

The Bible Refutes Dogmatic Theology

# An Unprejudiced Interpretation of Scriptures

### Maria Seferou

Copyright © 2018 by Maria Seferou

CONTENTS

Abbreviations

Preface

Chapter 1: God

1a: Creator

1b: God is Spirit

1c: God is One

1d: God is Wise

Chapter 2: Man

2a: Man's spiritual nature

2b: Man's soul

2c: Man's body

Chapter 3: Spirits

3a: Spirits of the Dead

3b: Spirits released by prophets

3c: Spirits of Nations

3d: Spirits of virtues or vices

Chapter 4: Christ

4a: Born of a Virgin

4b: Son of God

4c: Redeemer

4d: One with the Father

4e: Inferior to the Father

4f: Prophet

4g: Son of man

Chapter 5: Angels

Chapter 6: Satan

Chapter 7: Demons

Chapter 8: Sin

Chapter 9: Idolatry

Chapter 10: Magic

Chapter 11: Prophecy

Chapter 12: Prayer

12a: Thanksgiving

12b: Supplication

12c: Intercession

12d: Spiritual Warfare

Chapter 13: Salvation

Chapter 14: The "Kingdom of God"

Epilogue

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Abbreviations

O.T., Old Testament N. T., New Testament

Gen., Genesis Matt., Matthew

Ex., Exodus Rom., Romans

Lev., Leviticus Cor., Corinthians

Num., Numbers Gal., Galatians

Deut., Deuteronomy Eph., Ephesians

Jos., Joshua Phil., Philippians

Judg., Judges Col., Colossians

Sam., Samuel Thes., Thessalonians

Chr., Chronicles Tim., Timothy

Neh., Nehemiah Heb., Hebrews

Psa., Psalms Jam., James

Prov., Proverbs Pet., Peter

Ecc., Ecclesiastes Rev., Revelation

Isa., Isaiah

Jer., Jeremiah

Lam., Lamentations

Ez., Ezekiel

Dan., Daniel

Hos., Hosea

Mic., Micah

Hab., Habakkuk

Zech., Zechariah

Mal., Malachi

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Note

The Biblical passages quoted in this book have been taken sometimes from the Revised Standard Version, sometimes from the New International Version, and on other occasions from King James Version. Each time, the author chose the version that, in her judgment, gave the meaning of the passage more clearly and precisely.

In certain cases, the author used a combination of all three English versions, in an effort to get closer to the meaning the writer of the passage was trying to convey. Whenever the meaning of a sentence was evasive, and in order to safeguard herself from error, the author translated directly from the original Greek version of the New Testament and the Greek Septuagint version of the Old Testament.
Preface

When I seriously started searching for God, at the age of thirty-eight, trying to find enlightenment, strength, meaning and purpose in my life, the Bible was the first book I turned to, with great awe and expectation. This was natural for me, a nominal Greek Orthodox up until that time, as in my school I had been taught that the Bible, both the Old and the New Testament, was the source of Christianity, the very foundation of Eastern Orthodox Christian faith.

Moreover, during the first years of my quest of God in London, I had met many Evangelical and Pentecostal Christians, all "born again", as they professed, who boasted that the Bible, having survived centuries' vile persecutions, had steadily been the number one bestseller throughout the world during the 20th century. The same zealously, even fanatically, professed that the Bible, in its entirety, is the inerrant and infallible revealed "Word of God". Consequently, in order to belong to the Christian family, I felt compelled to accept this as an axiom, although, I must admit, halfheartedly. From then on, if I wished to "personally" know Jesus and have what they called "a 'relationship' with Him", in other words if I wanted to be "saved", I ought to believe every word of the Holy Bible. There was no other way to "salvation" from hell!

As I was gradually taking my salvation more seriously, I began to realize that it was not enough for me simply to listen to the preaching of my pastor on Sundays, or to read the Evangelical books, which I was eagerly buying by the dozen at that time. It wasn't even enough to listen to the fiery preaching of famous charismatic evangelists from the U.S.A., who used to visit London quite often in those days. Neither was I satisfied with what I was taught at the Pentecostal "School of Ministry" that I attended in Boston, in 1983. I needed to have firsthand knowledge, in order for my spirit to find peace and rest.

Hungry for spiritual food as I was, I threw myself into studying "the Word of God" diligently. However, I was soon to realize that a systematic inquiry into the Bible wasn't going to be an easy task. Particularly the study of the Old Testament proved rather difficult. Quite often I lost patience in the process, as I had to search through lengthy historical accounts and ceremonial descriptions before finding some spiritual "germs" here and there, which nourished my soul and lifted up my spirit.

There were even instances when I dared to murmur, "NO! This cannot be the Word of God", only to repent of my 'rebellion' a few minutes later! At times I almost gave up reading the Old Testament. Nevertheless, in spite of the difficulties, I did force myself to thoroughly examine the entire Bible. I was determined to discover the Biblical roots of fundamental Christian doctrines – beliefs that had indeed bewildered my mind and had left so many of my theological questions unanswered...

Thank God, it was through this systematic, unbiased and critical study of the Bible that my eyes were gradually opened to the Truth – the Truth that liberates the soul and unites people!

I must confess that my awakening (de-conversion) was very painful. Occasionally it was devastating... You see, I had already suffered my fair share of "Evangelical" brainwashing and now it wasn't easy to free myself from it. Worse still, there was nobody around to share my doubts and my discoveries. I had no one to turn to for encouragement and consultation while I was searching for the Truth. I was in great agony, almost in desperation.

Sometimes I felt as if the ground was sinking under my feet. But NO! I didn't want to go crazy trying to convince myself that the "bones" in the Bible were "meat", that the "black" in there was "white"! NO, I couldn't tolerate my deception anymore! On the other hand, how could I be happy and grow spiritually without the fellowship of like-minded believers? "Perhaps I would be better off returning to the Evangelical family", I often thought.

Yet, I felt I did not belong there any longer. I didn't accept the fundamental Christian doctrines, and I couldn't be a hypocrite keeping quiet about them. Besides, if I attempted to be honest with fellow Christians and confessed that I did not believe in the inerrancy of the Bible, Trinity, instant "salvation" by faith in the blood of Jesus, etc., I would be instantly thrown out of their midst as backslidden...

What should I do, then? Giving up my spiritual endeavors and returning to a worldly pattern of living, i.e. simply pursuing my secular interests, through the satisfaction of my instincts and five senses, did not appeal to me as a goal of life. This choice was out of the question. It was too late for turning the clock back now. God had already become very real in my life and this gave peace to my heart; I had "seen" the Light and enjoyed the experience; I was deeply touched and dramatically transformed by His Spirit, and, in times of intimate fellowship with my Heavenly Father, I had pledged to try living according to His will, to the extent, of course, I was able to accurately discern it.

So, the only option I had now was to follow my own spirit and travel the spiritual journey alone. If my heart was after God, I was sure He would always be with me. He would accept me even if I were wrong in my theological discoveries. I reasoned, "Would my loving heavenly Father give up on me because, in my thirst for truth and in all my honesty, I misunderstood certain concepts? Would He reject me because by studying the Bible diligently I had arrived at certain conclusions that contradicted the basic Christian doctrines?"

Of course not! My Creator equipped me with a mind in order to use it, and this was exactly what I did. After all, even if I were wrong, it would be more acceptable to Him to follow my own deception than somebody else's! Besides, I knew by now that spiritual fruit would manifest in my life only according to the love and purity of my heart and not according to theological doctrines and theories that I nurtured in my mind. If I loved Him and His Creation with all my heart, that was enough to be in touch with the Spirit, never mind how accurate or inaccurate my religious beliefs and doctrines were. Right doctrines without right heart wouldn't lead me to the realization of God, i.e. my Higher Self or the Spirit within.

So, eventually, after a period of many months, I came to terms with my new beliefs, which I still considered to be Christian! Christ's teaching was still central in my life and I even believed that he continued to love me dearly. A new period in my spiritual evolution had dawned. From now on I didn't have any pastor or teacher, save the Holy Spirit. Nor did I want to have any followers. I had concluded that the Great Teacher is inside us and each one of us has the responsibility to seek and find God for himself. And the purpose of this book is exactly this: first to encourage people to examine and evaluate what religious leaders would have them believe unquestionably, and second to encourage them to think and seek God for themselves.

Which, then, were my conclusions on the inspiration of the Bible? Well, eventually it became very clear to me that the Old Testament was simply the history of a people who, individually and collectively, longed to know the living God and His precepts and tried to involve Him in their daily life. What had impressed me mostly, however, was the deep soul agony, even the desperation, of the O.T. prophets and sages as they endeavored to make the Jews behave as God's chosen people, a light to the Gentiles.

Quite often, I felt great sympathy towards the Israelites, who suffered as a result of the merciless curses delivered against them by their own prophets, in the name of Jehovah, whenever they fell short of the great standards they had set up before them, thereby breaking God's Covenant! I didn't understand this kind of prophets' love nor was I ever convinced that it was God who inspired them to bring, through the word of their mouth, such calamities upon the chosen people.

I also found some messages there that were not simply man's distorted ideas about good and evil, but also very harmful, if taken seriously. I am talking about instances where Jehovah supposedly instructed the chosen people to kill human beings belonging to other nations, causing them to violate one of His Ten Commandments! Nevertheless, while I couldn't accept that the entire O.T. was God inspired, I had been greatly blessed by studying the many undoubtedly wholesome messages, visions and prayers of the great prophets therein. For this I feel deeply indebted towards the Jewish people who devoutly kept and passed down to the whole world the books of the Old Testament.

As regards the New Testament, well, its God was so different to the O.T. Jehovah that made me wonder how He had suddenly changed so much! It took me quite a while to conclude that it was the people's understanding of God that had improved and not the Almighty. Studying the N.T., I gradually realized that it, too, contained many discrepancies and contradictions that, again, forbade me to take all of it as God inspired. This explains why so many different Christian denominations, cults and sects have derived from the same Bible! It also explains why so much intolerance, divisions, fanaticism and bloodshed have, alas, been "inspired" by the Bible...

But God cannot be the author of confusion, divisions and hatred. Impossible! If a "holy" scripture can be interpreted in so many different and contradicting ways as to cause divisions and hatred among its believers, then it is not holy at all. It is as simple as that, and Christians must find the courage to admit it, if Christianity were to lead the world into a brighter future.

The shaking off of deeply embedded old religious deceptions is absolutely necessary, if humanity were to enter an era of love and reconciliation among all Christian denominations and even among other religions. The time has now arrived when Christians should abandon spiritual infancy, gradually getting rid of their "toys", and grow into adulthood, if they want to make a positive difference in the world.

I am not saying that such a change is easy. Not at all! As I said, I have personally gone through the pain and agony of uprooting comfortable old beliefs, doctrines and religious traditions deeply weaved in our collective subconscious, and I know that it is absolutely excruciating. Traditions, sweet religious memories from our childhood, have become a second nature to us. It is like a drug to which we have long been addicted. This applies not just to Christianity, but also to all the other religions.

Yet, it is for our own good and for the sake of the world's spiritual evolution, peace and prosperity that we should set ourselves free from our deceptions, no matter how precious and how important to our emotions these are. Nobody else can do it for us! We must be our own saviors, responsible for our lives and the international affairs of our planet, so that we may build a peaceful and brighter future for the generations to come.

The aim of this book is not to create yet another religion. God forbid! There are too many already! Humanity cannot afford more religious fragmentations. My endeavor is to address controversial Christian issues by quoting and analyzing characteristic verses from the Bible – verses that liberate the soul, revive and feed the spirit, edify the personality, sustain the body and unite believers.

I firmly believe that the truth which Revives, Unites, Liberates, Edifies and Sustains the whole man – spirit, soul and body – is the truth that RULES supreme in the Universe! This Truth I am prayerfully trying to unfold within the pages of this book.

Of course, the verses I shall quote here, in order to substantiate and support each issue, may not be the only relevant ones in the Bible. However, for practical reasons, I must keep this book reasonably short. I want this work to be a kind of Biblical manual for busy people. The others, those who could spend the time, should undertake a similar research for themselves, studying the entire Bible prayerfully, with an unbiased and critical mind. The Bible is there for us all, with hundreds of dictionaries, commentaries, analyses and other reading aids. No one has any excuse to be misled.

Furthermore, since the Biblical truths that I shall unfold here are truths that unite, readers of different religious persuasion could also benefit from this book without being threatened in their own faith. Especially the other "Children of Abraham", Jews and Muslims, will feel at home while reading this work.

Regarding the Christian fundamentalists who might be offended by this book, since it challenges the basic doctrines of Christianity, I feel sorry, but I must say that it is not my fault that the Bible contains also verses that contradict their beliefs. Nor do I feel guilty for trying to present the universal spiritual meaning of the Scriptures, disregarding some dividing and questionable doctrines based on "the letter that killeth". On the contrary, I am at peace trying to discharge my duty for the benefit of unprejudiced people of every faith.

Surely I do not claim to be the wisest person for undertaking such a high task, or to be infallible in my evaluation and analysis. As St. Paul said, I also admit, "I know in part". However, I trust the Spirit of God to enlighten the mind of the reader and guide the sincere and devout seeker, so that he/she knows with certainty which of my claims is of the Truth.

I confess that I proceed to this task responsibly and prayerfully, with love and respect for the reader. I hope that this book may become a humble instrument of blessing, reconciliation and understanding among people.

Chapter 1: God

To rightly describe God, the Ultimate Reality, the Absolute Light, the basis of all existence, requires divine wisdom, communion and perfect union with the Almighty. It requires entering into the very Essence of God! This, of course, presupposes absolute purity of one's heart and mind, something that can be attained by freeing ourselves of everything that is born of ignorance.

Being aware of my current personal limitations, I proceed to the first chapter of this book with awe. Anyway, I am convinced that nobody can really know God through the description of others – even if those were some of the Bible writers – although all this admittedly helps. We can enter into the true knowledge of God only when we transcend the ego-consciousness, stop identifying ourselves with the body and become conscious of our own essential divine nature. This should be the Goal of our life, if we are to experience constant bliss, regardless of the circumstances we are facing.

From the beginning of time, man sought to know and communicate with his maker and the maker of all visible creation. He took it for granted that God existed. His assumption was reasonable. Everything that exists, even a tiny pin, has its maker and a purpose. So, beholding the majesty, the order and the wisdom of Creation, we would be fools to assume that the Universe was formed by chance, by nobody. Such an assumption would defile common sense. For sure, then, there must exist a Creator, a Supreme Being that conceived and laid out the wonders of this Universe. We cannot prove it, but it makes sense; it satisfies our logic far more than the opposite.

Let us now see what the Bible says about God.

1a: Creator

"By faith we understand that the world was created by the word of God", said St. Paul (Heb. 11: 3a).

By faith, then, we understand that someone created the Universe, someone who was from the beginning, a self-existent Supreme Mind, Spiritual Energy with intelligence, a Spirit without beginning or end! Every other assumption is illogical and leads to absurdities and confusion. The Greek word for God is "Theos" and derives from the past tense of the ancient verb "tithimi", which means: to decide, define, place. So, God is the One who decided the creation of the Universe, defined the sovereign laws by which it would be governed and placed the world in its place!

And how did God create the world? By His word, says the Bible. God "spoke" and the world came to pass.

Man's mind, of course, stops when the question of who was the maker of God arises in his heart. He cannot take it any further. He cannot comprehend that there could be someone without beginning. This is too much for the capacity of his finite mind. The Bible does not attempt to give an answer to this question, nor does it argue about the existence of God. It takes it for granted that God IS. This is indisputable. He is the great "I AM".

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (...) Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness';" (Gen. 1: 1, 26a)

Creation was God's good pleasure and, some say, His need. The Self-realization comes when one starts creating something. Moreover, in creating man in His own image, God might have wanted to make, out of a universal and impersonal Spirit, human beings with the potential to become personal gods. Could the secret of God's creation of man lie somewhere here? In Revelation (19: 7) there is mention of a mystical marriage between Christ (the Lamb) and the Bride, which is believed to be the Church. Could the esoteric meaning of this be the marriage, i.e. the perfect union, between the personal soul and the impersonal spirit (the embodiment of divine law) in man? I leave the answer to this most important question to each one of the readers, as we all need divine revelation on this.

"You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship You." (Neh. 9: 6)

Nehemiah, just as all the prophets of the Old Testament, believes that God is the Creator of everything that exists: the highest heavens, the heavens, their starry host, the earth and everything on it, the seas and everything in them! The prophet also sees that the multitudes of heaven worship God.

I wish we could say the same about us human beings...

Ecclesiastes asserts that God is the maker of all things and he admits that it is only natural that man cannot understand the works of God, since he doesn't even know how his bones were formed in his mother's womb: "As you do not know what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones are formed into a mother's womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the maker of all things." (Eccl. 11: 5)

"The heavens declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim the work of His hands." (Psa. 19:1)

David seems to run out of words beholding the grandeur of the heavens and the skies, which but declare the glory of God! Elsewhere the psalmist repeats what was a common belief for the people of the Old Testament: "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. (...) For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood forth." (Psa. 33: 6, 9)

God's Word is creative. He "speaks" and things come into existence. Apparently, the psalmist assumes that God is a person and that He speaks as we do. (In my humble opinion, we need revelation on this, since the belief in a personal God leaves many questions unanswered.)

In other places the Bible states that God creates by his Spirit: "When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth." (Psa. 104: 30).

To try to describe how God creates, if He speaks, just thinks, or if He simply desires and it comes into being, is trying the impossible. We simply project to God our own characteristics and our own limitations. Our mental faculties don't have the capability to conceive and our language doesn't have the vocabulary to describe God's ways of creating. It is enough for us to believe that behind all visible and invisible universes there is one Creator, a Master Mind, an infinite Intelligence that created everything in love and wisdom.

Job does not even attempt to explain how God creates; he stands in awe and only describes quite eloquently what he sees, admitting that he doesn't understand God's tremendous power: "He spreads out the northern (skies) over empty space; He suspends the earth over nothing. He wraps up the waters in His clouds, yet the clouds do not burst under their weight. He covers the face of the full moon, spreading His clouds over it. He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters for a boundary between light and darkness. The pillars of the heavens quake aghast at His rebuke. (...) And these are but the outer fringe of His works; how faint the whisper we hear of Him! Who then can understand the thunder of His power?" (Job 26: 7-11,14).

Indeed, we can only faintly "hear" the whisper of God! And we can only vaguely conceive His power... All we can understand is that He can do everything He pleases; there is nobody and nothing to restrict Him except, perhaps, from his own decrees, the sovereign laws that He has established from the beginning, when he created the universes.

The psalmist also admits this: "The Lord does whatever pleases Him, in the heavens and on earth, in the seas and all their depths." (Psa. 135: 6)

We, his creatures, are not to judge God for the way He made things. We are not to complain and grudge about anything. On the contrary, we must praise the Lord for everything, under any circumstances. This is for our own good, it serves the best of our interests, and it brings us inner peace and joy. Here is how the psalmist exhorts us: "Let them praise the name of the Lord, for He commanded and they were created. He established them forever and ever; He gave a decree that will never pass away." (Psa. 148: 5-6)

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name!" (Psa. 103: 1)

Amos, one of the minor prophets of the Old Testament, writes: "For lo, He who forms the mountains, creates the wind, and reveals His thoughts to man, He who turns dawn to darkness and treads on the heights of the earth, the LORD God Almighty is His name." (Amos 4: 13)

The deep and genuine adoration of Amos towards God is obvious in these words. God not only creates everything but He also reveals His thoughts to men, especially to His prophets!

Another minor prophet of the O.T., Zechariah, writes: "The word of the Lord concerning Israel: Thus says the Lord, who stretches out the heavens, who lays the foundation of the earth and who forms the spirit of man within him." (Zech. 12: 1)

As the prophet understands it, God, as Creator, is constantly working. Among all the other great things that He creates and sustains, the Lord forms the spirit of each person within him/her. It is worth reflecting on this verse. It appears to me that the prophet here does not leave much room for the belief in re-incarnation. Each human spirit is new and is formed within man by God.

There is not a single writer in the Bible who does not declare the glory of God in his Creation, and not just once. It couldn't have been otherwise. If their writings were considered worthy to be included in what has come down to us as Holy Scriptures, it is because they had been blessed not only to believe in the existence of the Almighty God, the sole Creator of Universe, but also to love and adore him. Hence, when they were inspired by God's Spirit, they uttered beautiful words of wisdom that are invaluable for the spiritual growth of man.

1b: God is Spirit

Regarding the nature of God, there are many references to him as Spirit. "The earth was formless and void, darkness was over the face of the abyss, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." (Gen. 1:2)

So, the Spirit of God existed from the beginning, when there was nothing else but abyss, a complete dark void.

Let us look at more Biblical references to God as Spirit:

"The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life." (Job 33: 4)

Indeed, the Spirit of God is our Creator, i.e. God himself. He has made us, and by his "breath" he sustains our life!

The next scripture is even clearer on God's nature being spiritual: "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship Him. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4: 23-24)

So then, God, who is our Father, is spirit. He is the Holy Spirit himself, and we can only worship Him in spirit and in truth. It is by our spirit that we can communicate with God's Spirit. Apparently we cannot connect with Him through handmade images and other visual aids.

Since God is Spirit, He is invisible. We cannot see Him. As Paul writes to Timothy, "God, the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has ever seen or can see." (1 Tim. 6: 15b-16a)

John repeats the same thing: "No man has ever seen God." (1 John 4: 12a)

Since God is invisible Spirit, i.e. formless, for man to try visualizing Him is fruitless.

Job was also desperate because he could not see God whom he so loved! "Behold, I go forward, but He is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive Him; on the left hand I seek Him, but I cannot behold Him; I turn to the right hand, but I cannot see Him." (Job 23: 8-9)

However, although we cannot see God, we are also told that He's really not far from us! In fact, He is very close to us. The psalmist knows it very well (Psa. 139: 7-13):

"Where can I go from your Spirit?

Where can I flee from your presence?

If I go up to the heavens, you are there!

If I make my bed in the depths, you are there!

If I rise on the wings of the dawn,

If I dwell on the far side of the sea,

Even there your hand will guide me,

Your right hand will hold me fast.

If I say, 'Let only darkness cover me

And the light about me be night',

Even the darkness is not dark to you,

The night is bright as the day,

For darkness is a light to you.

For you created my inmost being,

You knit me together in my mother's womb."

How beautiful, tender, truly God-inspired is David's song to the awesome God!

Let us read it again and meditate upon it. It is so wonderful, so uplifting!

Paul confirmed the nearness of God while speaking to the Athenians: "Yet he is not far from each one of us. For 'In Him we live and move and have our being', as even some of your poets have said; for 'We are indeed His offspring'." (Acts 17: 27b-28)

How gracefully the ancient Greek poets had described God! In Him we have our being! Since God is Spirit, He permeates every atom of our body, every particle of the air round about us; He lives in us, as He also lives in every creature of the earth, in every planet and star of the Universe! This element of God's nature inherent in us is our spirit! We are His "offspring"! In other words, we are God's body. Indeed, the entire Universe is God's body.

1c: God is one

The Bible stresses that God is one: "I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no God." (Isa. 44: 6b)

The prophet Isaiah makes it absolutely clear: there is no other God!

"Know therefore this day, and lay it to your heart, that the LORD is GOD in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other." (Deut. 4: 39)

In this verse Moses, the giant prophet, emphasizes the same Truth: there is no other God in heaven or on the earth!

"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord." (Deut. 6: 4)

Moses had spoken very clearly to Israel. He stressed the oneness of God, the Creator, many times, since the Israelites had learnt the ways of the heathen in Egypt and were prone to worshipping their false gods.

"For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and accepts no bribes." (Deut. 10: 17)

Here Moses acknowledges the existence of lesser gods (spirits) but he made it clear that the true God was above them all. He was Lord over all gods!

The New Testament also has many references to the one God, the Creator. I shall quote some verses here: "And when they heard this, they lifted their voices together to God and said, 'Sovereign Lord, You made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them;' " (Acts 4: 24).

This is a prayer of the first Christians in Jerusalem. It is obvious that they prayed to one God, the Sovereign Lord, the sole Creator of the Universe. There is no room for misunderstanding here; no mention of "Holy Trinity".

In another passage of the Acts, where the Apostle Paul was preaching to the Athenians, it is written: "The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by man; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, because He himself gives to all men life and breath and everything." (Acts 17: 24-25)

Once again, it is clear that Paul believes in one God, the only Creator and Lord of heaven and earth, who gives life to all, and does not live in shrines made by men!

In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul makes it clear, once again, that he believes and preaches one God: "There is (...) one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all." (Eph. 4: 4a, 6)

What a uniting truth is included in so few words! There is only one God who is the Father of all! He is the Father of the "born again" and the not "born again", the Father of the Evangelicals and Pentecostals, the Father of the Orthodox, the Catholics and the Protestants, the Father of the Jews, the Muslims and the believers of every other major or minor religion! Indeed, He is even the Father of the atheists, for He is through all and in all! He is also over all. There is none else above Him or next to him.

The following scriptures also confirm that God is one:

"Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen." (Phil. 4: 20)

All glory belongs forever to God, our Father! We should not glorify anybody else.

"Do not be deceived, my brothers. Every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variableness or shadow of change." (Jam. 1: 16-17)

Everything originates in the Father of Lights! So we should accept whatever He brings to us with gratitude and thanksgiving!

"You believe that God is one; you do well." (Jam. 2: 19a)

It couldn't have been clearer! God is one! To Him alone belongs the glory. And He is our Father, the Father of all creatures. There is no room left here for misunderstanding and complicated theological dogmas. God, who is one, and He is the only source of life! He is the Father of lights, above all, through all and in all. So to God alone belongs the glory. There shouldn't be any doubts; God alone is the source of life.

Finally, as we seek the truth about God, we should cry to the Lord even as David did: "Show me Your ways, O Lord, teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your Truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior and my hope is in You all day long." (Psa. 25: 4-5)

1d: God is Wise

"How many are Your works, O Lord! In wisdom You made them all;" (Psa. 104: 24a)

When we observe the order, the beauty and the harmony in God's creation, we cannot but join David in praising the Lord for his infinite wisdom.

King Solomon also acknowledges God's wisdom in his Proverbs: "By wisdom the Lord laid the earth's foundations, by understanding He set the heavens in place." (Prov. 3: 19)

Even if we have questions unanswered, we must humbly admit our limitations and not doubt the wisdom of our Creator.

Jeremiah also declares the power and wisdom of God, as it is manifest on His works: "It is He who made the earth by his power, who established the world by His wisdom, and by His understanding stretched out the heavens." (Jer. 10: 12)

In this chapter, through Biblical verses, we have established that God, who created the Universe with infinite wisdom, is one; He is self-existent, without beginning or end; He is sovereign, his nature is spiritual, and He is omnipresent.

There are also hundreds more passages in the Bible, both the Old and New Testament, which speak of the other holy characteristics of God. They assert that God is perfect, omnipotent, incomprehensible, immutable, omniscient, holy, loving, merciful, just, impartial, provider and more.

However, some writers of the Bible have attributed to God not only the highest qualities of character but also some of man's weaknesses, such as anger, vindictiveness, jealousy etc. They assumed that God is partial and that He made blood covenants with men, getting jealous and angry when his "chosen" people worshipped other gods!

It is beyond the scope of this book to quote any scriptures on such imaginary negative characteristics that man projected to God. In any case, it would not help anyone spiritually to be acquainted with an imperfect Jehovah, made in ignorant man's own image.

Chapter 2: Man

The path to real progress, whether personal, social, national or global, passes through man's self-realization. The better we know the truth about ourselves, our spiritual nature, our potential for excellency and the higher purpose of this life, the closer will we be to experience inner peace, true love and blissfulness.

Who are we? We all pretend to know; but how true is our knowledge? "Know thyself" said the ancient Greek sages; but how can we know ourselves? How does one go about it?

Since this book has the Bible as its only source and basis, we will endeavor to collect information about man only from there. As with every other subject, we will search for relevant pieces of truth scattered throughout the scriptures. Indeed, the way the "word of the Lord" has been given to us is "precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little;" (Isa. 28: 13a)

This, of course, is not because, for some reason, God did not want to reveal all His truths to us at once, but because men, even the great prophets, grasped it little by little, and passed it down to us line upon line. Let us, then, see what the Bible says about man.

2a: Man's spiritual nature

Man is divine and the most important "art" that he should learn in this life is the art of awakening and developing his inherent spiritual principle.

Let us see what the Bible tells us on this.

First of all, the Bible states that God created man in his own image and likeness.

"And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." (Gen. 2: 7)

The material by which God made man is soil, "the dust of the ground." However, this body contains a living soul, the result of the breath God breathed into our nostrils. It follows, then, that we have a particle of God inborn in us, even His breath! A preceding verse confirms this: "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." (Gen 1: 27)

According to the Bible, then, human beings, both males and females, are made in the image of God. Further down there is yet another verse that confirms this: "In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; male and female created he them." (Gen. 5: 1b-2a)

From the above verses, we can safely conclude that there is a basic element in man that is like God. Which is this? It is our spirit! The following verse clarifies it: "Thus says God, the Lord, (...) He who gives breath to the people upon it (the earth) and spirit to those who walk in it." (Isa. 42: 5)

So, man is a spiritual being, who lives in a physical body. The Bible also tells us that man is a little lower than the angels: "You made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor and put everything under his feet." (Heb. 2: 7)

The fact that God put all the other creatures under man's feet is also confirmed through the following two Biblical verses.

"And God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth'." (Gen. 1: 28)

"You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet." (Psa. 8: 6)

It is established, then, that man's body is made of soil, yet he is a spiritual being, a little lower than the angels, and he has been given dominion over all the other creatures. If man is superior to every other creature, it means that he is the only one made in the image and likeness of God, i.e. the only creature that has a moral conscience.

The Bible goes even further:

"I say: 'you are gods; you are all sons of the Most High. However, you die as men and fall like every ruler'. " (Psa. 82: 6-7)

Unfortunately, man is unaware of his divine nature, and thus he dies accordingly...

What else does the spirit of man do? The following verse gives us a clue: "The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching everything that is in the innermost parts of the heart." (Prov. 20: 27)

Apparently, our spirit seems to do the work of what we call 'conscience'. We assume, then, that our conscience is a manifestation of our spirit, which is "the candle of the Lord", a ray of God's Spirit. The question now arises: is our candle always illuminated or do we have to set it alight ourselves in order to activate it? The answer to this will be more palpable if we liken our candle to an oil-lamp. When such "lamp" runs out of "oil", then its light diminishes until eventually it goes totally off. Then we are talking about men with a sleepy or a sheared conscience.

The following scripture clarifies the issue further: "Surely there is a spirit in man; however, the inspiration of the Almighty gives him understanding." (Job 32: 8)

The "inspiration of the Almighty" is the oil that our lamp needs in order to shine and search effectively our innermost being.

A bright spirit not only searches our heart and shows us the right way, but it also strengthens us. "The spirit of man sustains his infirmity; but a broken spirit who can bear?" (Prov.18: 14)

This is good news! If our spirit is strong, then it can sustain the whole man. It can heal our body and liberate our soul from bondages.

Let us now see what the New Testament says about the spirit of man:

The spirit of man is the entity that gives life to the body, for "the body without the spirit is dead." (James 2: 26a)

The spirit is nothing less than God's principle, the "kingdom of God", within man: "Behold, the kingdom of God is within you." (Luke 17: 21b)

Indeed, man's body is the temple of God's spirit. Paul, in his first epistle to the Corinthians, asked them: "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?" (1 Cor. 3: 16)

Continuing on the same subject, in his second epistle to the Corinthians, Paul writes: "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us." (2 Cor. 4: 7)

What a great spiritual treasure we carry in our body, in this earthen vessel!

The spirit, however, needs nourishment and its "food" comes from the word of God: "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." (Matt. 4: 4)

Many people identify the spirit with the mind. However, the next scripture makes it clear that these are two distinct entities: "For what person knows a man's thoughts except the spirit of man which is in him?" (1 Cor. 2: 11a)

So then, the spirit of man is the knower while the mind with its products – the thoughts – is the object of knowing. Our spirit constantly examines our thoughts, and with a "still, small voice" whispers to us, indicating whether we are in the right path or not. How many of us and how often understand and take heed of its subtle warnings? It is my firm belief that the most important issue in human spirituality, and the most difficult one, is to be able to hear our inner voice clearly. This, of course, presupposes that our spirit, i.e. the inner man, is strong.

How, then, could one have a strong spirit? Mainly by adhering to God's principles.

Communication with God, through prayer and meditation, is another means of strengthening our spirit. Here is what Paul says: "That he (God) would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man." (Eph.3: 16)

Unlike our body, this inner man doesn't grow old. On the contrary, through faith in God and adherence to his precepts, it is renewed daily: "Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though our outward man is wasting away, yet the inward man is renewed day by day." (2 Cor. 4: 16)

This is excellent news! Our spirit does not get wrinkled with age.

2b: Man's soul

There is yet another element in man that we must examine. Man has also a soul. In the Bible, and especially in the Old Testament, the words soul and heart are sometimes used instead of the word spirit, and thus it becomes difficult to distinguish the difference between them. For example, in the verse, "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones" (Prov. 17: 22), one assumes that heart and spirit are the same thing. Likewise, in the verse, "My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; when shall I come and appear before God?" (Psa. 42: 2), David refers rather to his spirit; for it is our spirit that longs to be united with the Spirit of God. Indeed it is our spirit that cries out "Abba! Father!" Yes, it is our spirit that craves for the presence of God, while the soul rather pulls man to the opposite direction, yielding to the satisfaction of the senses and the desires of the flesh.

What, then, is our soul? From what the Bible tells us, we conclude that the soul is the instrument through which man relates to the material world; it is the essence of our personality, which expresses itself through the will, the emotions and the mind, although the mind, to some degree, is also related to the spirit. This is an area where the borderline between spirit and soul is not easily discernable, and one needs the revelation of the Spirit of God and the word of God in order to distinguish between them. Let us meditate on what Paul said about this matter: "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Heb. 4: 12)

Presumably, to rightly divide between spirit and soul we need the help of the word of God, just as we need it to discern the quality of our thoughts and the intentions of our heart.

The New Testament is very clear about the tripartite nature of man. Here is the most definite verse on this subject: "May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit, soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thess. 5: 23)

The Bible also tells us that the soul of man needs salvation and rest, and this state can be found only in fellowship with God. Let us see what David says: "For truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from Him. (...) For you, O my soul, find rest in God alone; for my expectation is from Him." (Psa. 62: 1, 5)

In the following Psalm, we read: "Thus will I bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise you with joyful lips." (Psa. 63: 4-5)

David had experienced that in God's praise his soul found nourishment and fulfillment. Praise, then, is the best food for the soul. However, adhering to God's will and decrees is even better. Furthermore, if our soul clings to God, then God will support us: "My soul clings to you; your right hand supports me." (Psa. 63: 8)

The soul, however, does not seem to be eternal. Jesus talked about it: "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matt. 10: 28)

It appears, then, that the soul is mortal. In Revelation, there is mention of the "second death": "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches: he who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death." (Rev. 2: 11)

Most probably, this second death concerns the soul of man.

Regarding the death of the soul and how it can escape it, we shall examine more verses in the chapter of Salvation. Here I must stress that occasionally I may have to quote a verse from the Bible more than once. This is because many subjects overlap each other, just as some of the functions of man's spirit overlap those of the soul.

2c: Man's body

Man's body is mortal. This is something we all very well know and don't need the scriptures to confirm it to us. Anyway, let me quote some verses on this: "All (men) go unto one place; all are of dust, and all turn to dust again." (Eccl. 3: 20)

However, in the next verse, Ecclesiastes wonders what happens to the spirit of man: "Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down to the earth?" (Eccl. 3: 21)

In yet another chapter, Ecclesiastes seems to be certain of what happens to the spirit after death: "And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it." (Eccl. 12: 7)

In conclusion, while our body is mortal, our spirit is immortal! It couldn't have been otherwise, since our spirit is an infinitesimal particle of God's Spirit which is eternal, i.e. without beginning and without end.

Paul also confirms that our visible body is temporary, while the unseen (inner man or spirit) is eternal: "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Cor. 4: 18)

Yet, we do have to fix our eyes on our temporary body too, and take good care of it, because it is our precious vehicle to realize God and fulfill our divine purpose in this life. As the scripture tells us, this earthen vessel is the temple of God!

Chapter 3: Spirits

The Bible is full of references to the Spirit of the Lord, i.e. God Himself, to the spirit of man and to other spirits. In the first two chapters I have quoted and analyzed scriptures that refer to the Spirit of God or the Holy Spirit and to the spirit of man. In this chapter we shall examine the other "spirits".

What are they?

First the word spirit is used in reference to the surviving soul of a dead person, which, under certain circumstances, is drawn to the earth and can "communicate" with the living.

A second category of spirits could be entities of another dimension, benevolent or malevolent, which sometimes are released by prophets for a mission among humans.

In a third category fall the spirits of nations (principalities).

Lastly, in the fourth category I would put spirits which appear to be the crystallization of virtues or vices formed by the feelings (emotions), thoughts or words of men.

All four categories of spirits are found in the Bible, although the differences among them are not always distinct. Especially the second and fourth categories could both concern man-created spirits.

Regarding the Angels, the Bible seems to differentiate them from ordinary spirits and hence I shall refer to them in another chapter. In yet another chapter I shall deal with demons. Again, some of those demons might be man-made and fall into the aforementioned fourth category. In any case, the invisible world seems to be full of inhabitants strange to us, some friendly to humans, some very hostile and dangerous, of which even the writers of the Bible appear to know rather little.

Before I go any further, I must state here that the discernment of spirits is not an easy task and even the Bible is not very clear on this subject. So I shall proceed very cautiously and I invite the reader to do the same. None of my thoughts on this matter (or any other) are to be taken unquestionably as a doctrine. It is the individual's highest responsibility, in his/her quest for spiritual Truth, to constantly seek personal revelation from God through prayer and meditation.

3a: Spirits of the Dead

I will start by quoting verses in which the writers of the Bible express a very pessimistic point of view regarding the spirits of the dead: "For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten. Their love, their hatred and their jealousy have long since vanished; never again will they have a part in anything that happens under the sun." (Ecc. 9: 5-6)

Here Ecclesiastes affirms that the dead know nothing! According to this verse, the soul after death retains no consciousness and doesn't play any part in the Universe. Whatever comprised man's personality, i.e. intelligence, love, hatred, jealousy etc., vanish after death. There is no surviving part of the soul when it leaves the body of man! Some Bible critics suppose that king Solomon delivered Ecclesiastes in the latter part of his life, during his apostasy from God, and this explains his pessimism. However, as we have already quoted in the previous chapter, in the same book Solomon has also expressed an opposite view on the spirit, namely that it survives death and returns to God. (Ecc. 12: 7)

David also shares this view, with underlying bitterness, in the following verses: "Will you show your wonders to the dead? Or shall the dead arise and praise you?" (Psa. 88: 10)

According to this verse, the dead cannot see God's wonders any longer, nor can they praise Him from another mode of existence.

Further down the psalmist repeats: "The dead will not praise the Lord, neither those who go down into silence." (Psa. 115: 17)

So then, total silence follows those who die, according to these Biblical verses. Should we accept that these verses are God inspired? Personally I don't think so. On the contrary, I believe that the soul survives death and this view is supported by numerous other verses in the Bible. Here are some of them:

"The Egyptians (...) will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead, the mediums and the spiritists." (Isa.19: 3)

This verse implies that the spirit of man not only survives death but also can be contacted by the living through mediums and spiritists. Here the word spirit is rather used for denoting soul and spirit together, since the final separation of them results in the death of the soul, i.e. in what is described in the Bible as second death.

Another Biblical case where someone contacts the dead is that of King Saul. In his desperation to seek advice concerning the war of the Philistines against Israel, Saul resorted to contacting the dead. He did this because "the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets", and despite the fact that he himself had previously forbidden this practice and "cut off the mediums and the spiritists from the land".

Here is the relevant account:

"Saul then said to his attendants, 'Find me a woman who is a medium, so that I may go and enquire of her'. 'There is one in Endor', they said.

So Saul disguised himself, putting on other clothes, and at night he and two men went to the woman. 'Consult a spirit for me', he said, 'and bring up for me the one I name'. (...)

Then the woman asked 'Whom shall I bring up?' 'Bring up Samuel', he said. (...)

Samuel said to Saul 'Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?' " (1 Samuel 28: 7-15)

The above Biblical verses affirm not only that the soul survives death but also that it retains consciousness and can communicate with the living. However, the soul doesn't like the latter because it gets disturbed! Quite possibly, after death, the soul enters into a process of purification at the end of which, if reincarnation doesn't take place, it will either gain eternal bliss or will undergo the second death and vanish. That's why no one has the right to disturb a soul's "sleep".

The Bible tells us that Saul was punished for this: "So Saul died for his unfaithfulness; he was unfaithful to the Lord in that he did not keep the command of the Lord, and also consulted a medium, seeking guidance, and did not seek guidance from the Lord. Therefore the Lord slew him, and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse." (1 Chr. 10: 13-14)

In the Bible we also find an account where the spirit of someone who departed from this life is inherited by another:

"When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, 'Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you'. And Elisha said, 'I pray you, let me inherit a double share of your spirit.' (...)

Now when the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho saw him over against them, they said, 'The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha'. And they came to meet him, and bowed to the ground before him." (2 Kings 2: 9, 15)

If we attempt to literally explain the above verses, we assume that a prerequisite for someone to inherit the spirit of a dead person is to ask for it. In other words, the spirit of a dead person cannot enter the body of the living without "invitation". It is only when someone gets involved in mediumship and opens up to the spirit world that can be possessed by the spirit of a dead person.

Most probably, however, the meaning of the above verses is metaphorical. Perhaps Elisha asked that his own gift of prophecy might become twice as strong as that of Elijah.

Let us now see what the spirits of the righteous are doing in heaven:

"But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the first born, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel." (Heb. 12: 22-24)

Apparently, the spirits of men that have attained perfection are praising the Lord in a joyful assembly with the angels! Now, whether this is a fact, or a wishful thinking of the writer of Hebrews, is another matter. Each one of us must make his/her own conclusions by seeking personal revelation from God on what happens after death. After all, in matters of faith nobody can take responsibility for another one. Besides, in things that cannot be proven, as it is with what happens after death, one should not be dogmatic.

Regarding the fate of the souls of evil persons after death, well, there are several references in the Bible, mainly in the New Testament, but I wouldn't like to quote any of them here. Personally, I don't believe in a vindictive God who has prepared a Hell with a lake of fire for creatures made in His own image. For who among humans can claim that he/she is perfect?

There is yet another premise in the Bible regarding the fate of the soul after death. We find a brief reference to reincarnation by Jesus himself, although he didn't expand on it. On the contrary, he seemed to address only those who have ears to hear. He obviously considered this to be a concealed truth, something not for public discussion. On the other hand, perhaps Jesus had said more on the subject but it has not been passed down to us, since Christianity doesn't believe in reincarnation.

In any case, here is what the Bible says on this: "I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; (...) and if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. He who has ears let him hear." (Matt. 11: 11a, 14-15)

According to these words of Jesus, if we have spiritual ears to "hear" and if we are willing to accept it, reincarnation is possible... We find more references to this in the New Testament:

"When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, 'Who do people say the Son of Man is?'

They replied, 'Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets'." (Matt. 16: 13-14)

"The disciples asked him, 'Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?'

Jesus replied, 'To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands'. Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist." (Matt. 17: 10-13)

In the Gospel of Mark we find similar references to John the Baptist being the reincarnation of Elijah.

3b: Spirits released by prophets

The Bible maintains that God intervenes in the affairs of the world through his representatives, the prophets. They are the ones who speak on behalf of the Almighty and release his blessing or judgment upon individuals, nations or mankind as a whole. Here is a relevant account: "They made their hearts like adamant lest they should hear the law and the words, which the Lord of hosts had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great wrath came from the Lord of hosts." (Zech. 7:12)

According to Zechariah, the spirit of wrath was released against Judah and Israel, because they had rejected the word of the Lord delivered to them by the former prophets. As a result, their pleasant land became desolate, while they were scattered among the nations.

The major Old Testament prophets often judged Zion in the name of God:

"When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and cleansed the bloodstains of Jerusalem from its midst, by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning." (Isa. 4: 4)

Isaiah, just as all the prophets of the O.T., believed that sin must be washed away by the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning. The wages of sin is pain and suffering that leads to death. And judgment can come through the word of a prophet much earlier and more fiercely than the natural process of the sovereign law of retribution.

Personally, I believe that cursing in the name of God, apart from being a grave, backfiring sin, is not an effective way of turning an individual or a nation back to the right path. In the case of Israel, the spirits of judgment, which its prophets often released against the Israelites, failed to bring the expected results, i.e. to make them a holy nation. Obviously, this method, being a direct violation to the sovereign law of love, is not effective.

Unfortunately, many zealous "Christians" have inherited this spirit of judgment from the O.T. and they are very dangerous to be around to. They use the name of the Lord to pass judgments on others, saying, e.g., "God will punish this person" etc., thinking that they are doing service to God. And when something bad happens to their victim, they rub their hands with satisfaction, saying, "See, the Lord punished him, just as I said he would!" But it was them that punished the sinner with their uncircumcised lips and not God. And no one is authorized to do so. (Bless and not curse, said Jesus).

"And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplication (...)." (Zech. 12:10a)

The spirit of grace can also be released through the intervention of a prophet, which helps people to repent of their sins and turn to God. I am sure this is what God expects his prophets and all believers to do, for indeed God does not want anyone to perish. The following scripture confirms this: "For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, says the Lord; so turn and live." (Ez. 18: 32)

Yet some O.T. prophets were not always ready to forgive repentant people. Here is one such case: "And Saul said to Samuel, 'I have sinned; for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. Now therefore, I pray, pardon my sin, and return with me, that I may worship the Lord'. And Samuel said to Saul, 'I will not return with you; for you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel'. (...)

And Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul. (...)

Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him." (1 Sam. 15: 24-26, 35a, and 16:14)

There are more cases where God's representative, the prophet, chooses not to forgive the sins of a person, although the person has repented of his sins. As we saw in the above case, Samuel did not forgive King Saul and rejected him from being king over Israel. I believe it would have been different, if Saul had turned directly to God for forgiveness. But Israel and its kings considered the prophets as the sole mediators to God. Consequently they had totally submitted themselves to their authority, expecting God to act only through the prophets' word.

"When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel, then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech; that the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid upon Abimelech their brother, who slew them; and upon the men of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to slay his brothers." (Judg. 9: 22-24)

Here we have an instance of an evil spirit, supposedly sent by God, to stir up conflict between Abimelech and the men of Shechem, in order for both to be punished for the blood of the seventy sons of Jerubbaal (i.e. Gideon). In this case Jotham, the youngest son of Gideon, who had escaped the ruin of his family, had acted as a prophet. He said: "But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech and devour the men of Shechem and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the house of Millo and devour Abimelech." (Judg. 9: 20)

This is exactly what happened when Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel.

Is, peradventure, God personally involved in the fulfillment of this and other curses pronounced by men? In my humble opinion He is not. Only His sovereign laws are automatically put into operation by the word of a prophet. It would, then, take the word of a greater prophet to negate the manifestation of a previous curse or judgment.

Another question to which we have to answer is this: Is that evil spirit an actual spiritual entity already existing in Universe, or is it simply the negative energy released from the soul of the prophet? If the latter is true, perhaps the negative energy brings into existence an evil spirit, just as the positive spiritual energy creates a benevolent spirit.

We shall expand more on this in the chapter of Prophecy.

Next I shall quote a good portion from the story of Ahab, king of Israel, who, according to the scriptures (1 Kings 21: 20), had sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the Lord.

"For three years Syria and Israel continued without war. But in the third year Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah came down to (Ahab) the king of Israel. And the King of Israel said to his servants, 'Do you know that Ramoth-Gilead belongs to us, and we keep quiet and do not take it out of the hand of the king of Syria?' And he said to Jehoshaphat, 'Will you go with me to battle at Ramoth-Gilead?' And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, 'I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses'.

And Jehoshaphat said to the King of Israel, 'Inquire first for the word of the Lord'. Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, 'Shall I go to battle against Ramoth-Gilead, or shall I forbear?' And they said, 'Go up; for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king'.

But Jehoshaphat said, 'Is there not here another prophet of the Lord of whom we may inquire?' And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, 'There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, Micaiah the son of Imlah; but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but evil'. And Jehoshaphat said, 'Let not the king say so.' Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, 'Bring quickly Micaiah the son of Imlah'. (...)

And when he had come to the king, the king said to him, 'Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-Gilead to battle, or shall we forbear?' And he answered him, 'Go up and triumph; the Lord will give it into the hand of the king'. But the king said to him, 'how many times shall I adjure you that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?' And he said, 'I saw all Israel scattered upon the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd; and the Lord said, 'These have no master; let each return to his home in peace'. And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, 'Did I not tell you that he would prophesy no good concerning me, but evil?'

And Micaiah said, 'Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing beside him on his right hand and on his left; and the Lord said, 'Who will entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-Gilead?' And one said one thing, and another said another.

Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, saying, 'I will entice him'. And the Lord said to him, 'By all means?' And he said, 'I will go forth, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets' And he said, 'You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go forth and do so'.

Now therefore behold, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; the Lord has spoken evil concerning you'. (...)

And the king of Israel said, 'Seize Micaiah, and take him back to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king's son; and say, "Thus says the king, ' Put this fellow in prison, and feed him with scant fare of bread and water, until I come in peace'." And Micaiah said, 'If you return in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me'. And he said, 'hear, all you peoples!'" (1 Kings 22: 1-9, 15-23, 26-28).

Let us try to analyze this account: God is Light, Love, and Truth. In my thinking, it is impossible that God would open conversation with a lying spirit and accept its suggestion to deceive all the king's prophets. It was rather the prophet Micaiah who conceived this plan in his imagination and consequently released a lying spirit to speak through the mouths of Ahab's four hundred prophets. This way Ahab would be enticed to go to battle against the Syrians in order to recover Ramoth-Gilead. However, the time had arrived for Ahab to be punished for his evil deeds. Indeed, as the story goes, Ahab was killed in the battle, and the dogs licked up his blood, according to the word that Elijah had spoken (1 Kings 21: 19).

Here is another similar account: "An oracle concerning Egypt. Behold, the Lord is riding on a swift cloud and comes to Egypt; and the idols of Egypt will tremble at his presence, and the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them. And I will stir up Egyptians against Egyptians, and they will fight every man against his brother and every man against his neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom; (...). The Lord has mingled within her (Egypt) a spirit of confusion; and they (the leaders of her tribes) have made Egypt stagger in all her doings as a drunken man staggers in his vomit." (Isa. 19: 1-2, 14)

As we see, the prophet Isaiah, speaking, as he believes, on behalf of God, releases the evil spirits of division, enmity, civil war and confusion against the Egyptians, as a judgment for their idols. Again, I do not think God had anything to do with this oracle. How could the God of life, love and mercy stir up man against his brother and his neighbor, thus causing bloodshed and death? And what joy would the God of wisdom have by sowing confusion among the Egyptians? Would confusion lead them to repentance? Impossible! That's why I believe that prophecies like this are simply curses, in which the prophet abuses the name of the Lord, taking it in vain.

The Bible tells us that the "eyes" and the "heads" of a nation are his prophets. However, if these eyes are closed and the heads are covered, the spirit of people falls asleep. Here is a verse to meditate upon: "For the Lord has poured out upon you a spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes, the prophets, and covered your heads, the seers." (Isa. 29: 10)

Isaiah believes that it was God who stopped the prophets and the seers from warning and advising Israel; that it was the Lord who poured upon the chosen people a spirit of deep sleep, i.e. a spirit of spiritual dullness. In my opinion, this is another misconception of Isaiah, for God does not want anyone to perish and does not promote the spiritual death of men, no matter how sinful they might be. On the contrary, God looks out for prophets and seers, in order to awaken people from their spiritual sleep. This will be verified in the chapter of Prophecy.

3c: Spirits of Nations

"Again one having the appearance of a man touched me and strengthened me. And he said, 'O man greatly beloved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage.' And when he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, 'Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.' Then he said, 'Do you know why I have come to you? But now I will return to fight against the prince of Persia; and when I am through with him, lo, the prince of Greece will come. But I will tell you what is inscribed in the book of truth: there is none who contends by my side against these except Michael, your prince." (Dan. 10:18-21)

From these verses it appears that each nation has its own spiritual prince, an angel or archangel that serves its interests. We are told that the prince of Israel was Michael. Whether these princes are real angelic beings, assigned over the nations by Divine Providence in the beginning of time, or man–created ghosts formed over the millennia by the solidification of the collective subconscious of people with the same language, religion and traditions, is a difficult philosophical question that only a true mystic could answer. Indeed such man-made ghosts could be all the local "gods" that are worshipped in shrines.

"And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush; and he looked, and lo, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. (...) God called to him out of the bush, 'Moses, Moses!' And he said, 'Here I am.' (...) And he said, 'I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God." (Ex. 3: 2, 4b, 6)

Here we have the introduction of the angel of the Lord. This angel of the Lord introduced himself as God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Who was he? Was he Michael, the prince of Israel? It is impossible for me to believe that the mighty Creator of the Universe would enter into any conversation with humans and reduce himself to a national deity of the Jewish patriarchs. This would mean to limit the Unlimited.

"But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, 'Go and tell my servant David, Thus says the Lord: Would you build me a house to dwell in? I have not dwelt in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling'." (2 Samuel 7: 4-6)

If these words did not originate in Nathan's imagination, then they must belong to a spiritual entity that claimed to be the god of Israel. Perhaps it was the prince of Israel. For the Creator of the Universe, who is God of all peoples, does not need man-made houses to dwell in. Indeed, as Paul said to the Athenians, "The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples built by man." (Acts 17: 24)

God Almighty is omnipresent, while national deities need shrines...

"For I bent Judah for myself as bow; I strongly bent Ephraim, and I raised up your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Greece; and I have made you as a warrior's sword." (Zech. 9: 13)

Once again, the words quoted here cannot be words of the Holy Creator of the Universe. The heavenly Father of all people is not in the business of inciting one nation against another, nor does He have favorites among peoples. If the above words didn't come out of the antipathy of the prophet, they must have been the words of the same national spiritual entity, the principality called 'prince of Israel'.

"For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom. 8: 38-39).

In the above verses, by the word principality the apostle Paul is most probably referring to spirits or celestial princes of nations.

The following verses confirm that these principalities over nations are not of flesh and blood, but they are spiritual hosts in heavenly places.

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the authorities, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." (Eph. 6: 10- 12)

3d: Spirits of virtues or vices

"And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the spirit of God is? Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, 'Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you'." (Gen. 41: 38-39)

So then, a man in whom the spirit of God is present will manifest discernment and wisdom. In other words, he will be filled with the spirit of discernment and the spirit of wisdom. The fact that virtues and talents are considered to be spirits is also evident in the next verses:

"And the Lord said to Moses, 'See, I have chosen Bezalel (...), and I have filled him with divine spirit of wisdom and prudence and science and all manner of fine arts'." (Ex. 31: 1-3)

According to this verse, all virtues and talents are spirits. Are these spirits or talents man-made, inherited, cultivated in previous lives (if reincarnation is a fact) or are they separate entities existing in the Universe, "gifts" bestowed on man as God chooses? The answer to this is not a simple one. In my opinion, some virtues (spirits) could have been formed by man's efforts, in this or previous lives, others could have been inherited and others still could be the gifts of the Spirit of God.

"And the Lord said unto Moses, 'Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with you.

And I will come down and talk with you there; and I will take of the spirit which is upon you, and put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you may not bear it alone. (...)'

So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord; and he gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the tabernacle. Then the Lord came down in a cloud, and spoke unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders; and when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do so again." (Num. 11: 16-17, 24-25)

From the above verses we understand that there is yet another way of obtaining a spiritual gift. This is by transference from someone who already possesses it. In this case Moses gave some of his spirit of prophecy to seventy elders of Israel by covering them with a cloud of spiritual energy that he had projected into the air. In other cases of the O.T. this transference takes place by the anointing with sacred oil (Ex. 30: 30). In the N.T. the transference of spiritual gifts from one to another takes place with the laying on of hands.

However, the above scriptures say that the elders prophesied only at that moment. They did not do so again. Apparently, the gifts of the Spirit that one receives by transference from another stay only temporarily. In order to keep them permanently, one has to acquire certain spiritual qualities by devotion to God.

Here is another instance of spirit transference: "And the Lord said to Moses, 'Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay your hand upon him; cause him to stand before Eleazar the priest and all the congregation, and you shall commission him in their sight." (Num. 28: 18-19)

So Joshua, who already had the spirit, received some more spiritual gifts from Moses, when the latter laid his hands upon him. The next scripture confirms this: "And Joshua, the son of Nun, was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands upon him;" (Deut. 34: 9a)

God makes a man wise by giving him of his good spirit: "You gave them your good spirit to make them wise; and you did not withhold your manna from their mouth, and you gave them water for their thirst." (Neh. 9: 20)

If the above verse is literally true, then the question naturally arises: why doesn't God give wisdom to all men? Why do most people are lacking wisdom and create chaos in society? I don't have the answer, but anyway we can always ask for wisdom in prayer and we may get a share of it.

"The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;" (Isa. 11: 2)

Once again the scriptures confirm that all good qualities in man are spirits given by God.

The following verse tells us that to be wise in heart is to be filled with the spirit of wisdom:

"And you shall speak unto all that are wise in heart, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom (...)." (Ex. 28: 3)

"Build in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence; and take not your holy spirit from me." (Psa. 51: 10-11)

David asks God to "build" a clean heart in him and renew his spirit. He understands that virtues are something one has to work on, and prays for God's help. He also believes that the 'holy spirit' could be taken away, if a man proves unworthy of it.

On the other hand, Isaiah believes that unless the Spirit of God is poured upon men from on high, people cannot produce spiritual fruit, i.e. virtues and values in their lives. Until then, thorns and briers grow in the land: "Thorns and briers shall grow upon the land of my people; (...) until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, (...)." (Isa. 32: 13a, 15a)

But if this is true, what stops the Almighty from pouring the spirit upon us from on high? The answer must be: our hearts. We have free will and we must want and seek the presence of God's spirit in our lives. Otherwise, our lives won't be fruitful and will be like a wilderness.

Here are some more scriptures on spirits of virtues and vices in man:

"A talebearer reveals secrets; but he that is of a faithful spirit conceals the matter." (Prov. 11: 13)

Faithfulness is a good spirit, like every other virtue.

"It is better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud." (Prov. 16: 19)

Humility is a gracious spirit, while pride is an evil spirit.

"The longsuffering in spirit is better than the proud in spirit." (Ecc. 7: 8b)

Bearing provocation patiently is a spiritual virtue. Pride is a vice.

"A man's pride brings him low, but he who is of a lowly spirit will obtain honor." (Prov. 29:23)

A man of a humble spirit will eventually be honored! But a man with a spirit of pride someday will be put to shame. Furthermore, as the next scripture confirms, the haughty spirit will work out man's destruction: "Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall." (Prov. 16: 18)

"And Hannah answered and said, 'No my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord'." (1 Sam. 1: 15)

Here we are told that sorrow, too, is a spirit. If the spirit of sorrow brings man to repentance, then it is a good spirit. But if sorrow causes self-destructive thoughts, then it is an evil spirit and we must, by an act of will, cast it out, inviting in the spirit of joy.

This has been a brief analysis of the different categories of spirits found in the Bible. The subject of spirits is, of course, vast and the difficulty in fully grasping its various dimensions partly arises from our inability to accurately define what is a spirit and where from and how it originates. True knowledge of the spiritual world and how it interacts with man, presupposes true knowledge of our spiritual nature and the purpose of Creation. It is up to the reader to expand more on this subject, seeking perhaps more information from other sources.

However, let us have no illusions that in this life it is possible to find all the answers to spiritual and metaphysical issues. In my opinion, those who claim to know all the answers are themselves deceived and they are dangerous of misguiding others. As long as we live, we must be open and seek more revelation on this subject, as indeed we must do with all spiritual matters.

Chapter 4: Christ

What does 'Christ' mean? The word comes from the Greek verb "χρίζω" which means anoint. There is no doubt that Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit to do the works of God. Now, whether this anointing took place upon his baptism in the river Jordan or at the end of his forty-days' fasting in the wilderness, where he overcame all temptations, we cannot be sure. We know, however, that if one is anointed by God, the same has been vested with power to do miracles. And there is no doubt that Jesus was anointed, i.e. baptized "with the Holy Spirit and with fire".

Let us now examine what the Scriptures say about the characteristics and the offices that Christians attribute to Jesus.

4a: Born of a virgin

It is an article of the Christian Creed that Jesus was born of Virgin Mary and that his Father was the Holy Spirit! Some people argue that believing or not in this doctrine would be irrelevant to one's spiritual walk. In my opinion, this doctrine is not completely harmless. Indeed it has some negative side effects. The primary one is the presumption that since the rest of us are born of human fathers and not of the Holy Spirit, we cannot be like Jesus and we cannot do the works He did!

But is this doctrine true? Let us contemplate on the following scriptures:

"This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit." (Matt. 1:18)

So, Joseph's blood had nothing to do with Jesus. Yet, in order to support the prophecy that Jesus was a descendant of David, Matthew gives Joseph's genealogy! And this for him is so important that he starts his Gospel with this:

"A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren;(...) and Matthan begat Jacob;

And Jacob begat Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ." (Matt. 1: 1-16)

The credibility of these scriptures is in much want. Jesus is either the natural son of Joseph or he was born of the Holy Spirit and he is not the son of David. He couldn't have it both ways. But Jesus, of course, was not responsible for what was written about him long after his crucifixion...

To make things even worse, Luke referring to Jesus' genealogy does not agree with Matthew. The discrepancy starts even with the father of Joseph! Here is the relevant scripture: "And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli." (Luke 3: 23)

Another instance that shows that even Mary had 'forgotten' the message of the angel Gabriel that she, by the Holy Spirit, would bear a son who would be called "the Son of the most High" is the following:

"Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up to the Feast, according to the custom. After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, 'Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.'

'Why were you searching for me?' he asked. 'Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?' But they did not understand what he was saying to them." (Luke 2: 41-50)

In the above scripture we are told that Mary and Joseph did not understand what Jesus was saying to them! Was it so difficult to guess which Father was Jesus referring to? After all, Jesus was conceived 'miraculously'... Had they forgotten such a great event?

Let us look at more scriptures on the subject:

"Philip found Nathanael and told him, 'We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets wrote - Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph'." (John 1: 45)

Philip could have told Nathaniel that he had found Jesus, the son of Virgin Mary, but he didn't. Apparently he had no idea about it and, of course, it wasn't necessary for Jesus to be born of a Virgin!

"At this the Jews began to grumble about him because he said, 'I am the bread that came down from heaven'. They said, 'Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, 'I came down from heaven'?" (John 6: 41-42)

The Jews knew that Joseph was the father of Jesus. It is impossible to believe that Joseph pretended to be the father of Jesus, if he knew that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Even if, for various reasons, he had to keep it secret when Jesus was a child, he should disclose the great truth now, when Jesus had launched his mission and was trying so hard to convince the Jews of his divine authority. It is amazing that the miraculous conception of Christ that the Jews didn't know during Jesus' lifetime was disclosed to the Greeks and Romans some three centuries later!

"When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there. Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. 'Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?' they asked. Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary, and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren't all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things? And they were offended in him. (...)" (Matt. 13: 53-57a)

From these verses we learn that Jesus was not only Joseph's son! He also had brothers and sisters! In other words, his mother Mary gave birth to other children beside him. Consequently she didn't remain virgin, as Christians believe.

For those who suggest that Joseph never made any intercourse with Mary, not even after the birth of Jesus, and that he was a widower, his other children being half-brothers and half-sisters of Jesus, I shall quote the following verses:

"Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:

And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son; and he called his name JESUS." (Matt.1: 24-25)

The last verse implies that Joseph, after the birth of Jesus, knew his wife, i.e. he had sexual intercourse with her, and naturally Mary gave birth to her other children.

4b: Son of God

The main line Christian Denominations believe that Christ is the only begotten Son of God. In fact this is a basic article of the Christian Creed.

The first time we find the term Son of God in the New Testament is in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 1 and verse 35:

"And the angel said to her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the most High will overshadow you; therefore the holy (child) which will be born of you shall be called son of God."

I have translated this verse directly from the original Greek version where, unlike the English versions, the article 'the' before 'son of God' does not exist. Also, the word 'son' is not written with capital 'S'. This verse is, in my opinion, the most important for the student of Christianity.

We must also take notice of the verb 'call'. The child shall be called 'son of God'. The scripture doesn't say, 'the child will be the Son of God'.

Let us now examine other scriptures to see if the term 'son of God' was common in the Bible.

"And you shall say to Pharaoh, 'Thus says the Lord: Israel is my first-born son, and I say to you, Let my son go that he may serve me; (...)'. " (Ex.4: 22-23a).

Here Israel is called not just 'son' but 'first-born son'. And what does God expect from a son? According to this scripture, He expects service.

"You are the sons of the Lord your God; (...)." (Deut. 14: 1a) Apparently, all Israelites are called 'sons of God'.

"But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, 'Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the Lord, (...) I will raise up your offspring after you, (...) He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father and he shall be my son. (...)'." (2 Sam. 7: 4-5a, 12b, 13-14a)

This is a reference to Solomon, David's son, who was to build a house for the Lord. As a result, he would become God's son. It was common in Old Testament times for those who cared about the worship of Jehovah to be called sons of God.

"He (the Lord) said to me, 'It is Solomon your son who shall build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father'." (1 Chr.28: 6)

According to the writer, God actually chooses whom to adopt! In the spiritual sense, God is not the Father of everybody, but only of those who are special to Him, i.e. those whose heart is after God! As to who makes the first step, whether it is man of his own free will who first decides to be spiritually adopted by God, or if God predestines some to be the spiritually elect, I do not have the answer. To me, this remains a mystery.

"For he said, 'Surely they are my people, sons who will not deal falsely'; and he became their Savior. (...) You, O Lord, are our Father, our Redeemer from old is your name." (Isa. 63: 8, 16b)

Here Isaiah puts words in the mouth of God calling all Israel sons. The prophet believes that God is the Father and Redeemer of all Israel.

"I myself said, 'How gladly would I treat you like sons and give you a desirable land, the most beautiful inheritance of any nation.' I thought you would call me 'Father' and not turn away from following me." (Jer.3: 19)

Jeremiah, speaking on behalf of God, says that He (God) would like to treat the Israelites as sons and give them a desirable land so that they would follow Him and call Him Father.

"For I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my first-born." (Jer. 31:9b)

Here is one more verse in which God claims to be a father to Israel. Moreover, He considers the tribe of Ephraim as his first-born, since Jacob (whom the angel renamed 'Israel') had blessed him with his right hand, putting him ahead of Manasseh. (Gen. 48)

"Yet the number of the people of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which can be neither measured nor numbered. And in the place where it was said to them, 'you are not my people,' they will be called 'sons of the living God'." (Hos. 1: 10)

Hosea prophesies that the people of Israel will be called 'sons of the living God', although it was said to them before, 'you are not my people'. In other words, divine adoption is not a permanent state. One could lose his status as son of God if he rejects the Lord's commandments.

"When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son." (Hos. 11: 1)

Once again God, supposedly speaking through Hosea, calls Israel, 'my son'.

All the verses I quoted above reveal the passion of Jewish prophets to make Israel sons of God. They longed for God to be Israel's Father. We also saw certain anointed kings being called sons of God. It was natural then for Jesus Christ to be called Son of God, more so since he often referred to God as his Father.

There is yet another verse in the Old Testament where all the people of Israel are called not just sons of God but even gods:

"I said, 'You are gods, and sons of the Most High, all of you; nevertheless, you die as men, and fall like one of the princes'." (Psa. 82: 6-7)

Naturally, if all Jews are sons of the Most High, they must partake in His divine nature, i.e. they must be potentially gods, although they don't know and don't show it.

Let us now see what the New Testament says about divine sonship, and particularly what Jesus said about himself and his heavenly Father. Did he claim to be the unique, the only begotten Son of God?

"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. (...) And the tempter came and said to him, 'If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread'." (Matt. 4: 1, 3)

In the beginning of Jesus' mission, the devil, having taken the permission of the Holy Spirit, tempted Jesus in what he had claimed to be, i.e. Son of God. If Jesus considered himself to be the Second Person of the Holy Trinity and equal to God, as Christians believe, the tempter would challenge him on this.

"And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, two demoniacs met him, coming out of the tombs, so violent that no one could pass that way. And behold, they cried out, saying: What have you to do with us, Jesus, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before our time?" (Matt. 8: 28-29)

Here we have the demons, speaking through the demoniacs of Gergesenes, addressing Jesus, whom they had not seen before, as Son of God, acknowledging that he had power over them. Notice that they didn't address him as God.

"Blessed be the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." (Matt.5: 9)

Jesus said that all peacemakers shall be called sons of God. Peace is so important for the welfare and spiritual evolution of mankind that those who endeavor to establish it among men shall be called sons of God.

"But I say to you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may become sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." (Matt. 5: 44-45)

Another sure way to become sons and daughters of our heavenly Father and manifest some of His qualities is to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.

"Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, 'I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of these do you stone me?' The Jews answered him, 'It is not for a good work that we stone you but for blaspheme; because you, being a man, make yourself God.'

Jesus answered them, 'Is it not written in your law, "I said, you are gods?" If he called them gods to whom the word of God came – and the scripture cannot be broke – do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, "You are blaspheming," because I said, "I am the Son of God?" If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father'.

Again they tried to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands." (John 10: 31-39)

Through the above verses we see that Jesus, trying to defend himself before the Jews, who accused him of blasphemy, did not assert that he was the only begotten Son of God. On the contrary, he reminded them the verse from the Old Testament where God said to all Israel, 'you are gods'. Then he went on to say that he was consecrated by the Father to come to the world with a mission and in this spiritual capacity he was the Son of God. It remains for us to discern if Jesus was the Son of God or a Son of God. The following scriptures will help us to answer this question.

"And looking around on those who sat about him, he said, 'Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother, and sister, and mother'." (Mark 3: 34-35)

Jesus calls all those who do the will of God, brothers and sisters. In other words, whosoever does the will of God is a son of God, just as Jesus was.

"Jesus said to her, 'Do not touch me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God'." (John 20: 17)

By these words Jesus asserts, once again, that God, his Father, is also God and Father of his disciples. Apparently, he does not claim to be anything different from his disciples.

"For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you mortify the deeds of the body you will live. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." (Rom. 8: 13-14)

In this verse Paul is absolutely clear on this matter. Who are the sons of God? The answer is: those who are led by the Spirit of God. If we want to become sons and daughters of God, we must think, speak and act as the Spirit of God leads us. We all have the potential to become God's sons; but how many of us are prepared to deny ourselves and totally surrender our will to the Holy Spirit as Jesus did?

"It is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God; and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified together." (Rom.8: 16-17)

Jesus is an heir of God! If he were God himself he couldn't become an heir. Someone who owns a property cannot inherit it. He already possesses it. And all those for whom the Spirit of God bears witness that they are children of God are joint-heirs with Christ.

"For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God." (Rom.8: 19)

The whole creation longs for the revealing of the sons of God. St. Paul is talking about those who live sacred lives, going about their Father's business; those who lay down their lives for the benefit of humanity; those who uphold the principles and values of God; the peacemakers; the embodiments of love, truth and power; the light of the world.

4c: Redeemer

"Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ.

Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

'Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all peoples, a light to enlighten the gentiles and for glory of your people Israel'." (Luke 2: 25-32)

Simeon, a righteous and devout man, had read the scriptures and waited for the long-promised Messiah, someone who would be sent by God for the consolation of Israel. Indeed Israel, now more than ever, was miserably harassed and oppressed by the Romans and hence in need of an anointed leader, a Messiah. Of course, as we all know, this kind of 'Messiah' is still expected today by the Orthodox Jews...

It is interesting to notice in the above verses that the Holy Spirit was upon Simeon. Yet, he failed to discern that this baby, "the Lord's Christ", wouldn't be "for the glory of your people Israel", since the Jews would reject him as Messiah.

"And there was a prophetess, Anna, (...); she was of a great age, (...). She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour she gave thanks to God and spoke of him (the child Jesus) to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem." (Luke 2: 36-38)

Here we have another eyewitness, Anna, a prophetess, a woman who worshipped and prayed in the temple day and night. As the rest of the Jews, she, too, was looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. This prophetess recognized the redeemer of Jerusalem in the face of the child Jesus. However, as we all know, Jerusalem, instead of being redeemed, was totally ruined during the Jewish rebellion against the Romans in 66-70 A.D.

"Break forth together into singing, you waste places of Jerusalem; for the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem." (Isa. 52: 9)

In this, as well as in most prophecies of the Old Testament, it is clear that Isaiah expected the Lord to redeem Jerusalem. The Jews never expected a Messiah who would, by his death, 'pay for the sins of the whole world'.

The Christians believe that the following verses speak of Jesus Christ and his redemptive work on the cross. Let us study them carefully.

"(The) Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; (...)

And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.

And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.

But you shall be named Priests of the Lord; men shall call you ministers of our God; you shall eat the riches of the gentiles, and in their glory you shall boast yourselves. (...)

And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people; all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the Lord has blessed." (Isa. 61: 1-2, 4-6, 9)

Once again, Isaiah speaks of someone who would redeem Israel, a Messiah, who would proclaim liberty to the captives. If we assume that the scripture refers to captives of sin then it would be difficult to explain the verses that speak of the repair of waste cities, of strangers who will serve the Jews and of Jews who will eat the riches of the Gentiles. In my opinion, these scriptures speak of the restoration of Israel as a state, something that we have seen happening in our days.

"Behold, my servant, whom I upheld; my elect, in whom my soul found delight; I have put my spirit upon him; he will announce judgment to the nations." (Isa. 42: 1)

The prophet here speaks of a servant who will announce judgment to the nations. In Biblical language, nations are the Gentiles, i.e. all peoples except of the Jews. If the scripture spoke of a redeemer of mankind from the so-called original sin, then the Jews should have been included in this prophecy.

Let us now see what the New Testament says about the Messiah and especially what Jesus himself said about his mission.

"Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them." (Matt. 5: 17)

Here Jesus affirms that he came to fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament, and had no intension of abolishing the law. The question is how he interpreted those prophecies. Did he believe himself to be the redeemer of all mankind or just of the Jews? The following verses answer this question.

"And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and cried, 'Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely possessed by a demon.' But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, 'Send her away, for she is crying after us.' He answered, 'I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.' But she came and knelt before him, saying, 'Lord, help me.' And he answered, 'It is not fair to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.' She said, 'Yes Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table.' Then Jesus answered her, 'O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.' And her daughter was healed instantly." (Matt. 15: 22-28)

The words of Jesus leave no room for misunderstanding. He claimed that he was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel. These only were the children of God! The others, i.e. the Gentiles, were dogs! How diminishing for the nations! Because of this verse, the enemies of Christianity attribute to Jesus a chauvinistic spirit. Jesus, of course, meant that the idolatrous Gentiles were no different to animals in their understanding of spiritual things. In any case, no matter how hard the Christian theologians have tried to justify this scripture, the truth is obvious: Jesus did not think of himself as a universal Savior, i.e. a Redeemer of mankind from the "original sin".

"And when his family heard about this, they went out to seize him, for people were saying, 'He is out of his mind'.

And the teachers of the law, who came down from Jerusalem said, 'He is possessed by Beelzebub! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons'." (Mark 3: 21-22)

Part of Jesus' mission had to do with delivering the lost sheep of Israel from demons. Yet, because of this, his family thought he was out of his mind. Worse still, the teachers of the law said that Jesus was possessed by Beelzebub, and that by his power he was driving out demons!

And what did Jesus say to them? In the next two verses he answers to their accusations.

"And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come unto you." (Matt. 12: 27-28)

So then, even the sons of the Jews were able to cast out demons! And, of course, they did this not by Beelzebub but by the Spirit of God, just as Jesus himself was doing. Moreover Jesus said that the casting out of demons was also the verification that the kingdom of God had come upon them! Here it is explained which is the nature of God's kingdom! Jesus believed the kingdom of God to be spiritual, manifesting in the heart of man when the Spirit of God expels the evil spirits from there.

"But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law complained to his disciples, saying, 'Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?' And Jesus answered them, 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance'." (Luke 5: 30-31)

These verses verify that Jesus did not believe that he had come as a universal Savior of mankind from some original sin that had poisoned all humans. If he did, he would have confessed so. He came only for the sick, the sinners, the demon-possessed, and all those who couldn't make it in life. Such people mostly need a spiritual doctor!

"How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him." (Acts 10: 38)

In this verse Luke confirms which was Jesus' mission and by whose power he fulfilled it. His mission was to do good, to heal the sick and deliver those who were oppressed by the devil. And Jesus did all these things because God was with him, and not because he was God, supposedly the second person of the Holy Trinity. The same works did the Apostles and all men of God throughout history.

"But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them, (...).

'Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works, wonders and signs which God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know, (...)". (Acts 2: 14a, 22)

Here we have one more verse that verifies that Jesus was only an instrument of God. Through Jesus, God did signs and wonders!

"Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me. In my father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you." (John 14: 1-2)

Where did Jesus go after his death? Did he go to take his place on the right hand of the Father and govern the Universe with Him and the Holy Spirit? No! According to his words, he went to prepare a place, another mansion, for his followers! If this is true, then in the spiritual realm there are many mansions, many departments, where perhaps each Master gathers the souls of his followers! This is what we understand from the words of Jesus, although personally I believe that the many spiritual mansions refer rather to different stages of spirituality.

4d: One with the Father

"I and the Father are one." (John 10:30)

Perhaps there is no other scripture in the Bible more misunderstood than this one. What did Jesus actually mean? Did he mean that he was God himself, as Christians believe? The following verses will help us clarify the issue.

"Do you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority; but the Father who dwells in me does the works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or else believe me for the sake of the works themselves." (John 14: 10-11)

Jesus admitted that he did not speak on his own authority. He spoke on behalf of his Father who dwelt in him. It was also the Father who did the miraculous works of Jesus. Who was that Father? It was the Spirit of God! The next verse verifies it:

"But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you." (Matt. 12: 28)

So then, to be in the Father means to be in the Spirit. But this wasn't a unique situation for Jesus only. We all have the potential to be one with the Father. How?

"If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love." (John 15: 10)

Jesus abided in God's love because he kept God's commandments. We can do the same. Primarily, as the following scripture confirms, if we love one another then God abides in us. In other words, by loving one another we are in the Father and the Father is in us, i.e. we are one with God, who is Love!

"Beloved let us love one another; for love is of God, and he who loves is born of God and knows God. (...). No man has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. (...) God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him." (1 John 4: 7, 12, 16b)

The recipe, then, is simple and straightforward: to abide in God we must abide in love! Then we will be one with Jesus and one with the Father.

4e: Inferior to the Father

"If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I go to the Father; for the Father is greater than I." (John 14: 28b)

The verse is very clear on this: the Father is greater than the Son. So, Jesus does not support the doctrine of equality of three persons in the Holy Trinity.

"My sheep listen to my voice; (...) My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand." (John 10: 27a, 29)

Once again Jesus declares that the Father is greater than all.

"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only." (Matt. 24: 36)

If the three persons of the Holy Trinity were equal and inseparable, as the Christians believe, then there couldn't be any secrets among them. Whatever the Father knew the other two persons would also know. But the above verse leaves no doubts on this. There are things that only the Father knows!

"As it is, you are determined to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. (...)

The Jews answered him, 'Aren't we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?'

'I am not possessed by a demon' said Jesus, 'but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge'." (John 8: 40a, 48-50)

The truth that Jesus came to tell the world was not his own! He heard it from his Father! And Jesus was not seeking glory for himself. Let them who praise and glorify Jesus contemplate on these scriptures...

"And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, 'Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?' And Jesus said to him, 'Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone'." (Mark 10: 17-18)

Jesus even denies that he is good! He says that God alone is good!

What more evidence do we need that Jesus did not believe himself to be God?

"Then Jesus said unto them, 'When you have lifted up the Son of man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority; but I speak just what the Father has taught me. And He who sent me is with me; He has not left me alone; for I always do what is pleasing to Him'." (John 8: 28-29)

So, it was the Father who taught Jesus the truth! And Jesus did nothing on his own authority. We have already seen a similar affirmation of Jesus in John 14:10. By these words Jesus confirms that the Father is greater than he, and he implies that if he didn't do what was pleasing to God, the Almighty would abandon him!

"In that day you will ask nothing of me. (...) And I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from the Father." (John 16: 23a, 26b, 27-28)

This scripture answers clearly to those who believe that we cannot approach directly the Father in prayer but only through the name of Jesus, as mediator. Here Jesus instructed his followers not to ask anything from him when he leaves this world.

"Jesus answered, 'My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me. If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. (...) Why are you trying to kill me?'

'You are demon-possessed', the crowd answered. 'Who is trying to kill you?'

Jesus said to them, (...) Why are you angry with me for healing the whole man on the Sabbath? Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment." (John 7: 16-17, 19b, 20, 21a, 23b, 24)

If one chooses to do God's will, i.e. to follow the guidance of the inner man, or the spirit within, then the same will know that Jesus' teaching was not his own; it wasn't human teaching but divine. The spirit of man, being a ray of God's Spirit, confirms to us which teaching is of God. However, only those who are prepared to do the will of God discern this. The others, who look for easy salvation without effort and pain, will follow every wind of doctrine that serves their selfish interests, deceiving and being deceived.

4f: Prophet

Jesus considered himself a prophet. His disciples and the crowds, who followed him during his ministry believing his message, also considered him a prophet. The following scriptures testify to this:

"Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following; for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!" (Luke 13: 33-34)

As a prophet whom God sent to the Jews, Jesus longed to gather Jerusalem's children together and guide them to the right path. However, they were not willing. Worse still, they planned to kill him in Jerusalem, as they had done with many other prophets before him.

"For Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country." (John 4: 44)

"And they were offended in him. But Jesus said to them, 'A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country, and in his own house'. And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith." (Matt. 13: 57-58)

In the previous two verses Jesus leaves no doubt to us that he considered himself a prophet and nothing more. That's why he was not surprised that he could not do many miracles in Nazareth, his hometown. His family as well as his compatriots did not take him seriously. Some might have been jealous of him. This was usual for a prophet and it is verified throughout the ages. It is almost an axiom. Other Jewish prophets, before Jesus, had not been accepted by their own people. He couldn't be an exception.

"When the people saw the sign which he (Jesus) had done, they said, 'this is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world!'" (John 6:14)

The sign was the feeding of the multitudes with five barley loaves and two fish. Indeed the Jews expected a prophet to come to the world, and some recognized him in Jesus.

"When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, 'Who is this?'

The crowds answered, 'This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee'." (Matt. 21: 1-11)

Apparently, the crowds that believed and followed Jesus who was riding on a donkey, in his triumphant entrance to Jerusalem, considered Jesus a prophet.

"And he said to them, 'What things?' And they said to him, 'Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him." (Luke 24: 19- 20)

These are the words of two of Jesus' disciples on their way to a village called Emmaus, after his crucifixion. Even his disciples considered Jesus as a mighty prophet and nothing more!

4g: Son of man

Jesus frequently referred to himself as Son of man. He obviously wanted to emphasize that he was born as man. The title is also used in the Old Testament. In the vision of Ezekiel, the prophet is addressed as son of man many times. I shall quote only one such case:

"And at the end of seven days, the word of the Lord came to me: 'Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me'." (Ezek.3: 16-17)

There are many instances in the life of Jesus recorded in the Bible where he appears to have all the characteristics and the weaknesses of a son of man. I shall quote here a few of them, leaving the analysis and comments to the reader.

"On the third day there was a marriage at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; Jesus also was invited to the marriage, with his disciples. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, 'They have no wine'. And Jesus said to her, 'O woman, what have you to do with me? My hour has not yet come'." (John 2: 1-4)

Immediately after this conversation with his mother, Jesus performed his first miracle, i.e. he turned the water into wine, although he had said that his hour had not yet come!

"But she came and knelt before him, saying, 'Lord, help me.' And he answered, 'It is not fair to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs'." (Matt. 15: 25-26)

"On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he (Jesus) was hungry. And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. And he said to it, 'May no one ever eat fruit from you again'. And the disciples heard it." (Mark 11: 12-14)

"Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness." (Matt. 23: 27)

"Then he turned towards the woman and said to Simon, 'Do you see this woman? I came into your house, you gave me no water for my feet; but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased kissing my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment." (Luke 7: 44-46)

"This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. (...)

Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus' honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume." (John 11:2, 12: 1-3)

"Peter turned and saw following them the disciple whom Jesus loved, who had lain close to his breast at the supper and had said, 'Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?' " (John 21: 20)

"He said to them, 'But now, let him who has no purse take it, and likewise a bag. And let him who has no sword sell his mantle and buy one. (...) And they said, 'Look, Lord, here are two swords'. And he said to them, 'It is enough'." (Luke 22:36, 38)

"From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?' – which means, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'

When some of those standing there heard this, they said, 'He's calling Elijah.'

Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. But the rest said, 'Leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to save him.'

And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit." (Matt. 27: 45-50)

As I close the chapter on Christ, I would like to stress one more time that my intention to write this book was not to disturb other peoples' faith, nor to offend the Christians' dearest name of Jesus. My aim is to serve the Truth. I believe that humanity is caught up in a spiritual warfare, in a perpetual war between truth and lies, between light and darkness. This war is taking place first and foremost in the spiritual realm and is transferred on this earth through the various contending religions and philosophies.

This spiritual warfare is not going to stop until the Truth prevails. Never mind what efforts the World Council of Churches and other religious and philosophical organizations make, in order to establish peace and understanding among the nations, they will always fail. Religious deception, i.e. lies, can never form a sound foundation for peace in the world. Lies covering up each other and presented as truths cannot become the light of the world. Truth cannot coexist peacefully with lies. That's why Jesus said: "Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth; I have not come to bring peace but a sword". (Matt. 10: 34)

The unfortunate thing is that all the wars that were waged in Jesus' name had nothing to do with the propagation of the truth he had spoken. They originated in deception around his name, nature and mission, and that's why they had been disastrous for humankind.

Last I want to quote a statement, supposedly made by Jesus, which terrifies any Christian who would attempt to break the chains of deception and embrace the truth: "I am the way and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but by me". (John 14: 6) Now, if this were true, then God would be unjust and should answer to countless human beings who lived before, during the lifetime and after the death of Jesus, but never heard of him!

Chapter 5: Angels

The writers of the Bible firmly believed in the existence of angels. They contended that the angels are spiritual beings serving God and humans.

In fact, it was the angels who gave the law to Moses in the O.T. and not God himself! They are the ones who delivered God's commandments to the prophets of Israel. Here is the relevant scripture from the N.T. that confirms this: "You who have received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it." (Acts 7: 53)

The angels also deliver God's messages to people in order to comfort them in times of distress and give solutions to their problems. This is their assignment.

Let us see some more scriptures on Angels:

"And he (Jacob) dreamed that there was a ladder set up on earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it!" (Gen 28: 12) According to Jacob's dream, the angels were "descending" and "ascending" on a ladder set up on earth that reached heaven! They were busy interacting between God and humans.

"For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone." (Psa. 91: 11-12)

God commands his angels to guard the good people so that nothing can harm them.

"Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, hearkening unto the voice of his word! Bless the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his ministers who do his will!" (Psa. 103: 20-21)

Here we have one more confirmation: the angels are ministers of God. They are heavenly hosts who do his bidding.

"Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the oak at Ophrah, (...) as Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press (...). And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, 'The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor.'(...) And the angel of the Lord vanished from his sight. Then Gideon perceived that he was the angel of the Lord; and Gideon said, 'Alas, O Lord God! For now I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face.' But the Lord said to him, 'Peace be to you; do not fear, you shall not die.' Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord, (...)." (Judg. 6: 11a, 12, 21b, 22-24a)

This time the angel of the Lord brought an encouraging message to Gideon. The angels can be messengers of peace and shouldn't be feared.

"My God sent his angel and shut the lions' mouths, and they have not hurt me, because I was found blameless before him ;(...)" (Daniel 6: 22a)

God protects the blameless even when they are amongst lions. He sends his angels to shut the lions' mouths so that they shouldn't hurt his people.

"Behold, I send an angel before you, to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place which I have prepared." (Ex. 23: 20)

Angels are the guardians of the people of God. They lead them on the way they must go. It is a common belief that each one of us has a guardian angel.

"Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. (...) He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. 'I have had enough, Lord,' he said. 'Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors'. Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep.

All at once an angel touched him and said, 'Get up and eat'. He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again." (1 Kings19: 3a, 4b-6)

Here we have an occasion where an angel brings food to Elijah, although he had prayed to die. Guardian angels care for our physical needs and help to keep us alive in times of distress.

"The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them." (Psa. 34: 7)

This is a clear promise. Everyone who fears God doesn't have to fear anything else. The guardian angel encamps around and delivers those who obey God.

"Jacob went on his way and the angels of God met him; and when Jacob saw them he said, 'This is God's army!'" (Gen. 32: 1-2a)

Jacob recognized the angels as being God's "army". The word "army" implies that God is at war with somebody; that the Almighty has an "enemy". Who is that enemy?

Please don't rush to answer, "The enemy is Satan" before you read the following verses.

"How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness and grieved him in the desert! They tested him again and again, and provoked the Holy One of Israel. They did not keep in mind his power, or the day when he redeemed them from the foe; (...) He cast upon them (the Egyptians) the fierceness of his anger, wrath, indignation, and distress, by sending evil angels among them." (Psa. 78: 40-42, 49)

David believes that God does not only have good angels in his service but also evil ones! This is what the above scripture tells us. When God wants to punish people, he sends his army of evil angels against them... [Personally I do not believe that the above verses are God inspired, for, as we see, "God shines His sun on the good and the evil and He sends rain on the just and the unjust" (Matt. 5-45)]

Let us now see a few accounts on angels in the New Testament:

"And Zechariah said to the angel, 'How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.' And the angel answered him, 'I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God; and I was sent to speak to you, and to bring you this good news'." (Luke 1: 18-19)

In the New Testament, Gabriel is known to be the angel who announces good news to God's people. He spoke to Zechariah, a devout priest, announcing to him that his wife Elizabeth, in spite of her old age, would bear him a son, and his name should be John.

The same angel, Gabriel, later appeared to Mary, bringing her the good news about Jesus: "In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. (...) And the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus'. " (Luke 1: 26-27, 30-31)

We all know this account. What we probably have overlooked is the rest of Gabriel's message to Mary. Here it is: "He will be great, and will be called son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end." (Luke 1: 32-33)

Unfortunately, this part of Gabriel's message was not fulfilled. Jesus did not sit on the throne of "his father" David to reign over the house of Jacob! Furthermore, given that Israel was scattered among the nations for almost 2000 years and that after its re-establishment as a nation in 1945 it is a Democratic state without a king, it is obvious that the above prophecy proved to be untrue. Christian analysts, however, argue that "the house of Jacob" is Christendom!

"Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." (Luke 15: 10)

The angels rejoice when men turn to God in repentance. They are concerned with man's salvation and get involved in it. The next verses verify it:

"One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, 'Cornelius!' (...) Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea'." (Acts 10: 3, 5-6)

Angels are sent by God in visions to those who pray for salvation, in order to connect them with the right people. They give them specific instructions as to what to do. And when the seekers are ready to act according to the angels' words, then the right people just turn up at their doorstep to lead them into salvation.

"The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's bosom." (Luke 16: 22)

Another task of the angels is to lead the souls of those who die to the place assigned for them. So nobody needs to worry about the moment of death. The angels are there to take care of one's soul.

"From time to time an angel of the Lord would come down and stir up the waters. The first one into the pool after each such disturbance would be cured of whatever disease he had." (John 5: 4)

The angels have the power to perform miracles of healing in various ways. In the previous verse we see one of the methods they used in Biblical times.

"They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out." (Acts 5: 18-19)

The angels can even open the prison's doors for God's people. Nothing is too difficult for them!

"The very night when Herod was about to bring him out, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison; and behold, an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, 'Get up quickly.' And the chains fell off his hands. And the angel said to him, 'Dress yourself and put on your sandals'. And he did so. And he said to him, 'Wrap your mantle around you and follow me'. And he went out and followed him; he did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.

When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron-gate leading into the city. It opened to them of its own accord, and they went out and passed on through one street; and immediately the angel left him.

And Peter came to himself, and said, 'Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting'." (Acts 12: 6-11)

This is an account of the most dynamic intervention of angels we find in the Bible. The angels brought Peter out of the prison in such a miraculous way that he thought he was seeing a vision!

If the good angels are with us who can be against us?

Chapter 6: Satan

According to Christian Theology, Satan is the number one enemy of God and man. We all know the story of man's fall in Genesis. However there are other scriptures in the Bible that confuse this issue.

Let us examine some of them.

"Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. The Lord said to Satan, 'Where have you come from?'

Satan answered the Lord, 'From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.' And the Lord said to Satan, 'Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?'

Then Satan answered the Lord, 'Does Job fear God for nothing? Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.'

And the Lord said to Satan, 'Behold, all that he has is in your power; only upon himself do not put forth your hand.' So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord." (Job 1: 6-12)

In this story Satan appears to be one of the sons of God, who regularly present themselves before the Lord giving report about what is happening on the earth. Satan seems to have a task to try the righteous men, like Job, in order to test their faith. Before doing this, Satan needs permission from God. He cannot decide on his own whom to try and how far to go in testing. In the above case, God gave Satan the permission to strike everything Job had, save his own life. And, as we know from the rest of the story, Satan did exactly this. But in spite of the calamities that befell upon Job, he didn't lose faith in God, nor did he curse the Lord, as Satan anticipated.

"Yet in like manner these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise authority, and blaspheme celestial beings. But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, disputed about the body of Moses, he did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, 'The Lord rebuke you'." (Jude: 8-9)

Apparently, Satan (the devil) is a celestial being who has authority given to him by God. As such, he must be respected by men and not be slandered! Not even Michael, the archangel, dared to accuse him, when they were contending about the body of Moses. Regarding the ground of the dispute, the scriptures don't give us other details. It is up to the reader, who knows the life of Moses, to guess why the great prophet stood on the borderline between Michael's jurisdiction and that of Satan.

"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil." (Matt. 4: 1)

Even Jesus had to be tempted by the devil! However, it was the Spirit, i.e. God himself, who led Jesus into the wilderness. As in the case of Job and every other saint, God gave permission to the devil to put Jesus to trial regarding his identity and his mission.

"And he fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, 'If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.' But he answered, 'It is written: Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God'." (Matt. 4: 2-4)

Satan proceeded very methodically and wisely into his task. First he tempted Jesus on his physical need. Jesus, after forty days' fast, was desperately hungry. Would he use his miraculous powers to fill his stomach? This is a test which every man and woman of God undergoes and where many fail. But Jesus did not! Of course, filling the stomach extends to pursuing material riches, something to which most of the miracle workers succumb.

"Then the devil took him to the holy city, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, 'If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written: He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'

Jesus answered him, 'It is also written: Do not put the Lord your God to the test'." (Matt. 4: 5-7)

In his second temptation, Satan enticed Jesus to put God, and indeed the scriptures, to the test. Could or would God save Jesus from death if he exposed himself to danger? But Jesus answered back to Satan with another scripture! We are not to put the Lord to the test. Yes, God is able and willing to save his servants from dangers, but not from purposely created ones in order to test the Almighty! We are the ones to be tested, not God.

"Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. And he said to him, 'All these I will give you, if you fall down and worship me.' Then Jesus said to him, 'Away from me, Satan! For it is written: You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.' Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and ministered to him." (Matt. 4: 8-11)

In spite of his first two failures, the devil did not give up. He had kept a last ace up his sleeve. Being the prince of the material world, he offered its kingdoms to Jesus, if he only worshipped him. But Jesus did not bow down before Satan. He was not interested to be a temporary worldly Messiah, to rule over the kingdoms of the earth. He had chosen to be an eternal spiritual king instead. His kingdom wasn't of this world but it was spiritual and, as such, it was invisible. Yet its splendor could not compare with that of all the worldly kingdoms together. Jesus was sure about what he wanted. He longed to be one with the Father, who is Spirit, and become the light of the world.

Failing for a third time, the devil left Jesus. He had no permission from God to go any further. Then the angels of God took charge and ministered to Jesus!

Happy is the servant of God who, after passing all the tests, stands and is ministered to by the angels of God.

"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." (Matt.6: 13)

Here is a verse from the 'The Lord's Prayer' to which we shall refer in detail in the relevant chapter. We are to pray to God not to lead us into temptation! Once again it is verified by scriptures that it is God himself and not Satan who leads us into temptation. Satan cannot do anything against us unless he takes permission from God. It is comforting to be aware of this. So we don't have to fear Satan, for he is under God's restrictions.

"I am the Lord and there is no other; I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil. I the Lord do all these things." (Isa. 45: 6b-7)

This verse, and other similar ones found in the scriptures, is for many Bible students a stumbling block. How could the Holy God be also the creator evil? Yet this makes more sense than to believe that there are two creators in the Universe: God, who creates only good, and Satan who creates only evil!

I personally believe that there is only one Creator, and everything visible and invisible is under His control, i.e. under the control of God's sovereign laws!

"Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life." (Rev. 2: 10)

Here we see the spirit of Christ informing the believers in advance about Satan's plan. Some Christians from the Church of Smyrna would be put into prison in order to be tested. Christ wanted to warn and encourage those people to stand fast in their faith so that they could win the crown of eternal life.

"In your anger do not sin; do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold." (Eph. 4: 26-27)

In this verse we have another aspect of how a trial comes about. Paul says that we ourselves open the way to the devil when we give Satan a foothold by our thoughts, words or actions. Let the student of the spiritual kingdom be aware of this.

"Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." (Eph. 6: 11)

Paul warns us to always wear the full armor of God that we may stand the snares of the devil in the day of temptation. He is talking, of course, about a spiritual armor, the details of which we shall see in the chapter of Prayer.

"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." (Jam. 4: 7)

All we have to do is to submit totally to God while resisting the devil. Then Satan will flee from us.

"Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens the heart of whomever he wills. You will say to me then, 'Why does God still blame us? For who can resist his will?' But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, 'Why did you make me like this?' Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?" (Rom. 9: 18-21)

Here we have a very hard scripture. It is difficult for the believer to accept that God himself, and not the devil, hardens the heart of whoever he wills. Could Paul, who elsewhere has admitted that 'We know in part', be wrong in this scripture? Are, then, some people made for common use while others are made for noble purposes? Of course there are many things we see in the world that we cannot explain. However, who of us can judge God? It is enough for us humans to stand in awe before the Almighty and acclaim: 'Praise you Lord, for you have made everything in wisdom'!

Chapter 7: Demons

In the Old Testament, the only reference we have to demons is in relation to idolatrous practices of the heathen and often of the Israelites themselves. 'Demons' is a name attributed to false gods in the O.T.

"And they shall no more offer their sacrifices to demons, after whom they play the harlot. This is to be a lasting ordinance for them and for the generations to come." (Lev.17: 7)

A lasting ordinance for the Israelites of Moses' time and the following generations was to stop offering sacrifices to demons. What were those demons? They were disembodied spirits, which the psychic priests could "see" materializing over the fresh blood of sacrifices. It was an idolatrous practice that Israel had picked up in Egypt, and Moses was determined to stop it.

"They sacrificed to demons, not to God; to gods they had not known, gods that recently appeared, whom your fathers had never dreaded. You deserted the Rock that begat you, and you forgot God who created you." (Deut. 32: 17-18)

All the false gods to which the Israelites kept offering sacrifices were demons. Apparently, God's chosen people preferred to worship them than the true God, their Creator and Redeemer. Those demons were "gods" that had "recently appeared" among the Israelites, as they were mixing with the heathen in their way to the Promised Land.

"And he (Jeroboam) appointed his own priests for the high places, and for the demons, and for the calves which he had made." (2 Chr. 11: 15)
Jeroboam, king of Israel, set up man-made calves to be worshipped by the Israelites as gods, and appointed his own priests to offer sacrifices to them. By turning his people to worship demons, he revived Israel's old proneness to idolatry!

Because of this, God punished Jeroboam severely by striking him with some sore disease (2 Chr. 13: 20).

"They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons." (Psa. 106: 37)

It was a common practice among the heathen to sacrifice their sons and daughters to demons. The people of Israel followed these practices in spite of their prophets' strong warnings and punishments. Tragically, even today many Satanists sacrifice young people to the devil...

"And whenever the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand; so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him." (1 Sam.16: 23)

Here we have an account of an evil spirit that disturbed Saul. The scripture says that this evil spirit was from God! It would have been more acceptable if it were written that Saul, by his evil acts, had opened up himself to an evil spirit. The torture of Saul by the evil spirit was the direct consequence of his deeds. It is amazing that the evil spirit departed whenever David played the lyre. This confirms that it wasn't God who had placed the demon in Saul, for if He were, nobody's music could make the demon depart against God's will.

"What do I say then? That the idol is anything, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is anything? No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God; and I do not want you to be partakers of demons." (1 Cor. 10: 19-20)

The word 'demons' here is referred to false gods, just as it was in the Old Testament. All the idols represent demons. Let those who think they worship God, when they bow their heads before of an icon or a statue, contemplate on the above verses.

"Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by giving heed to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons." (1 Tim. 4: 1)

Paul says that demons invent and propagate their own doctrines in order to deceive the believers. The fact that some people depart from the true faith, in order to follow deceitful spirits, implies that those doctrines are mixing truth with lies very subtly so that they shouldn't be easily recognized as false.

The New Testament is full of references to demons and demon-possessed people. Part of Jesus' ministry was to cast demons out of demoniacs. His disciples did the same. It is strange that we don't find any accounts of deliverance from demons in the O.T.

"When Jesus arrived at the other side in the region of the Gergesenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. (...)

Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding. The demons begged Jesus, 'If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs'.

He said to them, 'Go!' So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water. (...)

Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region." (Matt. 8: 28, 30-32, 34)

Here we have a confrontation of Jesus with demons. First we see that the demoniacs were coming from the tombs. Does this mean that they were possessed by spirits of dead people? It is quite possible. Otherwise we have to assume that demoniacs frequently visit tombs because they find 'food' in the relics of the dead. This might explain why Satanists use relics in their rites.

Second we read that the demons were violent. Must we assume that all demons are violent? Not-at-all. In the Bible we also find demons of different nature.

Third we notice that the demons, speaking through the vocal organs of the demoniacs, recognized who Jesus was and anticipated that they would be driven out. The demons have the ability to discern who is who. In this case they begged Jesus to allow them to enter into the pigs. For them, even the pigs would be better than 'dry places'. Apparently demons absorb substance (blood?) from any animals. It is amazing that Jesus grants them this request. The result, of course, was disastrous for the herd of pigs. We are not told what happened to the demons after the death of pigs. Where did they go afterwards? Did they enter some unfortunate humans again? The Bible does not give us information on this.

Next is the same event according to Mark. There are some differences from the description we found in Matthew's Gospel. Mark is talking about one demoniac, not two. Here are some parts of the story:

"When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones. And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshipped him; (...) And Jesus asked him, 'What is your name?' He replied, 'My name is Legion; for we are many'. And he begged him eagerly not to send them out of the country. Now a great herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside; and they begged him, 'Send us to the swine, and let us enter there'." (Mark 5: 2-5, 9-12)

In the above narration one can easily discern that we have to do with the same story. In this case, the demoniac not only recognized Jesus but also worshipped him! Demons bow down before authority...

Regarding the differences between the two stories, the reader is responsible to draw his/her own conclusions about the credibility of the Bible and what to choose as truth.

"News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, the epileptics and the paralytics, and he healed them." (Matt. 4: 24)

Jesus had plenty of work to do. The news about him spread quickly as far as Syria, and the sick were brought to him to be healed and delivered from demon-possession. People are drawn to the miracle-workers but are slow to approach someone who just preaches the word of God. Jesus very well knew this and he used miracles to draw crowds around him. Thus he had the opportunity to also preach to them.

"When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick." (Matt. 8: 16)

Apparently in the days of Jesus there were many demon-possessed walking about! And Jesus drove the evil spirits out of them with his word. Did the demons return to their 'home' when Jesus walked away? Were the delivered instructed to do something, e.g. to repent, to pray etc., in order to remain free? We are not told.

"Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, 'You are the Son of God!' But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Christ." (Luke 4: 41)

Jesus did not want the demons to advertise who he was. So he rebuked them when they shouted, 'You are the son of God'. Once again it is verified that evil spirits have discernment.

"While they were going out, a man who was demon- possessed and could not talk was brought to Jesus. And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been dumb spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, 'Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel'.

But the Pharisees said, 'It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons'." (Matt. 9: 32-34)

There are evil spirits who make their captives dumb. But Jesus could deliver people from dumb spirits and make them speak. The question that comes to us is this: Which of the dumb people are demon possessed? When scientists become mystics, they may be able to answer such questions. In the above story we see the Pharisees doubting the source of Jesus' power. Since they couldn't drive out demons, although they considered themselves as righteous, they resorted to accusing Jesus of allegiance to the prince of demons!

"Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and dumb, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. All the people were astonished and said, 'Could this be the Son of David?'

But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, 'It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons that this fellow drives out demons'.

Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, 'Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? And if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you'." (Matt. 12: 22-28)

Once again we see the Pharisees accusing Jesus of driving out demons by the power of Beelzebub, i.e. Satan. Jesus answers that it is impossible for Satan to drive out Satan for in this case he would be turning against himself and his kingdom would be divided and fall.

By this answer of Jesus to the Pharisees, it seems that he considered Satan as the prince of the kingdom of demons! The question to which we have to answer is if this kingdom is under God's control or if it is working against God. In the previous chapter we found scriptures considering Satan as one of the sons of God with a God-given mission among humans. We must be careful, then, how we approach the subject of demons.

From the above verses we also learn that there were other Jews who drove out demons, and they, like Jesus, drove them out by the Spirit of God and not by Satan. Here, then, it is verified that the Spirit of God could work through people even before Jesus' crucifixion and the Pentecost!

"He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness." (Matt. 10: 1)

Jesus gave authority to his disciples to heal the sick and drive out demons even while he was still among them. Did they not have such authority before? Surely they had, but probably they were not aware of it, or they had not enough faith for this. In other words, they didn't know that they had the power in them to do miracles. The following verses clarify this.

"When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. 'Lord, have mercy on my son', he said. 'He is an epileptic and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him'. And Jesus answered, 'O unbelieving and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me'. Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment.

Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, 'Why couldn't we drive it out?'

He replied, 'Because you have so little faith. (...) But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting." (Matt. 17: 14-20a, 21)

Jesus lost patience with his disciples because of their unbelief. He called them, "unbelieving and perverse generation"! There is no ground left here to believe that the power for miracles would descend on the disciples only after Jesus' work on the cross. The disciples could and should have this power before that. However, in order to be able to drive out demons, not only they should have more faith but they also needed to pray and fast.

"When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the evil spirit. 'You deaf and dumb spirit', he said, 'I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.' The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, 'He is dead'. But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up." (Mark 9: 25-27)

Here we have an occasion when Jesus rushed into rebuking an evil spirit the moment he saw a crowd running to the scene! Jesus not only commanded the deaf and dumb spirit out of the boy, but he even ordered it not to enter him again.

We also have a description of the reactions of the evil spirit as it was coming out of its victim. Shrieks and convulsions are typical reactions accompanying pain and terror. We must assume, then, that deliverance is a painful experience for both, the demons and the demon-possessed. That's why the boy looked like a corpse after his deliverance.

"And they went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, 'What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are- the holy one of God!'

'Be quiet!' said Jesus sternly. 'Come out of him!' The evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek." (Mark 1: 21-26)

This time Jesus went to teach in the synagogue. The people recognized that he spoke as one who had authority. Any anointed man or woman, who has totally devoted his or her life to God, as Jesus had, would speak with authority. Others will discern this immediately. Naturally, the evil spirit inside the demoniac recognized Jesus and was frightened. The demon-possessed man was probably a regular synagogue-goer. However, the evil spirit had not felt threatened by the teachers of the law before. But now, with Jesus being around, the demon reacted. And sure enough, Jesus cast it out.

Men and women of God often find themselves in similar situations. When an evil person is near them he/she would vehemently react against them, one way or another. The very presence of a godly person stirs up the evil inside the ungodly.

"After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. (...) The seventy- two returned with joy and said, 'Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name'." (Luke 10: 1, 17)

Jesus appointed seventy-two other disciples and sent them before him to the places where he was about to go. They went to prepare the ground by informing people that the kingdom of God was near. Jesus gave them specific instructions as to what to do, what to carry with them, etc. The seventy-two were amazed that they were able to cast out demons in the name of Jesus. However it wasn't the name of Jesus itself that did the deliverance. We have already seen other instances (Matt. 17: 14-21), when the twelve disciples had failed to cast out a demon. It was the faith of the seventy-two that did the job. One can use the name of Jesus from morning to evening but, unless one is endowed with spiritual power, the demons would not come out of their victims. The following story verifies this.

"Some Jews who went round driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, 'In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out'. Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. The evil spirit answered them, 'Jesus I know and Paul I know about, but who are you?' Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding." (Acts 19: 13-16)

Here we have the seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who attempted to cast out a demon by invoking the name of Jesus. But the evil spirit recognized that, in spite of the name of Jesus that they used, their word did not have the power to force it out. So the demon, through the demoniac, attacked them and beat them to the point of bleeding!

"When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons." (Mark 16: 9)

This scripture tells us that Mary Magdalene, who was honored to be the first to see the Lord Jesus after his resurrection, was once possessed by seven demons! After her deliverance by Jesus, she became the most devoted female disciple of him. Since much was forgiven her, she loved much and Jesus rewarded her.

"And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; (...)" (Mark 16: 17a)

All those who believe and follow the teaching of Christ will do the same miracles as he did. This has been verified throughout the Christian era.

"The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. (...) Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by evil spirits, and all of them were healed." (Acts 5: 12, 16)

The apostles, having been endowed with power by the Holy Spirit in the day of Pentecost, were able to deliver the demon-possessed and heal the sick wherever they went. Their teaching was always verified by signs and wonders.

"When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed." (Acts 8: 6-7)

When someone is preaching under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, signs and wonders follow. This is what happened when Philip preached. Evil spirits came out of many with shrieks. This made the crowd pay closer attention to his preaching.

"Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune- telling. This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, 'These men are servants of the most high God, who are telling you the way to be saved'. She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned round and said to the spirit, 'In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!' At that moment the spirit left her." (Acts 16: 16-18)

The demon inside the girl who followed Paul recognized that he was a servant of God. We have already seen that demons have discernment. On the other hand, Paul also discerned that it wasn't the girl who was shouting behind them, but a spirit of divination that had possessed her. The last thing Paul and his team wanted was advertisement from a demon! So at some point, when he ran out of patience, he turned around and by a single command he cast the demon out of the girl.

"When the unclean spirit has gone out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but it finds none. Then it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came'. And when it comes, it finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. So shall it be also with this evil generation." (Matt. 12: 43-45)

This is something that not only those who are delivered from demons but all of us should constantly have in mind. If one who has been delivered from a demon leaves his heart empty and doesn't fill it with love and other virtues, then the demon will return bringing some more powerful evil spirits with it. And so the last state of the man will become worse than the first. No one can keep a void in his/her heart. Nature doesn't like vacuum. If we don't fill our hearts with goodness, then evil will occupy it.

Chapter 8: Sin

In order to fully clarify the meaning of biblical sin we must first examine the so-called "Original Sin" or the "Fall of Man". This is very important for the Christian fundamentalist, as the entire doctrine of salvation through the blood of Jesus is based on the need of redemption from the original sin. Without an original sin there wouldn't be a need for a Savior. It is as simple as that. Let us then examine carefully the story of Adam and Eve in the Old Testament.

"Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. And the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground - trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (...)

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, 'You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.' (...)

Now the serpent was subtler than any beast of the field, which the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, 'Did God really say, you shall not eat of every tree of the garden?'

And the woman said to the serpent, 'We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden. But of the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'

And the serpent said to the woman, 'You shall not surely die; for God does know that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil.'

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. (...)

The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. And the Lord God said, 'Behold, the man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.' So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life." (Gen. 2: 8-9, 15-17, Gen. 3: 1-7, 21-24)

According to this story, God forbade Adam and Eve to eat fruit from just one tree in the Garden of Eden. Which was that tree? The scripture tells us that it was "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil". What would happen to Adam and Eve if they disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit? God said to them that, if they even touched it, they would surely die. And what did serpent – the deceiver – tell them? The serpent said that, if they ate of the forbidden fruit, they would obtain knowledge, they would be like gods, discerning between good and evil. Did the serpent lie to them?

First of all, I must mention here that the Greek version of the Old Testament (Septuagint), in chapter 3, verse one, refers to the serpent as the "fronimotato" (wisest) of all the wild animals. Taking into account that the serpent is the symbol of Satan and that Satan is one of the sons of God under his control – as we have already established by scriptures in a previous chapter – we must be very cautious how we interpret this original sin.

Was the serpent lying to Adam and Eve by saying that if they ate of the forbidden fruit they would be like gods knowing good and evil? No! The serpent was telling them the truth! God himself verified it after the fall. What did God say? In verse 22 and chapter 3 of Genesis, he admits that now man had become like God, knowing good and evil! So Satan had told the truth to Adam and Eve.

Let us now assume that Adam and Eve had not eaten fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. What would the state of man be in this case? The answer is very simple and straightforward. A person who cannot recognize what is good and what is evil is like another animal or even like a plant. A person without consciousness, without the ability to distinguish between good and evil, without the freedom to choose and pay the consequences of his/her choices, would be no different than a vegetable. Who of us sincerely believes that this was God's plan for man? If we assume that it was, then we must admit that Satan had undoubtedly a better plan for man!

Surely it is very derogatory to God's omniscience, wisdom and omnipotence to believe that his entire plan for man was thwarted right from the beginning of creation by a fallen creature. The advocates of the doctrine of the original sin lament for the lost paradise where man would have lived in a continuous bliss. However, without consciousness, without the opposite experience, man wouldn't even know that he was blissful. He would not be able to understand that he was happy, because he wouldn't have experienced what to be miserable was like.

With these simple thoughts I conclude that the story of the fall in the Old Testament should not be taken literally. We must seek its esoteric and allegorical meaning, and each student of the Bible is responsible for this.

As for me, I have concluded that an eternal existence without consciousness, even in an uninterrupted bliss, is non-existence. To be human means to experience birth and death, joy and pain; it means to know good and evil, and to have the freedom to choose between them.

I have also concluded that the story of the fall in the Bible is very negative for the well-being and the evolution of humanity, and I shall explain why. The Christians believe that God cursed mankind because of Adam and Eve's alleged disobedience in the Garden of Eden! The relevant verses in Genesis (chapter 3: 16-19) leave no doubt about this to those who consider the entire Bible to be the Word of God. Now, what good can be for mankind to believe that human beings are accursed? It is an axiom that man becomes what he believes to be. If people, or at least the Christians, believe that they are accursed by their Creator, then they are drawing upon themselves the curses that they attribute to God. Thus, they make these curses to materialize, since man's thoughts and beliefs are creative.

On the contrary, if people believe that God has blessed them, then they are drawing His blessings upon themselves. Personally I choose to believe that God is Holy and full of love, goodness and mercy towards his creatures, especially towards man whom he made in his image and likeness. How could God curse a part of Himself? Impossible! Therefore I consider the entire story of the Original Sin as harmful for humanity and blasphemous to God.

Let us look at another verse: "Behold, this alone I found: God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes." (Ecc. 7: 29)

Solomon, too, believes that God made man perfect, but man, by seeking out many schemes, was marred! My question is how could a perfect creature have the potential to become wicked? That's why I would rather believe that man is an evolving creature and not a fallen one. As a person's spiritual awareness of his/her spiritual nature increases, and as one is gradually able to follow the guidance of one's spirit, one's animal instincts are subdued and he/she becomes more "spiritual", i.e. a better person.

"Sin is the transgression of the law." (1 John 3: 4b)

We could consider this verse as a definition of sin. John is talking about the transgression of the divine law that was uncovered to people by the holy prophets of God. When man was ignorant of God's precepts he wasn't responsible to keep them. The cannibals in the jungle felt no guilt when they ate human flesh. They lived in an animal state not knowing good and evil. Their inner spiritual principle was not awakened yet. It has taken millions of years for humans to evolve into their present spiritual awareness.

"Therefore to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin." (Jam. 4: 17)

To act rightly is to comply with God's precepts in every situation. However, in order to comply with them it is not enough to be willing. You must first discern what is the good that is required of you in that particular moment. And if you know what you have to do and don't do it, then you have sinned. What does this mean? It means that you suffered a setback in your spiritual progress. You failed to make another step on the ladder of spirituality. The spiritual awareness of man varies. Each one of us is in a different "class" in the school of spirituality. But the goal should be the same for all, if we are to attain Self-realization.

"Sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law." (Rom. 5: 13)

Paul repeats with simple words what John and James have already told us. What does Paul mean by saying that sin was in the world before the law was given? He simply means that God's ordinances were put in force from the beginning of creation, but it took eons before man evolved to a state where he was able to unveil them. It was only when he received the law from the prophets that the violation of it was counted to him as sin.

"Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what it was to covet if the law had not said, 'Do not covet'. (...) For apart from the law, sin is dead." (Rom. 7: 7b, 8b)

Is sin really dead apart from the law? Suppose that we didn't know that the law said, "Do not covet", and we indulged in coveting what our neighbor possessed. Would this have any negative effect on us? Surely it would. Coveting results in jealousy, if we can't have what our neighbor has. And jealousy undermines our mental and physical health. It makes us miserable and sick. Never mind we didn't know that God said, "Do not covet", never mind that we don't worry about any punishment in hell after death, coveting is harmful for us in the here and now! And from this point of view, coveting is a sin. So we cannot literally accept the above scripture i.e. that apart from the law sin is dead.

"For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. (...) So then, I of myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin." (Rom. 7: 22-23, 25b)

Paul is aware of his two natures, the spiritual and the physical, and he experiences that these two are at war with each other. He considers that the law that is working within his members is the law of sin, while with his mind he serves the law of God. Such scriptures have driven people to celibacy and monasticism and need critical consideration before one accepts them as God inspired. Instead of believing that our two natures are at war we better seek the golden rule to make them work in harmony. Our Creator has given both natures to us for a purpose and their needs are to be respected. Any diversion from harmony will have negative effects on the whole person that is composed of spirit, soul and body.

"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.

Now the works of the flesh are obvious: adultery, fornication, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, wars, dissentions, factions, envy and murders; drunkenness, orgies and the like.

I warn you as I did before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." (Gal. 5: 16-21)

Once again Paul exaggerates. Not all desires of the flesh are sinful. The desire to eat is not a sin but a physical need. The desire to sleep is a physical need. The desire for normal sexual satisfaction is also a physical need. The desire for material comfort, when it does not become an obsession, is not sinful. A person whose basic material needs are not met cannot be happy, unless he has attained the spiritual status of a Christ.

Apart from the legitimate needs of the flesh, there are of course fleshly desires that are harmful for those who indulge in them. Paul gives us a full list of them. Contemplating over each one carefully, one will tend to agree with Paul that these desires lead someone to a disintegration of his/her personality and eventually to spiritual, mental and physical sickness. Anything we do that is not in harmony with the unwritten physical and spiritual laws that govern our being is sin, as it always results in pain. From this point of view, we could attempt a new definition of sin: Sin is any thought, word or deed that tends to cause malfunction to one's tripartite nature and harm to other human beings. In fact, anything that harms us is also harmful to others around us. We are all interconnected vessels, spiritual members of God, and whatever we do affects the others, positively or negatively. That's why LOVE is the greatest commandment-virtue.

"It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred commandment that was passed on to them." (2 Pet. 2: 21)

Those who have known the way of righteousness and later turned their back on it are worse off than those who are in ignorance of the divine laws. This is because those in ignorance do not suffer any inner conflict when they unknowingly violate the law. They will of course suffer some negative consequences, as we saw in the previous example of someone who covets. However those who fall back from the way of righteousness will suffer more. Their conscience will judge them more severely and their inner conflict will cause mental and physical disorders. This will result in bitterness and hardening of their heart, and in further backsliding.

"That servant who knew his master's will and did not make ready or act according to his will, shall receive a severe beating. But he who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, shall receive a light beating. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." (Luke 12: 47-48)

Here St. Luke explains the same thing more clearly. Both servants will receive a "beating". Even the one who didn't know the will of his master must receive a light "beating"! Just as it happens with the civic laws, ignorance of spiritual precepts is not forgiven. One has the duty to seek and find out what his "master" (the inner man or God within) requires of him. Otherwise we would be better off avoiding knowledge and enlightenment in order to escape any "beating" (punishment).

So then, of him who has received more knowledge, more revelation of God's laws and many talents, more will be required. Such man, if he doesn't respond accordingly, will be "beaten" more severely than the one who had been given little.

"Jesus said, 'If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains'." (John 9: 41)

Jesus is confronting the Pharisees about their spiritual blindness. Because they had studied the law and the prophets, the scribes and Pharisees claimed to see. Yet they did not act accordingly. So their guilt was more severe.

"If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin." (John 15: 22)

Jesus was sent by God to call people to repentance. He came to witness to the Truth and show man the way to spiritual perfection, the way to the kingdom of God within. So, those who heard his message but continued in their sin had no excuse.

God sends his messengers to the world because his purpose for mankind is to mature spiritually and be perfected in love. Those who hear their messages but do not apply them in their lives will be guilty of sin.

"All things are permissible to me, but all things are not beneficial. All things are permissible, but all things are not constructive." (1 Cor. 10: 23)

Here Paul gives an indirect definition of sin: anything that is not beneficial and constructive for the whole man is sin. So instead of pointing our fists at God and question him why he does not permit us to do this, that or the other, we better comply with our maker's 'specifications' for us. This way we will be fulfilling our purpose on earth and will be healthier and happier.

"The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law." (1 Cor. 15: 56)

In this verse the Apostle speaks about the death of our soul, since no one, sinner or saint, can avoid the death of the body. And, as we have also seen in previous scriptures, sin becomes more destructive for those who have received the law.

"The wages of sin is death." (Rom. 6: 23a)

Sin not only leads to spiritual death, but it causes a decay of mental and physical faculties and thus speeds up even the process of physical death.

"They asked him, 'Who is the man who said to you, "Take up your pallet, and walk"?' Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. Afterward, Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, 'See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse befall you'." (John 5: 12-14)

Sin causes sickness. Religious counselors and modern psychologists very well know this. In fact, some spiritual specialists are able to relate each disease to a particular sin. If a sick person releases himself from the bondage of that sin, the same is automatically healed. Jesus knew this connection and that's why he warned the man whom he had healed to sin no more.

"How many wrongs and sins have I committed? Show me my offence and my sin." (Job 13: 23)

When Job lost everything he had and was struck by horrible diseases, he naturally searched himself to find out where he had sinned. We cannot imagine what Job might have done to displease God, as the scriptures tell us that he was a righteous man. Yet, we find a hint in the Bible, which might have triggered his calamities. Here it is: "What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me." (Job 3:25)

So, fear, too, is a dreadful sin! Fear is the lack of faith and draws that which is feared.

"He did evil because he had not set his heart on seeking the Lord." (2 Chr. 12: 14)

One sure way to turn away from evil is to set our heart on seeking the Lord. The more our heart clings to God the less will we sin.

"But if the wicked man turns away from all his sins which he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the transgressions, which he has committed, shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness, which he has done, he shall live.

Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, says the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity and does the same abominable things that the wicked man does, shall he live? None of the righteous deeds which he has done shall be remembered; for the treachery of which he is guilty and the sin he has committed, he shall die." (Ezek. 18: 21-24)

There is a way for the sinner to avoid spiritual death. This is repentance. If the sinner sincerely repents and turns to God with all his/her heart, the sinner's past transgressions will not be remembered against him/her! This is good news! The opposite is also true. If a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, his past righteous deeds will not be counted in his favor. He shall die in his sins. What counts is the present state of one's soul. Righteousness is the present condition of one's soul and not the sum up of past good works.

Chapter 9: Idolatry

Idol is anything that takes the place of God in the heart and mind of people. Idolatry is the worship of something or someone instead of God.

Man has a natural need to worship God, and Israel was no exception to it. However, in spite of the commandments God had given them through Moses, the Jews were prone to worship idols, just as the heathen did.

It is unbelievable to imagine that any intelligent person would bow down to a man-made object and offer sacrifices to it, considering it to be a god. Yet, this happens, perhaps in more subtle ways, even today. As man primarily lives in the level of senses, he/she has the need to perceive God through them. People want to see the form of their god, to touch, to kiss and carry their favorite 'deity' around, on their shoulders. Since humans find it difficult to communicate with their Maker in spirit and in truth, they resort to idol worship.

Let us examine instances of idolatry in the Bible.

"And the Lord said to Moses, 'Go down, for your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt. They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, 'These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt'." (Ex. 32: 7-8)

This is the most notorious instance of idol worship by the Israelites. It took place at the very foot of Sinai (also called Horeb), the mount where Moses received the Ten Commandments on the two tablets of stone. It was while Moses was fasting for forty days, in order to be able to communicate with the Divinity, that the Israelites lost patience waiting for his return. So they demanded from Aaron, (Moses' brother and spokesman, and first high priest of Israel) to make gods for them! Aaron consented and asked them to break off their golden earrings and bring them to him, in order to use them for the golden calf! Aaron added to the people's sin by building an altar in front of the calf and holding a feast to the gods who supposedly brought them out of Egypt! (Ex. 32: 1-6)

"Do not turn to idols or make gods of cast metal for yourselves. I am the Lord your God." (Lev. 19: 4)

Moses had to repeat over and over his instructions against idol making and idolatry, as the Israelites, according to the Bible, were a stiff-necked people and often lapsed into polytheism.

"The Lord said to Moses, 'Say to the people of Israel, Any man of the people of Israel, or of the alien living in Israel, who gives any of his children to Moloch shall be put to death. The people of the land shall stone him with stones'." (Lev. 20: 1-2)

The worship of false gods and demons required human sacrifices! The priests needed fresh blood in order to make atonement for people! Sacrificing children to Moloch was a common practice among the heathen, and Israel had copied them. Burning one's children in the fire to the honor of an imagined god is the grossest and most evil rite of idolatry. (Satanists are doing it to this day).

It is amazing how deep this deception was in the minds of people that even the righteous Abraham believed that God required of him the sacrifice of his son Isaac. Thank goodness the last minute God stopped him from doing this.

Does the Christian doctrine of the atonement through the blood of Jesus, God's "only begotten Son", have its origin there? How else could one explain Paul's words that "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness"? (Heb. 9:22-28)

It is up to the student of the Bible to seek discernment on this. God's commandment, "You shall not kill" is crystal clear on this. What need do we have for further witnesses?

"Be careful not to be ensnared by inquiring about their gods, saying, 'How do these nations serve their gods? We will do the same.' You must not worship the Lord your God in their way; because in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of detestable things the Lord hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods." (Deut. 12: 30b-31)

Moses' instructions to the Israelites were very clear: They should never burn their sons and daughters as a form of worship to God, copying the detestable practices of the idolatrous nations around them. The Lord hated such detestable things.

"There shall not be found among you any one who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, (...). For whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord; (...)." (Deut. 18: 10a, 12a)

Once again Moses warns the people, who considered themselves to be God's chosen ones: Sacrificing children, as an offering, is an abomination to the Lord.

"And they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, 'O Baal, answer us!' (...) And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until their blood gushed out upon them." (1 Kings 18: 26a, 28)

Here we have a description of how the prophets of Baal worshipped their god. Not only did they sacrifice the bull unto Baal and cut it in pieces, laying it on the wood, something that Elijah did as well, but they also cut themselves with swords and lances until their blood flowed. This was another custom of idolatry.

"When the king of Moab saw that the battle was going against him, (...) he took his eldest son who was to reign in his stead, and offered him for a burnt offering upon the wall. And there came great wrath against Israel; and they withdrew from him and returned to their own land." (2 Kings 3: 26a-27)

When Mesha, the king of the Moabites, saw that he was losing the battle against Israel, he took a final desperate decision. He sacrificed his own son, the crown prince, to his god Chemosh, in order to win his favor. When the superstitious and idolatrous Israelites heard of this, frightened at the prospect of Chemosh's intervention against them, they withdrew and returned to their own land. Had they believed that this Chemosh was a false god, and that the true God was by their side, they wouldn't have taken any notice of this horrifying human sacrifice.

"Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God, as his father David had done, but he walked in the way of the kings of Israel. He even burned his son as an offering, according to the abominable practices of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel. And he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree." (2 Kings 16: 2-4)

Ahaz was the twelfth king of Judah in the divided kingdom, and he was exceptionally idolatrous. He even sacrificed his son, burning him as an offering to false gods, following the abominable practices of the heathen. As the scripture tells us, he walked in the way of the kings of Israel...

"And they forsook all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made for themselves molten images of two calves; and they made groves and worshiped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. And they burned their sons and their daughters as offerings, and used divination and sorcery, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger." (2 Kings 17: 16-17)

This is what Israel and Judah did, in spite of the warnings of their prophets. They violated all God's commandments and their paganism lacked nothing of the abominable customs of the heathen nations around them. Star-worship, human sacrifices, divination, sorcery and every evil imaginable were common practices among the Israelites. Through this they provoked God, i.e. his representatives, prophets and seers, to anger.

"And he deposed the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places at the cities of Judah and round about Jerusalem; those also who burned incense to Baal, to the sun, and the moon, and the constellations, and all the host of the heavens. (...). Moreover Josiah put away the mediums and the wizards, the images and the idols, and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might establish the words of the law (...)." (2 Kings 23: 5, 24)

Josiah had received a word from Huldah, the prophetess (2 Kings 22: 14-17), saying that the Lord was about to bring evil upon Jerusalem and her inhabitants because of their apostasy. The king, however, did not sit down in despair waiting for the destruction to come. He knew that his people were guilty of idolatry and he resolved to turn them away from it and deliver them from God's wrath. So Josiah set his heart on seeking the Lord and began an extensive purge of idolatry in Judah. At that time he was only sixteen years old! He was determined, however, to establish "the words of the book of the covenant" in his kingdom. As Josiah was too young, in order to guarantee any degree of success in this, he called the elders, the priests and the prophets of Jerusalem and sought their cooperation (2 Kings 23: 2). The Bible gives an account of such a reformation under his reign as is not found in the history of all other kings of Judah. Josiah reigned over Judah for thirty-one years (640-609 B. C.).

The prophecy that Huldah, the prophetess, gave to Hilkiah (the priest who had found the book of the law in the house of the Lord) and to those whom king Josiah had sent to her is the following:

"Thus says the Lord, 'Behold, I will bring evil upon this place and upon its inhabitants, all the curses that are written in the book which was read before the king of Judah. Because they have forsaken me and have burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands, therefore my wrath will be poured out upon this place and will not be quenched'." (2 Chr. 34: 24-25)

The curses that were written in the book of the Law – curses that Moses had tied on the neck of the Israelites, if they broke the Covenant they had signed with the Lord – were very severe (Deut. 28: 15- 68). If they worshipped other gods, all those horrific curses would come upon them. Yet, every now and again, a new prophet had to reactivate them in order to be effective. In the between, the Israelites, forgetting the Covenant, used to turn to idolatry practicing all the abominations that Moses had forbidden, provoking the contemporary true prophets to anger.

"They mingled with the nations and adopted their customs. They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them. They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons; they shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was desecrated by their blood. (...) Therefore the Lord was angry with his people and abhorred his inheritance. He handed them over to the nations, and their foes ruled over them." (Psa.106: 35-38, 40-41)

David laments and confirms that the Israelites became idolaters, adopting even the most heinous practices of the heathen. They sacrificed their sons and daughters to idols and demons! That's why God handed them over to the nations to be ruled by them. This was the natural outcome of their wickedness. Since they failed to inspire and convert the heathen to the worship of the true God, they were converted by them to idolatry and were ruled by them.

The same applies to us today. People are likely to be controlled and exploited by those whose customs unquestionably they adopt. If we fail to stand for the truth and if we don't try to influence the wicked to turn to righteousness, then quite easily the latter will 'convert' us to their folly. Gradually we adopt their evil customs and become their pawns.

Energy, whether negative or positive, flows constantly from one person to the other, from one nation to another. And, as the people who profess to follow God are deceived, divided and don't work wisely for the enlightenment of humanity, the wicked seem to have the upper hand and usually succeed in imposing more harmful patterns on our society.

"For the sons of Judah have done evil in my sight, says the Lord. They have set up their detestable idols in the house that bears my Name and have defiled it. They have built the high places of Topheth, in the Yalley of Ben Hinnom, to burn their sons and daughters in the fire – something I did not command them nor did it enter my mind." (Jer.7: 30-31)

So deeply the Israelites had sunk into idolatry, that they built special high places for the sacrifices of their children to demons! They even had set up their detestable idols in the very house of Jehovah. For this their punishment should be severe: "Therefore, behold, the days are coming, says the Lord when it will no more be called Topheth, (...) but the valley of Slaughter. (...) And the dead bodies of this people will be food for the birds of the air and for the beasts of the earth; and none will frighten them away." (Verses: 32, 33)

"Because the people have forsaken me, and have profaned this place by burning incense in it to other gods (...) and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, (...). In this place I will make void the plans of Judah and Jerusalem, and will cause their people to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hand of those who seek their life. (...) And I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and their daughters, and every one shall eat the flesh of his neighbor in the siege and in the distress with which their enemies and those who seek their life afflict them." (Jer. 19: 4a, 5a, 7a, 9)

Here Jeremiah seems to run out of patience and pronounces the most heavy judgment against Judah and Jerusalem in the name of God! Or, if you prefer, Jehovah gets very angry and delivers horrific judgments against the people of the Covenant, through the mouth of his servant, the prophet Jeremiah: the chosen people shall fall under the sword of their enemies, in the very place where they burnt their children to Baal! The place is none other than Topheth – the valley of Slaughter – which we have already seen in Jer. 7: 30-33, quoted above. According to the prophecy, their distress would be so devastating that mothers would eat the flesh of their children!

Has this prophecy been fulfilled? Unfortunately it has, in the siege of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans, as Jeremiah himself laments in his Lamentations (Lam. 4: 10).

"And I will utter my judgments against them, for all their wickedness in forsaking me; they have burned incense to other gods, and worshiped the works of their hands." (Jer. 1: 16)

These are again the words of Jehovah against Israel, which he put in the mouth of young Jeremiah in the beginning of his prophetic office. Worshipping the work of one's hands is still popular today, even among Christians. The Greek Orthodox, e.g., worship their man-made icons of 'saints' as gods. The Catholics do something similar with their statues of Mary, etc. What is mostly peculiar is that the same people who practice "Christian" idolatry hear these warnings of Jeremiah and other prophets every Sunday in their churches, but they think they are irrelevant to them... The Evangelicals, on the other hand, "worship" the letter of the Bible. This too is a form of idolatry.

"For your gods have become as many as your cities, O Judah; and as many as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to that shameful thing, even altars to burn incense to Baal." (Jer. 11: 13)

Jeremiah is crying out to a stubborn people, amazed at the multitude of false gods that Judah worshipped. Altars to Baal were built in every street of Jerusalem!

"The Lord said to me: 'Son of man, will you judge Aholah (the kingdom of Israel) and Aholibah (the kingdom of Judah)? Then confront them with their abominable practices, for they have committed adultery and blood is on their hands. With their idols they have committed adultery, and even sacrificed their children, whom they bore to me, as food for them." (Ezek. 23: 36-37)

Another major prophet of the Old Testament, Hezekiel, sets his heart with passion against the abominable practices of Israel and Judah. Jehovah speaks to him, asking him to confront Israel and Judah and judge them for their spiritual adultery and the sacrificing of their children to idols. It is worth noticing here the question mark. God asks Ezekiel if he would be willing to judge the backslidden people! Apparently the Almighty needs a prophet in order to judge sinners! Consequently, it will be Ezekiel who, after warning them, will pronounce the judgments against Israel and Judah, and not God himself.

Couldn't God pass judgments on men without the intervention of a prophet? The reader will be more equipped to answer this question after studying the chapter on Prophecy.

"Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites, because the Lord has a charge to bring against you who live in the land: 'There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land. (...) My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children. (...) They consult a wooden idol and are answered by a stick of wood. A spirit of prostitution leads them astray; they are unfaithful to their God. They sacrifice on the mountaintops and burn offerings on the hills, (...)'." (Hos. 4: 1, 6, 12-13a)

Here we have Hosea, one of the minor prophets of the Old Testament, speaking on behalf of God and bringing his charges against the Israelites. Their sin is the usual: spiritual prostitution, i.e. idolatry. The reason behind it is ignorance. The people, whom God had once chosen to be his priests, have rejected knowledge; and so God rejects them. If they prefer to consult a stick of wood instead of their Creator, it means that their deception is deep and their ignorance abysmal. How could a prophet make them understand if they don't want to listen? And the prophet goes on, describing their foolishness in more details, before he passes judgment on them.

"Now they sin more and more; they make idols for themselves from their silver, cleverly fashioned images, all of them the work of craftsmen. It is said of these people, 'They offer human sacrifice and kiss the calf-idols'. Therefore they will be like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears, like chaff swirling from a threshing-floor, like smoke escaping through a window." (Hos. 13: 2-3)

The Israelites sinned more and more! If a person or a nation fell into sin and didn't heed to the warning of God's servants, then their heart is hardened and they sink deeper and deeper into deception. Then comes the judgment. This also is a sign of God's grace. The Israelites will be scattered and shall disappear, just as the smoke escapes through a window, said the prophet. This too came to pass...

Next are some quotations on idolatry from the New Testament. It is surprising that only few times we find a reference to idol-worship in the N.T. Had the people suddenly turned away from their idolatrous practices, or were the writers of the N.T. not so obsessed against idolatry as the prophets of the O.T.? Why had Jesus not strongly warned the people against idolatry? I leave the answer to the reader, as I can only guess.

"When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, 'The gods have come down to us in human form!' Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.

But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: 'Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you." (Acts 14: 11-15a)

This incident took place in Lystra, a city of Lycaonia, in Asia Minor. What had Paul done that made people want to worship him and Barnabas? By a single command, "stand upright on your feet", he had healed a man who was cripple from birth! So the Lycaonians thought that they were gods and wanted to offer sacrifices to them. But these people were, to some extent, excused to think that way. They were Gentiles; they had never heard of the true God who is Spirit; they did not have any prophets sent to them by God in order to teach them the truth. They were totally ignorant.

"But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and beguiling my servants to practice immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols." (Rev. 2: 20)

The book of Revelation has a few references to idolatry. It appears that very early false prophets had penetrated the Christian churches, beguiling Christians to practice immorality and idolatry.

"The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, still did not repent of the works of their hands that they should not worship demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot either see or hear or walk." (Rev. 9: 20).

No doubt, among those who did not stop worshipping the works of their hands were many Christians, as well as people from every religion. Of course atheists worship gold and silver in a different way, but I believe the scripture here speaks literally about idol worship.

"One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, 'Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters. With her the kings of the earth committed fornication and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication." (Rev. 17: 1-2).

Here I believe we have a reference to the State Churches (Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant). These have made the inhabitants of the earth drunk with the wine of their spiritual prostitution and led people astray. Severe will be the punishment of the great harlots.

The official churches have committed fornication with the kings, i.e. the governments of each nation. So, instead of exposing and denouncing the rulers' corruption, calling them to the straight path, they have become their close collaborators in the exploitation of people.

Those who have ears let them hear...

Chapter 10: Magic

Many enemies of Judaism and Christianity consider the Bible as a book of magic. Consequently, since magic has been widely thought of either as charlatanism or as the work of the devil, they dismiss the entire book.

What, then, is the difference between magic and unadulterated faith in God or pure spirituality? Where do the miracles have their origin? Where does the power for miracles reside? Is it in the soul and spirit of man or in God? Is every man a magician in the making? Through the following quotations from the Bible, which of course are not the only accounts of magic therein, one may discern the truth.

"And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 'When Pharaoh says to you, "Prove yourselves by working a miracle", then you shall say to Aaron, "Take your rod and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent".' So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did as the Lord commanded: Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent.

Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers; and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did the same by their enchantments. For every man cast down his rod, and they became serpents. But Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods." (Ex. 7: 8-12)

This is a demonstration of magic powers before Pharaoh. Moses and Aaron transformed a rod into a serpent. But Pharaoh's wise men and sorcerers did the same thing! If Moses and Aaron's magic powers were greater than those of the sorcerers, they should demonstrate it by performing a greater miracle. And so they did. Aaron's rod (serpent) swallowed up the rods of the sorcerers!

Most Christians believe that in this demonstration of miraculous powers we actually have a contest between God and Satan. I firmly believe that God does not get involved in such shows. It is people's magic (occult) powers that perform the 'miracles'. No doubt Moses, who had grown up as a prince in the Egyptian palace, had been initiated into the Egyptian occult wisdom. This, in addition to his inherent and exceptional psychic powers and his faith in God, enabled him to become a great miracle worker, i.e. a great magician.

"So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses' hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up – one on one side, one on the other – so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua mowed down Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword." (Ex. 17: 10-13)

By reading this story one wonders why Moses, a mighty man of prayer, did not pray to God and ask him to give the Israelites victory over the Amalekites. Why did he have to employ two men in order to hold up his hands? What power is in man's hands that Moses knew and used accordingly?

Obviously Moses knew the magic secrets of how he could use his palms' energy centers as spiritual transmitters, for blessing or cursing. This originally neutral energy could become positive or negative, depending on the desire of the sender. So Moses concentrated his will power and transmitted a great spiritual energy from a distance in favor of the Israelites, who thus won in the battle against the Amalekites.

"Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, 'We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us'. So Moses prayed for the people.

The Lord said to Moses, 'Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.' So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived." (Num. 21: 6-9)

Did the Lord ask Moses to make a bronze snake and put it up on a pole? I doubt it. Couldn't God answer Moses' prayer and remove the snakes, since the Israelites had repented of their sins? Surely the Almighty could do it, if he wanted, i.e. if by doing so he wouldn't violate any of his sovereign laws that brought about the snakes in the first place. But apparently God didn't remove the snakes. So Moses devised a magic short cut to solve the problem.

The next question is why a serpent of all other creatures? If God supposedly cursed the serpent because it deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden, why should Moses choose it to affect healing from the biting of real snakes? Had Moses received some secret knowledge regarding snakes since the time he held the magical rod that became a snake, when he cast it on the ground in front of Pharaoh? Most probably, he had. Besides, serpents were very popular in the myths of most eastern religions and this couldn't have been incidental.

It is believed that serpents represent the dynamic nature of life. We also know that a stick, with a snake curled around it, is the rod of Asclepius (Aesculapious), the ancient Greek demigod of medicine. Indeed to this day the staff of Asclepius is widely used as symbol of medicine. All this may have something to do with Moses' bronze snake that put up on a pole. In any case, this is one more occasion where Moses uses magic in order to overcome a problem. I have often wondered if the dispute between the archangel Michael and Satan over the body of Moses when he died (Jude 9) was due to such magical practices by the prophet.

"Then the people of Israel set out, and encamped in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan at Jericho. (...) And Moab was in great dread of the people (of Israel), because they were many; (...). So Balak the son of Zippor, who was king of the Moabites at that time, sent messengers to Balaam (...), saying, 'Behold, a people has come out of Egypt; they cover the face of the earth, and they are dwelling opposite me. Come now, curse the people for me, since they are too mighty for me; perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them from the land; for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed'." (Num. 22: 1, 3a, 4b, 5, 6)

Balaam was known as having great psychic powers. Balak, the King of the Moabites, had heard of him and he asked him to curse the Israelites, so that he would be able to defeat them. He knew that whomever Balaam blessed would be blessed and whomever he cursed would be cursed. As the story goes, Balaam did not curse the Israelites because he discerned that God had blessed them.

People with magic powers, whether they are aware of them or not, have the potential to do good as well as evil. Such people could, in effect, use their powers in black magic or in white magic, for blessing or cursing, for healing or killing. Unless such a person is totally devoted to doing good, is very dangerous to be around.

We could be protected from someone's negative energy by faith in God and in ourselves, building a strong, virtuous and loving character. Then we are safely shielded and nobody's curses can harm us.

"You shall not permit a sorceress to live." (Ex. 22: 18)

This was one of the judgments that Moses set before the Israelites, in the name of God. According to the scripture (Ex. 21:1), God commanded him to do so. Women who practiced magic should be exterminated. Moses knew very well that they were very dangerous if left to practice their black arts among the people. They could harm them spiritually as well as physically.

"You shall not practice augury or witchcraft." (Lev. 19: 26b)

According to the instructions God gave to Moses, the Israelites should not get entangled in divination or witchcraft, for these were pagan practices and they involved the invocation of evil spirits. That's why they were an abomination to the Lord. God wanted the children of Israel to be holy (Lev.19: 1-2).

"You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh on account of the dead or tattoo any marks upon you; I am the Lord." (Lev.19: 28)

Cutting one's flesh on account of the dead was another heathen custom practiced in funerals. The idolaters believed that by doing this they pacified the infernal deities and rendered them propitious to their deceased friends. The people of God should not practice these things, nor should they make tattoo marks upon their bodies. All these customs were akin to witchcraft and were forbidden by Jehovah.

"You shall keep my statutes. (...) Do not turn to those who have familiar spirits, neither seek after sorcerers, to be defiled by them; I am the Lord your God." (Lev. 19: 19, 31)

God's mandate is very clear regarding all black arts. The children of God should not follow those who claim to know the future, supposedly having spirits (demons) under their command. Neither should they seek help from witches and wizards who allege to have magic powers. If they did this, they would defile themselves.

"The Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, 'Again, you shall say to the children of Israel, (...). And the soul that turns after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, playing the harlot after them, I will set my face against that soul and will cut him off from among his people." (Lev. 20: 1-2a, 6)

As in the case of idolatry, Moses is very persistent against all magic practices. He repeats the same things over and over, warning people about God's severe judgments on the disobedient.

"A man or a woman who is a medium or a wizard shall be put to death; they shall be stoned; their blood shall be upon them." (Lev. 20: 27)

Heavy is the punishment for mediums and wizards! They should be stoned to death.

"When you come into the land which the Lord your God gives you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. There shall not be found among you any one who makes his son or his daughter to pass through fire, anyone who practices divination, an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord." (Deut. 18: 9-12a)

Here Moses gives a full list of the abominable black 'arts'. The borderlines between them are not distinct. One could put all of them under the umbrella of magic by which man is trying to obtain the favor of spirits (demons) in order to acquire supernatural powers.

"So Saul died for his unfaithfulness; he was unfaithful to the Lord in that he did not keep the command of the Lord, and also consulted a medium, seeking guidance, and did not seek guidance from the Lord. Therefore the Lord slew him, and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse." (1 Chr. 10: 13-14)

Very often during his kingship, Saul, the first king of Israel, was disobedient and unfaithful to Jehovah's directions through his prophet Samuel. It is noticeable here that, of all Saul's sins, only his seeking guidance from a medium is particularly listed. Such was the severity of this sin! So Saul died in his transgression, falling upon his own sword, after being sorely wounded by his enemies, the Philistines. And, as if this humiliation wasn't enough, the Philistines, when they found Saul's corpse, cut off his head and stripped off his armor, which afterwards exhibited in the temple of their idols (1 Sam. 31).

"Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty five years in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the abominable practices of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel. (...) And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord. And he burned his sons as an offering in the valley of Ben Hinnom, and practiced sorcery, divination and witchcraft, and dealt with mediums and wizards. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger. (...)

The Lord spoke to Manasseh and to his people, but they gave no heed. Therefore the Lord brought upon them the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria, who caught Manasseh among the bushes and bound him with fetters of bronze and carried him to Babylon." (2 Chr.33: 1-2, 5-6, 10-11)

Manasseh was the longest reigning king of Judah and, for some part of his life, the most wicked one. He became a fanatic idolater, bringing in Judah all the abominable idolatrous and magic customs of Assyria and Babylon, in spite of the prophets' warnings. However, as the following verses testify, while in Babylon, Manasseh besought the Lord and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. And God heard his supplication and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom, where he tried to reestablish the worship of the true God (verses 12-20). It is comforting to know that God forgives even the most severe sins of those who truly repent.

"And when they say to you, 'Consult the mediums and the wizards, who whisper and mutter', reply: 'should not a people enquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?' To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light in them." (Isa. 8: 19-20)

Isaiah is trying to bring the backslidden people to their common sense: Why should people consult the dead, through mediums and wizards, instead of enquiring of the Lord? This doesn't make sense. Such people live in spiritual darkness, having no light in them.

"You are wearied in the multitude of your counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, and the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save you from these things that shall come upon you. Surely they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame; there shall not be a coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before it." (Isa. 47: 13-14)

When a true prophet of God brings judgments upon those who turned to magicians for help, none of those magicians can save them. In fact, the magicians cannot even save themselves from the wrath of God activated through the word of his prophets.

"Thus says the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them." (Jer. 10: 2)

Jeremiah exhorts Israel to learn not the ways of the heathen and be not frightened of the signs, i.e. the eclipses of the sun and the moon, and all the unusual phenomena of the stars. They should not be dismayed at them for God is in control.

"Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, 'No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery which the king has asked. But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, (...)'." (Dan. 2: 27-28a)

The wisdom given by the true God is far higher than that of the wise men, enchanters, magicians and astrologers. Only God can reveal mysteries, said Daniel to king Nebuchadnezzar. And, sure enough, Daniel received divine revelation to interpret the king's dreams.

"Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them." (Mark 6: 10-11)

This is a magic custom of heathen origin. Shaking one's dust on someone is a way to bring judgment against him/her. It is surprising that Jesus should give such instruction to his disciples when, elsewhere, he exhorts them to bless and not curse, since God shines his sun on the just and the unjust.

"But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 'Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near'. I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town." (Luke 10: 10-12)

Luke records the same instruction of Jesus (?) in more details, i.e. a manner of curse on those who wouldn't accept the message of his disciples. No wonder where the Christian Church derived its boldness to bring anathemas and curses against its enemies.

"God did extraordinary miracles through Paul. Handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them." (Acts 19: 11-12)

Here we have an incident of magic that serves as an excuse to Christian idolatry even today. That's why in the beginning of this chapter I said that the borderline between magic and unadulterated faith is not always very distinct. We need to ask God for discernment, lest we defile our heart with magic and idolatry.

"But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) withstood them, seeking to turn away the proconsul from the faith. Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, 'You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.' Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the doctrine of the Lord." (Acts 13: 8-12)

St. Paul's miraculous powers were greater than those of Elymas the magician. So, when the latter obstructed Paul in his mission, the Apostle didn't hesitate to pronounce a curse against him and leave him blind! Seeing the 'miracle', the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, believed in Paul's message...

Are we allowed to curse people even if they are enemies of all righteousness? Do we have any right to inflict diseases upon them in order to teach them a lesson? Is this the best way to bring about God's kingdom on earth? I don't believe so. Love and mercy are God's ways. Any other way that harms another human being, temporarily or permanently, has severe negative consequences on the soul of those who pronounced the judgment. Sooner or later they themselves will be called to pay for it. That's why I don't consider the entire Bible as God inspired, neither all the actions of God's prophets and apostles recorded there as godly.

Chapter 11: Prophecy

"For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." (2 Pet. 1: 21)

This is more or less Peter's definition of what prophecy is. Authentic prophecy does not come by the will of man but by the will of God. Holy men and women of God speak as the Holy Spirit moves them, delivering God's messages to people.

The question is: how accurately can a prophet discern what is of God and what comes from another spiritual agent or from his/her own wishful thinking? Surely God reveals things to seers, when there is a need for that. However, never does He speak loudly to anyone. He communicates with his servants, the prophets, through the still small voice of their spirit or through visions and dreams, all of which should be correctly interpreted. This is why each student of the Scriptures is responsible to seek personal revelation from God before he/she accepts any prophecy as divine utterance.

"O Lord, you have deceived me, and I was deceived; you are stronger than I, and have prevailed; I am in derision daily, every one mocks me. For since I spoke, I cried out, I cried violence and destruction; for this the word of the Lord was made a reproach unto me, and derision, daily.

Then I said, 'I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name'. But his word was in my heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with holding it in, and I couldn't do it anymore." (Jer. 20: 7-9)

First of all I must say that God is not in the business of deceiving anyone. This is pure common sense. God is Light and Truth. It was probably the delay in the fulfillment of Jeremiah's hard prophecy, i.e. the going of Judah into captivity to Babylon that made him think that God had deceived him. Jeremiah complains that since he spoke violence and destruction in the name of the Lord, he was ridiculed and mocked by the people daily. It is the common fate of all true prophets of God, throughout history, to be laughed at and persecuted. However, it appears that Jeremiah was too sensitive to endure this and it grieved him to be in derision daily. So much so that he promised himself not to speak any more on behalf of God!

Yet, this for a prophet is easier said than done. As Jeremiah so eloquently describes, the word of the Lord was in his heart like a burning fire shut up in his bones. After awhile, he was weary with holding it in and he couldn't do it anymore. So he had to give up resisting God, and delivered His message in order for his own heart to be released from burning.

The more we contemplate on Jeremiah's words the better we understand how awesome it is for one to have been called by God to the office of a prophet. It is not a commission to be taken lightly. It requires great faith, fearlessness and total surrender to the will of God, as speaking on his behalf will isolate the prophet and stir up persecution against him.

"And you shall speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen; for they are a rebellious house. But you, son of man, hear what I say to you; be not rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth, and eat what I give you." (Ez. 2: 7-8)

The prophet must deliver God's words of warning to rebellious people, whether they listen or fail to listen. The outcome should not concern the prophet. However, before one opens his/her mouth to speak on God's behalf, he/she must have digested God's words. "Eat what I give you", said God to Ezekiel. One should take time to meditate on God's message and seek wisdom on what to say, how to say it and when to deliver it. The prophet or prophetess should not be driven by the compulsion of their calling; on the contrary, before they speak they should endeavor to separate the chaff of their own imagination from the wheat of the word of God.

"These are the words of the covenant which the Lord commanded Moses to make with the people of Israel in the land of Moab, besides the covenant which he had made with them at Horeb. (...) Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turns away this day from the Lord our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations (...); and one who, when he hears the words of this curse, blesses himself in his heart, saying, 'I shall have peace, though I walk in the deception of my heart', adding drunkenness to thirst. The Lord will not spare him, but rather the anger of the Lord and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the Lord shall blot out his name from under heaven." (Deut. 29: 1, 18a, 19-20)

It is difficult for me to believe that our heavenly Father, who makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust, had asked Moses to make a covenant with the people of Israel full of dreadful curses. It is understandable for a prophet to teach people what is good and what is evil, and to warn them of the grave consequences of their transgressions. But how could the same God, who in the New Testament instructs us to bless and not curse, have been the author of such excruciating curses as those included in the Old Testament? Had God improved so much during the period of 3,500 years? Is, peradventure, God himself imperfect and subject to change? Yet, the scriptures tell us that with God "there is no variation or shadow of change." (Jam. 1: 17)

The answer to this question could be either that Moses and the other O.T. prophets, who pronounced curses against Israel, had the wrong perception of God and put words in his mouth out of their own accord, or that it was another spirit, perhaps a principality, the Prince of Israel, that spoke through them. In any case, it appears that the O.T. prophets were not aware of the sovereign law of retribution (sawing and reaping) that is at work in Universe and they were eager, through their curses, to help God out to punish the people of Israel for their abominations. Their zeal to make Israel a chosen people and a light to the Gentiles carried them away and they resorted to cruelty against the very people they wanted to lead to God. Obviously they were not perfected in love as Jesus was. The destructive results of those curses are known to all...

"The Lord said to me: 'Son of man, will you judge Aholah (the kingdom of Israel) and Aholibah (the kingdom of Judah)? Then confront them with their abominable practices." (Ezek. 23: 36)

Here we have one more instance where Jehovah (supposedly) asks a prophet to judge Israel and Judah. And, sure enough, Ezekiel did this quite diligently. One should read the entire chapter to see how the prophet foretells that the Babylonians, the Chaldeans and the Assyrians will come against the people of God to deal furiously with them. My question is this: did Ezekiel, the seer, saw in his spirit things that would happen in the future, and simply described what he saw, or did he cause them to happen through his curses-judgments?

Reading the verses carefully, one understands that Ezekiel himself initiates the judgments against the chosen people, supposedly under the instruction of Jehovah. Yet, the same prophet, in a previous chapter and through another prophecy implies that God wants the prophets to prevent God's coming judgments on the transgressors and not to pronounce them. Here is the relevant scripture: "Thus says the Lord: Woe unto the foolish prophets, (...) You have not gone up into the gaps, neither built up a hedge for the house of Israel, that it might stand in the battle in the day of the Lord." (Ezek. 13: 3a, 5)

What shall we say then? Does God often change his mind about what he wants his prophets to do? Of course not! It is the prophets' understanding of the nature of God and spiritual reality that is limited.

"And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And even upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. (...)

For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat and I will enter into judgment with them there, on account of my people and my heritage Israel, whom they scattered among the nations and divided up my land." (Joel 2: 28-29, 3: 1-2))

Could it really have been God, the Creator and Father of all people, who spoke through Joel? I don't believe so. If it wasn't Joel's own spirit, it could have been a national spirit, which was concerned only with the welfare of Judah and Jerusalem. The only difference from previous prophecies is that this time it enters into judgment against all nations, which had oppressed Israel in the past, although, according to the scriptures, that oppression was justified and quite often had been brought upon them through their prophets' judgments on behalf of God!

Regarding the plethora of dreams, visions and prophecies that the scripture is referring to, I don't think this is a sign of spirituality. God is concerned rather about right conduct and love among people than about the expressions of one's imagination.

"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world." (1 John 4: 1)

Here we have a warning from St. John to test the spirits. There are many false prophets who claim that God speaks through them. Some of them, besides prophecy, exercise more spiritual gifts, i.e. the ability to cast out demons, etc. How can we recognize a true prophet? Jesus gave the answer to this: "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them (...). On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many things in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers'. " (Matt. 7: 15-16a, 22-23)

So then, a true prophet of God will inevitably produce good fruit. As Jesus said, one does not pick grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles. And what is the fruit of the spirit? Paul describes it in a few words to Galatians: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." (Gal. 5:22-23) If a prophet exhibits these qualities in his life, it is impossible to be deceived by evil spirits and deceive others through false prophecies. In the light of this, let us ask ourselves again: by whose spirit were the prophets, who delivered curses against Israel, moved? Obviously wrath is not included in the list of the fruit of the Holy Spirit that we just read.

"If a prophet arises among you, or a dreamer of dreams, and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder which he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, 'Let us go after other gods', which you have not known, 'and let us serve them', you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or to that dreamer of dreams; for the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. (...) But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has taught rebellion against the Lord your God, (...)." (Deut.13: 1-3, 5a)

Moses was undoubtedly the greatest prophet and lawgiver of Israel and had demonstrated enormous powers to perform signs and wonders throughout his ministry. No doubt, while in Egypt, he had studied carefully the esoteric and mystical laws of nature and so he could perform miracles at will. His supernatural powers enabled him to successfully lead the Israelites, a stiff-necked people, out of Egypt and for forty years in the wilderness. As the scripture says, "No one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel." (Deut. 34: 12)

So Moses knew first hand that it was man's spiritual powers and his knowledge of secret (magical) laws that made someone a prophet and/or a miracle worker. Therefore he warned the Israelites not to be deceived and follow any prophet who asked them to worship other (false) gods, even if that prophet performed signs and wonders and his dreams and words came to pass. It was the false prophet and not God who performed the signs. Against those false prophets Moses instituted the death penalty, in order to protect his people from such mischief-makers.

Regarding Moses' assumption that God is testing people through false prophecies, I don't believe that this is true. As James said, "Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am tempted by God'; for God cannot be tempted with evil and he himself tempts no one; but each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire." (Jam.1: 13-14)

"And the Lord said to me: 'the prophets are prophesying lies in my name; I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds. Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who prophesy in my name although I did not send them, and who say, 'Sword and famine shall not come on this land'. By sword and famine those prophets shall be consumed." (Jer.14: 14-15)

Here we have Jeremiah, a major prophet of the O.T., confronting the lesser prophets of his time. Unlike himself, who prophesied war and destruction upon Israel, as a punishment from God for the people's abominations, these false prophets prophesied peace and prosperity upon the land. And worse still, they prophesied these lies (deceits of their own minds) in the name of God, thus caressing the ears of the transgressors and deceiving them.

However, the words of all of them together were not strong enough to negate Jeremiah's judgment against Israel. So Jeremiah had to deal first with those lying prophets, who were offering false hopes to people preventing them from being convicted of their sins and seeking God in repentance. He passed a sentence upon them that they should also be consumed by sword and famine.

Apparently Jeremiah, just as all the major prophets of the Old Testament, was convinced in his spirit that severe punishment was the only effective means to make the Israelites return to the worship of the true God and keep his statutes.

"The word of the Lord came to me: 'Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are now prophesying. Say to those who prophesy out of their own imagination: Hear the word of the Lord! This is what the sovereign Lord says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! (...)

Their visions are false and their divinations a lie. They say, 'The Lord declares', when the Lord has not sent them; yet they expect their words to be fulfilled. Have you not seen false visions and uttered lying divinations when you say, 'The Lord declares', though I have not spoken?" (Ezek. 13: 1-3, 6-7).

Contention between Major Prophets and self-appointed ones is quite common in the Bible. This time we have Ezekiel confronting those who prophesy lies out of their own imagination, expecting their words to be fulfilled, although the Lord never spoke to them. It takes great devotion to God and a fervent zeal to advance his kingdom on earth, in order for a prophet to read correctly what the Holy Spirit communicates to his own spirit. Ezekiel pronounces woes against the foolish prophets who see false visions and follow their own minds, foretelling lies to people.

"Then the angel of the Lord said to Elijah, 'Go down with him; do not be afraid of him.' So he arose and went down with him to the king, and said to him, 'Thus says the Lord: Because you have sent messengers to inquire of Beelzebub, the god of Ekron, - is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of his word? -Therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone, but you shall surely die'. So he died according to the word of the Lord which Elijah had spoken." (2 Kings 1: 15-17)

Elijah, one of the most mighty and vindictive prophets of the Old Testament, confronts Ahaziah, king of Israel, because the latter had sent messengers to enquire of Beelzebub, the god of Ekron, whether he would recover from his sickness. Elijah, supposedly acting under the instruction of God, pronounced death upon the king and so the sick man died without having a chance to repent of his unfaithfulness. Ahaziah, whose father was the wicked king Ahab and his mother the idolatrous Jezebel who was still alive, had derived a great measure of corruption from his parents. Because of this, in my opinion, Elijah should have treated him more gracefully. However, grace was a commodity in shortage in the Old Testament.

But Elijah, put the Lord to the test several times, in order to prove to others that he was a true prophet of God. He had caused the death of many innocent people calling upon the name of the Lord. Before killing by his word king Ahaziah, he had killed his messengers. Let us read what he did and let us discern if Elijah was moved by the Spirit of God or by his own hard and proud spirit:

"Then the king (Ahaziah) sent to him a captain of fifty men with his fifty. He went up to Elijah, who was sitting on the top of a hill, and said to him, 'O man of God, the king says, Come down'. But Elijah answered the captain of fifty, 'If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty'. Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty'. " (2 Kings 1: 9-10)

Here is how Elijah, in the name of God, killed innocent people, thus violating God's third and sixth commandments. And as if this was not enough, he repeated the same cruel thing with the second delegation of fifty men sent by the king (verses 11-12). Elijah had also slain with the sword the five hundred false prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18: 40).

Did the Israelites abandon their idolatrous practices after these demonstrations of wrath by Elijah? Of course not! They continued business as usual.

Those who have ears let them hear...

"Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand; and he bowed his head, and fell on his face. (...) And the angel of the Lord said to Balaam, 'Go with the men; but only the word which I bid you, that shall you speak'. (...) When Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to Bless Israel, he did not go, as at other times, to look for omens, but set his face toward the wilderness. (...) And the Spirit of God came upon him, and he took up his discourse, and said, (...) 'Blessed be everyone who blesses you, and cursed be everyone who curses you'." (Num. 22: 31,35a and 24: 1,2b, 3a, 9b)

Balaam was a well-known prophet, i.e. someone whose word had great power, and he used this power either to bless or to curse others, depending on the case. This was normal for the prophets of Israel, as we have already seen. In this story, we have Balak, king of the Moabites, inviting Balaam and asking him to curse the Israelites so that he might prevail in his battle against them. (For those who do not know the story it is worth reading the whole chapter 22).

What is amazing here is God's intervention through an angel to stop Balaam from cursing the Israelites and his request to bless them instead. If we meditate on this, and if this scripture is God inspired, we derive at the conclusion that even God cannot cancel somebody's curse after it has come out of one's mouth. That's why the Lord warned Balaam before it was too late. And then he asked him to bless Israel, as if God himself couldn't bless directly his chosen people, but He needed a man to put His words in his mouth.

The other thing which is worth noticing here is that the words Balaam uttered, supposedly under the unction of the Spirit of God, i.e. "Blessed be everyone who blesses you, and cursed be everyone who curses you", are exactly the same as those uttered by Isaac, when he blessed his son Jacob, (who pretended to be the first born son Esau!), as quoted in Genesis 27: 29b. We also find the same "packet" in Genesis 12: 3, "I will bless those who bless you and curse him who curses you", a promise that Jehovah supposedly gave to Abraham!

Needless to say that, if these words belong really to God, then all the O.T. prophets, who cursed the people of Israel when they disobeyed the Lord, are the same cursed by the Almighty. What a vicious circle we are caught in, if we presume that the entire Bible is God's Word!

Who then was that angel of the Lord who stood on the way of Balaam and restrained him from cursing Israel? Was it the spirit of some of Israel's deceased patriarchs? Was it the Prince of Israel, a principality looking after Israel? Or was it the spirit of Balaam himself that was trying to get through to him reminding him of the scriptures? Personally I think this was the spirit of Balaam, although we cannot exclude that another spirit was also involved.

In any case, we must always approach prophecies with caution and seek revelation from God on the subject, as this is very important. It appears that God uses an anointed son of man in order to transmit blessing or cursing upon humanity. Thus the need for intercessory prayer. In other words, the spiritual evolution of mankind depends on men – men who offer to God their physical faculties so that his Spirit may work through them. How else could we explain the emphasis of the scriptures on the need of God to call and anoint certain people in order to serve Him?

"Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time. (...) Then sang Deborah and Barak, the son of Abinoam on that day, saying: (...) 'Curse Meroz, says the angel of the Lord, curse bitterly its inhabitants, because they came not to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty'." (Judg. 4: 4, 5: 1, 23)

Deborah identifies Israel's interests with those of the Lord! Consequently anyone who does not help Israel does not come to the help of the Lord! (Many Christian fundamentalists believe the same today). So the prophetess puts words in the mouth of the angel of the Lord, who supposedly asked her to curse bitterly the inhabitants of Meroz. Such was Deborah's perception of God's nature...

"In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the exiles by the river Chebar, the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. (...)

Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about.

Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

And he said to me, 'Son of man, stand upon your feet, and I will speak with you'. And when he spoke to me, the Spirit entered into me and set me upon my feet; and I heard him speaking to me. And he said to me, 'Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to a nation of rebels, who have rebelled against me; they and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day. The people also are impudent and stubborn. I send you to them; and you shall say to them, "Thus says the Lord God." And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that there has been a prophet among them. And you, son of man, be not afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you sit upon scorpions; (...)'." (Ezek.1: 1, 28 and 2: 1- 6a)

Ezekiel's awe-inspiring vision has the stamp of an authentic spiritual experience. It is worth studying carefully the entire first three chapters where the description of the glory of God is overwhelming. God's instructions to the prophet are given on a written scroll, which he is commanded to eat. The scroll was in Ezekiel's mouth as sweet as honey (Ez.3: 3), although it was full of lamentations and mourning and woe! (Ez.2: 10) The word of God, whether pleasant or not, is always sweet for it aims at our own spiritual edification.

Here we notice that Ezekiel says, "I heard the voice of one speaking". He doesn't say that he heard the voice of God speaking. God communicates with man through his servants, the angels. He sent Ezekiel (son of man) to deliver a message to a nation of rebels, to an impudent and stubborn people. The prophet is told not to be afraid of those people, nor to be concerned with the outcome. He should speak to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear. The prophet's mission is not to speculate about the results, but to deliver God's word to the transgressors accurately and fearlessly. God promises protection to his servants, the prophets, for he knows that his word always provokes the rebellious to anger.

"Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel. So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, 'Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan. Then report back to me so that I may know how many there are.' (...) And Joab reported the number of the fighting men to David. (...)

But God was displeased with this thing and he smote Israel. Then David said to God, 'I have sinned greatly by doing this. Now, I beg you, take away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done a very foolish thing'.

And the Lord spoke to Gad, David's seer, saying, 'Go and say to David, "Thus says the Lord: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you".'

So Gad went to David and said to him, 'This is what the Lord says, "Take your choice: either three years of famine; or three months of devastation by your foes, while the sword of your enemies overtakes you; or else three days of the sword of the Lord- days of pestilence upon the land with the angel of the Lord destroying throughout all the territory of Israel". Now then, decide how I should answer the one who sent me'.

Then David said to Gad, 'I am in great distress; let me fall into the hand of the Lord, for His mercy is very great; but let me not fall into the hand of man'.

So the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel; and there fell seventy thousand men of Israel. And God sent the angel to Jerusalem to destroy it; but when he was about to destroy it, the Lord saw, and he repented of the evil; and he said to the destroying angel, 'It is enough; now stay your hand'. And the angel of the Lord was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. And David lifted his eyes and saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven, and in his hand a drawn sword stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces. And David said to God, 'Was it not I who gave command to number the people? It is I who have sinned and done very wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Let thy hand, I pray thee, O Lord my God, be against me and against my father's house; but let not the plague be upon thy people'.

Then the angel of the Lord commanded Gad to tell David to go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. So David went up at Gad's word, which he had spoken in the name of the Lord. (...) And David built there an altar to the Lord and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called upon the Lord, and he answered him with fire from heaven upon the altar of burnt offering. Then the Lord commanded the angel and he put his sword back into its sheath." (1 Chr. 21: 1-2, 5a, 7-19, 26-27)

This is a peculiar story from which we learn a great deal about the role of prophets in the Old Testament. First of all in the above narrative we have to do with a superstition according to which the king of Israel should never count his troops before a battle. This was supposedly Jehovah's ordinance! Consequently, when David decided to count the fighting Israelites, it was Satan who had incited him to sin before the Lord. The scripture says that God was displeased with this thing and he smote Israel. Soon David realized his foolishness and begged God to take away his iniquity.

Then comes Gad, a prophet, into the scene, and a ridiculous bargaining starts between David and him. Gad, speaking, as he claimed, on behalf of God, asks David to choose between three different options of punishment, in order to atone for his sin. The bargaining is so foolish that is not worth any analysis. It just shows the irrational submission of anointed kings like David to prophets, as well as their ignorance of divine principles.

So, by David's choice, the 'Lord', i.e. the curse of the prophet Gad, brought a pestilence over Israel, and there fell seventy thousand men! But when the "destroying angel" was about to attack Jerusalem, the 'Lord' (i.e. the prophet Gad) repented of the evil! Indeed this story is not to be taken seriously for it will lead one to wrong conclusions. Towards the end of this self-imposed punishment, David saw a vision of the angel of the Lord, and in his hand a drawn sword stretched out over Jerusalem! He probably projected what he had in his mind onto a vision.

Now David begged the Lord to stop the punishment of the people for they were innocent! It was he who should be punished, for it was he who had sinned. Obviously David realized the injustice in this pestilence rather late, while neither "god" nor his "prophet" had made the right judgment about who was the guilty one to be punished! And just to soothe their consciences for their cruelty against innocent people, David, at the prophet's word, built there an altar to the Lord and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings, something which God never required nor did He need!

In my opinion, the whole story is a monument of absurdity and an insult to God Almighty whose name was so cruelly abused by ignorant people. Obviously God had nothing to do with the above pestilence. It is frightening to think of how many calamities the Jews had brought upon themselves through their blind submission to the curses of self-appointed prophets.

"By the word of the Lord, a man of God came from Judah to Bethel, as Jeroboam was standing by the altar to make an offering. He cried out against the altar by the word of the Lord: 'O altar, altar! This is what the Lord says: "A son named Josiah will be born to the house of David. On you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who now make offerings here, and human bones will be burned on you".'

That same day the man of God gave a sign: 'This is the sign the Lord has declared: The altar will be split apart and the ashes on it will be poured out'.

When king Jeroboam heard what the man of God cried out against the altar at Bethel, he stretched out his hand from the altar and said, 'Seize him!' But the hand he stretched out towards the man shriveled up, so that he could not pull it back. Also, the altar was split apart and its ashes poured out according to the sign given by the man of God by the word of the Lord.

Then the king said to the man of God, 'Intercede with the Lord your God and pray for me so that my hand may be restored'. So the man of God interceded with the Lord, and the king's hand was restored and became as it was before.

The king said to the man of God, 'Come home with me and have something to eat, and I will give you a gift'. But the man of God answered the king, 'Even if you were to give me half your possessions, I would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water here. For I was commanded by the word of the Lord: "You must not eat bread or drink water or return by the way you came".' So he took another road and did not return by the way he had come to Bethel.

Now there was a certain old prophet living in Bethel, whose sons came and told him all that the man of God had done there that day. They also told their father what he had said to the king. Their father asked them, 'Which way did he go?' And his sons showed him which road the man of God from Judah had taken. So he said to his sons, 'Saddle the donkey for me'. And when they had saddled the donkey for him, he mounted it and rode after the man of God. He found him sitting under an oak tree and asked, 'Are you the man of God who came from Judah?'

'I am', he replied.

So the prophet said to him, 'Come home with me and eat'. The man of God said, 'I cannot turn back and go with you, nor can I eat bread or drink water with you in this place. I have been told by the word of the Lord: "You must not eat bread or drink water there or return by the way you came".'

The old prophet answered, 'I too am a prophet, as you are. And an angel said to me by the word of the Lord: "Bring him back with you to your house so that he may eat bread and drink water".' But he lied to him. So the man of God returned with him, and ate bread in his house, and drank water.

While they were sitting at the table, the word of the Lord came to the old prophet who had brought him back. He cried out to the man of God who had come from Judah, 'This is what the Lord says, "You have defied the word of the Lord and have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. You came back and ate bread and drank water in the place where he told you not to eat or drink. Therefore your body will not be buried in the tomb of your fathers".'

When the man of God had finished eating and drinking, the prophet who had brought him back saddled his donkey for him. And as he went on his way, a lion met him on the road and killed him, and his body was thrown down on the road, with both the donkey and the lion standing beside it. Some people who passed by saw the body thrown down there, with the lion standing beside the body, and they went and reported it in the city where the old prophet lived.

When the old prophet who had brought him back from his journey heard of it, he said, 'It is the man of God who defied the word of the Lord. The Lord has given him over to a lion, which has mauled him and killed him, as the word of the Lord had warned him'.

The prophet said to his sons, 'saddle the donkey for me', and they did so.

Then he went out and found the body thrown down on the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it. The Lion had neither eaten the body nor mauled the donkey. So the prophet picked up the body of the man of God, laid it on the donkey, and brought it back to his own city to mourn for him. Then he laid the body in his own tomb, and they mourned over him and said, 'Oh, my brother'.

After burying him, he said to his sons, 'When I die, bury me in the grave where the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones. For the message he declared by the word of the Lord against the altar in Bethel and against all the shrines on the high places in the towns of Samaria will certainly come true'." (1 Kings 13: 1-32)

I felt it was necessary to quote the above story in its entirety, for we may derive very useful conclusions from it. Here we have a sort of contest between two prophets. Their names are not given, but the first one is introduced as the "man of God" and the second as the "old prophet". The man of God prophesied the slaughter of the idolatrous priests upon the altar of Bethel, which Jeroboam, king of Israel, had built. There he had put up a golden calf to be worshipped by the Israelites as god. The man of God, in order to verify that his word was of God, gave an awesome sign, which was fully described in the verses quoted above. However, after he restored the king's hand, he refused to take any gifts and drink water or eat food in the king's house.

It is a widely established principle that the man or woman of God who performs miracles under his grace and anointing should not accept any gifts for those. Fasting from food and water after a miracle helps one to overcome the temptation to boast about it and the trials that invariably follow. In this case it would also strengthen the faith of the man of God so that he should not doubt about the fulfillment of his prophecy. That's why he confessed that the Lord had ordered him not to drink or eat anything, thus binding himself by his own word. It was also necessary to return from a different path, so that he might not be met and disturbed by people who had heard of his miracles. Solitude is very important in such cases in order for the man of God to continue in prayer and spiritual warfare and so prevail against forces – human and/or spiritual – lying in wait for attacking him.

However, it appears that our man was not adequately prepared for what was about to happen. As it is usually the case for a man of God, the testing did not come from the unbelievers but from his own spiritual family. It came from an old prophet in Bethel, who probably envied his success and trapped him by a lie. Now if the old prophet was himself deceived, or if he lied deliberately, having set up an evil plan to eliminate the man of God with the tremendous spiritual powers, we cannot be sure. He might have wanted even to test the man of God and try the power of his own prophetic word in an easy case. The point is that the man of God should not waver from his own prophetic word by which he had bound himself. Having accepted the lie of the old prophet as God's word, he had submitted to his authority and opened the way for his own destruction.

There are still many questions to be answered in the above story which all have to do with the origin of prophecy. Was there some spiritual entity (spirit of prophecy) that prompted the old prophet to utter the lies and then to pronounce judgment upon the deceived man of God or did it all originate in his own heart and mind? Whatever the case might have been, Paul says that the spirits of prophets should be subject to the control of prophets (1 Cor. 14: 32). One should not allow his tongue to succumb to any impulse, whether it be in the name of God or not, especially if he is aware that he has prophetic powers. After the damage by one's uncircumcised lips is done, mourning is of no use.

In any case, it seems to me that those prophets of old were a kind of apprenticing magicians and thus very dangerous for anyone to be near them. I am afraid there are many like them around us even today, especially in religious circles, and one must be spiritually fortified in order to be unaffected by them.

The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah a second time, while he was still shut up in the court of the guard: 'Thus says the Lord, who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it- the Lord is his name: (...) I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, and rebuild them as they were at first. (...)

For thus says the Lord: David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel, and the Levitical priests shall never lack a man in my presence to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings, and to make sacrifices forever.'

The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 'Thus says the Lord: if you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night will not come at the appointed time, then also my covenant with David my servant may be broken, so that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne, and my covenant with the Levitical priests my ministers. (...)'." (Jer.33: 1-2, 7, 17-21)

This prophecy is an answer to those who claim that the entire Bible is God's Word and that all Biblical prophecies have or will be fulfilled. In the above instance we have a prophecy that has not been fulfilled and it cannot be fulfilled now. Israel did lack a man to sit on the throne of David for more than two thousand years and now, as the Israelites have established a democratic state, it is too late for them to have a king!

Let us now have a look at the New Testament and see what Jesus said about the power of man's words.

"I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." (Matt. 18: 18)

These words of Jesus provide a clue to how prophecy works and where it originates. Whatever man binds on earth, i.e. compels to happen in the name of God, using a word of prophecy, a vision or even a precisely formulated thought, it will inevitably be bound in heaven, which means it will be approved by the heavenly hosts! Heaven, i.e. the spiritual realm, will be mobilized to bring to pass that which man has secured by a word of faith here on earth. So the keys to establishing the kingdom of God or the kingdom of evil on this planet are in the hands of man, namely in his desires, faith, thoughts, visions, actions and primarily in his words. When we fully comprehend this awe-inspiring truth, we will be very cautious how to use our creative faculties during our lives.

Unfortunately, so far, man is given to binding evil and destruction on this planet through his uncircumcised lips, negative thoughts, destructive visions and fears. Christians, e.g., have bound on earth the belief that mankind is accursed by God, due to the so-called original sin. By looking at the state of the world today and throughout history, we are inclined to admit that the majority of people spend their lives more like accursed creatures than blessed ones. Someone had a vision of Armageddon about nineteen centuries ago. Christians believed that it was of God and it would definitely materialize. So they write books about it, make relevant movies about it and thus bind war and destruction around humanity's neck. Scientists estimate how many will die from cancer in twenty years from now, or from AIDS and other diseases, the Media advertise their predictions, people believe that this will surely happen and so all together bind on earth the fulfillment of such pernicious prognostications.

But there is hope! The scripture also says that whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. We can all start setting ourselves free from the curses others have bound on us through ignorance and then heaven will comply with this. We should loose ourselves from the curse of Adam and from the catastrophic vision of Armageddon. We should loose Israel from the curses Moses included in the Law and the curses of her other prophets. We must loose ourselves from the destructive predictions of scientists and work towards a healthier planet. We have the authority, the power, and the responsibility to loose humanity from evil and bind blessings upon all mankind. Heaven will inevitably endorse our pledges. In fact, the heavenly forces of good are eagerly waiting for mankind's spiritual healing and revival. It is still not too late for this.

Chapter 12: Prayer

In the Bible we identify four different kinds of prayer, depending on the circumstances, the disposition of the person who prays and the aim of one's prayer. This does not mean that a particular prayer cannot contain elements that fall into more than one category, or to all four of them. With the Bible's help, in this chapter I will try to unfold the secrets of prayer, analyze the philosophy of it and explain how it works.

12a: Thanksgiving

"Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (1 Thes.5: 16-18)

The highest form of prayer and the most uplifting one is thanksgiving. Paul instructs Thessalonians to pray constantly, rejoicing and giving thanks to the Lord under all circumstances. This is the will of God, as He knows that such prayer serves our highest good. It is for our own benefit in the here and now. So we should endeavor to thank God, regardless of our circumstances!

It is easy to thank the Almighty when things go well with us. But who can rejoice and be thankful amidst calamities? How easy is it to thank God when, e.g., one has suddenly lost a beloved person? Yet, this is exactly what we must do: be thankful even when we suffer bereavement. Otherwise, i.e. if we nurture bitterness in our heart, our pain will become worse as we would have closed the door to the great Comforter, even the Spirit of God.

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him, and bless his name! For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endures to all generations." (Psa. 100: 4-5)

When we enter the "gates" of God, either alone, reaching into the holy of holies inside our heart, or with fellow believers in the church, we must be full of praise and thanksgiving. Surely the Lord is good, his mercy is everlasting and his truth endures forever. That's why we should always bless his holy name and give thanks to him. Being pleasant and cheerful under all circumstances glorifies God. Being thankful to God at all times is sanctifying us and renews our strength. It is also a light shining in the spiritual darkness, pointing the way to God.

"Do not be anxious about anything; but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." (Phil. 4: 6)

Worrying oneself about how to meet one's needs doesn't help. It eats up one's energy and undermines his/her health. It is also unpleasant to those around us and makes one unpopular. We should not be anxious about anything. On the contrary, we should trust God and present our requests to him with thanksgiving in our heart. Then we will have inner peace and the answers to our prayers will be on the way.

"Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving." (Col. 4: 2)

There are times when the answers to our prayers seem to tarry. Then we should not be disheartened; but we should continue steadfastly in prayer, even remaining awake during the night, with thanksgiving in our heart.

"For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it is received with thanksgiving; for then it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer." (1 Tim.4: 4-5)

Here Paul refers to the believers who still adhered to ceremonial laws and taught people to abstain from certain meats. If we receive our food with thanksgiving in our heart, nothing is to be rejected as unclean. When we consciously apply the word of God and prayer over our food, then all food is blessed and sanctified.

Especially in our days, when most foods are contaminated with chemicals and hormones, one way or another, we need to purify them through prayer and the word of faith so that our health shouldn't be harmed.

"Giving thanks always for all things unto God the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Eph.5: 20)

We are to give thanks to God, our Heavenly Father, always and for all things. We should thank him under all circumstances: when things turn up the way we want and when they don't; when we are happy and when we are sorrowful.

"And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom; and sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." (Col. 3: 15b-17)

Paul admonishes Colossians to be thankful towards God the Father. He exhorts them to sing hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in their heart. They should also be thankful in every word they said and every deed they accomplished.

How beautiful our world would be if we were doing our daily duties, even the most humble works, with thanksgiving in our heart! Of course I am not talking about such "duties" as harming or killing one's fellow human beings in the name of God and for the sake of any profit... I am not talking about terrorists' acts, "holy" wars and the like...

12b: Supplication

Supplication is the kind of prayer all humans, even the atheists, have used at some time of their life. It is only natural, in times of danger or distress, that man seeks the help of a superior being. We are all doing it instinctively, even if it is not expressed by words but it is simply the desire of our heart.

Let us see what the Bible has to say on this kind of prayer.

"I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears." (Psa. 34: 4)

David, although an anointed king, had all the characteristics and the weaknesses of an ordinary man. When he sinned before the Lord, he was seized by fear. Fear is a crippling and torturing feeling and David would not sit idle resigning himself to its torment. He was a man of faith and prayer, and he earnestly sought the Lord to deliver him from all his fears. And sure enough, God answered his prayers and set him free from the devastating spirit of fear.

"Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek and you shall find; knock and the door shall be opened unto you. For every one who asks receives; he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. (...)

If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him?" (Matt. 7: 7-8, 11)

These are some of the instructions on prayer that Jesus gave to the multitudes during his famous Sermon on the Mount: 'Ask' and 'seek' and 'knock'... What is the reason behind this? Is God deaf or blind and we have to be loud and persistent in our requests so that He could eventually take notice of us and answer our prayers? Of course not! Is he unwilling to give us good gifts and so we need to be persevering in our prayers in order to convince him to change his mind and eventually grant us what we have asked for? Not–at-all! If a good human father knows in advance what his children need and does not expect them to beg him on their knees but gives them freely what they want, before they even ask for it, how much more will our heavenly Father give us what we need without asking!

Why then Jesus gave such instructions? In order to answer this question we must understand how prayer works. Furthermore, we must clarify in our minds whether we deal with a personal God or just with his sovereign impersonal laws that govern our nature and our relationship with others and the Deity. In my search for the truth on this matter, I have reached the conclusion that we rather deal with the Deity's sovereign laws.

The answers to our prayers do not fall down from heaven, but we draw them to ourselves in proportion to our faith and persistency. The power to get those answers is released by our own spirit, which is God's presence within us, i.e. the inherent divine element where God does become personal. The closest definition I could give to prayer is this: prayer is the means of generating and releasing spiritual energy from within in order to effect the fulfillment of one's wants. The invocation of the name of God in our prayers quickens our spirit, while faith increases the quantity and quality of the energy produced therein. The more we ask and seek and knock, the more will be given to us, the more we shall find and the more doors will be opened! That's why we should be very cautious what to ask for in prayer lest we violate God's divine principles and bring judgment on ourselves.

Through the following verses, the above definition of prayer will be further verified.

"Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that is working in us, unto Him be the glory (...)." (Eph. 3: 20-21a)

Surely God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we ask in our prayers or even think of. But He is limited in what he does by the power that is working in us, i.e. by our faith and the energy it produces in our spirit. In other words, it is our inner man, even our spirit that answers our prayers. If we believed this, we would never complain to God when our prayers are not answered. Nor would we ever hold bitterness in our heart against the Almighty, when things don't turn up as we anticipated.

"If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination." (Prov. 28: 9)

If we do not adhere to the law of God, even our prayer is a repulsive act. When we disregard God's precepts and violate his sovereign laws, then whatever we ask for in prayer will be detestable. The things we may receive as answers to such prayers could be detrimental to us. Only if our heart and mind are fixed in God can we have the wisdom and the discernment to ask for wholesome things in our prayer.

"And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith." (Matt. 21: 22)

Faith is the substance of things hoped for. (Heb. 11: 1) This substance is absolutely essential in order to have our prayers answered; it is the seed we sow in our spirit to create the necessary energy for the materialization of our requests.

"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it shall be yours. And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you hold anything against anyone; so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses." (Mark 11: 24-25)

So strong must be the faith vested in prayer that we should believe that we have already received what we ask for! Note the present perfect tense of the verb: believe that you have received. So firm one's faith must be, in order for his/her prayer to be effective!

And when we stand in prayer, we must have forgiven all those who have wronged us. Unforgiveness undermines one's faith and weakens one's spiritual energy. When we hold in our heart anything against others we don't have boldness before God. Besides, forgiving others is the prerequisite for our own trespasses to be forgiven by God.

"The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." (Jam. 5: 16b)

The prayer of the righteous man, when it is fervent, has great value. Why should one's prayer be fervent? For this way, it produces more spiritual energy. It appears that faith should be vested with enthusiasm, intensity and emotion in order to be more effective. Prayers that are read from books, as one reads a poem, are not effective.

"The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and his ears toward their cry. (...) When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles." (Psa. 34:15, 17)

Is there any divine intervention, beside the person's own spiritual energy, in answering one's prayers? Most probably there is. We are not alone in the Universe. There are the angels, God's ministering spirits – the eyes and the ears of the Lord – and probably the spirits of the deceased saints, which are drawn to the help of the righteous when they cry out to God for deliverance from a difficult situation. However, as the Bible advises us, we should not deliberately enter into communication with such agents lest evil spirits deceive us. We should only pray to God. This is what Jesus said.

"The Lord redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned." (Psa. 34: 22)

The servants of God, i.e. the servants of righteousness, who take refuge in him through prayer, will be delivered and none of them will be condemned.

"If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me." (Psa. 66: 18)

David knows from experience that when he was guilty of sin he didn't have boldness in his prayers. His faith in God was weak and he didn't expect his supplications to be answered.

"Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him." (1 John 3: 21-22)

John also verifies that in order to have confidence before God our hearts should not condemn us of sin. When we keep God's commandments and do what is pleasing to him, we receive whatever we ask for in prayer, John said.

Does this mean that a righteous person will never have a prayer unanswered? This is a difficult question! Quite often life proves the opposite...

"If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you." (John 15: 7)

These are the words of Jesus: if we abide in his teaching, i.e. if we live a godly life, then we will have our prayers "answered".

I would very much like to believe this...

"You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, that you may consume it upon your lusts." (James 4: 3)

If we pray for things to indulge upon, we will not receive. This is a wrong prayer. People who pray for superfluous things, in order to gratify their lusts, will not have enough faith and boldness to support their prayer. Their spirit will not cooperate to produce the necessary energy for it. Consequently their prayers won't be "answered", says James.

In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with strong cries and tears, unto Him who was able to save him from death, (...)." (Heb. 5: 7)

Jesus himself, during his life and ministry on earth, offered up to God prayers and supplications with strong cries and tears. Jesus knew the power of fervent prayer and he prayed earnestly to God, who was able to save him from death.

"And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, 'Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless not my will, but yours be done'." (Luke 22: 41-42)

In his prayers, Jesus submitted his will to the will of God, setting up an example of how we should pray.

"Likewise, the Spirit also helps us in our infirmities; because we know not what we should pray for as we ought; but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that cannot be uttered. And He who searches the hearts of men knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to God's will." (Rom. 8: 26-27)

Here we have arrived into deeper spiritual waters. One cannot be taught this kind of prayer nor can one cause it to happen by an act of will. Moreover, one cannot easily explain the origin of the groans that cannot be uttered. Is it born in the Spirit of God, as the Apostle Paul affirms, or is it unction caused by deep emotion? In any case, it manifests in those who pray fervently, while in great need, or intercede earnestly for others in distress, and it has powerful effects.

"When Jesus saw her (Mary) weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he groaned in the spirit and was troubled; and he said, 'Where have you laid him?' They said to him, 'Lord, come and see.'

Jesus wept. (...) Then Jesus, again groaning in himself, came to the grave; it was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. (...) So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, 'Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me'.

When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come out!' The dead man came out, (...)." (John 11: 33-35, 38, 41-44a)

In this story we see Jesus being troubled and groaning in his spirit when he saw Mary crying for Lazarus, her dead brother. Jesus was greatly moved, for he loved Lazarus and his sister dearly. The miraculous result of his intercession with groaning was the resurrection of Lazarus!

"Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or about your body, what you will wear. (...) Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! (...)

Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! (...) Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things shall be given to you as well'." (Luke 12: 22, 24, 27-28, 31)

In the above verses Jesus suggests that we shouldn't worry about our physical needs! Instead, we should pray for the kingdom of God, i.e. for our spiritual enlightenment and that of our fellow human beings. Then all the necessary things shall be added to us! Indeed, if we take a look in nature around us we will marvel at how God takes care of all living creatures. How much more, then, will he take care of human beings created in his own image and likeness! Therefore we should have faith in our Maker and not worry too much about our body's needs.

"And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room, shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

But when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. (...)

This is how you should pray: 'Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen'." (Matt. 6: 6-7, 9-13)

In the above verses, Jesus gives us some golden rules for effective prayer. First of all, one should pray alone in some place of privacy. Thus one will be able to concentrate on God and pour out his/her heart before him without being distracted. This way one's prayer will be genuine, fervent and effective. On the contrary, if we pray loudly in the midst of a congregation, we may experience either timidity or hesitation to freely express our thoughts. On the other hand, if we are aware that we pray piously and eloquently, we might be puffed up. Both of these attitudes undermine the effectiveness of prayer. So, then, it is preferable for one to pray in secret.

Secondly, one should not use many words and vain repetitions. Idle babbling in prayer is useless and is characteristic of pagans. Unfortunately, it is also characteristic of Christians who rehearse the same words again and again in the Sunday Services of main line Denominations. Intelligent believers should not endorse this kind of prayer. The effectiveness of prayer does not depend on the multitude of words but on the clarity of expression, the purity of heart, the intensity of emotions, and the faith of the person who prays.

How should one pray? Jesus gave us a model for this: "The Lord's Prayer". This is the first thing Christians of every denomination learn and recite in their prayers. It is an address to our Father who is in heaven, i.e. in the spiritual realm. God, who is Spirit, is the Father of all men and so we can be sure that he loves us. Consequently we can approach him both with reverence and boldness, as a child approaches his/her father, knowing that he cares for us. Apparently, there is no need for mediators – angels, saints, or even Christ – in order to speak to our heavenly Father. Otherwise Jesus would have said so.

Before we submit our petitions to God, we must give him glory, offering our adoration to him: "Hallowed be thy name"! If we expect to receive mercy and grace from him, we must first praise and honor him for his greatness. Is this a request from our heavenly Father? I don't believe so. This instruction of Jesus is for our own good, for the preparation of our own heart. To approach God with an attitude of worship is beneficial to us. Besides, if we have the right relationship with God, we have the natural tendency to express our feelings of praise and adoration to him before we submit our petitions.

"Thy kingdom come" – This is the first and noblest petition that Jesus suggested to submit to God when we pray. It is not a request for limited personal benefit but it concerns all mankind. We ask for the kingdom of God, which is spiritual, to come in the hearts of all people. God's first concern is the spiritual well being of human beings.

"Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven" – What is the will of God for the earth? It is not difficult to guess: Peace and love among people, righteousness and justice, health, joy and prosperity. Thus the earth will be more like heaven.

"Give us this day our daily bread" – Man has a physical body that has material needs in order to function properly. However, we must only pray for our daily bread, not for tomorrow's needs. We must ask God for today's bare necessities and shouldn't worry about the future. Jesus leaves no room for greed here. If we have what our body needs today, we should be satisfied and trust God for tomorrow.

"And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors" – What kind of debts should we ask God to forgive us? Surely Jesus is talking about our sins, i.e. the violations of divine principles that might have hurt others and have negative effects on our well-being. We need to acknowledge these debts and, where possible, to make amends to those we have harmed. However, if we expect our sins to be forgiven by God, we must also forgive our debtors. Of course God wants to forgive us, but if we nurture unforgiveness and bitterness in our heart against others, we obstruct God's mercy and grace on us. Forgiving one's debtors includes our own selves. God won't forgive us if we cannot forgive ourselves.

"Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" – Does God lead us into temptation? The answer to this is not easy, moreover since in another verse of the N.T. James tells us: "Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am tempted by God'; for God cannot be tempted with evil and he himself tempts no one." (Jam. 1:13) However, the Bible (Matt. 4) also tells us that the Spirit of God led Jesus himself into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil! If, then, testing is a necessary process in one's spiritual growth, can we convince God through our prayers to absolve us from this? To this question every one of us has to seek the answer for each particular instance he/she faces "trial". In any case, we should ask God to give us wisdom and discernment to recognize the origin of our "temptation". We should also be careful to avoid the snares that cause "temptation" to us, i.e. evil people, elusory things, foolish actions, etc. If however we are caught up into temptation, we must surely ask God to deliver us from every evil, while showing us the spiritual lessons we are to be taught from it. We shouldn't have the slightest doubt that it is His will to deliver us from evil!

"For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever." – The Lord's Prayer closes with an acknowledgment on our behalf that everything belongs to God. It is a form of praise to the greatness and faithfulness of the Almighty. It is the overflow of a heart full of awe and gratitude towards God.

"Amen"! – This is the summary of our prayer. Let it be so.

12c: Intercession

"Thus says the Lord God: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! Your prophets have been like foxes in the deserts, O Israel. You have not gone up into the gaps, neither built up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the Lord." (Ez. 13: 3-5)

The prophets and all God's representatives on earth, i.e. all devout believers of every faith, have the responsibility to intercede for individuals and nations. Unfortunately, the prophets of Israel used to deliver curses against the "stiff-necked" Jews, instead of building a hedge around them by their intercessions, so that the house of Israel might have stood in the day of the Lord, i.e. the Day of Judgment.

God does not want anyone to perish. However, in spite of his love for mankind, his sovereign laws work out the destruction of the disobedient. Judgment comes as a consequence of one's transgressions and not as a direct punishment from God. Otherwise God would not need the prayers of the prophets to stop himself (i.e. the Law) from punishing the transgressors. It is only by the fervent intercessory prayers of the holy prophets of God that the results of such judgments may not be devastating.

"And I sought for a man among them, who would build up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found none." (Ezek. 22: 30)

Once again, the Spirit of Jehovah, speaking through the prophet Ezekiel, complains that there were no intercessors in Israel who would stand in the gap. God had sought for a man to build up the hedge and stand in the gap between him and the land so that he wouldn't destroy it in the Day of Judgment. But he had found none! Not even Ezekiel! It is surprising that Ezekiel, who spoke this on behalf of Jehovah, did not offer up himself to be the intercessor God was looking for! Presumably his love for the people and his understanding of God's heart versus his sovereign laws had not been perfected.

"First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be made for all men, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly and respectful in every way. (...)

I desire therefore that men should pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without anger or doubting." (1 Tim. 2: 1-2, 8)

The believers should not pray only for themselves and their own families. It is their duty to intercede for the whole society, lifting up holy hands with faith and love for all people. Especially the intercessors should pray for those in authority that they might receive wisdom and govern soberly, creating the right conditions for a peaceful and decent life for every citizen.

"You also, like living stones, be built into a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 2: 5)

Peter exhorts Christians to be built into a spiritual house, like living stones, so that they may become a united holy priesthood. As the priests in the Old Testament offered animal sacrifices on behalf of all people, so should Christians offer their intercessions for the world as spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God. The same rule applies to the devotees of every other faith. If they are holy and united, their prayers are acceptable to God, i.e. effective.

12d: Spiritual Warfare

"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not wage a carnal war; for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. We cast down arguments and every pretension that exalts itself against the knowledge of God and bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." (2 Cor. 10: 3-5)

The true believer or the servant of righteousness is someone whose main purpose in life is to advance the spiritual kingdom of God on earth. Such a person is a divine "soldier", as he/she continuously wages war against the spiritual strongholds that oppose divine principles from being established in society. The righteous man fights against the interests of evil spiritual agents that promote destruction, corruption and the gratification of man's passions in this world.

In this non-carnal war, man is not left without proper weapons. Through the word of God, the soldier of righteousness can cast down every argument that opposes the knowledge of the Truth, and can bring into captivity every evil thought, so that it may not come to fruition.

"Finally my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Therefore, put on the full armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand firm then, having girded your loins with truth; and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayer and supplication. To this end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all saints." (Eph. 6: 10-18)

There is a vicious war going on in the spiritual realm that affects primarily the children of light, i.e. God's representatives on earth.

In the above verses Paul affirms that the believers wrestle not against carnal forces but against spiritual powers of wickedness in high places. These are the instigators and rulers of the moral darkness in the world. Paul exhorts the believers to make use of all the weapons that are available. He describes in detail the spiritual armor that each believer should always "wear", in order to stand against the wiles of the devil.

The first and more important piece of our spiritual armor must be the girdle of Truth. Truth is like a girdle that one must fasten around his loins, as the soldier is girded around with his belt. To gird up one's loins is to prepare for action, in this case for spiritual warfare. Truth then is our girdle. We must be sincere in our relationship with God, truthful towards our inner man, i.e. our conscience, and towards our fellow human beings. Lies form holes in our girdle and make us vulnerable to the attacks of the wicked powers.

Second in importance piece of one's spiritual armor is the breastplate of righteousness. Righteousness includes all virtues, but primarily justice and love, and is likened to the breastplate of a soldier. The breastplate protects one's heart from the attacks of his/her enemies. So does righteousness. It fortifies one's heart so that it shouldn't fall into the temptations of evil.

Third piece of one's military armor is proper shoes. A soldier's shoes of brass defend his feet against the gall-traps and all kinds of sharp objects so that he can march unobstructed against the enemy. Likewise, the believer must be well prepared to take the message of peace and love to all men, marching ahead without being endangered. Readiness to move for such a high mission means wearing the right spiritual shoes. Thus the believer will protect his/her feet from being hurt by poisonous thorns such as persecutions, provocations and temptations. Enthusiasm, love, wisdom and patience are the best material for such shoes.

Fourth and very important piece of armor for a soldier is the shield. Likewise, the soldier of righteousness needs to hold firmly his spiritual shield, which is faith. By turning the shield of faith in every possible direction, the believer is able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked, and render them ineffective. In the hour of temptation, faith in God and his love for us, like a mighty shield, will protect us from being hurt and enable us to stand firm and triumph over evil.

Fifth is the helmet, another crucial piece of armor for the warrior. It protects his head. So the helmet of the spiritual warrior will protect his mind from deception, confusion and despair. With the helmet of salvation, i.e. confidence of one's standing with God, in place, one gains confidence and boldness in his/her conflicts with negative spiritual agents.

Last but not least among the warrior's equipment is the sword. It is the only offensive piece of armor. All the previous ones are defensive. With his/her sword the warrior attacks the enemy in a body-to-body battle. For the spiritual warrior his/her sword is the word of God, i.e. the sacred scriptures. Even Jesus repelled Satan's temptations in the wilderness with the word of God. The scriptures tell us that the word of God is sharper than a two-edged sword. The use of the word of God presupposes that one knows the inspired scriptures well so that in each occasion one can answer with the appropriate: "it is written..."

Having all the spiritual armor in place, the believer must constantly pray. One should be in an attitude of prayer always, attaching it to all other parts of his/her spiritual weapons. Thus one is imploring the assistance of God in every instance of his/her spiritual battle. The spiritual warrior must use all kinds of prayer: praise, thanksgiving, supplication, groaning (if it comes naturally), and other tongues (1 Cor. 14: 15). Confession of one's sins (to God) should also be an integral part of prayer, as we saw in the example Jesus gave to us. All prayers, however, must be offered to God in the Spirit. Unless we approach God with the inner man, i.e. our spirit, connection with him cannot be established. Words and emotions are not sufficient to connect us to God unless our spirit is involved. The scriptures give us no specific technique of how one could pray in the Spirit. However, with practice, one would know in his heart whether his prayer is in the Spirit or just a hypocritical lip service.

On the top of all this, one should pray for the needs of all other spiritual warriors (saints) with perseverance.

Next I shall quote some scriptures that one could memorize in order to use them, as a spiritual sword, when one feels attacked by evil. Personally I have often consciously recited them, believing that these are God's words addressed to me, and have experienced great relief and uplifting of my spirit. Reciting them, mentally or verbally, generates strength and peace in my soul helping me to overcome evil in the hour of temptation.

"For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is blameless toward Him." (2 Chr. 16: 9a)

"No weapon formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment you shall render ineffective. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, says the Lord." (Isa. 54: 17)

"When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him." (Isa. 59: 19b)

"Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the Lord delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked; and those who hate the righteous will be condemned." (Psa. 34: 19-21)

"You shall be protected from the lash of the tongue; and you shall not fear the coming destruction." (Job 5: 21)

"And even if I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, these comfort me." (Psa. 23: 4)

"Do not be afraid of sudden panic, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it comes; for the Lord shall be your confidence and shall keep your foot from being caught." (Prov. 3: 25-26)

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, 'You are my refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust'. For he will deliver you from the fowlers' snare and from the deadly pestilence. He shall cover you with his feathers and under his wings you shall be safe; his truth shall be your armor and shield.

You shall not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day; nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness; nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall on your left side, ten thousand on your right, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.

Because you have made the Lord your refuge, the Most High your habitation, no evil shall befall you, and no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the young lion and the serpent.

'Because he loves me', says the Lord, 'I will rescue him; I will set him on high, because he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and I will honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation'." (Psa. 91)

"But those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." (Isa. 40: 31)

"Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest." (Prov. 26: 2)

The essence of all the above scriptures is that patience, unwavering faith, righteousness and love of God and men form a protective shield around us that enables us to live a more safe, peaceful and happy life.

Chapter 13: Salvation

What is salvation? What does it mean for a human being to be saved? In the Bible the word salvation is used first in reference to this life, meaning forgiveness and deliverance from guilt, sickness, pain, grief, loss, calamity, etc. It is also used in reference to the life of the soul hereafter, meaning its acquittal from damnation and the acquisition of a state of eternal bliss.

"With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God?

Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

He has showed you, O man, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you: To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." (Mic. 6: 6-8)

There were times in Israel's life when the people felt convicted of their transgressions and wanted to make peace with God. At such times they wondered how they should approach the Almighty in order to be accepted by Him and pardoned. Should they go before Him with burnt offerings, as the Mosaic Law had established? Would the Lord be pleased with the sacrifice of baby-calves, or with thousands of rams, or with ten thousand rivers of oil? In cases their soul had sinned gravely, should they rather offer God the fruit of their body, even their first-born children, as the heathen did? Not-at-all!

The prophet Micah was convinced that God did not need such abominations in order to be appeased. This was an erroneous perception of the past, which Israel ought to abandon. In fact, the Lord had already shown Israel what was good for their soul and what they should do in order to make peace with him. The same requirements apply to us today: Man's actions should be just and full of love for all God's creatures. At the same time, man should walk with God in humility, seeking wisdom and strength in order to comply with his sovereign laws and grow spiritually, which is the very purpose of human life and the essence of salvation.

If, then, God did not require the blood of sacrifices, human or animal, in the O.T., ("I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and he-goats." Isa. 1: 11b), why should He require the blood of his Son in the N.T., in order to save sinners? Even Paul based his doctrine of atonement through the blood of Jesus in the validity of the O.T. sacrifices (Heb. 9: 13-14).

He who has ears let him hear...

"He that would love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking guile; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it." (1 Peter 3: 10-11)

Here Peter gives some golden rules for man to enjoy good days, i.e. to have salvation. First he must guard his tongue and lips, avoiding speaking evil or deceitful words. Next he must turn away from iniquity and do good works. It is not enough for someone to avoid doing evil in order to be saved. He should also devote his life to doing good. Many people consider themselves righteous on the basis of not hurting anyone. But passive goodness is not sufficient to secure one's salvation. One should be engaged in works of love and in seeking and promoting peace and justice among people.

"Therefore, my beloved, (...) work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." (Phil. 2: 12)

Paul makes it clear that salvation is something that man has to work out for himself. Nobody else can do it for him. Although elsewhere in his epistles Paul claims that salvation is a free gift and promotes the doctrine of justification by faith in Jesus Christ, here he urges the Philippian Christians to work out their own salvation with fear of God and even with trembling! Such an awesome thing salvation is! Apparently no one can pay for somebody else's sins, according to this verse.

"For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret; but worldly grief produces death." (2 Cor. 7: 10)

The way to salvation passes through repentance. And true repentance is to feel deep sorrow for one's actions and resolve not to continue with the wrongdoing. Grief over one's sins is a godly grief. The tears of repentance draw the grace of God upon the contrite spirit. They are redemptive, as they wash away the dirt from one's heart and mind, and bring joy and peace upon the penitent. On the contrary, worldly grief, e.g. undue grief over the loss of money or position, despair over bereavement or the breaking of a relationship, produces sickness that leads to death.

"And you shall be hated by all men for my name's sake; but he who endures to the end will be saved." (Matt. 10: 22)

People will hate every person who resolves to follow the teaching of Christ, which was from God. The way of righteousness is not covered with roses. Those who stand for truth, love, justice and peace cannot be popular among people. On the contrary, such people will be hated by men. A godly person, who is the embodiment of light, by his/her mere presence exposes and condemns the wickedness of the ungodly and thus stirs up their hostile feelings. Disappointment, isolation and persecution follows and there is always the chance that even the godly person may give up the narrow path and conform to the world. Such a person loses his salvation, says Jesus. Only those who endure to the end of their lives, persevering in the way of righteousness, will be saved.

"And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, 'How hard it will be for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!' (...) And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to each other, 'Who then can be saved?' Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God." (Mark 10: 23, 26-27)

The rich people stand fewer chances to enter the kingdom of God than the poor. They face more temptations to indulge in carnal living and tend to be contented with the splendor and the comfort of their material wealth. As a consequence, it is extremely difficult for them to seek spiritual enlightenment and follow the path of righteousness. However, with God all things are possible, said Jesus. God's grace could reach even the rich people, if they seek Him diligently with a contrite spirit.

"And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, 'Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?' But when Jesus heard that, he said, 'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. (...) For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance'." (Matt. 9: 11-12, 13b)

Jesus was a spiritual physician who came to the world to call sinners to repentance and heal their wounded soul as well as their body. This is a clear answer to those who believe that Jesus came to atone for the so-called original sin. One may argue that all people are sinners to some degree, for we all fall short of God's standards of righteousness. This is true, but some are worse sinners than others, and these suffer more from the consequences of their transgressions. And Jesus was primarily concerned with those people, such as tax collectors and prostitutes. He often associated with sinners, showing them compassion, for he knew that they were sin-sick people, needing his healing touch, blessing and instructions more than others.

"Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven; for I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matt. 5: 19-20)

One should observe all God's commandments, even the least of those, and teach others to do the same, in order to be called great in the spiritual kingdom. Jesus never misled his disciples that entering the kingdom of heaven would be an easy matter. Neither confession of faith in him nor external conformity to the law was enough to enable someone to enter God's spiritual kingdom. The disciple's righteousness should exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, who were very punctual in observing the ceremonial appointments of the Mosaic Law, fasted, gave alms and prayed publicly. Those had all the external signs of piousness, but still could not enter the kingdom of heaven! Why? Because their heart was not pure, and hence all the woes that Jesus had pronounced against them. They were hypocrites.

Keeping all the rituals of one's religion, or professing faith in Christ and his redemptive work on the cross does not make a person godly. If one's heart is full of pride, envy, hatred, lust, greed and other evil traits, he/she cannot enjoy the blessings of the kingdom of God.

"(...) 'Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?' And Jesus said to him, (...) You know the commandments: 'Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.' And he said to him, 'Teacher, all these I have observed from my youth.'

And Jesus looking upon him loved him, and said to him, 'You lack one thing; go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.' At that saying his countenance fell, and he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions." (Mark 10: 17b, 18a, 19-22)

Every time Jesus was asked how one could inherit eternal life, he gave a different answer, depending on the spiritual state of the inquirer. It seems that there are different classes or stages in the process of spiritual development. The first stage is for one to keep the Ten Commandments. In this case the inquirer admitted that he was keeping them. So Jesus went further asking the man to give up his material wealth in favor of the poor and follow him. This way he could accumulate spiritual treasure in heaven. On hearing Jesus' answer, the inquirer's countenance fell and he went away sorrowful! His attachment to material wealth made it impossible for him to follow Jesus all the way...

It appears, then, that the spiritual treasure one secures in heaven is proportionate to the material comforts one gives up on earth.

"And Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, 'Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded any one of anything, I restore it fourfold.' And Jesus said to him, 'Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost'." (Luke 19: 8-10)

Zacchaeus' repentance was genuine and deep. Otherwise he wouldn't have been motivated to give half of his goods to the poor and restore to others fourfold of what he had taken from them by fraud! The attachment to one's riches is very strong and it takes the grace of the Holy Spirit to break the chains of the prisoner of Mammon. Zacchaeus' soul was lost in the pursuit of money. However, his heart was touched and liberated by Jesus, who came to seek the lost and lead them to repentance and salvation with his anointed teaching. The salvation of Zacchaeus opened the way for the salvation of his household.

"If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. (...) You are my friends if you do what I command you. (...) This I command you, that you love one another." (John 15: 10, 14, 17)

The prerequisite for someone to abide in God's love is for the same to keep the Lord's commandments. That's how Jesus also abided in God's love. There is no other way for someone to become a friend of Jesus. And Jesus' commandments are stricter than the Ten Commandments. Unconditional love of one's neighbor is the greatest of them. Indeed love is the alpha and the omega of salvation.

"Truly, truly, I say to you, if any one keeps my word, he will never see death." (John 8: 51)

If one keeps the word of Jesus, the same will not suffer the death of his/her soul. There is no short cut about it. No confession of Biblical verses, no partaking in sacraments, no belief in the blood of Jesus, as some popular Christian doctrines advocate, can save a person. Only compliance to his word will do this.

"And someone said to him, 'Lord, will those who are saved be few?' And he said to them, 'Strive to enter by the narrow gate; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able'." (Luke 13: 23-24)

How many are those who will be saved? This is the question put to Jesus, which also creeps in everybody's mind, as one takes a look at oneself and the world about us. If we want to be sincere with ourselves, we will answer: 'nobody'. For we all fall short of Jesus' standards. But Jesus was more optimistic and his answer was rather diplomatic: "Strive to enter the narrow gate." Apparently, the gate through which one enters the kingdom of God is not wide but very narrow. So narrow that although many want to enter it, very few will be able to succeed. It takes a great deal of self-denial for someone to squeeze through the narrow gate.

"Strive for peace with all men, and for holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord." (Heb.12: 14)

Once again we have Paul, the very disciple who founded the doctrine of salvation by faith in Jesus' blood, talking about holiness. Without holiness no man shall see God! There is no salvation of one's soul without sanctity. So, one should strive to be holy, and also to have peace with all men, in order to see, i.e. to experience the presence of the Lord. For, as we learn from other scriptures, no one can ever see the infinite God, who is Spirit.

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name? And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers'." (Matt. 7: 21-23)

Jesus makes it clear that confessing his name is not enough to secure entrance into the kingdom of heaven. So, those who rest assured in the popular Pauline doctrine, "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved", will be in for a shocking surprise. On the Day of Judgment, unless they had been doing the will of God while on earth, Jesus will say to them: "I never knew you". Likewise, prophesying and casting out demons in Jesus' name does not guarantee entrance into the kingdom of heaven. One could have received some spiritual gifts but this on itself doesn't make one fit for the kingdom of heaven.

"Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it'." (Matt. 16: 24-25)

If someone wants to be Jesus' disciple he/she must do exactly what Jesus did. Things are not going to be easier for the disciple, not even on the assumption that 'Jesus died for his sins'. If Jesus denied himself, the same must the disciple do, taking up his/her own cross and following him. Saving one's life (soul) for eternity, means losing it here on earth. It means giving up ordinary worldly pleasures and comforts for the sake of others and denying the gratification of one's senses.

"Train yourself in godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. (...) Command and teach these things. (...) Take heed to yourself and to the teaching; hold to that, for by so doing you shall save both yourself and your hearers." (1 Tim. 4: 7b-8, 11, 16)

Paul exalts the importance of training oneself in godliness. This is useful in every way, not only for the life to come but also for the life in the here and now. Through godliness one experiences joy, peace and health, i.e. one enjoys abundant life. So one must take heed of the messages of the New Testament on godliness, and also preach them to others, for they are of great value.

"You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone." (Jam. 2: 24)

It appears that the doctrine of justification by faith alone had taken root very early in the Christian Church and James was opposing it. In the above verse he stresses that faith alone is not enough for someone to be saved. The believer also needs to do godly works. In fact, good works will be the natural outcome of a healthy faith in God.

"And Peter opened his mouth and said, 'Truly I perceive that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him'." (Acts 10: 34-35)

Who is acceptable to God? Is, peradventure, the person who believes that Christ is God, the second person of the Holy Trinity, who was incarnated 2000 years ago to shed his blood on the cross in order to redeem mankind from the grips of Satan? Not at all!

Peter makes it very clear: acceptable to God is everyone from every race, who fears the Almighty and does what is right. This is it then! There is no ground left here for far-fetched blood doctrines that have their roots in pagan beliefs and practices and have given rise to pride, fanaticism, fragmentations and many religious wars throughout the last twenty centuries.

"He who overcomes will be dressed in white, and I will not erase his name from the book of life, but I will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. He who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." (Rev. 3: 5-6)

This is a figurative message of Christ to the Church of Sardis. It is obvious that salvation is not a permanent state of a believer. One could have approached God with sincerity and repentance, and for a while his/her name might have appeared in the book of life. Yet, if the same backslides, his/her name will be erased from that book. But it takes discernment (an ear) for someone to understand what the Spirit says to the Churches...

"Blessed are those who keep his commandments that they may have right to the tree of life, (...)." (Rev. 22: 14a)

These words are written in the last chapter of Revelation, which is the last book of the New Testament. So we are entitled to believe that they are final and decisive for the salvation of a person. Who, then, has right to the tree of life, i.e. to eternal life? The answer is very clear: the person who keeps God's Commandments.

"Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, 'Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him.'

Jesus answered and said unto him, 'Verily, verily, I say to you, unless one is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God.' (...) 'That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, "You must be born from above." The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes or whither it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.'

Nicodemus said to him, 'How can this be?' Jesus answered him, 'Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not know these things?' " (John 3: 1-3, 6-10)

The above Biblical story is very popular and the most publicized one during the last century. The slogan "born again" served as a powerful magnet that drew millions of people into the arms of Evangelical and Pentecostal Churches all over the world. Many Christians experience this new birth, i.e. undergo a dramatic change in their lives, after a sincere repentance and willingness to conform to God's commandments. Others, who had never had an inner conviction of their sinfulness, label themselves as born again simply because they recited some words of faith which their pastor or the itinerant evangelist dictated them.

The question to which we are called to answer is if there are certain rules for one to follow in order to initiate this new birth or regeneration of his/her soul. Jesus did not give such recipe to Nicodemus. On the contrary, he said that the Spirit of God is like the wind, which blows where it wills and nobody knows whence it comes and wither it goes. As we understand, then, this new birth takes two to come about, just like the physical birth does. For the spiritual birth of a man there must be an interaction between the Spirit of God and the spirit of man. Now, which one takes the first step is a mystery. Does the Spirit of God call the spirit of man first, or does the spirit of man first cry to God, 'Abba Father'?

In any case, this new birth is not a privilege of those who believe in Christ, nor is it the result of the work of Jesus on the cross, as the evangelical Christians believe. If it were, Jesus would have not told Nicodemus that, as a teacher of Israel, he ought to know 'how this can be'. Apparently even the Jews of the Old Testament could experience this new birth, and surely many did, just as the followers of every other religion can and do. Thousands of people of every religious persuasion have been blessed by a revival of their spirit and can witness to a great change in their lives, i.e. to a new birth. Obviously the born again experience has to do with the condition of a person's heart and not with the doctrines one adheres to with his/her mind.

"Whosoever is born of God does not commit sin, for God's seed abides in him; and he cannot sin because he is born of God." (1 John 3: 9)

A genuine new birth results in sinlessness, according to St. John. The person who is born of God, cannot sin, says this verse. Is it possible for a human being, who is living in an earthen vessel and is given a free will, not to sin? In my opinion, even one who is born of God can fall into temptation and sin, with the only difference that the smallest transgression makes him so miserable that he/she does not want to deliberately sin. In any case, a person who cannot sin has no need to continue living on this earth, which is a school for spiritual perfection.

"My little children, for whom I am again in travail until Christ be formed in you." (Gal. 4: 19)

Evangelical and Pentecostal Christians believe that, from the moment they accepted Jesus as their personal Savior, Christ lives in them. Many of them even believe that those who have not "received" Christ have the devil living in them! However, in the above verse Paul says different things. Christ cannot be "received" as one takes a pill. Christ's teaching and example must be followed by those who profess that he is their Lord and Savior, in order for the Christ principle to be formed in them. Once formed, the Christ principle must grow so that the life of the believer may become like that of Jesus. In the case of Galatian Christians, it seems that some had backslidden and so Paul was again in laborious prayer (travail) so that the Christ principle should be formed again in their inner man.

"But thanks be to God, that you, who were once servants of sin, have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching which was delivered to you; and being made free from sin, you became servants of righteousness. (...)

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become servants to God, you have your fruit unto holiness, and the end eternal life." (Rom. 6: 17-18, 22)

When one becomes willingly (from the heart) obedient to the standard of teaching of the saints, he/she is gradually set free from sin and becomes servant of God, i.e. servant of righteousness. Then the fruit of one's spirit will be holiness and the end eternal life. This then is the process of one's salvation.

"The soul that sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself." (Ezek. 18: 20)

Jesus said he did not come to abolish the Old Testament law and the prophets but to fulfill them. Ezekiel, one of the major prophets of the O.T., says that no one should be punished for the sins of another. The wickedness of the wicked shall be upon themselves. Why then God would have Jesus take upon himself the sins of the world, as the Christians believe? Why should an innocent become accursed? (Gal. 3:13). Is this divine justice? And how was the curse of the law, which was supposedly put on Jesus upon the cross, removed?

These are questions to which the evangelical and Pentecostal Christians must answer, if their faith should be founded on stable foundation.

I believe the scriptures which I have quoted above are enough to prove that the Bible itself makes the popular doctrine of easy salvation by faith in Jesus blood obsolete.

Chapter 14: The "Kingdom of God"

The "Kingdom of God" is a subject that has raised a lot of speculation and controversy over the centuries amongst Christian fundamentalists, Jehovah Witnesses and some smaller Christian cults. Many funny and some tragic events have taken place among believers in anticipation of the coming "Kingdom of God". For almost 2.000 years now, ultra selfish "saved" Christians have been waiting for the so-called "Rapture", i.e. to be caught up in the air by Jesus, so that they would escape the "great tribulation" which poor infidels will suffer!

It is therefore worth examining a few Biblical verses relevant to this issue.

"In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand'." (Matt. 3: 1-2)

John the Baptist preached earnestly repentance and prepared the people to receive the message of Jesus. He preached that the kingdom of heaven was at hand. What did he mean by this? What kind of kingdom was imminent? The following verses will clarify it.

"Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." (Zech. 9: 9)

This is a prophecy about the Messiah, the long awaited king of Zion, as the Jews believed him to be. As we will see in the following verses, Jesus knew and made sure he fulfilled this scripture in order to convince his fellow Jews that he was the Messiah they were awaiting for, i.e. the anointed king of Israel.

"As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, 'Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away'. This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

'Say to the Daughter of Zion, 'See your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.'

The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

'Hosanna to the Son of David!'

'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!'

'Hosanna in the highest!'

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, 'Who is this?'

The crowds answered, 'This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee'." (Matt. 21: 1-11)

In this eloquent and detailed description of St. Matthew, it is made clear that the crowds of the Jews who accompanied Jesus into Jerusalem recognized in him a descendant of David and a prophet, who was coming in the name of the Lord. So the Jews were expecting a king-prophet just like David had been.

Now, if one wonders how Jesus was able to sit on two animals at the same time, i.e. on the donkey and the colt, I am afraid I cannot figure it out!

St. John in his Gospel also verifies that many Jews expected Jesus to become the king of Israel:

"The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him shouting, 'Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel!'" (John 12: 12-13)

The following verses give a spiritual dimension to the kingdom of heaven, something that does not derive from the prophecies of the Old Testament. It makes one wonder why Jesus sat on a donkey to fulfill a prophecy that did not exactly apply to him. Or did he still have the intention to become a king of the Jews when he rode the donkey? There again, the words that Jesus spoke about the spiritual kingdom of God preceded his triumphant entry into Jerusalem. So, by then he knew what he had come to do.

Let us study the following verses where he explains all about the kingdom of heaven.

"From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand'." (Matt. 4: 17)

Jesus preached exactly the same message as John the Baptist; he even used the same words. The kingdom of God was apparently near, but in order for one to experience it, he/she had to repent.

"From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force." (Matt. 11: 12)

These are the words of Jesus. Since John the Baptist started preaching about the kingdom of heaven, people tried to enter it by force. They were in a hurry to conquer it, to establish it in their hearts, repenting of their sins and making amends for those they had wronged.

"Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven." (Matt. 6: 10)

This is a verse from the Lord's Prayer, which we have already analyzed. The coming of the kingdom of God on earth presupposes that His will is done on earth as it is in heaven; that people comply with His sovereign laws.

"Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation producing the fruits of it." (Matt. 21: 43)

How is the kingdom of God taken away from a people? If a nation rejects God's messengers, as the Jews did with Jesus, it rejects His kingdom. Then God's messengers will bring His kingdom to another nation, preaching the word of God to people who accept it and produce fruits of righteousness.

"But if I by the finger of God cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you." (Luke 11: 20)

This verse leaves no doubts about the essence and the nature of the kingdom of God that Jesus was referring to. The kingdom of God, or kingdom of heaven, comes into somebody's heart when God, by His finger (Spirit) casts out the evil therein. From then on, it is up to the person delivered from evil to firmly establish God's kingdom in his heart by adhering to the divine principles, i.e. to God's word.

"The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches." (Matt.13: 31-32)

The field is the heart or the soul of man. Originally the kingdom of heaven is a small grain, like that of a mustard seed, which was sown there by the Creator. This seed, however, if properly watered and fed by the word of God, can grow enormously and become a great spiritual tree. Weary people can rest on its branches and find comfort in their souls.

"He told them another parable: 'The kingdom of heaven is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened'." (Matt. 13: 33)

If the kingdom of heaven is established in a man's heart, then this man becomes like a leaven hidden in society. Just as a small amount of leaven makes three measures of flour to ferment and rise, so the enlightened person can permeate and transform society.

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field." (Matt.13: 44)

When one discovers, i.e. becomes aware of the kingdom of heaven, i.e. the hidden treasure in one's heart, then his/her joy is so great that the person gives up all his/her belongings (idols) in order to invest in that field. The pleasures and the things of this world grow strangely dim in the light of the spiritual treasure within!

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it." (Matt. 13: 45)

Every human being is like a merchant constantly searching for fine pearls that will make him/her happy. People try to find fine pearls in knowledge, position and power, in money and possessions, in personal relationships, entertainment of every kind, and generally in the gratification of their senses. Yet, when one finds the kingdom of heaven within, one realizes that he/she has found the pearl of the greatest value! So, that person sells what he/she has and buys it. Of course this is an allegory, as the kingdom of heaven cannot be bought with money.

"He said to them, 'Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old'." (Matt. 13: 52)

To be a teacher of the law, instructed in the things of the kingdom of heaven, is to be open to new revelations about the Truth. If you are stuck to the old beliefs, you are not a good householder. The tragic thing about religion, any and every religion, is that its ministers are closed to new revelation for they are afraid of changes. They are stuck to the old and, quite often, erroneous and ineffective doctrines and so deprive their followers of precious new spiritual treasures that God has available to the pure hearted and open minded.

"Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, he answered them: 'The kingdom of God does not come so as to be observed; nor will they say, 'Lo, here it is' or 'There!' for behold, the kingdom of God is within you." (Luke 17: 20-21)

The Pharisees of Jesus' time, just like the fundamental Christians of all times, expected a visible kingdom of God, i.e. a theocratic state, governed by the Messiah. But Jesus' answer was clear. The kingdom of God is not an external kingdom that can be observed. Nor can any theocracy deal with the internal vices of the heart, such as envy, hatred, pride, greed etc., which cannot be detected and punished by any law. The kingdom of God is within man and it comes in one's heart when one decides to be governed by the Spirit, i.e. when a person submits his/her thoughts, words, feelings, desires and actions to the will of God.

Let those who adhere to the prophecies of Revelation and look forward to a visible kingdom of God on earth, without sin and pain – when Christ will supposedly return to reign and Satan will be bound – meditate on the above words of Jesus and reconsider their beliefs. But even if Satan were to be bound for a period of time, who could eliminate that great dragon within human beings, namely our ego, from which all vices arise?

Ego will always be there, tempting people to sin against their fellow human beings, until the time when man realizes that we are all part of each other, members of the one God. Flesh also will be there, craving for things that are contrary to the dictates of the spirit. No external Messiah could conquer these two giants. Man must become his own Messiah, his own Christ, in order for the kingdom of God to be established in the hearts of individuals and through them in society and the world as a whole.
Epilogue

In this book, I did my best to shed Biblical light on basic theological issues that have been a stumbling block to many Christians over the centuries, have caused pain and bloodshed to humanity and allowed followers of other religions to deride Christianity.

I firmly believe that we have no excuse to continue accepting some false doctrines, which the founders of Christianity established seventeen centuries ago. Perhaps they had to do so, in order to make the transition from paganism to Christianity possible. Today, however, man has progressed enough in his understanding of spiritual matters that we don't need to stubbornly continue to adhere to doctrines with pagan and magical origin.

If we really thirst for truth and are not afraid to search for it, the Bible is there to help us in our quest. But we must study it diligently and prayerfully.

It is not a luxury to get rid of false doctrines. It is a must for our own spiritual evolution and that of the society in which we live.

It is about time that Christians should give up their "milk" and idols, leaving behind their spiritual infancy. It is about time to become light instead of darkness. Indeed, it is time for Christians to grow into spiritual adulthood and start living up to Christ's lofty standards, preaching Truth, Love, Justice and Peace to our bewildered world and taking wise charge of its affairs. Then there will not be much ground for divisions among believers or for other religions to advance in Christian nations, as Christ's unadulterated teaching of Love and oneness with God satisfies the heart and the intellect even of the most demanding seeker of spiritual Truth.
