Reference to New Testament

[seminole]

In reading some of the articles posted on the site today and yesterday I noticed that many of the scriptures quoted were from the New Testament. Many, I believe, were written from Paul to the various churches of his day. If I am not mistaken, they were comprised of the early Christians who suffered persecution and the threat of death. Paul was guiding and encouraging the early church to "keep the faith" and that nothing could separate them from the promise of Jesus. My dilemma in reading the post is this: it seems the letters written were to those who had accepted the truth of the person of Jesus and his sacrifice for sin and if this be so the words were written to believers. I still don't get the Babylon thing being the churches of our day although I will be first to say that not all in church is right. It just happens to be filled with flawed human beings just as this site and any other place one would go on this earth is filled with the same flawed humans.
From reading the posts , I realize the Babylon thing is a big deal here. I also understand that there is outcry against " religious people" taking the money of mis-guided individuals to live in a more than modest lifestyle. I hope this doesn't offend the leaders here. These things just are not coming together in my mind. I am hoping that someone reading this can and will clarify these things. No offense but I have read L.Ray's writing and would like to hear from someone else who may be better able to explain. Who knows? Maybe I took too many hits to the head in football. Thanks, Seminole

[Pax Vobiscum]

I am not sure what is your question or are you merely making an observation?

Peace

[hillsbororiver]

Hi Seminole,

I can only suggest you read or reread the articles with your bible open and verify, verify and verify once again.

His Peace and Wisdom to you,

Joe



http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:-uU7xURyBlIJ:bible-truths.com/lake15-D.html+come+out+of+her+my+people+l+ray+smith&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us

GOD'S PEOPLE ARE IN BABYLON

The Church of God is

"in the wilderness."

And this Church has a name:

"MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH" (Rev. 12:6 & 17:5).

And just where do you suppose that God's "chosen elect" come from? Why out of Babylon, of course:

"And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, COME OUT OF HER MY PEOPLE, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues" (Rev. 18:4).

[Kat]

Hi Seminole,

Paul was guiding and encouraging the early church to "keep the faith" and that nothing could separate them from the promise of Jesus. My dilemma in reading the post is this: it seems the letters written were to those who had accepted the truth of the person of Jesus and his sacrifice for sin and if this be so the words were written to believers.

If I understand you correctly, you think the believers the apostles taught were in the synagogues, and our churches today are what the synagogues have developed into.

Here is an excerpt from Ray's paper 'THE DEPTH OF SATAN AND THE CHURCH OF GOD.'  This paper goes into great detail about the church of Christ's day and today.

http://bible-truths.com/lake11.html -------------------------

Did new converts to Christ continue to attend synagogues to be edified in their new-found-faith? NO! They were persecuted in the synagogues! They left the synagogues. They left the mother Church. Remember our lesson where Jesus said, "I will build My church..." (Matt. 16:18). Jesus didn't say that He would purify or purge the existing Church. No, Jesus built a New Church—His Church, "MY Church" Jesus called it.

And so it was in the religion of Judaism that the people learned of God and the Law of Moses. But when they learned of the gospel of Jesus Christ, they were forced to "COME OUT OF HER..."

When we read the history of the Apostles in the book of Acts, they and their new converts to Jesus did not continue to worship Jesus in the synagogues. They now began to meet among themselves and in private homes. Paul's habit was to go to the synagogues of whatever city he was evangelizing to teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul did not go to these synagogues to worship Jesus Christ, but rather to teach that Jesus was the Christ. And those who were truly called of God left the synagogues and met with believers of like mind in private homes.

It is true that the Apostles continued for a time to go up to the Temple (not the local synagogues), but they were warned under threat of death that they should discontinue teaching in the Temple. But Peter, who denied Christ three times just weeks earlier, now spoke fearlessly:

"And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to TEACH AND PREACH Jesus Christ" (Acts 5:42).
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Also these papers are on this subject.

WHERE IS THE CHURCH THAT JESUS BUILT?
http://bible-truths.com/lake8.html

THE SEVEN SYMBOLIC CHURCHES OF REVELATION
http://bible-truths.com/lake7.html

mercy peace, and love
Kat

[seminole]

No not thinking at all that the disciples and those like Paul were not teaching in the synagogues. The new believers were persecuted by the "religious temple people" of that day. There are many religious people today but there are also true believers. I am not sure if the belief of most on this forum is that what is called Babylon is the Catholic church? That's the only one I have heard called the "mother church". I am sure there are other denominations that have a pretense of worship and that judge others for whatever reason. God forgive me but I feel guilty even in saying that about someone else. I don't want to be guilty of judging others. I am unworthy, so unworthy to do that. That job belongs to the Father and I hope I haven't hurt anyone in making that statement. Seminole

[Kat]

Hi seminole,

I believe that God will give a person whom He is showing His truth, a discernment of who is teaching truth and who is not.
This discerning that the church's teachings are false, is nessecary to know who to believe. 
To see what the church teaches is unscriptural heresies is part of being a truth believer.
Here is a little part of Ray's paper no. 16-C 'THE ORIGIN OF ENDLESS PUNISHMENT,' it has a great amount of research about the origins of the beliefs and doctrines of the Catholic church.

http://bible-truths.com/lake16-C.html -----------------------------

THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH IS THE ROMAN CHURCH

Make no mistake about it, the Protestant Church has and always will bow to the authority of the Roman Church. No matter how many adjustments, additions, or deletions they make to their Roman heritage, they are still, nonetheless, Roman to the core. Every time you open your King James Bible and believe that it's pages are "inerrant," you bow to the Catholic Church.

I said that "everlasting punishment" is NOT SCRIPTURAL, but is based on the Latin word aeternus which comes directly out of the Catholic Vulgate Bible.

The Catholic Church, that is the Roman Church, came out of pagan Rome. And the Romans celebrated the day of the sun as a day of festivities and pagan worship. It is therefore only natural that the Roman Church should adopt this pagan day of worship just as many other Roman aspects of pagan worship were incorporated into the Roman Catholic Church, and then passed onto the Protestant Churches.

The Lord's Day, Sunday, is not Scriptural, nor is it Protestant. It is Roman Catholic:

All of the worst religious teachings of pagan Rome, are still in the Christian Church. The major Christian doctrines of, who is man, what is man, what is man's purpose on earth, and what is man's eternal destiny, are believed by Catholics and Protestants alike, and all of them are pagan to the core. And all of them came from pagan Egypt, through pagan Greece, through pagan Rome, into the Church of Rome, through the King James Bible, and into the homes and lives of billions of unsuspecting Christians worldwide.
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mercy, peace, and love
Kat

[PKnowler]

Hey Kat,

  Thank you for posting those clips from Ray's LOF series. They are really good! It has been a while since I read them- I guess it's time for review.

Blessings! 
~Paula