOU COMPLAIN AND CRITICIZE OF HAVE DONE MORE IN THEIR CHURCHES AND COMMUNITY TO BETTER THEM THAN YOU HAVE. YOU OBVIOUSLY LEAVE THAT POINT OUT, TELLING A ONE-SIDED BIASED VIEW.

IT IS SAD YOU PUT DOUBTS OR AT LEAST TRY TO IN THE MINDS OF YOUR READERS. YOU ARE OR HAVE BEEN HURT BY SOMEONE OF RELIGION PROBABLY CHRISTIANITY AND THAT IS TOO BAD BUT DON'T BLAME THE BIBLE BECAUSE OF ONE PERSON OR PERSONS THAT WERE BAD.

YOU ARE NOT PERFECT EITHER REMEMBER THAT PLEASE WHEN CRITICIZING OTHERS...

GOD BLESS AND I HOPE YOU PUT JESUS IN YOUR HEART SOMEDAY. IT MAY SOUND FOREIGN TO YOU NOW BUT HOPEFULLY SOMEDAY IT WONT....
GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.

[Ray Replies]

Dear Mike:

Thank you for your critical and biased email. It is always so interesting to see how the truths of God's Word sometimes affects the attitudes of my readers.

You say I have a "poor attitude" toward Christianity. I will only say that I BELIEVE AND KNOW AND TEACH that all Christians will eventually be saved, whereas most Christians believe and teach and think they know that all non-Christians will be tortured in the fires of some fabled hell for all eternity. I really do like my attitude better. It is certainly more positive not to mentioned the fact that it is also SCRIPTURAL.

You put John 3:16 in the subject box. But, do you really BELIEVE John 3:16. As God so loved the WORLD--not just a small number or percentage of it, that He gave His own Son as a sacrifice to TAKE AWAY THE SINS OF THE WORD, why would God then NOT SAVE THEM? Or do you
believe that man can "SAVE HIMSELF?" Or just maybe you don't really know WHAT you believe!

God says WE are to LOVE OUR ENEMIES. Do you really believe that God is a hypocrite, Mike? Do you? We WEAK humans are to LOVE OUR ENEMIES, while the very God who told us to do so, in reality, WILL HATE HIS ENEMIES FOR ALL ETERNITY AND TORTURE THEM BY BURNING THEIR FLESH WITH FIRE! That's what you REALLY believe, isn't, Mike? Let's cut to the chase and stop playing games. You
believe that God Almighty Creator of Heaven and Earth, Humanity, and all that is, is INCAPABLE of persuading puny man to repent of his way and turn to God! You really believe that, don't you, Mike. You believe Jesus Christ is going to FAIL at "drawing ALL MEN TO HIM" don't you?

You believe Satan is going to acquire BILLIONS MORE SOULS THAN GOD, don't you Mike? Are you like Hagee who says, "Hell is JUSTICE?" Or like Kennedy who says "HELL IS F A I R?"  Kennedy says, "It is not incumbent upon God to save ANYONE." Is it incumbent upon Him to TORTURE nearly everyone? 

I don't doubt that Hagee and Kennedy have done great things in their communities. I also know what Jesus said about those who do "many wonderful works in His name" and yet, AND YET He will say to them, "DEPART FROM ME YOU WORKERS OF LAWLESSNESS" (Mat. 7)

You said, "too bad you blame the Bible." Mike, I have never "blamed the Bible" for ANYTHING.

If you believe that Christ came to be the SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE WORLD, but FAILED (I John), maybe Christ is "foreign" to YOUR HEART.  Mike, did you read the first ten pages to Hagee on the "aions?"  What did you think? Can you disprove what I said? If you can, get SPECIFIC. You overly, biased, generalizations of what kind of person you think I am are not helpful to anyone. Get SPECIFIC if you think what I am teaching is UNscriptural. Get SPECIFIC, Mike. Pick out a sentence, a scripture, and word and say "this is WRONG, BECAUSE..."

But, of course, we both know, Mike, that you CANNOT get specific and counter what I said about the "eons" or about the fact that God WILL save all humanity. 

Humbly and sincerely in Christ,

Ray

I have been enjoying your open letters to the evangelists Kennedy and Hagee. I would like to know more about the sovereignty of God.  It is hard for me to comprehend that we have no free will that can come against God's intention and that everything that happens is His intention. 

I have a friend who tries to talk to me about the sovereignty of God and I have difficulty understanding him.  When we are talking about any subject at all, he always interjects that whatever is happening is God's will and we should just "flow" with it.

But if that be true, why should we criticize or judge anything at all?  If God is in complete control and is willing everything, what difference does it make if certain ministers are teaching false things?  Why correct Kennedy and Hagee?  Are they not just doing what God intends?  Are they not just being used for God's good intent?  

It is all beyond me.

Mary

[Ray Replies]

Dear Mary:

Thank you for your comments. At least it is evident that you are using your brain and thinking.

It only seems confusing for you now, Mary. It is a GIANT revelation to come to realize that God is sovereign. If one thinks about, however, it is even a GREATER quantum leap into total foolishness to believe that GOD is NOT SOVEREIGN!!!

If God is NOT sovereign, then we have a god who isn't GOD AT ALL! How could someone be "God" and NOT know what humans are going to do? (I know what my thirteen year old daughter is going to do MOST of the time, and I'm not a god)!

How could God NOT have foreseen the absolute MESS this world is in?  Why does He allow it to continue?  If man thinks there is a better way to do things, why doesn't God think that way?  As Mark Twain mused, why did God CREATE DISEASES?  Weren't things bad ENOUGH?

The truth is that it takes more than just knowledge to understand God's strange doings; it also takes a bit of wisdom.  Now if the GREATEST wisdom of this world (including the wisdom of the two BILLION Christians), is, according to God Himself, FOOLISHNESS AND STUPIDITY,why would we expect anything else, but darkness and blindness regarding God and His revelation to us?

Christ was great with metaphors. He said, "If the light that is in you is DARKNESS; how GREAT IS THAT DARKNESS"?

I have asked "great minds" and "great scholars" to tell me what these great "wisdom's" of the world are that God calls "foolishness and stupidity." And they usually will give as an answer something that most people THEMSELVES consider "foolish and stupid." No, I don't want to know what even the world itself considers foolish and stupid, I want to know what the world considers "WISE", but that GOD considers "STUPID".

Now I have mediated on this grand theme for at least a few thousand hours. And I will tell you what is the most universally held philosophy of ALL MANKIND, including Christians AND heathens and non-believers. And that is that man possesses a "FREE WILL" (or "free moral agency" as some would call it). This bit of human wisdom is taught in ALL SCHOOLS of the world! But, amazingly, there is NO SUCH THING--it is TOTAL FOOLISHNESS AND TOTAL STUPIDITY!!

And it is because of this foolish wisdom of the world that Christendom has adopted the theory that God is NOT sovereign. They SAY that He is, but they prove by their teachings that they don't really believe it. And so they blame SATAN for all the uncontrollable evil in the world that can't be directly attributed to "man's free will". And the result is a God Who is no god at all. In fact, a very MEAN AND VINDICTIVE AND HATE-FILLED god that will supposedly TORTURE WITH REAL FIRE most of his creatures without water and without mercy for ALL ETERNITY!!!!!!!

These humanly devised unscriptural heresies are stupid, foolish, and evil. But God wants it to be taught anyway. Why? To ultimately show mankind just how stupid, and foolish, and evil, he really is. Mankind NEEDS a Saviour. God Himself IS both the Creator of the mess, and the SAVIOUR of it ALL!!! Either that, or SATAN IS GOD!

So why get upset and angry over stupid and evil things that God INTENDED TO BE IN THE FIRST PLACE?  Because God also gave us EMOTIONS, and brains, etc.  He WANTS us to hate evil and love righteousness even though it was God Himself Who created them BOTH.   It was GOD who invented, created, and planted the tree of the knowledge of both "good AND EVIL". God wants there to be men like Dr. Kennedy and Pastor Hagee who do not understand God's simple truths, and then He WANTS people like me to EXPOSE their foolishness and unscriptural heresy.

There is a great PURPOSE in it all. And all will turn out just great in the end. We need a spirit of wisdom to trust God that He knows EXACTLY WHAT HE IS DOING DOWN TO THE VIBRATION OF THE LAST ELECTRON.

The Roman saints asked Paul this same rhetorical question, only they, unlike most people, did realize that no one COULD go against God's intention. But they wanted to know, since this is true, the fact that all that happens is according to God's intention (not necessarily is "will"--that is another subject. "Intention"--what DOES happen, is different from "will"--which is the end result after all the bad things that DID happen, NO LONGER happen).

Why does God blame people for things that He INTENDED that they do in the first place? Listen: "You will be protesting to me, then, 'Why, then, is He [God] still blaming [for us sinning]? for who has withstood His [God's] INTENTION? O man! who are you, to be sure, who are answering again to God? That which is molded [that's us] WILL NOT PROTEST TO THE MOLDER [that's GOD], 'Why do you make me thus?'" (See Romans 9:12-25).

Paul then goes on to say that God has the RIGHT to do things as He pleases. Even making vessels of DISHONOR for a period of time to be used in exalting the vessels of HONOR.

Hope that helps your understanding.

Sincerely,

Ray

[In the middle of several exchanged emails Matthew replies]

You agreed to the Puppetmaster, and puppets analogy. My point is if you believe that, then you must logically say that God is evil.

Just as a strong man causing you to do evil would not make you evil, but the strong man evil, If a puppetmaster makes his puppets do evil, the puppetmaster is evil, not the puppets. If God makes his creations do evil, does that not make God evil??

I don't think God is evil.  My point is, if you truly believe God MAKES us do evil, then you must be willing to say He is evil.

I don't think you truly believe God is in ANY way evil. You have agreed that man DOES have will and choice. To what extent are you willing to admit, is my question.

BTW, God DOES limit himself.  By the mere FACT that He has made Himself to be HOLY, He has limited himself.  By separating good and evil, and putting himself on the side of GOOD ONLY, He has limited himself.  By 'FORGETTING' our sins He has limited his omniscience.

God is still infinite, but you must know that it's possible to subtract even infinity from infinity, and still have infinity.  God's limits are sacrifices of love for his children, and make him no less GOD.  You must realize this.

-M

P.S.  I can't imagine anyone would agree with your impossible definition of 'free will' and would be most interested in a quote from a well respected believer in free will, who did.

[Ray Replies]

Dear Matthew:

Matthew, you have got to stop talking about God as if He were a mere mortal MAN! God is NOT A MAN! God IS GOD! God is Holy and Righteous and Good and LOVING. He is not evil, neither is He LIMITED IN ANY WAY.

There are MANY things that God does that we as mortals are  NOT TO IMITATE! God "makes war in righteousness"--we cannot. God KILLS and brings back to life again--we cannot.

Because God has chosen to create and USE evil for a divine purpose, we have no right to judge God as BEING evil. He is not. Neither is it a SIN on God's part to make mortals WHO DO SIN. A sin is a mistake, a lack, lawlessness. God is NONE OF THESE!

Your suggestion that because God chooses to NOT DO or NOT BE certain things, that that somehow LIMITS Him is ludicrous. Listen carefully to what I am about to say:  A Being (God) Who has the POWER AND ABILITY to be and do ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING HE WISHES, IS NOT LIMITED!!!  The fact that God chooses to not only tell the truth, but is, in fact, the embodiment of TRUTH, and never lies, in no way diminishes God or limits God.  I am surprised that you cannot see and understand this?  God IS AND DOES everything that He wishes--that, my friend, is TOTAL SOVEREIGNTY!!!

The idea that if God were both truthful AND A LIAR at the same time, that then He would be sovereign in that area is nonsense, Matthew.

It is also helpful to understand the Scriptural use of the "relative" and the "absolute". I cover this in my paper. Your example of God being "forgetful" is just such a case. God condescends many times in the Scriptures to interact with man as if God Himself were a man. He likens Himself to one having "eyes" and "hands" and "hair", etc. God DOES NOT possess these physical organs of a physical body. If God had only two eyes in the front of His head as a man, then He wouldn't even be able to SEE BEHIND HIMSELF WITHOUT TURNING HIS HEAD! It is foolishness to attribute mortal, fleshly, inequalities to the CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE!

When God says He will remember our sins NO MORE, He is not telling us that He is forgetful or has a poor memory. He is telling us that He will NEVER BRING UP OUR SINS to charge us with them. They have all been forgiven at the Cross of Jesus.

Subtracting "infinity from infinity" is a play on words. It is nonsense and foolishness. As is the question: "Can God build a rock so heavy that He cannot lift it?"

You ask: "By separating good and evil, and putting Himself on the side of GOOD ONLY, He has limited Himself." Oh really? Explain to me just how that "limits" God? 

You ask for a theologian's definition of "free will". Matthew, with all due respect, no theologian worth his salt would EVER express his beliefs in UNDERSTANDABLE WORDS OR TERMS!!! Most teachings, doctrines, and traditions of the Christian Church CANNOT be expressed in understandable layman's language. They always shroud their teachings in darkness, mystery, and words that according to them can have DOZENS OF CONTRADICTORY MEANINGS! I BEG you to read the first few pages of my paper on the trinity where I quote a seminary professor and the Encyclopedia Britannic with regards to how to prove there is a trinity.

That's what I do, Matthew!  I express the teachings of Christendom in layman's language so that all can see the absolute foolishness of their teachings, not to mention unscriptural as well. People LEARN from my writings. They learn to BELIEVE GOD. They learn to BELIEVE THE SCRIPTURES--not man's translations. They learn to have confidence in the God of the Scriptures. Many are turning TO or turning BACK to God because they now see His love and don't see Him as a weakling or hideous monster Who either can't or won't save His creation, but rather will torture His helpless creatures in fire for all eternity.

If you still have questions, Matthew, don't hesitate to ask. I understand your dilemma. We have been taught these things from our youth. But Matthew, I am telling as a brother, there is no more sensibility or logic to the traditional theological doctrines of this world than there for the Easter Bunny or Santa Clause.

OF COURSE people don't like my definition of "free will." It shows how utterly stupid the idea is in the first place. So they reduce their theory down to "limited free will" which only makes them look twice as foolish.  There is no such thing as using REAL words with REAL meanings to describe the STUPID WISDOM'S of this world. That's why Paul instructs us to "have a PATTERN OF SOUND WORDS"! "Limited free will" is NOT a pattern of sound words. Saying "limited free..." is no different that saying "square circles"!

You apparently don't like or don't approve of a definition of "free" that includes the words "having NO causality". Okay then, you give me a definition of a will that HAS a cause (that is something is MAKING the will choose as it does), and yet ... and YET, is "FREE"! Free from WHAT, pray tell, Matthew???  I will be waiting with bated breath to hear your definition...

God be with you, Matthew.

Till next time...

Ray

[Matthew Replies]

When God says "I, EVEN I..." will remember your sins no more... you're trying to tell me that's the same has God's metaphorical hands and eyes??? The connotation of 'EVEN I' seems obviously pointing to something that us humans might initially think as out of character.  There seems to be none of the metaphorical visuals connected with other 'relative' verses.  Am I saying that God could never remember things? NO! But it is WITHIN His POWER to NOT do something.  It is within His power to PURPOSELY forget. It is WITHIN His POWER to LIMIT Himself.

Whenever God has made a covenant with man, He has limited himself.  YES He could choose to break the covenant, but He has DECIDED, to limit that possibility from His actions.  He is STILL SOVEREIGN.

When you say "The idea that if God were both truthful AND A LIAR at the same time, that then He would be sovereign in that area is nonsense" I totally agree.  I never said this is what would make God sovereign.

I never said God limiting Himself diminished His sovereignty in ANY way. It is simply what God has chosen to do.  He has chosen to separate things, and to do some things, and NOT do other things.  This doesn't mean that it's NOT POSSIBLE or within His ALMIGHTY power to do them.  It simply means He has chosen boundaries in some areas.  He has given the CHOICE for us to decide to be sinful and separated from GOD.  Yes we wouldn't have this choice in the first place if God HIMSELF hadn't given it to us.   God is STILL SOVEREIGN. STILL ALL POWERFUL. I don't mean he is no longer omnipotent.  He has simply chosen to limit Himself in
some VERY GOOD ways, for some VERY GOOD reasons.

Again, I have spent all my time writing to you, and haven't read your papers yet, so I'll stop now, and not yet respond to the rest of your comments.

I do wish that we could talk verbally one day, so that we could have a more clear basis for each other's beliefs.  You have argued many things that I agree with, as if I didn't, and I sense some miscommunications.

What ever happens,
I pray it be God's will.

-M

p.s.  Why does God ask us to pray that His will be done on earth as it is in heaven..., if (as you say) it will be as He wills no matter what?

[Ray Replies]

Dear Matthew:

Hello again. Well I'll tell you one thing for sure: you are at least thinking. Your "P.S." was a good question. If God knows all, and has predetermined all, and "operates ALL according to the counsel of His own will," when why should we "do" or "not do" ANYTHING? I think that is the gist of your question.

There are several reasons for this. I think the main reason is that although we know (or at least those to whom God has opened up this understanding) that "God is operating ALL" for the benefit of his creatures, we still don't know always, when, where, or how He is going to do this.  We don't know what a day will bring.  We MUST rely on God COMPLETELY for all our salvation's. Be it safety in traffic, financial supply, health needs, social intercourse's, etc., etc., etc. We never know from hour to hour or from day to day just what will transpire in our lives. This should DRIVE us to our Heavenly Father. And it does. It works. God knows what he is doing.

People as me WHY do I do what I do?  Why spend all the time and trouble and expense if God is going to save EVERYONE ANYWAY?  I'll tell you why. Because God PUTS IT IN OUR HEARTS to do so.  The Scriptures say that God could raise up stones to do His work. But He doesn't. He uses "the foolishness of preaching" to get His word out.

Maybe an analogy will help. Suppose you had a bad disease and there was only one doctor and one source of medication that could save you from your deadly disease. Even if this doctor agreed to come to your aid, you would STILL do everything in your power to ingratiate yourself with this man, wouldn't you?  Wouldn't you be kind and respectful to him?  Wouldn't you even show a bit of reverence for this man, the only man, who can save you from your disease?  Sure you would. And so it is with God. He is our Saviour and our hope and expectation in EVERYTHING!  The Scriptures say that "in God we live and move and breathe and ARE"!

Now I will pass on another bit of wisdom. The people to whom God has opened up this understanding are delighted that this is the way things really are. They would have it no other way, than that it is GOD and God alone Who determines our every footstep.   However, those who feel this is NOT RIGHT, or they do NOT APPROVE of God operating ALL (EVERYTHING), or feel that man is far superior in his "will" than the Scriptures allow, this people DON'T BELIEVE GOD IS OPERATING ALL IN THE FIRST PLACE!   So they can't find too much fault with this truth, because they don't believe it anyhow.

Talk with you later.

Ray

[Matthew Replies]

Ok, you say God 'PUTS IT IN OUR HEARTS to do so'.  I do agree with this.  I do agree with 'all good comes from God'.  I do agree that ALL the evil in the world only exists through God's allowance.  I believe that He is proving a very important fact to us about who He is, and the horrors of sin, and life outside of God's will.

What I have yet to see logical, is your assumption that God gets ALL that He wishes, simply because He COULD get all that He wishes. Your doctor analogy is seriously lacking to prove your point.  With your analogy, we still have a choice of whether or not to go into see this doctor in the first place. I DO like your arguments against the "endless time" of hell.  I DO think you are right about that.   I DON'T think you are right about GOD FORCING our EVERY footstep.  YES, I agree He has control over ALL, but (as you have yet to rebut) God DOES limit Himself, by giving us SOME will, and SOME choices. If we had absolutely NO will, and NO choices, God would be JUST as sadistic as your claim Dr. Kennedy's picture of God to be.

A God that would punish a liar for 'endless time' is awful.  I agree! But a God that FORCES people to do EVIL, then condemns them for being EVIL, and then PUNISHES them in life AND in death (aion of time), then says to everyone, "SEE?  See how bad it is to be evil?  You should be good!" when the whole time it was in fact God pulling the strings?  That seems JUST as sick to me.  I DON'T believe this is scriptural!  Are not Jesus' brothers and sisters those who DO the WILL of GOD?

SO MUCH of Jesus' teachings are warnings and guidance.   Warnings and guidance are USELESS if we have no will.  If God "determines every footstep" as strictly as you imply, then we have NO WILL. Please tell me you don't think that we have NO WILL. Is it so hard to imagine God setting out tracks in which we cannot deviate from, but giving us limited choices between different tracks? YES! God supplies the tracks, controls where they lead, gives us the power to go along the tracks, shows us where they may lead. YES! God does it ALL, but is it SO hard to imagine He has given some of us the choice for evil?

Are you really trying to get everyone to believe that God is basically 'playing chess' with Himself? Maybe we are?  Maybe the wheat(white) and weeds(black) have been chosen, Satan is basically a figurehead for the 'BAD' side, and every move is DIRECTLY decided by God. Ok, God is just playing some huge cosmic game by Himself.  Where the winners are those He has randomly picked to be well off, and the losers, which are also picked randomly, are 'PERISHED' for 'AION'S of time until they are properly and JUSTLY punished for their AWFUL crimes.

You can very well be right about God making ALL tracks lead to heaven(even those that make a short stop in hell). In fact, I LOVE to think that ALL people will be saved.  The more I study and meditate on it, the more I believe it. The difference I see is that I can't see God pulling the switcher, and sending us down the hell track without giving us the ability to get through it well, and also the ability to get through it poorly.  I can't see God holding our face to the fire and blaming us for getting burned.

Do you consider Job just a parable too?  Satan wagered that Job would choose one way, and God wagered Job would choose to continue in righteousness.  How POINTLESS would this be if Job had no choice in the matter in the FIRST PLACE.  Demons fall to their knees at the sight of Jesus.  Satan throws himself down in the face of God's power.   I'd say they knew AND know their maker better than we do.

Either Satan was forced by God to make such a lame wager, and God proved to HIMSELF he could torture a man, and then make that man still be righteous, or Satan KNEW Job had choice, attempted to make him choose evil, and God showed us a reason to continue through trials and NOT curse God.

May God's love guide us,
-M

p.s. I hope you do not weary of our discussions!

[Ray Replies]

Dear Matthew:

Heck no I don't get weary of your questions. They are a lot more thoughtful and stimulating that most I receive.

I think I detect God turning on a few light bulbs in you mind. Let me try and answer all the propositions you presented.

First I need to clarify our use of words again. The word "free" as it is used in "free will" can ONLY mean that a person can think thoughts, make choices, and perform activities completely on his own with nothing CAUSING him to think, choose, or perform.  That's as clear as I can state it. If something, ANYTHING, causes (or let's get stronger--MAKES) a person think a thought or make a choice or perform an action, then he did not do it FREELY. Don't get me wrong; he may have done it voluntarily, but not FREELY.

Our minds have the power and capability to "choose". A choice is merely "what we prefer." Our brains CAN analyze data, weight pros and cons, and MAKE choices. He can, however, do NONE OF THESE FREELY--that is "without a CAUSE." Let me use a softer expression and maybe it will become clearer.  Do you now agree that we are "influenced" to think things, say things, and do things?  OF COURSE WE ARE! Now then, if something influences you to actually DO something, then that influence WAS THE CAUSE. And whatever caused you to do something MADE you do it. And once something is MADE to do something, it is impossible to ever have been avoided!

I realize that this goes a little beyond psychology and theology 101, but it is not impossible to apprehend. It does take consider time meditating on these things before one becomes COMPLETELY convinced in his own heart and mind that the statements that "ALL is of God" and "God Who operates ALL according to the counsel of own will", are always true under all and every circumstance. Now to your comments:

You suggest that surely God gives us SOME will and SOME choices. Matthew, He gives us THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS of choices according to our own wills. It's just that NONE of them are exercised WITHOUT INFLUENCE (or a cause that makes us do as we do). Try some experimenting if you will. Sit still and try to come up with a thought, choice or action that has zero influence.You might think that something even just "pooped into your mind" and that NOTHING caused it. Sure it did. Something did. There are no effects in the physical or mental universe that have no causes.

You use the word "forcing" our foot steps. God never uses that word. But He does use words such as "directs" or "guides". It doesn't take a great deal of energy for God to make people follow the footsteps that He has established for us. The SLIGHTEST motivations in our finances, stomach, social life, egos, etc., will easily cause us to go either this way or that way.

Of course none of this is of any value unless we can establish it in God's Word. Notice what God says regarding our "steps":

"...It is NOT IN MAN...to direct his steps..." (Jer. 10:23).

"A man's heart deviseth his way: but the Lord DIRECTS HIS STEPS" (Prov. 16:9).

God could have just as easily said: "...the Lord directs HIS WAY" It's all the same to God.

"Man's goings [Heb: steps] ARE OF THE LORD: how can a man then understand HIS OWN WAY? [it matters not if our steps are good or sinful] " (Prov. 20:24).

"For now thou NUMBEREST my steps [THAT'S pretty specific, Matthew] : dost thou NOT watch over my SIN?" (Job 14:16).

"The steps ['steps' is used to symbolize ALL OF MANS DOINGS] OF A MAN ARE ordered [Heb: established] by the Lord" (Psa. 37:23). If ALL man's steps are "established", then of necessity they are ordered by God IN ADVANCE of him taking those ordered steps!

You question God "FORCING people to do evil." God doesn't have to FORCE people to do evil, we do it NATURALLY. It is our NATURE to do evil and commit sins. As I have said: "We are SINNING MACHINES"! God does not FORCE a man to rob a bank. He robs the bank because he is either in a financial bind or is lazy or is lusting for the easy life. Either way, he VOLUNTEERS to rob the bank. Now. . .what INFLUENCES him to rob the bank. Well, we just listed a few reasons. But what specifically at each step of the process causes him to carry out his deed? Thousands of things. Did he bring about the THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS of things that influenced (CAUSED) him to follow this path? NO! ABSOLUTE NOT. Where then DID all of it come from? Ultimately we must conclude that it came from GOD! GOD is the Creator. Why even the rotation of earth on its axis CAUSES men to sin!Yes it does. Many people wait until sunset to going about an evening of SINNING--loving the DARKNESS because their deeds are evil.

It's a nice thought that men would come to Jesus and come to God and opening love and adore them. But it's a fantasy. Do we have Scriptural proof of this? HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF VERSES:

"For the disposition of the flesh is death, yet the disposition of the spirit is life and peace, because the disposition of the flesh [the carnal mind] is ENMITY to God, for it is not subject to the law of God, for NEITHER IS IT ABLE" (Rom. 8:6-8).

"Not ONE is just--not even one. Not one is understanding. Not ONE is seeking out God. All AVOID Him... Not one is doing kindness: THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE!" (Rom. 3:11-12).

No, God doesn't need to 'FORCE' people to do evil, neither CAN THEY do good! In fact, Jesus plainly said that:

"NO ONE CAN come to Me if ever the Father Who sends Me should not be drawing [Greek: DRAGGING] him" (John 6:44).

Oh yes, we DO have a will, but our will does not NATURALLY do the will of God.

You say that "warnings and guidance" are useless if we have no will." But we DO have a will. It's just not "free" from causes, that's all. Matthew, surely if our wills were "FREE," someone, at sometime in the history of billions and billions of humans would have chosen ONE HIS OWN, by his FREE WILL to DO GOOD. Don't you think? But what saith the Scriptures? No such thing!

You state: "If God determines our footsteps. . .we have no will." Yes we do. And God even CAUSES our wills to come in line with His. Don't you ever pray: "Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven"?  "Not MY will, but THEY will be done"? If our wills are FREE FROM BEING FORCED OR CAUSED OR MADE to do anything, we couldn't even pray these words. That WHY we work out our own salvation in FEAR AND TREMBLING. Because we, of ourselves, CAN DO NOTHING, as Jesus plainly told us. It is a fearful thing to realize that we can do NOTHING on our own. We only THINK that we can. And if that is what we think then we are fools!

"So that, my beloved, according as you always obey, not as in my presence only, but now much rather in my absence, with fear and trembling, be carrying your own salvation into effect, FOR IT IS GOD Who is OPERATING IN YOU TO WILL as well as to work for the sake of His delight" (Phil. 2:12-13).

Even the very "words" that Paul is here speaking to the Philippians are inspired OF GOD to CAUSE these people (and us) to RESPOND to his admonition. Words are powerful. Words CAUSE THINGS TO HAPPEN.  That's why God uses words:

"The WORD of God is LIVING and OPERATIVE, and KEEN above any two-edged sword, and PENETRATING up to the parting of soul and spirit... and is a JUDGE of the sentiments and THOUGHTS OF THE HEART" (Heb. 4:12).

No, God is not playing chess with himself. God IS REPRODUCING HIMSELF! God's purpose for creation is far more than a game of chess. On God's chess board EVERYONE is a king and NO ONE gets "check-mated"! We are ALL WINNERS. We will ALL be the SONS OF GOD IN THE FAMILY OF GOD and Paul tells us that after death is abolished God will be ALL IN ALL (I Cor. 15:28).

How can God hold our face in the fire and at the same time hold US guilty for getting burned, you ask? Well, of course, He doesn't hold our face in the fire, but I know what you mean. I will let God answer your question to the point and very succinctly. The ancient king of Assyria was just as proud of his "free will" as most of humanity is today. Notice how God handled him:

"Woe, Assyria!  Club of My anger! And a rod!  He, in their hand, IS MY MENACE!  Among a nation polluted will I SEND HIM.  And against a people, object of MY RAGE, will I INSTRUCT HIM. To loot loot and to plunder plunder, And to place them for tramping, as the clay of the streets.  YET HE, NOT SO is HE planning. And HIS heart, NOT SO is devising. For to exterminate is in HIS HEART, And to cut off nations not a few" (Isa. 10:5-7).

Are you getting the picture? Continuing:

"I will visit evil on the fruit of the INSOLENT HEART OF THE KING OF ASSYRIA, And the high beauty of his eyes. [Why? Why would God do such a thing? Here's why]  For, SAYS HE, 'By the vigor of MY HAND I DID IT, And by MY WISDOM, for understanding have I" (Vers. 12-13).

Next notice what God has to say concerning this king of Assyria's sell-appointed proud "free will" heart:

"Will the ax [the Assyrian king] beautify itself over the one [God] hewing with it?   Should the chief's mace magnify itself over the one [God] waving it? As if a club is also waving the one raising it! As if the rod is raising one who is not wood!" (Isa. 10:15).

Yes, Matthew, God clearly shows us how He "operating all according to the counsel of His own will"! God said that He used the Assyrian king to judge other sinful nations just as surely as if the King were an ax in God's own hand! But the beauty of the whole thing is; the king of Assyria didn't think so. He never dreamed that he was but an ax in the HAND OF GOD his Creator! Amazing! The king took credit for all his exploits and great wisdom of warfare. In reality it was ALL OF GOD. And so one day this king was be embarrassed to tears for his great swelling egotistical boasting. God will chastise him and punish him NOT because he could have done otherwise by some supposed free will, but because (1) in this kings heart he THOUGHT he was accomplishing all these things, and (2) because he ACTUALLY DID DO THESE EVIL THINGS. God us JUSTIFIED. Oh yes He is! This king will be a GREAT SON OF GOD one day and he will THANK GOD for using Him to glorify God's name, fame, and greatness.

And, yes, Job did have a choice. He had and made MANY choices during his ordeal. But God sustained Job's integrity and trust in his God. It was ALL of God. Job knew it. And Job PRAISED GOD FOR IT and God blessed Job DOUBLE! I'll be the first to admit that our thoughts are not God's thoughts, but I am beginning to understand them. Praise God that that!

And so, if all is of God (the good and bad), why does He hold us accountable for our sins and deeds? This time I will let Paul answer:

"For this selfsame thing I rouse you up, so that I should be displaying in you [Pharaoh] My power, and so that My name should be published in the entire earth. Consequently, then, to whom He will, He is merciful, yet whom He will, He is hardening. You will be PROTESTING to me, then, 'Why, then is He [God] STILL BLAMING [us for our sins]? for who has WITHSTOOD HIS INTENTION?'" Paul answers this way: "O man! WHO ARE YOU, TO BE SURE, WHO ARE ANSWERING AGAIN TO GOD? That which is molded [that's us] WILL NOT PROTEST TO THE MOLDER, 'Why do you make me thus [a sinner unable and unwilling by my own fabled 'free will' to ever do what is right]?' Or has not the potter [God] the right over the clay [us mortals] out of the same kneading to make one vessel, indeed, for honor, yet one for dishonor?" (Rom. 9:17-21).

I hope it is all beginning to make more sense to you, Matthew. Ask God for a spirit of wisdom and He will surely give to you.

Sincerely,

Ray

Hi my name is Kathy,

I was one of Jehovah's Witnesses for 25yrs. I was willing to die for my faith. The last 5 yrs I felt a shifting going on inside of me.  My brother in law committed suicide in his wife presence after he was disfellowshiped from that org. What terrified me was how quickly they (elders) tried to removed it from our reality. It was a wake up call to me. I began to question the watchtower org. and in time was disfellowshiped myself.

My heart knew that God wasn't going to destroy me. But the question was where do I go. I got on line and surfed till I was sea sick! Many one things lead to another and there you were! I have to read and reread stop and ponder. It feels like your info is a bulldozer clearing out the garbage in my mind.

Thank you so much for your perseverance!

Home