….And a word that Yashua Messiah (the Lord Jesus Christ) was never recorded as having uttered!
Now here’s a thing, a HUGE THING. The WHOLE WORLD, to a greater extent, has gone after one religion or another, and if we were to add up all those people that do have a religion, of one kind or another, I bet those left would only amount to a very small minority – which would also include followers of Yashua Messiah (the Lord Jesus Christ).
Even those who profess to be atheists worship other things in place of an organised religion or deity, namely themselves in the mirror (narcissists), the creation, that is, the green eco-nutters (Extinction Rebellion morons), their families, (yes there is such a thing as ‘family worship’), their pets, wealth, careers, their cars, their boats, sun-worshipping holidays, science, technology, art, music, or even football teams. All of these things, however we cut it, can be, and are, objects of their RELIGION, that is, idolatry and, whether they like to hear it or not. So you see, dear people, in Truth there is NO ESCAPE from RELIGION – it’s all enveloping and encompassing and across the whole world.
However the reason for this article is not for the atheist lost and unsaved, although they are welcome to read and learn from it, IF the Father is calling them. No, the reason for this article is to rebuke and admonish in agape love, those who profess to be Christians, and yet waste their time and money on the wretched pursuit of religion, delusionally thinking that they are doing Yashua Messiah’s (the Lord Jesus Christ’s) will.
And now for the proof and evidence from The Holy Scriptures that show us that ALL RELIGION is of Satan the Devil and not of God. But before I do that here is a foundational aside: the word ‘RELIGION’ is derived from the multi-faceted demon called LEGION, whom Yashua Messiah cast into The Gadarene Swine. All the swine died as they plunged over the cliff edge, but LEGION did not, for spirits cannot die. This means that LEGION had a make-over and re-invented himself as RE-LEGION, and there you have it = the multi-faceted evil spirit (demon) that pervades ALL RELIGIONS, whether it be Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Bahaism, Confucianism and, of course, not forgetting the most important one, the Cainite-Judeo-Christian Religion which at the moment doesn’t have an ‘ism’. Perhaps I should invent one! LOL
OK, here are ALL the verses from the New Testament that mention the word RELIGION, followed by the word RELIGIOUS, and you will immediately notice that NONE OF THEM are from the Four Gospels, which means Yashua Messiah never uttered the word, nor did He instruct His learners in the ways of RELIGION for He did not have a RELIGION – GOD HAS NO RELIGION:
Acts 26:5 (KJV) Which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our RELIGION (G2356) I lived a Pharisee.
In this first offering we get an inkling of what RELIGION really is, that is, ‘a straitest sect’, as Paul accurately calls it, so from this we can immediately deduce that this is a very legalistic set up, and, of course, we already know that, because we know that The Serpent Seed Pharisee Jews were satanic Judaisers and very ritualistic. This means they dotted every ‘i’ and crossed every ‘t’ of The Mosaic Law in an attempt to pathetically save themselves. This, in turn, resulted in Yashua Messiah mocking them with the remark: “The ‘healthy’ have no need of The Physician!”
So straight off, the first example of the word RELIGION is a negative one.
Galatians 1:13 (KJV) For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in THE JEWS’ RELIGION (G2454), how that beyond measure I persecuted The Church of God, and wasted it:
In this verse, our first negative verse above is confirmed for us once again by Paul with an even more negative example. Here he beefs it up by calling it the (Serpent Seed) JEWS’ RELIGION and how, in the name of that VILE SATANIC RELIGION, he persecuted the Church of God and wasted it.
‘Wasted’ here meaning to destroy and overthrow or to make havock, and from Strong’s Concordance we get:
Wasted – G4199: πορθέω πορθέω: imperfect ἐπόρθουν; 1 aorist participle πορθήσας; (πέρθω, πεπορθα, to lay waste); from Homer down; to destroy, to overthrow (R. V. uniformly to make havock): τινα, Acts 9:21; τήν ἐκκλησίαν, Galatians 1:13; τήν πίστιν, ibid. 23.
So clearly we can now see what an evil thing the Jews’ RELIGION is, that is, Judaism, and please keep this in mind as we analyse the three remaining verses.
Galatians 1:14 (KJV) And profited in THE JEWS’ RELIGION (G2454) above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.
Here Paul reveals how he ‘profited’ or progressed in The (Serpent Seed) JEWS’ RELIGION, and left his contemporaries way behind, so zealous was he for this evil satanic cult and its dogma. We MUST fully understand that Saul was a ruthless cold blooded murderer before Yashua Messiah gave him the shock of his life on the road to Damascus.
Next, we have two very interesting verses that seem to go against everything Paul has revealed and taught us about his past involvement with RELIGION, and how evil it was/is. We therefore have what some misguided people use as an example of sending up RELIGION, and let’s be clear, for these are the ONLY VERSES in the whole Bible that appear to paint RELIGION in a positive light, but do they?
In order to answer this question we will need Strong’s Concordance once more for there are several Greek words at play here. The first is G2356 and the second is G2454 and here are the definitions:
Religion – G2356 θρησκεία thrēskeía, thrace-ki’-ah; – from a derivative of G2357; ceremonial observance:—religion, worshipping.
Religion – G2454 Ἰουδαϊσμός Ioudaïsmós, ee-oo-dah-is-mos’; from G2450; “Judaism”, i.e. the Jewish faith and usages:—Jews’ religion.
Religion – G2357 – threskos thrace’-kos probably – from the base of 2360; ceremonious in worship (as demonstrative), i.e. pious:–religious.
Religion – G2450 – Ioudaizo ee-oo-dah-id’-zo from 2453; to become a Judaean, i.e. “Judaize”:– live as the Jews.
James 1:26 (KJV) If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s RELIGION (G2356) is vain.
James 1:27 (KJV) PURE RELIGION (G2356) and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
Right, now we get down to some very devious and deceptive nonsense going on here, for in Acts 26:5 we get the G2356 reference to Paul speaking of his previous religious life which is exactly the same religion as mentioned in Galatians 1:13-14 and yet the translators have given it a new number, that is, G2454. So what’s going on? Has Paul’s past religion changed from being, and I quote: “G2356 ceremonial observance:—religion, worshipping.” to “G2454 “Judaism”, i.e. the Jewish faith and usages:—Jews’ religion.” Or are they just one and the same, but dressed up differently in the G2356 definition.
Do you see what’s happening here? With the use of G2356 θρησκεία thrēskeía, thrace-ki’-ah they are attempting to paint Paul’s old religion in a benign oh so loving, compassionate and kind, kind of way, that is, people who generally wouldn’t hurt a fly, and then with the use of the next word: G2454 Ἰουδαϊσμός Ioudaïsmós, ee-oo-dah-is-mos’; we’re then dealing with murdering psychopaths namely, Saul, and his fellow Pharisee criminals, and yet we’re definitely talking about the same RELIGION. The irony here being that the KJV translators have got this right by using the word RELIGION for both Greek words.
OK, so it looks like a load of shenanigans has taken place with the Greek manuscripts, proving that they, too, are liable to little corruptions, as with Matthew 28-19, which I unravelled in my article: “Should Christians Be Baptised Into Yashua Messiah’s (Jesus Christ’s) Name Alone? – Part 1” (See link No. 1 below).
So let’s now move on to James and analyse what he’s up to and I’ll repost the two troublesome verses below:
James 1:26 (KJV) If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s RELIGION (G2356) is vain 27 PURE RELIGION (G2356) and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
So straight away we have use of that deceptive G2356 definition which, as we have already ascertained really means the same as G2454 – Saul’s and the Pharisee Jews’ satanic Judaising religion. But why is James rambling on about religion anyway? Well it’s obvious, isn’t it? Look at the opening statement: “If any man among you seem to be religious.” What does he mean by this remark? Let’s copy and paste the Concordant Literal Version for a better understanding:
James 1:26-27 (CLV) If anyone is seeming to be a ritualist, not bridling his tongue, but seducing his heart, the ritual of this one is vain, 27 for ritual clean and undefiled with God the Father is this: to be visiting the bereaved and widowed in their affliction, to be keeping oneself unspotted from the world.”
Why would anyone in the Church of God be hanging on to old religious ritualistic customs, that is, the ways of the world? When all of this was done away, with Yashua Messiah’s death and resurrection. Why would this wretch want to be seen as someone who was still into meaningless rituals and religion?
So here’s a further pertinent question or two: 1) Since when did visiting the bereaved and widowed become ritualistic or religious? Answer: It never has. 2) In what way is visiting the bereaved and widowed a ritualistic or religious activity? Answer: It’s not, nor has it ever been, so what’s James on about?
Easy, he’s mocking the whole idea sarcastically. James 1:26-27 is all about exposing this fraud (whoever he or she might be) and possibly doesn’t exist at all, but he’s using this possible scenario, as an example, so that anyone within his congregation that still fancies himself as religious or hankers after the old Pharisaical ways, had better shape up and get with the New Covenant and repent of his old Pharisaical Religious ways or else. (See link No.2 below)
So there we have it, RELIGION fully revealed and exposed from The Holy Scriptures for the fraud that it is, and NOW is the time for ALL true Christians to set themselves free from it:
Revelation 18:4 (KJV) And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
In Yashua Messiah’s Holy name
Messenger Charles
1. Matthew 28:19 Is a Spurious Verse and Baptism Is Not Into The Trinity:
Roman Catholicism is NOT Christianity. Eastern (Russian and Greek) Orthodoxy is NOT Christianity. Protestantism is NOT Christianity.
2. The Counterfeit Cainite-Judeo-Christian Religion: