Do You Worship the True Christ?

To worship a false god is a grave sin (Exodus 20:3–5). The Apostle Paul wrote: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). So, your answer to the title question of this article really is a matter of life or death! Read this article and act on the truth!

Listen! This may shock you. But what millions of professing “Christians” do not realize is that they have been led to believe in a false Christ—and a false god. As Almighty God inspired the Apostle John to tell us regarding the time of the end: “So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (Revelation 12:9). So Satan the Devil is directly pictured as the “god” of this present world—this present civilization. Are you part of this present society and an active participant in this world’s religions? Are you willing to admit that you may have been deceived by the “great deceiver” of all humanity?

Remember that God inspired the Apostle Paul to warn us: “For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!” (2 Corinthians 11:4). And later: “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works” (vv. 13–15).

In that passage, the true God of the Bible is warning us that “false” ministers have the ability to “transform” themselves into someone like the apostles of Christ. They “look good” on the surface. But their message ultimately brings death in the Lake of Fire! This inspired message also tells us that Satan has “his ministers” who fool people, but whose “end will be according to their works.” Yet these are the very ministers who proclaim that all are under “grace” and there is no need for works of any kind! These ministers proclaim “another Jesus” than the Bible clearly identified in the inspired Word of God.

Will You Accept What the Bible Really Says?

Most people fail to realize that the world’s festivals of “Christmas” and “Easter” picture Jesus Christ and His teachings in an entirely different way than the Bible does. The world’s festivals, when they turn their attention away from the fairy tales of Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, often picture Christ as a helpless little “babe in a manger,” then as a fragile and even wimpy “hippie” figure taken to His crucifixion. Yes, we may have been told about a miraculous virgin birth and a glorious resurrection. But the main “themes” imprinted into the minds of worshipers—certainly as children, but even into adulthood—often amount to little more than gift-giving, parties, getting up for “sunrise services,” and looking for “eggs” from the “Easter bunny.”  Throughout much of professing Christianity, there is virtually no emphasis on the Old Testament, the preexistence of Christ, His life as a young Jew growing up in Judaism or any reference indicating that Christ was the “God of the Old Testament” long before He came into the human flesh.

If you, personally, are willing to prove it to yourself, you can easily confirm that the “little lord Jesus” of mainstream Christianity is not the true Jesus Christ described in the Bible. Rather, this Jesus is a product of the imaginations of black-robed priests back in the Dark Ages. The “mainstream” Jesus most people hear about is indeed “another Jesus” Paul warned against. That, my friends, is why the Jesus Christ of the Bible warned explicitly: “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Matthew 7:22–23).

Think!

The use of all the pagan symbolism to supposedly help us worship Christ manages to obscure the true origin and purpose of the true Jesus Christ of the Bible, the true meaning of His message, the true Gospel. So if we are sincerely interested in the Truth, let us honestly “check this out” by studying what the Bible actually says about Christ’s origins and why He came into this world. So what is the “Truth”? Jesus Himself stated: “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:17).

The Word Existed from Eternity!

Your Bible tells us clearly that the “Personality” who became Jesus of Nazareth had been with the Father through eternity! Please study the inspired verses on this in your own Bible! First, notice John 1:1–3: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” So the “Word”—the One who clearly is described as the Christ before His human birth—was the One through Whom God created “all things.” He was the “light” God then sent into the world. “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own [the Jewish people] did not receive Him” (vv. 10–11).

And later, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (v. 14). From these and dozens of other references in the New Testament, it is clear that Jesus Christ pre-existed with the Father from eternity. Many times in the Old Testament, God is called the “Rock.” Who was that God, that “Rock” of Israel? He was the One who spoke with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, spoke with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and later spoke the Ten Commandments and many other instructions through His prophet Moses. Who was He?

Notice how the Bible makes this very clear! For the Apostle Paul was inspired to tell us: “Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:1–4). Later it tells us that we should not “tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents” (v. 9).

Do Not Be Deceived By Demons!

So the One who became Jesus Christ was the One leading Moses and the peoples of ancient Israel. He was the One they were tempting or “provoking” back then when they were “destroyed by serpents” (v. 9). They were the ones often deceived into various idolatrous practices by Satan. Therefore, the Apostle Paul tells Christians today that we should “flee from idolatry” (v. 14). Later, in the same passage, Paul was inspired to tell us: “Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons” (vv. 20–21).

Dear readers, it is not “politically correct” to indicate to our modern world that its cherished religious practices may involve demon worship. Yet your Bible clearly warns us over and over! Remember, the “Rock” of Israel was the One who spoke with the prophets of old and He was the One who personally spoke the Ten Commandments, directly described the true Sabbath—the “seventh day of the Lord your God”—and emphasized over and over that His true servants must learn to love and obey the Ten Commandments. King David—the “man after God’s heart”—was inspired to tell us: “Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies; for they are ever with me” (Psalm 119:97–98).

This “Rock” of Israel is the One who delivered ancient Israel from Egypt, who parted the Red Sea by awesome miracles! He is the One who sent terrifying plagues upon the Egyptians to make them willing to let Israel go. When you understand it, He is the same One who will soon bring very similar plagues on a rebellious world which is so deceived that it will directly fight Christ when He returns to this earth as King of kings! (Revelation 17:14). Through His “two witnesses,” He is the very One who will give these two inspired men “power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire” (Revelation 11:6).

For the true Christ of the Bible is not a helpless “little Lord Jesus” who happened to be born in a stable. He is not a weak-looking, non-masculine helpless young Jew who was defeated by the Romans. For He is powerful and, as your Bible makes clear: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). So if you want to truly understand the great Personality who became the true Jesus Christ and who will come again as King of kings, you need to study and believe the entire Bible—from Genesis to Revelation. Remember, Jesus constantly referred to the Old Testament as “Scripture.” When this was the only Scripture written, Jesus commanded, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God” (Luke 4:4). So we are to live by every word of the inspired Bible—not just what we call the New Testament taken out of context and apart from the Old Testament of which it is simply a magnification!

The God of Israel Was NOT the Father!

The New Testament makes it very clear: “No one has seen God at any time” (1 John 4:12). Yet, describing the time when God gave the Ten Commandments, He tells us: “Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity. But on the nobles of the children of Israel He did not lay His hand. So they saw God, and they ate and drank” (Exodus 24:9–11). This very biblical passage clearly indicates that these elders “saw” the God of Israel and, “so they saw God and they ate and drank” (v. 11).

Does the Bible contradict itself? No! For Jesus Christ explained: “The scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35).

The answer? The obvious answer for those who are willing to understand is that no one has ever seen the “Father.” But a number of times, Moses and others did see the “God of Israel”—the One who became Jesus Christ as He came into the flesh a little more than 2,000 years ago. He was the One who was used by the Father to actually create the heavens and the earth. He was the One who gave the Ten Commandments and “spoke” to Moses and the elders of Israel and others. He was the One who later emptied Himself (Philippians 2:7) and become a human being in order to die as payment for ours sins. Then, He is the One who was resurrected and now sits at God’s right hand in heaven—our coming King and Judge.

This is the true Jesus Christ of the Bible. He is to be worshiped. For He is the One who will judge us, and the One who will give us life in the resurrection: “For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him” (John 5:21–23).

That very Christ whose sacrifice washes away our sins also tells us, over and over, to obey the commandments of God—not to disobey them! When a young man asked about the way to eternal life, Jesus stated: “But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” When the young man asked: “Which ones?” Jesus began to name some of the Ten Commandments. Earlier, in a Sermon on the Mount, Jesus commanded: “Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:19).

Lawlessness Is Not Christ’s Way!

So we are commanded by Christ Himself not to “break” even one of the “least” of God’s commandments. That is why near the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave the warning—cited earlier—to those who think they have taught the Truth or preached in Jesus’ name: “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” (Matthew 7:23).

Jesus was definitely not talking about traffic laws. If we are honest, He was obviously talking about the Ten Commandments—the fundamental law that has always been part of the teaching of the “God of Israel” who is now Jesus Christ our Lord!

But, some will say, “Aren’t we just to have ‘love’ instead of an old law?” So we need to ask about the Bible definition of what kind of “love” God requires. Here is the Bible’s answer: “This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3).

In carefully reading and studying all the related scriptures, we come to understand that there is a basic unity in the way which God intended human beings to live even from the beginning. For, as the Bible says: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

All the way from the “Father of the faithful,” the patriarch Abraham, until the very end of the book of Revelation, the basic way of life God intended is clearly revealed. For the Bible reveals that our father Abraham was blessed: “because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws” (Genesis 26:5). Again and again, as we have seen, Jesus Christ Himself taught obedience to the Ten Commandments (Luke 16:17–18). Even the Apostle Paul—whom some in their wild imaginations suppose “did away” with God’s commandments—stated clearly: “Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters” (1 Corinthians 7:19). How clear!

The Law of Liberty

Jesus’ own physical brother, the Apostle James, stated emphatically: “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ also said, ‘Do not murder.’ Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law” (James 2:10–11). James clearly indicated that the “law” he was talking about had to do with those who “commit adultery” or who “murder.” He concluded: “So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty” (v. 12).

So James defined God’s Ten Commandments as the “law of liberty.” If obeyed, this law would truly “free” all humanity from the scourge of war, from murder, broken homes and confused children, from being “ripped off” by your neighbor or by your merchants and from dozens of other “plagues” upon our modern society—a society which refuses to obey the spiritual law of our Creator! Why? Again, because they are truly deceived by Satan the Devil into somehow thinking God Himself has “done away” with His own basic spiritual law!

In a warning to all of us not to be deceived by confused spiritual leaders, Jesus stated: “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch” (Matthew 15:13–14).

Jesus’ beloved apostle, John, stated emphatically: “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:3–4). For a person may “know about” God. But no one can actually “know” God—truly understand and “walk” with God—unless he keeps His commandments! He must let Christ live in Him (Galatians 2:20) and literally obey God’s constant instruction to do this. A true Christian will come to be aware of the true nature and character of God because he will experience the very life of God within him through the Holy Spirit as he “walks with God” through the power of God’s Spirit.

John constantly made clear which commandments he was talking about. For, with “God” as the antecedent, John stated: “And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight” (1 John 3:22).

Finally, John was inspired to tell us at the very end of the entire Bible: “Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city” (Revelation 22:14).

Christ the Revelator!

The true Christ of the Bible is the One who “reveals” God the Father. “All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him” (Matthew 11:27). We need to recognize the fact that Jesus Christ was the One through Whom God created the heavens and the earth, the One who created you and gave you life and breath, the One who revealed Himself and spoke to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Moses and many other prophets. He was the One who actually gave the Ten Commandments. Then He came in human flesh and “magnified” the Ten Commandments and showed us how to keep them in the “spirit,” not just in the letter—though the Bible makes very clear this does not “do away” with keeping the letter of the Law! This Jesus Christ revealed that obedience to God’s Law is an entire way of life on which God’s wonderful plan for humanity is centered.

This Jesus Christ grew up as a young Jew in Israel and always kept the seventh-day Sabbath “as His custom was” (Luke 4:16). Again, He did not obey God just because He was a Jew, but because He came to “reveal the Father” and to set us an example that we should follow in His steps (1 Peter 2:21).

A Magnificent Reward for His True Followers!

As we look up into the sky and see the magnificence of the sun, the moon and the entire cosmos, let us realize that the great God of the universe reveals Himself through Jesus Christ Who is “the same yesterday, today and forever.” He always taught His servants all the way from Abraham, to Moses, to David, to James, to Peter, to John and to the Apostle Paul to obey the Ten Commandments. Then, Christ exemplified that obedient way of life by keeping God’s Commandments (John 15:10). For this is the true faith—the genuine “way” into eternal life.

The only way we can actually keep His commandments and “walk” with God is through the true Jesus Christ living His life within us through the Holy Spirit. As the Apostle Paul clearly revealed: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20, KJV).

For your own good and for your eternal life, please remember the Apostle James’ powerful warning: “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22).

May God help you, personally, to act on the Truth and surrender to the true Christ as your Savior, your living Head, your High Priest and your coming King. If He is truly your “Lord,” you will obey Him and not try to “reason around” the clear statements of His inspired Word.

Dear readers, if you will sincerely “seek” God and His Truth as never before, if you will earnestly study His inspired Word for true answers, if you will pray fervently and ask God to help you understand Him and His will, He will hear you and answer! For the true God of the Bible—describing what our people should do in these “latter days”—tells His people: “But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the Lord your God and obey His voice” (Deuteronomy 4:29–30).