The Lord's
Table
An Study and introduction by: Timothy M. Youngblood
Copyright © The
Master's Table
1 Cor 10:21-22. "You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord's table and of the table of demons. Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?"
I have many Christians
tell me that they believe it does not matter to God if we worship on Sunday
or the seventh day Sabbath. They report to believe God is not concerned about
the way or manner Churches conduct their services and worship Him. I have been
told that many know where the Christmas customs came from but they are doing
it in Jesus' Name and to honor His birth. They say that there is nothing wrong
with this as long as they are doing it in Jesus' Name. This could be true but
do you know that it is for a fact true? What if your very salvation depended
on you coming to God the way He want's you to come in worship and what if men
have over time taught error? Have you ever wondered why there are so many different
Churches called Christian teaching doctrines against each other, but yet using
the same bible? Have you ever wondered why the terms Christ-mass, Easter, and
Trinity are not even in the Christian bible? Have you ever checked what the
bible teaches concerning life after death? The big question Christians should
ask and answer is what does the creator God want and how can we know? What is
His will and do we use anything that could offend or even anger Him in our services?
So the question is, will God accept idols, and ceremonies that have historically
been used in Satanic worship? Can we worship Him in the same way the pagans
worship as long as we are doing it in His name? Many just leave these questions
and responsibility to their minister, but should they? We
Let's start by asking a question. Did you know Jesus
stated that we are to worship the Holy Father in spirit and in truth? John 4:23-24
states, "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers
will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking
such to worship Him. "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must
worship in spirit and truth." (NKJ throughout.)
The term in spirit denotes not physical, but spiritual.
Remember the statement in the scripture above…"God is Spirit, and those
who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." Is there other scriptures
that state the same thing? Yes because this means the same thing that is commanded
in Exodus 20 where we find the Ten Commandments. Exod 20:1-6. And God spoke
all these words, saying: "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of
the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. "You shall have no other
gods before Me. "You shall not make for yourself a carved image,
or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the
earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow
down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God,
visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth
generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who
love Me and keep My commandments.
So we see from the very Command of God Himself what worshipping in spirit means. From what we read above, which comes from the words of God, we should never have anything that is physical in or around worshipping the creator God. Now what is the meaning of “in Truth”? We know what a lie is, so we should know to worship Him using graven images would not be worshipping Him in truth because the graven images are not God. The Spirit of God is referred in scripture as the Spirit of truth so as you will see if we have the Spirit of God working with us we will seek and submit to the truth. Let's read it for ourselves. "However, when it, the Spirit of truth, has come, it will guide you into all truth; for it will not speak on its own authority, but whatever it hears it will speak; and it will tell you things to come. It will glorify Me, for it will take of what is Mine and declare it to you." John 16:13-14. So we see here that all who have the true Spirit of God will know, seek, and love the truth and that the Spirit of God will declare what is God's to those that work with and listen to the Holy Spirit of God. This being true I must ask...Why so many Churches declaring themselves to be Christian but teaching so much error? (Note: If you are concerned as to why the scripture above referred to the Holy Spirit as "It" and not "He" please go to our study "The Gospel of Jesus the Messiah" and read the sub-title "What is the Holy Spirit?"
Many professing Christian churches have statues of
what they call the Virgin Mary, and Christ on the cross. (It is not my intent
to go into the pagan origins of these religious icons at this time.) Some say they are not worshipping the cross,
or Madonna, but these things are just representations of God and Christ.
When one studies into the old pagan gods we find that, not all, but many of these gods demanded the same rules of proper living as Christians do, so why should they be considered evil? To answer this question we need to understand what else they did in the temple. Some temples had what is known as temple women. These were in reality temple prostitutes and were used by the priest of the temple. But the primary reason God hates them is because, as we find in scripture, most of them were involved in the sacrificing of children to these pagan gods. This is what the Old Testament refers to as passing their children through the fire. Jer 32:35. "And they built the high places of Baal which are in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to Molech, which I did not command them, nor did it come into My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin."
It may shock you but many of the symbols of their old
religion have even survived to this day and been added to Christian worship.
The reason one priest would wear red robes and another priest would wear black
robes, and do wear to this day, is because the priest in the red robe was selected
to kill the child, and the priest that wore the black robe would be the one
to offer the child as a burnt sacrifice. As one studies into the true meanings
of pagan religions we find many meanings to the rites, and ceremonies that God
hates and would never accept in worship to Him.
When God’s prophet Elijah contended with the people
about this pagan god Baal he made it very clear that we can’t worship the two
together. “And Elijah came to all the people, and said, "How long will
you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal,
follow him." But the people answered him not a word.” IKing 18:21. We also
read in Deut 12:30-32 that we shall not worship God in any pagan way. Let's
read it. "Take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them,
after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after
their gods, saying, 'How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do
likewise.' "You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way;
for every abomination to the LORD which He hates they have done
to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their
gods. "Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not
add to it nor take away from it." Please notice that God stated that
He HATES these pagan gods. Again like Paul stated, "Or do we provoke the
Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?"
Another scripture that reflects God's attitude towards these pagan gods can be found here in Hosea 13:1-4. When Ephraim spoke, trembling, he exalted himself in Israel; but when he offended through Baal worship, he died. Now they sin more and more, and have made for themselves molded images, idols of their silver, according to their skill; all of it is the work of craftsmen. They say of them, "Let the men who sacrifice kiss the calves! Therefore they shall be like the morning cloud and like the early dew that passes away, like chaff blown off from a threshing floor and like smoke from a chimney. Yet I am the LORD your God ever since the land of Egypt, and you shall know no God but Me; for there is no Savior besides Me.”
Let's consider brethren, this very strong statement
above. "You shall know no God but Me; for there is no Savior besides
Me.” We find scripture in John 14:6. that Jesus Himself also stated that
He was the truth, and the life and no person can come to the Father except through
Him! No other way! Not a cross, statue, or even any manner of ritual practices,
or religious rites can help anyone enter the Kingdom of God. Satan knows this
and he is working on detouring people away from Christ our ONLY savior! The
main ways Satan can keep people from becoming children of God is either through
the lust of the flesh, or to turn them to other god's that cannot save. We
very much need to be as sure as possible that we know who the true God is and
follow Him in spirit and truth.
Some will say that these scriptures above reflect God’s
attitude in old times, and some also believe that because Jesus have come and
establish the new covenant, God does not get angry about Baal today. Well brethren,
if you have come to this conclusion also then you are very much mistaken, as
you will see if you continue to read. AS stated above Baal is still being worshipped
today even using the name Christian, and The Father still hates him and
Jesus will destroy Baal at His return. There is a very profound prophesy of
the coming of the Lord and what is called “The day of the Lord” which denotes
the return of the Messiah which, by the way is still future. What is of great
significance here is that this future prophecy names the pagan god Baal as the
one that God will destroy. Let’s read it.
"I will stretch out My hand against Judah, and
against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. I will cut off every trace of Baal
from this place, the names of the idolatrous priests with the pagan priests--Those
who worship the host of heaven on the housetops; those who worship and swear
oaths by the LORD, but who also swear by Milcom; (Or Molack which
is the same.) Those who have turned back from following the LORD, and have not
sought the LORD, nor inquired of Him." Be silent in the presence of the
Lord GOD; for the day of the LORD is at hand, for the LORD has prepared a sacrifice;
he has invited His guests. "And it shall be, in the day of the LORD'S sacrifice,
that I will punish the princes and the king's children, and all such as are
clothed with foreign apparel.” Zeph 1:4-8.
Notice the words, “for the day of the LORD is at hand,”
denoting the time setting, and also that God made the point of those that worship
Him, but also swear by Molack? This shows that they are worshipping in the
name of God, (The Christian religion) and that God’s attitude is that we
can’t worship Him, and swear by a pagan god also. Again this prophesy shows
that God still hates Idolatry. There are New Testament scriptures that also
show we should not mix any idol worship with the worship of the true creator
God. Let’s look at a scripture in 2 Cor 6:14-18 that is very clear on that.
“Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has
righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?
And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an
unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For
you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will dwell in
them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
Therefore "Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do
not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to
you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”
Notice that He stated that if we don't touch the unclean thing He will receive us? Well the other side of the statement is also true…If we don't stop worshipping these pagan gods, then the true God who gives salvation will not receive us. Again some will say, we don't worship the cross or the Madona. We don't worship the witch's sex eggs or the goddess Easter on Easter Sunday. We don't worship the tree on Christ-mass. (See our historical study at the end of the botom.) Well I would like to ask a question that I have proposed to others. If you don't worship these things, and now you have learned that they are of Satan, then it should not be a problem for you to give them up. It should not be a problem for you to learn, and do, what God has established in worship to Him!
What about 1
Cor. 8?
To answer the critics concerning this topic we must
address the scriptures in 1 Corinthians chapter eight because it seems to indicate
that the apostle Paul was saying that we can eat meat offered to idols because
they are nothing and to do so has no meaning, and many ministers state that
these scriptures denote that God is no longer concerned with idol worship. Let’s
take a close look and see if these scriptures are in fact saying that God is
no longer concerned about idol worship. Let’s start with 1 Cor 8:1-13. “Now
concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge
puffs up, but love edifies." Here it seems to indicate that love over rides
knowledge. Let's continue, "And if anyone thinks that he knows anything,
he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, this one
is known by Him.” The Greek word for knowledge here is gnosis (gno'-sis); meaning,
“knowing” or to know experientially. Clear and exact knowledge which expresses
a more through participation on the part of the subject. Let’s continue, ”Therefore
concerning the eating of things offered to idols we know that an idol is nothing
in the world, and that there is no other God but one. For even if there are
so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth, as there are many gods and many
lords, yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and
we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through
whom we live.
The apostle goes on to write..."However, there
is not in everyone that knowledge; for some, with consciousness of the idol,
until now eat it as a thing offered to an idol; and their conscience, being
weak, is defiled." Here we see Paul showing that if a person has knowledge
of what they are doing they defile their conscience, in other words like stated
above they have clear and exact knowledge which expresses a more through participation
on the part of the subject. Now Paul goes on to say, “But food does not commend
us to God; for neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are
we the worse. But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling
block to those who are weak." Here is where we can lose the point if
we try to add human reason. Some will use human reason and state that Paul was
saying that love is more important than causing a brother to stumble but it
is ok to eat if no one is present that could stumble. Now I must say here that
we need to do as much as possible to never make someone stumble, but we should
never think we should over look sin for the sake of love! I would like to bring
to your attention that Paul had a man put out of the church and turned over
to Satan for sleeping with his fathers wife. 1 Cor 5:1-7. He went on to say
that their glorying was not good, and did they not know that a little leaven
leavens the whole lump?
Also if you look at the intent of the statement above
you will see that Paul was saying if a person has knowledge of sin (Eating meat
offered to idols) and does it anyway he could cause those that are weak, and
want to eat it, to stumble. In other words…"Hey look the minister is
doing it so it must be alright." Let's read what Paul finished saying here
and you will see it clearly. "For if anyone sees you who have knowledge
eating in an idol's temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be
emboldened (this means become more bold in doing it.) to eat those things
offered to idols? And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish,
for whom Christ died? But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound
their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my
brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.”
We see the conclusion of this question when the apostle
Peter stated, "So that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all
the Gentiles who are called by My name, says the Lord who does all these things.'
"Known to God from eternity are all His works. "Therefore I judge
that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to
God, "but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols,
from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood." Acts
15:17-20. The apostles were dealing with people that were worshipping pagan
idols before they accepted Jesus as their savior. They did not understand many
of the things they were taught from the Old Testament scriptures because they
were not raised in them as the converted Jews. So the apostles had to address
some important points to help them until they could come to a much deeper knowledge
of their new faith. But notice that to abstain from things offered to idols
is among them because the apostles understood that idol worship in any form
would lead them away from the true creator God.
Can
Idols lead you into the Beast system?
Brethren as I have stated many times before,
we need to heed the warning in II Thes. 2. and take it to heart because if we
don't, we can lose salvation. We
see by the warnings of our Lord and savior Himself that the greatest danger
for true Christians in these last days is a falling away from the truth. The
Spirit of God that we receive in us after baptism is called the Spirit of truth.
Our very salvation depends on our love of the truth, because if we don't believe
and follow the truth we can't come to the TRUE savior, Jesus the Messiah, and
that's what Satan is counting on.
Let no one
deceive you:
Remember what we covered in the beginning
of this study? To worship God in Spirit and TRUTH? We will see here why that is
so important. Some ministers are teaching that those who are deceived will not
be held accountable for their sins as they don't know, because they are
deceived. What is the truth? There's a man scripture refers to as the "son of perdition"
that is to come into power in these last days. The very term
"perdition" means to be damned, or to lose eternal salvation.
Remember, if a man leads others into perdition he must also go into perdition,
so be very sure you know the truth when you tell people "God said"
and then they go the way you lead them. Please make no mistake about it, people
can be condemned by following, and if the follower can be condemned, how much
more can the deceiver be condemned?
A "warning" is to keep one from going where
they can be injured or killed, and the warnings in the scriptures are there
to avert us from eternal condemnation. We can read the warning of this son of
perdition who is to come into power in II Th 2:1-12. "Now, brethren, concerning
the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask
you, not to be soon shaken in mind or
troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though
the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not
come unless the falling away comes
first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and
exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that
he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
Do you not remember that when I was still with you I
told you these things? And now you know what is restraining, that he may be
revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work;
only He who now restrains will do so
until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will
be revealed whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy
with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according
to the working of Satan, with all
power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among
those who perish, because they did not
receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this
reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie,
that they all may be condemned who
did not believe the truth but had pleasure in un-righteousness.”
Notice this very important point, that the time
setting is the time of the end. So the first event we need to be most aware
of in the last days is this great deception,
or (Great
Apostasy) that is to come at the time of the end. The reason people will
become deceived is because they did not receive, or maintain a love for the
truth as the scripture stated. They considered the true doctrines of God as
not important. Also notice, "He
who now restrains will do so until He
is taken out of the way. The
"He" here is Jesus, and the day is very soon when He will step aside
to let the man of perdition have full control because Satan is given every opportunity
to deceive the very elect of God in these end times.
Because of this warning we need to be sure we know,
and love, the truth of God, because the very term "Apostasy"
denotes that there's one truth and there's a departure from that truth.
If we depart from it we will not receive salvation because salvation comes from
the true Messiah. Remember we can't even come to the Father except through Jesus,
and this means the true One. Satan is deceiving many today into a false salvation
by changing many scriptures into a deceptive counterfeit. (See "The
Credibility of the Bible".) The only way he could do this using Jesus'
Name and the "Christian Religion" is to change the true gospel of
Jesus to another gospel. To infiltrate the church of God with false gods, false
doctrines, false ministers and even false members to lead God's true people
away from the true Christ with their religion.
If you still don't believe that God hates
pagan gods and idols at this point then let's read what is stated during the
end time when God is pouring destruction on the earth. This scripture denotes,
without a doubt, what God's will is concerning idol worship.
As stated above, some say they are wearing
the cross to show their commitment to Christ. Well brethren I would like to
ask you this, Why did God take the throne from King Solomon? It was because
he went away from the true God to worship pagan gods. Do you suppose God will
tear the kingdom from Solomon and excuse us?
The Roman Catholic Church teaches that the doctrines that are not found explicitly
taught by the apostles but taught later by other men, after the Bible was written,
are nevertheless truths from God. Therefore these "other" doctrines
are as important as clear biblical teachings. It teaches that the apostles simply
chose not to explicitly write such beliefs to the churches as New Testament
Scripture. Although there is no explicit proof that the apostles believed these
doctrines, the Roman Catholic Church proposes that the apostles indeed did believe
them, otherwise, they feel, God would not have led the Roman Catholic Church
to later teach these doctrines. Rather than be founded upon clear, explicit
teachings in the Bible as taught by the apostles and Jesus Christ, the Roman
Catholic Church believes that their foundation is the belief that God would
not have the Roman Church teach such doctrines if they were not true doctrines.
The majority of Protestant denominations do not altogether accept this Catholic
Church doctrine, which gives so-called credence to the doctrine of the Immaculate
Conception, the doctrine of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and of the literal
flesh and blood in the communion Eucharist, but they have nevertheless accepted
the Trinity doctrine even though this Trinity doctrine is no more explicitly
taught in scripture than the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception. To accept
one doctrine and then throw out the other, when both are from the same foundation
of "Tradition", as opposed to explicit scriptural teaching, is to
act most contradictorily. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that they have as
much authority to hear a new doctrine from God, that was never formerly and
explicitly taught by the original Apsotles, as did
the original apostles since apostles have continued to exist in the Roman Catholic
Church. This doctrine of "Apostolic Succession" is said to give the
Roman Catholic Church the right to add new doctrines to the faith. And the Doctrine
of the Trinity was one such doctrine that came along in the fourth century,
and was totally refined in the eighth century! Question is...Who do you believe
and follow?
Timothy M. Youngblood
"The
Master's Table"
If interested check out our pagan
symbols page for more great information on the subject of idol worship.
Sun Worship in Christianity?
A Sign
of the Antichrist?
Satan's Snare...
Beware of Emmaus.
Mardi Gras.
Church Government?