SECTION IV

Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness.

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine,

by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

As Christianity evolved from the early church and the creeds of the ecumenical councils to the Reformation period of the 16th century, doctrinal interpretations of the scriptures were adopted forming the basis of the many resultant denominational sects. These doctrines varied primarily in emphasis of belief in the the nature of God and the methods for salvation, i.e., baptism, gace, freewill, confession, Calvin’s "predestination", and Luther’s "justification by faith". However, from the early church organization under Catholicism and the ensuing Protestant movements, to this present time, several key beliefs have formed the basis for all Christian teachings. It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about Catholics, or Protestants, including Methodists, Lutherans, Baptists, Pentecostals, Evangelicals or Fundamentalists, all base their faith on these key tenants of their faith. Such doctrines as The Creation of Man, Original Sin, The Fall of Lucifer, The World Rule of the Antichrist, and the Millennium Reign of Christ are almost universal teachings. These doctrines all derive from the early works of scholars to lay down the precepts of the Bible as creeds of the faith providing structure to their religion. They are primarily the interpretations first declared by the ancient ecumenical councils of the Roman Church.

A brief history of church doctrine may be of some interest. Christianity was largely unorganized and widely persecuted during the first three centuries. After the Emperor Constantine published his edict of toleration for all religions in AD 313, Christianity emerged as the most prevalent and powerful religious movement in the Roman empire. Most emperors became Christians and attempted to associate themselves with the church’s influence in society.

Disagreements in the church caused the emperors to call for what have become known as ecumenical councils. (ecumenical is derived from the Greek word oikoumenos, meaning "household of God.") These were gatherings of church representatives from all parts of the empire. One issue of the councils was the nature of Christ: was he both God and man; was he only a man; was he entirely God but under the appearance of a man? The first, and best-known, of the ecumenical councils was that called by Constantine in 325 and held at Nicaea, known as the Nicene Council. It condemned the viewpoint of a man named Arius, who had declared that Jesus Christ was only a created being who did not exist from eternity and was therefore not coequal with God.

There were six other ecumenical councils that took up similar issues over the next four centuries. They are today recognized as ecumenical councils by both the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches: the First Council of Constantinople, held in 381, the Council of Ephesus (431), the Council of Chalcedon (451), the Second Council of Constantinople (553), the Third Council of Constantinople (680-81), and the Second Council of Nicaea (787). The first four of these councils of the early church—Nicaea, Ephesus, Constantinople, and Chalcedon resulted in the doctrinal statements known as the Athanasian Creed.

Three ancient creeds—the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanaian Creed form the basis from which all church doctrine has been derived. The Roman Church recognizes 14 other councils as ecumenical, those that were called by the pope. The earlier councils had all been called by emperors whose influence gave their decisions the force of law.

Later ecumenical councils recognized by the Roman church are: the Fourth Council of Constantinople (869-70), five Lateran Councils held between 1123 and 1517, the two councils at Lyons (1245 and 1274), the Council of Vienne (1311-12), the Council of Constance (1414-18), the Council of Ferrara-Florence (1438-45), the Council of Trent (1545-63), and two Vatican Councils (1869-70 and 1962-65).

The other predominant influence on Christian doctrine was the Reformation. The Reformation, begun by Martin Luther in Germany in 1517, split Western Christendom permanently. Luther broke with the Catholic church over the critical issue of how mankind attains salvation. His answer was expressed in the doctrine of justification by faith. The Reformation was fiercely resisted by Rome, but it became an established fact by the middle of the 16th century. Faced with the Reformation, the Roman church underwent its own transformation in the Counter-Reformation. It consolidated its theological position in the face of Reformation doctrine. Two decades later Calvin became the second of the great 16th-century reformers. His work and teachings had a profound impact on the development of Christianity. Calvin’s teachings are the basis of the Presbyterian and Reformed churches.

Early in the 16th century a split occurred in the Roman church. Since that time the church in the West has been divided primarily between the Roman Catholic and Protestant segments. "Protestantism", (a term first used in 1529), refers to any denomination that is not affiliated with either the Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox branches. Among the older Protestant denominations are the Lutheran, Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist and Reformed. Of the Protestant denominations, the Baptists are the largest, with 33 percent. The Methodists number 19 percent, Lutherans 12 percent, Presbyterians 7 percent.

In the U.S., of all religions, the Christian religion has the greatest number of adherents. Roman Catholics make up the largest single denomination. Within the Christian religion, nearly 70 percent of the American people are Protestants, 21 percent Roman Catholics, and Jews represent only 2 percent of the populous. There are small percentages of other faiths. More than 7 percent of the American people have no religious affiliation, but about 95 percent of Americans say they believe in God or a universal spirit and about 60 percent say they attend religious services regularly. The following is from a U.S. News and World Report Pollwhich asked, "What is the church or synagogue you or your family attend most often"?

AME (African Methodist Episcopal)	*
Amish	1%
Assemblies of God	1%
Baptist/American	4%
Baptist/Missionary or Independent or Primitive or other	5%
Baptist/Southern	11%
Bible Church	1%
Christian Church	7%
Christian Reformed Church	*
Church of Christ	2%
Church of God	*
Disciples of Christ	*
Episcopalian	2%
Evangelical	*
Friends/Quakers	*
Fundamentalist	*
Eastern/Greek Orthodox	*
Jewish	2%
Lutheran	7%
Mennonite	*
Methodist or United Methodist	8%
Mormon/Latter Day Saints (LDS)	1%
Nazarene	%
Non-denominational	3%
Other Protestant	6%

Pentecostal/Charismatic	2%
Presbyterian or United Presbyterian	4%
Reformed Church in America	*
Roman Catholic	21%
Seventh Day Adventist	*
United Church of Christ	1%
Muslim	*
Buddhist	*
Other	2%
None	9%

It’s interesting to note the diversity of denominational sects within the Christian religion, but why are there so many variations on the world’s most widely accepted religion? The variations of doctrines that resulted in this large number of divisions within a single religion are the consequence of conflicting interpretations of Biblical scriptures. They are the result of political aspirations, academic pursuits, and ethnic biases. The formal organization of the early church, and the subsequent Protestant variation of its creeds, established decrees of doctrinal myths upon which all theology is based. Subsequent theologians based their study on these edicts as truth. The only problem is that these beliefs all evolved from literal translations of the written Word. Until it can be recognized that the Bible is more than a chronological, historical account of Christian history, these myths will continue to be perpetuated.

A key thought being introduced by this book is that the soul existed prior to its manifestation on earth. This is entirely outside the domain of accepted Christian teaching, by any established Christian church. Creation teachings have centered on the use of the words "create, created, creation" with a literal interpretation meaning to form into existence from nothingness. A passage in Isaiah states that God creates evil and darkness. If we are to accept only one meaning of the Greek word for create, Bara’, then God created all evil that exists and evil originated with God. If we understand that to create can mean to reveal, to transform, to birth or to form, then we are free to entertain a new understanding of the concept of creation. Nowhere in the Bible does it literally say we existed in our sin prior to the garden. For that matter, nowhere does it say what shall be after this world ends, in the literal sense of our existence to come. Are we to be as a drop of water, merged into the sea of love; or are we to join ranks with love as individuals, yet somehow as one?

The creation story in the Book of Genesis was never meant to be read literally, anymore than the is the Book of Revelation. The meaning of the story is entirely spiritual and symbolic. Literal renditions that have formed the basis of Christian teachings from the early church to today’s pulpits originated in the mind of man, not the Spirit of God. They are based on myths that have been perpetuated from the Church Fathers to this present day. It is time that these myths be dethroned.

[i.e. The garden of Eden story is a literal account of chronological events in the creation and fall of a man.]

The writing of the Bible was inspired by the Spirit and tells of Spiritual things. It is spiritually-discerned. Why then do all who read it including the Biblical scholars insist on reading it literally as though it is just an historical account? The story of creation given in Genesis tells of God’s salvation plan, the same story written throughout the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.

The garden of Eden is a spiritual place. It’s the place inside each of us. It applies to each of us in the here and now. Jesus Christ is the Word of God and He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His Word applies universally to all of us in the life we are living. The written Word is an expression of God’s unfolding purposes internally within us in the current reality we are experiencing. It’s not about some place on earth way back when, it’s a place in the spiritual domain of life. The creation story tells of the marriage of our souls to Adam and of the relationship that exists between us and God.

When God created man, what He created was the place of manifesting our souls. The man part of us is called "Adam." The Garden of Eden story is the story of God recreating us. First he created man in His image, and then, after the fall, in His likeness. Eve, the mother of all living, is the souls of us all. She is saved in childbirth; our souls are saved by being born into the image of the Son.

The serpent is the carnal mind, the thought voice of man that deceives us. The serpent deceives the soul into eating of the tree of knowing good and evil, the law; whereupon, becoming like God, we are created in the likeness of God, to know both good and evil. That "no-no" tree is no literal apple tree.

The first myth that must be dispelled is that the garden story is literal and that Adam was just the first man. The spiritual meaning found in the garden story tells of the recreative power of God, and creation is the revelation of the man of sin and the iniquity of our souls. The entire account is an allegory of the plan of salvation at work in each of us.

[i.e. God creates man upon his birth on the earth as a new soul with a sinful nature. Your existence begins at birth. God created your soul.]

What does it mean to be eternal? By its very definition, things eternal exist forever without beginning or ending. If you are headed to eternal life or death, and to be eternal means to exist "without beginning or end," when did you begin to exist? Eternal things do not have beginnings, they just are. They always have been and always will be. It’s just a universal law of existence. All things that are, ARE; all things that are not, ARE NOT. Temporal things begin and end, they are made to be destroyed. Eternal things have no beginning or end. They cannot be destroyed. Even the earth and all the heavens are not eternal. God has said there will be a new heaven and a new earth.

Your soul is eternal and you have always existed. (Know ye not that ye are Gods?) If you always were, then how could you have a beginning? Eternal things don’t "begin", they always were and always shall be. You are called to LIFE eternal. That does not mean you were not already eternal, only that your current state is empty and dead in contrast to the Love of God which is Life eternally. You were found void, without form, without life, dead eternally.

When God yoked Adam to Eve, (our souls), Adam became a living soul because God also gave him His Spirit which is life. Before God created Adam and gave him Eve, you existed, it’s just that you were without life.

I’m sorry but I just don’t believe that God created us in the sense of our concept of creating something from nothing into something eternal. I doubt that even God can make something eternal from something not eternal. And if He did make us the way we’ve all been taught, then there is no choice but to realize that God’s guilty of an inferior work. All of sin and its consequences, all the horrible atrocities and inequities of the world would be the result of what He created by making it that way with its potentials.

Why would God create from nothing, evil beings, only to later destroy them? Doesn’t it make more sense that God didn’t create our souls, but instead is revealing our souls for what they are in the midst of eternity? This is a very deceptive myth that attempts to remove your personal responsibility for your own iniquities. It depersonalizes your sin. Understanding that God didn’t make you the way you are doesn’t take away from his creative powers, his love for us, or his sovereignty. On the contrary, it removes from God the responsibility for sin, all the pain and suffering of the world, and puts it where it belongs.

In the beginning, (the beginning of God’s salvation plan), God peered out over the cosmos and saw us. He saw that we were not one with Him because of the iniquity of our souls. Because He is Love and Love is the greatest power of the universe, He created this realm as a place where He could express His Love and call us to discover Love and become one with Him. It is a place of manifesting all who are not like God, and a place where God offers to recreate us into unity with Love. This life is God’s offer of His Love to us so that we may become Love and have eternal life. In a sense, love is a magnet attracting others unto itself because there is nothing else greater to be in the universe than Love. Love is the only thing that brings unity and life. All else brings separation, loneliness, darkness, and death.

Is it really any less believable that God placed your soul into the reality of this realm at the conception of your physical body, than that each time someone is born on this earth, the union of temporal chemistry creates a new eternal soul? Is it not conceivable that your former knowledge has been temporarily blinded by your union with the mind of man? Is this really less believable than "presto", instant souls by the act of birthing a physical form? Do you really think that birthing a physical body creates an eternal entity?

The second myth that must be dispelled is that God made you the way you are and you only hope to become eternal. Yes, God has created you in the sense of your current state by yoking you to your evil nature and by giving you His Spirit to bring you the life you now live. As a son of man, you are created in the likeness of God and are being formed into His image.

You need to see that you are an eternal being, separate from God because of the inherent flaws of your nature. Don’t be deceived by the snare of bad doctrine. Once you contemplate it, it’s almost too obvious a fact to even dispute. If evil is not of God, then it must exist somewhere in eternity. That somewhere is in your soul, eternally, were it not for the grace and mercy of God, the God of Love.

[i.e. The sinful nature came from Adam rebelling against God. It’s not really our sin, it’s the Devil’s; we just inherited the sinful nature passed down from Satan to Adam to us by our ancestors.]

God does not create evil nor did He create you or your iniquity. This is a key myth that must be exposed for as long as you think your sins are not really your own, you escape the responsibility that must begin with you. You need to be saved from your sins, not because of Adam or the Devil. When you realize that you really are a sinner, then and only then can you begin to seek God in earnest. The Devil would really prefer that you blame him for your sin, that way you’ll never see who the real enemy is— yourself.

Those who say that you inherited your sinful nature from Adam are really saying that God created sin. By virtue of the fact that God created Adam with the ability to sin and as something less than perfect, He must have created all mankind with an inherent ability to sin. If you had no ability to sin and were made perfect then you could not sin. Jesus was perfect and could not sin. Why did God create you as something less than perfect to live in an imperfect world? Despite all that theology about freewill and that God made us with the freewill to choose whether to believe in Him, you are still left with the fact that God’s handiwork was flawed and had the sinful nature. You then must assume that God was sinful and transferred His sin to us so He could recreate Himself. You’d ultimately have to say that in God is sin, since all that we can be, our entire potential came from God. If we were really formed in His image in the sense of being molded from nothing into eternal souls, then all that we are exists in God. The creation story, as we’ve been taught, makes no sense.

God did not create evil in the sense of forming it from nothing. It had to already exist as something apart from Him. Why would He make evil to exist if it didn’t already exist? Well, you say, He didn’t make it, the Devil existed back then and the Devil is responsible for all our sins because he lured Adam and Eve into sinning causing the fall of man. How could the Devil tempt us if we didn’t have the flaw within our souls to be tempted with sin?

We’ve all been taught the first sin was rebelling against God’s law when He told Adam not to eat of the tree of knowing good and evil. Adam rebelled against God out of his freewill and ever since, man has inherited sin from Adam. Well in order for Adam to rebel, it had to be in him to do it. He had to have the capacity to rebel and do the Devil’s bidding. Was God really so dumb as to not know Adam would fall? Of course He knew Adam would fall. If creating Adam meant the beginning of all sin, God would have to be guilty of all the sins of mankind that would follow from Adam.

So we’re given this picture of God and His sons and one of His sons—Satan—rebelled against God. Then God created man on earth and cast Satan there. The first thing God’s creation did was to rebel against God so all the billions of souls to follow will now be under the law of sin and death. All of the pain and suffering on this earth is the result of God’s creation. Not a very good job by God, is it? All us men should blame Adam (or God) for the struggles of our daily toils as the consequence of Adam’s disobedience. And all women should feel likewise when they travail at childbirth and scream for morphine.

If it’s all the Devil’s fault then God’s still guilty because Satan is said to be a son of God. If God’s son was so wicked and evil and the source of all the sins of man, didn’t that sin ultimately come from God through His son? And if so, isn’t the responsibility for sin right back with God? If God cast Satan to the earth didn’t God introduce sin on the earth and thereby create all of the mess we’re in now? Why did He create man on the earth and then tempt man with the Devil knowing that man would fall and need salvation?

The only way to escape the idea that sin originated from God is to realize it originates in us. You did not inherit sin from God, the Devil or Adam. Adam was made as a place for the iniquity of your souls to die. Adam pays the price of death so that you may live life eternal. Adam dies the death of every man. Adam is the man part of you that can die. Adam is the fall guy.

So God did indeed create the Devil. But He did not create sin. Sin already existed in us. The Devil was God’s handiwork created for His purposes. God’s purpose is to destroy your iniquity through death. And the Devil in each of us is the one who gets to do the dying. In the end, the Devil and all those souls who choose the ways of the Devil over God’s plan of redemption are cast into the lake of fire. The Devil and his angels represents all who die not having fulfilled the purpose of love within their life.

The third myth is that sin belongs to Adam and that you didn’t exist before being born here where you inherited sin from Adam who was deceived by the Devil.

This myth deceives you into thinking you’re really OK, except that because of Adam you have the sin nature that is not really part of you. All you need to do is believe God exists and He sent His Son to die for that sinful nature, and you’ll be saved. God did not create Adam with sin so that He would have to send Jesus to die for Adam. God created Adam so that the sacrifice of the cross could redeem we who are lost. Adam gets to be the sacrificial goat. You did not inherit your sins, they are yours quite naturally. There is no other to blame for your condition. You can only escape your iniquity by choosing God’s plan of salvation. The responsibility is yours and the hope for life eternal is freely given by one who knows no sin.

[i.e God’s purpose is really all about defeating the Devil. It’s a cosmic war between Satan and God for our souls, even though we know who wins in the end.]

All the arguments about sin coming from the Devil and being inherited by all mankind because of Adam being tricked by the Devil end up blaming the Devil or God for your sin. It’s not really your sin, because after all, you inherited this sinful nature up through your ancestors back to Adam and then to the Devil. If there was no Devil then there would be no sin and what we’re really talking about is this giant cosmic battleground between God and Satan. Of course we all know who wins in the end and all we have to do is to believe in God and He’ll save us too. Just join ranks with the winner and you win too! Such foolishness has endured nearly two centuries. It’s time we understood the truth.

There is no great cosmic battle in the heavens. God is not warring with the Devil. He’s warring with the iniquity of your soul. Yes, God defeated the Devil at the cross. But what he defeated was the captivity of your soul to your own iniquity. By defeating the Devil at Calvary, God made a way for you to transfer your iniquity to the Devil where it can die so you can live. The Devil is nothing more than a tool God uses to separate you from your iniquity. Satan really is not deserving of all the accolades of his mighty power. God created him to serve His purposes. Satan has no more power within you than you give Him. He sits in the temple of God showing that he is God. And yes, he wars with your soul to continue as God of your life. But he is no God. He shall die the death of every man.

God created Satan so He could cleanse you of your iniquity if you so choose. You are not standing on the sidelines, a victim of this cosmic war. You are the cause of the battle for your soul, and to you is the promise of the victory over sin. To he that overcometh are the promises given. What you must overcome is yourself.

[i.e. The Devil goes about to and fro amongst the people. He is a fearsome, Godlike entity exerting demonic powers over mankind.]

The Devil is not somewhere out there prowling about seeking whom he may deceive. The Devil is the spirit of man. That is, he is a spirit who is given life temporarily by the souls of us all. When you are thinking within your mind, who is talking and who is listening? That thought voice that you so closely identify with is not you. You are the one who listens to the voice and that is by the awareness of your soul, the eternal part of you. You are caught between two opposing spirits, the spirit of man, and the Spirit of God. That "spirit of man" and the Devil are one and the same.

In fact, carnal mind, son of man, son of perdition, natural man, Antichrist, "the flesh", spirit of man, serpent, dragon, Satan, the Devil and yes, even Adam, all refer to the same beast. That beast is within you manifesting the iniquity of your soul.

When you set about committing sin, you don’t have to conjure up the evil one. Your wicked thoughts are right there ready to lead you into deception. Have you ever really been tempted by some spirit floating around the room? Of course not. Anytime you do something wrong for the wrong reasons you do it quite naturally by first conceiving it in you mind . . . your carnal mind. If you want to see the Devil, just look in the mirror. Don’t be looking for some pitched-forked creature to come sneaking up on you.

Ever wonder why you are more easily tempted by certain kinds of sin? First you must see that all sin is not your sin. That is, not all sin is part of the nature of your soul. You are tempted by the things that are in your heart to do by your inherent nature. Your unique sin is manifested by the light of Love and carried out in the flesh. In other words, the Devil carries out your desires. It’s God’s job to reveal these to you and to show you a better way. That better way is always revealed in Love. If the desire of your heart changes, that desire no longer belongs to you but to the Devil. This is the true meaning of being born again, of being recreated. Once your sin is transferred to the Devil, it can now die. You are raised in newness of life.

[i.e. Acting right makes you a Christian. Righteousness is not doing what is wrong and doing only right things so as to appear Godly. Christians are doing what is right and are therefore special in the eyes of God.]

When discerning sin, remember, it’s not what you do that counts, it’s why you do it. No thing or act is by itself sinful. What makes anything sinful is the motive of your heart, or why you do what you do. You can do the right thing for the wrong reasons, and the wrong thing for the right reasons. That means no deed or act or thing is of itself sinful. You can never be obedient to God by attempting to obey the "Thou Shall Not’s". You cannot keep yourself in the faith by doing the "do do’s" or by not doing the "don’t do’s". You can only be true to what Love reveals in your heart. You’re not called to obey the law. You’re called to follow Love. You follow Love through the transformation of the desires of your heart by doing what you desire to do, not by not doing what you shouldn’t do. That’s because as long as you desire to do what you know you shouldn’t, it is still there as sin within you. When Love transforms the desires of your heart and you no longer have the desire, you become obedient to Love. Love fulfills the law; against love there is no law.

So many people in the church world are busy condemning people for what they are doing. Their judgment ignores the faithfulness of God to deal with us all at the level of our hearts. That is true for Christians as well as non-Christians, Jews, Moslems or Eskimos. All peoples are being beckoned by the light of God’s love. Christians have no special claim to being righteous. There are none righteous, no not one. Still every church has its standards of behavior that serve to measure the faithfulness of its flock.

It’s not by ethics or the standards of good and bad that we serve righteousness. After all, any such attempts to create a vision of what’s right must be based on the purity of those interpreting and establishing the standard. Even God’s set of ethics, His law, even if we exactly understood it, cannot make us perfect. God is dealing with the iniquity of your soul, not with your flesh. The flesh will never be perfect. The carnal mind is enmity against God. It is not subject to His laws. So God is revealing the desires of your heart, not the deeds of the flesh. And He is faithful and able to bring His healing Spirit to all souls irrespective of ideology. For there is no respect of persons with God.

Christians are supposed to act right and then if they blow it pray for forgiveness. Of course, this is an academic exercise since they are already saved by the "once saved always saved" doctrine.

The whole idea of living as though you are like Christ because you believe in Him is hypocrisy. Prayer is more than your verbal requests for what you know not. Prayer is the expression of your life, the choices you make, and the sincerity of your heart. In order to repent, you must first know what you’re turning from. God reveals your iniquity so you can see it and then turn from it. This act of repenting is a continual process of blowing it, seeing your folly and choosing a better way in Love.

The sixth myth is that by conforming to the law we are saved. The law only condemns us. Love redeems us. We must conform to what Love reveals uniquely to each of us.

[i.e. In the end of the world, the Antichrist will come to the earth and set up his kingdom in the temple and reign over the nations under a one-world government.]

Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy; which temple ye are.

You are the temple, God’s throne. The kingdom of God is within you. So is the kingdom of man. That spirit is the spirit of Antichrist. The only beast that is coming to reign over you is already here reigning over your life, showing that HE is God.

Quit looking for some soon-appearing evil empire ruled by the Antichrist. He’s already here, inside of you, trying to rule your life. The only thing that is anti Christ is the carnal mind. And you have one, so where is the Antichrist?

By the way, you also have the mind of Christ; the mind of Antichrist and the mind of Christ; they are two spirits, two minds, two paths, a two-edged sword.

The seventh myth is that the Antichrist is some man who will appear in the world, "someday". He’s not external to yourself, he’s right there in you.

[i.e. Jesus is coming back in the flesh riding a white horse to set up His kingdom on the earth for a thousand years.]

This doctrine is another example of a literalist interpretation of Revelation. The passages in Revelation Chapter 6 & Chapter 19 are symbolic of Christ’s return to earth the second time. The second coming has already happened on the Day of Pentecost. When God sent His Spirit, the Holy Ghost, on that day, Jesus returned in the flesh. Yes, Jesus the Spirit, and the Holy Ghost are one. And Jesus has already returned in the flesh.

The kingdom of God already reigns on the earth . . . in His people. (The kingdom of God is within you).

There is no need to look for Christ’s soon coming. He’s already here within us. Don’t expect to see Jesus come flying down out of the clouds on some giant white horse. The white horse is symbolic of God’s bride adorned in white leading the charge to battle for the souls of us all.

The eighth myth is that we’re still waiting for Christ’s return in the flesh. He’s already returned the second time and dwells in man.

[i.e. Up and away, all Christian believers are whisked to safety from the coming Great Tribulations on earth leaving crashing train, planes and automobiles.]

This is the most bizarre myth of all, based on pure fantasy. Actually based on the dream of an eccentric churchgoer in England in the 1800’s. This absurd doctrine illustrates how bad doctrine can be promulgated through time by the teachings of men.

It’s supported in scripture in I Thessalonians 4:13-17 and I Corinthians 15:50-56 by literal interpretation with no understanding of the symbolism revealed by the Spirit.

We’re not going anywhere, in the flesh, that is, except to the grave. And we’re all stuck here for the duration. As long as there is an earth, all peoples get to hang around for the exciting climax. Of course there will be an end to the world one day, but all those apocalyptic fairy tales will not occur just because man thinks they should.

This myth has been perpetuated in modern Christian churches to the detriment of all who succumb to its folly. Most argument by the theologians is when it happens, before or after the Tribulation. This doctrine is very devious in that it lulls Christians into thinking they just need to hang around acting and believing right till they get whisked away from all the chaos on earth. Instead of trying to live a real life, these future watchers are continually waiting for the "anytime now" escape hatch to heaven.

The ninth myth is that all good believers will be yanked on outta here if things get too hairy, so act like a good Christian so you’ll be ready. Let’s rupture the rapture and get on with living real lives.

[i.e. Confession of faith saves souls. Go to the altar and get saved. Belief in Jesus Christ confessed by the mouth gets you saved. Salvation is an event, the day you "got saved".]

Salvation is not an event, it’s a process. The only part of you that the Bible ever says gets saved is your soul. Jesus Christ died for the iniquity of your soul and made a way for you to have eternal life. The way He made was for you to accept His Spirit, the Spirit of Love, and be recreated in His image. You are to be buried together with Him and raised in newness of life. What we’re talking about is a lifelong process of faith expressed through your life and the choices you make.

Believing is not a one time act. You don’t confess belief and then go on and live a miserable sinner’s life and never change. And you don’t change in one instant by an intellectual thought or a statement of belief. The devils also believe and tremble, but that didn’t save them. To believe means to respond at the level of your heart through the things you choose as given by the Spirit, continually.

This is probably the greatest myth of all. We’re told to just believe in God and it’s all over because of faith. In actuality, by your faith, if it’s heart felt, it has just begun. Having an intellectual belief in God is reassuring to our finite minds. But it cannot cause us to respond at the depths of our heart to the calling of the Spirit. It won’t change our desire or our motives. Only a sincere desire within our soul can do that by the grace of God’s Spirit. At the level of our heart is where faith operates and where the Living Word immerses us.

Salvation is the end of a lifelong process of letting God reveal the blemishes of your soul and cleanse you. Faith is evidenced by experiencing the Love of God in your heart. Having faith is the evidence of your soul transformation to the end of your hope . . . salvation.

If you see that your soul needs changing to become one with Love; if you assume the responsibility that you are not like God though His Love is beckoning you to join Him; if you choose His better ways within your heart, you receive His grace and save your soul from its former state. His grace is ever-present enabling you to find that which He freely gives by the grace which is provided by His Love. Accepting God’s grace takes place within your heart . . . not through your intellectual beliefs, thank God. God’s grace is sufficient to bring what you hope for and to enable you to receive it as His free gift. It is the gift of God.

God doesn’t wave His magic wand and make you perfect just because you believe He exists or because He wanted you to get saved badly enough to send His Son to die for you. He does honor your faith in believing Him by the works of your life. And His grace is continually at work to help you find Him. He made the way because He is Love. His Love is at work within you to transform you. You only need to have faith by the expression of what you do with your life.

The tenth myth is that intellectual belief in God saves you. Your beliefs don’t save you, the choices of your heart do by your faith expressed by and through the power of God’s Spirit of Love.

[ i.e. The world is ungodly; have no fellowship with darkness; only Christians have the truth, and only they are saved. If you believe in God and another doesn’t, then you should "witness" to them, but don’t associate with them; you got the truth and they are sinners.]

A common myth of the Church today is that they hold the truth and all others who don’t believe like them are in darkness. All non-believers are part of the "world" and the worldly elements are to be avoided lest they corrupt your faith. This is hypocrisy. What makes these select of the elect so self-righteous? Their state is no better than those they scorn.

We are all being called by the Spirit of God. All peoples, all races, all religions, all believers and non-believers. Just because a person professes not to believe in God, does not mean, necessarily, that the person is not responding to God’s Spirit and becoming part of His Church. Why does everybody insist on judging after intellectual ideology of men? Is a professed believer necessarily saved? Is a professed non-believer necessarily unsaved? Who’s to judge save God in the end?

By cutting themselves off from most people around them except to preach at them, these "Christians" refuse to live real lives with real people. How are they to "let their light shine" if they hide it to the heathen by not sharing themselves in real ways to other people? They spend their lives only with other "righteous" ones reading the Bible which they don’t understand, praying to a God they don’t know, and being told myths they’re only too eager to adopt as reality. It’s not that God isn’t still dealing with these people or that they aren’t necessarily on the path to salvation. It’s just that their foolish beliefs serve no useful purpose either in their quest to find God or to the edifying of those around them.

People need to get real with people. They need to live real lives and stop cutting themselves off from life. They need to stop hiding behind tradition and ceremony for the reassurance of their salvation. It’s my opinion that there are more people following God’s Spirit in the "world" then in the churches. That’s not to say that there’s no good to be found in the Church, only that there are many striving to obtain the promises of God who are not warming the pews each Sunday. And church attendance has never been a requisite to salvation.

Until the Church gets rid of the myths that deceive so many, it’s going to fall short of that for which it has been called. The Church needs to be a beacon of love. It needs to provide answers to the problems of people’s lives. It needs to teach about real life and living by the Spirit of Love. It needs to be impartial, and humble and recognize it is seeking the same prize as we all.

The eleventh myth is that only professed Christians are "saved" and that they should isolate themselves from "sinners". Faith in the living God is not your professed belief system. Salvation is not a confession of beliefs held by a select group. None are righteous and none are above the rest.

[i.e. The Bible is the only source of truth. Read the Bible continually and put the Word in your heart and you’ll automatically be living right.]

The Bible is the greatest book ever written. It was written by men inspired by God’s Holy Spirit. It’s a spiritual book. It’s not meant to be read like a novel. Its inspiration is unsurpassed. It offers comfort to the downtrodden and rest for the weary. It’s a refuge for the soul.

But because all men are carnally-minded, the depths of its message are seldom glimpsed by us. There is only so much that the letter of the words can give us. The Spirit of the writings reveals the mysteries of God. But knowing the truth does not change your heart. Only the living Word can do that. Having a deeper understanding of God’s purposes can be fulfilling at some level, but it will not save you. All must suffer tribulations and trial by fire for the purifying of the soul.

Truth is found all around us and manifested by God’s Spirit in manifold ways. Meaningful understandings are best found in your life by seeing the things God’s showing you each day. The lessons of your life are far more rewarding than your theological treasures. The richness of your relationships, the joys of giving and sharing far transcend your intellectual knowledge. How else could God minister to the blind, deaf, dumb, and illiterate people of this world? It’s just not a requirement that we be intellectual masters of theology in order to be saved or continuing in the faith.

Theology really is folly. You can never know if what you are being taught is true, or even if what you believe to be true is truth. Unless you are driven to know the truth of all things, or are just masochistic, leave the lifelong study of scriptures to the theologians. Don’t believe that cramming your head full of memorized verses, with little or no understanding, will enhance your soul journey. You’ll do far better spending your time developing relationships and living a real life by following what love is revealing to you. The living Word has the power to transform you, not your theology.

The twelfth myth is that you must be a diligent student of the scriptures in order to live right. We are told to be not just hearers of the word, but doers also. Both hearing and doing take place within your heart by the living Word of God.