Furthermore,
Today happens to be the day that Holy Church marks the beheading of the holy prophet and forerunner of the Lord, St. John the Baptist.
All the Jews in the time of Jesus feared St. John, because everyone knew he was a prophet of the Highest.
St. John the Baptist reproached the Jews in the same manner as Christ, when they came to him for baptism.
Matthew 3:
7. But when [John the Baptist] saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8. Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
9. And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
So you see, once again we have the Jews boasting within themselves that they have Abraham as their Father, (in other words boasting of being Semites, and children of God).
How does St. John view them? As a GENERATION OF VIPERS.
Another example?
"I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan." (Revelation 2.9)
Scripture is constantly demonstrating to us how there are members of the synagogue of Satan, who boast at being something they are not.
This prideful boasting goes all the way back to ancient times, such as is recorded in the book of Isaiah:
Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, which swear by the name of the Lord, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness. (Isaiah 48.1)
As can readily be seen from sacred Scripture, there is a people who boast of descending from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and are called by the name of Israel, but falsely, not truthfully or in righteousness. (Jews of the synagogue of Satan)
Scripture teaches very clearly that there is a false Israel and a true Israel. False counterfeit Jews, opposed to spiritual Jews in truth. (Christians of Holy Church)
"For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed." (Romans 9.6-8)
What could be more clear? The Bible clearly teaches that:
"They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God"
Yet that's exactly what this whore of Babylon, this synagogue of Satan, claims, falsely styling herself as the true mother of the Jews and as a nation called Israel. This synagogue boasts of being children of Abraham according to the flesh.
True Christians are not ignorant of these deceitful wiles.
True Christians believe the word of God, which says explicitly in Romans that children of the FLESH are NOT the children of God...
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1.12-13)
To be rightfully counted as a son of God, one must be born of God, "not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man."
One must be born again in Holy Baptism, and put on Christ.
Evangelicals are deceived and lead their followers astray when they talk of how one becomes "born again" by simply believing in Christ or reciting a few words.
John 3:
3. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
5. Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
The Gospel according to St. John cannot be any more clear.
According to the words of the Saviour, one must be born of WATER and SPIRIT to be "born again".
Ignorant evangelicals go around teaching people that they are born again the instant they have some kind of emotional experience, neglecting to inform those who adhere to them that to be truly born again one must be cleansed by the waters of saving baptism. |
