Month: May 2020

Deity of Christ · Uncategorized

Jesus is the incarnate true, and living God, Creator of all things.

Bob SnyderLeave a comment

Did Jesus claim to be the Son of God? | Ibrahim Ministries International

He was not created by the Father. He did not exist in the Father, and then brought out of the Father. He was not made from the essence of the Father. He is not the angel Michael transfigured. Jesus is God. He is the incarnate eternal Son, the Word of God made flesh, and the second person of the Trinity. The Son has always been, is, and always will be.

Luke 22:63-65, “63 Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking Him and beating Him, 64 and they blindfolded Him and were asking Him, saying, “Prophesy, who is the one who hit You?” 65 And they were saying many other things against Him, blaspheming.”

How can the men be committing blasphemy by saying many other things against Jesus Christ, unless He is in fact God? This one section of scripture proves that Jesus Christ is God. If this is not enough for you, there are more.

Hebrews 1:6-10, “6 And when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says, “AND LET ALL THE ANGELS OF GOD WORSHIP HIM.” 7 And of the angels He says, “WHO MAKES HIS ANGELS WINDS, AND HIS MINISTERS A FLAME OF FIRE.”8 But of the Son He says, “YOUR THRONE, O GOD, IS FOREVER AND EVER, AND THE RIGHTEOUS SCEPTER IS THE SCEPTER OF HIS KINGDOM. 9 “YOU HAVE LOVED RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HATED LAWLESSNESS; THEREFORE GOD, YOUR GOD, HAS ANOINTED YOU WITH THE OIL OF GLADNESS ABOVE YOUR COMPANIONS.” 10 And, “YOU, LORD, IN THE BEGINNING LAID THE FOUNDATION OF THE EARTH, AND THE HEAVENS ARE THE WORKS OF YOUR HANDS;”

Was Paul a liar, was he wrong, was God’s word wrong, or are you wrong? Paul preached that Jesus is God, not a part of God, not a smaller god, but actually the God of all creation. God the Father in this section of scripture calls Jesus God. Was God a liar, was He wrong, or are you wrong? Why would God share the worship of His angels with a creature? He wouldn’t. When He commands His angels to worship the Son, they are worshiping God. Exodus 34:14, “for you shall not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God”

John 20:26-29, “26 After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.” 28 Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”

The beloved Apostle of Christ recorded that Thomas called Jesus his Lord, and God. Why would God say this in His word if it weren’t true? Jesus can’t be both God, and not God at the same time, but He can be both God, and man at the same time.

2 Peter 1:1, “1 Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:”

How else do you explain his greeting here at the beginning of his epistle? Again, this is not just Peter writing this, but it is God using Peter to write God’s own word.

Titus 2:11-15, “11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, 14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. 15 These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you.”

Lest you claim this is a translation problem, “Ἐπεφάνη γὰρ ἡ χάρις τοῦ θεοῦ σωτήριος πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις παιδεύουσα ἡμᾶς, ἵνα ἀρνησάμενοι τὴν ἀσέβειαν καὶ τὰς κοσμικὰς ἐπιθυμίας σωφρόνως καὶ δικαίως καὶ εὐσεβῶς ζήσωμεν ἐν τῷ νῦν αἰῶνι, προσδεχόμενοι τὴν μακαρίαν ἐλπίδα καὶ ἐπιφάνειαν τῆς δόξης τοῦ μεγάλου θεοῦ καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ, ὃς ἔδωκεν ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἵνα λυτρώσηται ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ πάσης ἀνομίας καὶ καθαρίσῃ ἑαυτῷ λαὸν περιούσιον, ζηλωτὴν καλῶν ἔργων.” Ταῦτα λάλει καὶ παρακάλει καὶ ἔλεγχε μετὰ πάσης ἐπιταγῆς· μηδείς σου περιφρονείτω.”

Theou(God) kai(and) soteros(savior) Hemon(of us) Christou Iesou(Christ Jesus)

Matthew 14:32-33, “32 And when they had climbed back into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God!””

Here Matthew records that Jesus accepted worship. As we already established, only God is to be worshiped. Jesus did not rebuke them like the angels did when men tried to worship them. Whey do you think that is? I’ll tell you. Jesus is God. If you don’t acknowledge the deity of Christ, you are a heretic. If you teach others to believe the lies you believe, you are also a false teacher. A created Jesus is a creature who would be powerless to save us. Jesus is a hypostatic union of deity and humanity.

Matthew 28:8-10, “8 And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they will see Me.””

Matthew records Jesus accepting worship again. Your position is untenable. It is obvious error.

Revelation 5:11-14, “11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” 13 And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.” 14 And the four living creatures kept saying, “Amen.” And the elders fell down and worshiped.”

Jesus is being worshiped along with the Father by the angels, and elders. Do you understand? What argument can be made that will stand against the word of God?

Philippians 3:20-21, “. 20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; 21 who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.”

Jesus is omnipotent. Who else is omnipotent besides God? Nobody, that means Jesus is God incarnate!

Colossians 2:2-3, “2 that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

Jesus is also omniscient. Only God is the source of all knowledge. Jesus is God.

Matthew 28:16-20, “16 But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. 18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.””

Here we not only see that the Son, and the Spirit are equated to the Father, but we also see the omnipresence of Jesus in His own divine nature that was joined to the human nature at the incarnation.

Of course, then there is the coup de grâce of John 1:1-5, 14, “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” “14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

It is evident that Jesus is the incarnation of the second Person of the Trinity, and that He is eternal God.

Cults · Uncategorized

Is it a Cult? The Three Principal P’s of Cults.

Bob SnyderLeave a comment

Secret Circle of Secrets - TV Tropes

Have you ever wondered if there was a quick, and easy way of determining if a group is a cult? Well, there is. Just remember the three principal P’s,

  1. Power
  2. Profit
  3. Perversion

The power of a cult is usually consolidated in one individual, or a small cadre. This authoritative unit sets the doctrines, and practices of the cult. They are the supreme authority.  They are not to be questioned. Their power over the people is absolute. They can even cast the individual out of the cult, and forbid their family, and friends within the cult from communicating with them. Getting kicked out would seem like a blessing to us, but not to a person who is in the midst of it.  Usually, the rules are for everyone else. They always have a loophole, or exemption for themselves. They enjoy titles for themselves, real or imagined. All resources flow upstream, and then back down at the direction of their leaders. People often are directed to give up what they own to demonstrate their devotion, or provide slave labor for the endeavors of the cult.  This is nothing compared to having the members commit suicide, murder, or perverse acts for their pleasure, all common among cults.

Heaven's Gate Suicide Cult - Hidden San Diego

The profit, $$$, scratch, bread, cash, is king with the leaders. They must have it.  For profit, they claim to be prophets.  The leadership will make their living from directing the cult, and from its members work. Promises of spiritual recompense for their sacrifices are often made. The leadership will usually live an opulent lifestyle while the lower members do not. The leadership will have immodestly ornate clothing, jewelry, large houses,  and expensive cars.  They also have a penchant for luxury vehicles like, yachts, large R.V.’s, buses, and private jets. After all, you can’t expect your glorious leader to travel like the common folk.  They are god’s anointed!(sarcasm)  When traveling you will often see them stay at the most expensive luxury hotels, and spend exorbitant amounts of money on shopping sprees.

Televangelist Defends His Private Jet Saying You Can’t Talk To Jesus On Commercial Flights - The ...

The perversion of the leaders manifests in every type of sexual act imaginable.(Better left unimagined on our parts.)  These groups will almost always have some perverse practices. They generally include, promiscuity, fornication, adultery, polygamy, aspects of bondage, domination, sadism, and masochism, pedophilia, and others. The leaders are the ones who receive the carnal offerings of these perversions, while the members are there as the victims. Some members who are higher up in the cult may be given more of a role in the perverse practices to groom them for leadership, and to make them just as culpable under the law.  This helps ensure their silence.  Children of members are groomed for abuse, and often live lives of constant, ongoing, ritual abuse. This kind of abuse is very difficult to recover from, and includes demonic activity.

Episode Thirty-Three: Creepy Cults – Children of God, Order of the Solar Temple, and More! – 13 ...

This is a very brief treatment of the topic. The purpose of the three principal P’s is to help you make a quick cursory appraisal of a group. This can help you decide whether a more detailed, and thorough investigation should be completed. Keep in mind, the leaders never seem the least bit ashamed of all their excesses. In fact, they are usually proud of them as a hallmark of their worthiness. They justify their greed, and perversion, away by virtue of who they are. Pride is at the root of all three P’s. I guess I could have made it the four P’s, or the one P with the three P subgroups, but none of that is going to satisfy my desire for alliteration now is it?

ps. There are cults identifying as Christian out there.  They might not posses one, or more of the three P’s, but are still a cult because of their false teachings, from false profits.  They might have a pretty public facade, but in their early days, their leaders could have been identified by the three P’s.  Keep this in mind as well.  You know who you are J.S.American Prophet: The Story of Joseph Smith

and don’t forget the Taze haze of the J.W.’s

Jehovah's Witnesses History (Watchtower Society)

cultural · Uncategorized

I know I’m a year late, but is Old Town Road Cultural Appropriation, or mocking?

Bob SnyderLeave a comment

In case you are older, white, and don’t listen to modern rap, or modern country, there was a modern country/rap song that came out in 2019 performed by a rapper called Lil Nas X.  It was called, “Old Town Road.”  In the video the rapper is dressed in all sorts of quasi-country western garb, and he sings in a half-hearted, modern country style.  I don’t call what he was doing singing.  I don’t call modern country, singing either.  It is my opinion that Lil Nas X was mocking modern country music fans.  I am of the opinion that he was calling modern country music fans mindless consumers, and modern country stars no-talent avatars, as well as calling the producers of modern country corrupt profiteers.

I don’t disagree about modern country singers having no talent, or about the producers being corrupt profiteers.  That being said, I wonder if he can smell the hypocrisy?  Modern rap/hip hop is exactly the same as modern country, and modern pop music.  They read aloud what was written for them by the media beasts, functioning as a mouthpiece for their satanic overlords, to a click, or snap track, accompanied by electronic, computer generated, studio music, and they have their voices heavily modified by people using computers in the studio, and they don’t play instruments.  It is all mass produced garbage.  The real talent is in the people making them sound good, and giving them something to, “sing” along with.  All they have to do is look pretty, dance, show up to contractual performance dates, be in the media, and keep pushing the leftists/satanic narratives their overlords give them.  They went down to the crossroads, and sold something that wasn’t theirs for fame, and fortune.

I’m old enough to remember when music was made by people, for people.  I remember well trained voices.  I remember musicians who could play their instruments well.  There are still musicians out there.  If you look,  you can find them.  Pay for their songs.  Support them, if you like real music.

As for cultural appropriation, I’m not sure this fits.  It seems more like mocking to me.  It is like Lil Nas X is saying, “Look at how little talent modern country music takes!  I can do it without trying.  White people suck.  Look how corrupt the producers are.  They know it is crap, but they keep taking money from the ignorant fans, and the fans ares stupid too.”  I get those opinions from watching the official video.  Now perhaps that wasn’t his intent at all.  I don’t know.  You be the judge.  I’m not going to include a link, because I don’t want to…

Even if it is cultural appropriation, it would demonstrate that cultural appropriation is done by all cultures, and it isn’t a bad thing in and of itself.  There is nothing racists about liking or profiting from what someone from another culture enjoys.  After all, we are all from the human race, regardless of what the left would have you believe.

cultural · Drugs · holiness · Uncategorized

What does the Bible mean when God forbids the use of sorcery?

Bob Snyder5 Comments

The Breakdown: Pharmakeia and Mind Altering Drugs 06/24 by Minister Fortson | Religion

I’ve had several discussions, and arguments over the years about the use of marijuana by Christians. I’m sure you have heard all the arguments, and perhaps you were even the one making the argument for it. If that is the case, I’d like for you to consider the list of sins that sorcery is included with, and the context of its prohibition, as well as what it actually is.
Many of us have discovered, or have been taught that the Greek word translated as sorcery in the New Testament is, “φαρμακεία.” (pharmakeia) It is where we get our modern words, “pharmacy, pharmaceutical, and pharmacist” to name a few. The Latin derivative means, drugs. It is a simplistic definition that did not carry the original Koine Greek meaning with it fully.
In context to the time, language, and the entirety of scripture, the meaning becomes clear. Sorcery was the practice of using naturally occurring compounds alone, or mixed to make one feel a certain way, or to see visions, (hallucinations) or to poison them, or to simply get them high. It was often in conjunction with witchcraft, and ritual sexual immorality.
We know sorcery isn’t the work of a physician as Luke was a physician. The Greek word for physician was, “ἰατρὸς.” (iatros) it meant, a practitioner of medicine. The word for medicine was, “ἴαμα.” (iama) and it meant, healing, curing, or remedy. Being a physician (healer) was an accepted practice. They would use medicines in their practice. The negative social connotation of a sorcerer was more akin to the modern drug dealer, and occultist, than a pharmacist, or doctor.
Pagan religions would use, and some still do, potions, plasters, and bolus’ in conjunction with sexual immorality, including orgies, and bestiality, to either worship their false gods, or have spiritual experiences. One might say they were pseudospiritual, but I think it would be more accurate to classify them as demonic spiritual experiences.
It is true however, that the English word, “sorcery” when used in the Old Testament to translate the Hebrew word, “ וְֽכִשֵּׁ֔ף” (wə·ḵiš·šêp̄) didn’t specifically state that it was drugs, but it was still associated with witchcraft, enchantments, evil mysticism, and paganism outside of the one true faith, and it shared same connotation that was understood in the New Testament. It has always been an abomination to God, and forbidden to His people.
It is obvious from scripture that having a sober mind is a good thing. If we are sober minded, we can pray, and be on guard against sin, and evil in our lives, but if we are not sober minded our inhibitions against sin are reduced, and so are our faculties. Engaging in drug us is not the same as using a prescribed medicine from a doctor to bring about healing. We can see that the abuses associated with sorcery, and witchcraft are abominable. If you truly seek to fight sin in your life, then you will not purposefully subject yourself to sorcery, substance abuse.
Marijuana is one of those drugs that we as Christians should not take. It is a drug that people take to get high. They take it for the express purpose of dulling their senses, and not being sober minded. Some might protest, and argue about how they have other reasons they take it, but there are other ways of dealing with stress, anxiety, or other problems, that don’t involve using drugs. Drug users will always have an argument, but if you seek the truth, and righteousness, stay away from drugs. You can take medicine from a physician, but not drugs from a drug dealer, even if they have made it legal in your state. Legal doesn’t mean moral. As always, repent of your sins, and trust Jesus Christ’s justifying work on the cross, and not your own works.

After all, what does living for God’s glory look like?  Does it look like someone who loves pot more than Christ?  Does it look like someone who has been defiled by being stoned out of their gourd?  This doesn’t just apply to drugs.  Whatever it is that you can’t live without, drugs, porn, booze, adultery, a pet false teaching, anything in your life that dishonors God is sin.  We have to come to the realization, and understanding about these things so we can be honest about them, and fight them, instead of justifying them away.  It is impossible to come to God in repentance, if you are minimizing your sins, or justifying them away.  Ask Jesus to forgive you based on who He is and what He has done to make you right with God.  Then, fight against these sins.  Don’t give up.  You may be fighting for a long time.

7  The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer. 1 Peter 4:7
Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8
[Deu 18:10 NASB] 10 “There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer,
[Exo 22:18 NASB] 18 “You shall not allow a sorceress to live.
[Isa 57:3 NASB] 3 “But come here, you sons of a sorceress, Offspring of an adulterer and a prostitute.
[2Ch 33:6 NASB] 6 He made his sons pass through the fire in the valley of Ben-hinnom; and he practiced witchcraft, used divination, practiced sorcery and dealt with mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him [to anger.]
[Gal 5:20 NASB] 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions,
[Rev 18:23 NASB] 23 and the light of a lamp will not shine in you any longer; and the voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you any longer; for your merchants were the great men of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery.