October 3, 2009, 11:47 am by dc-agape.

John Chapter 17

Every once in a while a chapter in the Gospel of John is packed with amazing quotes from the teaching of Jesus.  In this particular chapter, even though Jesus is praying to YHWH, he brings up six important concepts that relate to being a true follower of Jesus.  Some of these concepts are: the meeting of eternal life, freewill (again!), prophecy, separation from the world, unity, and YHWH’s love.

The meaning of eternal life is described in Jesus’ opening to YHWH:

John 17:3 Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

It’s very interesting that to Jesus eternal life has nothing to do with what happens after death.  Eternal life, in Jesus’ description here, is entirely based on knowing spiritual knowledge.  It is true in other parts that Jesus describes an afterlife.  But here Jesus is describing the eternal life and knowledge is the main component of this concept.  This is very different from modern Christian theology on eternal life.  “Praying Jesus into your heart” that is not knowledge of Jesus or YHWH, it is something much more complex.  As a result would cannot “pray Jesus into your heart”, for that is obviously a Tradition of Man.  Any person who preaches this concept is a faults teacher at should not be listened to.  Even more TrueChirstians™ should be extremely vocal about the evils of this false teaching.

Jesus again focuses on freewill.  In this prayer he does not do it once, but numerous times:

John 17:2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.

John 17:6 I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world.  They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 

John 17:24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and two see my glory, the glory you get have given me because you love to be before the creation of the world.

Three different times in this chapter Jesus uses the phrase “those you have given me”.  This is not directed towards the apostles, nor the disciples of Jesus’ time, it is directed towards those who believe in him.  From this chapter, it is quite clear, that YHWH chooses who will believe.  As a result freewill does not exist!  How many times does Jesus have to repeat this concept before Christians understand it?  Freewill is a concept brought about by the Traditions of Men.  To make this very clear, and in the debate, search the New Testament for the word freewill.  Nowhere will you find a signal author mention the word “freewill”. TrueChirstians™ should be extremely vocal about the evils of this false teaching.

For another example of how freewill does not exist we only have to look at Judas Iscariot.  Jesus uses an obscure verse from the Old Testament to claim that Judas was fulfilling prophecy:

John 17:12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by the name you gave me.  None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that scripture would be fulfilled.

For the entire Christian religion is based on the fulfillment of scriptural prophecy.  Without Judas fulfilling this prophecy Christianity would not exist, for Jesus would not have died.  As a result, the false doctrine that Judas betrayed Jesus is in error.  It is a Tradition of Man.  Judas was forced, by prophecy, to act exactly the way he did.  He had no choice, as a result, he had no freewill.

Another important topic that Jesus brings up is being separate from the world.  He prays that the apostles, the disciples, and all believers will be “sanctified by the truth”.  This means that they are protected from the evil in the world.  Here again, Jesus is describing how Christians did not belong to the world.  The world should hate them for their message not their hypocrisy.  The world should hate them for worshiping YHWH, not the Traditions of Men.  The world should hate them for the love they have, not for the bigotry and hatred that they espouse. TrueChirstians™ should be extremely vocal about the evils of this false teaching.

One of my most important understandings of the bible and Jesus’ is teachings is the unity of YHWH, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the Church.  It is something we certainly do not see today.  With 46,000 denominations you can certainly say that Christianity is diverse, but you certainly cannot saying that it is in unity.  Again the traditions of men have taught that this disunity is acceptable.  Again, TrueChirstians™ should be extremely vocal about the evils of this false teaching. 

The final thing I find interesting about this prayer is the relationship that slain YHWH’s love and humanity.  YHWH’s love is for Jesus not humanity…only by being one with Jesus does one receive YHWH’s love:

John 17:26 I have made you know the to them, and we’ll continue to make you know in order that their love you have for me maybe in them and that I myself maybe in them.

If the only way humanity can experience this “loving” relationship is through obeying Jesus’ teachings.  Otherwise, YHWH has no love for his creation.  Clearly, he only loves his son.  The concept of a loving YHWH is mistaken, just look at the Old Testament.  He may have protected the Israelites when they obeyed him, but more often than not be punished them harshly at every minor infraction.  That certainly is not love, it is not even fatherly love.  Now we know, that Yahweh his son not humanity.  Only by being a follower of Jesus will YHWH exhibit this “loving” personality.

To the unbeliever, this chapter is packed with proofs that Christianity has become a Tradition of Man. It is obvious that Christians do not obey (love) Jesus, instead they love the comfort, the security, and the traditions that they experience in the modern churches.  No wonder Christianity seems to be in its death throes.  But to remove the Traditions of Men from the words of Jesus may be impossible.  For even the canonization of the holy bible may be suspect.  When did traditions of men get introduced into the teachings of Christianity.  One thing we know for sure is that the world stopped hating Christians and even began aiding Christianity as early as 320 BC.  I say this because the Roman Empire began to spread Christianity across the node world instead of persecuting the believers of Jesus.  Yet some believers were still persecuted and these were the Gnostic Christians, who just happen to focus on Jesus’ teachings instead of the teachings of Paul

Posted in Gospel of John, Contradictions, Personal Responsibility, Traditions of Men, Readings | Print | 3 Comments »

October 3, 2009, 9:13 am by dc-agape.

Genesis 35:16 – 36:43

I am combining these sections of the Bible because most of chapter 36 is only names.  Both sections have some very interesting “mistakes”.  But before I get to the mistakes, the story of Rachel’ birth to Ben-Oni and her death are told in the Word of God. Israel is on the move again, he is getting closer to his father’s house. But due to Rachel’s pregnancy, the move, and her barren nature, she begins to have trouble when it is time to deliver.  The Book never tells if she gave up her belief in her father’s household gods, Jacob did get rid of them back in Bethel.  But that does not mean that she ever repented of the sins of worshipping false idols, theft, or dishonoring her father and husband.  It is not written that she, or Jacob Israel, ever gave sacrifice to YHWH for her sins. We can only assume that YHWH forgave her!  Before she dies in childbirth, she names her son Ben-Oni (“son of my trouble”).  Jacob Israel does not honor her last wish and changes the name of the son to Benjamin (“son of my right hand”, or possibly “son of the south”).  Rachel is buried near Bethlehem.  The Word then claims:

^{Gen 35:20} Over her tomb Jacob set up a pillar, and to this day that pillar marks Rachel’s tomb.

The study notes indicate that the pillar that exists in the area now is not authentic, but only traditional.  Here is a “case closed” where the Word of God is wrong!  Everything in the Book must now be questioned, it cannot be taken literally.  YHWH did not preserve the writings inerrantly.

How many other times did this happen?  We know that some of the words used in the Garden of Eden have lost their meaning.  How many other times does the Word of God claim that “to this day” something still exists?  In Gen 22:14 a phrase exists that does not return any modern day uses of that phrase.  We also know that the Edomites do not still inhabit Seir (Deut 2:22).  We don’t even know where Seir is!  We know of a mountain range call the Seir Mountains, but we do not know where the Edomites lived.  So without doubt the Word of God is not inerrant.  You might have also notice the strikethrough on Jacob’s name.  I’m just correcting YHWH and the author of Genesis; they both keep forgetting that YHWH changed Jacob’s name to Israel.

The author of the Genesis slips in a story about Reuben, Jacob Israel’s first born.  Rueben it seems had sex with Jacob Israel’s second slave wife.  Israel hears about it, but we don’t know if any immediate punishment is carried out.  In the study notes we do see that the descendants of Reuben are punished for their ancestor’s arrogance.  We do know that Jacob Israel holds a grudge against his firstborn.  Many years later, on Israel’s death bed he curses his firstborn son instead of blesses him (Gen 49:3-4).  What a loving father!  He holds his anger back the entire time that his favorite son, Joseph, is in Egypt as a slave. 

One of the mistakes in this chapter is about the birth records of the sons of Jacob Israel.  In the 26^th verse it claims that all 12 sons were born in Paddan Aram.  Yet earlier in the chapter, we know that Ben-Oni was born in Bethlehem.  I can understand errors from book to book, or even chapter to chapter, but within a few verses?  I am very disappointed in YHWH; he is not being the consistently perfect god of the TrueChristianTM, not at all!

The death of Isaac is also recorded in this section.  Little is said about it except where he was buried and how long he lived.  We know that he died somewhere near Kiriath Arba, but it is not until chapter 49 that we find out that he is buried with Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, and Leah in Machpelah.  We also know that he lived for 180 years.  Even over 600 years since YHWH proclaimed that man’s life would be only 120 years; men are still living for much longer than that.  The infallible YHWH is not carrying out his own decree!

The only “error” I want to point out in Genesis chapter 26 is that about Esau moving away from Jacob.  The rest of the chapter is just names of the descendants of Esau and for some reason the descendants of Seir the Horite.  The Word of God gives us nothing about the man Seir or the Horite tribe.  Here is another case of YHWH not preserving the Word.  How can anyone believe this can be taken literally?

We know from Genesis chapter 32 that Esau was already living in Seir (Gen 32:3).  In chapter 36, the Word of God claims that moved to a distant land from Jacob, due to the size of both their flocks.  Nowhere in the Word does it say that Esau moved back, from Seir, to live with his brother.  The Word of God infallible, I think not!

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Posted in Genesis, State of Mind, Becoming an atheist, Readings | Print | No Comments »