Doctrine - 4th Tenet

Scriptural tenet anyone?

OAC Confession of Faith: Holy Scriptures: “…The Scriptures (the “Bible”) are regarded as “holy” because it was given / inspired by God, who is holy, and relates to the salvation of the soul. We must not only strive to be holy but shall be holy unto God, for He has separated us from other people to be His. [II TIM 3:15-17 & LEV 20:26]…”

“…The Bible comprises of a collection of officially recognised or “Canon” books – 66 books in total. [GEN – REV] Scriptures that were not officially incorporated into the Bible are classified as “Apocrypha”. Open your Bible and refer to the composition and register of the Bible books. [JOH 20:30-31]…”

“…Two Testaments The Bible is divided into two sections, called Testaments – the first is referred to as the Old Testament (OT) while the second is known as the New Testament (NT). The OT and the NT comprise 39 and 27 books, respectively. [GEN – MAL & MAT – REV]…”

“…Number of Books Hint: The number of letters in the words: “Old” and “Testament” is “3” & “9” – write these two figures down next to each other to get “39”; the number of books in the OT! Multiply the “3” with the “9” to get “27”; the number of books in the NT! Total: 66 books in the Bible…”

“…Original Languages The OT was originally (predominantly) written in Hebrew with a few books being recorded in the Aramaic tongue. The NT was originally written in Greek. [ROM 1:16-17]…”

“…Modern Translations The translations that are of historical value and also recognised and utilised by the Church are the King James version (1611), also the New King James version; the Dutch Staten Generaal (1618-1619); the Bible in Afrikaans (1933 translation); the German translation of Martin Luther etc. Which Bible do you use?…”

“…Old Testament: Overview The OT contains the story of the creation and describes the history and traditions of God’s chosen people and of the great patriarchs of the Faith (Abraham, Isaac & Jacob) and the Prophets. [GEN – MAL; read GEN 1]…”

“…Genesis means “beginning” or “origin” and begins with a description of the creation of God; of the heaven and the earth and all things related thereto. Genesis “enfolds what the rest of the Bible unfolds”. [refer GEN 2] Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible during the period 1491 – 1451 BC…”

“…Genesis proceeds to describe the creation of man; how they lived in paradise until they were subjected (and succumbed) to sin which led to their eviction from paradise after which God made His first promise to them; to send One to redeem man from sin. [read GEN 3]…”

“…The book goes on to describe the generations and stories of Adam and Eve; the patriarchs of the Faith – Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – and concludes with the early history of the chosen people of God, namely Israel. [GEN 4 – 50 read GEN 6:9-22]…”

“…Exodus (meaning: “going out”) was also written by Moses. The book describes the enslavement of the Israelites in Egypt and their “going out” from Egypt through the grace and great redeeming power of God. [GEN 37:1-28 – Joseph landing up in Egypt; refer EXO 1-13]…”

“…The books also relays the story of the birth of Moses; his education in the house of Pharaoh; his experience in the wilderness; his calling by God to release the Israelites from bondage; his great contest with the king of Egypt, Pharaoh; and his victory through the power of God. [ EXO 2:1-10]…”

“…The remainder of Exodus is dedicated to topics such as the institution of the Passover; the giving of the laws (ten commandments) on the mount Sinai; the building of the tabernacle; and the institutions / customs relating to the tabernacle. [EXO 12- 40; read EXO 12:1-13]…”

“…Leviticus The third book in the Bible is called “Leviticus” because it principally records the laws and ceremonies of the tabernacle for the priestly tribe of Levi. The book also outlines the civil and religious laws of the people of Israel – the spiritual meaning of which is significant. [LEV 1-27; read LEV 19:1-4]…”

“…The book is also a prophecy of things to come: a type of Christ and His Kingdom; of the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world; A single idea – that of “holiness” – penetrates the whole of the elaborate rituals. [LEV 20:26]…”

“…Numbers The fourth book of the Bible is called: “Numbers” because it relates the numbering (census) of God’s people on two occasions – the first at Sinai in their second year in the wilderness, and the other just before the death of Moses in the fortieth year. [NUM 1:1-19]…”

“…The book of Numbers further relates the story of the wanderings of God’s people in the wilderness and is rich in poetry. The book also contains the beautiful Priestly blessings. [NUM 6:22-27; 13:1-3 & 23:8-10]…”

“…Deuteronomy means: “the repetition of the law”, and the book consists mainly of three addresses delivered by Moses in which he rehearses Israel’s history after leaving Egypt and charges them to keep the Law. The book closes with the song of Moses, his blessing and the account of his death. [DEU 4:1-9; Chapter 6]…”

“…After the death of Moses, Joshua was appointed to lead the Israelites into the promised land, Canaan. He divided the land among the 12 tribes of Israel and, after receiving commitment from all the people to serve God always, died at the age of 110 years. [JOS 1:1-8]…”

“…Joshua: The Israelites strayed from the ways of God and were punished by the nations surrounding them. They asked God for another leader and God raised up a deliverer, named Othniel, Caleb’s brother, the first of the Judges [JUD 3:7-11]. A Judge is a person appointed by God to study, interpret and rule on the laws of God; to lead the people of God according to His will. [JOS 24:15, 21-27]…”

“…The Israelites were led by the Judges that God appointed unto them for a period of about 120 years (from 1 170 to 1 050 BC). The names of the Judges were: Othniel; Ehud; Shamgar; Deborah and Barak; Gideon; Abimelech; Tola; Jair; Samson; Jephtah; Ibzan; Elon; Abdon; Eli; & Samuel. [1 SAM 7:15-17]…”

“…Read the history of Gideon; his calling to God’s service by the angel of the Lord; the establishment of the (small) army and their victory over the Midianites. [JUD 6:11-32 &7:16-22]…”

“…Read the history of Samson; his religious upbringing as a Nazarite; his strength and slaying of the Philistines; his relationship with Delilah; his demise; and ultimate receipt of mercy from God. [read selective sections from JUD 13 - 16]…”

“…Read the history of the birth of Samuel; his calling; and his service in the temple with Eli. [sections from I SAM 1 - 3] Samuel, the last of the Judges, became the Prophet of God. The people of Israel demanded a king to rule over them. This disappointed the Lord because they rejected Him as their King and now wanted a king from among them. [I SAM 8:5-10]…”

“…Samuel selected Saul as the first king of Israel. He was of great stature and stood head and shoulders above his people. [I SAM 10:23-25] The Lord rejected Saul, and commanded Samuel to anoint one of Jesse’s eight sons as king. The first seven sons of Jesse failed the test and Samuel called for David, the shepherd and anointed him.

[I SAM 16:1-14]…”

“…David was the king of Israel for forty years. He appointed his son Solomon as his successor. Solomon prayed the Lord to give him a wise and understanding heart to rule His people. God made him the greatest of all kings.

[I KIN 1:39 & 3:7-14]…”

“…Solomon built the temple of God and placed the Ark of the Covenant in the oracle, the most holy place in the temple. He reigned over Israel and Judah for forty years, but became evil. The Lord divided the kingdom into Israel and Judah. [I KIN 8:28-30 & 54-60]…”

“…Jeroboam became king of Israel and 19 kings followed from 931 to 722 BC when the kingdom of Israel came to an end. Rehoboam, Solomon's son, became king of Judah, and was followed by 20 kings from this time (931 BC) to Zedekia in the year 586 BC. [JER 52:12-14]…”

“…The Major Prophets: The books written by the Prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah (also Lamentations), Ezekiel and Daniel, are regarded as the major Prophetic books. Note the following prophecies: [ISA 2:2-4; ISA 7:14& 9:5-6] and [ISA 53] about the crucifixion…”

“…Note sections from Jeremiah and Ezekiel quoted in the New Testament [JER 23:5-6; 31:31-36]; the four living creatures [EZE 1:5-10; REV 4:6-8]; and the man clothed in white linen with an inkhorn by his side – the Holy Sealing [EZE 9:3-6 & REV 9:1-4]…”

“…The notable sections from Daniel are: The character of Daniel and his three friends [DAN 1-3]; the interpretation of the dreams of Nebuchadnezzar [DAN 5:13+] resulting in his appointment as governor; his refusal to obey the king’s decree and his rescue from the lions’ den. [DAN 6:9+]…”

“…The books written by the Prophets Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, are regarded as the minor Prophetic books; in no way meant in a derogatory sense. Notable sections are: [JOE 2:27-32 & AMO 3:3-8]…”

“…Conclusion Having reached the end of the overview of the OT, learn to recite the books of the OT and recall the general contents of the various sections: the first five books of Moses to the prophets. [ECC 12:11-14]…”

“…New Testament: Gospel Books The first four books of the NT – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John – are regarded as Gospel books, relating to the Good Message of Christ, the Truth of the Church. [MAR 1:1-8] …”

“…Matthew: The Gospel of Mathew (28 chapters; written ± 80AD) tells the story of Jesus and His life, emphasising His being a Messiah for the world. It contains five addresses / sermons by Jesus, it relays six general themes. [MAT 1:1-23 & ISA 7:14]…”

“…Matthew (1) The first theme relates to Jesus being the Saviour of Israel and the whole world. Subjects discussed: the family tree of Jesus; His birth, baptism, temptation and preaching in Galilee; and the election of the 12 Apostles. [MAT 4:17-25]

“… (2) Matthew proceeds to depict the kingdom of heaven covering the sermon on the mountain (statements of blessing); comparing the laws of old and the kingdom (of God) as preached by Jesus [MAT 5:13-16]…”

“…(3) Matthew describes Israel’s opposition to Jesus’ authority and records the sending-out of the twelve apostles (their mission) [MAT 10]; the yoke of Jesus [MAT 11:25-29]; and the (spiritual) family of Jesus [read MAT 12:46-50]…”

“…(4) Jesus teaches his disciples through parables and miracles and explains the taking-up of the cross (spiritual responsibility). He reveals the most important in the kingdom - the child. [MAT 18:1-6]…”

“…(5) Jesus announces his final judgement, enters Jerusalem and teaches through parables. He gives a sermon on the mountain; delivers Prophetic addresses and teaches about eternal / everlasting life. [MAT 21:1-13]…”

“…(6) The final theme describes Jesus’ death and resurrection beginning with His last supper, betrayal, being taken captive, crucified, buried and risen from the dead. His last commandment: to spread the gospel. [MAT 28:18-20]…”

“…The Gospel of Mark (16 chapters; written 65 – 70 AD) is the earliest of the gospels and the gospels of Matthew and Luke is based on this book. It tells the story of Jesus with emphasis on Jesus as the suffering Son of God. There are two main parts. [MAR 1:1-13]…”

“…(1) Mark firstly describes the miracle-working Son of God – his healings, casting out evil spirits, the masses that listened to his teachings and the amazement that came over the people that saw and heard Him. [MAR 1:15]…”

“…(2) Mark describes a turning point in Jesus’ life when He, the Son of God, explains that He has to die and rise again on the third day [MAR 8:30-38]. The Son came to serve, not to be served. [MAR 8:22 – 16:20]…”

“…Luke Luke addresses his gospel book (24 chapters) to Theophilus and writes it after the fall of the temple in ±70 AD. He establishes Jesus and the Church as the perfection of salvation. He divides Jesus’ life story three parts. [LUK 1:1-4]…”

“…(1) Announcing the birth of John the Baptist and Jesus; birth and childhood years of Jesus [LUK 2:1-52]; teachings of John the Baptist [LUK 3:1-20]. [Read LUK 3:23&38]…”

“…(2) The earthly ministry of Jesus – Jesus in Galilee and Jesus on his way to Jerusalem Read [LUK 4:14-21]…”

“…(3) The Suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ [LUK 24:1-53]…”

“…John John describes the Gospel of life and love (21 chapters; ±95 AD). It tells the story of Jesus, the Son of God, who was sent to bring salvation. Unlike the first three gospels, John does not write the detail of the birth of Jesus, his baptism, etc. [JOH 1:29 & ISA 53:4-7]…”

“…(1) The gospel story is told that Jesus comes from God the Father and that He (Jesus Christ) is God that has become man here on earth. [JOH 1:1-18]…”

“… (2) Jesus introduces God through his miracles in public, starting in Cana (marriage: water to wine) and returning to Cana, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. [JOH 11:1-26]…”

“…(3) Through his words, Jesus announces that he would be returning to his Father, preparing a place for those believing on Him. [JOH 14:1-7]. Also read the prayer of Jesus for His disciples. [JOH 17:1-26]…”

“…Acts The Acts of the Apostles comprise 28 chapters and were written by Luke between ±80 and 85AD. The first act of the Apostles was to elect a replacement for Judas. [ACT 1:21-26] The second act of the Apostles was the giving of the Holy Spirit. [ACT 2:38-42]…”

“…Acts of the Apostles further depict the establishment of the Church and relate the history of the persecution of the Christians; the repentance of Saul (Paul) on the road to Damascus. [ACT 9:1-16] The Apostle officially declares that the salvation of God is also unto the Gentiles. Peter also experienced this earlier on. [ACT 28:25-31 & 10:44-45]…”

“…Epistles of Paul (Romans to Hebrews). A number of books written by Paul to various congregations in different regions that were sent to them.…”

“…Romans: In the epistle to the congregation in Rome, Paul explains the gospel – from the sinful state of the believers to their capability of attaining anything through the power of Jesus Christ. [ROM 1:1-7; 6:1-7 & 8:1-9]…”

“…I & II Corinthians: [I COR]: Paul addresses problems in the congregation, (disputes, immorality, problems during worship, the resurrection, etc.). He compares the Church with a body and then states that we are the body of Christ and members individually [I COR 12:27-28] In [II COR] the Apostle writes about different issues such as his authority as an Apostle, the way in which a believer is to live and their willingness to aid others…”

“…Galatians: Apostle Paul motivates why believers should live by the freedom that comes from the Spirit, rather than under the law. He emphasises that there is no other gospel unto salvation and members should not be confused. [GAL 1:6-12] Also look at two covenants. [GAL 4:22-26]…”

“…Ephesians: This letter is written about the Church and for the Church. The living Church, with Christ as its Head, is described. [EPH 2:17-21 & 4:1-13]…”

“…Philippians A book of joy. Paul explains how he and other believers are capable of attaining anything through the power of Jesus Christ. [PHI 2:1-5 & 4:4-8]…”

“…Colossians: Paul explains the gospel in a nutshell – we attain the image of God through Jesus Christ. Because of our status as children of God, we are His heirs and should do everything to His glory. [COL 1:9-19 & 27-28]…”

“…I & II Thessalonians. The Apostle urges the believers in [I THE] to live their daily lives according to the will of God. In [II THE], suffering members are encouraged to persevere in the faith to ensure that their membership in Jesus Christ, the Church, is perfectly whole. [I THE 5:1-9]…”

“…I & II Timothy: In [I TIM], Paul explains how leaders should act. He pays special attention to the actions and deeds of believers and also advises Timothy on his ministry. Paul writes in [II TIM] about the foundations of the faith and the Church and comments on the difficult journey that the faithful have to travel. [I TIM 1:5-11]…”

“…Titus: Paul advises the congregation in Crete to appoint good leaders to guard against spiritual deterioration. This implies that they must cling to and remain in the pure doctrine of the gospel. [TITUS 1:1-5]…”

“…Philemon: Paul pleads the case of the slave Onesimus (who had deserted his master, Philemon). He has since come to repentance and for this reason Paul requests his former owner, Philemon, to receive Onesimus back as a brother in the faith. [PHIL 1:1-6] Note the church in thy house…”

“…Hebrews The book (written ±80-90AD) attempts to confirm that redemption is only possible through Jesus Christ – Him being the only High Priest who makes a new covenant (promise) with us. As believers, they shall receive the heavenly salvation. [HEB 1:1-4; 3:1 & 9:11-15]…”

“…General Epistles: A number of books in the New Testament of the Bible are described as general epistles of a few writers. These letters or epistles were written by James, Peter (two letters), John (three letters) and Jude. [JAM 5:13-16]…”

“…James: James (possibly the brother of Jesus) teaches us to live in this world according to God’s will and wisdom. We should not quarrel, pursue earthly riches, honour man or speak ill. Our faith must manifest in our deeds. [JAM 2:14-17]…”

“…I & II Peter: In [I PET], he addresses the members that are suffering for their faith and encourages them to persevere by living according to the example of Jesus. Peter reminds us of the wonderful spiritual gifts given by God in [II PET], and warns us not to be moved off course through false doctrines. [I PET 1:1-9]…”

“…I, II & III John: [I JOH]: God is life and love. The congregation is encouraged to live as children of God through the Spirit. [II JOH]: Jesus is the Son of God that became man. Every believer should rise and fall by this conviction. [III JOH]: Live in truth, accept authority and receive fellow believers. [I JOH 5:7-12]…”

“…Jude: Jude’s congregation has trouble with people bringing foreign and wrong thoughts into the congregation. The congregation is encouraged to persevere as believers.[JUD 1:20-25]…”

“…The Revelation of John (written ± 95AD) on Patmos is addressed to the seven congregations in Little Asia and illustrates the battle between God and the devil. God has however already won and all His children are part of the new Jerusalem where they live forever with God. [REV 21: 1-7]…”

“…Summary: Composition The Bible is divided into two main parts, called testaments. Each testament consists of books and each book is made up of chapters. Every chapter is comprised of verses of words. How well do you know the Holy Scriptures? [II TIM 3:14-17]…”

“…Summary: Identification There is an “old” and a “new” testament, while each of the books of these testaments carries a name / title. Chapters and verses of the books are numbered to establish an “address” for each word in the Bible – e.g. the “address” for the words: “fruit of the Spirit” is: Testament: New; Book: Galatians; Chapter: 5; Verse: 22. [GAL 5:22-23]…”

“…Summary: Number of Books A smart way to remember the number of books in the Bible is: The number of letters in the words: “Old” and “Testament” is “3” & “9” – write these two figures down to get “39”; the number of books in the OT. Multiply the “3” with the “9” to get the answer “27”; the number of books in the NT – together, 66 books in the Bible. [ECCL 12:9-14]…”

“…Translations. The OT was originally written in Hebrew and a few books in the Aramaic tongue. The NT was originally written in Greek. The king James (1611) and NKJ in English, the 1933 –1957 versions in Afrikaans, the Bible in some vernacular languages, the Staten Generaal and the Martin Luther Bible are the accepted Bibles in SA and Europe. [REV 22:18-19]…”

“…Summary / Conclusion: Sections (1) The Bible can be divided into nine main sections. Old Testament: The law of God – the first five books of the Old Testament, written by Moses. [Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy]. [DEU 6:1-6]…”

“…Sections (2) Old Testament: The history of God’s people – the period of the Judges and Kings. [Joshua, Judges, Ruth, I&II Samuel; I&II Kings, I&II Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther] [I SAM 10:20-24]…”

“…Sections (3) Old Testament: The books of wisdom and poetry. [Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and The Song of Solomon] [ECC 12:8-14]…”

“…Sections (4) Old Testament: The four major Prophets. [Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel and Daniel] [EZE 11:17-20]…”

“…Sections (5) Old Testament: The twelve minor Prophets. [Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah & Malachi] [MAL 4:5-6]…”

“…Sections (6) New Testament: Four Gospels. [Matthew, Mark, Luke and John] [MAT 28:18-20]…”

“…Sections (7) Acts of the Apostles. [Acts of the Apostles] [ACT 2:32-39]…”

“…Sections (8) Letters in the NT – written by Paul [Romans, I&II Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, I&II Thessalonians, I&II Timothy, Titus and Philemon]. [Hebrews] and the general epistles of [James, I&II Peter, I ,II &III John and Jude] [ROM 1:1-8]…”

“…Sections (9) Revelation of John. [Revelation of John]

[REV 1:1-6]…”

“…This concludes the lessons on the Holy Scriptures, trusting that you all can now recite the books of the Bible and remember them with the assistance of the songs you learned. You will, in time to come, learn the scriptures better. [I COR 1:18-25]…”

To the author of this tenet:

And many centuries later in 1927 the OAC was first formed by Carl George Klibbe. There’s a New Testament promise that Carl George Klibbe did believe in which the OAC no longer believes in, he believed that Jesus would come back again (Acts 1:6-11).

An OAC member wrote the following: “…It is also not significant to me who the founders of our OAC faith were. What is important and significant to me is to understand not only the Jesus narrative. But to be enlightened enough to understand that the entire scripture is allagoral. There are no mythical characters in the scripture. The scripture is indeed a spiritual guide for me and others spiritual souls to understand what is required of me today to attain salvation . the parables and texts that lead to growth/increase in my spiritual enlightenment is what is important…”

“…the spiritual narrative logically makes more sense to me. Almost All so called Christian denominations believe that god Almighty created heaven and earth naturally. They also believe that moses literally lead the "Israelites" to a physical land called Canaan. They also believe in a natural Arc that someone called Noah build. They also believe in a physical natural person called Jesus. All of the above makes no sense to me and many other OAC brethren. I believe that god Almighty created heaven and earth within me spiritually. I believe the Moses narrative refers to testifying. Noah Arc refers to testifying and OAC members being called to safety of the OAC doctrine (Arc) Jesus Christ being born within me spiritually etcetera. This obviously flies in the face of conventional Christian believes…”

“…The OAC is not a ministry. It is a way of life for my immortal soul. It does not change to accommodate my temporal carnal minded interpretation of scripture. All you have to do is see how humans have twisted the Bible to suit their personal narrow minded natural/literal understanding of scripture. As we as a collective body of OAC members become vessels of blessings to those still trapped in darkness . likewise our brethren did thousands of years ago. Never at any stage was it an individual tasks. Even god said " let US create…”

This member and those like him don’t seem to understand the meaning of an allegory or a parable.

An OAC officer wrote the following to defend his stance on reading single verses out of context: “…Konteks is n manier. wat die NG mense gebruik sodra jy hulle vasvra dan is jou storie uit konteks…”

For those of you who don’t understand Afrikaans, this OAC officer is saying “...Context is a way. that the DR people use when you quiz them then your story is out of context...”

Let’s have a look at the definitions of certain words which some OAC members seem to have difficulty in understanding:

Context is a discourse that surrounds a language unit and helps to determine its interpretation. Reading single verses out of context in the Bible will give you a wrong interpretation of that specific verse.

History is the discipline that records and interprets past events involving human beings. It is a narrative of what is remembered of the past as preserved in writing, a body of knowledge. The Bible is a very old book based on eye-witness accounts and all scripture is given by inspiration of God. No mere mortal on earth today was there when the Bible was written and the Bible didn’t write itself.

Story is a message presented in writing that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events. When you read a book, you read the whole book in sequential order without skipping sentences or paragraphs. There’s no reason to treat the Bible any differently.

The sections of the OAC’s fourth tenet highlighted in yellow contradict the many OAC members who argue that the Bible is not a story book or a history book. The Bible is both, plus so much more. Many OAC members deny that Moses ever physically existed, but even the OAC’s fourth tenet claims that Moses wrote the first five books of the Old Testament. There is clear division and confusion within the OAC, the OAC’s fourth tenet is yet another contradiction between what’s written and what some OAC members actually believe in. I have seen how OAC officers and OAC members insult each other regarding the literal and so-called “spiritual” interpretation of the Bible.

An OAC “underdeacon” wrote the following: “…All the people in the bible were not historical figures rather they are spiritual concepts, for the mere fact they had no surnames. Take for instance Joseph the father to Jesus was Joseph who? Moses who? I'm [name removed] and my surname is [surname removed]; but what is Peter's surname or Abraham who?…”

This OAC “underdeacon” is ignorant and doesn’t know the Bible. The word “surname” appears eight times in the KJV (Isaiah 44:5, Matthew 10:3, Acts 10:5, Acts 10:32, Acts 11:13, Acts 12:12, Acts 12:25, Acts 15:35). The people in the Bible had names which had a similar function to the surnames of today.

Simon was called Simon Barjona to distinguish him from all the other Simons. Bar meant “son of”, therefore Simon was the son of Jonah (Matthew 16:17).

Similarly, the Scottish Mac (Mc) means “son of”, so Mac Donald would mean son of Donald. Another variant is the suffix of “son” such as used in Donaldson and also means son of Donald.

There were other ways of distinguishing one person from another, Jesus was called Jesus of Nazareth (Matthew 26:71, Luke 18:37, John 1:45, John 18:5-7, John 19:19 etc.) to indicate where He came from such as His hometown. We also read of Simon the Canaanite (Matthew 10:4, Mark 3:18) because he came from Canaan, Judas Iscariot (Matthew 10:4, Matthew 26:14 etc.) because he was an inhabitant of Kerioth and Mary Magdalene (Matthew 27:56-61, Mark 15:40-47, Luke 24:10 etc.) because she was an inhabitant of Magdala.

Similarly in Dutch, the surname Van Wijk means “from neighbourhood”, and if you live in South Africa you’ll be very familiar with how many Afrikaans surnames are prefixed with Van which means “from”.

A person’s occupation was also used to distinguish one person from another. Simon’s occupation as a tanner was used to distinguish him from Simon Peter (Acts 10:5-6). Matthew is referred to as Matthew the publican because he was a tax collector (Matthew 10:3).

The surnames of Smith, Tanner, Mason etc. also originated from occupations.

Many Scottish and Welsh people didn’t adopt surnames until the 17th century whereas most English people used surnames by 1400. Thus by using the logic of the “underdeacon”, the majority of Scotsmen and Welshmen were spiritual concepts that didn’t exist as historical figures before the 17th century. You can read more at EDSITEment.

The eyewitness accounts in the Bible are real. A man isn’t a spirit, see if you can read the verses below in their proper context:

Luke 23:2-6 And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King. And Pilate asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answered him and said, Thou sayest it. Then said Pilate to the chief priests and to the people, I find no fault in this man. And they were the more fierce, saying, He stirreth up the people, teaching throughout all Jewry, beginning from Galilee to this place. When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked whether the man were a Galilaean.

Luke 24:36-40 And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet.

John 19:5 Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man!

Act 25:21-22 But when Paul had appealed to be reserved unto the hearing of Augustus, I commanded him to be kept till I might send him to Caesar. Then Agrippa said unto Festus, I would also hear the man myself. To morrow, said he, thou shalt hear him.

1 Timothy 2:5-6 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

James 5:17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.

Believing in the Holy Scriptures is one thing; interpretation of the Holy Scriptures appears to be a completely different matter altogether:

• Module 1 Lesson 1: Mysteries of the Scriptures – Earth
• Module 1 Lesson 2: Mysteries of the Scriptures – Light
• Module 1 Lesson 3: Mysteries of the Scriptures – Water
• Module 2 Lesson 1: Mysteries of the Scriptures – Kingdom of God
• Spiritual versus “natural”
• A doctrine too vast
• Oh crumbs!
• Good heavens!
• Your “owergestelde” has spoken...

2 Timothy 3:15-17 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

An OAC member wrote the following: “…If Pzul was a real person, then the following doesn't make sense to me.

Gal.4:14 And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, not rejected; BUT RECEIVED MR AS AN ANGEL OF GOD, EVEN AS CHRIST JESUS

Gal.2:20 I AM CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; ....

Gal.6:17 From benceforth let no man trouble me: FOR I BEAR IN MY BODY THE MARKS OF THE LORD JESUS.

If Paul really was a natural person, why does he lies? He as Saul didn't know who the Lord was (Act 9:5) And said, who are thou Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: ....

It wasn't Paul that was on the cross next to Jesus, it was two malefactors which was hanged railed on him (Luke 23:39) So how could he be crucified with Christ an how is it possible for him to bear the marks of the Lord Jesus?

If Christ is in heaven, how can He be in Paul?

Even in the first epistle of Paul the Apostle 1Cor.2:13 it is said that we should compare spiritual things with spiritual…”

Obviously those verses won’t make any sense if you deliberately read them out of context.

Galatians 4:14 And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected;

but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.

Paul is not saying he is an angel of God or Christ Jesus, he’s saying that he was received by the Galatians as though he could’ve been, because the Galatians did not despise or reject the temptation which was in his flesh (Galatians 4:13, 2 Corinthians 12:7). They received him with love. Please read the whole chapter to understand the context. Paul as an apostle was one of the most persecuted (2 Corinthians 11:23-29) and there are indications that he was physically weak (1 Corinthians 11:30) and that he had bad eyesight (Galatians 4:15, Galatians 6:11). Paul was a real person, he was beaten and punished and ended up physically weak and wrote big letters (because he didn’t have glasses) with his own hand.

Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Paul didn’t say he was physically crucified alongside Jesus and the malefactors, he uses present tense and from the context he’s obviously speaking spiritually. Our old man that served sin (previous sinful way of life) is crucified with Christ so that sin won’t reign in our mortal bodies (Romans 6:6-14). When we are dead to sin then we become alive to God through Jesus Christ. If you don’t obey the sinful lusts of your body, you are a new man wherein the word of Christ dwells richly and the old man (old sinful way of life) is crucified (Galatians 5:24). The new man we put on is created in righteousness and true holiness, renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him (Ephesians 4:20-32, Colossians 3:1-17). If you return to your old sinful way of life then you crucify to yourself the Son of God afresh (Hebrews 6:4-6). Paul was a real person; he disobeyed the sinful nature of his own body to become a new man. Saul is the Greek translation of Paul’s Aramaic/Hebrew name, Paul was his Roman name because he was a Roman citizen (Acts 16:37, Acts 21:39, Acts 22:25-28).

Galatians 6:17 From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.

According to Strong’s, the word “marks” is translated from the Greek word stigma and is defined as:

a mark incised or punched (for recognition of ownership), that is, (figuratively) scar of service: - mark.

It was common in the days of Paul for certain people to be branded with a hot searing iron. Slaves were branded as a mark of shame if they ran away and were recaptured by their owners. Heathen priests would brand their disciples in their temples as a mark of devotion. Then there were people who insisted that circumcision was a mark of devotion (Galatians 6:12-16). What marks did Paul have? He had stripes above measure (2 Corinthians 11:23-24) and he was beaten with rods and stoned (2 Corinthians 11:25). Paul also suffered shipwrecks, perils, weariness, painfulness, hunger, thirst, fastings, cold and nakedness (2 Corinthians 11:25-27). What the “apostles” of today have to endure pales into insignificance with what Paul had to endure (1 Corinthians 4:9-13). I doubt whether any “apostles” of today have in their bodies the marks of the Lord Jesus, i.e. any physical scars as a direct result of injuries inflicted for preaching Jesus. Stupid comments as to whether Paul ever physically existed make a mockery of his suffering for the sake of the gospel. Paul received the marks in his body while in the service of the Lord Jesus. Paul was a real person; he had the injuries and scars in his body to prove it.

The good news is that there is only one REAL Jesus and He is the ONLY Messiah.