There is a great gulf between ontology and epistemology, that is, there is a great gulf between what is, and our knowledge of what is. Our senses are not acute enough to examine reality on a subatomic level, nor are they expansive enough to examine reality on a universal level. We have instruments that allow us to peer into these domains, but these instruments are very limited.
Moreover, no one witnessed the creation of the universe, and lived to our day. Consequently, no one can really speak authoritatively about the forces that created the universe, and the complex processes that shaped the reality that we see today.
This situation is further complicated by the fact that our mind works as a context machine. Our mind takes all the inputs that come into it, and attempts to arrange these inputs within a global context, in order to extract meaning from the universe. This is problematic, because a global context has to have fixed datum points it can reference all these inputs to, in order to find a place for those inputs. In other words, our reasoning depends on presuppositions, assumptions, and beliefs to function properly.
No two people have the same presuppositions, assumptions, and beliefs, which is why no two people see reality in the exact same way. This is also why two people can look at the same evidence, and come up with different deductions and inferences, which lead to different conclusions about reality. When two people reach different conclusions about the nature of reality, it does not necessarily mean that one person is logical, and one is illogical, or one is scientific, and one is religious. Usually, the logic that takes people from their deductions and inferences to their conclusions is not the problem. More often, the problem is the presuppositions, assumptions, and beliefs that a person starts with.
Is there anything that can bridge the great gulf that separates what is, and our knowledge of what is? Yes. Divine revelation. Yahweh knows how energy pools and combines in order to become the subatomic particles that make up matter. Yah also knows how the universe operates as a whole. Moreover, Yahweh created the universe, and lives until this very day. This means that Yahweh has no need of presuppositions, assumptions or beliefs, which means that His thoughts are higher than ours. And fortunately, Yahweh’s Spirit implanted His thoughts in the minds of the Apostles and Prophets and they wrote them on scrolls.
The Scriptures are Yahweh’s thoughts. Yah’s thoughts reveal the true nature of reality, and its origin. As we study the Scriptures, we discover veins of truth. We call these veins of truth, doctrines. The Greek word that we translate into doctrine is “didache”. This word means, teachings, or what is taught (by Yahweh through His Apostles and Prophets). Yahweh’s doctrines are very important to Him, and they should be very important to us.
Think about it. Biblical Doctrines are the thoughts of Yahweh, and He is our Creator. It should go with out saying, that we should respect, revere, love, share, teach and defend Biblical doctrines. Biblical doctrines form a bridge that spans the dark pit between what is, and our knowledge of what is. The only way we can safely traverse across the dark pit that separates reality, from our knowledge of it, is by traveling across the bridge of Biblical doctrine. If we deviate from Biblical doctrine, we will be in danger of falling off the bridge, into the bottomless pit.
When we learn, and stand upon Biblical doctrines, we can rest assured that we are rightly relating to Yahweh, through His Son, Yeshua, so that the Holy Spirit can bring His will to pass in our lives. However, when we reject, ridicule, or ignore Biblical doctrine, and stand on the doctrines of men, we cannot be sure what entity is working on our behalf in order to bring its will to pass in our lives, because we have fallen into the dark pit, and are rejecting, ridiculing, or ignoring the light.
It is dangerous to name the name of Yeshua, and not live by Biblical doctrine. Why? Well, because you may be putting your trust in a Yeshua, who is really a demon pretending to be the Son of Yahweh. Paul warned us about this in 2 Corinthians 11:4. So how do we know if we are following Yeshua, the Son of Yahweh, and not a demon, who pretends to be Yeshua, the Son of Yahweh?
The answer to this question should be obvious at this point. We must put our trust in, and live according to sound Biblical doctrine. Specifically, the doctrine of the Messiah. What is the doctrine of the Messiah? It is the teaching that Yeshua from Nazareth was crucified for our sins, and raised from the dead three days later. If you believe this, and call upon (put your absolute trust in Him and His finished work), and confess Him as Lord (repent and surrender to His will), you will be saved.
The doctrine of the Messiah is not hard to understand, it is simple. And according to 2 John 1:9, whoever tries to know Yahweh without living out the doctrine of the Messiah, does not know Him. And if a person does not know Yahweh, or His Messiah, this person does not have eternal life. (John 17:3) This is exactly why Paul told Timothy that the doctrine (of the Messiah) saves him and all those who hear (act upon) his preaching of the doctrine (of the Messiah). (1 Timothy 4:16)
Sound Biblical doctrine is very important. What qualifies as sound Biblical doctrine? Sound Biblical doctrines are clearly outlined in the Scriptures. A person does not need a doctors degree in theology to understand sound Biblical doctrine. A person does have to labor in the Word and doctrine, however. (1 Timothy 5:17) Moreover, Yahweh expects us to study the Word and handle it properly (2 Timothy 2:15), and avoid the people who do not handle it properly. (Romans 16:17)
Yahweh expects us to learn Biblical doctrine, and live by it. Yahweh does not want us to be tricked and manipulated by people who twist the Scriptures in order to fulfill their own lusts for fame and fortune. Yahweh loves us and does not want us to live unstable lives putting our hopes in every unbiblical doctrine that deceitful men craft. (2 Timothy 4:3; Ephesians 4:14; 2 Corinthians 2:17, 4:2; 2 Peter 2:3 )
Sound Biblical doctrine is the clear teachings of the Bible. The leaders of the early Church, as they were led by the Holy Spirit, decided on which writings to include in the cannon of Scripture, and which writings to exclude from it. By 100 A.D., the Church had already decided on the cannon, so any writings that originated after that time do not qualify as Scripture, or Biblical doctrine. And if any doctrine is not biblical, we are not to put our trust in it and live by it.
This is why Jude, the half brother of Yeshua, said that we should earnestly contend for the faith, which was once delivered unto the saints. (Jude 1:3) In this verse, the Greek word for “contend” means to fight for or struggle for. In this verse, the Greek word “hapax” is translated into English as “once”, which means once and for all time. In this verse, the phrase “the faith” means the doctrine of the Messiah. So, in essence, Jude tells us to fight for the doctrine of the Messiah, which was handed down to us from the Apostles and Prophets prior to 100 A.D. via Scripture.
The doctrine of the Messiah is the most important doctrine in the Bible. The doctrine of the Messiah is not hard to understand. Believing this doctrine, and putting your trust in Yeshua, and His finished work, will cause you to know Yahweh. Rejecting this doctrine, and refusing to put your trust in Yeshua, and His finished work, will keep you separated from Yahweh. It’s scary, but your stance on this doctrine will either save you, or damn you!
Any doctrine that requires anything above and beyond the finished work of the Messiah in order to save you, is a perverted doctrine of man and devils. Salvation is Yahweh’s gift, so no man or woman can brag about earning it. (Ephesians 2:8; Romans 4:16)
The Catholic Church teaches that no one is saved outside of it. The Catholic Church teaches that it is the visible Body of Christ, and as such, it gives out the gift of salvation to everyone, who embraces its teachings and accepts Yahweh’s grace by participating in its sacraments. The Catholic Church also teaches that everyone, who is “invincibly ignorant” of the Catholic Church and its teachings, but strives to please Yah can be saved through a mystical union with it, even though they have no knowledge or awareness of this mystical union. If, however, anyone knows about the Catholic Church and its teachings, and rejects it and its teachings, that person can not be saved, which means Protestants can not be saved.
The Mormon Church teaches that an angel named Moroni appeared to Joseph Smith, and gave him some gold tablets, which became an auxiliary to the Bible (Addition to Scripture). Later, Peter, James and John appeared, and conveyed the Melchizedek Priesthood on him. Smith passed this priesthood to the leaders of the Mormon Church, and they outlined the works that people must do in order to partake of their messiah’s sacrifice. The Mormons (named after the angel of light, Moroni) put their trust in the teachings of Joseph Smith, Brigham Young and the other elders, which were written in the 19th Century. One must believe the Bible and the revelations given to Smith and the elders, and be baptized by one of their priests and then preform good works to obtain salvation in its highest form.
The Jehovah Witnesses teach that their Watchtower Elders are the only ones who can interpret Scripture. An unnamed group of individuals within the Jehovah Witness community translated the Scriptures into their own version that supports their theology (The New World Translation). As an overreaction to their aversion to the Roman Catholic Church and its authority, the Jehovah Witnesses reject the trinity, and the concept of Hell. The Jehovah Witnesses also reject the concept that Jesus is Yahweh in a human body, and they claim that He is an angel. The Jehovah Witnesses reject Jesus’ bodily resurrection, and claim that He came out of the grave in spirit form, and that He retuned to earth in spirit form in 1914. The Watchtower teaches the works that a person must do to be saved.
Alcoholics Anonymous says, not explicitly, of course, that you can know Yahweh without believing the Doctrine of the Messiah, and without trusting in His finished work. This makes sense when you realize that historically the Catholic Church had a hand in developing and supporting Alcoholics Anonymous. Alcoholics Anonymous says that a person can know God (Yahweh) and have Him work in their lives by working its Twelve Steps.
I have dear friends in each of these organizations and it hurts me to say it, but these doctrines do not line up with the Scriptures, so they are doctrines of men, and of demons.
The Yeshua that the Catholics, Mormons, and Jehovah Witnesses teach is not the Yeshua of the Scriptures. This means that these people think that they are serving Yeshua, but, in reality, they are serving demons. Demons are working in their lives to keep them in the dark separated from the light of the doctrine of the Messiah, and they are in danger of Hell.
These precious people swear up and down that they are serving Yeshua, and think that I have lost my mind, when I tell them that they are actually serving demons. They refuse to even entertain the idea that demons and fallen angels are performing lying signs and wonders and bringing what they believe to be blessings into their lives. These dear friends refuse to acknowledge the possibility that these supernatural entities do these things in order to deceive them into believing that they are serving Yeshua, when sadly, they are not.
Why are these people in the dark? They are in the dark because they have gotten off the bridge of Biblical doctrine and fallen into the dark bottomless pit of reality, where supernatural entities, natural laws, psychological principles, and societal forces are at work to change their lives. Tragically, they attribute the changes in their lives to Yeshua, and interpret “His activity” in their lives as an indication of His approval. Consequently, these people do not fear damnation and eternal death, because they believe they know Yahweh.
The same thing goes for the people in Alcoholics Anonymous. Most of these people, take great pride in rejecting sound Biblical doctrine because it is intolerant. Most of these people say that Biblical doctrines divide people, and exclude people. And since our Creator loves everybody, everybody should be included in the fellowship so that they can come to know Him. How will they come to know Yahweh without believing the doctrine of the Messiah, and submitting to Him? Well, by working the 12 Steps of course. No, this in no way lines up with the Scriptures. These doctrines are clearly doctrines of men and of devils!
The people in A.A. talk about Yahweh working in their lives in order to keep them sober. But since they have ignored or rejected the doctrine of the Messiah, they are in the dark pit of reality. In this dark pit supernatural entities, natural laws, psychological principles, and societal forces are at work to keep them sober.
Tragically, these people assume that Yahweh is keeping them sober, when He is not. These people interpret “God’s activity” in their lives as a sign that He approves of their lives, and the doctrines of Alcoholics Anonymous. Consequently, these people do not fear damnation and eternal death, because they believe that they know Yahweh and He approves of them.
The people in A.A. do not understand that what you choose to believe will inspire you to label the reality that is at work in your life. The people in A.A. are right about one thing, however. They are right about doctrine dividing people.
Doctrine divides those who know Yahweh from those who do not. Doctrine divides those who serve Yahweh from those who think they serve Him. Doctrine divides those who will spend eternity with Yahweh from those who will spend eternity with Satan. Doctrine divides because that is what Yahweh designed it to do.
If you think that this is harsh, then what about this? Yeshua said that He did come so that we could all get along, He came with a sword to divide us. (Matthew 10:34)
And what about 2 John 1:10? This Scripture says if a person does not teach the doctrine of the Messiah (and teaches doctrines of men and devils), we should not let him in our home. Moreover, this Scripture says that we are not even to wish him well, unless we want to partake of his sin!
Why would Yahweh want to divide us?
Yahweh is separating His sheep from the rebellious goats.
What brings about this division?
Well, Doctrine Divides.
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