‘NARROW IS THE WAY’
Revelation 12:7-9 – “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”
IT is Jehovah’s intention to create and bring to earth the New Jerusalem, establishing His throne and ruling His Kingdom on earth; not on the earth as we know it now, but a new earth and a new heaven. Satan having lost the war in heaven is doing everything in his power, which is considerable, to frustrate Jehovah’s plan.
In Genesis 1, the entire work of creation, including the people, was carried out by the Elohim or Angels. In Genesis 2:4, the name of Jehovah first appears, this name from the Hebrew signifying “the self-existent one who reveals Himself.” Only from studying His Word can we begin to understand His wishes and the details of His plans for the earth and its inhabitants.
The flow of characters and events, as recorded in the Bible, is a fascinating sequence with Jehovah on the one hand and the Devil in opposition on the other. Satan was there in the Garden of Eden charming Eve, telling his lies and contradicting what Jehovah had said. In disobeying the clear instruction of Jehovah and giving the forbidden fruit to Adam, she brought down on both of them and their descendants the penalty of Death. This first incident illustrates quite clearly that to act contrary to Jehovah’s will has the most drastic consequences.
The story of Cain and Abel shows that the two were given the same instructions: Abel obeyed them and Cain did not. Cain was given a second chance for obedience in these words, “If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted, and if thou doest not well SIN lieth at the door.” In other words disobedience of Jehovah’s instructions is SIN. Please note that Cain made a sin-offering but not the correct one; he had his own ideas on which he acted. This is the besetting sin of mankind, who thinks he knows better than his Creator and Satan takes advantage.
Eventually, intermarriage between the progeny of Adam and Eve and the other inhabitants corrupted the Way of Jehovah on the earth. Noah was spared because he was a just man, “perfect in his generations” and he walked with or obeyed Jehovah. All the other people were evil, violent and corrupt; and to them the Way of Jehovah was completely lost.
Once again, as the people increased in number, the Way of Jehovah was corrupted; the principal figure in those days was Nimrod, the grandson of Ham, described as “a mighty hunter before Jehovah.” The word “before” used in this sense means, “totally antagonistic to Jehovah”. Nimrod and his mother, Semiramis, largely the latter, founded the Chaldean Mysteries. Nimrod used his ability to train fighters and raise armies to conquer his neighbours so creating a huge kingdom. He was the builder of Babylon. Semiramis is described as the beautiful but abandoned queen of Babylon, a paragon of unbridled lust and licentiousness. She was worshipped as the great MOTHER of the gods with atrocious rites of idolatry and consecrated prostitution. She was married to her own son Nimrod the king of Babylon. When Nimrod died, Semiramis declared that he was born again as the child Ninus; this was the beginning of the Mother and Child cult (which flourishes, even today, having been spread throughout the world during the time of the Roman Empire). This time Jehovah scattered the people at the Tower of Babel by the confusion of language.
Jehovah’s next move was to create a new nation from the descendants of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob/Israel. A family went into Egypt and a nation, came out, having learnt the lesson that life for them can only be preserved by shedding the blood of the Lamb. Later, at Sinai, they were given a complete system of law for the government of the nation and the conduct of the individual Israelite, with a guarantee of health, wealth and complete protection from their enemies. In Palestine the nation failed to follow in Jehovah’s way and worshipped the pagan gods of the Canaanites. Their punishment was defeat by their enemies and captivity in Assyria and Babylon, never to return, except for a portion of the Southern Kingdom of Judah. This portion was, in later years, to provide a venue for Jehovah’s last attempt to help Israel by sending His only Son, to be born of the Virgin Mary, to provide a means of redemption for His nation, Israel.
Under the New Covenant, the Way of Jehovah is even more clear, although the law as given to Moses remains unchanged even in the smallest detail. The Messiah has a new approach but anyone who is prepared to take the trouble cannot fail to know the will of His Father. Then, the prevailing religious authorities were the Scribes and Pharisees and they were told, in no uncertain terms, what Jesus Christ thought of them. He stated the following:
1. They were making the Word of God of no effect through their oral traditions. Mark 7:13.
2. They were the blind leading the blind to the destruction of the leader and the led. Matthew 15:14.
3. They were of the brood of their father the devil who was a murderer and a liar: and moreover they behaved like him. John 8:44.
4. They were hypocrites: whited sepulchres, beautiful on the outside but full of dead men’s bones and of all uncleanness. Matthew 23:17.
The Messiah came to proclaim the Kingdom of God and made perfectly clear the conditions of access, which are:
1. Believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Matthew 6:16 & John 6:69.
2. Keep the commandments of Jesus Christ which are identical with the Father’s. John 14:21 & Matthew 5:18.
3. Accept His straightforward statements with an open mind, receiving them in all humility as a little child and believing without reservation. Matthew 18:2, 4-5, Mark 10:15 & Luke 18:17.
The key statement is John 14:6, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life: no man cometh to the Father except by Me.” The Scribes and Pharisees got it wrong in their day. After almost 2,000 years, with the advantage of the Messiah’s guidance in the interpretation of God’s Word, are our religious leaders any better than they were? The Lord’s prayer is repeated over and over again; but how often do the words, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”, ever make the impact intended. Our clergy emphasise that Jehovah is a God of Love and the way to heaven is for everybody who goes to church. But Jesus Christ, who is the final arbiter of our fate, says that there is only one way to eternal life and “strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life and FEW there be that find it”. On the other hand, “broad is the way that leadeth to destruction and MANY there be that go in thereat”.
We are no longer entitled to be called a Christian country if we flagrantly disobey Jehovah’s commandments. Laws have been passed by our government abolishing the death penalty for murder, authorising the practice of sodomy etc., but there is no public outcry or little or no opposition from the bishops in the House of Lords. In the last nineteen centuries the Sabbath Day has been changed, Passover is completely ignored, Lent and Easter celebrations were introduced; all carried out without the sanction of Jehovah. We celebrate Christmas unlawfully on a date which coincides with the annual rebirth of the unconquered sun from the pagan Mithraic worship of the sun and also the birthday of Nimrod the villainous king of Babylon. Semiramis his mother/wife claimed that a full grown evergreen tree sprang up overnight from the dead stump of another. If you want nonsense the Devil and his minions are happy to oblige you.
After the resurrection the apostles were asking, “Wilt Thou at this time restore again the Kingdom to Israel” and the Christians were celebrating Pasch or Passover in the third century and Lent had not been heard of. We go along with alleged Christian celebrations risking our immortal souls. The simple truth is that Jesus Christ stated, “We that is not with me is against me”. Matt 12:30 & Luke 11:23. There is no middle ground, no fence to sit on and hope for the best. Many will claim to have done this and that in His name but on judgement day the reply will be, “I never knew you; depart from me ye that work iniquity.”
THE DECISION IS YOURS
