This Newton Was No Fig  

Psalms 19:1 says, "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork."

Many years ago, scientist-inventor Sir Isaac Newton had an exact replica of our solar system made in miniature. 

At its center was a large golden ball representing the sun, and revolving around it were smaller planets attached at the ends of rods of varying lengths. 

They represented Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, and the other planets. 

These were all geared together by cogs and belts to make them move around the "sun" in perfect harmony. 

One day as Newton was studying this model, a friend who did not believe in the biblical account of creation stopped by for a visit. 

Marveling at the device and watching as the scientist made the heavenly bodies move in their orbits, the man exclaimed, "My Newton, what an exquisite thing! Who made it for you?" 

Without looking up, Sir Isaac replied, "Nobody." 

"Nobody?" his friend asked. 

"That's right! I said nobody! All of these balls and cogs and belts and gears just happened to come together, and wonder of wonders, by chance they began revolving in their set orbits with perfect timing." 

The unbeliever got the message! 

It was foolish to suppose that the model merely happened. 

But it was even more senseless to accept the theory that the earth and the vast universe came into being by chance. 

How much more logical to believe what the Bible says, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." 

The Bible also declares, in Psalms 14:1, "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God." 

Reason by itself should show how absurd it is to deny the God of creation.

WHO DO CATHOLICS REALLY WORSHIP?

Here are just a few Roman Catholic teachings on Mary -

·       By your prayers, (Mary) will deliver our souls from death

·       Redeemed from the moment of her conception

·       "...The cause of salvation for herself and for the whole human race"

·       Death through Eve, life through Mary The All-Holy One

·       Refuge of sinners

·       Queen over all things

·       Our Advocate

·       Mediatrix

·       Helper

·       Mother of mercy

·       Benefactress

·       Model and source of holiness

·       RCC claim “... by her manifold intercession, Mary continues to bring us the gift of eternal salvation.”

But what does the Bible say about Mary? 

THERE IS ONE MEDIATOR – NOT MARY

·       1 Timothy 2:5 says, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” 
  
 CHRIST IS OUR ADVOCATE - NOT MARY

    

·       1 John 2:1 says,  ”My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. “

CHRIST IS OUR REDEEMER - NOT MARY

· 
  Speaking of Jesus Christ, Titus 2:14 says, “Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” 
  
CHRIST IS THE ONLY SAVIOUR - NOT MARY

·   Speaking of Christ, Acts 4:12 says, ”Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” 

 CHRIST IS OUR HELPER - NOT MARY

Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

CHRIST IS OUR REFUGE - NOT MARY

Hebrews 6:20 says, “That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus , made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.” 

CHRIST IS THE MERCIFUL ONE - NOT MARY

Hebrews 2:17 says, “Wherefore in all things it behoved him (JESUS CHRIST) to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.” 

CHRIST DELIVERS OUR SOULS - NOT MARY

Jesus said, Matthew 11:29 says, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” 

ROMAN CATHOLICS CLAIM THAT MARY IS THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN, BUT GOD CONDEMNS THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN IN HIS WORD

God said in Jeremiah 7:18,”The women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.” 

GOD IS AGAINST IMAGES AND IDOLS

Despite the warnings, every Roman 
Catholic bows down to images and idols.    

    Exodus 20:4 says, “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.”

·      Deuteronomy 4:16 says, “Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female.”

·      Deuteronomy 4:23 says, “Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the LORD your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of anything, which the LORD thy God hath forbidden thee.” 

·      Deuteronomy 5:9 says, “Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.”

·      Deuteronomy 16:22 says, “Neither shalt thou set thee up any image; which the LORD thy God hateth “

·      Leviticus 26:1 says, “Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God.”

IS THE BIBLE RELIABLE?
 
Many people today question or dismiss Christianity because they challenge the reliability of the book upon which it is based, the Bible. Prove the Bible baloney and Christianity crashes and burns. It seems that many of the loudest critics of the Bible know little about the Book. So what are the nuts and bolts of the Bible? Check this out.
 
By Grace Kemp
gracekemp@aol.com
 
Grace Kemp is a writer and Bible teacher with a passion for clear Bible teaching. She spends 12 hours a day in her home office studying the Word and preparing in-depth teaching documents. 

Bible Basics 
  
1. The Bible consists of 66 books.
2. The Bible was written by 40 different authors.
3. The Bible was written over 1,500 years spanning 40 generations.
4. The Bible was written in three languages—Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.
5. The Bible's authors represent the gamut of occupations—doctor, prophet, farmer, fisherman, king, philosopher, scribe, tax collector, tentmaker, statesman, shepherd, scholar, etc.
6. The Bible covers a plethora of topics—creation, history, biographies, morals, prophecy, money, genealogies, relationships, law, eschatology
(future events), Heaven, Hell, punishment, sin, suffering, God, man, salvation, the spirit world, and more.

The Bible is miraculous in many ways.
 
A. Divine Diversity with different...

1. Authors
2. Locations
3. Languages
4. Generations
5. Audiences
6. Writers   
7. Occupations
8.  Styles
9.  Subject matter, etc.


B. Human Unity

1. Same Messiah; Jesus Christ
2. Same message
3. Redemption of man
4. Same means of salvation; Atonement through the blood sacrafice of Christ 

C. Motive: Reconciliation of man to God
    
Manuscripts

1.While no original Bible text exists, more than 24,000 copies of copies of the original manuscripts still exist. They are housed in various museums and safe places around the globe, with quite a few in the Vatican and in different monasteries. The Dead Sea Scrolls are in Israel. 
2. By contrast. there are only 643 copies of Homer's Iliad (900 BC) available. 
3. One fragment the size of a stamp is said to date back to within 25 years of the original writing. This is extremely rare as most copies are hundreds of years after the next earliest copy. The Dead Sea Scrolls predated the earliest Biblical manuscripts we had by 1,000 years. Most of the 24,000 bits and pieces of the bible have been found in the past 100 years.  Of course, of these, some are more ancient than others. The interesting thing is that recently discovered manuscripts agree with the various Bibles compiled through the centuries.

4. There is a gap of 500 years between the oldest copy of the Iliad and the original.
5. There is more evidence for the reliability of the New Testament manuscripts than any 10 pieces of classical literature combined.
6. The Biblical manuscripts we have today are in far better shape than Shakespeare's plays of the 17th century.
7. Without printing presses prior to 1450 AD, manuscripts were copied by hand. Jewish scribes were fanatically meticulous in copying and preserving the "oracles of God."
8. The Biblical manuscripts have miraculously survived banning, burning, criticism, cynicism, scrutiny, skepticism, vicious external and internal attacks.

Accuracy                                                                                                                     
1. No recently-found manuscripts contradict earlier ones.
2. The "Isaiah Scroll," among the Dead Sea Scrolls found in a cave in 1947, predates the previous earliest Isaiah manuscript by 1,000 years, yet is exactly the same.

Canon means a standard or code of laws established by a church council

1. Is it authoritative ("thus saith the Lord")?
2. Are its prophecies accurately fulfilled?
3. Is the manuscript authentic or fake?
4. Is it dynamic? Does it impress you as a true word of God?
5. Is it accepted as God's Word and used as such by God's people?
Adoption of the 27 New Testament books into the Canon took place at the Synod of Hippo in North Africa in 393 AD. This was a meeting of Roman Catholic bishops in church council. Before the Synod, the 39 books of the Old Testament were accepted as God's word.

Apocrypha means hidden books
 
1. The 14 Apocrypha religious and historical books are of uncertain origin and authorship. They are rejected by most authorities. They primarily date from the first or second century B.C.
2. Seven of these books have been accepted into the Canon by the Roman Catholic Church.

Pseudepigrapha means false writings
 
1. These are documents falsely claimed to be authored by the apostles.
2. They are inaccurate historically and geographically, etc.
3. Their teachings contradict scripture.
4. They have been rejected by scholars from earliest times.

Does the Bible itself claim to be inspired by God?
 
1. "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God" (2 Timothy 3:16)
2. "Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God" (Romans 3:2)
3. "Not...the word of men but...actually...the Word of God" (1 Thessalonians 2:13)
4. "Holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost" (1 Peter 1:21)
5. "The revelation came...by the Holy Spirit" (1 Corinthians 2:13)
6. "God spoke...through the prophets" (Hebrews 1:1)
(Throughout the Bible, the expression "thus saith the Lord" appears 434 times.)

Biblical prophecies
 
1. Approximately one quarter of the Bible deals with prophecy.
2. Many prophecies were recorded hundreds of years prior to the event. For example, the prophet Micah proclaimed in Micah 5:2, "O Bethlehem, you are but a small Judean village, yet you will be the birthplace of my King who is alive from everlasting ages past!" This was written over 700 years before Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem!
3. Prophecies concerned
   1. Individuals
   2. Cities
   3. Nations
   4. Israel
   5. The Messiah
   6. future events, etc.
   7. Approximately three-quarters of the recorded prophecies have been precisely fulfilled. One quarter remains to be fulfilled.
 
Israel
   1. No other nation can document its history in such astonishing detail.
   2. Scores of Bible prophecies predict its scattering among the nations (70 to 1948 AD), persecution, re-gathering in Israel (Israel declared statehood on May 14, 1948), and future glory (during the millennium)
   
 Messiah
 1. There are more than 300 Old Testament prophecies predicting a coming Messiah.
  2. These predictions were recorded hundreds of years prior to the arrival of Jesus Christ.
  3.  While 40 other "messiahs" claimed the title, only Jesus fulfilled all of the prophecies.
  4. The probability of only 48 of the 300 prophecies being fulfilled by pure chance is mathematically impossible.

Archaeology
 
1. "Archaeology has confirmed the history of the Old Testament" (William Albright)
2. "Archaeology has unquestionably strengthened confidence in the reliability of the Scriptural record." (Millar Burrows, Yale)
3. "The evidence of archaeology has been to establish the authority of the Old Testament." (Sir Frederic Kenyon)
4. The famous Dead Sea Scrolls refer to the Old Testament authors  as "prophets".
5. Archaeology supports 85 very specific Bible events.
6. No archaeological discovery has disproved Scripture.

Science   

Although written in pre-science times, scientific references are accurate.
1. Seaworthiness of Noah's Ark.
2. Sphericity of the earth (Isaiah 40:22).
3. Earth hanging on nothing (Job 26:7).
4. Innumerable stars (Genesis 15:5).
5. Mountains and valleys in the sea (2 Samuel 22:16).
6. Paths or currents in the sea (Psalms 8:8).
7. Hydrologic cycle (Job 26:8).
8. Life is in the blood (Leviticus 17:11).
9. Rules of health and sanitation (Genesis 17:9).
10. Second law of thermodynamics—things tend toward randomness (Psalm 102:25-26).

History
 
1. Acclaimed Jewish historian Josephus, who lived in 100 AD and documented many first-century events, declared, "No one is so bold as to add, remove, or change anything in them (Old Testament).We esteem those books to contain divine doctrines and would willingly die for them."
2. Historian Dr. Clark Pinnock states, "There exists no document from the ancient world so excellent a set of textual testimony and offering so superb an array of historical data...skepticism regarding the historical credentials of Christianity is based on an irrational anti-supernatural bias."
3. The Bible is supported by the testimony of ancient historians and bishops—Sophocles, Cicero, Virgil, Eusebius, Ignatius, Polycarp, Iraneus, Clement, et al.

What about the other so-called "Holy" books?
 
1. Islam's Qur'an (written 700 AD).
   a) Mohammed questioned the source of his visions, originally attributing them to demons. Unlike the Bible, the Qur'an has only one author which increases the possibility of deception.
   b) Basic Bible doctrines, such as the deity of Christ and that Christ is God's full and final revelation (Luke 24:44), are denied.
   c) The Qur'an is without collaborating evidence, fulfilled prophecy, and evidences of authenticity such as miracles and eyewitnesses.

2. Hindu's Vedic Scriptures (written between 1400 BC and 500 AD)
    a) Salvation through devotion to several gods and by works and knowledge.
   b) Mystical ideas about man and the universe.
   c) Magical formulas, condemned by the Bible as evil.

3. Buddhism's Three Scriptures ("baskets")
   a) Many contradictory teachings.
   b) Personal evaluation or critical thinking is discouraged.
   c) Salvation through "enlightenment" and "looking within".
   d) Buddhism's "baskets" are 11 times larger than the Bible.

4. Book of Mormon
    a) The book is basically a novel without historical, archeological, geographical, prophetical, or scientific proof.
   b) There are no original manuscripts available. "An angel took them home to Heaven."
    c) There is no evidence that the language in which it claims to have been written, "Reformed Egyptian," ever existed.
   d) The Mormons claim the book was written between 600 BC and 421 AD, yet the book contains extensive quotes from the King James Version of the Bible, which was published in 1611 AD.

‘I’M DOING MY BEST TO EARN HEAVEN’ 
Big problem with that thinking 

By Harold Smith 
inchrist@ns.sympatico.ca 

QUESTION: If I do the best I can will I be saved? This is another heresy that deceives millions. The Bible does not say salvation is by doing the best we can. 

Ephesians 2:8.9 says, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” 

These verses tell us plainly that it is not our works that save us. If they did, we could boast which would be the terrible sin of pride. The Bible tells us that salvation is by God’s grace and His grace alone. 

This means it is a divine favor granted to all by God’s loving kindness for sinners. He sent His beloved Son to die so that we might be forgiven and saved. He could not take us to Heaven with one sin. It would be against His holy nature to do so. 

God’s part is grace, and our part is faith. Faith is the noun of believing. Believing is a verb which is an action word. This is something we do to receive His grace and salvation which is in His Son. 

There is no merit in faith alone. It is the object of our faith that is the important element. By an act of our will, we know we are a sinner. To be Heaven-worthy, we must put our trust and hope in Christ alone. 

Have you done this yet? We do not need any church to talk to God, We just must realize we are a sinner and lost to God and put our trust in Christ. Then tell others that others we have trusted Him.

 
Examination of the Cults 
By NiteOwlDave                                                                            niteowldave@gmail.com
 
The following verses in Matthew 24, 4-5 are certainly prophetic in view of the growing followers of religious cults today.

Jesus said, "Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ', AND SHALL DECEIVE MANY."

Most cults claim to be Bible-based, when in fact they borrow elements of biblical truth or add to from the inspired Word of God.

If what is promoted by a religious group flies in the face of Holy Scripture, that group must be declared false. Its promoters and adherents will face the wrath of a Holy God in the afterlife.

The apostle John in the Book of Revelations warns in the third and fourth last verses in the Bible, Revelations 22:18-19,

"I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book.

"And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book."

What is a cult?

The commonly held definition is that a cult is simply a belief system.

But more correctly, a cult is a group led by a dictatorial leader who demands unquestioning adherence to his doctrines which are generally taken from the Scripture out of context.

With the Bible being our measuring stick, let us examine here a few of the more prominent cults in North America.

1.Roman Catholicism

See http://www.scribd.com/doc/13645018/RCC-KING-of-the-Cults

2. Mormonism

Mormonism, also known as the Church of the Latter Day Saints, was founded by Joseph Smith, Jr., in Fayette, New York, in 1830.

Smith wrote The Book of Mormon which he claimed was divinely inspired.
 
A claimed visitation by an “angel” named Moroni at age 14, when he was given new revelation written on gold tablets, was the basis for the Mormon book, which is given equal authority to the Bible.

Interestingly, the Bible warns us to reject added “truth,” even if it is brought by a so-called angel.  

In Galatians 1:8 the apostle Paul says, “But even if we, or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!” Moroni is likely a demon.
 
Upon the death of Smith, who was shot and killed by an angry mob, Brigham Young became leader, who established new headquarters in Utah.

Mormons believe,
 
*With the Book of Mormon, the Bible, and a few other chosen writings, the Mormon Church believes it is the only true church and is in possession of all divine written revelation
 
*That sect founder Joseph Smith was born as God's prophet
 
*That man was not created by God despite what the Bible says; and that man pre-existed in a celestial world before becoming human
 
*That man was in the beginning also a God, the same as Jesus
That eventually man may return to God status and reach the perfection of the deity
 
*That a living Mormon can be baptized on behalf of another Mormon who died without being baptized. The Holy Spirit—a needed element for salvation—enters a Mormon through water baptism
 
*That until it was outlawed by the federal government, plural marriages were promoted and practiced by the cult. While the practice is now outlawed, the written doctrine has not been changed

*That marriages extend into eternity
 
*That, according to many Mormons, Christ was married to Mary and Martha, sisters of the resurrected Lazarus
 
*That salvation is gained by doing good works and following church orders

Conclusion: Mormon cult teachings are diametrically opposite to what the Bible teaches. It is therefore a "doctrine of devils" and is totally false.

3. Jehovah's Witnesses

The modern-day Jehovah's Witnesses (JW’s) was founded by Charles T. Russell in 1876. Over the years, the JW's have gone by the names Russellites, Millennial Dawnists, Watch Tower Society, and International Bible Students.

JW teachings are undeniably wrong when held up to the light of Scripture.

Aside from the facts that they refuse blood transfusions, will not salute the flag or honor any government, will have no part of war, or honor traditional Christian holidays (pet peeve items which we will not address here), Jehovah’s Witnesses -
 
*Deny that Christ literally rose from the dead as the Bible states, but teach that Christ was raised an invisible spirit
 
*Deny that Jesus Christ is equal with the Father as the Bible states, but teach that Jesus was the first "created" being 

*Deny the biblical teaching of an eternal soul, but teach that the soul fades away at death and that man will never face God for an accounting
 
*Deny the biblical teaching of the three-person Godhead, the Trinity
 
*Teach that God began to set up on this earth His kingdom in 1914 and that only 144,000 JW's will become part of that kingdom
 
*Denounce all organized religion, and teach that all ministers except themselves are frauds
 
*Denounce the existence of a literal Hell, teaching that it is an invention of the Devil who will ultimately be completely annihilated

4. Christian Science

Christian Science, "discovered" by Mary Baker Eddy in 1866, is neither Christian nor scientific. The textbook of Christian Science is Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures which Mrs. Eddy wrote, she said, by divine inspiration.

This unbiblical cult -
 
*Denies the existence of a personal God. God is taught to be a divine principle, a state of mind
 
*Teaches that Jesus Christ was a divine idea—not a real person
 
*Denies biblical creation, but teaches that man is "the expression of infinite mind"
 
*Denies the biblical teaching of sin and teaches that sin "is simply a belief, an illusion"
 
*Denies the biblical teaching of a literal Satan
 
*Teaches that angels are only exalted thoughts
 
*Denies there is a literal Heaven

*Denies there is a Hell
 
*Teaches that sickness and disease are not real. They are "mental errors"
 
*Teaches that death is not real, only a "mortal dream".


5. Unity Church

Closely allied to the unbiblical thought of Christian Science is The Unity School of Christianity, founded by Charles and Myrtle Fillmore in 1922. Extremely hard to pin down its beliefs, Unity is a hodgepodge of thought. Unity teaches,

*Teaches that God is a principle. When man attains complete unity with this principle, good health and prosperity will follow
 
*Teaches that Jesus Christ was not a person
 
*Teaches that salvation is the "energy of light through which creative mind rules heaven and earth, when his mind of love synchronizes with creative mind"
 
*Denies the biblical teaching of the fall of man, the new birth, and the reality of sin and Hell
 
*Teaches the Hindu doctrine of repeated reincarnation until perfection is attained


6. Seventh-Day Adventism

One of the fastest-growing and most deceptive religious cults is Seventh-day Adventism (SDA).

For public consumption the sect preaches the biblical "gospel”. A deeper look shows it preaches poison.

Most believe the fundamental difference between traditional Christianity and SDA is that the Adventists chose to observe Saturday as the Sabbath as opposed to Sunday.

The present SDA movement began with the mistake of William Miller who predicted the coming of Christ in 1843, then 1844 when Christ was a no-show.
 
His followers would not admit to an error, so they claimed that Christ had in fact come—not to earth but to a different part of Heaven.

The false foundation of the Seventh Day Adventists was inspired from a Mrs. Ellen White, whose vision spawned the following unscriptural doctrine that states -

*Christ came back in 1844 and has been in the "Sanctuary" of Heaven since then to complete the atonement He began at Calvary
 
*The SDA are a select "remnant" group chosen by God who alone have total truth
 
*They are the 144,000 of Revelation 7, and they alone have the message of the last days
 
*The three angels of Revelations 14:6-11 are a prophecy of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church of the "latter" days
 
*That Sabbath-keeping will constitute the "seal of the living God" and is the final mark of salvation
 
*Observing the Sabbath on Sunday and not Saturday will be the "mark of the Beast" (in other words, one's salvation is determined by which day is observed as the Sabbath)
 
*That the "scapegoat" in Leviticus 16 was symbolical of Satan, upon whom the sins of the people were laid, thus making Satan our sin-bearer
 
*That Jesus inherited our Adam's sinful nature, and therefore possessed an inborn inclination to sin
 
*The verses which speak of a Christian, upon dying, being "present with the Lord" are false, where death means soul sleep 

*That there is no Hell, where those who are not Christians at death will in the end be reduced to ashes
 
*That the Millennium of Revelations is bogus and that Christ will not reign on earth for 1,000 years

The Seventh-Day Adventists do teach enough Biblical truth to blind the eyes to the wretched wrongs which are cleverly mixed in with the truth.

7. Bahaism

With its roots in Persia, Bahai is one of the strangest religions in the world.

The present movement is the outgrowth of an earlier cult founded by the "Bab", a Persian prophet. Bahai acknowledge Jesus as being a great prophet, but proclaim Mohammed as greater.

Following the execution of the "Bab" by Mohammedan authorities in the public square at Tabriz, Persia, in 1850, the movement was taken up by the Bahaullah who had been designed by the "Bab" as the final Messiah who would cause the whole world to accept the Koran (the Mohammeden Bible) as the final word of Allah.

Since 1957 when prophet Shoghi Effendi, called the final Messenger, died, there have been a dozen leaders elected to oversee and direct the affairs of Bahaism.
Bahaism teaches that,

*God is unknowable except through the Bahai prophet
 
*Divine revelation is continuous and progressive

*The evolution of man's spiritual and social position occurs in cycles of one thousand years;

*The mission of Bahaism is to unite all men in one faith and one religion—Bahaism;

*The final age of peace will come through God's prophet, the head of Bahaism.

Conclusion

So what conclusions can we draw from this brief look into a few of the more-popular cults?

Well, they each swipe elements of clear Biblical theology.
They then add or subtract from the Holy Scripture to make a bogus, hodgepodge theology.
They refuse to accept the Bible as the total, God-inspired, don't-mess-with-it, all-inclusive Word of God.
The cults each claim they have been given new revelation through their prophets.
This then makes THEM God's final witnesses to the world.
There can only be two sources of final witness—God of Glory or destructive master trickster Satan.