We Must Be Baptized

Did you know that baptism is more than just a symbolic ritual?

In this study we will take a look at why we must be baptized in water and what baptism really means for new followers of Christ.

The Greek word for baptism is baptizo and it means:

“To immerse, submerge; to make whelmed (i.e. fully wet); used only (in the New Testament) of ceremonial ablution, especially (technically) of the ordinance of Christian baptism:--Baptist, baptize, wash.” (Strong’s Greek Lexicon)

Matthew 28:18-20

“And Jesus came and spoke to them (apostles), saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Jesus), teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”

Question: Did Jesus command His apostles to make new disciples and baptize them or did He leave it up to the new converts to decide how they would be saved?

Mark 16:14-18

“Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

Jesus tells His apostles again to baptize the ones who believe the gospel message of the kingdom of God. Jesus makes it clear that baptism in water is a part of God’s plan of salvation for the soul.

Acts 2:36-41

“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.”

Here we see Peter doing what Jesus had commanded him and the rest of the apostles to do; baptize new converts in water in the name of Jesus. They never changed their gospel message as long as they lived and they never allowed any believer to go without being baptized or receive the Holy Spirit.

Acts 8:14-17

"Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit."

Romans 6:1-7

“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin.”

Paul tells the Roman saints that baptism is far more that a symbolic ritual, but a participation in the likeness of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. When we go into the watery grave we are putting to death the old man of sin, crucifying the flesh and being raised from the water a new creation in Christ. By this act of faith and confession, we come into spiritual contact with the blood of Jesus that washes away all our sins.

Galatians 3:26-28

“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Colossians 2:11-12

“In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.”

1st Corinthians 12:12-14

“For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many.”

When we are baptized in water and receive the Holy Spirit we are spiritually placed into the body of Christ, this is not a separate baptism but part of the one baptism that all converts to Christ are to receive.

Ephesians 4:4-6

“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”

Jesus commanded His disciples to be baptized in His name for the forgiveness of their sins and to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, who will empower them to live the rest of their lives in obedience to God and dead to sin. He who believes and is baptized WILL be saved!

In Christ,
Tyrone

Jesus The Judge

Do you know that Jesus is more than our Lord, Savior, and King? He is also our Judge!

In this study we will learn that Jesus is coming back to do more than just save His people and bring peace to the earth. He is going to judge all man-kind for the works we have done while we were on this earth, whether good or bad. Some will receive eternal life and live with God for eternity and others will be eternally separated from God and tormented in the lake of fire forever.

2nd Corinthians 5:9-11

“Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences.”

Many people read in the bible of how loving, meek, and humble Jesus is, but many don’t understand that when He comes back to earth, He is coming to judge everyone according to what he or she has done.

Question: Have you ever thought about standing before your Creator?

John 5:21-23, 26-30

“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.”

“For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.”


Question: What are the two reasons the Father gave all authority and judgment to Jesus?

Question: Why will some people be condemned by Jesus?

Acts 10:42

“And He commanded us (apostles) to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead.”

Acts 17:30-31

“Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man (Jesus) whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”

Question: Have you ever thought about Jesus being your judge?

Matthew 25:31-46

“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”


Question: Why is Jesus going to send the goats away into everlasting punishment?


Revelation 19:11-16

“Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”


Revelation 20:11-15

“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”

Jesus is coming soon to judge and make war; our immortal souls must be prepared to stand before Him on judgment day, if we are not then Jesus The Judge will send us away into eternal punishment. Don’t wait until it’s too late; make a choice for Jesus and eternal life today!

God Bless,
Tyrone D Palmer, the Lord’s vessel and apostle

The Great Falling Away

2nd Thessalonians 2:1-4
“Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.”

The day of the Lord will NOT come unless the falling away comes FIRST! Jesus will not be returning to this earth without a falling away of those who profess His name.

According to current statistics there are approximately 2.1 billion professing Christians in the world. (Adherents.com)

In 2006, A Baylor University study said, about 34 percent of us -- fully 100 million Americans are Evangelical. That's an umbrella term covering dozens of denominations, as well as hundreds of independent churches. (CNN.com)

This is what Jesus said would happen during the beginning of sorrows:

Matthew 24:7-12
“For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.”

Understand that Jesus is talking to His disciples about what would happen to those like them in the future, He said “Then they will deliver YOU up to tribulation and KILL YOU, and YOU will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake (JESUS). Now these are the very words of God saying that there will be NO secret ‘rapture’ of Christians. And not only will those who profess the name of Jesus be delivered up to tribulation, killed, and hated, but they will be offended, they will betray one another, and WILL hate one another.

Now ask yourself this question: What would make any of the 2.1 Billion Jesus confessing, Spirit filled, God loving, Jesus following, bible reading, gospel sharing Christians fall away? Be offended? Betray one another? Hate one another? And cause their love to grow cold?

I have been meditating on these scriptures and the Spirit of God has been pointing me towards a few scenarios that I believe are possible during these last days that we are living in.

1) When Jesus says there will be famines, pestilences, and great earth quakes in various places is He excluding America? Not according to prophecy. Many prophecies have already been received about a great earth quake coming to California and the devastation that will follow, testing those prophecies by scripture leads me to believe that when these things come upon this country the millions of professing Christians in America who believe in the false teaching of the rapture will realize that they are NOT going to be raptured up but will be on this earth during times of distress, persecution, and tribulation, having believed a lie they will be dismayed and stunned. They will revolt against those who told them the lie, and they will most likely revolt against God, blaming Him for all that is happening to them. This could cause a great falling away.

2) Because millions of Christians believe in the false teaching of praying Jesus into your heart, these professing Christians will NOT receive the Spirit of God and will have no power to overcome sin, the world, themselves, or Satan, and will quickly fall away when tribulation and persecution comes for the name of Jesus.

3) The one world religion that will be established could cause a great falling away as well. When many Christians and denominations align themselves with all the world’s religions making a claim that all roads lead to God. Possibly lead by the anti-christ and the false prophet.

These are a few scenarios that are very possible in the coming months and years. One thing is for sure, the word of the Lord will be fulfilled; His word is true and never fails.

With Sincere Love In Christ,
Tyrone D Palmer, servant, and apostle of Christ

Can The Gospel Of Jesus Change My Life?

Are you tired of being tired? Have you ever wondered what your purpose in life is? Do you think that there’s nothing to live for?

In this bible study we will look at the real purpose for our life, and how the gospel of Christ can change the most hardened man or woman into a loving, disciplined, courageous, and Spirit-filled person who can be used by God to change the eternal destiny of many souls.

Matthew 4:18-22

And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him. Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.

Question: How long did it take for Peter, Andrew, James and John to make the decision to follow Jesus?

Thought: We can understand from these scriptures that the first disciples Jesus called were ordinary working men, not wise scholars or rulers, but simple fishermen who left all they knew to follow Jesus. Sometimes we must make hard choices for God even when we don’t see the outcome of the choice, this is called faith. Abraham made a very hard choice too when he left his country and his family to go where God told him to go.

Mark 8:34-38

When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

Question: What does God ask us to leave behind to follow His Son?

Thought: Jesus asks us to let go of our lives in this world, all the fleshly desires and worldly lifestyles. When we deny ourselves we don’t lose our lives, we gain true life in Christ. We can be like Bill Gates and have all the riches of this world and lose our soul, but if we take up our cross and follow Jesus we are promised eternal life with Him in heaven.

Mark 10:23-30

Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, “Who then can be saved?” But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.” Then Peter began to say to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You.” So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life.

Question: Why is it hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of God?

Are you willing to leave your old life behind for a new life with Jesus?

What does He promise to those who leave everything for Him and the gospel?

Thought: Many people live their whole lives in search of fame, fortune, and happiness, and when they find these things in this life, they end up losing their soul. But those who choose to accept the gospel message of Christ and the kingdom of God now; receive much more than worldly riches. They receive rest for their souls, the salvation of God, peace in their minds, purification in their hearts, and the promised Holy Spirit to empower them so they can live the true life on earth and in the age to come eternal life.

Matthew 11:25-30

At that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. 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. Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Question: Are you willing to come to Jesus and learn from Him? Are you ready to receive the true rest for your soul?

God Bless You,
Tyrone D Palmer, servant and apostle of Jesus Christ

He Died For Your Sin

Do you realize that sin separates us from God? Do you understand that if you die in your sins that you WILL go to hell and be in eternal torment? Do you know that God hates sin and that He will judge the wicked and unrighteous?

In this study we will take a look at what sin is and what it does to our souls. We will look at what our sin did to Jesus Christ and why He was sent by God.

This is what OUR sin did to Jesus Christ:

Isaiah 53:1-12

Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken. And they made His grave with the wicked— But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.

The Word of God was manifested in the flesh and entered this physical world through the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit and was born the Son of God. He was sent by God to bear the iniquities of the whole world in His body because the wages of sin is death and the penalty of our sin could not be paid by the blood of goats and calves. So God prepared a body for the Word who was born into this world as the sacrificial Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world. What we must understand is that God is a Righteous, Holy, and Just God who hates sin, and will not tolerate willful sin in His people.

2 Peter 2:4-9

“For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)— then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment,”

God hates sin so much that He is not going to spare even the angels who sinned against Him. We know He wiped out the world with a flood because He was so grieved by the evil thoughts and deeds they did. He burned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ash because of sin, and He will bring judgment upon the unrepentant sinner today.

John 1:29

“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

This is why God sent His Son Jesus into the world because there was no other way to pay the penalty of our sin and reconcile us back to Him.

Isaiah 59:1-3

“Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, And your fingers with iniquity; Your lips have spoken lies, Your tongue has muttered perversity.”

The Lord will hear your prayers and answer them when you repent, confess your sins, and believe in Jesus Christ. But if you remain in your sins He will not hear you.

1st Peter 2:21-24

“For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”;who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.”

Romans 6:23“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

It was our sin that crucified Jesus Christ, it was our sin that sent Him to the cross, it was our sin that bruised Him; it was our sin that He bore in His body. He shed His blood so that we might be cleansed from our sin, and He died that we may have life. God’s gift of salvation is free for those who will accept it, and those who do will receive the promise of eternal life with God. Time is short, make your decision today!

Love In Christ,
Your servant Tyrone D Palmer

Six Points Of Doctrine Being Taught In Error

Ephesians 5:25-27

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.”

A Glorious church! My God I pray for the day! No spots, no wrinkles, made holy, and without one blemish. Seems like a long way off considering the church’s present condition. But I am here to tell you that it’s nearer now than when we first believed!

Romans 13:11-14

“And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.”

Today I put on the full armor of God, today I put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and I take my stand against the devil’s schemes. Today I take my stand against every doctrine of demon and tradition of man. My battle is NOT against flesh and blood but against spiritual wickedness in high and low places. Today I take my place on the battlefield of the Lord; I take up my sword and shield, making myself ready for the battle that will try men’s souls. I lay down my life for Jesus, His body the church, and the gospel of the kingdom of God.

I am writing this open letter of correction through the apostolic authority that Jesus has given me by His word, His anointing, and by prophecy. What I undertake this day will have eternal implications for myself and all who listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. These words of doctrinal correction are for every professing Christian who considers themselves part of the body of Christ.

I do not seek man’s approval or acceptance, I am not looking for speaking engagements, and I have no ulterior motives. My only desire is to see the bride of Christ made ready for the imminent return of the Bridegroom, to see her pure, clean, arrayed in fine white linen and unblemished in the sight of God. The Lord has made it clear to me that ‘the end of all things is near’, and He is making me and my wife able ministers of the New Covenant in these last days.

I write this letter out of the love that God has shed abroad in my heart by His Spirit. I do not write this letter in judgment, pride, or arrogance, but in the fear of God because it’s to Him that I must give account. I have the utmost respect for every man and woman who has labored in the Lord and laid down their lives for His flock. We are all earthen vessels and servants to be used for His glory!

Many of these truths are already known, but they have been dispersed throughout many denominations and movements that emphasize one doctrine while excluding the truth of another. We know that Christ only founded one church, not denominations. He gave five offices to the church not one. He taught one doctrine, not thousands. There is only one interpretation of scripture, His. What I write I have received from Him, from His Spirit, from the throne of God, and He will confirm His word. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

1) The Holy Spirit

Receiving the Holy Spirit, the gift of the Holy Spirit, the filling of the Spirit, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit are all one and the same. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is NOT a separate occurrence apart from conversion; it is a part OF conversion! The reason there are a multitude of professing Christians who cannot overcome sin and who never see any evidence of the Spirit’s power and fruit is because they do not have the Spirit of God indwelling their bodies. They are unconverted believers.

Ephesians 4:4-5

“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism;”

This error comes from the misinterpretation of Acts 2:38
“Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Peter said let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus, he didn’t let any believer do what they thought they should do. He told them plainly what they all had to do in order to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Many believe and are taught today that when you are baptized in water the Holy Spirit descends upon you and He starts to indwell you. Well how do you know the Spirit descended upon you? How do you know that you received the gift of the Holy Spirit? Because you or the minister read the scripture? Ask yourself this question: when I got baptized, was there any evidence at all that the Spirit of the Living God came to dwell inside my body? The Spirit of God that hovered over the face of the waters, the Spirit that spoke through all the prophets, the Spirit that came upon Mary and over shadowed her. The Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead and performed every miracle of the Lord and the apostles in the 1st century; can you honestly say that you have this Spirit indwelling you? If there was no initial evidence, and there is no perceivable evidence after, then you don’t have the Spirit of God indwelling you.

Put Acts 2:38 in context and you will realize that Jesus had just told the apostles that John indeed baptized with water, but they would be baptized with the Spirit in a few days and to wait for the promise of the Father.

Acts 1:4-5

“And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” (Read Matthew 3:11) & (John 15:26,16:5-15)

Then during the day of Pentecost we read of the outpouring of the Spirit upon the flesh of man and the initial manifestations of the Spirit that followed this gift.

Acts 2:1-4

“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues (languages), as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

We can understand from these scriptures that the apostles and the disciples were just doing what they were commanded to do, they were waiting on the promise, and they didn’t know what day it would actually come or what would happen, but they were being obedient to the commandment of the Lord. Then suddenly the prophetic words that Jesus spoke days earlier were fulfilled and the promise of the Father was given to them all. We read of the initial evidence of the outpouring of the Spirit on their flesh and what happened after. How else would they have known they were receiving the promise of the Father and being baptized with the Holy Spirit that Jesus commanded them to wait for, if there wasn’t any evidence? We can ask ourselves the same question today. God said through the prophet Joel that there would also be evidence of the indwelling Spirit after the outpouring.

Acts 2:17-18

"And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy." (We are now in the last days!)

The people gathered in Jerusalem thought those who received the Spirit were drunk and could not understand what was happening, but Peter understood what they had just received, and he preached a powerful message about Christ which cut them to their heart and Peter told them what they needed to do, and how they could receive the same Spirit that he did.

Acts 2:37-39

“Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise (the gift of the Holy Spirit) is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

Has the Lord stopped calling men and women? No. Did He change the way new converts are to receive the Spirit? No. But when we do not understand or believe the truth of these scriptures, and are not taught correctly we do not receive the promise of the Father, the gift of the Holy Spirit. We are the same human beings, the same ordinary unschooled men and women that they were, and we receive the same Holy Spirit that they did then.

Look at Acts 8:14-17 (Example of Unconverted Believers)

“Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.”

This is a clear example of what goes on the majority of time in the church today. We hear the word, repent, confess our sins, believe in Jesus Christ, get baptized in water, but fail to receive the Holy Spirit, leaving thousands unconverted and believing that they have the Spirit indwelling them. Peter and John recognized that these disciples had not received the Holy Spirit, and how did they know? Because they did not see any evidence; they knew the initial signs and the manifestations of the outpouring of the Spirit upon the flesh because of the day of Pentecost, and they knew there would be evidence of the indwelling Spirit after the outpouring. Peter called it the “gift of God” in verse 20.

Paul himself was only fully converted after the Lord sent Ananias to lay hands on him to receive his sight and be filled with the Spirit. Acts 9:17 Once he received his sight and the infilling of the Spirit he got baptized in water; then we read the evidence of his conversion in the following scriptures.

Acts 9:20-22

Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God. Then all who heard were amazed, and said, “Is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?” But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ.

Then we have Cornelius the Centurion, his family and friends in Acts 10

Acts 10:44-47

“While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days.”

In these scriptures we see God pouring out His Spirit upon the flesh of the gentiles; here we read that the Holy Spirit is given to ALL nations of people and not just the Jews. As peter testified of Jesus the Holy Spirit fell upon everyone inside the house, and even the brothers who came with Peter were astonished to see the gift of the Holy Spirit fall upon the gentiles. And how did they know the Spirit fell upon Cornelius and the others? For they HEARD them speak with tongues and magnify God. They had clear and undeniable evidence they received the gift of the Holy Spirit. Then Peter goes on to say can anyone forbid them to be baptized in water because they have received the same Holy Spirit we did on the day of Pentecost.

Contrast Acts 2:38 with Acts 10:45-46 and you will see the same words being used for the conversion experience, the gift of the Holy Spirit. Now you can begin to understand what it really means to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and how thousands of professing Christians are unconverted today.

Acts 19:1-6

“And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?” So they said, “Into John’s baptism.” Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.” When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.”

In these scriptures Paul finds some disciples in Ephesus, and he didn’t hesitate to ask them if they had received the Holy Spirit when they believed. Its good he asked because these disciples hadn’t even heard there was a Holy Spirit. Once Paul told them about Jesus Christ they were baptized in water and by the laying on of Paul’s hands we read of the initial evidence of their reception of the Holy Spirit, they spoke with tongues and prophesied. Now, Paul and the converts knew they had received the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Paul also explains to the Corinthian church in 1st Corinthians 12:4-11 that everyone who receives the Holy Spirit will display a manifestation of the Spirit.

“There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.”

Manifestation: 1 a : the act, process, or an instance of manifesting b (1) : something that manifests or is manifest (2) : a perceptible, outward, or visible expression (Merriam-Webster)

Those who have received the gift of the Holy Spirit WILL have a perceptible manifestation of the Spirit. Whether its dreams, visions, words of wisdom, words of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, workings of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, different languages, or interpretation of languages, everyone who has the Holy Spirit indwelling their bodies will have evidence of that indwelling.

Not only will those fully converted to Christ have a perceptible manifestation of the Spirit, but they WILL have inward evidence as well. The believer will not be able to physically see the fruit inside themselves, but they will be able to perceive a change within, and others will see the change too. (So will God!)

Paul says to the Galatians in 5:22
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”

Many professing Christians read this scripture and think they have all these fruits (I sure did!) and can even make others think they have them, but without receiving the Holy Spirit how can they? We can all willfully display outward signs of these fruits, but inwardly still be full of strongholds, iniquity, and sin. Like Jesus told the Pharisees who looked good on the outside; they had their nice clothes on, they said the right things, prayed out loud in the streets, knew the scriptures backwards and forwards, went to the temple every Sabbath, but inwardly they were full of dead men’s bones, Jesus called them hypocrites.

Matthew 23:27

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.”

Without receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit the conversion process of a confessing believer is not complete, and their soul will not experience the sanctification of the Spirit, the circumcision of the heart, the renewal of the mind, or the conformation of the inner man to Christ.

NOTE* There are many Christians who have received the Spirit with initial evidence, but through laziness, false teachings, a lack of prayer, and bible study, have quenched the Spirit’s fire. If this is you, I exhort you to repent and turn back to the Lord while He may be found.

If you realize that you do not have the Spirit of God indwelling your body, then pray earnestly to the Father for it, and ask Jesus to baptize you in the Spirit and He will do it! (That’s what I did when I learned this truth) If you haven’t been baptized in water, what are you waiting for? Jesus said unless one is born of water AND Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God! (John 3:5)

2) Praying Jesus or Inviting Jesus Into Your Heart

This false doctrine has been a thorn in the flesh of the body since its inception and has no scriptural grounds to stand on. Those who teach and believe this doctrine are unconverted believer’s and have basically thrown out the words of God that clearly outline what one must do in order to be saved. Not one place in the New Testament do you see Jesus say you must pray me into your heart or repeat a prayer in order to enter the kingdom of God, nor did He teach it to His apostles who He sent out to be witnesses of Him throughout the world, and they never converted any Jew or Greek to Christ in the 1st century doing this. So why is it being taught?

Let’s take a look at the few scriptures that are used as the foundation for this doctrine.

Romans 10:8-12

“But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach):that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”

These scriptures definitely sound like the roadmap to salvation don’t they? And in truth these words are a part of the good message that the apostles preached about the kingdom of God. But who was Paul talking to here? Was he talking to us today giving his apostolic revelation of the gospel? Or was he talking to unconverted Jews and gentiles who needed salvation? Let’s answer these questions.

Take a look at Romans 1:7 and 10:1
“To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.”

We can read clearly in these scriptures that Paul wrote this letter to the Roman saints, who were already converted to Christ during the two years that he spent in Rome after arriving there as a prisoner from Jerusalem. (Read Acts 28)

Paul is talking to the brethren in Rome telling them his heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that THEY may be saved. Why? Because they were rejecting the gospel of Jesus Christ! These scriptures were not written for us to quote and repeat for the salvation of our soul. If that were true then everything else Paul said regarding the gospel message he preached would be in question. For example:

Acts 16:29-33 (The Philippian Jailer)


“Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized.”

This is an example of an unconverted person in need of salvation. If all you had to do was confess Jesus with your mouth and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead then Paul would have said that to the Philippian jailer in Acts, but Paul told him to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and THEN he spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house, and immediately after that the jailer and his whole family were baptized.

Paul also told the disciples he found in Ephesus what they had to do in order to be saved.

Acts 19:1-6

“And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?” So they said, “Into John’s baptism.” Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.” When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.”

Again we read Paul telling those who needed salvation to believe in Jesus Christ and when they heard his gospel message they got baptized in water and received the Holy Spirit.

All the apostles preached the same message, they didn’t change the gospel to suit the people; they were obedient to what they were taught by Jesus Christ. Peter also told the same thing to the unconverted people in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost when they asked what they should do to be saved.

Acts 2:36-39

“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

Again we read the conversion process for unconverted people. Hear the gospel message preached, believe the message, repent (change your mind or think differently), be baptized in water, and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

When you read further down in Romans 10 you can put the preceding verses of scripture in context and understand Paul was not telling the Roman saints then or us today what we must do to be saved.

Romans 10:14-16

“How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things! ”But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “LORD, who has believed our report?”

Clearly what Paul wrote to the Roman brethren was not a roadmap to salvation, but a word for the already converted saints to know how much Paul wanted to see his own countrymen saved.
If you believe that you are saved just by quoting the scriptures or repeating a prayer after someone, then you must understand that you are disregarding the very words of Jesus Christ Himself whom you profess to believe when he said in John 3:5 “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” You would also be dismissing the inspired words of Peter, the rest of the apostles, Phillip the evangelist, and Paul who received the gospel by revelation from Jesus. And all scripture is inspired by God! (2 Timothy 3:16)

3) The Rapture

The word ‘Rapture’ is not found anywhere in scripture, but the Coming of Christ is. This doctrine has led many professing Christians to believe that they will be taken off the earth before the great tribulation and unveiling of the antichrist man (beast). But what does the word of God have to say about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ? Let’s take a look at the scriptures this doctrine is based on.

1st Thessalonians 4:13-18“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

Paul is talking to the Thessalonian saints about the coming of Jesus Christ to the earth for the second time to receive His people to Himself. Nowhere in these scriptures do we read about a secret rapture of the dead in Christ or of the saints who are alive when He comes. In truth what we read is Jesus descending from heaven to earth with a SHOUT, with the voice of an archangel and the trumpet of God. Nothing quiet and secret about a shout and a trumpet!

Paul also tells the Corinthians the same thing.

1st Corinthians 15:20-23, 51-53“But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.

Again we don’t read anything about a secret rapture, but of those who have fallen asleep (dead in Christ), and those who are Christ’s at His coming.

“Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep (dead in Christ), but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we (those alive when He comes) shall be changed.”

Once again no secret rapture of the dead in Christ or of the living saints when Jesus returns to this earth. What we read is the last trumpet sounding during the coming of Christ and the dead being raised with the living saints being changed.

Some believe that only those in Christ will hear the trumpet and see Jesus, but that belief is unfounded by the scriptures. In truth here is what Jesus Himself said about His coming.

Matthew 24:29-31

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

The words of Christ in Matthew make it clear to us that those in Christ WILL be on this earth during the great tribulation. In truth Jesus said in verse nine. “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.” When He comes every person will SEE Him coming on the clouds of heaven and then He will send His angels to gather the elect with the same sound of a trumpet that Paul told the saints would herald the Second Coming of Jesus.

Why didn’t Jesus say to His disciples: When the Son of Man comes He is going to secretly rapture up the dead and those who are alive when He comes, and no one will see Him or hear the sound of the trumpet but them. Then they are going to come back to heaven with the Son of Man, and then the Son of Man is going to come back again after the tribulation. How does that sound? But this is what many teach and believe.

Look at Luke 21:25-28

“And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”

Jesus Himself is saying again in Luke that He will not be secretly coming to redeem His saints, but the whole world will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory!

Mark 13:24-27

“But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then He will send His angels, and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven."

Jesus says once again in Mark, AFTER that tribulation the signs of His Second Coming will be seen by the whole world, and He will send His angels to gather His elect from all over the earth. We have a choice to believe the very words of Jesus and prepare ourselves for the coming tribulation, or believe the false teaching of a secret rapture before the great tribulation.

Revelation 1:7

“Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.”

Acts 1:9-11

“Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”

Even the angels of heaven told the apostles that Jesus would come back the same way they saw Him go up into heaven. There is nothing about a secret rapture found anywhere in the scriptures.

Mark 14:62

Jesus said, “I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”

2nd Thessalonians 2:1-4

“Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.”

These scriptures directly refute the false teaching of a secret rapture. Paul clearly tells the saints LET NO ONE DECEIVE YOU! The day WILL NOT COME until the falling away COMES FIRST! AND the man of sin IS REVEALED, the Antichrist, the beast, the son of perdition, who will stand in the soon to be built third temple in Jerusalem and claim to be God.

We must prepare ourselves for the coming spiritual and physical battle that will face those who confess the name of Jesus Christ. If Christians don’t wake up now to this truth they will be unprepared for the evil that every person on this earth will face. Jesus said the distress and tribulation will be so great that men’s heart’s will fail them for expectation of what is coming upon this earth. I urge every professing Christian to seek the face of the Lord today with all your heart, soul, mind and strength so that you may be ready for the day of evil.

Scriptural Proof Of Divine Protection:

I know and understand that there will be no secret rapture of God’s elect, but according to Revelation 12:1-6,13-17 there will be a part of the church that will be divinely protected and nourished for the three and a half years that the beast or anti-christ man will reign on the earth. This is a true promise from God and Jesus told His disciples to pray so that they may be accounted worthy to escape the tribulation. (Luke 21:36)
“Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”

There will be a great multitude divinely protected by God from Satan, but there will also be many Christians martyred during the great tribulation.

Revelation 6:9-11

“When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.”

Revelation 20:4

“And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.”

This scripture proves that Christians will be on this earth during the tribulation period and they will be martyred for bearing witness to Jesus Christ and the word of God. These Christians will NOT worship the beast, his image or take his mark on their foreheads or hands and they will be killed for their uncompromising faith in Jesus Christ. But they will have their reward in heaven and reign with Christ for a thousand years.


4) Substitute

This doctrine says that Jesus was our substitute and that He took our place on the cross as a substitutionary sacrifice. But the word ‘substitute’ is not found anywhere in the scriptures. Let’s take a closer look at the word of God to see what Jesus really was for God and for us.

The scripture used to support this doctrine is 2nd Corinthians 5:21
“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (NKJV)

Where is; for He made Him who knew no sin to be a substitute for us? It’s not written in the scriptures because it’s not true! Jesus was a propitiation for our sins, He made an atonement for our sins by willingly coming to earth and sacrificing Himself to God to pay the penalty of sin that was due God.

Look at Young’s Literal Translation:

“For him who did not know sin, in our behalf He did make sin, that we may become the righteousness of God in him.”

The Literal Translation is unusual in that, as the name implies, it is a strictly literal translation of the original Hebrew and Greek texts. (Wikipedia)

We don’t see the word ‘substitute’ used in either translation, and Young’s Literal Translation renders the text in a much different way than the KJV or NKJV. And I don’t know about you, but I would like to get as close to the original Word’s of God as I can!

Here is the translation from the bible I use: The Interlinear Greek-English New Testament, With Strong’s Concordance Numbers Above Each Word. By: Jay P Green, Sr. (Volume IV)

“The (One) for not knowing sin on behalf of us sin He made so that we might become (the) righteousness of God in Him.”

These two literal translations from the Greek Received Text gives us a much better understanding of 2nd Corinthians 5:21, and should remove any idea from our minds that Jesus was a substitute for us.

Look at what substitute means:

Main Entry: sub·sti·tute“A person or thing that takes the place or function of another.” (Merriam-Webster)

How could Jesus ever be a substitute for us? This would mean that we could have gone to the cross for our own sins, but Jesus came and took our place instead. Were we ever sinless? Were we ever perfect? No. God manifested Himself in the flesh taking on a physical body and doing what no one else could have ever done. Paul said while we were still SINNERS Christ died for the ungodly!

Here is what John said Jesus was for our sins:

1st John 2:1-2

"My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world."

Propitiation means: 2 : something that propitiates; specifically : an atoning sacrifice (Merriam-Webster) Propitiation also means appeasement.

Romans 5:10-11

“For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.”

Atonement means: 2 : the reconciliation of God and humankind through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. (Merriam-Webster)

The word of God tells us that Jesus Christ was an atoning sacrifice for our sins that reconciled us to God. Not a substitute.

Jesus was a perfect, sinless, and unblemished sacrificial lamb that was sacrificed on the cross to God, paying the penalty of sin that we could never pay. God laid our sins upon the body of Christ who became a sin bearer, and He willingly and knowingly sacrificed Himself so that we could once again have a covenant relationship with God.

Isaiah 53:6,10-12

“All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”

“Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin,”

“He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.

1st Peter 2:24

“who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.”

During the priestly ministry of the Old Covenant, once every year the Levitical high priest had to offer unblemished goats and calves for the sins of Israel, and by placing his hands upon the animal, the high priest symbolically transferred the sins of Israel onto it, causing the animal to become a sin bearer, and it was then sacrificed to God. The Levitical priesthood sacrifices were a shadow of Christ and pointed towards the one bodily sacrifice of Jesus. God prepared a body for His Christ to reconcile the world back to Himself, and He laid the sins of the whole world upon Jesus who bore our sins in His body becoming a sin bearer and an unspotted lamb who sacrificed Himself to God.

Hebrews 9:6-7

“Now when these things had been thus prepared, the priests always went into the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services. But into the second part the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people’s sins committed in ignorance.”

Hebrews 9:12-14

“Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”

Jesus offered Himself without spot to God on our behalf because we could never do anything to take away our own sins. Jesus was not a substitute.

Hebrews 9:26-28

“but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many.

Jesus Christ was a sin offering to God, a sin bearer, an unblemished and unspotted sacrificial lamb who bore the sins of the whole world in His body. He was NOT a substitute.

Hebrews 10:5-7

“Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, But a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come—In the volume of the book it is written of Me—To do Your will, O God.’”

The sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross had everything to do with a loving and righteous God who wanted to re-establish the covenant relationship He had with man before he fell in the Garden of Eden; God prepared a body for the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us. God sent His only Begotten Son to do what only God Himself could do, live a perfect, sinless life, and offer Himself as a sacrifice to save all man-kind. Jesus was not, and never will be, a substitute.


5) The Trinity

The word ‘trinity’ is not found anywhere in scripture, but there is a whole doctrine and belief system that has been built upon this word. Did Jesus and the apostles teach the doctrine of the trinity? Did man make it up? We will find out the truth as we search the scriptures and learn what the Word of God tells us about His nature.

The foundational scripture used to support this doctrine is:

Matthew 28:19

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,”

This scripture has nothing to do with the nature of God and has been used for centuries to support a doctrine of man. There are many scriptures that tell us exactly who God is, and what God is; but this scripture is not one of them.

In truth what this scripture tells us is that Jesus wanted His apostles to baptize all nations of disciples IN THE NAME OF, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. When you read the book of Acts you will find the apostles doing exactly what Jesus commanded them to do; baptize new converts in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, which is JESUS!

You will not find one scripture where the apostles baptized anybody using the three names, why? Because they understood that the NAME of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit IS JESUS.

Look at what Peter said in Acts 4:10-12

“let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

This scripture tells us plainly that there is NO other NAME under heaven GIVEN among men by which we MUST be saved!

Jesus Himself tells us in John before His death that He had manifested (to make evident) the name of the Father and given it to the men the Father gave Him out of the world.

John 17:6

“I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world.”

And what NAME did the apostles use to drive out demons, heal the sick, raise the dead, and baptize in? JESUS CHRIST! The Jewish name for God (Yahweh), was already given to them from the books of Moses and the prophets, but they received a new manifested name of God from the Father; Jesus.

John 17:11-12

“Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name.”

We can understand from these scriptures that Jesus had NOT manifested the name Father, because the Father is a manifestation of the One God, not His name! Paul said in Galatians 3:28 that we are one in who? Christ Jesus.

“For you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Jesus says in John 17:26

“And I have declared to them Your name (Jesus), and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

Mark 16:15-18

“And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name (Jesus) they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

The apostles and the 1st century believer’s did all these things in the manifested name of God; Jesus
God is NOT One God in three persons. God is Spirit, God is One, and He is manifested in three ways; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

John 4:24

“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Deuteronomy 6:4

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!”

1st John 5:7

“For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word (JESUS), and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.”

God is One, and the scriptures never use the words ‘three persons’ or ‘trinity’.

John 1:1,14

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten (Son) of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

The Word never stopped being God, but the Word was manifested in the flesh and became the Son of God, who was given the name Jesus.

Isaiah 7:14

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel (God-With-Us).

Luke 1:31,35

And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God”

1st John 1:1-3

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us”

John again tells us that the Word was manifested to the world; He was an invisible Spirit that became flesh when He was born of the Virgin Mary. The Holy Spirit miraculously impregnated Mary, which allowed God Himself to enter this physical realm in the flesh of man.

Philippians 2:5-9


Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross”

Jesus, who is the Word (God), manifested in the flesh made Himself of no reputation; He had all the powers of an omnipotent God but set aside His divinity so that He could save mankind, and He only lived by what the Father gave Him from heaven.

Colossians 2:9

“For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;”

Jesus could have done anything He wanted to do at anytime because the fullness of God lived inside His body, and the Holy Spirit worked through Jesus miraculously. But Jesus never went outside the Father’s will and He was obedient until His death, setting an example for His followers to depend solely on the Father for everything.

Colossians 1:15-17

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.”

This scripture tells us that God is invisible (Spirit) NOT a person, and that Jesus is the image of God. All things in heaven and earth were created by Him, because He is the Word of God manifested in the flesh.

1st Timothy 3:16

"And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.

Look at Genesis 1:1-3

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.”

When God spoke, it was the power of His Word that brought the creation into existence; this same Word that created all things was manifested in the flesh and came into this world through the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit. God is NOT three persons, God IS Spirit and God IS ONE!


6) The Tithe

This Law of Moses that was given to the Israelite nation by God has been used for centuries to collect money from believer’s to fund the church and the salaries of clergy. The misuse of the tithe has led to divisions in many families and marriages, causing a multitude of Christians over the years to go without food, pay their bills, put gas in the car, buy clothes, and many other necessities of life. It has also caused many believer’s to feel manipulated, guilty, and afraid that God will curse them if they don’t tithe or cannot give due to their financial situation.

The scriptures used to validate the tithe in the New Testament church comes from:

Malachi 3:6-12

“For I am the LORD, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob. Yet from the days of your fathers You have gone away from My ordinances And have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you,” Says the LORD of hosts. “But you said, ‘In what way shall we return?’ Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the LORD of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it. “And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,” Says the LORD of hosts; And all nations will call you blessed, For you will be a delightful land,” Says the LORD of hosts.”

The first question we need to ask is: Who was Malachi prophesying to?

Malachi 2:6 “To you priests who despise My name.”

The main recipients of this prophetic word were the levitical priests of Israel who offered defiled food, lame, sick, and blind animals on the altar of God. They were the ones who went away from the ordinances of the Lord and were doing evil in His sight. They asked the Lord ‘in what way shall we return?’ ‘Will a man rob God?’

The nation of Israel was robbing God of His tithes that were commanded by the Law of Moses to be given for the priests to live on in the temple. The priests withheld the pure and unblemished offerings that were required by the law to be sacrificed to God. This is why God said bring all the tithes and offerings into the storehouse, that there may be FOOD in My house, not money! The Israelites tithed on their food and livestock so that the priest’s and those who needed it would be fed. If they did this THEN God would open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing on the nation of Israel and their land, NOT on Christians today!

When we read ALL of Malachi in context we can clearly understand that God was not talking to those under the New Covenant of Jesus Christ. In truth He was talking to the levitical priests and the nation of Israel who were under the Old Covenant.

Malachi 2:1

“And now, O priests, this commandment is for you. If you will not hear, And if you will not take it to heart, To give glory to My name,” Says the LORD of hosts, “I will send a curse upon you, And I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have cursed them already, Because you do not take it to heart.”

The Lord makes it very clear who He was talking to through the prophet Malachi.

Malachi 3:9

“You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation.”

What nation? The nation of Israel!

When man takes scripture out of context and uses it for his own gain the consequences always fall upon the sheep that listen and trust them. Many ministers are afraid to speak the truth for fear of losing the sheep and their salaries, but every shepherd must realize that the sheep are the Lord’s and we are just tending the flock until the Great Shepherd returns!

Now take a look at how the New Testament church began under the New Covenant of Jesus Christ, the Covenant of grace and faith by the law of the Spirit.

Acts 2:44-46

“Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”

The saints in the New Testament church were exhorted by Paul to excel at the grace of giving, and to give from the heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion. There are no scriptures that command the Christians to tithe ten percent of ALL their income every week to the church.

2nd Corinthians 9:7

“So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.”

2nd Corinthians 8:1-4

“Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.”

The 1st century churches were concerned about taking care of one another and providing for the needs of the poor, their offerings were free will offerings. The apostles didn’t have to tell them to give, they gave joyfully even under affliction and poverty. They wanted to minister to the needs of the saints. If the churches today were like this, there wouldn’t be as much need inside the church or out of it.

2nd Corinthians 8:12-15

“For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have. For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened; but by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may supply their lack, that their abundance also may supply your lack—that there may be equality. As it is written, “He who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack.”

Giving in the 1st century was all about equality and sharing the blessings of God, but today we see guilt giving, reluctant giving, and giving to get something back from God. Is there anywhere in the scriptures that tell Christians to do what we hear coming from the mouths of ministers and televangelists today? Paul told the saints to give according to what they had, not what they didn’t have, so there would be equality in the church.

1st Corinthians 16:1

“Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come. And when I come, whomever you approve by your letters I will send to bear your gift to Jerusalem. But if it is fitting that I go also, they will go with me.”

Again we see a collection being made for the saints and NOT for the clergy or a building, but to provide for the other churches. The church in Jerusalem was in need so Paul told the Corinthian church and the churches of Galatia to set something aside as they have prospered so a collection could be made for the Jerusalem church; nothing about the prophecy of Malachi in these scriptures. In truth you will not see any of the apostles quoting the prophet in order to get money from the saints, and Paul knew the Old Testament scriptures well, why didn’t he quote Malachi?

In truth, the law of tithing was NOT commanded to be kept by any Christian convert in the New Testament scriptures and the tithe is NOT a New Covenant obligation for the saints today. If the first church didn’t do it, then why are we doing it?

If you would like to go even deeper into the truth about the tithe, here is a link to a very detailed and in-depth study: http://bible-truths.com/tithing.html

In Conclusion:

I pray that this labor of love has benefited your soul and you have taken to heart the words of God and the words that I have written. I pray that you will seek the Lord and ask Him to confirm His word concerning these truths.

I am truly blessed to be able to share this knowledge and understanding of the scriptures with you because I had spent years blind and deceived, being tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine. I spent years of being a hypocritical professing Christian with no power to overcome sin, myself, or Satan, but today I am not ashamed of Jesus Christ, His words, and the truth that He delivered to me by His Spirit.

I do not profess to know everything about each truth, but I have written what I have received, we only know in part. I am truly open to receive more insight into the scriptures and I am more than willing to discuss the things of the kingdom with those who want to share what they have received with me.

I pray to God that those who listen to what the Spirit is saying in these last days will find the joy, salvation, peace, love, and power that the true and Living God has shown me. I pray for every eternal soul that receives the grace of God through the reading of this letter and that we will see each other in eternity.

With Sincere Love In Christ,
Tyrone D Palmer, the servant of all, and apostle of Jesus Christ