The fair skinned, long-haired image of jesus is so deeply entrenched in the minds of many that it is very hard to not be affected by it- even when you are certain that this image is a fake representation of Jesus and even when you deliberately seek to rid it from your mind.

In making and worshiping the Golden Calf, the Israelites chose to believe in a god they were comfortable with rather than the fearful, holy God who had recently revealed Himself to them at Mount Sinai.  They wanted to regard God as being with them unconditionally, just like people today and throughout history have.  Therefore, they misrepresented Him horribly so they could feel okay about taking the course they had set their own hearts on.

The concept that Jesus incarnate was a friend (in terms of being a companion) of sinners in their debauchery was actually a false accusation made by His enemies.  You’re not going to actually find this concept in the Bible as anything besides that.

Matthew 11:16-19: “But whereunto shall I liken this generation?  It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows, And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented.  For John (the Baptist) came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil.  The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners.  But wisdom is justified of her children (Jesus’ actual disciples did not remain gluttons, drunkards, swindlers, or persistent sinners in any form).

The fake jesus image has developed over time with much influence from how ancient Pagans portrayed their gods.  And as Romans chapter one speaks about, idolaters make corrupt versions of “God” because they refuse to properly glorify and show gratitude to the true, incorruptible God.  People thus make gods suitable to the desires of their own hearts which conveniently don’t have a problem with the personal autonomy and morally corrupt pursuits which they have chosen for themselves.  The source then of the fake jesus image is evident, and this image is especially wicked since the real Jesus incarnate actually lived and walked on earth as a perfect representation of the true God.

Hebrews 1:1-3a: “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spoke in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power…”

It’s also not hard to see from passages like this that the promotion of the fake jesus image and the denial of the Trinity go hand in hand, though those who do one don’t always intend to do the other.

Since the most popular fake jesus image, and other fake jesus images abound so much in the world, and since these are so influenced by Pagan, degraded concepts of God, there are few people then whose minds they haven’t been affected by Pagan concepts of “God” by the means of fake jesus images.  In the case of those who are at least vaguely familiar with the Bible, it is likely that men like Noah, Moses, Daniel, other holy men of the Old Testament, and Jesus’ own Apostles conform more to the real Jesus in their minds than Jesus Himself does in their minds (through the corrupt influence of the fake jesus image).  Yet the faithful people of the Bible worshiped and followed the real Jesus.  

Moses breaking the tables of stone as he came down from the mountain and witnessed the idolatry and debauchery related to the Golden Calf must have been a fearful sight.  Yet seeing the One Moses served displaying zeal for His Father’s house must have been a vastly more fearful sight.

John 2:13-17: “And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.  And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.”

The real Jesus, the Son of David, was also the Lord of King David.  Do you think that He, as an unfallen man with a fully sound mind that would have exercised the best possible judgment at all times, would have been a worse military commander than King David or Napoleon or the Duke of Wellington if He had found himself in circumstances where He had the chance to lead in an army in battle for a righteous cause?  Of course not.  And we’ve seen how Jesus was surely no Pacifist like many consider Him to be (and no doubt this is very much through the influence of the fake jesus image).

The real Jesus could possibly have even been delivered from the cross- without even resorting to supernatural help.  He surely had the wisdom of mind and strength of spirit to turn that crowd against the Jewish authorities and cause a circumstance where Pilate would have been afraid of a tumult if they were not rather the ones arrested and crucified.  Yet doing this was not His Father’s will, so He actually exercised His great wisdom and strength of spirit here by not saving Himself from the shame and agony of the cross.  When He returns though, yeah… His enemies are going to get a lot worse than a crucifixion, especially those Jewish leaders and all those who deliberately fought against Him and the spreading of His Gospel.

Even Jesus as a man, even with supernatural intervention from heaven taken out of the equation, was hard to kill, and nearly or altogether impossible to stand before- except that His normal mode of operation was to not intimidate people nor make a scene unless that happened to be the outcome of doing righteousness according to God’s Law in His particular circumstances.  

Consider the following.

Matthew 7:28-29: “And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.”

Luke 4:28-31: “And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.  But he passing through the midst of them went his way, And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days.”

John 7:44-46: “And some of them would have taken him; but no man laid hands on him.  Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said unto them, Why have ye not brought him?  The officers answered, Never man spoke like this man.”

Yet Jesus normally exercised His strength of spirit in other ways which did not attract people’s admiration or attention.  People who persistently scream while they preach and/or are constantly involved in unnecessary confrontation, claiming that they are imitating Jesus, are frauds (or at least extremely undiscerning and immature).  Jesus also understood much better than anyone else that violence, great assertiveness, and/or doing things which might cause a scene can easily be sinful actions which stem from the flesh.  James and John hadn’t fully learned this lesson when they considered calling down fire on the villages of Samaria which wouldn’t allow Jesus to preach in them in Luke chapter nine.  It wasn’t appropriate in this circumstance like it was for Elijah to do in his circumstances.  

But don’t think that Jesus was a Pacifist or that his mind towards sin was, or is, ever in any way separated from the precedents God showed in Scripture when He judged sinners with extreme severity.  The fake jesus gives the impression that he wouldn’t deliver the Jews from the Romans because he couldn’t do so; or because he doesn’t like violence.  The real Jesus could have done so, and has no problem being violent consistent with God’s Law– yet He did not come to appease the pride of the Jews and make them happy.  He came for another reason.  And besides that, the Jews were so wicked themselves in His time that siding with them against the Romans would not have been any more appropriate than it would have been for God to fight for the Jews against the Philistines in Eli’s time or to deliver the Jews from the Babylonians when the Babylonians took the Jews into captivity.  

(And by the way, where does this put the Zionists who support the Christ-rejecting nation of Israel’s claim to the land they occupy now?  Israel’s god now is Satan.  The Israeli flag and God’s own verdict concerning Jerusalem, in its rejection of Christ given in Revelation 11:8, where Jerusalem is called Sodom and Egypt spiritually, prove this.  Zionists truly then are supporting a satanic enterprise and need to repent).  

In addition to the popular jesus image which so greatly affects modern western culture, many cultures around the world have sought to make Jesus like themselves.  Yet I suppose at least culture doesn’t typically do this, ironically, the only one that can rightfully claim that Jesus would have looked like them- the Jews.  Many of course promote a black jesus.  Yet this is very likely not accurate either.  And even if it were accurate, the real Jesus doesn’t show partiality to people based on skin color.  You’re only in His grace if you in truth heed the instructions of His Word and regard no sin in your heart.  He’s not going to give you a free pass if your skin color matches His skin color when He was on earth.  Nor will He turn you away and refuse His favor to you if you fear Him from your heart and work righteousness before Him in truth.

There is nothing in the Bible describing the specifics of Jesus’ appearance as a man on earth., except that the soldiers needed Judas to point Him out at night among the crowd that He was among which consisted of His disciples.  You can easily find good accurate articles from secular scholars dealing with how the real Jesus likely appeared in the flesh.  When you think of Him on earth, attach His character to a plain first century Jewish man.  He would have looked like a first century Jewish Galilean.  More than anything, don’t accept a concept of Him, whether as a man on earth or on God’s right hand now, that is not clearly derived from the Bible.  And be sure to let His character when He was on earth as a man be defined from the totality of the Gospels interpreted in light of the rest of the Bible.

Distrust all portraits and images of Jesus (Exodus 20:1-6).  It is evil to portray God according to man’s understanding.

The Shroud of Turin is unreliable.  It seems it was not even known before the 1350s in Europe (when things like relics were very popular and forgeries were abounding).  

God’s clear verdict concerning the death penalty is stated in Genesis 9:6: “Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.”  

We see right here that human life is especially precious because man is made in God’s image.  We also see that to take a life at one’s own accord is murder.  And we see as well that to kill the one justly convicted of murder is not murder.  It is actually just and righteous.  Not all killings are murder then.  When a person is convicted of a crime worthy of death, like murder, through a fair trial under an impartial jury, it is not murder to then kill him.  Killings resulting from a righteous judicial process, and the killings of those who are evidently in the process of doing harm to others which cannot be stopped except through potentially deadly force, are not murder.  In the Ten Commandments when God says “Thou shalt not kill”, it is a reference to murder.  The versions of the Bible which say “thou shalt not kill” would have been more accurate to say “thou shalt not murder.”  God had already established in Genesis 9:6 that He requires that man shed the blood of those who shed man’s blood.  Since all life belongs to God, and since God is totally just and righteous, God cannot unjustly take away life by killing someone or by commanding someone to be killed on terms He has laid out regarding execution. 

We’ve done a previous study on how Jesus didn’t eliminate God’s judgment.  That in itself is a concept which is obvious.  This concept must be upheld and emphasized by anyone who would teach God’s Word faithfully.  So it is no mystery then that in the New Covenant era God upholds the death penalty and speaks of it as a God-ordained function of secular governments.  Even though Israel would not be the nation where God’s worship is centered going forward, and would not be the instrument of the demonstration of His religious economy anymore, and even though there should be a separation of church and state now that didn’t exist in Israel when God’s worship was centered there, it would remain a duty of secular governments to carry out the death penalty on criminals who destroy others’ lives and breed utter chaos and mayhem in society.

Romans 13:1-6 says: “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers.  For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.  Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.  For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil.  Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power?  do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good.  But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.  Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake (i.e. you should be subject to the Government not just because the Government will punish you if you’re not, but also because you resist God and He will punish you Himself if you violate the laws of the Government which are not in conflict with His laws).  For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing (i.e. on being a revenger to execute wrath upon him that does evil).”

Secular governments may fail very badly here and they may even punish people for very bad reasons.  Yet that in no way changes the things that they are accountable before God to do.  And the fact they might, and often do, greatly fail in doing their God-ordained duties like they ought to means that to be a faithful Christian one must strive to influence the government in whatever way that they lawfully can to act according to its God-ordained mandate, they must of course also pray for those in authority accordingly (see 1 Timothy 2:1-4), and they must certainly be in agreement about what the Government OUGHT to be doing.  A person is at enmity with God and surely needs to repent if they contend with God’s verdict about what the God-ordained functions of the Government are and about what the Government ought to be doing.

Gallio, the Governor or Proconsul of the Roman Province of Achaia, is proof that even a heathen can see that there is a well defined line between matters which should be prosecuted by the State and matters which should be dealt with in the church or privately somehow without government intervention.  We see Gallio’s wisdom about this demonstrated in Acts chapter 18 (when Paul was falsely accused of the Jews in Corinth).

Acts 18:12-16: “And when Gallio was the deputy of Achaia, the Jews made insurrection with one accord against Paul, and brought him to the judgment seat, Saying, This fellow persuadeth men to worship God contrary to the law.  And when Paul was now about to open his mouth, Gallio said unto the Jews, If it were a matter of wrong or wicked lewdness, O ye Jews, reason would that I should bear with you: But if it be a question of words and names, and of your law, look ye to it; for I will be no judge of such matters. And he drove them from the judgment seat.”

By a matter of wrong or wicked lewdness Gallio obviously means, and the Greek words used in the passage indicate this, that if the Jews were taking Paul before the judgment seat over a criminal action or over unscrupulous, villainous behavior before society which Gallio had the authority in his office to do something about, it would be reasonable to bring Paul before him over such a matter.  Yet if it’s a matter of words and names (like whether Jesus is the Messiah and ought to be worshiped and believed in as such) then that is a matter which Gallio rightly discerned was out of his jurisdiction as a secular ruler.

It is only logical to conclude that those who oppose the death penalty contend with God’s severity towards sin and have contention with His Government.  They would dethrone God if they had the power to do so.  There are plenty of ways a person can have contention with God and practically seek to dethrone Him, even if they do support the death penalty.  But we’re dealing here with the death penalty; and it’s possible that what is about to be said applies to many who support the death penalty too (in other ways).  

Mankind in general wants God to lighten up on His demands and wants to believe that the consequences of living in sin will not really be that bad.  This fits right in with opposition to the death penalty.  And law and order being properly carried out, and especially the death penalty being properly carried out, preview the horror of the wicked on Judgment Day when the concept that God’s demands and threats in Scripture weren’t really what they appeared to be, when taken at face value, is proven to be a vain and damnable lie.  

A convicted criminal screaming and/or crying as he is led off to face the sentence which his deeds have made proper for him tells everyone else that you will indeed actually reap what you sow.  And to those who take heed like they ought to, the message is sent that God does not lighten up on His righteous demands to accommodate man; and that the consequences of living in sin will surely be drastic and unbearable.  

The Lord Jesus Christ is in truth the hope of mercy and redemption which has been extended to man on the condition that sin be broken off and righteousness in His eyes be wholeheartedly embraced in following the Son unto suffering and whatever loss in this world which this might bring.  Righteousness must be done when it is unpleasant and when it is painful.  And considering our topic, it is worth mentioning here that faithfully doing what is right before God necessarily involves even supporting the execution of loved ones who are guilty of capital offenses.  By the principles of God’s Word it is appropriate to say that you will not even find anyone in heaven who would oppose the death penalty for anyone, including a family member or close friend, when the evidence pointed to their guilt in a capital crime beyond a reasonable doubt.  And anyone whom that sounds foreign or strange to might very well have an ungodly attachment to relatives and friends anyways now which is hindering them right at this very moment from doing what is right before God and being a true disciple (i.e. a true believer) in Jesus Christ.

Matthew 10:37-39: “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.  And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.  He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.”

Luke 14:25-27: “And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.  And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.”

People generally tell themselves that, when it is all said and done, God will spare them from hell though they refuse to suffer for righteousness and rather choose to walk contrary to Him and continue in sin.  Yet God has made it known in His Word that He is not going to spare those who continue in sin and obey not Christ’s Gospel from the eternal fire of hell.  He will rather send them away weeping and wailing into the fire of hell for eternity like the righteous condemnations of criminals in this life is intended to preview.

Luke 13:23-28: “Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved?  And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.  When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets (remember that Jesus is directly speaking to Israelites in the land of Israel here, but that does not negate the principles He is teaching from applying to everyone).  But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity (i.e. sin/lawlessness).  There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.”

Matthew 5:29-30: “And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.  And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.”

That the last passage which was just read is a figurative statement only serves to better prove that a total break from sin is indeed very painful; and we need to not spare ourselves from that or the fire of hell will really be our portion.  

Early on in the Gospel accounts we see Jesus quoting the Old Testament to the devil in resisting the devil’s temptations.  Jesus is reiterating that man indeed needs to read and understand the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament.

Matthew 4:3-4: “And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.  But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”

The New Testament had not even been written at this point.

That was likewise the case when the Gospel came to the Bereans in Acts chapter seventeen.  Many don’t imitate the Bereans at all, yet they still try to say that they are Bereans at heart even while they foolishly don’t seek to understand and interpret the things in the New Testament according to their true foundation in the Old Testament.

Acts 17:10-12: “And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither (there) went into the synagogue of the Jews.  These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily (that is, the Hebrew Scriptures/Old Testament- the only existing Scriptures at the time), whether those things were so.  Therefore many of them believed; also of honorable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few.”

They authentically believed in Jesus after searching the Old Testament Scriptures because Jesus came in fulfillment of the Old Testament Scriptures.  Everything He did and taught in person in His incarnation, and taught through His Apostles, is consistent with the Old Testament Scriptures (and that is including the release of His church from the Mosaic ceremonies- even the time that would happen was spoken of in the Old Testament- and you can see how the Apostles saw that and judged accordingly at their council in Acts chapter 15).  

Jesus would have been a false prophet if He had spoken contrary to the Hebrew Scriptures even the slightest bit.

Isaiah 8:20: “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”

As the Jews who blatantly rejected Jesus claimed (as many still do today) to heed the Hebrew Scriptures but not the New Testament, so many professing Christians today (and throughout church history) claim to heed the New Testament while not heeding the Old Testament.  Both groups are delusional and are testified against continuously by even the group of Scriptures which they claim to revere, receive, and follow.

Many Jews today and throughout history have even considered it as wrong to rebuke another Jew or say that a Jew is lost spiritually or anything along those lines.  Simply reading through the Law and the Prophets of the Hebrew Bible proves their error; and proves that they would have been persecutors of their own Prophets just like their natural and spiritual ancestors were.  It is thus no wonder that the very Prophets of the Hebrew Scriptures, whom the Jews as a people claim to revere and honor, were hated and persecuted by their very own people.  A large part of their witness was exposing the evil deeds of those within the Jewish nation and the wicked concepts which had taken root within it, calling the Jews and the Jewish nation to repentance.

Jesus did not correct the Law of Moses like some erroneously teach.  He rather upheld the Law and taught its true application, vindicating it from the abuses which Israel’s corrupt leaders had done to it.  You can see this clearly prophesied in Malachi chapter 3.  

Those who teach that Jesus taught a standard than the Law of Moses, or teach that He in any way corrected it, are sometimes called Marcionites, since Marcion was a second century heretic who taught that the God of the Old Testament was the devil and that the God of the New Testament is the true God.  Marcion of course had to blatantly write off the vast majority of the Bible to even attempt to say this, but modern Marcionites can seem more credible because they are not as consistent as Marcion.  They will try to contrast Jesus to the Law of Moses sometimes, while still trying to claim that Jesus is the God of Moses and of the faithful men of the Old Testament.  How they try such gymnastics is incredible, yet there are different ways this is attempted.  Those who don’t think logically and don’t look for consistency in those whom they hear teach Scripture can let such inconsistency slide.  It happens a lot not only with this heresy, but also with others.  Jesus is the one who gave the Law to Moses, Jesus is the Word made flesh, and anyone who believes He’d ever speak contrary to the Law of Moses is a Marcionite.  

Marcionism has crept into most churches today in several different ways.  How?  One key example is that if you believe that God stopped being wrathful after Jesus came, or if you believe that God became less wrathful after Jesus came, then you have been greatly influenced by Marcionism.  Such is a blatantly false concept, yet many sympathize with it and are influenced much by it.  

Jesus’ first coming was to fulfill the promises of redemption which were made in the Hebrew Scriptures (what we know now as the Old Testament).  It was those promises which the righteous people in the Old Testament looked forward to and believed in.  Those promises were made based upon the fact that there is coming a day of wrath and judgment on all who are not partakers of that redemption.  That day hasn’t been eliminated.  Jesus Christ’s second coming actually marks that day.  Through Jesus Christ’s first coming we not only have more light on God’s way of salvation and the substance of the unspeakably fearful way that was accomplished through Jesus’ death on the cross and His resurrection, but we also have more light about God’s Judgment and severe punishment which He will bring upon His unrepentant enemies.  In the Gospels Jesus talked frequently about Judgment Day and its horror.  He talked more about the eternal fire of hell for those who continue in sin and obey not His Gospel than all His servants whom He spoke through in the Old Testament combined spoke directly about the fire of hell.  

Many who are essentially Marcionites say things like “Jesus taught us to love our enemies; the Old Testament didn’t do that.”  That is proof (they say) that Jesus took away God’s judgment and all that remains is love.  Yet that Marcionite heresy.  Consider that the Old Testament taught love of enemies too.  And by the way, consider here that the coming judgments in the Book of Revelation are more terrifying than anything God ever did in Old Testament times!  Do you think the wicked being cast into the lake of fire after they are raised to stand before God (Revelation 20:15) will be easier for them to bear than the deaths by the flood in Noah’s time; and the deaths by the fire which devoured Sodom and the cities around it?  

When Jesus taught us to love our enemies, He was speaking on a personal level.  He was clarifying what the Law of Moses already taught about that.

Exodus 23:4-5: “If thou meet thine enemy’s ox or his ass (donkey) going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.  If thou see the ass (donkey) of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him.”

Along the same lines, It was always necessary to resist evil in accordance with one’s jurisdiction in order to be righteous.  It was also never right to go and search out your enemies to retaliate on a personal level.  It was never right to do anything to resist evil in terms of retaliation on a personal level (even a subtle insult or a passive aggressive act of cruelty).   

When Jesus was asked by a Mosaic lawyer how to love His neighbor as himself, Jesus pointed Him back to God’s Law (in Luke 10:25-37).  The point of the story He told there about the Good Samaritan is that we can’t righteously pick and choose whom we love and do good to.  This lawyer thought that Jews were worth his concern and potential assistance, but not gentiles, especially not Samaritans (and many Jewish teachers before, during, and after Jesus’ time have taught likewise).  But the passage from Exodus 23, and other many Scriptures right from the Hebrew Bible, prove that this is a wicked view.  To have partiality like this lawyer had is living in sin as much as a swindler or a fornicator is living in sin.

Like the Dispensationalists then, but perhaps even more so, due to how they actually sometimes believe utterly contrary to the Law of Moses’ precepts, those influenced by Marcionism lose the faithful reference to Christian righteousness established by the Law of Moses.  This practically means that they teach unrighteous things like Pacifism and say that’s the Christian standard when Jesus’ teachings in the Gospels on non-resistance were actually a clarification and a vindication of Moses’ Law.  Jesus proved that the Law of Moses itself forbids vengeance on a personal level.  When Jesus said to turn the other cheek, He was not saying to not have a gun, to not shoot the guy who is trying to kill you, to not be a soldier or a law enforcement officer, to not protect your home from intruders, to not support appropriate judicial punishment for convicted criminals, or anything like that.  

We should understand from the heart that the Bible shouldn’t be interpreted through the norms of modern culture.  Very closely related to that, we should understand that modern culture is highly corrupt and highly corrupted by feminism.  It is only because of feminist influence that the concept of a woman being a Pastor or a woman being President (or Vice-President) is not typically considered very improper and out of order in our time.   1 Timothy 2:11-14: “Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.   But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.  For Adam was first formed, then Eve.  And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.”  It is a violation of Scripture then to sit in a church under a woman Pastor or in a church where there are women in any way exercising spiritual authority over men.  And if that sounds strange to you, then you likely have been too trusting of modern culture, and of culture in general, not sufficiently regarding that the whole world lies in wickedness (1 John 5:19).  The things which the Apostles would not suffer (i.e. not permit) we should not partake of in any way.  When anyone, man or woman, sits under female leadership in a church, they are suffering what the Apostles would not suffer, they are enabling the Jezebel spirit, and they are enabling what God calls disorder.  This is rebellion to God’s design.  This is why Satan especially promotes woman leadership in the church, this is the root of feminism, and this is what Satan is ultimately after in pushing feminism.  This matter is truly a big deal.

Men must embrace authority which God has appointed for them and not back down from that- even unto death if necessary.  Men need to make decisions where they have been put in charge according to God’s order.  They need to hold and enforce Biblical lines- and not back down from doing so for anyone or anything.  Consider how improper it would be for a Pastor to let a stranger come into his church and just take over teaching.  That would not be a faithful shepherd.  Consider how improper it would be for a father to let a stranger come into his home, sleep in his bed with his wife, and act like he were the father of his children.  We’d know he was majorly effeminate and a coward.  And yet the man could not be much better who lets a woman, whether that be his wife or another woman, manipulate and/or contradict how he governs and guides his home or his church!  

No parent in their right mind would allow an older child or young adult offspring to remain in their home when they were so disobedient and misbehaving that they were an affront to the parent’s authority and a corrupting influence on any other children in the home.  They can’t righteously remain in the home and partake of the privileges of being in the home, nor be righteously eligible for an inheritance from their parents, while they defy their father and/or mother and corrupt the home.  Even the Prodigal son waited until after he had received his inheritance and left the father’s house before he did the corrupt things that he did.  He also knew that such things wouldn’t be tolerated in the home and had to be put away for him to be able to return to his father’s house (his father was a godly man who kept law and order in his home and didn’t tolerate evil under his watch).

It cannot be significantly different with a spouse who is living in an extremely ungodly way.  When a wife disobeys her husband, lies, won’t dress modestly (not to mention if she is committing adultery), if she insists on aborting any children she conceives, etc. then her husband is enabling such behavior by remaining with her.  She is also teaching any children who are already in the home to practice evil by her bad example.  The husband keeping her with him in the home is practically teaching the children the false grace which the Bible warns about.  

Likewise, a woman who is adequately concerned about not being complicit with evil, and adequately concerned about any children she has being taught in God’s ways can’t put up with it for too long if her husband is being abusive, is being perverted, is habitually losing his temper, using foul language, and/or is insisting on her aborting any children she yet conceives, etc.  

Separation for a time is warranted to show the offending spouse that the other means business, but that separation can’t last forever either.  A time comes where further patience demonstrated becomes excessive to the point of mockery; and the separation must be finalized by a divorce if the offending spouse will not apologize and change.  The sinning spouse must leave or be left.  

Jezebel needs to be stood against, told a firm no, and then have her rage, threats, and false accusation ignored- or if not possible, dealt with appropriately and swiftly.  And there is an all-powerful God in heaven whose eyes are upon the righteous and His ears are open to their prayers.  But make sure you’re on His side and have clean hands and a pure heart before Him.

2 John 9-11: “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.  If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.”

2 John Verse 9: This goes back to verses five to seven.  Only such a person has both the Father and the Son.  Those who deny that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah and the Son of God are included along with all whose thoughts and manner of life are at odds with the truth of his Word.  John is particularly dealing with those who teach in His name and those who profess to know Him.

2 John verse 10: If you are intent on walking in the narrow way to life in Jesus Christ (walking in the truth of His Word), such are coming to you in one way or another.  Be sure of that.  Don’t sit under their teaching.  Use discernment, and when you discern that they transgress and abide not in the doctrine of Christ, don’t sit under their teaching nor even bless them in any way which implies you are in spiritual fellowship with them or that you support their ministry.  This is not saying you can’t have a deluded teacher in your home who is in critical need and they need to enter your house to get the care they need.  And it’s not saying that one who is willing to reason with you (if you are the head of the home) can’t enter your home in your hopes of showing them their error and bringing them to repentance.  But it is saying not to expose your family to their teaching, not to sit under their teaching, and not to suffer their teaching in your church (and to protest and not go along with it if the leaders of your church suffer such to teach in your church- and this would include heretical books that they’re having the church read also).

2 John verse 11: Partaker here is a form of the word commonly used for spiritual fellowship.  He is a sharer in his activity which is contrary to the cause of the real Jesus Christ.  He will thus partake of his punishment for his deceit of souls.  This is no game.  This is no laughing matter.  This is no secondary matter (though the deceiver may claim that it is).  

Malachi 2:17: This surely describes most church leaders today to some significant degree as they give themselves and those in their congregations false security of God’s pleasure and salvation as they live in sin and aren’t careful to walk in the light of God’s Word.

Proverbs 28:4 says: “They that forsake the law praise the wicked: but such as keep the law contend with them.”

Proverbs 17:15 says: “ He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the Lord.”

And yet, the God of Judgment is coming.  

We see in the coming verses that the Messiah Himself is that God of Judgment and that His coming will not be pleasant as He rebukes, and purifies those which endure that rebuke, according to God’s law.

Malachi 3:5 :Don’t interpret Jesus in the Gospels contrary to God’s Law then.  And Jesus Himself warned not to do this right off the bat in His public ministry at several places in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapters five to seven (the very words of His from the Gospel accounts which are the most abused and put in opposition to God’s Law by the unlearned and unstable).

Malachi 3:6: God’s character doesn’t change, His morality therefore does not change, and He has never become more or less merciful.  God’s description of Himself to Moses describes Him yesterday, today, and forever.  If God were not long-suffering, God would have finished with Israel long ago at this point in Malachi.  And yet that patience did not last perpetually- and the judgment that came has affected their children.  The same is true overall regarding God’s general dealings with mankind.

Exodus 34:5-7: “And the Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with him (Moses) there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord.  And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,  Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.”

We read about the wrath of the Lamb being poured out upon the wicked world at the end of time (and He has given previews of His wrath being poured out already, within the Bible and without- like with the Jewish nation in AD 70).  

Revelation 6:14-16: “And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.  And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.”

These people in utter terror of the Lamb might have found His mercy and been spared from this terror if they had adopted the right priorities, esteemed Him properly, and been willing to suffer to follow His Word in this short life.  He died to deliver them from condemnation, but now He has rather pronounced a verdict of condemnation upon them.  They wouldn’t come to Him on the terms He set forth when He was gathering His harvest.  Jeremiah 8:20: “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.”

Through the atoning blood which Jesus shed on the cross and His unchanging Priesthood, whereby He is able to save those who come to God by Him from the guilt and power of sin, He offers grace and peace- which we obtain from Him only if we put away our sin and submit ourselves to the sharp judgments of His Word.  Sin must be put away and self must be dealt with through the sword of the Word- severely!  Otherwise, His controversy remains.  His sword still hangs over those who are not accordingly walking in His covenant of peace.

Job 19:29: “Be ye afraid of the sword: for wrath bringeth the punishments of the sword, that ye may know there is a judgment.”

The following from Romans 13 is speaking of criminals in an earthly sense being punished by Government authority acting in its proper God-ordained place, but how much more does it apply to sinners before God?

Romans 13:4: “For he is the minister of God to thee for good.  But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.”

Revelation 19:15 (speaking of Jesus when He returns, the very One who commissioned Jehu through one of His servants, to slay Jezebel and destroy the house of Ahab): “And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.”

And yet, Satan always has his servants who offer people peace without dealing with their sin properly before God and delivering it to the sword of judgment that is His righteous Word.

Jeremiah 23:9-24: “Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the Lord, and because of the words of his holiness.  For the land is full of adulterers; for because of swearing the land mourneth; the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up, and their course is evil, and their force is not right.  For both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith the Lord.  Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring evil upon them, even the year of their visitation, saith the Lord.  And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied in Baal, and caused my people Israel to err.  I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness; they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah (and now many false pastors and teachers even tolerate, and some even openly celebrate, the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah).  Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land.  Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord.  They say still unto them that despise me, The Lord hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you.  For who hath stood in the counsel of the Lord, and hath perceived and heard his word?  who hath marked his word, and heard it?  Behold, a whirlwind of the Lord is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked.  The anger of the Lord shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly.  I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.  But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.  Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off?  Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him?  saith the Lord.  Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord.”

The flaming sword which God placed to guard the way to the tree life, after He drove Adam and Eve out of the garden for their sin in Genesis chapter three, signifies the horrible death which His Son (the Seed of the woman which God had promised earlier in Genesis 3) would have to die in order to open the way for humans to one day eat of the tree of life; and it also signifies the symbolically bloody death to self and sin which any who would have a part with the Messiah would have to die in identification with Him in order to side against the lies of the serpent (and the world is utterly saturated with the lies of the serpent) and to be delivered from the ultimate condemnation which the serpent and those who heed his counsel will eventually face.  There is no other way to partake of the redemption which the Prince of Peace purchased on the cross at such a bloody price.  

Jesus thus said in Matthew 10:34: “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.”

It’s especially interesting and pathetic that Pilate did not have Barabbas crucified.  Barabbas was a murderer and a robber; an exceedingly wicked person overall which you would logically think Pilate would be happy to not have to deal with anymore.  Even very wicked people can be very zealous for justice when their own authority has been transgressed in the crime.  If Pilate would not normally have been bothered by crucifying Jesus, a man whom he could tell was innocent, then he would normally be especially happy to crucify Barabbas!  And in the case of Barabbas, it was a situation where execution would have been just and totally appropriate.  This was a case where a man in power could righteously crush someone who opposed him.  Justice demands that murderers be put to death.  God’s own Word says that  He ordained earthly governments to execute wrath upon criminals.  Yet the same idolatry of self-preservation which pushed Pilate to deliver Jesus to be crucified also pushed him to let a murderer go free whom he righteously could have, and should have, executed.

(And by the way, the custom that Pilate released a Jewish criminal at the Passover was not of God.  The fact that the Romans were pressured to have this custom is a reflection of how wicked the Jews had become.  God never intended the celebration of Passover to prevent his command about the death penalty being administered to murderers from being carried out (Genesis 9:6) nor to disrupt law and order being kept in society.  Such unrighteous pressure from the Jews is one of the many examples of them causing God’s name to be blasphemed among the gentiles through their lawless behavior.  It’s also pathetically interesting that I cannot remember any preacher ever saying anything against this evil custom). 

Why do people struggle and struggle with sin and yet never really get free from it?  They are not willing to really die to self and suffer for not giving in and rather doing what they ought to do.  And as long as that is so with an individual, they are candidates to succumb to whatever sin might tempt them in certain circumstances and whatever unrighteousness the world may pressure them towards- especially should that pressure truly threaten what they regard as valuable in their own life. 

Yet the Bible warns in Job 36:20-21: “Desire not the night, when people are cut off in their place.  Take heed, regard not iniquity: for this hast thou chosen rather than affliction.”

A true significance of the Passover celebration is that the Passover Lamb had to be completely eaten, along with bitter herbs.  We must receive everything about Jesus Christ, including His Lordship and the embracing of suffering in coming under His Lordship, in order to be redeemed by His precious blood.  Embracing His Lordship necessarily means hating our life in this world and actually taking the risks which the truth demands we take in order to do what is right before God.

Matthew 16:21-27: “From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.  Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.  But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offense unto me: for thou savorest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.  (Is this an issue of salvation?  Yes!)  For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?  or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?  For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.”

Pilate and Herod’s place, name, comfort, security, etc. were what they ultimately valued- not truth and righteousness.  Otherwise, they would have risked their place, name, comfort, security, etc. and contended with this Satanic mob- to the death if necessary!  Herod and Pilate were Pagans at heart, though Pilate was openly a Pagan while Herod was a Jew outwardly.  And the Jewish leaders who delivered Jesus to be crucified were Pagans at heart too, though they would have raged at being given such a label (and Jesus did essentially give them this label if you actually read the Gospels and consider what Jesus said about them and how He dealt with them).  

John 11:45-48: “Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did (this is right after Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead), believed on him.  But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done.  Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we?  for this man doeth many miracles.  If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation.”

Sympathy for Pilate means you’re compromised and out of line with the truth; likewise with sympathy for Jews who reject Jesus Christ.  

And the same can be said for compromise related to running a church or being a member of a church which, if you were to be honest, you know is compromised.  Like the Jewish leaders, and like Pilate, many professing Christian church leaders will not teach and enforce Biblical righteousness and will not overall lead their church faithfully according to the Word of God, because they value their place over the truth.  They don’t make Biblical adjustments like they need to because they know that if this continues the following which they have accumulated, which is an essential to their valued place in life, will be lost.  Likewise with holding Biblical stances consistently on moral issues.  Don’t join a compromised church then.  Be someone who would follow someone who is leading their church faithfully according to the Word of God without regard for a place and a name for themselves.  Joining a church which you know is compromised is regression and could very well be an attempt to feel justified in not doing the good you know you ought to be doing in other areas of life (because the compromised church doesn’t demand you do so and will accept you “as you are.”)  

It is actually an exceedingly difficult thing to be a Pastor, or to have any sizeable following in spiritual matters, without essentially doing what Pilate did- compromising truth and neglecting to do righteousness in order keep the peace; to avoid a tumult; to not put your own position and/or security on the line.  It is also possible to be guilty of this in any other area of life.  

So, was Pilate really evil for refusing to put his own neck on the line and shed his own blood for truth and righteousness in God’s eyes?  Yes!  And that is what we most need to learn from Pilate and why we need to label his behavior, as it is recorded in the Gospels, the evil way of Pilate.  Related to that, proclaiming oneself guiltless, like Pilate tried to do, doesn’t make one so.  “I did my best not to have any part in this evil.”  Oh, did you really?  “I tried everything I could.”  No, not when you’re caving into pressure not to do what is true and right before God; not when you didn’t really lay your own life down to oppose evil and uphold righteousness.  

And it’s worth mentioning here that there is a false piety which cites patience as an excuse to not do the good one knows to do when what ought to be done is apparent and might indeed be done. 

Jesus Christ’s identity and the nature of His character (He is the Ultimate Authority figure, the second person of the Trinity, who represents in Himself what is true and right; He is a Righteous King who loves righteousness and hates lawlessness) means that there is an inevitable conflict for each of us in the world, a world which is at enmity with Him, which we cannot avoid.  Those who don’t utterly forsake the pleasures of sin and die to self in abandonment to Jesus Christ side with the devil by default.  Following the light of truth leads to Jesus Christ; and receiving Jesus means the abandonment of sin and self to follow Him faithfully.  And this must be done to the end in order to inherit salvation through Him.  No wonder that even most who claim to believe in Him embrace some form of cheap grace which doesn’t really confront them at the heart to properly deal with this conflict.

Again then, pacifism is “the belief that any violence, including war, is unjustifiable under any circumstances, and that all disputes should be settled by peaceful means.”  

Here are some points to help encapsulate the evil of this belief and its practical implementation in one’s stances and choices.

– Pacifism promotes idolatry.  The false “hippie Jesus” which many believe in is intrinsically linked to the lie that Jesus was a pacifist.

– Pacifism vilifies God’s own judgments that He gave through Moses as He gave laws dealing with promoting and maintaining a pure, just, and orderly society- including the basic principle that the death penalty is to be administered by man to murderers (Genesis 9:6).

– Pacifism separates and distinguishes Jesus from the God of the Old Testament.  If Jesus taught pacifism as the pacifist alleges, then who gave the Law through Moses?  If the pacifist is right and also stays consistent, it could not have been Jesus.  (And that would mean most of the Bible should not be heeded!)

– And if the pacifist is right that Jesus taught pacifism, then Jesus was a false prophet whom the Jews were right to seek to stone for leading them away from the Law of God (see Isaiah 8:20).  Jesus would also then be an inconsistent hypocrite since He also taught the people to keep the law and the prophets (Matthew 7:12, Matthew 23:1-3, etc).

– The idea that Jesus taught pacifism would also make Jesus a hypocrite and a sinner in that He used force in driving men and animals out of the temple (John 2:14-17 makes this absolutely clear).

– And if Pacifism is true, then the Apostles were either hypocrites or terribly confused since they baptized soldiers and jailers who bore the sword in serving the State (a Centurion in Acts chapter 10 and a Jailer in Acts chapter 16).  The Apostle Paul also made use of the armed protection of the Roman army in Acts chapter 23.  And if the Apostles were hypocrites or terribly confused, then the New Testament also, which the Apostles were involved in writing the entirety of, is totally unreliable and therefore not the Word of God (including the four Gospels- the Apostles were involved in writing those too).  If pacifism were true, then it would nullify everything in the Bible. 

– Pacifism attacks God-ordained law enforcement as incompatible with Jesus’ kingdom.  This is ultimately an attack on God’s own authority (Romans 13:1-7).

– Pacifism justifies convicted criminals.  The consistent pacifist must say their apprehension and sentence of properly convicted criminals should not have happened, and would not have happened, had those who brought them to justice been faithful Christians.

– Pacifism also endangers the innocent.  Would you want the only person in a position to help you if you were violently attacked to be a pacifist who didn’t believe it was morally right to harm your attacker or use force against him in any way?

– Pacifism also implicitly teaches the antichrist view of mankind, that man is basically good, and that peace can always be attained through things like conversation and mutual understanding.  The judgment the Scriptures give of sinners and the world in general is denied.  No wonder pacifism also is common among Universalists, New-Agers, and others which affirm the inherent goodness of the human race in contrast to God’s declaration in the Scriptures.

And if Jesus was a pacifist God, there would be no need to seek peace with Him.  Yet absolutely nothing could be further from the truth than that.

Revelation 19:11-16: “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.  His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.  And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.  And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.  And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.  And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King Of Kings, And Lord Of Lords.”

Aaron’s email is: [email protected]

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