The Truth is Something Simple Meant for Simple Minds

4/29/2016 , 204 Comments


Deviations from the truth complicate matters. They cause entanglement of ideas as well! No one can deny that within the religious world of our generation there are apparent detours from the path of truth to unimaginable fables.

II TIMOTHY 4:4 
And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

Being carried away from truth to fables is not as simple as it may seem. It is caused by some hidden and complicated matters; some of which are rejection of truth, the work of an unseen enemy, and pleasures of the flesh!

II THESSALONIANS 2:11-12 
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 
12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

There’s a host of unseen enemies convincing people to transgress the truth!

EPHESIANS 2:2 
Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

The pleasures of the flesh brought about by sin easily convince people to deviate from the truth.

HEBREWS 11:24-25 
24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; 
25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;

It is by his true faith in God that Moses was able to overcome the call of sin. The truth is simple!

JOHN 17:17 
Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

T-R-U-T-H is spelled by the word of God! The entirety of the Word of God!

PSALMS 119:160 (RSV) 
The sum of thy word is truth; and every one of thy righteous ordinances endures for ever.

Just the Word of God. No more!

PROVERBS 30:5-6 
5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. 
6 Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

No less!

JEREMIAH 26:2 
Thus saith the LORD; Stand in the court of the LORD’s house, and speak unto all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the LORD’s house, all the words that I command thee to speak unto them; diminish not a word:

The truth in the written word of God in the Bible says:

MATTHEW 23:8-9 
8 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. 
9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.

The Lord Jesus Christ speaks of things spiritual in His teachings.

JOHN 6:63 
It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

When He said, “Call no man your father upon the earth,” He was speaking of spiritual things. He did not mean that we cannot call “father” the father of our flesh or of our physical being.

HEBREWS 12:9 
Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?

Catholic popes and priests are not our fathers in the flesh unless they have the courage to accept that they have fathered some of us – and in a very secretive manner! If they are not fathers in the flesh, why do they let their subjects call them father? Spiritually speaking, only the Father in heaven is our spiritual father whom we may religiously address as Father.

MATTHEW 6:9 
After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

There were times when the Lord Jesus Christ addressed His disciples as “children”, but never did He allow them to call Him Father! There is no instance recorded in the Bible wherein the Christians called Him Father. He was addressed as “Lord”, “God”, “Master” and “Teacher”, but never “Father” because He prohibited them to call Him such!

JOHN 20:28 
And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.

MATTHEW 22:36-37 
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

JOHN 3:1-2 
1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 
2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

The apostles addressed some Christians as “sons in faith” but never allowed these people to call them “Father”.

I TIMOTHY 1:2 
Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.

TITUS 1:4 
To Titus, mine own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior.

Catholic priests and leaders are called by their members in a manner of utmost respect which they have dictated to them. They include many titles including “Monsignor” which means “My lord.” This is shamelessly more excessive than they call the Father in the prayer, “Our Father”. It is utterly a blatant disrespect to the commandment of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Notice the simple truth my beloved readers. In “Our Father, which art in heaven” the word Father is simply “Father!” But when Catholics address their priests they call them:

1. Reverend father 
2. Very Reverend father 
3. Most Reverend father 
4. Most Holy father

Why are the titles in adjectives and adverbs in the superlative degree? Because these catholic priests and leaders had commanded their members to call them such.

CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA

The Pope 
The Sovereign Pontiff is addressed at the commencement of a letter as “Most Holy Father” (Beatissimo Padre); 

Cardinals
In writing to an Italian cardinal, the letter should begin with the words, “Most Reverend Eminence” (Eminenza Revma.); if he should be of a princelyfamily, “Most Illustrious and Reverend Eminence”. In the body of the letter itself he should always be addressed in the third person and is “Your Eminence”, or “His Eminence”, and the letter should end: “Embracing the purple of His Most Reverend Eminence, I am His Eminence’s very humble and obedient servant”.

Bishops
A Bishop’s title is “Most Illustrious and Most Reverend Lord”. The words,“Your Greatness”,

(http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01137a.htm)

In contrast, there was no apostle or minister of Christ who was addressed by the first century Christians as Most Holy father or Most Reverend father or even simply “father”, because they knew how to obey the simple commandment and the simple truth that says:

MATTHEW 23:8-9 
8 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. 
9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.

To God be the glory and honor forever! Amen!

Sincerely yours,

Bro. Eli

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In the Name of Naming Names

4/22/2016 217 Comments


Bro. Eli,

Are there special names named by parents to their babies that have deep meaning from the Bible? Or does God instruct us what to name after the baby when we become parents to them?

Peamifatie

Dear Peamfatie,

Human society now has gone so far from the original ways of the Creator.

MALACHI 3:7 
Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?

This is because of the darkness that envelopes the mind of an unbeliever.

II CORINTHIANS 4:4 
In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

The evident result is their alienation from God, having been driven so far away because of the darkness in their hearts.

EPHESIANS 4:18 
Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:

The Bible is complete with its teachings regarding names. In fact, a name is one of the most important things in life that we have to consider. God’s name is an object of worship.

MATTHEW 6:9 
After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

The original Hebrew word (translated hallowed in English) is ‘hagiazo’, meaning to venerate. This shows the importance of God’s name. David had known this fact. He worshiped God’s name.

PSALMS 138:2 
I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.

In fact, the third of the ten commandments prohibits the use of the name of God in vain.

EXODUS 20:7 
Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

Enemies of God use God’s name in vain to deceive people.

PSALMS 139:20 
For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain.

Even the name of the Lord Jesus Christ is being used by false prophets to mislead people.

MATTHEW 24:4-5 
4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 
5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

God’s name must properly be used on things that are of God.

ISAIAH 43:7 
Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.

God’s people and God’s city are called by His name.

DANIEL 9:19 
O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name.

It is not proper to claim that a group or a church is of God and call it by the name of a man like; the Wesleyan Church (after the name of John Wesley), or the Lutheran Church (after the name of Martin Luther), or the Seventh Day Adventist Church (instead of using God’s name, they used ‘Seventh Day’); apparently proving that they are not of God!

The Church in the Bible is named after its real Owner: God, hence, the Church of God.

WEYMOUTH NEW TESTAMENT
I CORINTHIANS 1:1-2 
1 Paul, called to be an Apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God--and our brother Sosthenes: 
2 To the Church of God in Corinth, men and women consecrated in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all in every place who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ--their Lord as well as ours.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses use a fictitious name for their God. They admit this in their publications. In their book “Reasoning From The Scriptures” page 192.


They are using the name Jehovah not because they believe it is the true name of God, but because of its popularity since the 14th century, in spite of the fact that they are “inclined to view the name Yahweh is a more correct form”.


Names are also important for God’s people.

ECCLESIASTES 7:1 
A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth.

We can choose a good name for our children, or a good name can be chosen by maintaining the dignity of our person.

PROVERBS 22:1 
A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver and gold.

Wrong application of a name is a misnomer.

mis·no·mer [miss nṓmər] 
(plural mis·no·mers) 
noun 
1. unsuitable name: a wrong or unsuitable name or term for something or somebody 
2. calling something by wrong name: a use of a wrong or unsuitable name or term to describe something or somebody [15th century. < Old French < mes- “wrongly” + nommer “to name” < Latin nominare]

Microsoft Encarta 2007

God’s way of giving a name is with prudence. He named His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. It spells the characteristic, the dignity, and the responsibility of His Son.

THE ACTS 4:10-12 
10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. 
11 This is the stone which was set at naught of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. 
12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

The name Jesus Christ was given by God.

PHILIPPIANS 2:9-10 
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

In naming a child, it is wise to consider circumstances, characteristics, and of course, the holiness that a name carries with it. You will notice that in the Bible, duplications of names are frequent like the names, John, Jesus, Jude, etc.

Isaac was named so because when the angel announced that at her old age, Sarah, will conceive and give birth to the promised seed, she laughed. Isaac means laughter.

יצחק 
yitschâq 
yits-khawk’ 
From H6711; laughter (that is, mockery); Jitschak (or Isaac), son of Abraham: – Isaac. Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionary
 
GENESIS 18:12 
Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?

GENESIS 21:5-6 
5 And Abraham was a hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him. 
6 And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me.

Esau was named so because of his physical characteristics.

GENESIS 25:25 
And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau.

Abram’s name was changed by God to be Abraham: making him to be the father of many nations.

GENESIS 17:5 
Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.

Maybe, my parents named me Eliseo, a prophet of the Old Testament times, because they were guided by the spirit of God, as to my ‘would-be’ calling.

I have given names to so many babies in the past five decades; and most of them have grown up, with God’s help, to my expectation in the spirit of the name given them.

Now, because people have gone too far from God’s way, you can hear names which are products of inverted names and, sometimes, the mixture of the first and second syllable of the father’s and mother’s name which does not denote anything holy. I am afraid that the next generations of people will be non-sensible people having nonsensical names.

I hope and pray that this premonition be wrong.

God Bless,

Brother Eli Soriano

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The Law of Life

4/16/2016 268 Comments


Life is a word that describes the existence of anything that has the breath of God.

JOB 33:4 
The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.

Individual life is dependent on somebody else’s life like taking the life of grasses to sustain the life of a cow, killing a cow to sustain human life and so on and ultimately from the original source of life.

PSALMS 145:16 
Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.

THE ACTS 17:28 
For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

Human life is sustained by so many factors: The right amount of gas including hydrogen and oxygen, the right amount of food including the “not so good to the taste buds”, the right amount of sleep and rest including meditation and self-awareness, and the right doses of God’s word including His reproof and correction.

MATTHEW 4:4 
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.

II TIMOTHY 3:15-16 
15 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. 
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

Human life on earth is also controlled and manipulated by various factors in nature. Time and environment have great influence in life. Time is spent in life and life is spent in time. A life that should have been lived longer is shortened if lived in “not so good times”. Distress and depression can make life shorter in a country infested by wars, hatred and chaos. A household where the members of the family live in hatred and confusion may be plagued by cardiovascular diseases.

PROVERBS 17:22 
A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

Health is necessary for good quality life. Health deteriorates in a chaotic environment. Pollutions and toxins can destroy health and eventually life itself. But there is something to ponder: the owner of life can alter the effects brought to life by nature, time and the environment. This was displayed by the ministry of Jesus, the Captain of life.

REVISED STANDARD VERSION 
THE ACTS 3:15 
and killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.

He gave sight to someone born blind.

JOHN 9:1-7 
1 And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. 
2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind 
3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. 
4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. 
5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. 
6 When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, 
7 And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.

He made the lame walk.

MATTHEW 9:2, 6-7 
2 And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. 
6 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. 
7 And he arose, and departed to his house.

And resurrected the decomposing cadaver of Lazarus.

JOHN 11:39-44 
39 Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. 
40 Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? 
41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. 
42 And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. 
43 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. 
44 And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

Truly, human life is anchored on the power of God. God, the Creator, has the final say about it.

HEBREWS 9:27 
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

DEUTERONOMY 32:39 
See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.

ECCLESIASTES 8:8 
There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.

All lives emanate from Him.

JOHN 10:17-18 
17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. 
18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

Thus, a logical thing follows: a life must be lived within His will...

REVISED STANDARD VERSION 
PHILIPPIANS 1:27 
Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you stand firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,

…must be spent for Him,

ENGLISH REVISED VERSION 
THE ACTS 20:24 
But I hold not my life of any account, as dear unto myself, so that I may accomplish my course, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

…and must be ended by Him and for His glory,

THE ROMANS 14:8 
For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's.

A logical question follows: Aside from God, is there anybody who has the right to take life from a human person? The logical answer is: “Thou shall not kill”. Killers and murderers under any circumstance are not of God.

JOHN 8:44 
Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. 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.

There is no commandment that will justify euthanasia. The commandment, thou shall not kill, did not say “thou shall not kill a healthy person”. Mercy killing, as they say, is erroneous. Who is more merciful than God himself?

PSALMS 103:8 
The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.

Whether a person lives a single day, week or month, it means that God wants him to live that long or that short. Another logical question follows: How about those who kill without mercy? The logical answer is: They will be dealt with, without mercy.

HEBREWS 10:28-29 
28 He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: 
29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?

JAMES 2:13 
For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath showed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.

It is prudent and wise to help stop killings among humanity. If anybody feels like killing anybody, learn from yourself. I advise you to get a needle, disinfect it, and puncture a hole on your flesh. If your brain is telling you that it is painful and is hurting; then you will realize the pain of a stabbed wound, a bullet wound or the multiple wounds that can be inflicted by a bomb.

Our own life is not ours as we owe it to God, the Creator. And we must not take it by ourselves. Learning to love ourselves is learning to love the life of others. If you love your mommy, your daddy, your brother or your sister, you will not kill them. The victims of those that are committing murders and mass killings may be a mom or a dad, a brother or a sister loved by their relatives the same way these murderers love their own. So take my advice friend, “love your neighbor as yourself” – this is the royal law.

JAMES 2:8 
If ye fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well:

It is not yet late for anybody who does not know this law. Let us follow this law and we will be a better society of civilized humans!

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Faith Can Move Mountains of Shyness

4/09/2016 267 Comments


Bro. Eli,

I am an introvert, a loner, a social aloof, but as I see the Biblical principles of a Church, it requires teamwork, which I find it difficult in my part, not that I don’t want to help, but I am rather having an “inferiority complex”. Now, is the concept of “individuality”, “minority”, and “introversion” from mankind against God’s will? Do I have to undergo a change of personality so that I can meet the demands of the Church that requires social interaction with the brotherhood?

Paxton Drummond

Dear Introvert Paxton,

One of the most important teachings of the Bible is ‘renewal’.

II CORINTHIANS 5:17 
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

A Christian is a renewed person.This is achieved by the intervention of the spirit of God.

PSALMS 51:10 
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

The apostle Paul assured us that this is the work of God and not of ourselves.

TITUS 3:5 
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

It is impossible for man to be renewed by himself.

JEREMIAH 10:23 
O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.

Especially, if we are accustomed to sinning.

JEREMIAH 13:23 
Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.

It is only God, and God alone, who can cause the proper rectification in our person.

PROVERBS 16:9 
A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.

For your information, I was also a former introvert. I feel uneasy when I am with people. I do not want to talk with them; and am always afraid that I might commit mistakes and be spurned; but the renewal promised by the Holy Scriptures happened in my person. Now, I love to talk to people. I want to be with them. Hear stories from them; know their wishes, and be of help in the best manner I can (of course, with God’s help). This I have achieved because of faith. As the saying goes: “Faith can move mountains”.

MATTHEW 17:20 
And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

By faith, Noah built an enormous ship for the salvation of his family.

HEBREWS 11:7 
By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

By faith, Sarah was given strength to bear Isaac at the age of almost 100 years.

HEBREWS 11:11 
Through faith also Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.

By faith, Moses stood against an empire and liberated his people, Israel.

HEBREWS 11:24-27 
24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; 
25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; 
26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward. 
27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.

By faith, an introvert can be an extrovert!

I have learned to trust, not on my own capacity but, with the power and the capacity of my Creator. To whom all honor and glory and praises is due, forever and ever. AMEN!

God Bless.

Brother Eli Soriano

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God-Inspired Prophecies about a Poor Nation and a Nobody Like Brother Eli

4/02/2016 159 Comments


To be part of the fulfillment of the prophecy can either be a blessing or a curse. Blessing because there are people worthy to be blessed. Cursing because there are people who by their own free will destined themselves to be part of God's cursing.

DEUTERONOMY 30:19 
I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

It is not God's way that His prophecies be fulfilled among the rich and the famous nor in places popularly known by people.

MICAH 5:2 
But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

In Nazareth in Galilee, so humble that nothing good is expected by people from it, came the fulfillment of a great prophecy in the Bible.

JOHN 1:46-49 
46 And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. 
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! 
48 Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. 
49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.

MATTHEW 4:13-17 
13 And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali: 
14 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, 
15 The land of Zebulun, and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; 
16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. 
17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

In that very same manner and setting, we, Members of the Church of God International, believe that a prophecy of the Bible is being fulfilled in our days. Prophecies are of great importance among God’s people as early as the seventh generation from the father of humankind.

JUDE 1:14-15 
14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
15 to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

The spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus.

REVELATION 19:10 
And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

To whom a prophecy is being fulfilled, there rest the testimony of Jesus. The first century Christians were admonished not to despise prophecies and prophesying.

1 THESSALONIANS 5:20 
Despise not prophesyings.

There are prophecies meant solely to be fulfilled in the nation of Israel.

EZEKIEL 34:2 
Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?

There are prophecies meant to have dual fulfillment: both for the Jews and the Gentiles.

ACTS 15:16-17 
16 After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:
17 That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.

In fact, the prophet Jeremiah was commanded to prophesy not only for Israel, but also for other nations.

JEREMIAH 1:5 
Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

It is understandable therefore, that there are prophecies which fulfillment can happen in other nations of the world.

1 KINGS 8:41 
Moreover concerning a stranger, that is not of thy people Israel, but cometh out of a far country for thy name’s sake…

ISAIAH 61:5 
And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.

The Philippines (formerly called “Las Islas Filipinas” in honor of King Philip II of Spain), a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean, is included in Biblical prophecies.

ISAIAH 24:15 (NIV) 
Therefore in the east give glory to the LORD; exalt the name of the LORD, the God of Israel, in the islands of the sea. 

Giving glory or glorifying God means offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving.

PSALMS 50:23 
Whoso offereth the sacrifice of thanksgiving glorifieth me; And to him that ordereth his way aright Will I show the salvation of God.

The word used ‘whoso’ or whosoever qualifies anybody that offers thanksgiving to God. A collateral prophecy from Jeremiah, a prophet for nations outside of Israel, states:

JEREMIAH 30:19-22, 24 
19 And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small. 
20 Their children also shall be as formerly, and their congregation shall be established before me, and I will punish all that oppress them. 
21 And their nobles shall be of themselves, and their governor shall proceed from the midst of them; and I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me: for who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me? saith the LORD. 
22 And ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. 
24 The fierce anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have done it, and until he have performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it.

The possibility of this prophecy being fulfilled in the Philippines is 100 percent! Brother Eli and his group are ‘easterners’; and his group is the only congregation in the Philippines that offers the sacrifice of thanksgiving unto the God of Israel — weekly. Brother Eli came from among the group he leads. He was never a Catholic, neither a Protestant, nor a member of any other religious group but the Church of God first preached in the Philippines by Brother Nicholas Perez.

In the prophecy of Jeremiah, it was emphasized that the people of God mentioned, would have a governor that will come from among them. They are called God’s people; the time of their existence is explicitly written: the later days or the end times. Daniel wrote a collateral prophecy for the end times.

DANIEL 12:4, 9-10 
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. 
9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.
10 Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.

Brother Eli is a nobody, but the wisdom and understanding that he has, because of his fear of the Lord, is undeniable and irrefutable: After all, the prophecy does not require a special somebody in human society to be the preacher of the true teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ.

JOHN 7:17 
If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.

The phrase ‘any man’ may apply even to the humble person of Brother Eli. What is vital to determine is the doctrine — if it comes from God, from the Bible, or from one’s self.

God sends him that speaks in behalf of God for His glory.

JOHN 7:18 He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.

There are those that speak for themselves — not coming from God, or from the Bible!

He that fears the Lord and doeth righteousness is acceptable unto Him.

ACTS 10:34-35 
34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, isaccepted with him.

The Philippines as a nation, and Brother Eli as a citizen of the Philippines, is a fulfillment of this prophecy. Brother Eli, whenever he preaches, reads the Bible. Questions are answered by the Bible. His work and manner of preaching fits another prophecy.

REVELATION 1:3 
Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

Let us compare.

The Bible says, “Do not bow down thyself unto man-made images nor worship them.”

DEUTERONOMY 5:8-9 
8 Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth:
9 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,

ACTS 17:29 
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.

Leaders of the Catholic Church command their members to bow, worship, and pray to graven images. Are these leaders sent of God?


The Bible says:

MATTHEW 23:9 
call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.

Catholic leaders wanted to be called father — against the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.


The Bible says that the law on tithing is for the Levite priests to collect among their brethren, and such priesthood was changed, therefore, the law on tithing was changed, also. But until now, leaders of Protestants and Born-Again Movements collect tithes from their members.

HEBREWS 7:5, 12 
5 And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham: 
12 For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law. 

Collection in the New Testament Church is:

1 CORINTHIANS 16:1-2 
1 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. 
2 Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.

Tithing is not imposed; instead, the ‘Christian heart’ decides how much to give.

2 CORINTHIANS 9:7 
Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

And what is shocking is that the leader of the famous 700 Club, International is asking as high as 90%.



Apollo Quiboloy teaches a month of sacrifice, which is not Biblical and even, dictates the amount that a member should give.


Another foolish teaching of this false prophet is that the New Jerusalem is his native city of Davao in the Philippines (See image below), to where God, allegedly, will transfer His throne.


(He has chosen Davao City to become His New Jerusalem. The New Jerusalem will become the center of the universe. God’s throne will be moved from the third heaven to this earth. — Taken from the official website of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ)

A similar foolishness came from one of the false prophets of the Americas, Joseph Smith — claiming (which never came true) that New Jerusalem will be in the State of Missouri, USA.


The Bible tells us that the New Jerusalem will come from above — from God; not from this earth.

REVELATION 21:1-2 
1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

This brief insight will make everybody realize that the teachings of the Bible being preached by Brother Eli is very far from the erroneous teachings of so many so-called ‘great’ religious leaders of our times.

We will continue, God willing, to compare the erroneous teachings and practices of religious leaders of our times in the next issue of this blog.

God Bless You All.

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