Click or Tap Icons to Share! Thank you!

Authored By  :
Published On :
Last Updated :

NOTE: This article or series has not been updated recently. As such, it may possibly contain some outdated information, and/or ideas and beliefs which I no longer embrace, or which have changed to some degree.



Continuing our discussion from part one concerning the Fall in Eden, just like these New Age false prophets who bend to his will, Satan innocently approached Eve in order to get a "clarification" of the matter; as if maybe he, or she, had misunderstood what the Lord had said. "Did not God say that you may eat of every tree in the Garden, Eve?" Of course, he already knew what her answer would be: "Oh yes; we may eat of every tree, except for that one over there". That is when that subtle serpent Satan struck his mortal blow and made her wonder why God was withholding that particular Tree from them. Under the guise of wanting to "enlighten" Eve, Satan told his boldest lie, and accused God of being a liar. "You won't die, Eve. God lied to you! You will be just like Him!" Of course, we know what Jesus said regarding Satan some four thousand years later:

". . . He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."


Allow me to remind you of several of the other warnings that we find in the pages of the Bible regarding that deceptive, vile serpent, who Jesus referred to as the Father of Lies:

"Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices."


"And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light."


"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:"


"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."


"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"


When Jesus wandered in the wilderness for forty days and forty nights prior to beginning His ministry, Satan, also used the same tactic when he tried to twist the meaning of the Scriptures, in the vain hope that it would cause Jesus to doubt His Father's Word, or at least result in Jesus doing something which would displease His Father. Twice he said to Jesus "If thou be the Son of God". Consider these verses. Carefully notice how Satan purposely waited until Jesus was at His weakest moment in the flesh, after He had actually completed His forty-day fast:

"Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him."


What I find rather interesting is the fact that Jesus' three temptations are matched by what the Apostle John also wrote in his Epistle. Consider the following verses:

"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."


As you can see, John warns us about the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. In Jesus' case, He had just completed a forty-day fast; and so obviously, He was very hungry. Thus, Satan first tempted Him with the lust of the flesh by telling Him to turn the stones into bread. We are also informed that Satan showed Jesus "all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them". This temptation would match the lust of the eyes. Finally, twice the Devil said to Jesus "If thou be the Son of God". This would match the pride of life. "So, you are the big Son of God, eh? Okay; prove it by jumping off of the pinnacle of the Temple!"

You see, Satan knows that if he can trick us into doubting God's Word, then eventually he may be able to cause us to doubt God Himself. It all seems so innocent enough at first; until we realize where it is leading. What makes New Age thought even more dangerously deceptive, is the fact that there are small morsels of truth mixed in with all the lies that it promotes. It is similar to a mousetrap. Unless one places a small piece of bread or cheese in the trap, it is doubtful that the mouse will ever be tempted to approach the trap. But offer him something that he really wants, and just watch what happens. By the time he realizes his error, it is too late. Down comes the spring and smashes his skull, or breaks his neck!

In similar fashion, many people in the world today are also searching for the truth. They have become dissatisfied with the material offerings of the world, and the deceptions of its corrupt political and religious systems. Thus, they want something more. The Urantia Book offers just enough truth to entrap them in its deceptive snare. On the surface, it seems like the real deal. It speaks of God, Jesus, Satan, and other topics which we find mentioned in the Bible. However, these are simply the attractive hooks that it uses in order to trap unwary souls in its web of deception.

Jesus Christ -- who is the only begotten Son of God -- is the True Revelation who was sent by God. The Scriptures inform us that He is in fact the living Word of God. We do not need any other so-called "new revelation" as Urantians claim, because Jesus Christ is the Final Revelation. This is made so plain by verses such as the following:

"But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. Remember Lot's wife."


"Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,"


"So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:"


"Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day."


"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time . . . Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;"


"Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy."


"The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:"


"The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:"


In the previous verses, the words "revealed", "revelation" and "coming" are derived from two Greek words. They are "apokalupto" and "apokalupsis". Thayer's Greek English Lexicon offers us the following definition for "apokalupto":

----- Begin Quote -----

1) to uncover, lay open what has been veiled or covered up
   1a) disclose, make bare
2) to make known, make manifest, disclose what before was unknown

----- End Quote -----

Similarly, Thayer's Greek English Lexicon defines the word "apokalupsis" in the following manner:

----- Begin Quote -----

1) laying bear, making naked
2) a disclosure of truth, instruction
   2a) concerning things before unknown
   2b) used of events by which things or states or persons hitherto withdrawn from view are made visible to all
3) manifestation, appearance

----- End Quote -----

What we see then is that not only was Jesus Christ revealed as the Son of God during the First Century, but we are also informed that in God's appointed time, He will be revealed -- or manifest Himself, or make an appearance -- from Heaven in all of His Power and Glory, in the presence of His Father and the holy Angels. Following are some additional verses which clearly verify this amazing truth:

"And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."


"When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:"


"Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven."


"And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth."


"Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."


"And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power."


"And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven."


"And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven."


"For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels."


"And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory."


"Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God."


"Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all."


"For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God."


"The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,"


"Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."


"And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean."


This then is the amazing revelation and mystery of which so many of the ancient writers of the Bible spoke. This is the revelation which in God's appointed time will totally shock an unbelieving world. As Jesus and other writers of the Bible inform us, at the time that this earth-shaking event occurs, many Christians will have lost their faith. People will be living their day-to-day lives business as usual, not even realizing what is about to transpire. At the same time, due to their foolish pride, some rebellious people will even mock those Christians who still cling to the hope that Jesus will return soon. Consider the following verses:

"But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."


". . . Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?"


"And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. Remember Lot's wife."


"Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation."


Thus, while Jesus has already been revealed on the Earth, and will someday be revealed again from Heaven in all of His Power and magnificent Glory, the misguided followers of the Urantia Book foolishly claim that their deceptive tome is a "new revelation" which reveals Jesus in an entirely new way, and supposedly corrects some of the "pagan" misconceptions and errors concerning Him and the Kingdom of Heaven, which are found in the Bible. However, as I explained in part one, they preach another Jesus and another gospel, and their book is simply a piece of cheese in their mousetrap of deception. The Urantia Book is a very subtle attempt to establish a new faith which promotes a new word of god and a more benevolent god who displays no wrath towards humanity. It almost seems like the original, but it most certainly isn't. It is a cheap counterfeit.

As I was pondering these thoughts, I was reminded of the following interesting verse which is found in the Book of the Prophet Daniel:

"And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time."


Throughout the Bible, we discover that the words "word" and "law" are interchangeable. For example, the Psalms of David are literally full of verses which exalt the Word, or Law, of God. Psalm 119 is a primary example of this. Consider these examples verses:

"BETH. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word."


"Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee."


"The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver."


"Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them."


"My tongue shall speak of thy word: for all thy commandments are righteousness."


In the previous verse that is found in the Book of Daniel, we are informed that the devilish, blasphemous leader seeks to change times and laws. This is exactly what Satan has likewise been doing since the Garden of Eden. In order to elevate himself to power, he must first pervert or change the true Law or Word of God. As we have already seen, he was successful in convincing Eve that she had misunderstood the Word of God; and he has been quite successful at using this same tactic over and over again ever since that time.

As I explain in the series "In Defense of the KJV Bible", not only has that vile serpent been perverting the truth of God's Word by introducing modern versions of the Bible that contain subtle changes which alter Jesus' status, but as a result of his deceptions, the Biblical account regarding the Lord's Sacrifice and Resurrection is now viewed by a lot of hard-hearted people as just another religious myth which is believed by the so-called ignorant masses. Satan's ultimate goal, of course, has always been to exalt himself above the Throne of God. In fact, his agenda was exposed thousands of years ago in verses such as the following:

"How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit."


At any rate, as I have already explained to you, in order to deceive people, Satan must include some morsels of truth in his web of lies. This is precisely what the Urantia Book does. It does not deny that Jesus Christ is a son of God. To do so would be too obvious of a lie. However, what it does do is state that Jesus is not THE Son of God. According to the deceptive spiritual entities who supposedly gave this evil book to humanity over eighty-five years ago, Jesus is simply one of many "Creator Sons". He is demoted from His unique status as THE Son of the eternal God, and the second most powerful being in the Celestial Realm.

As I explain in a number of my other articles which likewise deal with these themes, this view concerning Jesus is a very common deception which is found within different areas of the New Age thought movement. While Jesus is revered, He is only viewed as a so-called "Avatar" or "Ascended Master". He is grouped with the likes of Moses, Confucius, Buddha, and other spiritual or philosophical leaders of ages past. They are His equals, and Jesus is not regarded as being any higher in status than them. It is a bastardized belief system or a One World Religion similar to Babylon the Great and her many harlots.

But as I have mentioned a few times now, the Urantia Book's most serious mistake and deception, is that it erroneously teaches that the Blood Sacrifice of Jesus Christ is not a necessary part of our Salvation. This deceptive work -- and the misguided people who foolishly adhere to it -- insist that the events at Calvary were a horrid, barbaric act which was totally unrelated to God's Plan of Salvation. Yes, being crucified is indeed horrible and barbaric, not to mention extremely painful; nevertheless, God's Word from beginning to end clearly indicates that this Final Sacrifice for sin was necessary, in order that we might obtain Salvation. As such, what Dr. Weeks and the Urantia Book promote is a lie, and totally contradicts what is actually stated in both the Old and the New Testaments regarding Christ's sufferings.

As we learned in part one, the Urantia Book also claims that Michael is Jesus Christ's celestial or heavenly name. From conversations I have had in the past, I am aware of the fact that this same doctrine is likewise espoused by the Jehovah's Witnesses. This has led me to wonder if perhaps some of the people who were involved in the creation of the Urantia Book from 1925 to 1935 -- that is, an individual allegedly named Wilfred Kellogg, Dr. William S. Sadler and his wife Lena, Sadler's son William Jr., and the other members of the Forum and the Contact Commission -- may have been associated with the Jehovah's Witnesses. Please note that I have no evidence to prove this point, and that it is just a hunch on my part.

While there is definitely a connection between Jesus Christ and the priestly order of Melchizedek in the Bible -- as I clearly demonstrate in the series entitled "Is Jesus the Only Begotten Son of God?" -- to my knowledge, there is no clear Scriptural connection to support the belief that Jesus and Michael are one and the same individual. I suspect that the Jehovah's Witnesses and the authors of the Urantia Book may have arrived at their conclusion based on a few verses which show similarities between Michael's and Jesus's activities. As I point out in the series entitled "Who Hindered the Antichrist?", these similarities include waging war against Satan and his demonic forces. The Archangel Michael's role as a warrior in the Heavenly Realm is revealed in such verses as the following:

"And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time."


"And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book."


"Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee."


Please go to part three for the continuation of this series.

⇒ Go To The Next Part . . .

Click or Tap Icons to Share! Thank you!

---

---

Please avail yourself of other areas of the Bill's Bible Basics website. There are many treasures for you to discover.