Showing posts with label Biblical. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Biblical. Show all posts

Monday, 21 July 2025

Cathar’s Teaching on Purgatory

Traditional Gnostic Teaching on Purgatory 






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# Cathar’s Teaching on Purgatory

The doctrine of purgatory has been a central teaching of the Roman Catholic Church for centuries. According to this doctrine, after death, souls of the faithful who have died in a state of grace but still carry venial sin or temporal punishment undergo a purification process in a place called purgatory before entering heaven. The Church teaches that the prayers, masses, and offerings of the living can shorten the duration of this purification. But is this doctrine biblical? And what did the Cathars, a medieval Gnostic sect, believe regarding purgatory?

## The Roman Catholic Teaching on Purgatory

Roman Catholicism teaches a tripartite afterlife: heaven, purgatory, and hell. Souls that die in mortal sin face eternal damnation in hell, while the righteous, if not perfectly purified, go to purgatory—a temporary state of cleansing. This belief is used to justify practices like masses for the dead, indulgences, and prayers intended to relieve souls from purgatory.

However, the term *purgatory* does not appear in the Bible or the Nag Hammadi texts, the latter being a collection of early Gnostic writings. The concept of purgatory arose later in Church history and is not explicitly supported by Scripture.

## The Cathars and Their Rejection of Purgatory

The Cathars (or Albigenses), flourishing in the 12th and 13th centuries primarily in southern France, were a Gnostic sect who held beliefs starkly opposed to Roman Catholic teachings. They rejected purgatory, the invocation of saints, infant baptism, and the doctrine of transubstantiation.

The Cathars believed in a dualistic worldview, dividing the cosmos into forces of good and evil. They regarded material existence as flawed or evil and sought spiritual purity. They denied that souls undergo any purification after death, thus rejecting purgatory entirely.

Ralph of Coggeshale documented similar beliefs among the Pauliciani and Bogomils—other Gnostic groups sharing Cathar ideas. These sects rejected prayers for the dead and purgatory, emphasizing a direct and simple faith without elaborate rituals.

## Biblical Examination of Purgatory

The doctrine of purgatory lacks direct biblical support. The Scriptures emphasize that salvation and cleansing from sin occur through faith in Christ, baptism, and a life lived in obedience—not through a postmortem purification.

* **Hebrews 9:14** says Christ’s blood “purges your conscience from dead works,” showing cleansing happens in life, not after death.
* **1 Corinthians 5:7** exhorts believers to “purge out therefore the old leaven,” indicating sin’s removal in this present life.
* **2 Corinthians 6:2** states, “Now is the day of salvation,” emphasizing salvation is experienced now, not delayed after death.
* **Matthew 25:31-34** and **Revelation 22:12** depict judgment at Christ’s return, when all righteous receive their reward simultaneously, not at staggered times after death.
* **Hebrews 11:39-40** confirms that the faithful receive their reward collectively after the final judgment, not at various stages after death.

Moreover, the Old Testament uses terms like “Sheol,” often translated as “hell,” but literally meaning “the grave” or “place of the dead” (e.g., Psalms 49:6-9). The idea of a purgatorial state as a separate realm developed later, influenced by non-biblical traditions.

## The Nature of Death and the Afterlife According to Scripture and Cathar Thought

The Cathars believed, in line with certain biblical interpretations, that death results in unconsciousness or “sleep” until the resurrection at Christ’s return. They rejected the idea of souls wandering in an intermediate purgatorial state.

The Catholic notion that souls undergo conscious torment or purification after death is not explicitly supported by the Bible. Instead, Scripture suggests that death is the end of conscious existence until resurrection (Ecclesiastes 9:5; Psalms 146:4).

Furthermore, salvation and sanctification are processes occurring in this life through faith and obedience (Galatians 6:8). Sin is purged by baptism and continual spiritual growth, not by suffering in a purgatory after death.

## The Role of the Priesthood and Masses

Catholic doctrine teaches that priests can assist the dead through masses and prayers, reducing time in purgatory. The Cathars, and later Protestant groups influenced by their ideas, rejected this. They believed that no earthly rituals or offerings could influence the soul’s state after death.

The Bible supports this by declaring:

* **Psalm 49:7-9:** “No one can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him... that he should still live forever.”
* **Hebrews 5:7:** Even Jesus “offered up prayers and supplications... and was heard because of His godly fear,” showing intercession is possible, but not through human manipulations or rituals.

Thus, the Cathar rejection of purgatory and masses for the dead aligns with biblical principles emphasizing personal faith, repentance, and God’s judgment rather than church-administered postmortem interventions.

## Historical Impact and Persecution

The Cathars’ refusal to accept purgatory and other Church doctrines posed a significant threat to Roman Catholic authority. Pope Innocent III issued orders for their suppression, endorsing violent persecution to eliminate their influence. The Albigensian Crusade was a direct result of this opposition.

The Cathars’ challenge to purgatory also influenced Protestant Reformation theology. Like the Cathars, Protestants reject purgatory, prayers for the dead, and indulgences, emphasizing salvation by faith alone and direct access to the Scriptures.

## Conclusion

The Cathars, as a Gnostic sect, firmly rejected the Roman Catholic doctrine of purgatory. Their teaching aligns with biblical texts that place the purification from sin in this present life through faith, baptism, and obedience rather than after death in a special intermediate state. They denied the efficacy of masses or prayers to shorten suffering after death and rejected the hierarchical priestly mediation claimed by the Roman Church.

The biblical witness supports the Cathar view that the righteous are rewarded at the final judgment and that death leads to unconsciousness until the resurrection. The idea of purgatory lacks scriptural foundation and reflects later Church developments rather than apostolic teaching.

In this light, the Cathars’ teachings on purgatory stand as a biblical corrective to the medieval doctrine, encouraging believers to focus on present faithfulness rather than posthumous purging.

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Is there a purgatory ? 
And if so, can the priest by his masses bring the faithful out of it ?''

The Roman Catholic Church teaches that the undying souls of men leave their bodies at death. The wicked (those who die in mortal sin) go to hell for eternal torment. The righteous, dying with unforgiven venial sin or undischarged temporal punishment, go to a painful purification before being fit for heaven.

Purgatory is a half-way house between 'heaven' and 'hell'. The Roman Catholic church teaches that Purgatory is a place of purging, in which the soul will suffer for a while before being fit to gain salvation in heaven. The prayers, candle-burning and financial gifts to the church of a person and his friends is supposed to shorten the length of time that the soul suffers in 'purgatory'.

The word Purgatory is not used in the Bible nor the nag hammadi texts 

Gnostic sects like the Bogomils, Pauliciani, Cathars rejected the doctrine of Purgatory

Ralph of Coggeshale goes into considerable detail of the doctrines of the Pauliciani in Flanders and England, and thereby establishes their complete identity with the Bogomils. They held, he says, to two principles-of good and evil; they rejected purgatory, prayers for the dead, the invocation of saints, infant baptism, and the use of pictures, images, and crucifixes in the churches ;

The Albigenses (also known as Cathari), named after the town of Albi, where they had many followers. They had their own celibate clergy class, who expected to be greeted with reverence. They believed that Jesus spoke figuratively in his last supper when he said of the bread, “This is my body.” (Matthew 26:26, NAB) They rejected the doctrines of the Trinity, the Virgin Birth, hellfire, and purgatory. Thus they actively put in doubt the teachings of Rome. Pope Innocent III gave instructions that the Albigenses be persecuted. “If necessary,” he said, “suppress them with the sword.” 

Protestants, like Cathars, rejected the medieval Roman doctrine of transubstantiation and infant baptism. Like Cathars and Waldensians, Protestant Churches encourage laymen to read the scriptures for themselves. Most accept women as ministers, and most affirm the dignity of labour. Churchmen themselves are increasingly working for a living rather than living off tithes. Protestant theology is that of mitigated dualism, embracing predestination and rejecting the Catholic position on Free Will. Protestants, like Cathars, reject the medieval Roman Catholic notion of Purgatory, along with the practice of praying for the dead, and the entire system of indulgences.

The Jews had originally had no concept of an afterlife, but under Greek influence they had developed an ill-defined belief in an afterlife by the time of Jesus Christ. (The words translated as hell in the Old Testament actually mean grave or rubbish-tip). In the 2nd Century BCE the Jews had 
developed a  belief that there was a afterlife in heaven or hell. Ideas such as Purgatory and Limbo were developed much later. More conservative Jews at the time of Jesus still held ideas of an afterlife to be an offensive novelty. As they pointed out the many punishments promised by God in scripture are all punishments in this world. None is promised for an afterlife.

Man has conceived that there is such a condition as life separate from God, and obedient to man’s thought; he has produced such a state of mind. When man changes his mind he will find that he lives in heaven continually, but by the power of his thought has made all kinds of places: earth, purgatory, heaven, hell and numerous intermediate states

The righteous are never promised salvation in heaven. The granting of salvation will be at the judgment seat at Christ's return, rather than at some time after death when we supposedly leave 'purgatory' (Matt. 25:31-34; Rev. 22:12).

All the righteous receive their rewards at the same time, rather than each person gaining salvation at different times (Heb. 11:39,40; 2 Tim. 4:8).

Death is followed by complete unconsciousness, rather than the activities suggested by the doctrine of purgatory.

We are purged from our sins through baptism into Christ and developing a firm faith in his work during our present life, rather than through some period of suffering after death. We are told to "purge out therefore the old leaven" of sin in our lives (1 Cor. 5:7); to purge ourselves from the works of sin (2 Tim. 2:21; Heb. 9:14). Our time of purging is therefore now, in this life, rather than in a place of purging ('purgatory') which we enter after death. "Now is the day of salvation...now is the accepted time" (2 Cor. 6:2). Our obedience to God in baptism and development of a spiritual character in this life, will lead to our salvation (Gal. 6:8) - not to the spending of a period in 'purgatory'.

The efforts of others to save us through candle-burning and other donations to the Catholic church, will not affect our salvation at all. "They that trust in their wealth...none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him...that he should still live for ever" (Ps. 49:6-9).

Sunday, 16 March 2025

What is Faith? Hebews 11:1

What is Faith? Hebews 11:1






What Is Faith?

"Faith is the assured expectation of things hoped for, the evident demonstration of realities though not beheld." (Hebrews 11:1)

The Greek word for "faith" (πίστις pistis) conveys the idea of confidence, trust, firmness, or persuasion. This means faith is not a blind belief but rather a deep conviction based on evidence and reason.

Faith as Substance

Hebrews 11:1 describes faith as the "substance" (hypostasis), meaning it has a concrete reality. Faith is not a vague hope but a foundation built on the reliability of what God has revealed. The term “substance” here emphasizes the solid ground upon which faith rests.

Additionally, the phrase "things not seen" does not only refer to future promises but can also relate to past divine actions that are now learned through testimony (pragmaton). This aligns with Hebrews 11:3, which states that "faith" allows believers to perceive God’s hand in history and trust in His future fulfillment. As Romans 10:17 states, “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

How Do We Obtain Faith?

Faith is not something imposed by God; rather, it is our response to His revelation. Although human nature is weak, we can still trust in what God has made known through His word.

Developing faith is a process that unfolds in three stages:

  • Hearing and Understanding – As we read the Scriptures, we recognize their harmony and truth. (Romans 10:17)
  • Experiencing God's Work – Faith grows as we see God's influence in our lives. (1 Peter 1:3-12)
  • Active Trust – Faith becomes stronger through prayer and deeper knowledge. (Colossians 3:10)

Faith and Love

Faith is not a passive state; it must be accompanied by action. The Gospel of Philip states:

"Faith receives, love gives. [No one can receive] without faith, and no one can give without love. So to receive we have faith and to love we give. If someone gives without love, that person gets no benefit from what was given. Anyone who receives something but does not receive the Lord is still a Hebrew." (Gospel of Philip)

Faith and love work together. Faith allows us to receive God's promises, while love compels us to give. Without love, faith alone is incomplete.

Faith and Justification

Justification means being counted as righteous before God. Though humans are imperfect, God considers them righteous if they truly have faith. Paul highlights this in Romans 4:3-5, where Abraham was counted righteous due to his faith, not his works. The Greek words used—logizomai ("count"), reckon, and impute—show that righteousness is attributed based on faith.

Faith as Spiritual Growth

Faith is not merely a mental concept but a transformative power. The Gospel of Philip compares faith to farming:

"Farming in this world depends on four things, and a harvest is gathered and taken into the barn as a result of water, earth, air, and light. God’s farming also depends on four things: faith, hope, love, and knowledge. Faith is the earth in which we take root. Hope is the water with which we are nourished. Love is the air through which we grow. Knowledge is the light by which we [ripen]." (Gospel of Philip)

Faith is the foundation (earth) in which believers are rooted. Hope sustains them (water), love enables growth (air), and knowledge leads to spiritual maturity (light).

Faith vs. Belief

While "faith" is often equated with "belief," they are distinct. Faith implies confidence and understanding, not just intellectual assent. In Paul’s writings, faith is linked to a conscious awakening:

"'Awakened by the message' and 'faith comes from what is heard.' This emphasis on hearing, as an event, which awakens faith, is central to Paul."

Faith involves comprehension and practice, not just belief in Jesus but living by His teachings. Jesus emphasized that faith is foundational for building the Kingdom of God. He told Peter:

"According to your faith be it done unto you." (Matthew 9:29)

Faith as a Rational Understanding

Spiritual faith is more than emotional conviction—it is a rational, conscious trust in God's promises. The New Testament emphasizes that faith is based on understanding, not blind belief. Many translations use "belief" as a verb for faith because "she faiths" is not grammatically correct. However, "believe" can be misleading if it suggests a passive or blind acceptance rather than a well-founded conviction.

True faith involves confidence in God’s word, action based on that trust, and growth in spiritual wisdom. It is both substance and evidence—a reality and proof of what God has promised.

Tuesday, 6 December 2022

The Meaning of Transfiguration Matthew 17

The meaning of transfiguration







The transfiguration--Supernatural change of appearance that takes place as one experiences the full flow of divine power through his being. A lifting up of the consciousness into a state that transfigures the mind causing it to shine by the illumination of the word of god.

The transfiguration of Jesus described in Matthew and Mark took place when Jesus went with three apostles up into a mountain. There the three beheld Him transfigured.

The Treatise on the Resurrection shows that the transfiguration was not a vision but a reality
This treatise is thought to have been written in the second century (The Nag Hammadi Library James Robinson). It appears to us to be true. Here is what is says about the transfiguration...

For if you remember reading in the Gospel that Elijah appeared and Moses with him, do not think the resurrection is an illusion, but it is truth! Indeed it is more fitting to say that the world is an illusion, rather than the resurrection which came into being through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (From The Treatise on the Resurrection)

So the author plainly believes as we do that the 3 apostles Peter James and John say the risen Elijah and the risen Moses.


What is represented by Jesus' taking Peter, James, and John, “up into a mountain apart by themselves?” This represents the raising of faith, wisdom, and love to spiritual consciousness, a state in which these faculties are mentally separated from the carnal mind.

What is represented by the appearance of Elijah with Moses and the conversation with Jesus? In periods of spiritual exaltation the higher faculties are quickened. Elijah represents the ability to give forth revelation or prophesy; Moses represents understanding of the divine law. Their conversation with Jesus represents the expression of these abilities in the mind of a believer.



Moses and Elijah represents the power of spiritual discernment to bring about rapid changes on the mental plane, these changes being later manifested in action.



Can the transfiguration of Jesus be explained in terms that have practical meaning for us in our life? It is known that prayer brings about a rapid outflowing of mental energy, and when faith (Peter), love (John), and discernment (James) are present, there follows a lifting up of the mind into the Christ consciousness that electrifies the new life of a believer.



Of what is the Transfiguration proof? Of the transcendent understanding of the Christ consciousness. Light represents spiritual Truth and understanding. for the fruit that the light produces consists of every form of goodness, righteousness, and truth.



'Light' refers to moral reasoning in which leads to a higher experience of reality


Can true enlightenment be gained anywhere except in the Christ consciousness? True enlightenment comes only from God through the activity of His Spirit indwelling in us. True enlightenment develops in us understanding, compassion, and zeal to serve God or express what we know of the Gospel.

What do angels represent? They represent our thoughts, and they are described also as “ spirits” they represent the seat of wisdom and understanding. Man is “but little lower than the angels,” or our actual expression is a little lower than the scope of our aspiring thoughts.

The Christ body is a transfigured one. We perceive it when we ascend into a high place spiritually, into the secret place of the Most High; when we lift up our thoughts. The apostles of Jesus represent the consciousness of the spiritual man. When we lift up our mental capability, we behold spiritual reality and we see the body of Christ as it is in Truth.

When, therefore, the revelation of the multitude of the Sons of God, represented by John's similitude of the Son of man, shall be manifested, being all like to Jesus in transfiguration, the aspect of the Body will be "as the sun when he shines in its power."

Tuesday, 27 July 2021

The Soul is Temporary

The Soul is Temporary


Next the psychic aeon. It is a small one, which is mixed with bodies, by begetting in the souls (and) defiling (them). For the first defilement of the creation found strength. And it begot every work: many works of wrath, anger, envy, malice, hatred, slander, contempt and war, lying and evil counsels, sorrows and pleasures, basenesses and defilements, falsehoods and diseases, evil judgments that they decree according to their desires. (The Concept of Our Great Power)

I believe both canonical and gnostic text support the teaching that the soul is temporary.

Ezekiel 18:4 & 20:
"Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die."

"The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself."

Matthew 10:29:
"And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell."

Revelation 6:9:
"When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne."

The Treatise of the Resurrection:
"From the savior we radiate beams, and we are held in his arms until our own sunset, our death in this life. We are drawn to heaven by him, like beams, by the sun, and nothing holds us down. This is the resurrection of the spirit, which swallows up the soul and the flesh."

Tripartite Tractate:
"They became flesh and soul, that is, eternally which (things) hold them and with corruptible things they die. "

The Gospel of Philip:
"Adam’s soul came from a breath. The soul’s companion is spirit, and the spirit given to him is his mother. His soul was [taken] from him and replaced with [spirit]. "

Apocalypse of Peter:
"For evil cannot produce good fruit. For the place from which each of them is produces that which is like itself; for not every soul is of the truth, nor of immortality"


And when we heard these things, we became elated, for we had been depressed on account of what we had said earlier. Now when he saw our rejoicing, he said: "Woe to you who are in want of an advocate! Woe to you who are in need of grace! Blessed are those who have spoken freely and have produced grace for themselves. Make yourselves like strangers; of what sort are they in the estimation of your city? Why are you troubled when you oust yourselves of your own accord and depart from your city? Why do you abandon your dwelling place of your own accord, readying it for those who desire to dwell in it? O you exiles and fugitives! Woe to you, because you will be caught! Or perhaps you imagine that the Father is a lover of humanity? Or that he is persuaded by prayers? Or that he is gracious to one on behalf of another? Or that he bears with one who seeks? For he knows the desire and also that which the flesh needs. Because it is not the flesh which yearns for the soul. For without the soul the body does not sin, just as the soul is not saved without the Spirit. But if the soul is saved when it is without evil, and if the spirit also is saved, then the body becomes sinless. For it is the spirit which animates the soul, but it is the body which kills it - that is, it is the soul which kills itself.

The Apocryphon of James

Heracleon: Fragments from his Commentary on the Gospel of John Fragment 40

Fragment 40, on John 4:46-53 (In John 4:46, “So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose child was ill.) The official was the Craftsman, for he himself ruled like a king over those under him. Because his domain is small and transitory, he was called an “official,” like a petty princeling who is set over a small kingdom by the universal king. The “child” “in Capernaun” is one who is in the lower part of the Middle (i.e. of animate substance), which lies near the sea, that is, which is linked with matter. The child’s proper person was sick, that is, in a condition not in accordance with the child’s proper nature, in ignorance and sins. (In John 4:47, “When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his child , for it was at the point of death.”) The words “from Judea to Galilee” mean ‘from the Judea above.’. . . By the words “it was at the point of death,” the teaching of those who claim that the soul is immortal is refuted. In agreement with this is the statement that “the body and soul are destoyed in Hell.” (Matthew 10:28) The soul is not immortal, but is possessed only of a disposition towards salvation, for it is the perishable which puts on imperishability and the mortal which puts on immortality when “its death is swallowed up in victory.” (1 Corinthians 15:54) Heracleon: Fragments from his Commentary on the Gospel of John

14 The demons are said to be incorporeal, not because they have no bodies (for they have even shape and are, therefore, capable of feeling punishment), but they are said to be incorporeal because, in comparison with the spiritual bodies which are saved, they are a shade. And the angels are bodies; at any rate they are seen. Why even the soul is a body, for the Apostle says, “It is sown a body of soul, it is raised a body of spirit.” And how can the souls which are being punished be sensible of it, if they are not bodies? Certainly he says, “Fear him who, after death, is able to cast soul and body into hell.” Now that which is visible is not purged by fire, but is dissolved into dust. But, from the story of Lazarus and Dives, the soul is directly shown by its possession of bodily limbs to be a body.

The Scriptures give spirit, soul, and body as constituting all of man.

12 For the word of God is alive and exerts power and is sharper than any two-edged sword and pierces even to the dividing of soul [ ψυχή psykhḗand spirit [ πνεῦμα pneuma], and of joints and [their] marrow, and [is] able to discern thoughts and intentions of [the] heart (Hebrews 4). Compare Php 1:27; 1Th 5:23.

The “spirit” (Heb., ruach; Gr., pneuma) should not be confused with the “soul” (Heb., nephesh; Gr., psykhe´), for they refer to different things.


Paul the Apostle used ψυχή (psychē) and πνεῦμα (pneuma) specifically to distinguish between the Jewish notions of נפש (nephesh) and רוח ruah (spirit)


So the soul and the spirit are two different things, and the difference between them is explained by the bible.


7 And Jehovah God proceeded to form the man out of dust from the ground [he made the body] and to blow into his nostrils the breath of life [he put a spirit in the body], and the man came to be a living soul [body + spirit = living soul] (Genesis 2).



1 Corinthians 15:44  It is sown a body of the soul, it is raised a body of the spirit; if there is a body of the soul, there is also of the spirit:--

45  Thus, also, it is written--The first man, Adam, became, a living soul, the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.
46  Howbeit, not first, is the body of the spirit, but that, of the soul,--afterwards, that of the spirit. (Rotherham's Emphasized Bible)


1 Corinthians 15:53  For this corruptible must needs clothe itself with incorruptibility, and this mortal, clothe itself, with immortality.
54  But, whensoever, this mortal, shall clothe itself with immortality, then, shall be brought to pass the saying that is written--Death hath been swallowed up, victoriously; (Rotherham's Emphasized Bible)

Definition: A Body is a physical or spiritual vessel. In other words a human or angelic body.
Definition: A Soul is a human or angelic body.
Definition: A Dead Soul is a dead body
Definition: A Spirit is a character, a personality. It is 'you'.

Human Person = Spirit + Physical Body = Lining Soul (human)
Corpse = Physical Body with no Spirit = Dead Soul (human)
Angelic Person = Spirit + Angelic Body = Soul (angelic)
Second Dead angel = Spirit with Shared angelic Body = Spirit with no individual Soul (angelic).

Tuesday, 18 May 2021

Gnostic Christianity's Response to Terrorism

 Gnostic Christianity's Response to Terrorism





Hate repaid with hate is twice the hate. Return hate with love is the true Christian response to terrorism. Non-violence illustrate this response. Wars have killed billions. If we practiced what Jesus and Paul taught terrorism would have been defeated by love.

Love "is the answer". Non-violence is its weapon. Peace and abundance is love's reward.

In their own words, Jesus and Paul's response to terrorism is:

Jesus in Matt 5:38-42 (JBV)43 “YOU heard that it was said, ‘You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 However, I say to YOU: Continue to love YOUR enemies and to pray for those persecuting YOU; 45 that YOU may prove yourselves sons of YOUR Father who is in the heavens, since he makes his sun rise upon wicked people and good and makes it rain upon righteous people and unrighteous. 46 For if YOU love those loving YOU, what reward do YOU have? Are not also the tax collectors doing the same thing? 47 And if YOU greet YOUR brothers only, what extraordinary thing are YOU doing? Are not also the people of the nations doing the same thing? 48 YOU must accordingly be perfect, as YOUR heavenly Father is perfect.

Paul in Rm 12:14-21(JBV)

Bless those who persecute you: never curse them, bless them. Rejoice with those who rejoice and be sad those in sorrow. Treat everyone with equal kindness; never be patronizing but make real friends with the poor. Do not allow yourself to become self-satisfied. Never repay evil with evil but let everyone see that you are interested only in the highest ideals. Do all you can to live at peace with everyone. Never try to get revenge; leave that, my friends, to God's anger. As scripture says: Vengeance is mine-I will pay them back, the Lord promises. But there is more: If your enemy is hungry, you should give him food, and if he is thirsty, let him drink. Thus you heap red-hot coals on his head. Resist evil and conquer it with good.

Paul in Phil 2:1-6 (JBV)

If our life in Christ means anything to you, if love can persuade at all, or the Spirit that we have in common, or any tenderness and sympathy, then be united in your convictions and united in your love, with a common purpose and a common mind. That is the one thing which would make me completely happy. There must be no competition among you, no conceit; but everybody is to be self-effacing. Always consider the other person to be better than yourself, so that nobody thinks of his own interests first, but everybody thinks of other people's interests instead. In your minds you must be the same as Christ Jesus: His state was divine, yet he did not cling to his equality with God.

Monday, 31 August 2020

Why Gnostic Christians Should Not Use the Rosary!

Why Gnostic Christians Should Not Use the Rosary!




There are many websites claiming to be Gnostics on the internet most of them advocate the use of the rosary with prayers similar to those used by the Roman Catholic Church which have been adapted for a more Gnostic style. However not many people know the true origin of the rosary and how it was used as a spiritual weapon against Gnostic Christians this study will look into this:

Rosary a string of beads for keeping count in a rosary or in the devotions of some other religions, in Roman Catholic use 55 or 165 in number.

The term “rosary” Latin: rosarium, means "crown of roses" or "garland of roses"

The rosary was not used by Jesus, by His apostles, or by the early church fathers, nor is it referred to in the Gnostic Gospels.
A Troubled history
The original, lengthy prayer cycle is devoted to the Virgin Mary and was composed by St Dominic as an antidote to heresy at a time when the Catholic Church was seeking to crush the Cathar sect in what is now south-western France.

The crusade against the Cathars stands as one of the bloodiest episodes in Church history.

The Rosary was roundly cursed by Martin Luther during the Protestant Reformation in the 16th Century as "mere babbling, as stupid as it is wicked, nourishing a false confidence". (Pope updates ancient Rosary prayer BBC NEWS Monday, 21 October, 2002, 14:55 GMT 15:55 UK)

One Catholic website says "Our Lady gave Saint Dominic the Rosary as a weapon to combat the awful
 Cathar (Albigensian) heresy."

St. Dominic set up his headquarters in the town of Fanjeaux in 1206, becoming its parish priest and taking charge of its ancient church, Notre Dame de Prouille. In Fanjeaux, St. Dominic founded a convent for young women fleeing the vice and debauchery of the Cathar sect. Soon after, St. Dominic added monks to his growing community. From these small beginnings, he planted the seeds of what would later become the Dominican Order.

Church tradition tells us that, in the year 1208, St. Dominic had a vision of the Virgin Mary while praying in his church. The Blessed Mother reportedly taught him to pray the Rosary, telling him to use this weapon to defeat the heretics.

Aflame with enthusiasm, St. Dominic called on Catholics and heretics alike to pray the Rosary. By 1213, many Catholic Crusaders had taken St. Dominic’s advice. Devotion to the Rosary had spread among them like wildfire.


That year, a Crusader army under Simon de Montfort met a Cathar army under Raymond of Toulouse in the battle of Muret. The heretics were routed. Years later, when the Cathar heresy was finally extinguished, many Catholics attributed its defeat as much to St. Dominic’s zeal as to the Crusaders’ arms. (From a Catholic Website)


From a Cathar website:

Leo XIII claims that the Cathars were defeated not by human force, but by Mary's Rosary:

8. Moreover, we may well believe that the Queen of Heaven herself has granted an especial efficacy to this mode of supplication, for it was by her command and counsel that the devotion was begun and spread abroad by the holy Patriarch Dominic [Dominic Guzmán] as a most potent weapon against the enemies of the faith at an epoch not, indeed, unlike our own, of great danger to our holy religion. The heresy of the Albigenses had in effect, one while covertly, another while openly, overrun many countries, and this most vile offspring of the Manicheans, whose deadly errors it reproduced, were the cause in stirring up against the Church the most bitter animosity and a virulent persecution. There seemed to be no human hope of opposing this fanatical and most pernicious sect when timely succour came from on high through the instrument of Mary's Rosary. Thus under the favour of the powerful Virgin, the glorious vanquisher of all heresies, the forces of the wicked were destroyed and dispersed, and faith issued forth unharmed and more shining than before.


1891-09-22- SS Leo XIII - Octobri Mense: Encyclical of Pope Leo XIII promulgated on September 22, 1891 On the Rosary


Leo does not explain why Mary's Rosary had so little effect before Catharism was exterminated by physical force - a long war of extermination followed by operations of the Inquisition over generations.


Leo still seems to accept that Catharism was descended from Manicheism, as the medieval Catholic Church held, but the modern Catholic Church doubts.


Pius XI elaborates on The Rosary and likens Catharism to Communism:

19. The Holy Virgin who once victoriously drove the terrible sect of the Albigenses from Christian countries, now suppliantly invoked by us, will turn aside the new errors, especially those of Communism, which reminds us in many ways, in its motives and misdeeds, of the ancient ones.

20. And as in the times of the Crusades, in all Europe there was raised one voice of the people, one supplication; so today, in all the world, the cities, and even the smallest villages, united with courage and strength, with filial and constant insistence, the people seek to obtain from the great Mother of God the defeat of the enemies of Christian and human civilization, to the end that true peace may shine again over tired and erring men.

BUT IS IT CHRISTIAN?

Does God’s Word authorize such repetitious praying? No. Jesus said: “But when praying, do not say the same things over and over again, just as the people of the nations do, for they imagine they will get a hearing for their use of many words. So, do not make yourselves like them, for God your Father knows what things you are needing before ever you ask him.” How well Jesus knew the human tendency to want to repeat prayers! And, in view of his warning, the fact that the use of the rosary is widespread among the people of the nations carries no weight with it whatsoever!—Matt. 6:7, 8.

Apologists for the rosary try to rob Jesus’ words of their effect by pointing to Revelation 4:8, in which the word “holy” appears three times: “Holy, holy, holy.” But it is quite different from repeating one word twice in a prayer for a total of three words to repeating the forty words in Hail Mary fifty-two times for a total of 2,120 words, not to say anything of the other repetitions involved. Repeating a thing twice for emphasis is done throughout the Scriptures and makes sense. Thus when Jesus was faced with his greatest test he prayed three times to Jehovah his Father. Likewise Paul three times asked God to remove a certain “thorn in the flesh.” There is nothing, however, in the Scriptures to indicate that Jesus and Paul had memorized these prayers or had used them at some other time in their lives. These prayers were born out of the serious trials they were undergoing.—Matt. 26:39-44; 2 Cor. 12:7.

But trying to remember all the various recitations required in saying the rosary and to repeat them in their proper order makes saying the rosary a memory test rather than a spontaneous expression of heartfelt prayer. Besides, one’s mind cannot help but wander when one has to say the same forty words fifty-three times in one prayer. Such repetition is but a variation of the prayer wheel of certain Oriental religions. It consists of a cylinder in which written prayers are placed. Each time the cylinder is revolved the prayers in it are supposed to have been repeated.

Nor is that all. The Hail Mary is said nine times as often as the Paternoster, or “Our Father,” fifty-three times as compared with six times. Is the prayer composed by men and directed to Mary nine times as important or effective as the prayer taught by Jesus and directed to God himself? The fact is that, look where we will in the Scriptures, not once do we read of anyone seeking access either to God or to Jesus by way of Mary.

NO BENEFITS

As for the benefits of indulgences promised those reciting the rosary: How can anyone gain such benefits when, look where we will in God’s Word, not a word do we find about a purgatory? On the contrary, we are plainly told the following: “The wages sin pays is death.” When man “goes back to his ground, in that day his thoughts do perish.” The dead “are conscious of nothing at all.” Man’s hope lies in a resurrection from the dead, “of both the righteous and the unrighteous.”—Rom. 6:23; Ps. 146:4; Eccl. 9:5; Acts 24:15.

And regarding the forgiveness of our sins, we are assured that it is “the blood of Jesus his Son [that] cleanses us from all sin.” And “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous so as to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”—1 John 1:7, 9.

The repeating of fifty-three Hail Marys every time the rosary is recited flies in the face of Jesus’ express condemnation of saying the “same things over and over again.” Its widespread use outside of professedly Christian lands argues that its origin is pagan. And the same must also be said regarding its associated features, the exaltation of Mary, the offering of indulgences for saying the rosary, the crediting of victories to it and its claimed power to decrease purgatorial suffering. None of these find any support in the Scriptures, but they do find parallels in pagan religions.

In view of all these facts, can the rosary be said to be Christian? It cannot!
Not Biblical
Unsurprisingly, we are given various advice in the Bible, both about how we should, and how we should not pray.

In particular, we look to the words of Jesus himself, as reported in the Gospel according to Matthew, chapter 6, verses 5-13. Please, look at what Jesus said and then repeated, to clearly stress the importance of what he was saying (Matthew 6:7-8 AMP)

7 “And when you pray, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.
8 So do not be like them [praying as they do]; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.”

Can you see this? Jesus says “do not use meaningless repetition“. If you prefer the KJV, these two verses are even stronger

7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

In the KJV, we are told even more clearly not to use vain repetitions as the heathens do.

Jesus then “doubles down”. First he castigates people who use vain/meaningless repetition and calls them unGodly, and then he tells us not to be like them.

Can this be any clearer? How can Jesus’ own words, speaking clearly and literally, be reconciled with 53 identical prayers in a row to the mother of Jesus (an unkind person would suggest that the act of praying to anyone other than the Father is in and of itself a heathenish act)?


One of the justifications for using a rosary is that it helps us to concentrate and gives us a format for our prayer. But do we need a necklace of beads to help us pray? No. We don’t. God offers us all the help we need, in the form of the Holy Spirit. In Paul’s Epistle to the Romans (Rom 8:26-27), we are told (AMP)

26 In the same way the Spirit [comes to us and] helps us in our weakness. We do not know what prayer to offer or how to offer it as we should, but the Spirit Himself [knows our need and at the right time] intercedes on our behalf with sighs and groanings too deep for words.
27 And He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because the Spirit intercedes [before God] on behalf of God’s people in accordance with God’s will.

We are also encouraged not just to “not repeat empty incantations”, but to make our requests specifically known. Philippians 4:6 (AMP) says

Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God.
Summary
The word “Rosary” is not found in the Bible
The Rosary was created as a spiritual weapon to use against Gnostic Christians called the Cathai or the Albigensians for this reason alone Gnostic Christians today should reject the use of the Rosary.
Since gnosis does not come by repetitive praying Gnostics should not use the Rosary
Repetitive praying is a type of brainwashing or mind control 

at war prayer manual by Traci Morin:

Father God, I repent and renounce using Demons of candle burning, rosary prayers and idol worship to do evil or through ceremonies, and I take authority, dominion, bin and break and cast out all demonic spirits of curses to go to the pit of hell, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

Thursday, 16 April 2020

it is the Destiny that devours the week

it is the Destiny that devours the week

Pin on Scripture

Galatians 5:15 If, though, YOU keep on biting and devouring one another, look out that YOU do not get annihilated by one another


Brothers:

Do not roam in groups and beware of packs, rather be aware of the Destiny of the pack as well as the wolf that stalks the pack.


Many may say beware, see to it that you are not devoured by the Wolf, but I say to it is not the wolf you should be afraid of, but the destiny of the wolf.


Listen, the wolf is a servant to it's destiny it goes and does whatsoever the Destiny tells it to go and do.


The same it is with a man he to is a servant to his destiny, now a natural wolf devours a sheep and when it has sated it's hunger it remains a wolf.


But it is not so with the Destiny, the destiny sends the wolf among you in sheep's clothing seeking out the weak, and when it captures the weak sheep, it is the Destiny that devours the week sheep and the sheep becomes the wolf, and soon the sheep's are no more.


They have all Become a servant and a slave to the Destiny of that Wolf, when it is a man you being devoured by the destiny of that man, become as that man is, and a servant to his destiny, and even your destiny has become a servant to the destiny of that man.


Become a master over your Destiny, then and only then you will have power and not be capable of being devoured by the Destiny of another, becoming as they are and a slave to their destiny.


Destiny is a devour of souls, and once that soul has been devoured it becomes a slave to the Destiny.


The Wolf is the Shepherd
Fate and the Destiny: The Devourer of Souls

Wednesday, 15 April 2020

The Wolf is a Shepherd 1 Peter 5:8



The Wolf is a Shepherd

Pin on Wisdom and Truth

1 Peter 5:8 Keep YOUR senses, be watchful. YOUR adversary, the Devil, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking to devour [someone]

Greetings to you my brothers and sisters:


What I have to ask of you is no big task, among you are those that are wiser than most of your fellows, understand this all the mysteries of the kingdom of light are for the salvation of mankind.


And as you were at one time ignorant, of the father, was not mercy granted to you, and the gift of knowledge and understanding fill your inward-being dispelling all darkness that was in you.



Mark 12:31 ►........... Berean Study Bible

The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these."

This saying of the saviour is a reminder to us who are wise now and bellies are full, to view your fellow brothers and sisters as you were, once without knowledge, and when you hungered someone had mercy and fed you.


Look to at this saying as well...... Matthew 7:10 ►........ New Living Translation

Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not!

If your brother or sister even your neighbor ask you for understanding of a mystery, do not give them useless and unproductive knowledge that is not a fitting for the soul, but feed them as a shepherd, seeks the greenest pastures to feed his flock.


The wolf is a shepherd that starves the sheep and when once weakened he devours the sheep one by one never satisfying his lust for knowledge, such a one will be devoured by his own lust till he is undone.


Do not be as this one, but feed the brethren as need holding nothing back in doing this you become a good Stewart of your own house hold.



Friday, 19 July 2019

The True Bible Code



The Real Bible Code







The real bible code 5 simple rules

By Code we mean: ( 1 A systematically arranged and comprehensive collection of laws. 2. A systematic collection of regulations)


1 how each passage of the bible is to be understood historically


2 how each passage applies to us as a person individually


3 how each passage applies to Israel both the natural and the spiritual Israel (the Israel of god)


4 how each passage applies to the Lord Jesus Christ


5 how each passage has an allegorical understand applied to the second coming



This is the REAL BIBLE CODE

Friday, 22 March 2019

What is Prophecy 1 Corinthians 14:3

1 Corinthians 14:3 But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men

Prophecy is not about predicting the future it is first edification and exhortation and comfort to the believers

The New Testament refers to prophecy as one of the spiritual gifts given by the indwelling Holy Spirit [Rom 12:6]. From this, many Christians believe that the gift of prophecy is the supernatural ability to receive and convey a message from God. The purpose of the message may be to "edify, exhort and comfort" the members of the Church.

A prophet, is a teacher, one who receives the inspiration of Spirit, an understanding of spiritual law, and imparts it to others.

The Source of all true prophecy is Yahweh Elohim. He transmits it by means of his holy spirit or, occasionally, by spirit-directed angelic messengers. (2Pe 1:20, 21; Heb 2:1, 2

Since the fulfilment of God’s great purpose is all bound up in Jesus (compare Col 1:19, 20), then all prophecy, that is, all inspired messages from God proclaimed by his servants, pointed toward his Son. Thus, as Revelation 19:10 states, the entire “spirit” (the whole inclination, intent, and purpose) of prophecy was to bear witness to Jesus, the one Jehovah would make “the way and the truth and the life.” (Joh 14:6) This would be true not only of prophecy that preceded Jesus’ earthly ministry but also of prophecy subsequent thereto.—Ac 2:16-36.

Prophecy is, in truth and reality, an emanation sent forth by the Divine Being through the medium of the Active Intellect, in the first instance to man's rational faculty, and then to his imaginative faculty.

The divine word, which suddenly descends into the human situation, unexpected and unwilled by man, is free and fresh like lightning, And the man who has to make it heard is over and over again subdued by the Word before He lets it be put in his mouth.

A prophecy, in the consciousness of a believer, is a thought that is in contact with the Spirit, that receives revelations direct from the Holy Spirit; it knows and understands divine law and its working, therefore it warns and instructs the other thoughts.

(The prophets of old seemed to stand between God and the people; it was through them that the people received divine guidance.)

A prophet (Matt. 21:4) is one who states the spiritual law.

The prophets of Luke 16:29 represent divine law.

The prophet of John 6:14 is the promise of God.


Watchman

The duty of the watchman in ancient times was to warn of approaching danger. In olden times the watchman stood on the city walls, where he could see and report what was going on in and about the city.

What fills this office in the life of man? The Christ consciousness in a believer points out to him the way of peace and safety. Man is free, however, to follow or disregard the warning at will.

watchman--A spiritually developed person who sees within and without, and with the word of command challenges anything negative

A vigilant attitude, but more from a standpoint of looking on from the outside than laying hold of and becoming one with that which is perceived (watchers, watchmen, viewers, lookers from afar;

In the consciousness of the individual believer, what does a watchman represent? In each individual believer the true watchman is the inner consciousness of Spirit, which sees all that is going on in the mind and heart of a believer.

In order to be a capable watchman for the spiritual welfare of others, what is required of one who assumes that part? One who feels that he has been selected by God to guide and direct others in spiritual ways should first discipline his own thoughts, and should become acquainted with both the inner and the outer realms of thought, the intellect, the propensities, and the sentiments in the consciousness.

In the Scriptures these realms are designated as “the house of Israel”; and when he who plans to be a watchman for the spiritual welfare of others has disciplined his own thoughts, he can go forth and successfully carry the message of life to others.

Thursday, 23 August 2018

Bible Dualism


Dualism

dualism is a noun meaning

1.
the division of something conceptually into two opposed or contrasted aspects, or the state of being so divided.
"a dualism between man and nature"


2.
the quality or condition of being dual; duality.

Bible Dualism


Biblical Dualism for example, body-soul dualism; two-age dualism; devaluation of this
evil age, with the age to come

Isaiah 45:7 King James Version (KJV) 

7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things.

The “good” is one, but “good and evil” is already a mixture, a duality, and that explains why God would prohibit this tree of “knowledge.”

  The Jews of course were monotheists, Yahweh as source of both good and evil, blessing and disaster. Dualism was not to be Israel's religion; their one God, Yahweh, was responsible for all

Dualism in the form which influenced Judaism and later apostate Christianity is really proposing two gods. Yet the Bible is emphatic from cover to cover that there is only one God, the Father, the God revealed in the Bible. This leaves no space for a second god or a bad god.


According to the Jewish Apocryphal writing The Visions of Amram, human beings choose to live under the control of one of two angels. Amram has a vision of the two opposing angels who have been given control over humanity (4Q544 frg. 1, col. 2.10–14 [Visions of Amram-b] = 4Q547 frgs. 1–2, col. 3.9–13). The good angel supposedly has power “over all the light”, whereas the evil angel has authority “over all the darkness”. Thus the idea of dualism – which is so attractive to all people – was alive and well amongst the Jews; and thus Is. 45:5–7 was also aimed at the developing Jewish belief in Babylon in a dualistic cosmos.

the third and fourth centuries, Lactantius and Athanasius appeared as the leading Christian thinkers about the Devil. They continued the struggle to justify belief in a personal, fallen angel Devil against the obvious holes in the argument. In doing so they succeeded in accreting yet more to the Devil idea, at times backtracking to or contradicting the arguments of previous “fathers”, as well as adding their own variations on the theme. Lactantius especially developed the idea of dualism towards its logical conclusions. Dualism was the error picked up by the Jews in captivity which influenced the first significant corruption of the Biblical concept of the Devil and Satan. They had been influenced by the old Persian idea that there is a god of evil who somehow mirrors and stands in independent opposition to the God of love. This idea remained embedded in Judaism and eventually crept into early Christianity (1) . Lactantius really became obsessed with the idea, and concluded that Christ and Lucifer were originally both Angels, sharing the same nature, but Lucifer fell “for he was jealous of his elder brother [Jesus]” (Divine Institutes 3.5). This idea meshed in with the growing departure from the Biblical position that Jesus was the begotten Son of God and as such had no personal existence in Heaven before His birth. The whole of Hebrews 1 and 2 are devoted to emphasizing the superiority of Christ over the Angels, and how He had to be human in order to save us; and that He was a human and not an Angel precisely because He came to save humans and not Angels. But that was overlooked due to the pressing need to explain how Christ and Lucifer were somehow parallel with each other. And of course Lactantius created another problem for Christianity by claiming that Christ was of the same nature with Lucifer – for if that nature was capable of sinning and falling, then what guarantee is there that one day Christ may not likewise fall, and the whole basis of our salvation come crashing down? The Persians believed that the good god would always win out over the evil god; but that was their assumption. If there are indeed these two gods, why assume one is bound to win? Not only does the Bible insist this theology is untrue (e.g. Is. 45:5–7); but if there are indeed two gods, why make the a priori assumption that the good god has to win out? What concrete evidence is there for that, beyond blind hope?


Dualism: Gnostics believed that the world was divided into the physical and spiritual realms. The created, material world (matter) is evil, and therefore in opposition to the world of the spirit, and that only the spirit is good. Adherents of Gnosticism often constructed an evil, lesser god and beings of the Old Testament to explain the ​creation of the world (matter) and considered Jesus Christ a wholly spiritual God.


There are two basic doctrines of the Bible: (a) The nature of flesh; and (b) the spirit manifestation of God. The former teaches us what we are, and what we must guard against; the latter outlines what we can become, and what we must aim for.




Men were not ushered into being for the purpose of being saved or lost! God manifestation not human salvation was the great purpose of the Eternal Spirit. The salvation of a multitude is incidental to the manifestation, but was not the end proposed. The Eternal Spirit intended to enthrone Himself on the earth, and in so doing, to develop a Divine family from among men, every one of whom shall be Spirit, because born of the Spirit, and that this family shall be large enough to fill the earth, when perfected, to the entire exclusion of flesh and blood (1 Cor. 15:28)."







The two classes of believers




There are two classes of believers the one the fellowservants, and the other the brethren, The brethren are fellowservants, but all the fellowservants were not brethren -- even as true believers are Christians, but all christians so-called are not true believers.


Wednesday, 22 August 2018

Bible Symbols Decoded

Bible Symbols Decoded 


Let's take a look at some of the bible symbols, so you may agree when you look up the chapter and verse, if you care to check it out.

The heavenly bodies are commonly used as denoting governments and leaders (see Ezek. 32:6-8; Isa. 1:1,10; Luke 21:25, etc.) SUN - The Throne of David - (Psalm 89 v 36) - which is the Throne of the Sun of Righteousness when he returns to the earth. MOON - The Moon Reflects the light of the SUN. The SUN is the Throne and the "Church" reflects light and power (like the moon does to the sun). The moon is the symbol of the Ecclesia Rev 12:1 STARS of heaven - Princes, rulers the saints who are the co-heirs with Christ. (it is a political symbol as can be seen from the U.S.A 50 stars on their flag, "STAR spangled banner" etc.)
HEAVENS - Political systems (above the mountains). MOUNTAIN - Government - (Micah 4 v 1). EARTH - Downtrodden people (oppressed and poor). EARTH-QUAKE - Great upheaval of the EARTH (as above). SEA - Restless, moving people who are not as oppressed and are free to move around (Psalm 65 v 6,7). WATERS - Peoples, multitudes, nations and tongues (languages) (Revelation 17 v 15). HORN - kingdom horns of the wild-ox; - Unique horns - "One Kingdom, without end" - God's Kingdom on Earth - coming soon. see Numbers 24:8

Numbers 24:8 GOD having brought him forth out of Egypt, The very horns of the buffalo, are his,--He shall eat up the nations his adversaries, And shall break their bones in pieces, And smite them through with his arrows. OLIVE - The "House of Israel" - (the people not country) FIG tree - Jews (Matt. 21 v 20), Christ cursing the unfruitful or unfaithful for ever in verse 19. DAY - Year in prophecy (Ezekiel 4 v 6) (Revelation 9 v 15). MONTH - 30 years in prophecy (Rev. 11 v 2,3 - 42 x 30 = 1260). SEVEN - The number of completeness in Scripture. You need to use discernment to see what is logical and sensible and whether the words are to be interpreted in their normal way or in God's symbolic language. A perfect example of this is when Christ said, "IF, you have enough faith and you say to this mountain, fall into the sea and it will (Matt. 21 v 21)", it clearly did not mean an actual mountain and the sea. It was symbolic language.

The mountain means government and restless dis-satisfied people are the sea.
Think about it. A mountain (that is a government) towers over and looks down upon the people (who are the sea) and the sea looks up at the mountain. The sea (people) cannot remove the mountain (government) without a tsunami. Now you can start to decode the Prophecies and understand them for your self.