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The World to Come. The Restored Church of God presents David C. Pack. Answering life’s
greatest questions straight from the Bible, and announcing the wonderful good news of
the World to Come.
Part 1 brought crucial setup to the subject of the trinity. The world has been deceived
about the true God, believing in a triune deity. Part 2 presents an extensive look at
the history of the trinitarian god, including who propelled it.
How did the trinity come to be accepted by Christianity? How was knowledge of the true
God lost? Here are the facts from history! You will be SHOCKED!
Part 2 begins with a fascinating longer account illustrating why superstitious man will even
worship all gods at the same time to be sure to include the true one. The apostle Paul
is speaking to Greek polytheists: “Paul stood in the midst of Mars’ hill, and said,
You men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are too superstitious. For as I
passed by, and beheld your devotions [gods], I found an altar with this inscription, TO
THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore you ignorantly worship, Him declare I unto you. God that
made the world and all things therein, seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth, dwells
not in temples made with hands; neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though He
needed anything, seeing He gives to all life, and breath, and all things; and has made of
one blood all nations of men [all races] for to dwell on all the face of the earth…that
they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after Him, and find Him, though he be
not far from every one of us: for in Him we live, and move, and have our being; as…your
own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of
God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven
by art and man’s device…the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commands
all men everywhere to repent.” Paul noted “the unknown god.” The Greeks
had devised a “catch-all” inscription to include any god missed in their “devotions.”
They had left no stone unturned worshipping every deity.
Truly, the God of the Bible has been unknown to countless millions content to worship a
god selected for them by men. Theologians and religionists have sought the opinions
of philosophers, scholars and supposed experts, instead of the only important opinion---that
of God, found in His Word. You are about to see that, centuries ago, these religious leaders
brought a god to the masses who were willing to swallow it without proof.
Let’s ask, What is the ultimate difference between the God of the Bible and all other
gods? How does God differentiate Himself? All thru Scripture, God describes Himself
as “the living God”---the “Eternal”---“I am that I am” (the name He told Moses to
use before Pharaoh). The God of the Bible separates Himself from all other gods by declaring
Himself to be alive!---LIVING!---meaning all other gods are non-existent or---in a sense---dead.
Put another way, the true God states, “I AM,” meaning other gods “are NOT”---period.
Continually ask thruout the series whether you are worshipping the true God---the God
who is alive---or something non-existent and “dead”---a god who is not! This question
towers over all others before you. Having wanted to appear to follow the God
of Creation, modern theologians have not honestly explored the trinity god in light of plain
facts from history and Scripture. Millions of professing Christians, also unwilling to
explore the facts for themselves, follow these deceived men. They remain duped by dishonest,
seductive arguments designed by the god of this world to lead them to worship of himself.
In their vanity, they have foolishly rejected vital knowledge. The result has been so many
have unnecessarily become “darkened”---blinded---to plain understanding of God.
For God to require obedience to His first 4 commandments without explaining Who and
What He is would be cruel. Not equipping His worshippers to be able to distinguish Him
from other gods would have been grossly unfair. This series equips you as God intended.
When confronting 450 prophets of Baal trying to lead Israel away from the true God, the
prophet Elijah presented ancient Israel with the ultimate question---and the choice facing
you: “Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt you between two opinions?
If the Lord be God, follow Him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him
not a word.” All that follows will prepare---and arm---you to answer what Israel would not.
It has been said that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. To truly
unlearn all that the trinity entails, one must examine how it developed---its history.
We now cover the origin of the teaching spanning thousands of years, even before the time of
Christ. You will see that theologians rely on human
reasoning because they completely dismiss crucial facts of history! This series is loaded
with these facts, bringing quote after quote from respected, reliable historians. Detail
is presented so the viewer cannot miss the big picture. This detail is necessary. These
quotes bring important background about what was happening in the NT Church. They are essential
to understand first---before examining the period when the trinity gained acceptance.
These facts are compelling. It is vital you carefully examine these many
sources for their message. The trinity will be seen to have roots almost entirely in philosophy
and abstract metaphysics---and human reasoning. Remember from Part 1 that elements of this
series will be difficult or impossible to understand---and why this is good. You will
find yourself wondering how anyone could possibly believe the trinity is scriptural!
Long before the Christian era, a great many variations of a 3-fold god existed. Pagan
religions and mythologies were shot thru with them. As with so many other pagan customs
and practices that found their way into Christianity, the revival of this doctrine after Christ
ascended to heaven was predictable. It was essential that followers be able to see Christianity
in familiar terms. Offering pagans a 3-in-one god became all-important to add believers---and
gain power. Triad---or 3-in-one---deities first appeared
in ancient Egypt soon after the Great Flood of Noah’s time---around 2300 BC. These came
to be worshipped as Osiris, Isis and Horus. Some facts of early history: After the destruction
of the Tower of Babel, *** and his wife-mother Semiramis, the first rulers of Babylon, fled
to Egypt. *** (known as Ninus or Athothis, among many other names) shared rulership with
his father Cush, or Menes, in Egypt’s first dynasty. After ***’s death, Semiramis
claimed their son Horus was *** reincarnated. These 3---Osiris (***), Isis (Semiramis)
and Horus (their son)---came to be exalted. In Babylon, these same 3 were known as Ninus,
Ishtar and Tammuz. Over time, this triad became well-known in many nations. In ancient Rome
a triad of deities was worshipped---Jupiter, Juno and Minerva---and they bore similarities
to earlier trinities. Virtually all ancient religions possessed
triad deities. Notice this astonishing acknowledgment: “Though it is usual to speak of the Semitic
tribes as monotheistic; yet it is an undoubted fact that more or less all over the world
the deities are in triads. This rule applies to eastern and western hemispheres, to north
and south. Further, it is observed that, in some mystical way, the triad of 3 persons
is one…applied to the trinities of all heathen religions.”
An example is found in the ancient roots of Hinduism. After the 6th century BC, Hinduism
featured the 3-in-one god that became known as the Trimurti. The god Brahman consisted
of Brahma, the creator, Vishnu, the preserver and Shiva, the destroyer.
It’s now time to ask, How did the trinity get into mainstream Christianity? Why were
so many followers receptive to the very same schools of philosophy that had been rejected
by 1st century Christians? After the original apostles died, contradictions
in teachings---meaning false doctrine---began to appear en masse, and Church history became
lost. Famous historian Edward Gibbon acknowledged, “The scanty and suspicious materials of
ecclesiastical history seldom enable us to dispel the dark cloud that hangs over the
first age of the church.” For nearly a century after events in the book
of Acts---about AD 70 to 170---we find Church history is virtually blank. Jesse Lyman Hurlbut
calls this time the “Age of Shadows”: “Of all the periods in the [church’s]
history, it is the one about which we know the least…For 50 years after St. Paul’s
life a curtain hangs over the church, through which we strive vainly to look; and when at
last it rises, about 120 A.D. with the writings of the earliest church fathers, we find a
church in many aspects very different from that in the days of Peter and Paul.”
The NT offers many verses proving apostasy was occurring, pulling believers from the
truth. Paul warned that “the mystery of iniquity does already work,” as he wrote,
and of “false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles
of Christ.” And Jude urged the brethren to “contend for the faith which was once
delivered to the saints,” among other verses. Returning from exile, an old apostle John
confronted the growing apostasy in the AD 90s. False leaders had gained control over
congregations of the true Church in Asia Minor. Here is one account of the controversy: “I
[John] wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them,
received us not. Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he did, prating against
us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither does he himself receive the brethren,
and forbids them that would, and casts them out of the church.”
Such occurrences were repeated in many congregations, and continued under Polycarp, John’s successor.
No wonder John also wrote, “Try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false
prophets are gone out into the world.” Secular history also shows how false leaders
changed the direction of the Church and cast out the few brethren who remained loyal to
the apostles’ teachings. About AD 135, the Jerusalem-Pella congregation came under control
of an Italian named Marcus. He persuaded the majority to renounce the 10 Commandments,
and only those brethren who did this were permitted admittance into Jerusalem by the
Roman authorities. A faithful few refused to follow Marcus. Notice:
“The crimes of heresy and schism were imputed to the obscure remnant of the Nazarenes, [that’s
an early name for the true Church] which refused to accompany their Latin bishop…In a few
years after the return of the church of Jerusalem, it became a matter of doubt and controversy,
whether a man who sincerely acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah, but who still continued to
observe the law of Moses, could possibly hope for salvation…[Marcus’ followers] excluded
their Judaizing brethren [as God’s people were also labeled] from the hope of salvation…[and
from] the common offices of friendship, hospitality, and social life.”
The remnant of the apostolic Church---those determined to adhere to the teachings of Jesus
Christ and the apostles---were accused of “Judaizing.” This derogatory term implied
that such a person sought to earn salvation by obeying God’s commandments, including
the Sabbath and annual Holy Days. The church that emerged in the early 2nd century
was dramatically different from the 1st century Church. Let’s see: “Christian churches
had scarcely been gathered and organized, when here and there, men rose up, who not
being contented with the simplicity and purity of that religion which the apostles taught,
attempted innovations, and fashioned religion according to their own liking.”
But the apostasy, part of an orchestrated movement, was called orthodox, while the small,
remnant apostolic true Church was suppressed, persecuted and forced into hiding.
Now another historian: “Toward the latter end of the 2nd century, most of the churches
assumed a new form, the first simplicity disappeared; and insensibly, as the old disciples retired
to their graves, their children, along with new converts, both Jews and Gentiles, came
forward and new-modeled the cause.” During the 2nd century, Polycarp had to confront
this: “The steady progress of the heretical movement in spite of all opposition was a
cause of deep sorrow to Polycarp, so that in the last years of his life the words were
constantly on his lips, ‘Oh good God, to what times have you spared me, that I must
suffer such things!’” For instance, Polycarp and his successor Polycrates
witnessed the wholesale departure of organized Christianity from observing Passover on the
14th day of the 1st month of God’s calendar, to the observance of Easter, an utterly pagan
holiday. The faithful minority in Asia Minor, along with the Nazarenes of Syria, were the
last holdouts of true Christianity in the eastern Mediterranean area of the Roman Empire.
All the apostates were steeped in the accepted philosophies of that time---Gnosticism in
particular. Let’s read: “The Mosaic account of the creation and fall of man was treated
with profane derision by the Gnostics…The God of Israel was impiously represented by
the Gnostics as being liable to passion and to error…”
Gibbon explains the Gnostics’ techniques: “The Gnostics were distinguished as the
most polite, the most learned, and the most wealthy of the Christian name, and that general
appellation which expressed a superiority of knowledge…assumed by their own pride…The
Gnostics blended with the faith of Christ many sublime but obscure tenets, which they
derived from oriental philosophy.” But Christ had built His Church and promised
it could not be destroyed. While the visible church steadily gained preeminence, and as
persecution increased on the true Church, its remnants went underground to survive.
As a result, the new Christianity of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th centuries had almost nothing in
common with the practices and beliefs of 1st century Christians. My book Where Is the True
Church? -- and Its Incredible History! tells this amazing story.
Converts of this “religion in transition” dismissed biblical authority, replacing it
with what came to be viewed as “Orthodox” teachings. They considered Greek philosophy
and Gnosticism more attractive and familiar. Here is a short overview of how philosophers
and theologians disregarded biblical teaching and authority:
(1) Orthodox Christianity came to accept that the Father was the Creator, rather than having
created thru Jesus Christ. John’s gospel plainly states that Christ (whom he calls
the Word) created all things. (Also read Col. 1:13-17).
(2) It came to accept that the Father was the God of the OT. But the Bible shows this
Person was in fact Jesus Christ. (3) Orthodox Christianity believed that many
people had spoken with the Father in the OT. Yet Jesus declared that no man had seen or
heard the Father. And, because the Father was unknown to the world, one purpose of Christ’s
coming was to reveal Him. (Read John 1:18 and Luke 10:22.)
(4) It came to believe that the Father and Son are “one” by some mystical way. But
the Bible says the Father and Son are one in the same sense that all members of the
Church are one in unity and purpose. (5) Orthodox Christianity accepted the premise
of Judaism concerning monotheism---that God was one being. Yet two distinct Beings are
identified in the beginning of John’s gospel. Similarly, Gen 1:26 records a conversation
between these two God Beings. It says, “Let Us make man in Our image.” The word “God”
in Gen 1 derives from the Hebrew Elohim, which is uniplural---or a collective noun---like
kingdom, family, church or group. Rather than the God Family being a closed trinity, this
Family will expand thru the many begotten sons of God yet to be born into it. Read these
verses. Although Orthodox Christianity contradicts
the Bible, the Bible does not contradict itself. On a related point, one that confuses many,
the Jewish doctrine of monotheism comes from a misunderstanding of Deut 6:4, which says,
“Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord.” This passage is correctly translated
“Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is Lord alone (or only).” This verse is not talking
about God as one Being---it is not addressing the nature of God---but rather was instruction
to Israel to not listen to other gods, but to listen to the true God alone---only! The
context of Deut 6:4 is immediately after the 10 Commandments were listed by Moses to establish
the requirements and authority of the true God.
How the trinity became accepted is revealing. The Nicene Council of AD 325 was the pivotal
event that marked its acceptance. Two opposing theologies, or factions, took part in this
historic controversy. Rather than treating the Bible as direct instruction
from God, the Orthodox movement used God’s Word to allegorically explain pre-conceived
philosophies. Notice the first of several difficult to understand quotes, but ones that
are so telling: “The Old Testament, allegorically explained, became the substitute for the outgrown
mythology; intellectual activity revived; the new facts gained predominant influence
in philosophy.” The Bible’s literal meaning was thrown out---reduced
to a mere starting point for allegorical interpretation. Now another source: “As in philosophy, so
now in theology, the easiest solution of the problem was the denial of one of its factors:
and successively these efforts were made, until a solution was found in the doctrine
of the Trinity, which satisfied both terms of the equation [philosophy veiled thinly
in theology] and became the fundamental creed of the church.”
The new movement hailed the trinity as a solution to various contradictions in their understanding.
It seemed to satisfy the requirement of monotheism while acknowledging that Christ was God in
the flesh. Notice: “Its moulds of thought are those of Greek philosophy, and into these
were run the Jewish teachings. We have thus a peculiar combination---the religious doctrines
of the Bible, as culminating in the person of Jesus, run through the forms of an alien
philosophy.” Now more early insight into the origin of
the trinity. The doctrine is “not primarily ethical nor even religious, but it is metaphysical.
What is the ontological relationship between these 3 factors [Father, Son and Spirit]?
The answer is given in the Nicene formula, which is characteristically Greek,” meaning
Greek philosophy. This quote acknowledges that the trinity was
“not primarily ethical nor even religious.” At best, it categorizes the triune god as
a metaphysical afterthought! Now consider an unusual admission by Catholic
scholars: “We must be willing to admit that, should the doctrine of the Trinity have to
be dropped as false, the major part of religious literature could well remain virtually unchanged…the
Christian’s idea of the incarnation would not have to change at all if there were no
Trinity.” Let’s summarize: The Catholics could throw out their god and it would not
affect their belief system! Stunning! One must question how the trinity could ever
grow to such a position of importance. The Greek philosopher Plato (427 to 347 BC)
tried to define God. Most Greek philosophy was based on his theories, later developing
into Middle Platonism and eventually Neo-Platonism. All other philosophical schools of Greek origin,
such as the Pythagoreans, were greatly influenced by Platonism.
Plato is considered the greatest of all philosophers. His central dogma asserted that the “ideal”
forms an absolute and eternal reality, and that this physical world is but an imperfect
and transitory reflection. (If this is difficult to understand, remember, the “uneducated”
and “unwashed” are not supposed to understand “great thinkers.”)
Since the concept of triad deities permeated all ancient religions, Plato was deeply ingrained
in trinitarian thought. He wanted to better define God above the many deities in Greek
mythology. (Recall what Paul found in Athens.) Plato’s definition consisted of: (1) The
“first God,” who was the Supreme Being in the universe; (2) the “second God,”
whom Plato described as the “soul of the universe”; and (3) the “third God,”
defined as the “spirit.” Ignoring the Bible, men---and this is astonishing---came
to regard Plato’s view as mankind’s best effort to define God.
Another theologian, Philo---of Alexandria, Egypt---brought great influence on developing
trinitarian thought. He lived about 15 BC to AD 50. From the 2nd to the 4th centuries,
this Jewish philosopher’s influence was profound.
Himself greatly influenced by Plato, Philo’s trinity was unique. This lifelong follower
of Greek philosophy saw God as: (1) Father, who created all things (Philo called Him “the
Demiurge”)---(2) Mother, who was Knowledge the Maker possessed---and (3) Beloved Son
was the world. Demiurge and Knowledge---Father and Mother---supposedly produced man’s world.
Such is philosophy. Get this! It was this kind of esoteric JUNK that drove the birth
and development of the trinity!!!! Different from Plato’s version, Philo’s
trinity blended Platonism and Stoicism, and set the course of “Christian” philosophy:
“In Greek philosophy…Philo…chiefly follows the Platonic doctrines of Ideas and the Soul
of the World, and the Stoic doctrine of God as the…Reason operative in the world. In
its Stoic form the latter doctrine was pantheistic [meaning many gods], but Philo could adapt
it to his purpose simply by drawing a sharper distinction between the Logos and the world.”
Hopefully, you’re confused. Finally, here is how Greek philosophy influenced
Philo: “Philo certainly, to judge by his historical influence, was the greatest of
all these Jewish philosophers,” and “in whole the substance of his philosophy the
Jewish point of view is more or less completely modified---sometimes almost extinguished---by
what he has learned from the Greeks…their influence on Philo is nowhere more strongly
seen than in the detailed development of his doctrine of God.”
Philo’s common bond to Greek philosophy made him a significant influence in Christian
thought---and thus in the development of the trinity.
There is much more to learn, but we are out of time. Do not miss Part 3. We are just warming
up. Until next time, this is David C. Pack saying,
“Goodbye, friends.”
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