So many people are confused about hell, death and heaven. Many Christians even believe their loved ones are watching over them. The Bible is clear on these subjects. Jesus himself said in Luke 8:21, “And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it.” This text includes Mary, and Jesus’ own words tell us that all those who ‘hear the word of God’ meaning scripture and obey it are his family. We can be assured that Mary would not say or do anything that was not recorded in scripture. Comparing what is said about Mary to the word of God is the ONLY way we can determine if what is taught about her is true or false.
Mark Finley presents clear biblical texts that speak to these topics in his video titled, “False Virgin Mary Prophecy of End Time Conflict”.
THE MARY SEMINAR
In this astonishing revelation of a little dwelt-upon topic, Pastor Stephen Bohr, Secrets Unsealed Ministry (SUMtv), shows clearly from scripture the role that Mary had in the life of Jesus. Pastor Bohr draws out the distinct role of Jesus and how some groups have attributed what belongs to Jesus along to Mary. It is our prayer that those who have a misunderstanding of Mary, the mother of Jesus, will prayerfully study what is presented in this series. We understand this might be startling for some. We need to know these things in order to understand and face what is coming in the near future. Click here for the Mary Seminar playlist:
1. Biblical Portrait of Mary
2. The Cult of the Virgin Mother
3. Mary the Rival of Jesus
4. The Immaculate Deception
5. The Myth of Apostolic Succession
6. Peter and the Rock
7. The Final Dogma
8. The Ecumenical Mary
Part four touches on the idea that God’s church (his people) must come into perfection before Jesus comes again. This is true. God’s church must be perfect before Jesus comes again. Don’t stop here. Just hear us out as to what this means, it is deep. The next few paragraphs will define what this means, so there will be no misunderstanding what perfection means. Christ is waiting for the reproduction of himself, his character, in his people (the body of Christ) on earth. The question becomes, ‘how do we reproduce Christ character on earth”?
Justification by faith invites people to accept the righteousness of Christ. What is righteousness? It is right-doing. Our characters are revealed by what we do. The works show whether our faith is genuine. Righteousness by faith is right-doing by faith. In judgment, God looks at what we do, ‘is it in harmony with His holy law”? (Rev. 14:12). Remember, it is not your right-doing but the right doing of Christ in you. So, when keeping the commandments of God AND the righteousness which comes by the faith of Jesus – then we reflect the character of Jesus.
Ephesians 4:13-16 tells us that He wants us to ‘be in unity of faith‘. What faith? The faith of Jesus, which brings about the righteousness of Jesus. When we are united in the faith of Jesus, then we are united in the righteousness of Jesus. Ephesians is telling us we need to grow up in the full stature of Jesus Christ. So, Christ is waiting for the replication of his character on earth. Here in Ephesians, we are being told that we are to grow up from childhood into adulthood and to reflect His image, character here on earth. The law was to bring us to Christ, so that we might be justified by faith (Gal. 3:23-27). This moral law reveals sin to us, and causes us to feel our need for Christ and flee to him for pardon and peace by exercising repentance towards God and faith towards our LORD Jesus Christ.
The point is, children need a ‘schoolmaster’. Once the schoolmaster had done its work, the schoolmaster hands us over to Christ. The moral law (10 commandments) is not the end of righteousness, there is something more. When we are handed over to Jesus, we are handed over to the ‘faith of Jesus’. We cannot obtain righteousness through the ten commandments (moral law), we can only obtain righteousness through the faith of Jesus. Righteousness is right-doing…positive action. What do the ten commandments tell us? They tells us what ‘not’ to do. Righteousness is not about what ‘not to do’ but ‘what to do’. What ‘not to do’ is important for it is what points us to Christ. But there is more. Romans 7:7 says, “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not know lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.” The law simply tells us what NOT to do. Romans 1:16-17 says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ…For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” So, righteousness is found in Jesus, who tells us what ‘to do’. Jesus tells he wants us to do what he did, and that we can do it in his strength. Romans 3:20-23 tells us, “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” Again, we see that we get righteousness by faith.
What is faith? Hebrews 1:1, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” So, faith is believing and acting upon something you cannot see. Therefore, righteousness by faith is right-doing without seeing something. Another words, you do right, you know to do right, without having to look at something to tell you what is right and what is wrong. Doing right becomes as second nature, the schoolmaster (law, 10 commandments) have been taken from the tablets of stone and written upon our heart (Ps. 40:8). It is Jesus in us, that performs this internal transformation of the heart.
Galatians 5:5-6, “For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.” The righteousness of Christ is manifested in works of love. Did you catch that? The law says ‘don’t do’ but the character of Christ says ‘do”…this is how they work together. “A legal religion is insufficient to bring the soul in harmony with God. The hard, rigid orthodoxy of the Pharisees, destitute of contrition, tenderness, or love, was only a stumbling block to sinners. They were like the salt that had lost its savor; for their influence had not power to preserve the world from corruption. The only faith it that which “worketh by love” (Gal. 5:6) to purify the soul. It is as leaven that transform the character.” MB 53.2, EGW. How is the soul purified? It is through works of love. When we do what Jesus did on earth, works of love, that is the righteousness of Christ. The righteousness of Christ was manifested in what he did…works of love. In doing that, something happens to the soul, it becomes purified. Not doing something; not lying, killing, coveting, etc., does not purify the soul. The Church, the body of Christ, know ‘what not to do’; therefore, the focus should be on works of love. Romans 9:30-32 highlights, if you measure righteousness by ‘what you don’t do’ you have missed the point of what Christ is trying to tell us. Galatians 2:16 emphasizes that you CANNOT be justified because you don’t: have other gods, make or bow down to idols, use His name in vain, break the Sabbath, honor your father or mother, kill, commit adultery, steal, lie, or covet. Justification comes from the right doing of Jesus Christ, which is love. The manifestation of love within us, shows our faith is genuine.
In Matthew 19:16-21, Jesus is speaking to a lawyer-rich young ruler. This person asked Jesus what he needed to do to have eternal life. Jesus repeated some of the ten commandments to him, but ended in ‘love your neighbor as yourself’. Now, ‘love your neighbor as yourself’ in not one of the ‘thou shalt nots’. The young man told Jesus he has done these things. Jesus then tells him to be perfect, sell what you have and go minister to the poor. The story ends with the rich young ruler walking away sad. Perfection was NOT what he did not do, but acts of love. Those acts of love purifies the heart, this is following Jesus example when he was on earth. Doing acts of love changes us in a way that it becomes natural not do the things the law tells us not to do.
“Let us seek for that faith which works by love and purifies the heart, that we may represent the character of Christ to the world.” The Review and Herald , December 8, 1891. {CE 93.1} Christ is waiting for his character to be reproduce in the Church, meaning we are to see faith which works by love. When we begin to pour out of ourselves into others…the oppressed, those that need help, etc. the love of Christ does something within us that purifies our heart.
The devil wants people to focus on ‘what not to do’ because it will keep them so busy they don’t have time to take in the righteousness of Christ which is manifested by works of love, which in turn purifies the heart, which in turn causes us to reflect the character of Christ, which means in turn that Christ will come because he has been perfectly reproduce in his church for the world to see.
Here are the works Christ did when he was here on earth, Luke 4:18-19: ‘preach to gospel to the poor, heal the broken hearted, preach deliverance to the captives, recovering sight to the bling, set at liberty those who are bruised’. Christ came to minister to oppressed. The don’ts are important, because they deliver us to Christ; where the righteousness of Christ (works of love) begin and purifies the heart. This is revolutionary, the way to overcome self is by pouring out to others.
Galatians 2:19, we have to be dead to the law meaning I am not doing what the law says not to do; BUT WE DO NOT STOP THERE. We also have to be alive unto God, that is doing what Christ did. Galatians 5:4-6 tells us that faith works by love. Micah 6:8 tells us the character of Christ is to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God. We are to show Christian courtesy for the burdened and oppressed (sick, sorrowing, despondent, those in darkness, etc.), by giving of our means, time, sympathy, and personal effort and pointing them to Christ. This is how our life is to represent Christ, it will have more of an effect than our words or profession.
The ten commandments must be transformed into two. “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy niegeior as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Deut. 6:4-7; Matt. 22:35-40; Mark 12:28-32; Luke 10:25-37). This is righteousness by commission. Luke 6:35: “But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.” This is what mercy is, this is what Jesus wants us to do whether we like them or not, we are to show pity and love. If we do not follow His example our heart becomes hard.
Matthew 5:46-48, “For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” This is what perfection is. In the third angels message of Revelation is where the Church (body of Christ) wakes up and goes out into the world showing mercy and reaching the oppressed. This is how the world will see the light of Christ shinning through his church, and this is how the whole earth is lightened with his glory. This is being about our Father’s business, mingling with the broken, showing mercy for their good, and bid them to follow Him. This is the perfection Christ is looking for, because the focus is not on ourselves it is on others; and this is what keeps us from breaking God’s commandments.
Ezekiel 11:19-20, when we love God with every fiber of our being, when we labor in love, and are sympathetic to the plight of the oppressed; we are keeping the law of God perfectly. We will grow, bear good fruit, we bear His image – then the glory of the LORD fills the earth (Isa. 58:6-8). Failure to to demonstrate love as Jesus did, makes us lukewarm, wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked (Rev. 3:15-17). We need to buy from Him ‘gold tried in the fire’ so that we are clothed with his righteousness that covers the shame of our nakedness (Rev. 3:18). We are to minister to starving souls.
We bring this information forward to point out that this dogma of Mary is error.
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2 Timothy 2:15, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” AND 1 Thessalonians 5:21, “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.”