“And this good news of the Kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth
for a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” — Matthew 24:14.
Please note that English is not my first language, so I apologise for any limitations in my writing. I will do my best to make it understandable using translation and grammar-checking tools.
In recent months, I have watched many YouTube videos under the heading “Christian”. Interesting, I thought! I admire the courage, motivation, and determination of the devout individuals who strive to follow Jesus in his footsteps. But... was the information solely based on Jesus’ teachings?
Let’s see... I watched a few videos of people claiming to have spent about 20 minutes in Hell or Heaven. Could they really have been there? If they had truly been there, they wouldn’t be here on earth talking about it. Why? Because God’s Word teaches what actually happens to people after they die. Simply put: the memorial tomb (Sheol, Hell, and Hades) is for both the righteous and the unrighteous (who have the prospect of life in paradise), Heaven is for the Bride Class, and Gehenna is for the wicked who are definitively condemned by Jesus. But more on that in Chapter 7 of this Letter.
So, the teaching that the righteous go to Heaven and the wicked go to Hell does not fully reflect what God’s Word has to say about those matters. Still, the idea is accepted worldwide. Moreover, because some YouTube videos present these ideas so appealingly, people may actually come to believe them.
The same applies to almost every YouTube video related to the heading “Christian” that I have watched. But very few of them turned out to be free from false teachings. Why is that? God’s Word is Truth; there is no doubt about it. But have the content creators of these videos truly learned from God’s Word, or have they received their information from false religion? Spreading false teachings helps others to stand firm in error. It causes them to align with the one Jesus described as the murderer and liar, namely, Satan the Devil — John 8:44.
Jesus warned us about false prophets and teachers. If a teaching is inaccurate or not aligned with God’s Word, we must be cautious! — 2 Timothy 4:3-4, 2 Peter 2:1, Matthew 7:15.
Note that this is not a judgement against the people of the Church or any religion, but rather a warning about the dangerous situation occurring worldwide. We endeavour to love our fellow human beings and to seek Truth from God’s Word, sharing it so that others can benefit as well. However, since Satan has a significant influence on both the world and the Church, misleading teachings are being spread globally. This is one of the methods Satan, in the guise of the purple-dressed prostitute, works through (see Revelation Chapter 17).
So... When we see all those false teachings... What do we do with them? Do we soak them up like a sponge? Or do we discern? Use the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s Word, to test whether the information is true, and reject it if it is not true. — Ephesians 6:17.
One of Satan’s specialities is seducing people and even whole religions into praying to anyone other than the Heavenly Father, into calling upon the dead for help, and into using spiritual healing, spiritual powers or whatever other occult methods are available in the world. Those are Satanic activities and/or rituals, and it’s very dangerous! Most people who do this are not precisely aware of what it does, how it works, or what consequences it entails. Most of the time, it leads to persistent harassment by wicked spirits, widespread confusion, misleading information, psychological distress, or even worse. It is far better to ban all Satanic things from our lives completely!
Therefore, we should pray only to God, our Heavenly Father. You can address Him by His Hebrew name (only in thoughts, not spoken aloud) or as “Jehovah” (in thoughts and spoken aloud). — Matthew 6:9-13, 4:10.
Just like humanity today, Jesus was also challenged by Satan many, many times. In Matthew Chapter 4, it is written that Satan took Jesus to an unusually high mountain, showed him the kingdoms of the world and their glory, and offered them to Jesus if he would perform a single act of worship to Satan. What did Jesus do?
“Then Jesus said to him: ‘Go away, Satan! For it is written: ‘It is Jehovah your God you must worship, and it is to him alone you must render sacred service.’’ Then the Devil left him, and look! angels came and began to minister to him.” — Matthew 4:10-11.
What an example Jesus gave us! From that example, we can learn that, with knowledge of God’s written Word, we can walk wisely and stand firm when challenged. But there is more information contained in Matthew 4:10-11. The object of worship, our Heavenly Father, apparently has a name. In most Bible translations, I don’t see the actual name; instead, it is rendered as “Lord”. Why is that? Let’s see.
The Hebrew name of God, the Heavenly Father, appears in the holy scripture nearly 7,000 times. In Hebrew, these four letters are read from right to left: יהוה .
The name is known to humankind, but it is too Holy to be pronounced out of the mouth and certainly not to be misused. It is not Jehovah or Yahweh, but it is similar to them.
If the syllables were pronounced, they would sound like “Jod-Hee-Waa-Hee”. Closely related to the Hebrew verb “hawah” הוה , which means “to become” and “he causes to become”, the name signifies that God causes to become what is needed to fulfil His promises. Now, if we put the jod י that’s in front of God’s name in front of the Hebrew verb “hawah”, then we end up with “Johawah”. The worldwide used name “Jehovah”, for example, is a close translation of that name.
Where does the name “Yahweh” come from? Because God’s name “Johawah” is too Holy to be pronounced out of the mouth, the ancient believers left out the vowels. The name was written as “YHWH,” and when they tried to speak it, it sounded like “Yahweh.” It is a different name, though, with a different meaning; it is not the name of God.
Discernment is necessary here, as knowing God’s name is of great importance. Not only because Satan (in the form of the purple-dressed prostitute - see Revelation Chapter 17) tries to do everything in his power for humanity not to worship our Heavenly Father properly, but also because we, as Christians, want to do our best to worship our Heavenly Father the way He desires it. And of course, we want to prevent cooperating with Satan! Therefore, knowing the name of God is of great importance.
God said, “Because he has affection for me, I will rescue him.
I will protect him because he knows my name.” — Psalm 91:14.
In God’s Word, the Bible, many things follow a particular order of importance. For example, learning to drink milk first (an easy teaching) and then progressing to solid food (a harder teaching). Studying Jesus’ teachings first, then, once we understand a little more, practising them and sharing with others (preaching). The difficult trials (pangs of distress and Great Tribulation) happen on earth first; salvation comes afterwards. This also applies to the model prayer Jesus gave us.
As Jesus said, “Our Father in the heavens, let your name be sanctified. Let your Kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also on earth.” The order in which these things are named is significant. “Our Father who is in heaven” indicates that we must pray to the Heavenly Father, not to anyone else. The second part, “let your name be sanctified,” signifies that learning God’s name, honouring it, and certainly not misusing it, comes second in importance. And so on.
Satan hates the things that are most dear to God Himself. This is evident in false religions worldwide. What is the most common trait they share? That they do not worship the Heavenly Father. What is the second most common trait? They use different names for God. Furthermore, a common characteristic of false religions is that they are not focused on ‘God’s Kingdom’ at all or very little, and aside from that, ‘God’s will’ receives little to no attention.
The focus is on worshipping our Heavenly Father, not anyone else. Regardless of what we think the name of God is, we pray only to God, our Heavenly Father. You can address Him by His title “our Heavenly Father” or “our Father in the Heavens”. Or you can address Him by His name: “Johawah” (only in thought, not spoken aloud) or as “Jehovah” (in thought and spoken aloud). — Matthew 6:9-13, 4:10.
Besides that, it is essential to know (and glorify) His Holy name, יהוה “Johawah” in Hebrew and “Jehovah” in other languages. So, when you read in your Bible “the Lord” 7,000 times instead of the actual name of God, you can ask yourself, “Hey, wasn’t the name of God supposed to be written here?” Then you can check online for Hebrew or Greek translations to see whether the scripture you are reading should include the name of God or is meant to say “the Lord”.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god.” — John 1:1.
This scripture introduces Jesus to us and shares some information about him. At “In the beginning was the Word”, we don’t know precisely what the word “beginning” means. Could it be the start of the physical creation? Could it be long before the physical creation?
Colossians 1:15-16 tells us that Jesus is the firstborn of all creation and that all things were created through him. This clearly indicates that Jesus was born before the physical universe was made; but we don’t know the exact time of his birth. However, since this scripture states that Jesus is the firstborn of all creation, it shows that Jesus did not exist for eternity. There was clearly a moment in history when he did not exist yet, and then he was born. So, at some point over a billion years ago, Jesus was born. — Proverbs 8:22-30.
Then John 1:1 continues, “and the Word was with God”. So, Jesus was with God, as God’s son and firstborn. He lived for billions of years in Heaven together with God, before humans came to be on earth.
Then the last part, “and the Word was a god”. In most Bibles, I see the phrase, “and the Word was God,” written. And that is where most people derive the idea that Jesus is God, the almighty Creator. But if we look more closely at the Greek scriptures, we see that two forms of the noun “theos” (God) are used. See Biblehub.com for the Greek translation of John 1.
The first Greek word for God, “theon”, is preceded by the article “ton” (the). The Greek phrase “ton theon” therefore means “the God.” It clearly specifies which God is intended, namely “the God.” It refers to the Almighty Creator, our Heavenly Father.
The second Greek word for ‘god’, “theos”, is not preceded by an article. This means that the sentence “and the Word was a god” does not imply that the Word was the all-mighty Creator or - the - God in question, but that the Word was someone of high rank, a very powerful and important person. The correct translation, therefore, would be: “and the Word was a god”.
Knowing this is very important, because if we do not clearly establish whether it is the Heavenly Father or His beloved son, Jesus, who is God, we may struggle to know whom we ought to worship. It is crucial for both God and Jesus that we heed Jesus’s words so we do not fall into the trap of the purple-dressed prostitute (see Revelation Chapter 17) and perform the wrong kinds of worship, which can be Satanic in nature. So, what did Jesus say about it?
“It is Jehovah your God you must worship, and it is to him alone you must render sacred service.” — Matthew 4:10.
This is what Jehovah says, the King of Israel and his Repurchaser, Jehovah of armies:
“I am the first and I am the last.
There is no God but me.” — Isaiah 44:6.
God’s Word describes two channels through which Satan, the Devil, operates; through these two he causes havoc on earth and in people’s lives. One is the purple-dressed prostitute (described in Revelation Chapter 17), through whom Satan causes chaos related to sexual immorality and false religion. The other is described in God’s Word through several beasts (Revelation 13:1-10, 11-15, 16-18; 17:9-10) and a giant statue representing eight political powers (Daniel 2:31-45), through which Satan also causes havoc on earth.
The giant statue depicts eight different earthly governments or political powers, each succeeding the other through time. It shows how close we are to the end of Satan’s system of things. The seven-headed ten-horned beast described in Revelation Chapter 13 represents the global political system on earth.
Explaining those beasts and the giant statue would require a very long text and is part of deeper Bible studies. Still, it is mentioned here briefly because understanding how Satan operates to cause chaos is essential. It helps us all, as human beings, to be warned about it and to be better able to avoid becoming part of Satan’s system.
If we are not careful in making our choice in those matters, we risk committing adultery with the purple-dressed prostitute or with the seven-headed beast. That’s why we don’t vote for earthly political parties or governments. Because by doing so, we literally vote for Satan’s political system or Satan’s system of things – instead of voting for God and His government (and His way of things). We have to take our stand for the Truth; we have to take our stand for God and His Kingdom to be part of the Living, to be part of True Christianity.
*Note: God wants us to show obedience and good behaviour towards earthly authorities, but always show more obedience towards God and His Kingdom. — Acts 5:29, Romans 13:1-2, Titus 3:1, 1 Peter 2:13-14, John 19:10-11.
Among all the beautiful teachings Jesus brought us, the subject of “God’s Kingdom” was mentioned quite frequently. He even commanded his disciples to preach the good news of the Kingdom to the entire inhabited world. — Matthew 24:14, 10:1-11, Luke 4:43, 8:1, 10:1, Acts 5:42.
Who are the disciples he commanded to preach the good news of the Kingdom?
If we consider the meaning of the word “disciples,” we find that it is commonly described as: “a follower or pupil of a teacher, leader, or philosopher.” Therefore, the word disciples means “follower” or “student.” Jesus’ followers are his disciples. Since Jesus Christ is the bringer of True Christianity, his followers are True Christians. We, as his followers, strive to learn more accurately about Jesus’ teachings from God’s Word, the Bible, and endeavour to put them into practice in our daily lives. Recognising that what Jesus taught is the Truth aligns with “For God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life” — John 3:16.
If we follow ideas or beliefs that might resemble what Jesus taught, but are not actually aligned with his teachings, then we are not exercising faith in Jesus. Premise: The Heavenly Father is truthful, and He sent His beloved son Jesus to earth to bring truthful teachings, the True Christian way of living, and as the perfect ransom – the perfect sacrifice – to die for our sins. God’s Word, therefore, is truthful. If we do not believe that, we are not exercising faith in Jesus. — Matthew 7:13-14.
One example: if we oppose Jesus’ teachings and start worshipping (or praying to) other persons than our Heavenly Father, we are not doing what Jesus taught us to do. And thus we claim that the Heavenly Father, Jesus and God’s written Word are not Truthful... in that case we are not followers of Jesus, nor are we exercising faith in Jesus.
Ensuring our Christian beliefs align with Jesus’ teachings is one of our most important responsibilities. This involves practising it ourselves in our daily lives and then sharing it with others - doing the preaching work. If we learn something new about God, Jesus, or God’s Kingdom and share it with others, that is also preaching!
Like a young child who learns something new and excitedly shares it with their parents or friends: “Mummy, I learned something new today! I learned that the Heavenly Father is God!” or “I learned that God is already taking action to end all misery on earth!” Then, they tell their mother what they have discovered. Therefore, learning the information yourself and then sharing it with others is considered preaching. It’s the beautiful process of first learning and then sharing it with others. This makes faith a living faith; it makes it alive. (See: Chapter 7: Eternal life - Living faith or blind faith?). It also helps others gain highly valuable information they can benefit from!
Jesus’ commandment to preach the good news of the Kingdom applies not only to first-century Christians but also to Christians today. The conclusion is therefore: we who want to follow Jesus’ teachings are Christians, and thus also his disciples!
We will stumble so now and then, but we practise and practise and practise to grow as a Christian - and practice makes perfect!
Jesus said to him: “Keep following me, and let the dead bury their dead.” — Matthew 8:22.
Jesus’ followers belong to True Christianity and will already experience the blessings of the Heavenly Father today. It’s a practical faith. A living faith. The world and its Satanic doctrines and Satanic rituals belong to the group that lives in a way that God does not approve, and thus cannot experience the blessings.
As the people of God, we want to be part of True Christianity and follow His son’s teachings. That means, we don’t want to mingle with the world and its rituals, but we would like to follow Jesus in his footsteps and serve and worship the Heavenly Father. That way, we belong among the living as well!
For everyone who wishes to serve the Heavenly Father:
Dear Heavenly Father, I humbly ask for myself and all those who long to walk in the footsteps of Your beloved son, Jesus: bless us, help us in our times of need, and please guide us. Please help us in developing the fruit of the Spirit. Grant us also the discernment we so desperately need. The world is full of false teachings; help us to recognise them and hold fast to Your Truth. In this way, we can serve You faithfully, Heavenly Father, in the way that makes You joyful. In Jesus’ name, I ask You to hear this prayer. Amen. Thank You, dear Heavenly Father.
*Note: The fruit of the Spirit: see Galatians 5:22-23.
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