42 favorite Ray quotes

[Extol]

Hello Family,

I go through Ray's audio teachings every few months, and the most recent time, I wrote down some of my favorite quotes, ranging from the humorous to the profound. These are only from his audio messages, not from his papers or e-mails. If anyone wants to add more, please do so. I know we've had a couple of threads like this in the past, but I don't get tired of re-reading this stuff---and I hope you don't either. 

If anyone is interested in a particular quote, I can provide references to tell you which audio it's from.

Love,
Jesse



1. Men should learn the finer traits of femininity. Women should learn the virtuous qualities of masculinity. And the perfect balance in all this is Jesus Christ, who created them both.

2. Why did he (Adam) sin? How could anything so Godlike sin? He wasn't Godlike at all, he was as carnal as any slob who's ever drawn breath. That's why he sinned!

3. If you think that God is going to torture most of humanity for all eternity, you have not a clue as to what the Gospel is. You have not a clue as to what Jesus Christ is. You have not a clue as to who and what God the Father is. Not a clue, not a clue! You cannot say in the same breath "God is love/God tortures humanity for all eternity"...you can't say that!

4. This book was written so that nobody could understand it, until God picks somebody out and says "I want you to understand it."

5. If you are living by God's law, you can't be offended. You'll only pity the poor slob who tries to put you down.

6. Now when that animal is offered for the sin, is that animal guilty of speaking harshly to its wife? Come on! This is not rocket science! It's a sin offering; it's not THE sin. Jesus Christ was not the sin of the world. This is rank heresy. This is the worst kind of teaching I've ever heard in my life. This is the bottom of the barrel. This is the dregs. This is dirty religion!

7. This is not hard. You've got to be a spiritual DUNCE to not be able to see this. Excuse me, did you hear what I said? Christ is the Lamb of God. What did they sacrifice? They sacrificed a lamb. Christ is the lamb of God. Paul said "Christ Our PASSOVER is sacrificed for us." Christ is the lamb, Christ is the Passover. What is the Passover called? Numbers 9:13. The OFFERING. Got it? Don't ever forget it. Don't let these people lie to you.

8. Listen, I know how to defend the word of God. Trust me, I do. These people are out of their league. When you blaspheme the word of God, you're out of your league! I don't care who you are, I don't care how many degrees you have!

9. I'm not going to spend the rest of my life trying to straighten out all their heresies. I've got better things to do.

10. This has become an idol of the heart. When you worship a god, you will not knock its nose off. You will polish it. You will not knock it off, and woe be to anybody else that does. But I'm in the business of knocking noses off spiritual idols. I do that—I was gonna say I do that for a living, but I don't make no money. I do that for gratis.

11. Now I'll give you $100 right here and now—if I have to borrow it from my wife to do it—if you can find a Scripture under the Law anywhere where they offered sin. Am I going too fast for anyone? Where or WHY would God ever have people offer SIN? Say 'here's some sin for you God!' Can you not see how foolish and stupid this is? We are not even in spiritual sandpile, let alone kindergarten.

12. Anything and everything that anybody will ever come up with to suggest that Jesus Christ was indeed the personification of sin is gonna be stupid, blasphemous foolishness. Anything! So the more they go, the deeper they will dig themselves into this black pit.

13. You and I under the same circumstances would have done the same thing. Why can't we see that? This is what should humble every one of us. We are no better than anyone else, except by the grace of God. That's the only reason.

14. We wear out, grow old and die. Where's the free will in that? Free will yourself out of that one!

15. I hate jolly songs, I just don't like jolly songs. So I never liked the Beatles much: "I wanna hold your ha-a-a-a-a-nd." It's so...so ridiculous! "Michelle, ma belle, these are words that go together well"?? (scoffs) It doesn't get any dumber than that! So anyway, about twice a day when Denny and I are talking and he'll say something, I just gotta put it into song, because it's right out of the lyrics. Then he says "You know, I oughta get at least two drachmas in my heavenly bank account every time I have to listen to that."

16. Well we're gonna do something a little different today, so if this doesn't work out, we can lay the blame at the doorstep of one Dennis Vogel...

17. If you make an oath, if you're stupid enough to do that, and make oaths that you can't carry out...if you make an oath to God, you'd better not lie about it. Don't say 'I'm going to....refrain from sex for one month and just worship you, O Lord.' And by the second day your wife takes a bath and puts some perfume on and you say 'You know what? It was just something I said in the passion of the moment, I wanted to sound holy and pious...Honey, come here!'

18. No hands, no knife, no skin. You mean you can be circumcised without hands, knife or skin? Yes you can. You mean you can be baptized into Jesus Christ without getting wet? YES YOU CAN.

19. Why isn't there a Greek word like ALL that always means "all, every, without exception"? Why does this Greek word have that loophole in it? Why didn't God have at least one word that means "all, every, absolutely bar none" and then use it, and then the theologians wouldn't have an excuse to blaspheme God and say he's not gonna save everyone but torture most people in hell. Why didn't God provide such a word? Because if He did, how would Satan deceive the whole world?

20. You're going to find as we go through this that there are many Scriptures that say nothing about the salvation of all men that prove God will save all men! The Scripture doesn't say any such thing, but it's proof!...There's more than one way to skin a cat; there's more than one way to get from here to Toledo. You can take the shortest cut, but there are other ways, and they'll get you there too.

21. If He doesn't take pleasure in the death of the wicked now, why would he take pleasure in the death of the wicked in the lake of fire?

22. If I say to a group of people "NONE of you will go hungry today," does that not prove that somehow they're going to get fed?

23. Did God through the soft chirping of a little sparrow say "Paul, Paul why do you persecute me?" "What are you, little bird?" "I'm your conscience....you shouldn't go persecute these people." "Somebody got a slingshot? I got a bird I want to get rid of here!" No...God struck him down...WHOOOO! With a blinding light from heaven. Probably peed his pants!

24. People ask me 'Ray, since you're such an expert on Hebrew and Greek, why don't you come out with your own translation?' Are you crazy? An expert on Hebrew and Greek? I don't even know English, let alone Hebrew and Greek. I mean I just stumble through. I do not think I'm some great one, that I'm some great intellect, that I'm a scholar, or some great peer of academia or something. All I've ever said is I'm a teacher. Good, bad or indifferent, I'm a teacher. That's the only claim I make. 

25. Now this is the will of God, this is important. God's will is that no one should perish, no one. Not Adolf Hitler, not Osama bin Laden, NO ONE. But they all have to repent. You say 'yeah but they're already dead Ray'. That's right, but they're coming back. They're coming back in judgment, and they have to repent. Why? Because God doesn't want them to perish!

26. 1 John 4:14 says God the Father sent the son to be the savior of the world. Is there a Scripture that says that God did not commission him, or that he will not be the Saviour of the world? Is there such a scripture? Well then don't let anybody take you somewhere to a scripture they think contradicts this truth. Don't go there. Say 'you're dead in the water, I got a scripture of truth. The only way you can tell me that is not true is if you contradict it, and if it contradicts it the word of God is not true, it's not inspired and God is a liar. I'm not going there with you!

27. I believe these scriptures; and not only do I believe them, I apply them to every page of the Bible. And that's the only way you'll ever understand what the Bible is talking about.

28. "Yes God is love, but only in the context of 1 John. You get him off into the judgment day and the resurrection of the wicked, and this verse has no meaning at all: God is love." See what I mean? Stupid, evil VILE FOOLISHNESS!

29. You don't give someone 99 years of hard labor and solitary confinement for walking on the grass....Listen....99 years for walking on the grass is not a drop in the UNIVERSE compared to being tortured in fire for all eternity. Can anybody see how foolish it would be to give someone 99 years for walking on the grass? Oh yeah everybody can see that. Well what about torturing your great great grandmother for trillions of eons in real fire? 'Oh yeah that's justice.' You sick, sick and evil demented human being!

30. Theologians get so technical. You ought to read some of this stuff they write, when they sit at their Bible desks and they're writing a thesis or something and you read this gobbledy-gook, this hodgepodge of convoluted nonsense! Oh they get so deep, and they don't understand ANYTHING. A child has much greater understanding than they do

31. Where is the Scripture that says there comes a time when it's too late for God's mercy to be merciful? Where is that Scripture that says there's coming a time when you can turn to God with your whole heart and deep-seated repentance and worship toward him and he will spit in your face. Where is that scripture? Does anybody know of such a scripture? There should be hundreds of them, for all the rot that's being taught in the churches!

32. Egypt. Assyria. Israel. All of them, "My people. My people." People always talk about how Israel is God's people. Excuse me? ALL people are God's people. But who believes that report? Who believes that all the Egyptians, all the Assyrians, all Israel will be saved?....Because if all of them are going to be saved, surely there's room enough for Northern Ireland....and Panama.

33. Words cannot describe the EVIL of the doctrine of the Christian church. It is evil beyond human comprehension!

34. You will never understand the Bible, you will never understand God's plan, you will never understand who and what you are until you understand that you are no different than any of those people because of anything superior in you.

35. God never made a man lust after a woman; never! He just made their psyche and their makeup so that they really like the curves of a female body. And then when men go to the seashore all by themselves; they don't need any help from God at all, nobody saying 'Do it! Do it! Do it Ray! Lust after that girl in a bikini! Do it' It's like falling off a log, it's easy—unless God trains you not to do it, and it's hard!

36. I wish I did understand Hebrew and Greek-- in another way I'm glad I don't. You know why? Because if I understood Hebrew and Greek and was a scholar, then it's like 'Well the only way you can understand the Bible is if you're a scholar. Nobody could be a roofer and know these things.'

37. How does anyone believe ANY of these ministers...EVER? GOSH!

38. [23 Minutes in Hell] 'He threw me into the wall and every bone in my body broke...and I felt pain' Well duh, I would think so! 'I just began to lie on the floor there.' I just began to lie there? I thought he THREW you there. I just began to lie there...what is that? If this were a third-grader he would get a low mark for really bad grammar. I just began to lie there...No you didn't begin to lie there, you were thrown there with all your bones broken!

39. [at end of 23 minutes study] (disgusted sigh) That's enough. You know what, I'm through. That is so disgusting. I mean that REALLY is disgusting. That is just so pathetic, it's just unreal. Thank God that we have a little bit of a glimpse of what the Scriptures are really all about.

40. A robot that always does the right thing makes more sense than a human who thinks he has free will and never does the right thing. So how great is this free will? The Church teaches this is the greatest gift God gave us. What's so great about it?

41. I'm not saying I understand all the mysteries of the universe; I'm saying I can understand the things that He teaches us

42. We will grow and expand FOREVER. How great do you think that will be? Well, how long do you suppose forever is? This is almost too marvelous to comprehend.

[Dennis Vogel]

Oh really?    Very nice. Perhaps others can add to this list?

[Mike Gagne]

Not so pale face! 😃 had to modify, it's ...sorry wrong pale face!!

[Kat]

There it is--Jesus Christ HAS A "GOD!"

There it is! There is no talking and no shouting in sheol.

There it is. Simple. Christ's words are not literally spirit, but like spirit, but not in all ways, only in certain ways.

There it is! There is what? Where does that verse say that Jesus came to "SAVE that which was DESTROYED?" Why right in the verse, of course.

There it is! Lucifer is the 'chemical bioluminescence' in the cells of FIREFLIES! WOW! With that in mind, we should all sleep better tonight.

Ah yes, there it is: Jesus is the Son of God the Father, not some fictitious person named the Holy Spirit.

There it is: "Mizraim," Noah's grandson through his son Ham is EGYPT.

There it is, Elizabeth. Tithing was NOTHING to Jesus compared to properly judging [taking care of], MERCY [where is the mercy in taking WIDOW'S MITES?]

There it is! The New makes alive and ends in "eternal [eonian-immortal] LIFE." "Who also has made us able ministers of the NEW Testament;

There it is. One cannot know good without a knowledge of evil.

There it is. There's the gospel; there's the purpose for human existence; there's the plan of God. God is forming man into the very image of Himself.

There it is. Can you see it? The "time is at hand." For what? For, "he that reads and they that hear the words of this prophecy..." When would that be? Whenever the "he that reads and they that hear" are alive and reading this prophecy.

There it is. God made everything out of things that DO NOT APPEAR [invisible things] not out of things that do appear [physical things], and this is because GOD HIMSELF IS INVISIBLE!

There it is! Jesus Christ IS THE COMFORTER. Jesus Christ IS THE PARAKLETOS!
When we receive the Comforter it is CHRIST, IN SPIRIT [no longer according to the flesh]! IT IS CHRIST THAT COMFORTERS US THROUGH HIS SPIRIT WHICH JOHN PLAINLY TELLS US HE RECEIVED FROM HIS GOD AND FATHER! It is THEIR [the Son's and the Father's] SPIRIT that comes in us!

There it is—the hope of all humanity. Corruption and mortality (the physical first) must put on incorruption and immortality [the afterward spiritual).

There it is! Did He ever do this with the angels, in His original creation? Back there between the heaven and the earth, when they shouted for joy. When He put the earth in motion and started pushing it around the universe and they shouted for joy and sang? No. They were created beings. We are begotten. But remember we only have the earnest, the down payment.

There it is. Well what are you going to do with that? What is God's good pleasure? What is it He desires? That all men be saved!

There it is. "Wisdom is the principal thing."

So there it is. Yes, God is the creator of "evil" (Isa. 45:7). It is not our duty to shield God from evil, but to understand its grand purpose and temporary existence.

There it is! Rom 6:23 "For the wages of sin IS DEATH; but the gift of God is ETERNAL LIFE  through Jesus Christ our Lord." --What is the "WAGES" of sin?" There is no "gift" for sin, there is only "WAGES" for sin. So what IS the "wages" of sin, is it "eternal LIFE?" or "DEATH?" Well we just read it, the "wages of sin is DEATH"--not eternal LIFE  in hell. Where does one get "eternal LIFE?" Why it is "THE GIFT OF God...through Jesus Christ our Lord."

There it is! Everything, all knowledge, the plan of the universe is out of God. But then it is channeled through Jesus Christ.

There it is "God's" creation. There is always that ONE before and above Christ--God, His Father and His God!

There it is again, my friend. Mat. 2818, "ALL POWER is GIVEN unto Me in heaven and in earth." The FATHER is always in charge. And again, I Cor. 15:27-28,

There it is. Why does God love us, His elect? Because we loved Jesus Christ and to the Father that is the same as loving Him. 

There it is. What are the qualifications to be saved? You have to be lost. We're all lost. It's apollumi - destroyed, perished, lost, you see.

[Extol]

Great additions Kat, thank you! I especially like these two:

There it is. What are the qualifications to be saved? You have to be lost.

There it is. Well what are you going to do with that? What is God's good pleasure? What is it He desires? That all men be saved!

I wonder if Ray's usage of "There it is!" had anything to do with his fondness for Amadeus. In that film, Emperor Joseph (played by Jeffrey Jones) says "There it is" on several occasions. 

[John from Kentucky]

Sex
« on: July 05, 2007, 08:39:30 PM »
Ray -

I have searched many Bible translations and still am not certain what God approves as acceptable sexual acts between a Man and a Woman within Marriage.

Some say that the Bible is silent on the details of Sex in Marriage.

Others refer to the 'Song of Soloman' and suggest that this confirms certain acts as acceptable.

Do you have two or three Scriptural Witnesses that attest to the 'righteous' sexual union between a Man and His Wife in Holy Matrimony?

I know that the Scriptures state that God classifies the following as an abomination in his sight:

1.    Humans having sex with animals.
2.    A man having sex with another man.
3.    A woman having sex with another woman.

As you know, this is taboo to talk about and discuss in most Family Homes, and within the established churches.

But what are we to tell our own children if we ourselves are not certain what God approves and what God states is an abomination.

Thanks, Regards, George.


Dear George:  I do not like to teach on subjects that are neither discussed in the Scriptures, nor made completely evident by nature. But why should we suppose that animals would set the proper pattern for human sexual behavior? Also, why are you assuming that there ARE sexual things forbidden between a husband and his wife?  If God considered it a gross abomination, don't you think God could have stated:  "Thou shalt not kiss thy wife or thy husband below the neck"?  After all, I guess in this case, nature does teach us that breasts are for feeding babies, not entertaining husbands.  Of course Song of Solomon would differ on this point for sure.  Most counseling pastors just lie about these things anyway.

God be with you,
Ray


The above is one of the funny emails from Ray.  He states, in a joking manner, that a woman's breasts may be for feeding babies and not for entertaining husbands.   

Since humor seems to be frowned upon on the Forum lately, Ray should have been more careful in his statements.  But one reason I admired Ray---he didn't follow the politically correct, Christian way of thinking.

[Kat]

John, I don't think Ray was joking there at all, and he did very well of being balanced about sex in marriage is not bad/wrong.

It seems that some people's lewd sense of humor needs to get out of the gutter though, at least when they are here. And I most certainly believe that this forum is to be held to a much higher standard than what a lot of people find as humorous.

mercy, peace and love
Kat

[Mike Gagne]

John, I don't think Ray was joking there at all, and he did very well of being balanced about sex in marriage is not bad/wrong.

It seems that some people's lewd sense of humor needs to get out of the gutter though, at least when they are here. And I most certainly believe that this forum is to be held to a much higher standard than what a lot of people find as humorous.

mercy, peace and love
Kat

.      Yes I agree Kat

[AwesomeSavior]

If I could have spoken with Ray about Number 15 on this list, I would say...Hey! I like the Beatles "I want to hold your hand". Compared to the trash that is called "music" today, that song from 51 years ago is practically holy. Grumpy old man..

[Farlsborough]

It's creat-ING, not creat-ED! If Adam was created in God's image, why oh why did he sin?!

Go through the door, confess with your mouth, call on the name of the Lord, enter by the narrow gate... What IS all this stuff?! What is it?! Well, it's all the same thing. It's all one.

"Oh that? It's a gift from my wife. Have I ever used it? Hell no!"

This last one - the comparison of faith as a gift that we must use, like a treadmill - was not only funny but very memorable and very useful to me, both in terms of remembering the concept and explaining to others. I look forward to thanking Ray for this and all the other stuff one day.

[John from Kentucky]

It's creat-ING, not creat-ED! If Adam was created in God's image, why oh why did he sin?!

Go through the door, confess with your mouth, call on the name of the Lord, enter by the narrow gate... What IS all this stuff?! What is it?! Well, it's all the same thing. It's all one.

"Oh that? It's a gift from my wife. Have I ever used it? Hell no!"

This last one - the comparison of faith as a gift that we must use, like a treadmill - was not only funny but very memorable and very useful to me, both in terms of remembering the concept and explaining to others. I look forward to thanking Ray for this and all the other stuff one day.

I highlighted your above quote from Ray, where you have Ray saying, "Hell no!".

That didn't sound right to me.  Ray never gave me the impression that he engaged in casual profanity, especially in scriptural teaching mode.

I was not a close associate of Ray.  I talked to him a few times at the 2009 conference and had dinner at his home on that Sunday.  I've talked to him several times over the telephone, and I've listened to his audios and videos.

But I do not remember him cussing.  Maybe his wife or Dennis might say otherwise since they knew him well.  Maybe someone else can remember a time Ray cussed.  But I didn't see that problem in him.

Below I've attached a quote from the bible study about Saved by Grace through Faith, where Ray mentioned the gift of an exercise bike.  Now unless someone cleaned up the transcript, I do not see where he cussed.

Just saying, since Ray is not here to defend himself, that casual cussing didn't seem like Ray.


Suppose my wife buys me a gift for my birthday. It's a gift, it's not something you have to do or work for. It's a gift, it's free no strings attached, it's a free gift. So what is this free gift? It's a Nordic Track or a exercise bike or whatever. Well thank you for the gift, does it mean I have to use it (chuckle). I'd just stick it in the corner and it'll be there for 5 years. When people come over and say, 'what's that.'  I'd say, it's a gift. They would say, 'have you ever used it?' I'd say, oh no, I don't use it, I just look at it. It's a wonderful gift, my wife is so sweet, she bought me that gift. But no, I don't use it. 

[Dennis Vogel]

When it comes to cussing, Ray would never intentionally be offensive. But he could have said "Hell no!" to be emphatic and drive a point home. Or even make a joke. Ray saying "Hell no" is not impossible.

When just the two of us talked we both knew language would not offend either of us and the conversations could get colorful.

[rick]

There is not one single Scripture in the entirety of the Bible that commands, suggests, or hints that anyone should be giving these two-faced, lying, deceiving, hypercritical, widow robbing, worldly, materialistic, social climbing, vain, egotistical, morally bankrupt heretics, blasphemers, false prophets, scam artists, and religious charlatans, a single penny in the name of firstfruits, secondfruits, or any other kind of seed offering or money making scam!

[Extol]

Great addition, Rick!

JFK, Ray did say that in his Bible study "Saved by Grace Through Faith."

Suppose my wife buys me a gift for my birthday. It's a gift, it's not something you have to do or work for. It's a gift, it's free no strings attached, it's a free gift. So what is this free gift? It's a Nordic Track or a exercise bike or whatever. Well thank you for the gift, does it mean I have to use it (chuckle). I'd just stick it in the corner and it'll be there for 5 years. When people come over and say, 'what's that.'  I'd say, it's a gift. They would say, 'have you ever used it?' I'd say, oh no, I don't use it, I just look at it. It's a wonderful gift, my wife is so sweet, she bought me that gift. But no, I don't use it. 

Where the transcript says "oh no" above, Ray actually said "Hell no," but then quickly said "I mean No!" and people laughed. I found it more amusing than offensive, as did, apparently, the others at the study.

[John from Kentucky]

O.K. Jesse, I believe you and Dennis.  I just never remember him personally using the word.

On the internet, some have referred to him as Hell Ray Smith because of his opposition to the teaching of eternal punishment.  But I don't think they meant it in a nice way.   

[dogcombat]

I still remember:

PAY ATTENTION TO ALL OF THE WORDS!

Ches

[indianabob]

Hi Gents and ladies,

My first impression on this topic was when did hell become a swear/curse word?
Doesn't it depend upon the use in a sentence and whether it is an epithet used to demean one of God's little children or wish them in hell? In that instance it would be equivalent to saying, I hope you die. Now that would be a curse to repent of.
But "hell no" is the same as emphatically no, ain't it?

Of course there is the admonition from Jesus to not "swear" but that is in the context of taking a oath or promise and isn't quite the same as "cussin'

Oh well, we live and learn.

Ole I-bob

[Gina]

How does the Creator of this (galaxy), this is only one of another about 100 billion of these... what kind of a Creature, what kind of Being, what kind of a Creator is this? I'll tell you what kind of a Creature, HE WANTS TO HUG YOU!

[indianabob]

Exactly correct Gina,
God wants to HUG us all, but like a little child that still dirties itself, we have to be cleaned up and potty trained and grow in grace and knowledge.

May that time come soon. Indiana Bob

[Gina]

Of course, iBob, of course.  All in due time...

From the Kiss of Death: 

Luke 15:20—"And he [the prodigal son] arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him [earnestly and passionately with a 'kataphileo kisses']."

Isn't that beautiful?   Maybe that time is already here for some, ya think?