Have we heard God speak on how to read the Bible?

"For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:" Isaiah 28:10  

God’s relationship with the chosen

Ever since, God’s relationship with His chosen people has been that of the "Shepherd" with the "flock." He was therefore the Master, the Ruler, the Chief, the Leader, the Director, the Guide, the Protector, the Shield, the Benefactor, and the Provider. God spoke directly to Noah, Moses, and other prophets -- His chosen "vessels."

In turn, the chosen vessels relay the message to the "flock." God is the Shepherd or Pastor, and the servants are the "shepherds or pastors. " It is God Who is actually speaking. The "servants" only emit the sound message. The "servants" cannot speak on their own; otherwise, they are taking the role of the Shepherd or Master. In other words, the servants who are popularly known as "shepherds or pastors" act only as the speaker system. God is the one speaking behind the microphone. The speaker system cannot produce any sound of its own. If ever, this must be strange, a noise and a cacophony. It is God Who is actually shepherding and teaching.

That is how the relationship among: God, His servants called prophets, apostles, evangelists, pastors and teachers, and the Chosen should be. IT is only God Who chooses and appoints His servants -- not any man. It is God’s prerogative and not the subject’s right or privilege that one is chosen as such.

JEREMIAH 1:4-5 "Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee..."

EPHESIANS 4:11 "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;"

As the appointing authority, God knows whom to appoint. To whoever is appointed servant, God gives everything needed for his work. Examples:

IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

EZEKIEL 3:1-2 "Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll."

EZEKIEL 3:10 "Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears."

IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

1 JOHN 2:27 "But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth...."

GALATIANS 1:11-12 "But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ."

It is in that spiritual relationship that we find God relating to Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, the Judges Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah, Barak, Gideon, Samson up to Samuel.

Unfounded fear

A demonstration of lack of trust in God was depicted when Samuel was old and the people clamored for a RULER or MASTER!

1 SAMUEL 8:4-5 "Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, and said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations."

Who cares for the people’s spiritual welfare? Is it not to God, the Master and Shepherd? Does not the Shepherd know what is good for the flock? God therefore was greatly slighted by this act:

1 SAMUEL 8:7 "And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them."

Perhaps the Natural Man, in contrast to the Spiritual Man, sees only the political nature of the incident. We have to be reminded that the word of God is SPIRITUAL. God manifested His jealousy; after all He is a jealous God. In fact, His name (one His titles) is JEALOUS:

EXODUS 34:14 "For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:"

God therefore warned the people of the consequences of their plan. He told Samuel to convey this to them:

1 SAMUEL 8:11-12 "And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest..."

God wanted the people to understand that He would be relegated to the background once a king would "reign over them." He further warned them:

1 SAMUEL 8:15 "And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants." 1 SAMUEL 8:17 "He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants."

(To the spiritually discerning person, this warning of our Lord has something to do with the literal application of the Law on Tithes and Offering. Paul received the revelation that the law is spiritual. No wonder Jesus Christ, the model showing the Way, and the apostles foremost among them Paul were never heard preaching nor seen following the literalapplication of the Law. Christ worked as a carperter; while Paul a tent-maker. )

The people, however, insisted on having a king like the heathens:

1 SAMUEL 8:19-20 "Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles."

God acceded to the demand of the people. God gave them kings who would rule over them, instead of Him. The first king was Saul. The Natural Man only sees the political aspect of the events. However, the word of God is spiritual. It is from this manner, therefore, that the event should be viewed. Man became the Ruler and the Guide, instead of God! Honor and respect was focussed on man, instead on God.

JAMES 2:9 "But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors."

This should be distinguished from the command of God "to respect persons in authority" relating to social, political, and other matters of the world:

1 PETER 2:13-15 "Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:"

From then on, the Bible tells us how the people veered away from the way of God. There are, however, few chosen ones who remained faithful to Him.

Birth of the Pastoral System

The foregoing account marked the birth of the Pastoral System. Under this set up, people are under a "king," actually a religious leader who exercises authority and instills discipline over them. The ‘"king" is put on the pedestal who is honored and exalted. He exacts tribute in the form of tithes for the maintenance of the religious structure. The "king" therefore surreptitiously replaces God, and this fact is hidden from the people because of spiritual blindness.

Proofs for the deception are found in many places of the Bible where God explicitly tells the people of their wrong deeds:

1. Can a man, the "king," be called FATHER on matters pertaining to God? Yet some religious leaders are called FATHER.

MATTHEW 23:9 "And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven."

2. Can a man be called MASTER, TEACHER, HEAD, RULER, CHIEF, SHEPHERD, OR RABBI, on matters pertaining to God? Yet religious leaders appropriate the honor if not the title altogether.

MATTHEW 23:8 "But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren."

3. Is there any name that should be REVERED other than the name of God on matters pertaining to Him and His words? Yet religious leaders allow people to revere them by prefixing the word REV. or REVEREND before their name.

PSALMS 111:9 "He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name."

4. Can any man accept the accolade of being GOOD, HOLY, EMINENT, on matters pertaining to God and His words? Not even Jesus Christ, as model showing the WAY, accepted the honor:

LUKE 18:18-19 "And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God."

5. Does God teach respect for persons on matters pertaining to Him and His words?

JAMES 2:9 "But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors."

While people profess that Jesus Christ is the Truth and the Way, and many confess that they accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, do they accept the truth? Are they walking on the Way? Perhaps, it is for this reason that the word of God is called a two-edged sword:

HEBREW 4:12 "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."  

OLIVE tree refuses to be king

The Pastoral System is further exposed by a parable given long time ago about certain trees. Here is a demonstration and a proof that, indeed, no man but God alone can and should explain His words.

JUDGES 9:8-15 "The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us. But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us. But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees? Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us. And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us. And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow..."

Has anybody ventured to explain the parable? It is Jesus Christ Who explained the parables to His disciples. The disciples on their own could not have understood the great message of the word of God:

MARK 4:34 "But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples."

Can man’s effort, time, energy, capability and everything in him, sufficient to comprehend God’s words without Him revealing the great message?

In our case, we simply ask God, and putting our trust in Him, we wait for His explanation. We ask Him, "LORD, TO US AN OLIVE TREE BELONGS TO THE PLANT KINGDOM THAT PRODUCES OIL. TO TAKE YOUR WORD LITERALLY, IT IS INDEED FOOLISHNESS FOR THIS TREE TO BE OFFERED THIS POSITION AS KING. WE KNOW YOU ARE SPEAKING A LANGUAGE DIFFERENT FROM OUR LITERAL-PHYSICAL ONE. WHAT IS AN OLIVE TREE TO YOU?" As if God is saying, "How do you perceive an olive tree in the following?

PSALMS 52:8 "But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever."

"Have you noticed that the olive tree is in My house? He must therefore be My chosen. Could My chosen, knowing My will, accept the position of kingship among his fellowmen? Remember TREES symbolize people. Certainly, no one among them would accept the position! That is where you find the olive tree refusing the offer of being king, or RULER, or CHIEF, or HEAD, or LEADER, or GUIDE, or DIRECTOR, or TEACHER, or RABBI, or MASTER, or SHEPHERD, or PASTOR who was to take My place and appropriate for him the honor and glory that only belong to Me."

"Not only in the Old Testament books where you find olive trees symbolizing My chosen."

ROMANS 11:17 "And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olivetree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;"

"Now you know when I am talking of wild OLIVE TREES, I am referring to the Gentiles who believe in Me and, thus, becoming My chosen also.

GALATIANS 3:29 "And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."

"No one among My chosen who have the truth will ever accept the position of ‘king among the trees!’ Thus, the refusal of the olive tree ‘who’ said, ‘Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?’

"By this time, you must have known that ‘fatness of the olive tree’ refers to the spiritual oil or the Holy Spirit! Were not My chosen anointed with ‘oil’ or Holy Spirit? In what way does ‘fatness or oil in the olive tree honour God and man? You must have been familiar with the fruit(s) of the Holy Spirit that, indeed, renders honour both to Me and to men:

GALATIANS 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance..."  

FIG tree refuses to be king

After the olive tree, the trees went to the fig tree and offered the position. The fig tree replied:

JUDGES 9:11 "But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees?"

In like manner, we ask God what He meant by the fig tree refusing to be king among the trees. "LORD, TO US A FIG TREE IS A LITERAL TREE THAT PRODUCES SWEET FRUITS. WE ARE NOW WAITING FOR YOUR EXPLANATION OF THE PARABLE." As if God is saying, "Look for yourself if fig tree in the following refers to a literal tree."

HOSEA 9:10 "...I saw your fathers as the firstripe in the fig tree at her first time..."

LUKE 21:29-30 "And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees, when they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand."

Our Lord was talking to His disciples, the chosen people, when He spoke the parable.

As if God is saying, "The fig tree therefore, like the olive tree, rejected the position, saying, ‘Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees?’ Will My chosen, symbolized here by the fig tree, forsake their sweetness and their good fruit in exchange for the position of ‘king?’ My chosen have the sweetness of My words as their satisfaction and joy.

PSALMS 119:103 "How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!"

"Can contentment from the sweetness of My words be traded for the glory of the position as king? Whose exclusive possession does honor and glory belong anyway? Do you know? Lucifer tried to grab that from Me. Don’t ever confuse honor and glory in spiritual matters from honor and glory in political, social, economic, scientific, and other matters. Honor and glory in spiritual matters solely belong to Me! That is why I never allow anyone appropriating the titles: Father and Rabbi or Teacher or lord or Head or Chief or Leader or Master or any title that distinguishes one from the rest. Remember, to Me My chosen are all ‘brethren.’ Whoever among them whom I endowed with knowledge, and speak for Me, does not go with it the honor and glory. Has any among My apostles ever appropriated the honorific titles? Did they grab the honor that solely belongs to Me?

"That is not so under your PASTORAL SYSTEM, where some people are looked up above the others. Your religious leaders even rob Me of the glory of My name. Look to Whom these titles properly belong:

PSALMS 111:9 "He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name."

As if God is saying, "You know who appropriate these honorific titles. Look around you. How many people know that it is not in line with the truth? Many? Or, only a few?"

The VINE refuses to be king

JUDGES 9:12-13 "Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us. And the vine said unto them, should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?"

To the Natural Man, a vine simply refers to the literal shrub that produces grapes, from where wine is made after fermentation. We know, however, that God is speaking His SPIRITUAL LANGUAGE. It is only He Who can explain everything about His words. Let us ask Him, "LORD, WHAT IS A VINE TO YOU?" As if God is saying, "Whom do you think I am referring to the vine in the following?"

PSALMS 80:8 "Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it."

"You know that I am referring to My chosen people. Truly so, My chosen people will never accept the position of ‘king.’ You have seen this in My disciples, in My physical manifestation. No one among My apostles had appropriated the titles of "Father" and "Rabbi" or Teacher or Leader or Chieftain or Guide or lord or Master or Pastor, knowing that I rebuked the religious leaders for this. In refusing the position, the VINE told the trees:"

JUDGES 9:13 "And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?"

"Do you know what the vine meant by the ‘wine which cheereth Me and man?’ When My disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, were they not being mistaken to have taken on new wine?

ACTS 2:13-15 "Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine. But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day."

"Truly so, the vine would not give up the WINE or the HOLY SPIRIT for the hollow honor attached to the position of ‘king.’ The ‘wine’ cheereth Me and men. The vine is referring to the fruit(s) in union with the Holy Spirit that delight Me and their fellowmen:

GALATIANS 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance..."

With God’s explanation of His words, we have seen how the OLIVE, VINE, AND FIG TREES, all symbolizing His chosen people, refused to be "king." Only God is the King. Only God is the Ruler, the Master, the Guide, the Teacher, the Chieftain, the Leader, the Lord, the Pastor, the Director, the Shepherd, Rabbi. While God’s chosen people by virtue of the knowledge endowed to some of them speak for Him, they however do not take the honor, the respect, the eminence, and distinction that only belong to Him.

JAMES 2:9 "But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors."  

The BRAMBLE accepted the position

JUDGES 9:14-15 "Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us. And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow..."

To us, the bramble is a literal bush that does not produce edible fruits. It is more of a nuisance underbrush among trees. From the leading of the foregoing symbolism for the former trees, it is quite easy to know who are being referred to as the BRAMBLE.

LUKE 6:43-44 "For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes."

Our Lord Jesus Christ was referring to the religious leaders during His time when He spoke of the foregoing parable. How clear is the account of the birth of the Pastoral System. A comparison is in order between Christ’s disciples and the religious people. It is improbable to find the disciples adopting this system, where some of them are looked up by the rest. While Peter, John, and James are called the pillars of the church, they were however not distinguished from the rest of the disciples. In fact, it is from these three apostles that our Lord found weakness not otherwise seen in the other disciples.

Peter’s infirmity was exposed when he denied our Lord that other disciples did not do. He was also rebuked for not accepting that our Lord would someday suffer death in the hands of the religious leaders.

MATTHEW 16:21-23 "From that time forth began Jesus to show unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me:for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men."

Peter was also the initiator in appointing Matthias as a fellow apostle. This happened before Pentecost when the eleven apostles and the other disciples had not yet received the Holy Spirit. Our Lord, of course, rejected the act for only He is authorized to appoint apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers.

EPHESIANS 4:11 "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;"

This blunder of the apostles was confirmed when our Lord Jesus Christ, in His Spirit manifestation, appointed Saul of Tarsus, known as Paul, as the legitimate replacement for Judas Iscariot.

GALATIANS 1:1 "Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)" GALATIANS 1:11-12 "But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ."

Paul never considered himself as the leader or dominator among the disciples:

1 CORINTHIANS 2:3-5 "And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God."

John and James’ spiritual weakness was laid open when they looked upon themselves as above the rest. They were rebuked by our Lord.

MARK 10:35-41 "And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying, Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire. And he said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you? They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory. But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask...to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared. And when the ten heard it, they began to be much displeased with James and John."

Where now is the vaunted primacy, leadership, authority, control, supremacy, domination, sovereignty, lordship, power, hold, dominion of the leaders over the laity?

Now it is understandable why the OLIVE, VINE, and FIG trees refused the position of "king" offered by the trees. The line is clearly drawn distinguishing the disciples of Christ from the religious people during the time of our Lord. It is the BRAMBLE that accepted the position, analogous with what our Lord saw in the religious leaders during His time. The religious leaders were rebuked for the distinction:

MATTHEW 23:4-11 -"For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is yourMaster, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven..." MATTHEW 23:12 "And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted." (From whose view is this directed to? From the point of view of men or of God?)  

Corruption of the rulers

The warning of God to His people who wanted a king remained unheeded.

1 SAMUEL 8:15 "And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants."

1 SAMUEL 8:17 "He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants."

1 SAMUEL 8:19-20 "Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us;That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles."

To the people who have discerned the great message of the parable of the trees and the longing of the Jews to have a king, this is the practice of Tithes and Offering that is found in Christianity Today. Is not traditional Christianity the "guardian" of the Holy Bible as the Jews were entrusted with the Laws of God? The literal application of the law on Tithes and Offering is the fuel that runs the engine of the Pastoral System. How many people see that Jesus Christ and His disciples did not follow the law on Tithes and Offering literally? Yet, Jesus Chrrist insisted that He did not come to destroy the law but to fulfill them. How did Jesus follow the law on Tithes? How many people believing in the Bible see how our Lord followed the law on Tithes? Certainly, it was not literall-physicall, but spiritual. Christ stated this emphatically:

JOHN 6:63 "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life."

And Paul by divine revelation got the message and wrote:

ROMANS 7:14 "For we know that the law is spiritual..."

Who quickens or gives life to the word of God? Man? Or only God?

1 CORINTHIANS 2:10-13 "But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual."

Jesus Christ, showing the Way, and later followed by the apostles, never followed the law on Tithes literally-physically. Jesus Christ worked as a carpenter to earn His living:

"Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary...? Mark 6:3

Paul, a tent-maker, worked with his hands.

"I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel. Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me." -- Acts 20:33-34

True to the warning, the religious leaders abuse their position. They consider preaching the word of God as a profession. Many of them live in opulence from the toil of the laity. Paul the leading apostle said: "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ." (1 Corinthians 11:1). Like Jesus Christ, never did Paul collect Tithes from the laity. Rather, he exhorted everybody to work and to live from the fruits of one’s labor.

2 THESSALONIANS 3:7-10 "For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us...Neither did we eat any man's bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you...to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow us. For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat."

Our Lord rebuked the Scribes and Pharisees for this ‘heavy burden’ that they imposed on the laity:

MATTHEW 23:4 "For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers."

After the OLIVE, VINE, and FIG TREES were identified, cannot the BRAMBLE be clearly recognized? The BRAMBLE accepted the position of "king" among the trees on condition that it would be fully trusted:

JUDGES 9:14-15 "Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us. And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow..."

The condition will clarify further the true identity of the BRAMBLE and the people it represents. Do not religious leaders, both during the time of Christ and all the time, require the people to trust them? Do they not take the sole authority to explain the Holy Bible? We find this in every Christian denominations. Results: divergence in Bible interpretation among sects; thus, division and chaos in Christianity Today.

Who is the sole authority to explain the word of God? The apostles? The Bible scholars? The great theologians? Perhaps this is what everybody is thinking. Unfortunately, this is not so as it is written in the sacred scriptures. Not even the apostles of Christ understood what our Lord was telling them without Him explaining the message.

MARK 4:34 "But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples."

This truth was expressed by Peter when he wrote:

2 PETER 1:20 "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation."

"Prophecy of the scripture" to man simply means everything written in the Holy Bible that are expected to happen in the future. To Jesus Christ, however, it means another thing:

MATTHEW 5:18 "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."

In the view of Jesus Christ, the Holy Bible is a book of prophecy for everything written, "not a jot or a tittle shall in no wise pass" till everything "happened" or be fulfilled. Can we not see the fulfillment of the "prophecy" about the TREES and the people asking for a king? This is the Pastoral System in our time, where the religious leaders play the role of "kings." The longing of the people for leaders who would lead and intercede for them was "prophesied" in:

1 SAMUEL 8:19-20 "Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles."

Under the Pastoral System which is adopted by all sects, to whom do people look for comfort and guidance? Is it not through the inspiration of the leaders? People are deceived into believing that just because the leaders cite Bible verses, they think it is already God that is talking to them. The simple test is: Are members of different denominations equally inspired and guided by the leader of a particular sect? They are inspired only by their respective leaders. The leaders have the trust only of their respective members. Trusting means high regard which is tantamount to idolizing. Unwittingly, the people who wanted to have a king idolize the leader.

JEREMIAH 17:5-6 "Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man...For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited."

People are deceived knowing that only God should be trusted. They cannot trust Him because they do not see Him. They cannot "see" Him because they do not know Him. They "do not know" Him because they cannot understand His words. They cannot understand His words because they remain Natural Men. They are Natural Men because they do not have the Spirit of God in them. They do not have the Spirit of God in them because they have not received the promised INHERITANCE Who is God Himself. They have not received God as their inheritance because they have not truly humbled themselves like "little children" which is the key to eternal life.

THE APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION DOCTRINE

Perhaps there is no Christian denomination that does not subscribe to the Apostolic Succession Doctrine. Under this dogma, Christ appointed the original apostles. The apostles thereafter are given the authority to appoint fellow apostles , in order to sustain continuity of the ministry. The basis of the doctrine is:

MATTHEW 28:19 "Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the..." (This is found in almost all Bible versions.).

It is concluded therefore that the original apostles were given the authority to appoint fellow apostles. The conclusion, however, will run counter to Ephesians 4:11 where only Jesus Christ has such authority. The deception is exposed by the oldest Bible, first published in 1611 and still in circulation. This is the Authorized or the King James Version, which states:

MATTHEW 28:19 "Go ye therefore, and teach of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the..."

"To teach" and not "to make disciples" is confirmed by a fellow witness to what our Lord Jesus Christ told His apostles.

MARKk 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

Truly so, the error was exposed even before the Bible was distorted. The apostles under the "leadership" of Peter appointed MATTHIAS as the replacement for Judas Iscariot who by then had to be replaced, according to the book of Psalms. Nowhere in the Bible can we find the ministry of MATTHIAS. The act of the apostles was clearly nullified when SAUL OF TARSUS, later known as PAUL, became the 12th apostle after Judas Iscariot.

Paul became an apostle, after Christ had physically left His disciples. Who appointed Him?

GALATIANS 1:1 "Paul, an apostle, not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ..."

GALATIANS 1:11-12 "But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ."

How many people believing in the Holy Bible accept that Jesus Christ is capable of appointing apostles like Paul? Today! How many people trust God that He is capable of endowing spiritual knowledge and wisdom like Paul? Today! While everybody may profess trust in God, this is simply not backed up by deeds. Truly, do we believe that Christ is capable of appointing and teaching His chosen Apostles, Evangelists, Prophets, Pastors, and Teachers today? Is our trust and belief not contradicted when we find and accept "Evangelists, Apostles, Prophets, Pastors and Teachers" holding a diploma, granted by men, as the evidence of being such?

Are we not "blind" to our own profession of belief and trust in God? Does not the voice of God fall on our "deaf" ears? Perhaps, from the simple illustration, we can understand and appreciate the great miracles of our Lord’s "opening the eyes of the blind" and "opening the ears of the deaf."

Real Christians who recognize the "One Lord and one God," and who understand His spiritual language, are not taken by the sweetness of philosophy.

Colossians 2:8 "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ."

They hate NICOLAITANISM as our Lord hates:

REVELATION 2:6 "But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate."

(The word NICOLAITANS comes from the ME., Ofr. NICOLAS; L. NICOLAUS; Gr. NIKOLOS <nike, victory + laos, the people. Thus, victory over the people.) The religious leaders enjoy "victory" over the laity. With the kind of organizational set-up in religious sects, the leaders cannot help but to occupy a position of esteem over the people. The practice sets a favorable atmosphere for idolizing the leaders of the organization, which the "subjects" equally enjoy. Unknowingly, both the subject and the object become victims of the sin of idolatry of the higher order. This time the people who are the religious leaders are the object of idolatrous worship. Lucifer was the first creation to fall into this spiritual trap. He was the first to rob God of the honor and glory that exclusively belong to Him. Peter, the apostle believed to head the oldest and largest Christian sect from where all denominations trace their roots, warns of the malpractice, which in essence is Nicolaitanism:

1 PETER 5:3 "Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock."

The spiritual Church representing Christianity in the first century should not be confused with the religious sects that make up Christianity Today. Modern Christianity, made up of the 1001 denominations that compose it, evolved over many centuries. It was started by the biggest religious sect of the Christian religion. The origin of the oldest and biggest and the most popular can be traced back to the third century during the reign of Constantine I. Popularly known as Constantine the Great, his full name is Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus, born February 27, 280 and died on May 22, 337 A.D. He was the first Roman emperor who befriended the Christians. His friendship with the early Christians, however, resulted in the adulteration of the Christian religion with heathenish beliefs and practices. Thus, the imperfection of the Christian religion resulting from deviation from the pure biblical teachings.

The real Christians, like their Old Testament counterparts, find ample "quickening" in looking at and trusting God alone. Real trust in God is the emblem of His Chosen. Trusts results in the knowledge of Him and His words:

HOSEA 6:6 "For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings."

HOSEA 4:6 "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me..."

People are deceived into believing that every teachings, beliefs, and doctrines supported by Bible verses are truth. That is what we find in every Christian denominations. They all support their doctrines with Bible verses. Are they one in belief? Just like the sects of the Pharisees and Sadducees who never agreed on matters pertaining to God and His words! People trust their religious leaders more than they trust God.

JEREMIAH 17:7-8 "Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit."

How can we put our trust in God? God is a Spirit. God gave us His words to represent Him. Simply by the dictate of the feeling? Satan deceives the whole world through man’s intellect and feeling.

JEREMIAH 17:9 "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"

1 CORINTHIANS 1:19-20 "... I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe...?"

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