מה תועלת לאדם אם ירוויח את כל העולם ויפסיד את נפשו
הבל הבלים הכל הבל
Vanity of Vanities all is Vanity
What is the benefit of gaining the world and losing your soul
and Finisher of Our Faith (Click for PDF)
by Dionysis Theodorou, May 2011
Part One
Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens. Hebrews 8:1
This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 6:19,20
Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?"
And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.' "
Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Genesis 3: 1-6
This is the point in time when humans accepted the false religion offered by the devil thereby rejecting a relationship with God.
From the beginning of Biblical history, it is evident that there are individuals and groups of people that have chosen to follow God while others have chosen not to follow God. Some are chosen of God and some are not. To some the door of grace is opened and others' hearts are hardened.
If we follow history from a Biblical perspective, Shem, the son of Noah, is chosen to carry the truth of God's word to the world.
Before that we encounter Abel who was chosen over Cain and Seth who was selected of the children of Adam.
Abraham, who is of Semitic descent (descendant of Shem), is chosen to be the father of all nations and from Abraham is born Isaac and Ishmael, the forefathers of the people of Israel and of the Arabic nations and Islam.
Isaac fathers Esau and Jacob, and Jacob is chosen to carry the covenant promise: Jacob receives the birthright.
Jacob is the father of the twelve patriarchs which are the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Gad, Dan, Naphtali, Asher, Issachar, Zebulon, Joseph and Benjamin.
Levi is chosen for the priesthood: Aaron the first priest was a descendant of Levi; Judah is the forefather of kings: David is a descendant of Judah and so is King Jesus the Messiah.
Within the nation of Israel and according to the Bible, the priests derived from Levi and the Messiah derived from Judah.
Part Two
Once Jesus was sacrificed, the veil of the temple was torn in two thereby ending the era of the priests and therefore ending the reign of the law. When the temple was destroyed the ceremonial duties of the priests were forcefully terminated: There was no alter on which to offer sacrifices for the sins of the people. Eventually, the rabbis replaced the priests. There have been no priests in Judaism since the destruction of the temple in 70 BCE.
Parallel to the Levitical, Aaronic priests depicted in the Bible, we encounter priests of other religions.
These priests did not follow or believe in the God of Israel; they were priests to false gods and taught false religions.
God warned Israel to beware of these false priests and Israel was punished for not heeding his warnings.
These priests were constantly leading Israel away from the one true God. According to the Bible the majority of the population was led astray and only a small remnant remained faithful to the God of Israel.
Elijah desperately calls out to the Lord: And he said, "I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life." 1 Kings 19:14 to which the Lord replied: Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him." 1 Kings 19:18
Isaiah also cries out: Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah. Isaiah 1:9
The Lord Jesus encourages those who love him and believe in him to: Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Luke 12:32 also admonishing to: Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Matthew 7:14
Jesus warns against the religious authorities of his time--the Pharisees, scribes and the Saduccess--by teaching that, except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:20
Jesus is the high priest of the living God. He is the author and finisher of our faith, the prophet spoken of by Moses and the prophets, the seed of King David, the Lion of Judah, the King of the Jews. There is no other way to God for he is the way, the truth and the life and there is no other way to the father but through him. John 14:6
Part Three
There remains then no place for other priests and for any other intermediaries. Any one posing as an intermediary between man and God is usurping the authority and position granted by God to his only son: This is blasphemy in the highest degree for there is no salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Acts 4:12
Notice how Jesus spoke to the religious leaders of his time and how true his words ring today regarding the religious leaders of our time: Notice how Jesus spoke (Matthew chapter 23 sums things up well. I have made notes and highlighted some focal points.)
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
Don't you find that religious leaders focus on the law and on what you should do in order to gain points in heaven? Jesus said that his yoke was easy and his burden light. Matthew 11:30
“Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them ‘Rabbi.’
How true is this of high ranking clergy who won't even have anything to do with the laity and will not eat of commune with commoners. Jesus, who is the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, ate with commoners and kept company with sinners and was judged for this. To this he replied, "I come not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance." Luke 5:32
“But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called ‘teacher,’ for you have one Teacher, the Christ.
The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
Can any humility be found in the pomp of the Roman catholic church and of other major religions? "The greatest among you will be your servant."
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.
These false teachers believe in their false religion and encourage others to join them in believing their false teachings. Their hearts are hardened, their eyes are closed, the ears do not hear and their minds do not understand. As the prophet Isaiah said: "Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed." Isaiah 6:10
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your forefathers!
“You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? Therefore I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. I tell you the truth, all this will come upon this generation.
Remember the bloody Roman Catholic inquisitions, the counter-reformation movement and the crusades. How many Bible-believing, born-again, spirit filled Christians were persecuted, tortured and killed for loving Jesus and not submitting to the authority of the pope in Rome? How many wars have been waged in the name of religion?
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’” Matthew 23
John the baptist called the religious leaders of his time the brood of vipers and Jesus said: You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44
Part Four
How can all religions be right? One might argue that there is a possibility that everyone is wrong and that we simply do no know the truth.
It is impossible to argue that everyone is right though because religions between themselves have such great doctrinal differences that the source would have to be different or the source would willingly give opposing messages so as too set everyone against each other and create war and confusion. Now we know that God is not a God of confusion but a God of order and truth. 1 Corinthians 14:33
Jesus called the religious leaders sons of the devil meaning that the devil created the religious system. The devil is the father of lies and the author of confusion.
Religion therefore, according to Jesus' logic, is a product of the devil and his emissaries are false prophets delivering a false religion and leading people astray and away from the true God.
For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.
No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds. II Corinthians 11:13-15
The pagan origins of Roman Catholicism is no secret. A brief research of history throws light on the imports to Catholicism from pagan religions that preceded it and on the similarities it has with the Roman Sun God religion which it inherited. Roman Catholicism, its mysteries and its priesthood is no different to the pagan religion it replaced in 313 when Constantine's Edict of Milan declared "Christianity" to be the official religion of the empire.
Jesus is the way, the truth and the light. Do not be deceived by the masses. Few are those who find the way.
