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The greatest testimony of James' claim as a Prophet of God is found among his teachings. His teachings agree with all the Prophets of God before him. Joseph wrote that no man can have faith in God toward salvation without having a correct understanding of "his character, perfections, and attributes." James brought us all of these. James left us with an understanding of God and Jesus not found anywhere else in the Christian world. If religion were taught as a science, as James said it would one day, James would certainly be honored as most precious gem in the stream of knowledge. He left us with a treasure of teachings on all the subjects related to our spiritual welfare and temporal behavior. CHAPTER
SIX: James
J. Strang, The Teacher CHAPTER SIX: JAMES J. STRANG, THE TEACHER James embraced the concept
embodied by Joseph Smith that religion should be taught as a science.
Its principles and laws are as perfect and unchanging as those of other
sciences. James used principles of
science to prove the existence of God. Theology
should be understood as that revealed
science, which treats of the true nature and characteristics of God, His
will towards man, man’s duty to God, and man’s duty to his fellows.
The principles and doctrines taught by Adam, Noah, Moses, Jesus, and all
other Prophets of God on a particular subject always compliment each other.
“8 But though we, or
an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have
preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9 As we said before, so say I now again,
If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him
be accursed.” (Gal. 1) In his notes in the Book
of the Law, James wrote, “108.
In all else, the united testimony of those who have studied the facts, is deemed
sufficient and satisfactory proof. The facts of Geology, the facts of Astronomy,
the facts of Chemistry, the facts of Botany, the facts of Zoology, are all
proved by testimony like this in kind, less in accumulation. And upon facts so
proved are based the principles of those sciences.
The facts were thus determined. And
the principles are but deductions from them. “109. The existence of God, the Lord of the
universe, a being of intelligence, motive and will, is proved by more testimony
than that of Julius Caesar. And a
world of spirits is proved by more living witnesses, and has been in every
generation of men, than can or ever could be adduced to prove the existence of
one half the species of living animals on the earth. “110. Enter into the closet of your friends’
hearts, open the door that shame and the fear of being called superstitious has
shut, induce men to speak to you as they commune with their own hearts, and how
many will you find, who have never beheld the spiritual?
How many who have never been spoken to by the invisible?
How many who have never been led by the intangible? “111. The world is now a vast crowd of living
witnesses of the spiritual, shamed down to silence by the Atheistical doctrines
of modern Christianity. This truth
is a spring that can never be dried up. “112. A generation shall yet arise who, taking facts
as they find them, will make religion a science, studied by as exact rules as
mathematics. Then will these facts
be sought for as are new discoveries in Geology and Astronomy.
Facts well attested will be generalized. Rules be drawn from them.
Man’s prejudices will cease to minister to his blindness.
The mouth of the Seer will be opened, and the whole earth enlightened.”
(pp. 85, 86) It seems that James’
whole life, after being ordained a Lawgiver, on Joseph Smith wrote, “What
is the object of our coming into existence, then dying and falling away, to be
here no more? It is but reasonable
to suppose that God would reveal something in reference to the matter, and it is
a subject we ought to study more than any other.” (Joseph
Smith’s Teachings, p. 101) The primary
subjects that affect our salvation are: (1)
God and Jesus Christ, “To
the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word,
Knowledge and
belief in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was removed from the Christian
church by "As
seen in Constantine's originating piety, that supreme deity would have been
associated with the sun, and pagans would have recognized, with reason,
their own solar cult in such [new] Christian practices as orienting churches to
the east, worshipping on 'sun day,' and celebrating the birth of the deity at
the winter solstice [December 25]." (James Carroll, Constantine's Sword,
p. 183) He established
a new Christianity as the state religion. In
325 AD, he called the first church council; and created the first creed of the
Christian church. This Creed of St.
Athanasius established three points of doctrine:
(1) it established the
Catholic faith as the only acceptable religion, (2)
it changed the identity and nature of God, with the Trinity as the foundation of
the Catholic faith, and (3) it
changed the identity and nature of Jesus. (1).
The Trinitarian
Creed stated, “This is the
Catholic Faith; which except a man believe faithfully, he cannot be saved.”
Prior to The mission of
the Joseph Smith
wrote, “We claim the
privilege of worshipping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own
conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where,
or what they may.” Everyone of
every religion was welcomed in the community of saints; and invited to address
the saints concerning their beliefs. Joseph
and James taught and were martyred while teaching freedom of religious beliefs. (2). The Creed of St. Athanasius in 325 AD, which embodied the
Trinity, changed the nature of God for Christians to that of paganism.
The Trinity originated with Nimrod, a grandson of Noah and King of
Babylon. "So
utterly idolatrous was the Babylonian recognition of the Divine unity, that
Jehovah, the Living God, severely condemned His own people for given any
countenance to it: ‘They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in
the gardens, after the rites of the ONLY ONE, eating swine’s flesh, and the
abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together.’ (Isaiah 66:17).
In the unity of that one Only God of the Babylonians, there were three
persons, and to symbolize that doctrine of the Trinity, they employed, as the
discoveries of Layard prove, the equilateral triangle, just as it is well known
the Romish Church does at this day. In
both cases such a comparison is most degrading to the King Eternal, and is
fitted utterly to pervert the minds of those who contemplate it, as if there was
or could be any similitude between such a figure and Him who hath said, ‘To
whom will ye liken God, and what likeness will ye compare unto Him?’” (Rev.
Alexander Hislop, The Two Babylons, p.
16) Joseph Smith taught the
critical importance of knowing God. He
taught, “that three things
are necessary, in order that any rational and intelligent being may exercise
faith in God unto life and salvation. First,
the idea that he actually exists. Secondly, a correct idea of his character,
perfections, and attributes. Thirdly, an actual knowledge that the course of
life which he is pursuing, is according to his will.” (1835 Doctrine and Covenants, Part One, Lecture Three) Joseph
described the Father and the Son as two distinct personages.
A young farm boy restored knowledge of God and Jesus that had been lost
since Constantine and the Papacy. Some
people believe that God is only a spirit (John 4:24).
All men are spirits. When
their spirit is joined with a physical body, it becomes a living soul; and is
said to have a tabernacle (physical body). The
official church journal in 1842, which Joseph edited, clearly described both the Father and the Son as having physical bodies.
“Joseph Smith
opposes vice and error, and supports his positions from revelation:
no odds whether there be two, three, or ‘Gods many.’
The Father and the Son are persons of Tabernacle; and the Holy Ghost a
spirit, besides the sons of God: for
the scriptures say: ‘Ye are
Gods.’” (Times and Seasons, Vol. 3, p. 926) Joseph Smith
went to great lengths to teach a correct understanding of God in his Lectures on
Faith (1835 Doctrine and Covenants,
Part One). He explained that God
is (1) merciful, gracious, slow to anger, abundant in goodness, long
suffering, of a forgiving disposition, (2) without change, (3) love, (4) no
respecter of persons, (5) a God of truth, (6) a God of Justice, (7) a God of
Judgment, (8) possessed of all knowledge, and (9) holds supreme power over all
things. James composed Chapter Two, “The True God,” in the Book of the Law through inspiration of God. He provided further definition and explanation of God and Jesus Christ. He explained the sacrifice of Christ in the chapter “Eucharist.” The Book
of the Law notes that God: (1) is
The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, (2) is glorious in his perfections, (3)
alone has immortality, (4) alone has omniscience, (5) alone has omnipotence, (6)
alone is omnipresent, and (7) alone is one. James, in his
notes, offered the Creed of Saint Athanasius; and then proved its errors.
He wrote, “25. This
is not the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Ye shall not bow down to the God of
Babylon, for the God who spoke in Sinai, said, ‘Thou shalt not bow down unto,
nor adore anything that thy imagination conceiveth of; but the Lord thy God
only.’ 26.
The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, was not the offspring of adultery; nor was
he born of woman; he was not carried about in a nurse’s arms, nor dependent on
his mother’s milk for sustenance; he never died, nor did he cry to himself,
and find no helper. (Matt. 27:46; Mark 15:34.) Eternal ages are but pulsations
in his lifetime, and his might is omnipotence.” (Book
of the Law, p. 58) When The God of Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob is a literal personage. He
is called the “living God” thirty times in the Bible.
In his notes on the True God, James wrote, “9.
The God who created Adam had a body, with all its parts; for as truly as Adam,
when he begat a son, begat him in his own likeness, after his image, (Gen. v, 3)
so truly God, when he created Adam, made him in the likeness and after
the image of God. (Gen. i, 26, 27. v, 1. ix, 6. 1st Cor. xi, 7.
Jas. iii, 9.) “10. Abraham worshipped the same God; for when God
visited him, Abraham at first mistook him for a man; and, with genuine
Patriarchal hospitality, invited him into the tent to eat, and offered to wash
his feet. (Gen. xviii.) “11. Jacob also, worshipped the same God; for after
wrestling with him, he tells us he saw him face to face. (Gen. xxxii, 24, 28,
30.) Surely the God of Abraham, the
God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has a body and parts, face and feet. “12. The God who spoke to Moses from the fire in the
bush, and in a voice of thunder in Sinai, gave the Commandments; wrote the
Commandments on tables of stone, with his finger; (Deut. ix, 10;) conversed with
Moses face to face, as a man converses with his friend; (Ex. xxxii, 11;) passed
by covering Moses with his hand, and allowed him to behold his back parts. (Ex.
xxxiii, 22, 23.) Truly this is not
the God without body or parts, which Episcopalians, Methodists, and all other
Christians worship. 13.
The God of the Prophets and Apostles was in bodily form, with all the
appropriate parts, as imaged in his creature man.” (Book
of the Law, p. 54) James conducted
a written debate in the Gospel Herald
on the fact that God exists as a literal personage.
He offered an article on “The Lineage of Christ” in the Gospel
Herald. He also conducted a
written debate with a Catholic spokesman, Charles Rafferty, which was published
in the Gospel Herald; and included the
following. “Upon
the fore front of almost every one of your creeds, catechisms, and confessions of faith, whether
established by Catholic councils or Protestant convocations, stands out the doctrine ‘That
there is but
one true God, the creator of heaven and earth, who is WITHOUT BODY, PARTS, Or
PASSIONS;’ which
is precisely equivalent to saying, ‘WHO
DOES NOT EXIST AT ALL;’ and is the creed of
mere Atheism. Thus has this wind of
doctrine carried you away from the Apostles' creed, which declared their faith in
‘God the Father Almighty,’ without
immediately adding that
he did
not exist;
because the Apostles
who made it believed, with other men who receive revelations, that
‘God made man in his own image,’
(Gen. i. 26, 27. v. 1,) precisely in the same sense in which Adam begot his son Seth ‘in
his own IMAGE,’ (Gen.
v. 3,) to wit: having a body in the same general
form, and the same number and kind of limbs, joined on in a
similar manner. And, consequently, believed that God had both body
and parts, which Moses also well knew when he BEHELD
the FACE
(not in its illumination or glory,)
and the BACK PARTS of God. (Ex. xxxiii. 11 to 23.) “And Abraham not only talked with the Lord, but washed his feet and
fed him, and did the like also for two angels; when, according to your creed, neither Lord or angels have any feet, or
stomachs, or mouths; though they looked so like men that Abraham knew not
that they were not
men till he saluted them. (Gen. xviii.)And
Jacob named a certain place Phanuel, (the face of God,) saying, ‘I
have seen God face to face.’ And all the ancients, having a
CERTAIN STANDARD or
RULE of
FAITH SUFFICIENT to DECIDE INFALLIBLY
ALL QUESTIONS of DIVINE
TRUTH which men need know, have concurred
in speaking of God, not by way of figure, but reality, as a
being in form similar to man, having the same limbs, members, parts
and passions; a being walking, talking, eating, riding in a chariot, loving, hating, being angry, jealous, &c., &c.” “Not satisfied with making Atheism the first article in the Christian
creed, Polytheism follows close after, in the declaration that Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit
are equally the
very and eternal God. To put it beyond doubt that these are THREE DISTINCT GODS
they declare their faith in ‘God the Father Almighty, WITHOUT
body, parts, or passions,’ and in Jesus Christ, very and eternal God,
and very man, who was crucified, died, and raised again, and ascended
to heaven, body and soul, flesh bones and all which he possessed as a man on earth, and that with such body and soul, flesh
and bones, he has set down at the right hand of God the Father, as
a God in heaven; consequently being a God, WITH
body and
parts, really
in the image of a man, at the right hand of another God of
an altogether different make; and God the Holy Spirit which emanated
from these two, and necessarily must partake somewhat of
the nature and likeness of both; and
consequently a monster, partially
without body, having some parts. “To make these
creeds utterly, hopelessly, and irrevocably false and impossible, impossible with Omnipotence, as well as with man, it is next
asserted that these three are one God, being and substance; that they are
all like one another and alike eternal, Omnipotent, Omniscient,
and Omnipresent; though the second emanated from the
first, and the third emanated from both the others. I do not, I will
not, speak of this as a mystery. It is a lie. A lie absolutely and
immutably. A lie that OMNIPOTENCE CANNOT MAKE TRUE. As well
might you talk that three times four does not make twelve in abstract
mathematics, but that it makes ten in a mysterious sense, and
that we ought to subscribe to it as a Christian mystery, which we can believe but not comprehend. “To
make the matter as ridiculous as it is infidel, heathenish as it is false, Catholics tell us of the
‘mother of God,’
as though it was God
that was conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary; begotten by himself on a creature he had made, that he might be eternally
begotten. And Protestants not willing that the Catholics should
monopolize all the folly and falsehood, have trumped up, or borrowed
from their mother, the Catholic church, the doctrine of an ‘infinite atonement’
by means of infinite sufferings in the
crucifixion and death of one of the three Gods. And as they still insist that these
three Gods are verily and in truth but one God, self-existent, indivisible
and eternal, it follows that the eternal uncreated and self
existent God became a PRIEST
unto
HIMSELF, and offered HIMSELF
a SACRIFICE unto HIMSELF,
to make propitiation unto himself
for sins against himself, and became Mediator between himself and his rebellious
subjects.” (Gospel Herald, Nov. 25,
1847) It is
noteworthy that James taught the same as Joseph on the identity and nature of
God and Jesus. Brigham Young, on the
other hand, taught that God was once a man; and is still in a state of eternal
progression. He taught that Adam was
God and Eve was his wife from another planet.
He also taught that man can progress to an identity equal with God. The teachings
of James on God and Jesus agree perfectly with the Bible (with the exception of
the alteration in Matt. The Creed of Saint
Athanasius states, "And
the Catholic faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in
Unity... Such as the Father
is, such is the Son; and such is the Holy Ghost... The Father eternal,
the Son eternal, and the Holy Ghost eternal... The Father incomprehensible,
the Son incomprehensible, and the Holy Ghost incomprehensible... So likewise the
Father is Almighty, the Son Almighty, and the Holy Ghost Almighty... And
yet they are not three Gods, but one God... The Son is of the Father alone; not
made, nor created, but begotten. The
Holy Ghost is of the Father and of the Son; neither made, nor created, nor
begotten, but proceeding. And in
this Trinity none is afore, or after other; none is greater, or less than
another... He therefore that will be saved, must think of the Trinity.
Furthermore, it is necessary to everlasting salvation, that he also believe
rightly the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ... This is the Catholic Faith;
which except a man believe faithfully, he cannot be saved." Three Gods or One?
The Bible makes it clear there is one God, the Father, and one Saviour,
Jesus Christ. The Holy Ghost is
never spoken of as God. "These
words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father,
the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: As thou
hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many
as thou hast given him. And this
is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, AND
Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." (John 17:1-3) "Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know
that the LORD he is God; there is none else beside him." (Deut.
4:35) "But to us there is
but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one
Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him." (1 Cor. 8:6)
"For there is one God, and one mediator between God
and men, the man Christ Jesus."
(1 Tim. 2:5) "The grace of
the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of
the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen."
(2 Cor. 13:14) The Bible teaches the
Father has a physical body similar to ours; although man cannot look upon the
face of God in all His glory. Moses
had spoken with God face to face; but, he wanted more.
He asked to see God in all His glory.
"And the LORD spake
unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend...
And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. And he said, I
will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the
LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew
mercy on whom I will shew mercy. And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for
there shall no man see me, and live. And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place
by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: And it shall come to pass, while my
glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover
thee with my hand while I pass by: And I will take away mine hand, and thou
shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen." (Ex. 33:11,
18-23) In the Trinitarian creed,
God the Son is equal and coeternal with the Father and the Holy Ghost. It
makes Jesus the Father. Who was
Almighty God when Jesus was a one celled embryo; and while Jesus was carried
about in His mother’s womb? Who
was Almighty God while Jesus was a babe? Why
did Jesus pray to the Father, if he was equal to the Father?
Why was He ordained by the Father (Heb. 5:5), if He was the Father?
The lesser is blessed of the greater.
Who was God Almighty, while the Son lay dead for three days?
If He is equal with the Father, did God die?
Why didn't Jesus raise Himself? Does
He now sit at His own right hand? How
can the Son be equal to the Father, when only the Father knows the exact time of
His return? "But
of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father
only." (Matt. 24:36) Jesus
told us He was not equal with the Father, "my Father is greater than
I." (John 14:28) See the
thirty-one questions posed to Rafferty in the Catholic Discussion (Part Two of this book). In this creed, God the Holy
Ghost proceeds from the Father and Son.
The Holy Ghost, being coeternal, could not exist until the Father had
begotten the Son. Clearly this creed
establishes the Father as the first identity, the Son as the second identity,
and the Holy Ghost as the third. Three
gods! Yet, they are all three
coeternal. Since all three are
coeternal, the Father and Son were begotten through the Son by themselves.
This concept actually denies all three.
Since the Holy Ghost is coeternal with the Father and the Son, the Father
and Son could not exist until the Holy Ghost.
Yet, the Holy Ghost was last in this grand series of begetting and
proceeding. Since the Holy Ghost
could not exist until both the Father and the Son existed, none can exist.
Their existence becomes a nonentity. The Bible clearly teaches
of only one God; and of His Son, and our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Jesus, throughout his whole mission, taught that the Father was superior
to Himself. God alone has a name
never known among the Gentile. It
was never spoken above the breath; and then, only between three High Priests,
after the order of Melchisedec (Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, Book
2, ch. 12:4). God alone has
immortality (1 Tim. 6:16). Jesus,
who was a spirit similar to us, became mortal like us, died like us, and was
then resurrected; even as we will be resurrected.
God alone never changes. God
alone has perfect knowledge. Jesus
tells us only the Father knows the day and the hour of His return. (Matt. 24:36)
God alone holds all power. Jesus
received power from the Father. God
alone is one. "But
to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him;
AND one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him." (1 Cor.
8:6) This creed would have us
worship the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost as one god.
Yet, throughout the Bible men prayed to the Father.
Jesus commanded, "After
this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy
name." (Matt. 6:9) "Verily,
verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will
give it you." (John 16:23) The
Bible never speaks of either the Son, or the Holy Ghost as God.
Who are we to believe? All alike?
"Such as the
Father is, such is the Son; and such is the Holy Ghost… The Father eternal,
the Son eternal, and the Holy Ghost eternal.”
The creed admits the "The Father is made of none; neither created, nor
begotten." The Son was
begotten of the Father. The Holy
Ghost proceeds from the Father and the Son.
The Father is the only GOD spoken of in the Bible.
Jesus is always addressed as the Son, having a lesser power.
How can three different substances, with three different existences, be
one? Admittedly three different
identities; coming into existence at three different times. The Father is obviously the
first personage to exist in this Trinity. The
Son being begotten of the Father cannot be either identical, or eternal with the
Father. The Holy Ghost is not even
recognized as a personage; but, only as proceeding.
The Father had to exist before the Son.
The Father and Son had to both exist before the Holy Ghost.
The Son also existed by the substance of His mother.
"And yet they are
not three Gods, but one God." By
this creed, Jesus was not the Son of God; but, the son of a ghost (that was half
Himself). All three gods Almighty?
"So likewise the Father is Almighty, the Son Almighty, and the Holy
Ghost Almighty." Jesus was not
Almighty. Nowhere in the Bible is
Jesus addressed as the Almighty. During
his whole ministry, He submitted His will to the Father.
A person can submit their will only to a superior.
Even in death, Jesus subjected His will to God, "Saying,
Father, if thou be willing, remove
this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done." (Luke
22:42) I call Jesus as my witness,
"my Father is greater
than I." (John 14:28) Jesus
is also inferior in knowledge to God. "But
of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in
heaven, neither the Son, but the Father." (Mark Nowhere in the Bible is the
Holy Ghost spoken of as God. If the
Holy Ghost is God Almighty, he begat seed upon one of His creatures to become
the Son, Almighty. Where is the real
Almighty during all these carryings on? There are many occasions in
the Bible where the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are represented in
different places. Were all of these
men hallucinating? "And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up
straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he
saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And
lo a voice from heaven [Father], saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom
I am well pleased." (Matt. 3:16, 17) Jesus
spent three days in the grave. Did
God the Father and God the Holy Ghost follow?
"So then after
the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the
right hand of God." (Mark "And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and
in favour with God and man." (Luke 2:52)
How can an Almighty increase in wisdom?
"This Jesus hath
God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand
of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost,
he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear." (Acts Were both Jesus and the
Holy Ghost Almighty when Jesus received the Holy Ghost, and when He was anointed
by the Holy Ghost?
"How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with
power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of
the devil; for God was with him." (Acts If Jesus was Almighty from
all eternity, how could He be conceived of Himself?
How could He be Almighty in His mother's womb, as an infant, and as an
alien to the One can only be blessed by
a superior. Jesus was ordained and
sent by the Father. "So also Christ glorified not himself to be made
an high priest; but he [Father] that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have
I begotten thee. As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever
after the order of Melchisedec." (Heb. 5:5, 6) All equal?
"And in this
Trinity none is afore, or after other; none is greater, or less than
another." The Father had
to be "afore;" as the Son was begotten of the Father.
The Holy Ghost was "after;" as he could not proceed from the
Father and Son until the Son was begotten. As the Holy Ghost proceeds
from the Father and Son, he must be "less" than both.
The very mortality and death of Jesus demonstrates a personage of
inferior nature. Jesus was carried
in his mother's womb as a fetus, born as a helpless infant, learned obedience
from the things he suffered (Heb. 5:8), died on the cross, spent three days in
death with the spirits in prison (hell), was resurrected, and sits at the right
hand of the Father. Not so of God.
"For I am the
LORD, I change not." (Mal. 3:6) "Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know
that the LORD he is God; there is none else beside him...
Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the LORD he
is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else."
(Deut. 4:35, 39) "But to us there is but one God, the Father,
of whom are all things, and we in him; AND one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are
all things, and we by him. Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge: for
some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered
unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled." (1 Cor. 8:6, 7) The Bible consistently
teaches there is only one God; and that Jesus is inferior to the Father.
He was begotten by the Father. He
submitted His will to the Father. He
prayed to the Father. He received
His divine authority from the father. "And
he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which
was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead." (Acts All incomprehensible?
This creed defines the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost as incomprehensible.
Does it not seem a little more than strange that such a doctrine is found
nowhere in the Bible, during four thousand years of personal relationships
between man and God? By defining the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost as incompressible, the creed removes from
man the opportunity of eternal life. "And
this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and
Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." (John 17:3) Was the Father
incompressible when he walked, talked, and knew Adam as a familiar friend (Gen.
2:3)? Was He incomprehensible when
he walked with Enoch (Gen. 5:24)? When
He spoke with Noah (Gen. 6:14-21)? When
Abraham mistook him for a man? (Gen. 18)? When
He wrestled with Jacob (Gen. 32:30)? When
He conversed with Moses face to face (Ex. 33:11; Deut. 5:4)?
Soon, He will gather His people and again plead with them "face to
face." "And
I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries
wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and
with fury poured out. And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people,
and there will I plead with you face to face. Like as I pleaded with your
fathers in the wilderness of the Is the Father
incomprehensible? Jesus did not
think so. Why did Jesus pray to Him
during His whole ministry and cry to Him on the cross? "And
about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama
sabachthani? that is to say, My God,
my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Matt. 27:46) Was Jesus incomprehensible?
Simply read the New Testament. "Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express
image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when
he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on
high." (Heb. 1:3) Was Jesus incomprehensible
when he appeared to the disciples after His resurrection, and dined with them?
(Luke 24:43) Was He
incomprehensible when He said to the disciples, "Behold
my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath
not flesh and bones, as ye see me have." (Luke 24:39) How can man have faith in
an incomprehensible? "But
without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must
believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek
him." (Heb. 11:6) How
can man love an incomprehensible, "with
all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind"? (Matt. 22:37) I will grant Constantine
the fact his Trinity is incomprehensible. Not
so the Biblical God. The whole Bible
is a story of God's direct association with man. God conversed with Adam as a
familiar friend (Gen. 2:3). He
walked with Enoch (Gen. 5:24). He
spoke with Noah (Gen. 6:14-21). Abraham
at first mistook him for a man; and invited Him into his tent to eat (Gen. 18).
He wrestled with Jacob (Gen. 32:30).
He conversed with Moses face to face (Ex. 33:11; Deut. 5:4).
Which god in this Trinity is incomprehensible, the Father, the Son, or
the Holy Ghost? Or, is it the
Trinity itself which is the mystery? James J. Strang wrote in
the Book of the Law of the Lord, “24.
And, as by their faith, these three gods are one and the same god, it follows
that the Lord God Almighty, uncreate, incomprehensible, and eternal, became a
Priest unto himself, and offered himself a sacrifice unto himself, to make
propitiation unto himself for sins against himself, and became a mediator
between himself and his rebellious creatures; and has risen from the dead,
though he alone hath immortality, and ascended on high, where he has received
all power from himself, and sat down at his own right hand; where, with his
human body, flesh and bones, and all that pertains to the perfection of man’s
nature, raised to immortality and everlasting life, he ‘is the express image
of the invisible God,’ (Col. i, 15. 2d Cor. iv, 4,) ‘and the express image
of his Father’s person,’ (Heb. 1, 3,) who has not any such body or any part
of it, and is nevertheless the same identical person with himself.” (p. 58) (3). An understanding of this
fabrication requires a study of Verses 22 and 23 are direct
fabrications. First, the child was
not named Emmanuel; but, Jesus. The
prophecy was a sign given through Isaiah to Ahaz; and fulfilled in those days.
"Therefore the
Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a
son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 15 Butter and honey shall he eat, that he
may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. 16 For before the child shall
know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall
be forsaken of both her kings." (Isa. 7:14-16) Young's Analytical
Concordance To The Bible, notes, "Immanuel,
A symbolic name given to the child who was announced to Ahaz and the people of First, the basic
question is whether Jesus was the legitimate son of Abraham.
Or, was he the offspring of adultery; and the illegitimate son of a
ghost, that was half Himself? This
deception claims, "she
was found with child of the Holy Ghost."
The Creed of Saint Athanasius declares, "The
Holy Ghost is of the Father and of the Son."
If this deception were true, Jesus was not "of
the Father alone;" but, was one-fourth the son of Himself.
This creed made Him the illegitimate son of the Father and Himself. An espousal (betrothal) in
Israel was a legitimate contract of marriage.
Joseph and Mary were married; and had “came together” long before the
conception of Jesus. The public
ceremony was often held at a later time. Martin
Luther's own Bible when referring to Mary used "yungfrau."
It is interpreted as a “young married woman” or just “young woman."
No inference as to being a virgin. Verse 19 admits "Joseph
her husband." Luke notes that Joseph and Mary were espoused/married in verse 27, “virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David;” and then in verse 31, at a later date, notes, "thou shalt conceive in thy womb." (Luke 1:31) How many other women in the Bible conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost? Abraham’s wife Sarah conceived Isaac by the power of the Holy Ghost. Mary’s cousin Elizabeth was barren; when she conceived John the Baptist by the power of the Holy Ghost. Marriages were immediately
consummated. Should the new wife
prove not to be pure, the law of God required her to be returned to her father's
house and be stoned to death. How
long does it take for a woman to be "found with child?"
Joseph could not be a "just man" without obeying the law of
God. "But
if this thing be true, and the tokens of virginity be not found for the damsel:
Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house,
and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die." (Deut.
22:20, 21) The word virgin in the
English language does not admit of the true meaning of the term.
A virgin can be either a woman (or man) that has not had sexual
intercourse, or a woman (or man) that has remained true to her (his) marriage
vows and has had intercourse with none other.
“Marriage is
honourable in all, and the bed undefiled.” (Heb. 13:4)
Thus, Luther’s “yungfrau,” in reference to Mary, could be
either single, or married. Adultery was forbidden by
the law of God, "Thou shalt not commit adultery." (Ex. 20:14)
God cannot violate His own law. "Let
no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted
with evil, neither tempteth he any man." (James 1:13)
Had the Holy Ghost beget seed upon a married woman, GOD would be
guilty of sin; and therefore subject to death, "the
wages of sin is death." (Rom. The creed states, "The
Son is of the Father alone." This
supposed conception by the Holy Ghost denies this doctrine and makes Jesus the
son of the third person in the Trinity and not by "the Father alone."
It would have God violate His own laws and commit adultery on one of His
creation. Further, it would make
Jesus an illegitimate son of a ghost; and not the Messiah of the house of David
(according to the flesh). Jesus was
not the offspring of adultery. Second, the law of nature is another of God's laws. Genetics are much better understood today than by the pagans of Constantine's day. The woman carries only half the genetic code required for human reproduction. Only the male seed carries the X/Y chromosome. Without this, Jesus could not have been a male--like begets like. A gorilla, the closest to man in genetic code, cannot beget seed upon man. A spirit is not flesh,
blood, and bones. According to the
Creed of Saint Athanasius, the Holy Ghost only proceeds.
"The Holy Ghost
is of the Father and the Son; neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding."
The best definition, supporters of the creed have provided, is that this
"proceeding" can be compared to light from a fire.
Not of substance; but only of essence. A spirit cannot beget seed
upon mortal woman; anymore than a beam of light.
Satan and his angels (spirits) have been visiting earth since Adam.
If spirits can beget seed upon women, imagine what evil Satan's angels
would work upon women. Satan and his
angels were cast out of heaven to the earth after the resurrection of Jesus
(Rev. 12:4). If this creed be true,
can any man know for certain that he is the father of his wife's children?
Jesus called himself the son of Man about eighty times in the Bible. Third.
All the prophets in the Bible, who spoke of the Messiah, wrote that He
had to be of the royal line of King David. Only
Joseph carried the proper seed of Abraham, Judah, and David; as noted by both
Matthew and Luke. God promised
Abraham, "And in thy
seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed
my voice." (Gen. 22:18) No
woman is given in the lineage of Jesus from Adam to Mary.
The seed of man, "according
to the flesh," is carried only through the male line.
"And as I may so
say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham. For he was yet in
the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him." (Heb. 7:9, 10)
Jesus could only fulfill the law on lineage through his father
Joseph. If Joseph was not the father
of Jesus, the whole story of the Messiah is a fabrication. Paul declared Jesus was the
seed of David, "according
to the flesh." "Concerning
his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according
to the flesh." (Rom 1:3) Matthew
declared at the beginning of his book, "The
book of the generation of Jesus Christ."
The first seventeen verses give a clear account of the lineage of
Jesus from Abraham, through Judah, David, and his father Joseph (Matt. Luke does the same; except
beginning with Adam. Mary was a
cousin of When telling a lie, it is
often impossible to cover all your tracks. Many
references remain that identify Jesus as the legitimate son of Joseph.
I call Mary as my first witness. "And
when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast
thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy
father and I have sought thee sorrowing." (Luke 2:48)
I call Jesus as my second witness. "Wherefore
in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he
might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to
make reconciliation for the sins of the people." (Heb. 2:17) In the King James Version
of the Bible Matthew Joseph is
called the father of Jesus. “Philip
findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the
law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” (John
1:45) Jesus was
always referred to as the son of Joseph, the Son of David, the Son of Man, or
the Son of God. It is obvious that
Jesus became the Son of God through His ordination to the royal priesthood by
the Father. “So
also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he [the Father]
that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.” (Heb. 5:4) Surely, the
friends and family of Jesus would have been aware of this miraculous conception
and calling--had it been true. Yet,
on Jesus first missionary trip to Consider the source.
Demi-gods were a tradition in "In Papal Italy, as travelers universally admit
(except where the Gospel has recently entered), all appearance of worshipping
the King Eternal and Invisible is almost extinct.
Exactly so, in this latter respect, also was it in ancient By adopting the Babylonian
doctrines of the Trinity and the Mother and Child, The first beast which John
describes in Chapter 12:3 is Pagan Rome. The
beast changes in Chapter 13:1, “and
upon his heads the name of blasphemy.”
By changing the nature and character of God and Jesus to those of mystery
Babylon, Constantine brought Christians under the condemnation of blasphemy.
“3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the
wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names
of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 4 And the woman was arrayed in
purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls,
having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her
fornication: 5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE
GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” (Rev. 17)
The Harlots, the image of the beast, can be none other than
Protestantism that retained these same mysteries and blasphemy. What is to
happen to Christians who became entangled with the mysteries of How different the teachings
of James. “37.
Such a one was the Lord Jesus Christ. Down to the age of thirty years, in the
retirement of a peasant’s life, he never stepped aside from
the path of rectitude, to do
a single evil deed. Not one even of
the least of all the Commandments or precepts of God did he ever transgress, nor
did an evil thought enter his heart. Conscious
that he was the lawful heir to the throne of David, and that the whole house of
Israel were his inheritance; never did he turn aside from the present duties of
the humble position in which he was born, to disturb the peace, and peril the
safety of his brethren, even in claiming his own. “38. Made of the seed of Abraham. (Gal. iii, 16.
Heb. ii, 16,) of the tribe of Judah,
(Heb. vii, 14,) and of the house and lineage of David (Rom. i, 3. 2d Tim. ii, 8)
according to the flesh, tempted and tried in all things as we are, (Heb. iv,
15,) and partaking with us of the common infirmities of human nature, he was
holy, harmless, and without sin. (Heb. iv, 15. vii, 26-28) “39. It was fit that such a one should receive the
keys of the resurrection and of life everlasting (John xi, 25, 26,) and be
exalted on high with divine power; for he had maintained the divine
characteristicks through all the trials of his mortal existence; and having ever
“loved righteousness and hated iniquity,” (Heb. i, 8, 9. Ps. xlv, 6, 7,) he
was exalted by his Father and his God to be our God, and the Father of the world
to come. (Isa. ix, 6.) “40. Jesus Christ, having committed no sin, deserved
to suffer no evil that was avoidable. Taking
upon himself the Priesthood to which God called him, and working a faithful
ministry with the sole view to the salvation of mankind, without regard to any
suffering he might bring upon himself, he suffered bitter persecution, and a
cruel death, all which he might have avoided, without sin against God or man, by
doing less for the salvation of others. It
was thus that he became a natural sacrifice for the sins of men. “41. But having loved righteousness and hated
iniquity, through the severest temptations, and never swerved one moment, God
raised him to an incorruptible, and immortal life, and gave him the power to
raise up all others; a power which, as he had already resisted every temptation,
he could not be moved to abuse. Thus
was established that incorruptible dominion of man over the creation of God,
which the divine goodness had sought from the beginning, by the most direct
means to establish. “42. He was not demanded of God as a victim to
divine vengeance, but offered himself as the victim of man’s malevolence.
And having walked in the way of life everlasting, through death and the
resurrection, he was capable of leading others the same road.
Thus, by the appointment of God,
and the requisite intelligence, he was possessed of the keys of the
resurrection, and life everlasting. “43. He is a propitiation for the sins of all men,
in this, that whereas all, both by inheritance were doomed to death, and by
actual guilt had aggravated that doom, he brings the actual resurrection of the
body to all, (1st Cor. xv, 22,) and puts it in their power by obedience to a law
which he makes known, to lay hold on everlasting life. “44. By means of this law the way of life is ever so
guarded that none can lay hold on immortality, except those who have, through
the experience of temptation, a settled and unconquerable hatred of sin, and an
unchangeable love of righteousness, so that the keeping of the Law of God,
instead of being a restraint on them, is their chief desire and greatest
pleasure. No other can enter into
life.” (Book of the Law, pp. 156,
157) James
in his debate with Mr. Rafferty, in The Catholic Discussion, asks thirty-one
questions that any believer in the Trinity and Virgin Birth need to answer.
Truth has no fear of investigation. During
this discussion, James noted, “He
[Jesus] has BECOME
PERFECT THROUGH SUFFERING, Heb.
ii. 10. v. 9, obtained the keys of hell and of death, Rev. i. 18, received power
from God, John v. 19 to 30. Acts
xvii. 31, ascended on high, Acts i. 9,
10, 11, and being perfect as his Father in heaven is perfect, has
set down, not in place of God, but at his right hand, Heb. i. 3. Eph.
i. 20, as the principal viceroy and highest minister unto him, Heb. i. 4, 9. Eph. i. 20, 21, 22, being one with God, not in person, essence
or individuality, nor in any mysterious sense, but in the same
manner in which the saints are all likewise required to be one with
him and each other, John xvii. 11, 21, 22, 23. Gal, iii. 28;
that is, one in faith, one in purpose,
one in interest and one in possession and enjoyment. And he, as son, being
heir of God; that
is, as
high priest having an inheritance in the power of God's kingdom,
seeks to
bring us to a like perfection, that we also may be sons,
that is, high priests after the power of an endless life, that we may
be also heirs of God, joint heirs with him in this inheritance, Rom.
viii. 17. James ii. 5, setting down with him on thrones in the “Christ constantly spoke of himself personally as "the
son of man,"
Matt. xvi. 13, &c. As the redeemer he is expressly declared
to be a "man,"
1 Cor. xv. 21. In that greatest treatise on priesthood, the epistle to the Hebrews, it is said that because
he loved righteousness (and of course not till he had done so) God exalted him
in power above all others, Heb. i. 9; became
a son of God by being made an high priest by the oath of God, Heb. v. 5, 6. vii. 21, and
it was by the word of the oath, and not by the act of carnal generation, that he became God's Son, Heb. vii. 28. “For what trash have men
bartered away the truths of God? All for want
of the proper priesthood, which God set therein as a perpetual and
unerring standard of truth.” (see Catholic Discussion, Gospel
Herald, God established
a plan of salvation for mankind
before the foundations of the earth. Those
who were obedient during our first estate as spirits are afforded the
opportunity to hear the gospel in the flesh.
“4 According as he
hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy
and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the
adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure
of his will.” (Eph. 4) Salvation in
the kingdom of heaven is realized through obedience to the gospel of Christ. “For
I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power
of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and
also to the Greek.” ( There is only
one gospel; and obedience is required
to inherit eternal life. Those who
obey the gospel have the opportunity to inherit the earth in eternity.
All others must spend a time with the spirits in prison (hell).
“15 And he said unto
them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He
that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall
be damned.” (Mark 16) The gospel
never changes. Whatever was
required to be saved in the days of Jesus, was the same in the days of Adam, and
remains the same forever. “But
though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that
which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9 As we said before, so
say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have
received, let him be accursed.” (Gal. 1:8) The gospel is a
perfect law because it had a perfect author.
Had it not been perfect, it could not promise eternal life; as no one
could be sure the gospel they obeyed today will be the gospel that brings
eternal life tomorrow. When changed
by man, it is no longer the gospel. “And
fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather
fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matt. 10:28) Every man is
born alien to the kingdom of heaven. Without
worshipping the true and living God, and obeying the gospel of Christ, none can
enter the kingdom of heaven. Soon,
Jesus will return, “In
flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the
gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thess. 1:8) This plan
requires men to submit their will to the will of God; and remain obedient to His
commandments for eternity. God’s
law is not given for any selfish reason like many of the laws of man.
His law was given for the good, happiness, and salvation of man; and was
founded on love. There are no
blessings, though, without sacrifice. The
gospel is one part of that law. An
understanding of this law could only come through a direct association with God.
Through Adam, God provided both the law and the order (officers) to
administer the ordinances of the kingdom of heaven.
Adam was an Apostle, Prophet, and Lawgiver like Moses.
The Ten Commandments, the gospel, and the law of God were given to Adam.
Cain violated the law, “Thou
shalt not kill.” Without
the gospel, Adam could not have entered the kingdom of heaven. Adam knew Noah’s father for fifty-six years. Noah knew Abraham for fifty-eight ye |