Hi Stevie,
You have been given wise counsel in the previous posts, I only want to add, please consider the source of the comments you received from your misguided friend, he seems to be a personification of the "blind guides" we read about in scripture.Here are a couple paragraphs from Ray's Lake Of Fire Part X; http://bible-truths.com/lake10.htmlNOTHING HAS EVER GONE AGAINST GOD’S PLAN OR INTENTION
No thing, and no body, in the entirety of the universe have ever gone against God’s "intention" or His preordained "plan," even when God Himself has caused many to go against His stated "will." God’s will is going to be completely realized at the consummation of all His intentions and plan (will and intention are not one and the same). It is God’s intention that men go against His will. So what may appear to be a failure in God’s dealing with mankind is nothing of the kind. All that happens was intended to happen, and all that does not happen was not intended to happen. Here is wisdom.
We have seen that not even Satan can go against God’s intentions. Satan needs permission from God to do his dirty work. Since God is responsible (but not accountable—seeing that nothing He does is without a great and beneficial purpose), God takes responsibility for His whole creation, and that is why everything will turn out perfect for every one of God’s creatures.
It is my belief that just by virtue of you being here and being led to Bible Truths is proof positive that the Lord is calling you out of traditional christianity. Do not be surprised when those who haughtily hold on to these doctrines attack you and listen with stopped up ears to things you present to them.More from Ray; This is from LOF Part VII; http://bible-truths.com/lake7.htmlUNDERSTANDING COMES ONLY FROM THE SPIRIT
In John 16:4 we read this,
"But these things have I told you, that WHEN THE TIME SHALL COME, ye may remember that I told you of them."
Verses 12-15,
"I have yet MANY THINGS to say unto you, but ye CANNOT bear them now. Howbeit when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into ALL TRUTH: for He shall not speak of Himself [Jesus IS this Spirit of Truth]; but whatsoever He shall hear [from His Father], that shall He speak: and He will show you things to come. He shall glorify Me: for He shall receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you. All things that the Father has are Mine: therefore said I, that He shall take of Mine, and shall show it unto you."
So why didn’t the disciples understand these things when Jesus first taught them? Because they weren’t converted as yet. They did not have the Spirit of God as yet. That is the ONLY way we can ever understand these deep symbolic mysteries of God:
"But God has revealed them unto us BY HIS SPIRIT: for the Spirit searches ALL things, yea, the DEEP things of God" (I Cor. 2:10)
"But we have the MIND of Christ" (Verse 16).
I believe we need to beware of those who claim to know God’s Spiritual Truths, but know preciously little about God’s Word, the Scriptures. God’s Spirit never contradicts His Word, but the Church’s teaching contradicts God’s Word in hundreds of places.
God has hid these mysteries from the world and even from the Church, I am sad to say. Not that I am the only one to begin understanding these things. There have always been some in every generation that God gave this understanding to. And there are now people scattered around the world that understand these deep mysteries of God and His prophecies for the future, but they are relatively few in number.
Notice Revelation 5:10,
"And has made US unto our God KINGS and priests: and we shall reign on the earth."
Now Proverbs 25:2,
"It is the glory of God to CONCEAL a thing: but the honour of kings is to SEARCH OUT a matter."
And so if we are to be kings, it is our honour to "search out" these things. You must want it more than anything in the world; more than anything in life, more than life itself! If you want life, you must SACRIFICE your life.
Stevie, you may have asked yourself, "what is this guy trying to say?" My point is that the church has little to no truth in it, you are being led by the Lord to seek Him through His Word rather than through men in some denomination. Please study your bible with a humble heart and read the articles on Bible Truths with an open bible and an open mind, scripturally verifying what is presented.
If you have any questions along the way please bring them up here, you have plenty of brethren here who will be happy to help you along your journey to understanding His plan and purpose for us.
His Peace and Wisdom to you,
Joe