….But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Isaiah 64:6
Dear Friends,
I believe the devil’s greatest deception of all time is religion. The only religion God ever created was Judaism as detailed in the Tanakh (Old Testament). However, even Judaism devolved into a works-based system that transgressed the commandment of God and replaced it with man-made tradition. Although there were rules and rituals involved in biblical Judaism, they were never intended to make one righteous. (Gal 2:16) In its pure form, Judaism was centered around the substitutionary blood sacrifice. Long before the Law was given to Moses on Mt Sinai, the practice of blood sacrifice was given to Adam. It was passed down from generation to generation until God instituted the Passover sacrifice on the eve of the Exodus from Egypt. The Passover lamb, of course, prefigured the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the sins of the world.
Following the Exodus, God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, which were intended for all nations. According to tradition, when the Ten Commandments were first given, they were heard in 70 different languages—the languages that existed at that time.
Again, although the Torah and its Ten Commandments were important, they were never intended to make us righteous. It was understood that nobody could keep the commandments. That was why blood sacrifice was needed. It was also understood that the sacrifices could not atone, they could only cover. That is why they had to be made again and again and again. There was an overarching belief at the heart of Judaism, more important than the altar, even more important than the Torah: the belief in a Messiah who would come and save us from our sins.
The devil knew this, so he tricked us into the substitute of religion. What almost all religions have in common is the premise that your good deeds must outweigh your bad deeds. Even Judaism, unless it is centered on a relationship with Messiah, is nothing more than a cheap imitation—a counterfeit faith that cannot save. Being chosen is not enough. Keeping the commandments is not enough (since nobody can); only through faith in Messiah can one be forgiven and receive everlasting life. The Ten Commandments are God’s way of proving to us that we are all sinners who need a Saviour. As Isaiah said, we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. In the Revelation, John sees a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, [which] stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; One of the elders answers John and tells him, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Dear friend, if you are ready to admit that you have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, if you are ready to admit that Messiah is the only way, if you are ready to receive the free gift of everlasting life He offers you through faith alone, then I have good news for you. He wants to have a relationship with you. If you want that too then say this prayer:
Father, I am a sinner. I receive your Son as my personal Saviour. Thank You for the precious blood He shed for me on Calvary. I repent of my sin and ask that You take control of my life. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart. Please write my name in your Book of Life. Forgive my sin, fill me with your Holy Spirit, and direct my path. I ask this in your holy and precious name. Amen.
Coronavirus Update: As I am sure you have noticed, the state of affairs keeps getting stranger and stranger. A few days ago, I posted a link to a Jerusalem Post article about PM Netanyahu calling for the microchipping of children. Now, President Trump tells us the military is going to be mobilized to vaccinate us. One theory behind Trump’s announcement is that he is doing this as a preemptive move to cut off the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation from carrying out the inoculations. There is a precedent for this. After the Walmart shooting in El Paso last year, President Trump said he was for gun confiscation. By agreeing with his adversaries, the issue evaporated in a puff of smoke and the gun confiscation people got nothing. In other words, sometimes the only way to win a tug of war is to let go of the rope. Time will tell whether Trump is outfoxing them by going along with their plan, or whether he has been compromised like Netanyahu obviously has. In his press conference today, Trump said the vaccine will be “for everyone that wants to get it. Not everybody’s going to want to get it.” I have not given up on him yet, but this still leaves some unanswered questions like will those who don’t want it still be able to work and travel? I recommend we all go to prayer and make sure our hearts are right with God. In the final analysis, none of this matters if your heart, mind, and soul are not fully committed to Jesus Christ. If that is not taken care of, the politics of these last days are merely rearranging furniture on the deck of the Titanic. The key is to get in the lifeboat. Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.
In closing, despite what the government may say, you are essential to Jesus. He died for you. If you have received Him as your personal Saviour you can trust Him to get you through this. Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. … I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
