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Article from GotQuestions.org Although Mormons profess to be Christians and say they believe the Word of God, there are many of their beliefs that contradict Christianity. In fact, Mormonism can be referred to as a cult, which can be defined as “a religious group that denies one or more of the fundamentals of biblical truth.” Mormons say they are Christians, but because they reject foundational truths from God’s Word, they are not. Joseph Smith, who referred to himself as “The Prophet,” founded the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the mid-1800s. He claimed to have seen a vision of God the Father and God the Son, in which they denounced modern Christianity and appointed Smith to reveal and restore “true” Christianity (Articles of Faith, p. 182–185). Three years later, Smith alleged that the angel Moroni told him about some golden plates on which the Book of Mormon was written. In spite of Smith’s questionable background and proclivity toward bending the truth (see The Origin, Rise, and Progress of Mormonism, New York, 1861; and Mormonism Unveiled, Painesville, Ohio, 1834), many believed Smith, and a new “religion” was born. Today, the members of the Mormon Church number in the millions. The Book of Mormon is purported to be a new revelation, one that Mormons say is part of the new covenant to Israel and “another witness” to the truth of the Bible (History of the Church 4:461, 8th Article of Faith). Aside from the many theological conflicts with the Bible and historical and archeological fact, the writing of the Book of Mormon was shrouded in mystery and false claims. For example, Joseph Smith and his associates asserted that one Professor Charles Anthon of Columbia University verified the Egyptian characters on the golden plates. However, this same professor wrote a rebuttal letter soon after, saying that he never did any such thing and had, in fact, found the characters to be a hoax. In addition, many verses in the Mormon scriptures have been changed over the years, as the church leaders attempt to cover up something embarrassing in their past and to defend themselves against criticism (see http://mit.irr.org/changes-latter-day-scripture). These facts alone are enough to cast much doubt on the veracity of the Book of Mormon. One of the many areas in which Mormons fall short of saving faith is their belief that God is merely an exalted man who earned his position by good works (Mormon Doctrine, p. 321; Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 345). This directly contradicts the Bible, which states that God has existed in His position as God of the universe from eternity past (Revelation 1:8; 1 Timothy 1:17; 6:15–16; Psalm 102:24–27). God was never a man (Numbers 23:19; 1 Samuel 15:29; Hosea 11:9) and is the holy and powerful Creator of all things (Genesis 1; Psalm 24:1; Isaiah 37:16). Mormons also believe that they themselves can attain the status of gods in the afterlife through their works here on earth (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 345–354). However, no man can ever become like God (1 Samuel 2:2; Isaiah 43:10–11; 44:6; 45:21–22), despite what the serpent told Eve in the garden (Genesis 3:5). Mormons also believe that Jesus was a god, but not God Himself (Mormon Doctrine, p. 547; Articles of Faith, p. 35; Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 372). It is essential to Christian faith that Jesus is one with God and that He is God’s only begotten Son who became flesh (John 1:1, 14; John 3:16). Only Jesus’ oneness with God would have allowed Him to live a sinless, blameless life (Hebrews 7:26). And only Jesus Christ was able to pay the price for our sins by His death on the cross (Romans 4:25; Acts 4:12). Those who follow the Mormon faith also believe that they can attain heaven through works (Doctrine and Covenants 58:42–43; 2 Nephi 9:23–24; Alma 34:30–35; Articles of Faith, p.92). While they claim faith in Christ, they also rely on following the commandments of the Mormon Church (Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 1, p 188; Mormon Doctrine, p. 670) and practicing good works (2 Nephi 25:23; Alma 11:37) in order to achieve salvation. The Bible is very clear on this point, stating that good works can never earn the way to heaven (Romans 11:6; Ephesians 2:8–9; Titus 3:5) and that faith in Jesus Christ alone is the only way to salvation (John 10:9; 11:25; 14:6; Acts 4:12). Salvation by grace is incompatible with salvation by human works (Romans 11:6). Sadly, many in the Mormon Church are unaware of the religion’s shady past, amended scriptures, and even the full doctrine of their church. Many Mormons who have discovered these things have left the church and come to a true saving faith in Jesus Christ. As Christians, we must treat Mormons with love and understand that they are among those deceived by Satan himself (1 Peter 5:8). Satan’s goal is to distort the truth, produce false assurance of salvation, and extend a deceptive hope of godhood (2 Corinthians 4:4).

One day, the disciples of John the Baptist asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples fast like we do and the Pharisees do?” (Matthew 9:14, NLT). The Lord’s response included this parable: “No one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the old skins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine is stored in new wineskins so that both are preserved” (Matthew 9:17, NLT). Jesus often taught with parables, using illustrations from everyday life to reveal spiritual truths. He did this so people could hear the truth without rejecting it, even if they couldn’t yet grasp the parables’ deeper meaning (see Mark 4:11–12; Luke 8:9–10). Before He introduced the concept of putting new wine in old wineskins, Jesus made a similar point using another familiar analogy: “Who would patch old clothing with new cloth? For the new patch would shrink and rip away from the old cloth, leaving an even bigger tear than before” (Matthew 9:16, NLT). The problem with patching an old, pre-shrunk garment with a new, unshrunk cloth is something most of us can relate to even today. New fabrics that have never been washed or run through a dryer tend to shrink. Mending old clothing with an unshrunk piece of material would cause the new patch to pull away from the old in the wash, ruining the garment. The problem with putting new wine in old wineskins is similar. As wine ages, it ferments, releasing gases that pressurize an airtight container. In Jesus’ day, wineskins were leather pouches used for storing and fermenting wine. A new wineskin’s fresh, supple leather could expand and stretch as the wine fermented. But old leather from a previously used wineskin would have already been stretched to its capacity. Putting new wine into old wineskins would cause the leather to crack, burst, and be ruined. The parables reveal this truth: if we fail to understand that something new is needed, two valuable items—clothing and wineskins—risk ruin. But what does this have to do with the original question about fasting? What deeper message was Jesus conveying through these illustrations? Through the parables, Jesus emphasized that He was doing something new—inaugurating a new covenant relationship between God and His people. John’s disciples were Jews. They were still following the rules of Judaism and living under the obligations of the Old Covenant, with its ceremonial rituals and religious regulations, including fasting on certain days (see Leviticus 16:29–31; 23:32; Luke 18:12). Jesus asked John’s disciples, “Do wedding guests mourn while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast” (Matthew 9:15, NLT). Jesus had come to establish a new era. Now was a time for joy in the presence of the bridegroom. The disciples of Jesus would mourn and fast later. But while He was here among them, they would celebrate the forgiveness, fellowship, freedom, and new direction that His coming had ushered in. In other words, Jesus’ parables said, “Out with the old way of thinking and doing things, and in with the new.” If the Jews did not adjust their rigid religious mindset, they would experience a loss much like that of the ruined garments and wineskins. The problem with putting new wine in old wineskins is that the old skins of the law cannot contain the new wine of the gospel. The Jewish followers of John would have to expand their view of God’s provision of mercy and grace to include Christ’s sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin, not just for Israel but for the whole world (Matthew 26:28; John 1:29; Hebrews 9:23–26; 10:14; 1 Corinthians 11:25). They would need to understand that salvation comes by grace through faith and not works (John 3:16–18; Ephesians 2:5, 8–9); that the need for temple sacrifices had ended (Hebrews 7:26–27; 10:1–18); and that, through the coming of the Holy Spirit, all believers of all races on earth are God’s temple (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19) and His own beloved children (John 1:12; 1 John 3:1). This new reality was tough for the Jews to accept—including those who became Christians after the death and resurrection of Jesus (see Acts 10:1—11:18). Though strict and inflexible as an old wineskin, the Old Covenant of the law was solid, familiar and comforting to the Jews who resisted embracing the New Covenant. But Jesus had no intention of putting a patch on the old garment of Judaism. By ushering in a totally new covenant, Jesus didn’t try to fix up or even throw out the law, but rather to fulfill all of it (Matthew 5:17–18). No mere human can keep the law perfectly as God requires (Matthew 5:20, 48; Exodus 32:33; James 2:10). Only Jesus Christ, the spotless Lamb of God could (and did) perfectly fulfill the law’s requirements (John 8:46; Hebrews 4:15; 10:12). So as comforting as having the law was for Jews, it was a heavy burden that no one could bear (Acts 15:10). The gospel of Jesus—the good news—represents the New Covenant of salvation by grace through faith, not works, obtained for us by the blood of Christ (Jeremiah 31:31–34; Luke 22:20; Hebrews 10:29). John’s disciples were fasting as an act of religious piety. Such actions may have been appropriate under a legalistic, works-based system, but they are no longer needed under the covenant of grace (Romans 3:20–24; 5:20; John 1:16–17; Galatians 2:16; 5:4). Just as we can’t put new wine in old wineskins or patch up old garments with new, unshrunk cloth, we can’t mix the law with grace. The old, lifeless religious rituals are done, and we have a new life of freedom in Jesus. Our faith is ruined if it’s based on dead works instead of on the saving grace of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 9:11–28).

Matthew 6 does not teach that our eternal destiny is based on our forgiving other people; however, it does teach that our relationship with God will be damaged if we refuse to pardon those who have offended us. The Bible is clear that God pardons sin by His grace based on Christ’s work on the cross alone, not on man’s actions. Our right standing before Him is established on one thing only—the finished work of Christ (John 3:16; 1 John 2:2; 1 John 4:10). The penalty for the sin that is rightly ours is paid by Christ, and we obtain it by grace through faith, not by any righteous deeds of our own (Ephesians 2:8-9). No one will be able to stand before God demanding that his sins be forgotten simply because he has forgiven others. Only when we are born again and given a new life through God’s Spirit by faith in Jesus Christ are our sins forgiven. Therefore, Jesus is not referring to God’s initial act of forgiveness (reconciliation) that we experienced when we first believed the Gospel. What He is referring to is the day-to-day cleansing we obtain when we confess our sins in order to restore fellowship with our heavenly Father—the fellowship which is interrupted by the daily tarnishing of sin that affects us all. This is not the wholesale cleansing from sin that comes with salvation by grace through faith, but is more like the foot-washing Jesus describes in John 13:10. The “whole body is clean,” He told the disciples, but their feet were dirty from their walking in the world. Forgiveness in this sense is what God threatens to withhold from Christians who refuse to forgive others. In Matthew 6 Jesus is teaching disciples how to pray and in doing so outlines how we are restored into intimacy with God whenever we have displeased Him. In fact, Jesus instructs us to build into our prayers a request for God to forgive us in the same way that we have forgiven others who have harmed us (Matthew 6:12). If there are those we have not forgiven when we ourselves pray for forgiveness, then practically speaking we are asking God not to restore a right relationship with us after we sin. To emphasize the importance of restoring broken relationships with our brothers and sisters, Jesus states that asking for God’s forgiveness for one’s own sins, all the while withholding forgiveness from someone else, is not only bizarre but hypocritical. We cannot possibly walk with God in true fellowship if we refuse to forgive others. To be sure, an unforgiving spirit is a serious sin and should be confessed to God. If we have unforgiveness in our hearts against someone else, then we are acting in a way that is not pleasing to God, making our prayers and a proper living relationship with Him difficult. God will not hear our prayers unless we also show ourselves ready to grant forgiveness. To quote John Calvin on this verse, “If we are not harder than iron, this exhortation ought to soften us, and render us disposed to forgive offenses” (Commentary on Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Vol. 1). A second biblically plausible interpretation of Matthew 6:14-15 is that it is saying anyone who refuses to forgive others is demonstrating that he has not truly received Christ’s forgiveness himself. Any sin committed against us, no matter how terrible, is trivial in comparison to our sins against God. If God has forgiven us of so much, how could we refuse to forgive others of so "little"? Matthew 6:14-15, according to this view, proclaims that anyone who harbors unforgiveness against others has not truly experienced God’s forgiveness. Both interpretations strongly deny that salvation is dependent on our forgiving others. Whether Matthew 6:14-15 is speaking of "relational forgiveness," or whether it is a declaration that unforgiveness is the mark of an unbeliever, the core truth is the same. We should forgive others because God, through Christ, has forgiven us (Ephesians 4:32). It is wrong for someone who has truly experienced God’s forgiveness to refuse to grant forgiveness to others. Source: GotQuestions.org

By Dr. David Yonggi Cho I want to take you back to a moment—a moment when time stood still. When the veil between earth and eternity grew so thin I could feel the breath of heaven. I died. Yes, I stepped out of this body, and in an instant I was standing in the presence of the King of Glory. And let me tell you, when you come face to face with Jesus, everything changes. There was no fear—only overwhelming love. A love so pure, so radiant, it felt like liquid fire coursing through my spirit. His eyes—oh, those eyes—saw straight through me, past every pretense, every religious act, every half-hearted prayer. Then He spoke—not with words that entered my ears, but with truth that bypassed flesh and bone and went straight to the depths of my soul. “My child, I have something to show you—something about the gift I gave My church: the gift of tongues.” The Holy Spirit’s Gift Revealed I thought I understood speaking in tongues. I had prayed in the Spirit for years, felt the sweet release of heavenly language, the joy of a heart too full for human words. But in that moment, Jesus lifted the veil. What He revealed shattered every small box I had placed this sacred gift in. You see, many of us treat tongues like a spiritual badge—something to prove we’ve been baptized in the Spirit, something to stir up in prayer meetings, something to make us feel holy. But Jesus showed me it is so much more. It is a weapon. It is a key. It is a divine frequency that unlocks realms of power we have barely tapped into. I saw angels move at the sound of Spirit-filled tongues. I saw demons tremble and strongholds crumble. I saw prayers in tongues weave through the heavens like lightning—striking targets on earth with precision no human mind could calculate. Jesus looked at me with holy intensity and said: “This gift is not for show. It is not for pride. It is for war. It is for My glory.” What the Bible Says About Tongues When I returned to my body, nothing was the same. I had seen too much. Oh, child of God, if only you knew what hangs in the balance when you open your mouth and let the Spirit pray through you. The enemy does not fear your opinions, your arguments, or your well-rehearsed sermons—but he flees at the sound of heaven’s language pouring through a surrendered vessel. Scripture declares: “He who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God… in the Spirit he speaks mysteries.” —1 Corinthians 14:2 These are divine strategies—hidden breakthroughs, answers to prayers you haven’t even thought to ask. Romans 8:26 came alive before my eyes: “The Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” Oh, but they can be uttered—through you. Power and Purpose of Spirit-Led Prayer Jesus showed me a great war—not against flesh and blood, but in unseen realms. And there, glistening like a sword forged in heaven itself, was the gift of tongues. Every time a believer opened their mouth in faith, that sword flashed with divine fire—cutting through darkness, breaking chains, releasing angels into battle. I saw prayers uttered in unknown tongues hit their mark with perfect precision. Situations shifted. Hearts awakened. Miracles unfolded—all because someone yielded to the Spirit and prayed beyond human understanding. This is not emotionalism. This is not spiritual performance. This is warfare. When you pray in the Spirit, you are tapping into the mind of Christ, bypassing every demonic blockade, and releasing heaven’s agenda into your life, your family, and your nation. A Call to Discernment and Purity Then Jesus showed me something that broke my heart. Not every tongue spoken in churches today comes from the Holy Spirit. Some are learned. Some are imitated. Some are counterfeit—designed to discredit the true gift. He reminded me of His words in Matthew 7: “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord…’ and I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you.’” The true gift of tongues is never about attention, pride, or emotional hype. It always glorifies Jesus, bears the fruit of the Spirit, and aligns with God’s Word. The dividing line will not be denomination—it will be the condition of the heart. Tongues and Interpretation: Heaven’s Language Decoded Then the Lord revealed something many have overlooked: Tongues plus interpretation equals prophecy. When tongues are properly interpreted in the assembly, divine secrets are released—warnings, strategies, direction straight from heaven’s war room. Paul warned us: “Do not forbid to speak with tongues.” —1 Corinthians 14:39 When the church silences this gift, it silences one of heaven’s clearest megaphones. A Final Warning and Invitation Jesus took my face in His hands and spoke with fire and mercy: “The time for playing church is over.” A great sifting is coming. The days of counterfeit power and empty performances are ending. God is calling His bride to walk in authentic Spirit-filled power. The standard is the Book of Acts—not tradition, not comfort. When the early church spoke in tongues, cities were shaken. Sinners were convicted. The gospel spread like wildfire. Why have we settled for less? Closing Exhortation The Lord is inviting us back—to purity, to power, to surrender. Not for show. Not for pride. But for His presence. The King is coming, and He is looking for a church armed with the real, the raw, the authentic power of His Spirit. “Bear fruit worthy of repentance.” —Matthew 3:8

Credits: Prophet A.A. Prempeh

Do Muslims Worship The SAME God As Christians?By Brian S. Holmes Posted June 14, 2023 In Christian Theology, Comparative Religion 0 Is Islam From God: A Biblical Christian PerspectiveAbstractMany Jews and Christians believe Muslims worship the same God, they just understand and relate to him differently. Is it more reasonable to believe Islam comes from the same source as Ancient Judaism and Christianity, or Satan, the founder of all false religion? Muslims believe Muhammad, the founder of Islam, to be the last and greatest of God’s prophets sent to correct misunderstanding and bring humanity back to right relationship with God. If true, presumably Islam would provide deeper understanding and intimacy with God, and more thoroughly, succinctly, and cohesively explain God’s interaction with humanity. However, if false, it would pattern Satan’s characteristics and agenda in the Bible which is typically to contradict the essential aspects of Ancient Judaism and Christianity. This paper examines the key historical events, overarching biblical narrative, and fundamental principles of Ancient Judaism and Christianity, and compares them with Islam to determine if Islam is from God or Satan. Israel and Ancient JudaismIsrael.The nation of Israel was founded by God, through Moses, who he appeared to in a burning bush in Midian. God sent Moses to free the Israelites from slavery and bring them into the “Promised Land.” God said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The LORD [Yahweh], the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations… gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘…the God of your fathers… appeared to me, saying, “I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites…” (The Bible. ESV, 2001, Ex. 3:17) The Israelites hadn’t earned, nor did they deserve this privilege; God wanted a people that knew and reflected him to the world. Moses told Israel, “The LORD [Yahweh] your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth… not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you… but it is because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers…” (The Bible. ESV, 2001, Deut. 7:6-9) Abrahamic Covenant.Recorded in Genesis, God taught Moses his history of interaction with humanity, especially Moses’s ancestors leading up to their captivity in Egypt. God taught him how he called a seventy-five-year-old man named Abraham to trust him, leave his country, and travel thousands of miles to Canaan. God promised him that he would make him into a great nation, and through him all the families of the earth would be blessed (Gen. 12:1-3). Abraham and his wife Sarah struggled with how this could be possible, as they were both elderly and childless. Abraham proposed Eliezer, a member of his household, to become his heir. But in a vision God told him, “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir… “Look toward heaven, and number the stars… so shall your offspring be.” And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.” (The Bible. ESV, 2001, Gen. 15:4-6) God’s covenant with Abraham wasn’t based not on his own righteousness or law keeping, but his faith: his trust in God’s plans and supernatural provision. A fundamental principle emerges here: a righteousness imputed onto a person by God based simply on their trust in God and his provision. Abraham’s righteousness by faith in God is referenced in Deuteronomy 24:13 and Psalm 106:31. Human Effort (Law) vs. Trust in God (Faith).After ten years of waiting on God’s yet- to-be-fulfilled promise, Abraham was eighty-six years old and still childless. His wife Sarah and he determined it best to take matters into their own hands and have Abraham lay and conceive a child with Hagar, Sarah’s young Egyptian servant. She gave birth to a son named Ishmael. Though we can empathize with their frustration and doubt, it was an act of faithlessness and disobedience. Thirteen years later it’s apparent God agrees because he appears to Abraham and tells him, Sarah, his now ninety-year-old wife, will supernaturally conceive and in one year bear him a son named Isaac. God says, “I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.” (The Bible. ESV, 2001, Gen. 17:19) Sarah struggled with jealousy towards Hagar and Ishmael and didn’t want any confusion about who would receive their inheritance. Mournfully Abraham agrees, and with God’s approval, Hagar and Ishmael were excommunicated. God promised to bless Ishmael and make him into a great nation too. However, it was always God’s plan to reward Abraham’s faith and bless the world through his miraculous son Isaac, “the child of the promise.” Ishmael was an unfortunate example of the consequences of relying on human wisdom and effort, rather than trusting in God’s plan, timing, and supernatural provision. Abraham’s Faith Tested.Years later God tells Abraham, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering.” As they approach the site, Isaac asked where the lamb for the offering was. Abraham responded, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” (The Bible. ESV, 2001, Gen. 22:2,8) The last second before plunging his knife into the chest of his already-bound-on-the-altar son, God says “stop” and a ram miraculously appears to be offered instead. God told Abraham, “because you… have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you… and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed…” (The Bible. ESV, 2001, Gen. 22:16-18) Abraham believed God’s promise to provide descendants through Isaac. “He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead…” (The Bible. ESV, 2001, Heb. 11:19) Twelve Tribes of Israel.God also tested the faith and established covenants with both Isaac and his son Jacob. Jacob has a life changing encounter with God who renames him “Israel” (Gen. 32:28). Jacob/Israel’s twelve sons later become the twelve tribes of Israel. Each family tribe was preserved, perpetually, God making covenants and prophesies within them. God’s covenant with King David to have a descendant to be Messiah would be from his same tribe: Judah. Passover.The evening before Pharaoh agreed to release the Israelites, God instructed every Israelite household to sacrifice a lamb and paint the doorposts of their home with its blood. The blood was a sign for God’s angel of death to “pass over” them. The firstborn son of every home in Egypt without this blood would die that night. For those trusting God, he allowed a lamb to be killed as a substitute in place of their firstborn sons. This was also an allusion to how he provided a substitute for Isaac. God commanded Israel to have an annual Passover holiday to remember and teach the significance of this event to all future generations forever (Ex. 12). Penal Substitutionary Atonement.Sin incurred the wrath of God, deserving the penalty of death, but God, in his grace, allowed an animal to die in the place of a repentant sinner as their substitute. God said, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls…” (The Bible. ESV, 2001, Lev. 17:11) God desired to dwell within Israelite as their king. However, he’s righteous and holy and will not tolerate being around sin or mixing with the common, so he had the Israelites build him a temple to dwell in. He gave detailed ceremonial laws necessary to be ritually “clean” to enter the temple, designating certain foods and activities as clean and unclean. God provided detailed laws for how to give offerings for blessing or the forgiveness of sin and designated the tribe of Levi as priests to manage it. Fifteen hundred years animals were sacrificed daily for individuals’ sins, and several annual holidays, where sacrifices were offered on behalf of the entire community. This regular practice was also an allusion to Passover and Abraham’s near sacrifice of Isaac, where animals died as our substitute. Christianity: Logical Fulfillment of Ancient JudaismChristianity accepts the history, laws, and prophecies in the Jewish Scriptures as true and provides a richer explanation, continuation, and progression of Ancient Judaism. Jesus is the promised Jewish Messiah; a descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; from the tribe of Judah, and royal heir to King David. God prophesied that the righteous Messiah would be unjustly killed, but he would be pleased by this because he would be a penal substitutionary atonement for the sins of his people (Isa. 53). This occurred when Jesus was crucified. He’s the embodiment of the ram offered in Isaac’s place and every single animal sacrificed. He was crucified on Passover day. Jesus is the ultimate Passover Lamb of God whose one-time perfect sacrifice takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29; Heb. 10:1-18). Jesus fulfilled every covenant and hundreds of prophecies. God prophesied that the Messiah would be divine (Isa. 9:6-7). As Jesus, Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, became flesh. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary, born as truly God and truly man (Col. 1:15; John 1:1-3,14). This is how God could both fulfill the covenant promises of a human descendant and establish an eternal kingdom with himself as king. Because Jesus bypassed conventional conception, he didn’t inherit the fallen sin nature of Adam and was sinless with unhindered spiritual communion with God. As human he can represent humanity and be our eternal high priest, superseding the Levitical priesthood in the order of Melchizedek, which was also prophesied (Heb. 1-10). As both the lamb and the priest, he is the fulfillment of the Law, making both Jews and Gentiles who trust in and belong to him justified, forgiven, and “clean.” (Matt. 5:17; Rom. 3:21-26). Righteousness by faith in Christ is the fulfillment of Abraham’s “righteousness by faith” (Jam. 2:23; Gal. 3:6, Rom. 4). God promised a covenant where both Jews and non-Jews could receive his spirit, and he would write his laws on their hearts and minds so they could know him and receive eternal life. Through faith in Jesus, people become adopted by God as their father, and spiritually regenerated when God’s Holy Spirit comes to live inside of them forever. They become the new temples of God (1 Cor. 3:16-17)—which is why God has not rebuilt the temple in Jerusalem. Followers of Jesus can now live in a relational, intimate, and supernaturally powerful way, led by God’s Spirit, to reflect him in the world and share the “good news.” This gospel is how Jesus is fulfilling God’s covenant to bless all nations on earth through Abraham’s descendant (Gal. 3:6-29). Islam: Illogical, Divergent and RegressiveThe Bible anticipates people rejecting the gospel and persisting trying to earn salvation through human effort. Galatians 4:21-31 described the futility of continuing in “slavery” to “Law,” akin to Hagar/Ishmael, when “freedom” is provided through Jesus, akin to righteousness by trusting in God’s provision (Isaac). Nonetheless, Islam does exactly this. It ignores every notion of eternal covenants between God and people. Abraham and all other biblical figures are believed to be mere prophets, esteemed only for their obedience to God’s laws. Ishmael is even considered the greater over Isaac, born as the result of Abraham marrying Hagar, conceived as a good decision. Islam believes that it was he who Abraham nearly sacrificed to God. (IslamicFinder.org) But in Islam there are no covenant promises through that son, nor is there a future temple, priesthood, sacrificial system, concept of atonement, or righteousness by faith developed. So why God would’ve asked Abraham to offer Ishmael, contextually, makes no sense at all. Islam is a simple pagan religion based on laws to appease a deity, making it nothing like Judaism or Christianity. Law.The five pillars of Islam are: “1) Faith or belief in the Oneness of God (Allah) and the finality of the Prophethood of Muhammad; 2) Establishment of the 5 daily prayers; 3) Concern for and almsgiving to the needy; 4) Self-purification through fasting in the month of Ramadan; 5) The pilgrimage to Mecca for those who are able.” (WhyIslam.org, para. 2) Islam is: 1) the denial of essentials of Judaism and Christianity—God’s covenants, God’s desire to dwell with humanity as king; the perfectly righteous standard of God requiring death to atone for sin; Jesus’ divinity, crucifixion, atonement, salvation by faith, spiritual regeneration; 2) the eminence of Muhammad; and 3) the institution of new religious laws. Islam lacks sufficient coherency and connection to everything before it. The entire system of Jewish law and religious practice implemented for over 2,000 years is overridden, without explanation, with new Islamic laws. Interestingly, many of the “unclean” Jewish foods continue to also be forbidden in Islam—even though there is no temple and thus zero reason for this. It’s a completely illogical deviation from the pattern. Prophecy.Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, and every prophet of Israel, had God speak directly to them. However, Muhammad didn’t hear from God directly. Every message he received, he was told it was from God, but they were provided second-hand from an angel claiming to be the Gabriel from the Bible. Islam is based on thousands of messages received by Muhammad alone from Gabriel alone, over a twenty-three-year period. This contradicts precedent, where for millennia, every other angelic visitation in the Bible was rare and didn’t provide random “information” but rather specific directives. Muhammad’s frequent communication with the same disembodied spirit is how the Bible describes psychics contacting familiar spirits (demons). In Christianity, Jesus is God and God’s Spirit dwells inside Jesus’s disciples. Muhammad’s source of revelation is thus both dissimilar and unimpressive. Despite the Bible being 66 books written by 40 authors spanning over 1,500 years, it has a unified narrative and voice, arguably God’s. However, the Qur’an has a distinct narrative and voice unlike any others in the Bible. Islam claims to embrace the same key biblical figures, but it eliminates all meaningful historical relevance of these people and the multifaceted story that connected them. Islam uses their names but asserts that they’re merely “prophets, who taught Islam”—an accusation with zero historical evidence. Those Christian doctrines Islam preserves—Jesus’ virgin birth, miracles, messiahship, and bodily ascension—are irrelevant and illogical within the Islamic narrative. ConclusionChristianity provides a continuation, richer explanation, and spiritual progression of Ancient Judaism. Islam is a total distortion and regression of both narratives, stripping all history and spiritual development from its antecedents, leaving behind nothing more than a simplified, entirely law-based sixth-century pagan religion. It brings its adherents farther from the true God and true spirituality in nearly every possible way, all without offering valid explanations for such dramatic differences. Based on the evidence, I conclude that Islam does not come from the same source as Ancient Judaism and Christianity but is rather a satanic counterfeit religion. ReferencesEnglish Standard Version Bible. (2001). ESV Online. https://biblehub.com/esv/ IslamicFinder.org. Biography of Prophet Ismael (Hazrat Ismail) Retrieved May 20, 2023, from https://www.islamicfinder.org/knowledge/biography/story-of-prophet-ismail/ WhyIslam.org. (2014, November 4). The Five Pillars of Islam. Retrieved May 20, 2023, from https://www.whyislam.org/the-five-pillars-of-islam/

Mark-Anthony Mitchell

There are about four things people do that block their angel or the ministry of angels in their lives. As long as you’re under the influence of my voice, I pray that you stop doing these four things that I’m going to share or rather talk to you about. I know that in today’s church, ministers of the gospel talk more about prayer, anointing, giving, and faith. And of course, there’s nothing wrong with that. But all I’m saying is we have very few ministers who talk about the importance of the ministry of angels in a believer’s life. Believe it or not, there are two important things in our time, in our dispensation. Number one, the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Number two, the ministry of angels. Allow me to quickly define or explain what an angel is, because there are so many explanations surrounding the word “angel.” There are people who believe that angels are people who once lived and died and as a result are now watching over them. They call those people angels, which is not true. The devil is a liar; there’s nothing like that. But let’s look at what the Bible says about angels. Hebrews 1:14 declares that angels are ministering spirits sent by God to minister to those who have inherited salvation. This means once one becomes a Christian—a born-again child of God—a believer, God automatically releases angels to minister to that person. You don’t have to apply for angels. You don’t have to pray to God, “Release angels.” No. The moment you say yes to Jesus, you are given angels. Before the angels that are assigned to you because you are now born again, you already have an angel. We call it your personal angel—your guardian angel. That one was given to you the day you were born. We see that in Matthew 18:10 when Jesus was talking about the guardian angels of the little ones. We also see it in Acts 12 when the church was praying for Peter in prison. God released an angel to rescue Peter, and when Peter arrived where the believers were praying, they said, “It must be his angel.” That means the church at that time understood not just the ministry of angels but also that every person has their own angel. Your angel looks like you and sounds like you. In the book of Revelation, chapter 1, an angel came with the revelation of Jesus to John, and John didn’t even realize it was an angel—he thought it was Jesus. This shows us that even Jesus has an angel that looks and sounds exactly like Him. From Genesis to Revelation, we see the patriarchs walking with angels. We see the prophets operating with angels. We see Jesus Himself surrounded by angels. Before Jesus was born, an angel was sent to announce His birth. After He was born and Herod was killing babies, an angel appeared to His father to warn him. When Herod died, the angel appeared again and said, “Go back.” Jesus as a grown man fasted 40 days and nights, and when the devil left Him, angels came and ministered to Him (Matthew 4:11). Imagine—this is Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, yet He still allowed angels to minister to Him. That means Jesus understood something believers of our time don’t. Later, when He prayed in Gethsemane, Luke 22 tells us an angel came from heaven to strengthen Him. Jesus even said, “If I wanted, I could call on my Father and He would release angels to fight for me.” When He died, angels were at the tomb. When He resurrected, angels were there again. When He returns, He shall come with angels. The day you were born, an angel was given to you. The day you die, an angel comes to take your spirit (Luke 16:22). From birth to death, angels are involved. Yet many people miss this reality because they fail to understand how important the ministry of angels is in their lives. Angels are real. You don’t have to see them to know they’re real—just like oxygen. Most believers believe in Jesus without having seen Him face to face; in the same way, you must believe in angels because the Bible tells you so. Of course, I’ve seen angels many times in my life, and not only me—my children see angels, my wife sees angels, people around me see angels. But I didn’t have to see them to believe they’re real. Angels appear at will and disappear at will, but one can channel their spirit into seeing them. The opposite is also true—one can do certain things, unaware, that block them. Every time God answers you, He answers you through the ministry of angels. Prayer is important, but there is no prayer without the ministry of angels. When I pray and God answers, He answers through an angel. Angels are ministering spirits sent to minister to us and for us. God Himself doesn’t move around fighting evil spirits on our behalf. He is too great, seated alone in the circumference of Himself, the uncreated Creator, unmatched, unparalleled, undefeated. When we talk about a Christian being heavily defended, we’re talking about a Christian being protected by angels. Read Daniel 10 for an example. That’s why, when Peter was in prison, it was an angel that rescued him. When Jesus was in trouble, He said He would call on the Father to release angels—not come down Himself. God has a system, and He works through angels. These divine, majestic beings want to be seen. It’s not like they’re refusing to be seen. Their duty is to minister to us. So, let’s talk about the four things people do that block their angel or the ministry of angels in their lives. Number one: Failing to recognize the presence of angels in your life. The moment you acknowledge the ministry of angels, angels start appearing and moving through you, with you, for you. But not acknowledging their presence is actually rejecting their ministry. Just like a gift—if you don’t recognize it, it won’t operate. Angels are ministering spirits. You must acknowledge their presence for them to move in your life. Number two: Praying to an angel. We don’t pray to angels. We don’t worship angels. We don’t cry to angels for favors. The more you pray to an angel, the more you block your angel. In Revelation 19, John bowed to an angel and the angel rebuked him: “I’m your fellow servant. Worship God alone.” Angels know what happened to Lucifer when he desired worship. They don’t want that. Number three: Your confession. The spiritual world is controlled by words. Words create. Your confession can be the reason you’re not seeing the ministry of angels in your life. Many people say good things publicly but then confess defeat and negativity in private. Angels move according to your words. A closed mouth equals a closed destiny. Number four: Ignorance toward the ministry of angels—lack of revelation. “The more you know, the more you function. The less you know, the less you function.” God Himself said, “Because you have rejected knowledge, I will reject you” (Hosea 4:6). Revelation will cause you to move and see more of angels. Ignorance blocks your angels and the ministry of angels in your life. Study. Read scriptures. Between the Old and New Testaments, there are over 400 scriptures about angels. Maturity in spiritual things comes from revelation, not just from age or time. Israel itself exists because of an angelic encounter. Jacob wrestled with an angel who changed his name to Israel. Before that, he dreamed of angels ascending and descending. Angels are real. I believe you will start seeing them in your dreams and even in your daily life. Hebrews 12 says we have come to Mount Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem, a place of innumerable angels. I don’t understand when someone has been saved for decades but has no tangible supernatural testimony about angelic manifestations. That’s not the life of a believer according to the Bible. We are supernatural beings having an earthly experience. When we move, heaven moves—and heaven moves through the ministry of angels. Suggested Prayer Father, in Jesus’ name, thank You for assigning angels to me. I renounce every blocker—failure to recognize, misdirected prayer, negative confession, and ignorance. I choose revelation, right order, and faith-filled confession. Command Your angels concerning me to accomplish Your will. Amen.

Very well-written post. Thanks for sharing. I thoroughly enjoyed your exposition on the topic.

There is perhaps no more hotly debated issue in the church today than that of women serving as pastors. As a result, it is important to not see this issue as men versus women. There are women who believe women should not serve as pastors and that the Bible places restrictions on the ministry of women, and there are men who believe women can serve as pastors and that there are no restrictions on women in ministry. This is not a matter of chauvinism or discrimination. It is an issue of biblical interpretation. The Word of God proclaims, “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.” (1 Timothy 2:11–12). In the church, God assigns different roles to men and women. This is a result of the way mankind was created and the way in which sin entered the world (1 Timothy 2:13–14). God, through the apostle Paul, restricts women from serving in roles of teaching and/or having spiritual authority over men. This precludes women from serving as pastors over men, since pastoring definitely includes preaching, teaching publicly, and exercising spiritual authority. There are many objections to this view of women in pastoral ministry. A common one is that Paul restricts women from teaching because in the first century, women were typically uneducated. However, 1 Timothy 2:11–14 nowhere mentions educational status. If education were a qualification for ministry, then the majority of Jesus’ disciples would not have been qualified. A second common objection is that Paul only restricted the women of Ephesus from teaching men (1 Timothy was written to Timothy, the pastor of the church in Ephesus). Ephesus was known for its temple to Artemis, and women were the authorities in that branch of paganism—therefore, the theory goes, Paul was only reacting against the female-led customs of the Ephesian idolaters, and the church needed to be different. However, the book of 1 Timothy nowhere mentions Artemis, nor does Paul mention the standard practice of Artemis worshipers as a reason for the restrictions in 1 Timothy 2:11–12. A third objection is that Paul is only referring to husbands and wives, not men and women in general. The Greek words for “woman” and “man” in 1 Timothy 2 could refer to husbands and wives; however, the basic meaning of the words is broader than that. Further, the same Greek words are used in verses 8–10. Are only husbands to lift up holy hands in prayer without anger and disputing (verse 8)? Are only wives to dress modestly, have good deeds, and worship God (verses 9–10)? Of course not. Verses 8–10 clearly refer to all men and women, not just husbands and wives. There is nothing in the context that would indicate a narrowing to husbands and wives in verses 11–14. Yet another objection to this interpretation of women in pastoral ministry references women in positions of leadership in the Bible, specifically Miriam, Deborah, and Huldah in the Old Testament. It is true that these women were chosen by God for special service to Him and that they stand as models of faith, courage, and, yes, leadership. However, the authority of women in the Old Testament is not relevant to the issue of pastors in the church. The New Testament Epistles present a new paradigm for God’s people—the church, the body of Christ—and that paradigm involves an authority structure unique to the church, not for the nation of Israel or any other Old Testament entity. Similar arguments are made using Priscilla and Phoebe in the New Testament. In Acts 18, Priscilla and Aquila are presented as faithful ministers for Christ. In verse 18, Priscilla’s name is mentioned first, suggesting to some that she was more prominent in ministry than her husband. (The detail of whose name comes first is probably inconsequential, because in verses 2 and 26 the order is reversed from that of verse 18.) Did Priscilla and her husband teach the gospel of Jesus Christ to Apollos? Yes, in their home they “expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.” (Acts 18:26). Does the Bible ever say that Priscilla pastored a church or taught publicly or became the spiritual leader of a congregation of saints? No. As far as we know, Priscilla was not involved in ministry activity in contradiction to 1 Timothy 2:11–14. In Romans 16:1, Phoebe is called a “deacon” (or “servant”) in the church and is highly commended by Paul. But, as with Priscilla, there is nothing in Scripture to indicate that Phoebe was a pastor or a teacher of men in the church. “Able to teach” is given as a qualification for elders, but not for deacons (1 Timothy 3:1–13; Titus 1:6–9). The structure of 1 Timothy 2:11–14 makes the reason why women cannot be pastors perfectly clear. Verse 13 begins with “for,” giving the “cause” of Paul’s statement in verses 11–12. Why should women not teach or have authority over men? Because “For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression." (verses 13–14). God created Adam first and then created Eve to be a “helper” for Adam. The order of creation has universal application in the family (Ephesians 5:22–33) and in the church. The fact that Eve was deceived is also given as a reason for women not serving as pastors or having spiritual authority over men (1 Timothy 2:14). This does not mean that women are gullible or that they are all more easily deceived than men. If all women are more easily deceived, why would they be allowed to teach children (who are easily deceived) and other women (who are supposedly more easily deceived)? The text simply says that women are not to teach men or have spiritual authority over men because Eve was deceived. God has chosen to give men the primary teaching authority in the church. Many women excel in gifts of hospitality, mercy, teaching, evangelism, and helping/serving. Much of the ministry of the local church depends on women. Women in the church are not restricted from public praying or prophesying (1 Corinthians 11:5), only from having spiritual teaching authority over men. The Bible nowhere restricts women from exercising the gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12). Women, just as much as men, are called to minister to others, to demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23), and to proclaim the gospel to the lost (Matthew 28:18–20; Acts 1:8; 1 Peter 3:15). God has ordained that only men are to serve in positions of spiritual teaching authority in the church. This does not imply men are better teachers or that women are inferior or less intelligent. It is simply the way God designed the church to function. Men are to set the example in spiritual leadership—in their lives and through their words. Women are also to set an example in their lives, but in a different way (1 Peter 3:1-6). Women are encouraged to teach other women (Titus 2:3–5). The Bible also does not restrict women from teaching children. The only activity women are restricted from is teaching or having spiritual authority over men. This bars women from serving as pastors to men. This does not make women less important, by any means; rather, it gives them a ministry focus more in agreement with God’s design. For futher study, see: https://www.alivechristians.com/acblog/can-a-woman-be-a-pastor-woman-pastors

The vision of Ezekiel and the dry bones is a message of God's power to restore and spiritually revive the people of Israel from a state of despair and hopelessness. In the vision, Ezekiel sees a valley filled with dry bones, representing the nation of Israel that had been destroyed and taken into exile in Babylon. The context The vision appears in Ezekiel 37 after the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. The Israelites, living in exile, felt their national identity and hope were gone forever, describing their condition as, "Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off". The vision directly addresses this widespread hopelessness by demonstrating that no situation is beyond God's power to restore. The vision The vision unfolds in two parts: Physical restoration: God commands Ezekiel to prophesy to the bones. As Ezekiel speaks, the bones rattle and come together, tendons and flesh appear on them, and skin covers them. This represents the physical rebuilding and regathering of the nation of Israel. Spiritual revival: Though reassembled, the bodies remain lifeless. God then instructs Ezekiel to prophesy to the "breath" (the Hebrew word ruach, which can also mean wind or spirit), calling it to enter the bodies. When the breath enters them, they come to life and stand up as a vast army. This signifies God's promise to not only restore them physically but also to spiritually regenerate his people with his Spirit. Symbolic meaning The dry bones: Represent the "whole house of Israel" in a state of spiritual death and despair due to the Babylonian exile. The "very dry" state of the bones emphasizes the severity of their condition and the complete lack of human hope. Ruach (Breath/Spirit/Wind): This powerful word demonstrates that the life and power behind Israel's restoration comes solely from God. Just as he breathed life into Adam at creation (Genesis 2:7), God breathes new life and hope into his people. The vast army: The bones rise to become an army, indicating that Israel would be restored as a strong, unified nation, capable of fulfilling God's purposes. The promise of restoration For the exiled Israelites, the vision was a divine promise that they were not finished as a people. It assured them that God would open their "graves" (their captivity) and bring them back to their own land. For Christians, the vision is also seen as a foreshadowing of the future bodily resurrection of the dead and the spiritual regeneration that occurs through the Holy Spirit. Conclusion: The reviving of the dry bones in Ezekiel 37 signified God’s plan for Israel’s future national restoration. The vision also, and most importantly, showed that Israel’s new life depended on God’s power and not the circumstances of the people. Putting “breath” by God’s Spirit into the bones showed that God would not only restore them physically but also spiritually. The Israelites residing in the Holy Land today are not the fulfillment of this prophecy. It will be fulfilled when God re-gathers believing Israelites to the land (Jeremiah 31:33; 33:14–16) and Christ returns to establish His Millennial Kingdom (Matthew 24:30–31).