Let us not compromise on our SURE FOUNDATION

- E.S. Gold 2012 Gold

Their rock is not like our Rock. The Bible tells us to stand on Gods Word which is a sure foundation, but if we do not study the Bible to learn Gods Truth, then we are susceptible to being blown around be very wind of doctrine. Any religions which claims to teach the truth, should welcome testing. As Christians we are subject to skeptics and trials in our own lives, which tests to see if the truth is really in us, and if what we are standing on is durable and lasting. God doesnt ask us to have blind faith, but to have firm faith that is built upon the knowledge of the truth. The Bible says to study to show yourself approved, and to be ready to always give an answer to every man who questions you regarding why you have the hope which is in you. The Bible says we live by every word which proceeds out of the mouth of God. If we do not know His words, then we will be ill-equipped to answer our fellow human beings, and put out satans fiery darts during spiritual warfare. Cultic groups will tell their flock to stay away from apologetic material, which may reveal the illogical fallacies, contradictions, or unbiblical teachings found in the group. A true Christian is able to pick up any deadly thing and it will not hurt them. This doesnt mean to go out looking for a rattlesnake to pick up. Not even Jesus would jump off a ledge, even if satan tempts Him to. What this does mean, is that - as a Christian, I am so firmly rooted in the Truth, that I am able to recognize things which are untruthful, and no cultic material produced by any cult, will affect my faith in God. God promises that the Truth will be revealed to its seekers. The truth which we should place our trust in, should not be obtained mainly by our feelings or popular opinions. If it is required of us to test the spirits to determine the truth, we have a responsibility to make an evaluation based on careful research and reasoning. I would also include the importance of prayer, because Jesus is able to help us find our answers. God will hold us accountable for following the Truth, because it is by His Word which all will be judged. Therefore we should hold His Word as the final and highest authority over our lives. God tells us that His nature is unchanging. Gods nature is Truth, and the Truth cannot lie. God will not contradict His own words, and He tells us that His words will endure forever. This is a promise that He will preserve His words, not just in heaven, but also on earth. Since His words stand the test of time, then so do the truths and claims of the Bible. Because Gods words are so important, He proclaims a curse upon anyone who would add or take away from His words. Even a curse upon any so-called holy angel that comes to us offering another gospel. We are told to contend for the faith, correct people in a spirit of love, and not tolerate errors. For even as a little leaven, leavens the whole lump, so does sin and wrongful teachings begat the fruit of what they have sown. For we shouldnt be as the many which corrupt the Word of God, but God has created us to be a separate and holy people, dedicated to the glorifying of His name through His Word. The Bible tells us that God has exalted His Word above His name. A name is only as good as its product. These days people can pay a lot of money for some cheaply made products because of a brand name that is supposedly worth something. God knows man looks upon the outward, but He looks upon the Sure Foundation. page 1

substance. God is Spirit, that is His substance. He is not nothingness. This Eternal Spirit is the Source of Goodness, Truth, Love, and Life. If something claims to be founded on Him, and rejects the substance which He produces, then they are in fact, rejecting His name. True Christianity is founded upon the words of the One and only living God, who is Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. If His words are not something He takes lightly then nor should we. God says He will not accept the lukewarm, or those whose attitude is of indifference towards Him and His Word. God says we are either for Him or against Him. This effectively cuts out the middle ground or the middle way. God says He is the only Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one can get to God, except through His Word which was manifested in human flesh, through the man Jesus Christ. In this man existed the very Eternal Spirit of God Himself, the One and only. Jesus is fully God and fully man. His flesh was submitted to the will of the Spirit of God which was inside of Him. When He spoke, He spoke not of the words of the human flesh, but the very words which proceed from the mouth of God. He spoke as the One holding the authority over Gods Word. Even the demons recognized His authority, and they had to obey when He gave the Word. These words which hold the ultimate power and authority over all His creation, were used to speak the world into existence. Notice that creation still exists, even though God spoke it into existence many years ago. Gods words are still living and active today. Gods Word will accomplish what He has set it to accomplish, and they will not return void. With such a sure foundation, we should not be ashamed nor fearful of placing our confidence in His Word. Yet there are some Christians who would undermine the authority of Gods Word because of their lack of understanding. God says His people perish for a lack of knowledge. Not only are they unequipped with the knowledge of the truth, they dont even know what foundation to stand on, or if the foundation they are standing on can be trusted. Many seminaries today who have compromised on the preserved Word of God, for the sake of their own worldly benefit, and are equipping pastors to do the same. This great compromise is on the true words of God, which is our sure foundation. Here is the significance. A great number of seminary professors are teaching their students that the Samaritan Pentateuch and the Alexandrian Egyptian Greek text are more reliable than the Masoretic Text of the Hebrews and the Greek text of the Christians at Antioch - where the disciples were first called Christians. As you may remember the words of Jesus to the Samaritans He said, ye know not what ye worship, for salvation is of the Jews. God said more than once to His people, not to go back into the land of Egypt - the land of bondage. Alexandria was once the capital of Egypt, and the headquarters for Gnostic thought and philosophical teachings. The early church were having a lot of issues with the Gnostics, who were attempting to bring in false gospels, alter the canon, and ultimately change the Word of God to fit their philosophies. In short, exalting their words to Godlike status. A number of pastors, seminary professorsetc. have worked on translation teams, and they do make a profit out of Gods Word, and so do these publishing companies as well. These new modern versions and paraphrases do not have the faithful text as their foundation. The pro-Roman Catholic fathers of the NIV, Westcott and Hort were the two Ghostly Guild Spiritists in charge of producing the Greek text which serves as the underlying basis for numerous modern alternatives to Gods Word, including the NET Bible which is used in some seminaries, as well as the Jehovahs Witness Bible (the New World Translation or NWT). Many of the same omissions contained in the NIV, are also contained in these versions. The ESV has omissions too, but not quite as numerous as the NIV. The NKJV, upon further investigation, changes more than the thous and shalls. What is supposed to be accomplished by the NKJV, is actually accomplished by the American King James Version. This may not be important information to some people, however, Zondervan publishers are owned by Harper Collins, who also publishes the Satanic Bible and the Joy of Gay Sex. Not a vote of confidence in the Godly integrity department. If you have a TNIV Bible, you may already know about the issue of genderneutrality. The early church was battling against the apocrypha, which was not part of the Jewish canon, and contradicted Gods Word. Unfortunately, this has been going on for many years now, and will more than likely continue to go on as long as people don't investigate the Scriptures for themselves. Just as a banker is taught to test for counterfeit money, and to recognize what the genuine article is, so must we do Sure Foundation. page 2

with the Word of God. Ultimately, the counterfeit is not as valuable. All the teller will say is, Sir your penny may look golden, but its certainly not gold. Truly God will recognize His own words. Jesus wasnt fooled when people came up to Him trying to tell Him, what He really said. The King James Bible was produced from the vernacular versions used by the early martyrs, which follow the true manuscripts. These people gave up their lives in order to safeguard Gods Word. The Bible was translated into many languages by Gods faithful people, and they made sure to watch every jot and tittle. These people were willing to give up their lives instead of compromising. Both the Masoretes and the King James Bible translation team had carefully developed systems for the evaluation and examination of the text. The Roman Catholic church which confesses that its rock is Peter, is built on a different foundation, than the church which is built on Jesus. Just as a side note: the Roman Catholic church isnt built on Peter either. Read 1st and 2nd Peter. The RC church did its best to keep the true words of God out of the hands of the public, and forbade translation of the Bible into the common languages of the people. The people had to put their trust in the Roman Catholic church to relay to them the truth of Gods Word. The Roman Catholic church had no such desire. They knew that if people thought they possessed Gods truth, then they could exercise control over the people. Gods Word exalts God and diminishes the offices of the popes. They simply could not teach Gods Word without alteration, and hold Gods Word as the highest and final authority. They exalted their own teachings which became known as the traditions of the Roman Catholic church. People were told to place their trust in these things. Unfortunately, many of these people who probably never got the chance to read the Word of God for themselves, never realized the error which they were being subjected to. Jesus spoke against those men in His day, who were basically doing the same thing, by exalting the words, laws, and traditions created by the political and religious elite, over Gods words. These men came and accused Jesus of breaking Gods laws time and again, but He consistently pointed out to them that they did not know the Word of God for themselves. Jesus kept the law without failure. In fact, He was the only one who kept Gods standards for holiness. Unfortunately, these men could not recognize this, because they falsely put their trust in other mens words. As the Lord says, His people perish for a lack of knowledge. Those who could not recognize Jesus as the True Messiah, cannot turn to Him in order to receive the salvation that they desperately need. As Jesus says Life is found in Him, this is the Eternal Life which men need to receive in order to have their sins washed clean. These compromises on Gods words can be deadly for a human soul. Therefore, if we compromise on the life-saving words of God, then we are compromising on the souls of men. This makes us murderers, and it worse to be a murderer of a soul, than the body, for the soul is who a person is. As the Bible says, if the foundations be destroyed, then what can the righteous do? Adding or diminishing from Gods Word is a serious matter to God, and that is why there is a curse pronounced on those who would do it. I do believe that a person who has done this thing, can still be forgiven of God, if they are honest and turn to Jesus for forgiveness. One of the founders of the NASV(B) Bible named Frank Logsdon has repented of taking part in corrupting Gods Word, and even shares his testimony with others. He is a wonderful example of a person who was faced with the Truth, and then stood for the Truth. Just know that this is not always the case with every translator. Some men feel like they would lose their prestige or even become outcasts from the religious scholarly community, if they were to stand for Gods Word without compromising. Some men believe that by standing for the Truth, they would almost certainly be fired, and lose their source of income. I recall a similar circumstance in the Bible, when certain men who were statue and idol makers by profession fought against the Word of God because they were worried that it would harm their income. Be that as it may, God does not honor those who would compromise on His Truth. Its especially ungodly for a person to compromise on Gods Truth and His Word if they are entrusted as one of His stewards. One of the requirements of a steward is faithfulness to God. If you remember Judas Iscariot, he undervalued Jesus and sold out Jesus for what he thought was beneficial to him, even if it was temporary. Esau basically did the same thing in the Old Testament. He sold the blessings of God, which was his very own birthright for something which was only temporal and of much less value in the long run. Baalam loved the wages of unrighteousness, more than the protection of Gods people. Gods people had His protection and could not be harmed from enemies from the outside, nor could Baalam curse the Sure Foundation. page 3

people who were under the blessings of God. The Bible reveals to us that Baalam did ultimately figure out how to curse them, through using a different tactic. This same tactic, happens to be what the Roman Catholic church has used, and even many protestant preachers and teachers today, knowingly or unknowingly. As Joshua states to the people, they cannot serve the Lord and also worship idols, for He is a Holy and jealous God, that will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins, if they forsook Him to serve strange gods. The Bible reveals that Baalam basically taught the people how to compromise on Gods truth, and thus as an inevitable consequence, the Lord removes His protection over His people. Now youre probably wondering what this has to do with many modern protestant churches today and the Roman Catholic church. If youve ever been told that the Roman Catholic church was the first church or the one true church that God founded, this is simply not the truth. The first Christians were Jews and they were first called Christians at Antioch at about 35 or 36 AD. Three-hundred years had passed before Catholicism had come onto the scene. The Bible states clearly, that there were churches in Ephesus, Colossaeetc They operated their churches locally, and were not united to a Roman Catholic institution. There were even churches in the homes of people. The early church was being brutally persecuted by the Roman empire. The Roman empire hoped that they could murder off all the followers of Christianity and it would simply cease. However, their plans backfired on them. The more Christians were persecuted, the larger their numbers grew. They simply could not destroy Christianity from the outside. This is where the way of Baalam enters in. As the Bible states, that if the foundations be destroyed, then what can the righteous do? The truth of the Bible sets people free from bondage. If the truth is distorted the gospel is effectively destroyed. The emperor Constantine knew if he could make Christianity into an institution, then he could control it, making the ability to exercise authority over the church much more realistic. More than likely, this was a plan inspired by satan himself. Note that this method has proven very effective for the perversion of the gospel, even to this day. Biblical Christianity was not legalized, but the their brand of Christianity, which was a blending with paganism. Do some research on Mithraism, Semiramis, and Tammuz. God is a jealous God, and will not share His glory with idols, so He will depart. This gives satan the ability to have control, and even to thwart the efforts of Gods people. Bible-believing Christians still existed during the time of the Roman Catholic church. God always preserves a remnant. These were the believers who the Roman Catholic church was angry at for translating Bibles into the languages of the people. Some of these groups who were persecuted, are: the Waldenses (Vaudois), Lollards, Albigensesetc Those religious leaders who were willing to compromise and join the Roman Catholic church, would sometimes be granted positions in the establishment, and they didnt have to worry about persecution. As you can imagine, this seemed like a good deal to some of those worldly Christians. God tells His people to turn to Him for security, and not to the arms of our enemies. If we turn to our enemies for help, then the Lord will give us into their hands. King Solomon unwittingly helped the nation of Israel fall into a downward spiral, with his constant compromising on Gods truth. He may have ultimately gained the wisdom that everything is vanity apart from God, but this was realized too late to bring forth the kind of correction which could salvage the kingdom from its spiritual compromising. Idolatry and compromising always brings a curse upon Gods people. Solomon is supposed to be the wisest ruler who ever lived, and if he is the wisest, then that says something about the human condition. We seem to fall into the way of self-destruction, thinking it was a good choice at the time. Like the Bible says, there is a way that seems right to us, but the end leads to death. God is very serious about us placing our trust in Him alone for salvation. God says those who keep His words, are His disciples indeed, but those who do not keep His words do not have Him. A true disciple and faithful steward obeys his master's commands. We are not to have many masters, but One is our Master, the Lord God Jesus Christ. God's truth is higher than the wisdom and philosophies of mankind, bringing pure knowledge and understanding even to the simple. Will we put our faith in the true Head of the church, who is Jesus Christ, or will we substitute Him for someone whose words and teachings cannot save us? God has not appointed any person to lord themselves over the flock, and especially not over His Word. If anyone claims that they are faithful followers of Him, then they must Sure Foundation. page 4

submit to His authority. Gods Word is sufficient in the revelation of His Truth, and if we are exalting Him we will treat His Word higher than the finest gold. If our love is true for Him, then we will keep His words. We will not compromise and agree with falsehood. For when we do that, we are insinuating that God is a liar, and untruthful. Whoever believes that God is untruthful, is confessing that they do not know Him - because God is the Truth. That is His nature. Since every word which proceeds out of the mouth of God is Truthful, then He is always trustworthy. What alignment does the King of kings have with the devil, or what agreement does Truth have with a lie? Nothing. The true follower or disciple, is the person who faithfully obeys his masters teachings. As stewards over the words of God, which [are] pure words, [as] silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times - we should safeguard that which is entrusted unto us. The Truth revealed in Gods Word brings life, and if we trade that we are compromising with the way which leads to death - and they gospel is betrayed. If you do some research about the identity of the Great whore or harlot as described in the Bible, you will notice that her identity matches the Roman Catholic church. This is the church which is drunk with the blood of the martyrs. God tells His people to come out of her, lest you partake in her sins, and receive of her plagues. Note that there are two things being said, when God tells His people to come out of her, He is revealing that there are people who exist in the Roman Catholic church who have their faith rightly placed in Him. However, He also reveals something else, that the Roman Catholic church is not of Him, and those who align themselves with it, will be subject to the wrath of God. God has not forgotten the blood of His martyrs, and they will be required of her, at the appointed time of His wrath. The devil is working hard to unite the souls of men to her through the ecumenical movement, which is basically the counter-reformation back to Rome. Not even Islam has destroyed as many lives. Look up the following victims of the Roman Catholic Church: Spanish Inquisition, Medieval Inquisition, Portuguese Inquisition, Roman Inquisition, papal persecutions, Foxes book of Martyrs, St. Bartholomews Day Massacre, Massacre of the Piedmont, the Crusades.and yes, the Holocaust. Hitler was an occultist and Roman Catholic. Hitler remained a formal member in good-standing with the Roman Catholic Church until his death. Also, look up Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) raised up as a Nazi youth. Seminaries and churches may receive money among other privileges of being attached to her, but ultimately their relationship with this harlot church will be their downfall. Much of the church is completely unaware, like they were sleeping. While Samson was sleeping, the enemy had cut off his source of strength, only to find out he misplaced his trust. Notice that God will not tolerate adultery, not with Baalam and not today. He is the unchanging God, who will not compromise. The Godly unity which Gods faithful believers must seek is the unity in Gods Truth as found in the Biblical Scriptures. The Bible is our instruction manual and supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, traditions, and opinions should be tried. His words are the guardrails for correct doctrine, keeping us pointed in the right direction, to the right object. A sure sign of a cult is that they always try to find a way to bypass the Bible. A cultic group may claim to follow the Bible, yet they will not place the Word of God as their highest and final authority. Some cult groups produce additional material that they place in higher authority above the Word of God, and some will claim that the Bible can only be understood through the context of their additional material. They won't let their people interpret the Bible for themselves by simply reading it. Some changes can be subtle, but ultimately deceptive teaching is anything which contradicts the Word of God. The counterfeits are false authorities. Their rock is not like our Rock. They remove themselves from the foundation of true Christianity. The best way we can protect ourselves from getting involved with cults and false doctrinal teachings, is to read the Bible for ourselves. How will we be able to recognize a truth from a lie, if we dont know what the truth is? God never tells us to blindly follow wolves. The Bible says that if the blind follow the blind, then they will both fall into a ditch. The Bible even warns us that there would be wolves among the flock, if you believe Gods word, then dont be surprised to find out that His words are completely truthful. If we find out that a church we are attending is distorting the truth of Gods words, then we have a responsibility to leave. What is worth trading for your soul, or worth being unfaithful to the God who was pierced and humiliated for your sake? Sure Foundation. page 5

Ultimately know, that God is not the author of confusion, and He is able to help you sort through the mountain of rubbish, that the devil has created, in order to distract you, confuse you, weary you, lead you in the wrong direction, and separate you from having a relationship with God. God says He can use even a small amount of faith to move that mountain. I once had many questions, and at one point had allowed myself to be offended over a verse that I misunderstood in the Bible. Years later, I decided to continuously seek the answers to my questions without ceasing, and found that God is always able to lead me to the truth. To be doubtful now, would simply be ridiculous, because God has done so much in my life. God makes the truth available to its seekers. These people are not satisfied with blind faith, but they want their faith to built on the Truth. There are those who do not seek the truth for themselves, and they will not be rewarded with the Truth, but those who hunger and thirst after righteousness will be filled.

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