BIBLE’S MESSAGE UNCOVERED

Traditions of Men No Authority as to Truthfulness of a Doctrine; God’s Word the Bible Is the True Guide

Matthew 15:1-9    “Then came to Him from Jerusalem scribes and Pharisees, saying: Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the ancients? For they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But He answering, said to them: Why do you also trans­gress the commandment of God for your tradition? … Hypocrites, well has Isaiah prophesied of you, saying: This people honors Me with their lips: but their heart is far from Me. And in vain do they worship Me, teaching doctrines and commandments of men.”

Galatians 1:10-16   “I give you to understand, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For nei­ther did I receive it of man, nor did I learn it, but by the revela­tion of Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews’ religion: how that, beyond measure, I per­secuted the church of God and wasted it. And I made progress in the Jews’ religion above many of my equals in my own nation, being more abundantly zealous for the traditions of my fathers.”

Colossians 2:8    “Beware lest any man cheat you by philosophy and vain deceit; according to the tradition of men, according to the elements of the world and not according to Christ.”

John 8:31, 32    “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him: If you continue in My Word, you shall be My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Isaiah 8:20  “To the law rath­er, and to the testimony. And if they speak not according to this word, they shall not have the morning light.”

No Soul Is Conscious After Death to Be Tormented in “Purgatory”. Hence Prayers for the Dead Accom­plish Nothing

Ezekiel 18:4   “Behold all souls are Mine: as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is Mine: the soul that sins, the same shall die.”

Ecclesiastes 9:10 “Whatsoever your hand is able to do, do it earnest­ly: for neither work, nor reason, nor wisdom, nor knowledge, shall be in hell, where you are hastening.”

Isaiah 38:18   “For hell shall not confess to You, neither shall death praise You: nor shall they that go down into the pit look for Your truth.”

If Souls Were Already Alive and Cleansed by “Purgatory”, Res­urrection (or Raising Up Again to Life) Would Not Be Necessary

John 5:28, 29   “Wonder not at this: for the hour comes, when all that are in the graves shall hear the voice of the Son of God. And they that have done good things shall come forth unto the resurrection of life: but they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment.”

Matthew 22:31, 32   “And con­cerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read that which was spoken by God, say­ing to you: I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.”

John 11:25, 26    “Jesus said to her: I am the resurrection and the life: he that believes in Me, although he be dead, shall live: and every one that lives and believes in Me shall not die for ever.”

Man’s Sins Must Be Forgiven When Alive, Because Whether Dead in Christ or Asleep in Death, Sin Is Accounted Inactive

Romans 6:6, 7   “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin may be destroyed, to the end that we may serve sin no longer. For he that is dead is justified from sin.”  [“Because we know that our old personality was impaled with Him, that our sinful body might be made inactive, that we should no longer go on being slaves to sin. For he who has died has been acquitted from his sin.”]

Acts 13:38, 39   “Through [Jesus] forgiveness of sins is preached to you: and from all the things from which you could not be justified by the Law of Moses. In Him every one that believeth is justified.” [“Through this One a forgive­ness of sins is being published to you; and that from all the things from which you could not be declared guiltless by means of the Law of Moses, everyone who believes is declared guiltless by means of this One.”]

Sins of Mankind Cleansed Com­pletely Only by the Blood of Jesus

Isaiah 1:18   “And then come and accuse Me, says the Lord. If your sins be as scarlet, they shall be made as white as snow: and if they be red as crimson, they shall be white as wool.”

Revelation 7:9, 14   “After this, I saw a great multitude…. stand­ing before the throne and in sight of the Lamb, clothed with white robes, . . . These are they who … have washed their robes, and have made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

Hebrews 9:22    “And almost all things, according to the Law, are cleansed with blood: and with­out shedding of blood there is no remission.”

1 John 1:7, 9   “But if we walk in the light, as He also is in the light, we have fellowship one with another: and the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just, to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all iniquity.”

“Cleansing Fire” Used Symboli­cally to Show Testing of Faith and Integrity in Perfecting God’s Servants for Service, Not Just for the Sake of Their Own Forgiveness

Isaiah 6:5-9    “And I said: Woe is me, because I have held my peace; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people that has unclean lips, and I have seen with my eyes the King the Lord of hosts. And one of the seraphim flew to me: and in his hand was a live coal, which he had taken with the tongs off the altar. And he touched my mouth, and said: Behold this has touched your lips, and your iniq­uities shall be taken away, and your sin shall be cleansed. And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: Whom shall I send, and who shall go for us? And I said: Look, here am I. Send me. And He said: Go.”

Malachi 3:1-3   “The Lord whom you seek, and the angel of the testament whom you desire shall come to His temple. Behold He comes, says the Lord of hosts. And who shall be able to think of the day of His coming? and who shall stand to see Him? for He is like a refining fire and like the fuller’s herb. And He shall sit refining and cleansing the silver, and He shall purify the sons of Levi and shall refine them as gold and as silver: and they shall offer sacrifices to the Lord in justice.”

Hebrews 9:14   “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who by the Holy Spirit offered Himself unspotted unto God, cleanse our conscience from dead works, to serve the living God?” “

Cleansing Fire” Is Shown to Test Man’s Works and Faith and Purify Him When Liv­ing, Not After Death. Some Scarcely Saved from “Fire of Destruction”

1 Corinthians 3:11-15   “For other foundation no man can lay, but that which is laid: which is Christ Jesus. Now, if any man build upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble: every man’s work shall be manifest. For the day of the Lord shall declare it, because it shall be revealed in fire. And the fire shall try every man’s work, of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide, which he has built thereupon, he shall receive a re­ward. If any man’s work burn, he shall suffer loss: but he him­self shall be saved, yet so as by fire.”

1 Peter 1:7   “That the trial of your faith (much more pre­cious than gold which is tried by the fire) may be found unto praise and glory and honor at the appearing of Jesus Christ.” [“In order that the tested quality of your faith, of much greater value than gold that perishes despite its being proved by fire, may be found a cause for praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”]

Jude 22, 23,   “And some in­deed reprove, being judged: but others save, putting them out of the fire.” [“Also continue showing mercy to some that have doubts; save them by snatching them out of the fire.”]

Amos 4:11   “I destroyed some of you, as God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrha, and you were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning: yet you didn not return to Me, says the Lord.”

“Fire of Persecution” Means Sharing with Christ in His Suffering

1 Peter 4:12, 13   “Dearly be­loved, think not strange the burn­ing heat which is to try you, as if some new thing happened to you. But if you partake of the sufferings of Christ, rejoice that, when His glory shall be revealed, you may also be glad with ex­ceeding joy.” [“Beloved ones, do not be puzzled at the burning among you which is happening to you for a trial, as though a strange thing were befalling you. On the contrary, go on rejoicing forasmuch as you are sharers in the sufferings of the Christ, that you may rejoice and be over­joyed also during the revelation of His glory.”]