Which “God” Do You Serve?
Would you willingly deny that YHWH Almighty is God? Would you reject and deny Jesus Christ the Son of God? Would you willingly proclaim and testify that the head of a religious institution had MORE authority over your life than Scripture does? Most devout Christians who love YHWH, who love the Messiah, and who believe in biblical authority would be OUTRAGED at such a proposal. They would say, and probably with fervent indignation, “Of course we don’t want to do that, don’t be ridiculous.”
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What most Christians don’t realize is that the Roman Catholic Church has for centuries claimed that the Pope and their religious councils have the ultimate authority of being God on earth. They openly claim that by their authority alone, they have the right to change the Word of God. They openly ADMIT that THEY alone changed the Sabbath day from the biblical seventh day of the week to the first day of the week. What’s even more crucial is when you look at the supposed proof that they offer to support the claim that they have the authority to do this.
According to the Roman Catholic Church, the fact that most Christian religious systems follow THEIR Roman Catholic religious commandments INSTEAD of following Biblical Commandments, supposedly proves that the RCC has the alleged right to rule the religious world.
The fact is that the Roman Catholic Church has understood the spiritual secret that most Protestant Christians have long forgotten. The RCC understood that which ever sabbaths and religious festivals people choose to keep is a declaration and a testimony about WHO is God.
As it is written:
“But as for you, speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘You shall surely observe My sabbaths; for this is a SIGN between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you.” (Exodus 31:13, NASB)
“Also I gave them My sabbaths to be a SIGN between Me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them.” (Ezekiel 20:12)
The popes believe and declare that THEY are God? Do you agree?
“The Pope has the power to change times, to abrogate laws, and to dispense with all things, even the precepts of Christ.” “The Pope has the authority and often exercised it, to dispense with the command of Christ.” -Decretal, de Tranlatic Episcop. Cap. (The Pope can modify divine law.) Ferraris’ Ecclesiastical Dictionary.
The Roman Catholic Church believes that they have the right to forbid celebrating YHWH’s Festivals and to institute other festivals in their place.
Do you agree?
The Roman Catholic church believes that they have the authority even to change and remove the commands of the Messiah. Do you agree with them?
The Catholic church believes that you should follow them and the Pope even if they lead you to hell:
This is a direct quote from the Latin decree within canon law of the church as follows: “If the Pope should become neglectful of his own salvation, and of that of other men, and so lost to all good that he draw down with himself innumerable people by heaps into hell, and plunge them with himself into eternal torments, yet no mortal may presume to reprehend him, forasmuch as he is judge of all, and is judged of no one.” (Decreti, pars i. distinct. xl.can.xi).
Do you agree with them? Do you think that that is a righteous sentiment and that they have a right to do that?
What kind of heart, what kind of spirit demands that you obey them even if they lead you to hell?!
Why would any sane person choose to trust these people with your immortal soul? Why are you obeying these people?!
Why are you trusting their religious instructions and their religious tradition?
You will no doubt say to me, Well, I’m not Roman Catholic. I don’t follow Roman Catholic instruction, or Roman Catholic religious tradition. Oh really?
Do you honor Sunday the Sabbath, or the seventh day biblical Sabbath?
Do you honor the biblical Festivals and Holy Days, (Leviticus 23; Deuteronomy 16), or do you honor Advent, Christmas, Valentine’s Day Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Halloween, an the like.
Don’t forget. According to Scripture we ARE what we FOLLOW, (Romans 6:13-16). If you truly follow what YHWH Almighty and what Messiah tell you to do, then you belong to YHWH to Messiah, but if on the other hand you refuse to follow what YHWH commanded, and what Messiah followed, while at the same time you dutifully obey the commands and decrees of Roman Catholic popes, then you are Roman Catholic whether you call yourself one or not. It comes down to this.
Do you believe that human church authority has the right to change the word of God and make it binding upon God? I choose to follow the Scripture, because I believe that YHWH and Messiah is the authority in the Kingdom, and no Pope has the right to remove YHWH or Messiah from His true authority. Failing to uphold what YHWH has declared to be holy and set apart causes people to PROFANE the name of YHWH:
“Her priests have done violence to My law and have profaned My holy things; they have made no distinction between the holy and the profane, and they have not taught the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they hide their eyes from My sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.” (Ezekiel 22:26, NASB)
I can’t speak for the rest of believers, but speaking for myself, I don’t want to be the cause of people profaning the name of YHWH. I want to help people keep YHWH’s Holy Things Holy. I want to help people to keep His Name Holy and not to profane it. That is partly why I want to keep the Holy Days that YHWH has decreed, and not the counterfeits that have been decreed by those who claim to be gods.
Who is on YHWH’s Side?
Which ever Sabbaths and religious festivals you keep is a declaration of WHO you believe to be God, and who is not. Speaking for myself, I do NOT believe that the Pope is God. I do NOT believe that any Pope, Pastor, Elder, Deacon or religious board has the right to change the Scriptures, or remove the teachings of the Messiah. That’s WHY I earnestly try to make my decisions BIBLICALLY. I want my life to testify that I believe YHWH Almighty, and that Messiah Whom YHWH has sent is the one that has authority over my life, and NOT some religious rules made by man, (Acts 5:29).
Brother R. Michel Lankford