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A Messenger of Light* (Satan Revealed) - Download PDF Article

A Study in the Gospel of John Chapter 8

The methods of satan (saw-tawn') have been revealed in the Word of Yahweh. Yahweh warned us that, "…the serpent, was more crafty than any living thing of the field which Yahweh Elohim had made" (Gen. 3:1). Great masses, I am afraid, are still ignorant of his methods because these masses have been educated in the teachings of men rather than ingesting the Living Words of Yahweh. In John chapter eight, Yahshua, the Master Teacher gives us a workshop on how the slanderer operates amongst the believers. The believers were taught in the Temple or synagogues in Yahshua's age but now they are taught in seminaries or Churches. Yahshua, seeing the unseen world, teaches us that it is not the beauty of the tree that we pay heed to but rather to its fruit; not to the speech of the minister but rather to his deeds in accordance with the Word of Yahweh. John chapter eight deals with false ministers (servants), the darnel's (evil ones) living among the wheat. These Church leaders, appearing as ministers of righteousness, are actually children of diabolos (slanderer). These leaders use certain methods, as we will study, to silence the Word of Yahweh by deceiving and intimidating the assembly of Yahweh.  The adversary, who has been disguised as a serpent, prophets, High Priest and Pharisees, has not changed his methods. Today, our Messengers of Light and Ministers of Righteousness are Christian leaders who are seminary teachers, ministers, deacons and Bible translators to name a few.

Yahshua instructed his disciples to "Beware of false prophets, who come unto you in clothing of sheep,––while, within, they are ravening wolves. By their fruits, shall ye find, them, out,––unless perhaps men gather––from thorns, grapes! or, from thistles, figs! So, every good tree, fine fruit, produceth,––whereas, the worthless tree, evil fruit, produceth: It is, impossible, for a, good tree, to be bearing, evil fruit, neither doth, a worthless tree, produce, fine fruit.  Every tree that beareth not fine fruit, is hewn down, and, into fire, is cast. After all then, by their fruits, shall ye find, them, out" (Mt. 7:15-20).  Yahweh has continually instructed us not to pay heed to outside appearances but rather to the fruit of the tree. Our encyclopedia for what is good fruit and evil fruit is the Word of Yahweh. The life of a Hindu or Buddhist monk could appear to be bearing fruits of love, joy, peace, long–suffering, graciousness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness and self–control, which are the nine fruits of the ruah (spirit) but at the same time they reject Yahshua as their Lord. By using the Word of Yahweh as our reference, we can determine that Hindu and Buddhist monks have rejected Yahweh because they have rejected Yahshua, making them worthless trees that will be cast into the fire. The life of a Jew who observes the Torah may appear to be bearing good fruit but Yahweh has said, "Who, is the False One; ––save he that denieth that, Yahshua, is the Christ? The same, is the Antichrist,––he that denieth the Father and the Son" (1 Jn. 2:22). Do Jews deny Yahshua as being the Messiah? Yes they do! Then the Word of Yahweh instructs us that they are antichrist (the adversary of the Messiah). How many Church leaders teach this simple truth? The Word of Yahweh as our compass protects us from the misdirection of the slanderer.

Could some of today's Christian ministers be deceiving us? Could our seminaries be sending out false ministers? Could my pastor be a minister (servant) of the adversary, who is appearing to be a minister of righteousness? Paul warned us in 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 that there would be "…false delegates (apostles), deceitful workers, transfiguring themselves into delegates (apostles) of Christ.  And no marvel! for, satan himself, doth transfigure himself into a messenger of light!  No great thing, therefore, if, his ministers also, are transfiguring themselves as ministers of righteousness…" John chapter eight shows us that these religious individuals were very much part of the religious life in Jerusalem and I dare say even abiding and teaching in the very Temple of Yahweh.

The Sanhedrin, being composed of the High Priest, Pharisees, Sadducees, Scribes etc, were the preeminent religious group in the day of Christ. The Pharisees and Scribes, supposedly the guardians and teachers of the Word of Yahweh were in fact the chief adversaries of the Son of Yahweh. Not one from among them, excluding Saul later known as Paul, was called to be an apostle or a prophet of Yahweh but rather those who were called were fishermen, tax collectors etc.; those who did not attend their, so called, schools of higher learning. In today's religious circles, we no longer have Pharisees and Scribes, but we do have their equivalent, those who have their Doctorate or Masters in Theology and not Yahology. They are masters in the doctrines that please men rather than Yahweh; men using words of wisdom but who are void of power. Paul said, "And, my discourse, and what I proclaimed, were not in suasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of ruah (spirit) and power: In order that, your faith, might not be in men's wisdom, but in Yahweh's power" (1 Cor. 2:4-5).

Signs & Wonders

Signs and wonders were not following the High Priest, Pharisees, Scribes etc. because they did not have the ruah of Yahweh. The ruah (spirit) of Yahweh was upon Moses, David, Elijah, Yahshua, Anna, Symeon and John the Immerser to name a few. On the day of Pentecost and thereafter, the ruah of Yahweh, which is power has also been poured out upon all who believe. Works of power and not words of wisdom are the signs that follow a true believer. How did people know that Yahshua was the Messiah sent from Yahweh and the Pharisees and Scribes were of the evil one? How did the people know if Yahweh was abiding in the Pharisees or in Yahshua? Yahshua said, "…The works which, I, am doing in the name of my Father, the same, bear witness concerning me… If I am not doing the works of my Father, do not believe in me; But, if I am doing them, even though, in me, ye believe not, in the works, believe,––that ye may get to know and go on to know, that the Father is, in me, and, I, am, in the Father" (Jn. 10:25, 37-38). Signs and wonders from Yahweh followed Abram, Moses, David and Yahshua because the ruah (spirit) of Yahweh was upon them. Nicodemus said, "Rabbi! we know that, from Yahweh, thou hast come, a teacher; for, no one, can be doing, these signs, which, thou, art doing, except, Yahweh, be with him" (Jn. 3:2). Paul spoke of himself by saying, "For I wilt not dare to speak anything save of the things which Christ hath wrought out for himself through me for the obedience of nations,––by word and deed, By the power of signs and wonders…" (Rom. 15:18-19).

Speaking in tongues was a sign on the day of Pentecost and is still a sign today of the presence of the ruah of Yahweh. In dealing with the things of the ruah, 1 Corinthians 12:3 states, "Wherefore, I give you to know––that, no one, in Yahweh's ruah (spirit) speaking, saith––Accursed Yahshua! and, no one, can say––Lord Yahshua! save in the holy ruah (spirit)." The manifestation of ruah is evidence that a person has holy ruah (spirit). There are nine manifestations of the ruah as listed in 1 Corinthians chapter twelve. Children of the slanderer, disguising themselves as ministers of righteousness, can not operate the ruah of Yahweh because they do not have it. Since they are not able to manifest the ruah, they will teach against any operation of the ruah as coming from the devil etc.! They will mock and ridicule those who speak in tongues, prophesy etc., even though Yahweh commands, "So, then, my brethren,––be zealous to prophesy, and do not forbid, to be speaking with tongues" (1 Cor. 14:39). This adversarial tactic is no different than the Pharisees saying that Yahshua was performing signs and wonders by Beelzebul.

A tree claiming to be a good tree that can not manifest the ruah of Yahweh is a liar and deceiver. Paul said, "And, my discourse, and what I proclaimed, were not in suasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of ruah (spirit) and power In order that, your faith, might not be in men's wisdom, but in Yahweh's power" (1 Cor. 2:4-5); I "…will get to know––not the speech of them who are puffed up, but, the power;  For, not in speech, is the kingdom of Yahweh, but, in power " (1 Cor. 4:19-20). Yahweh promised power to those who believe. A false or deceived Church leader will always denounce signs and wonders, as did the Pharisees, because they themselves can not perform them. (There can be false signs and wonders but when we use the Word of Yahweh as our guide, we will not be deceived.)

A great percentage of the ruling body of the Hebrews were children of the slanderer disguised as worshippers of Yahweh. These children of the slanderer, as leaders of Yahweh's people had intimidated many true followers of Yahweh from taking a stand for Yahshua, such as in the case of Nicodemus. They used excommunication as an instrument to keep people silent. Can this also be true today? Absolutely! Many rulers believed on him, including Nicodemus, but they would not publicly confess him as Lord because they would then face the wrath of the children of the slanderer. One man boldly stood up for Christ to the Pharisees but was then excommunicated. This man of courage was not a noble, a ruler, a Scribe, a Pharisee or a priest but rather it was the beggar who was born blind that was healed by Yahshua in John chapter nine.   The Pharisees, the children of the slanderer, said to this man, "…In sins, wast, thou, born, altogether; and art, thou, teaching, us? And they cast him out" (Jn. 9:34). Yahshua found him and said, "For judgment, I, unto this world, came: that, they who were not seeing, might see, and, they who were seeing, might become, blind" (Jn. 9:39). The Pharisees responded to this statement by saying, "…Are, we also, blind? Yahshua said unto them––If, blind, ye had been, ye had not had sin; but, now, ye say, We see, your sin, abideth" (Jn. 9:40-41).

John 8
(Chapter eight actually begins with verse twelve rather than verse one because John 7:53 to John 8:11 was not in the ancient text. Read the article, "Divine Inspiration, Does the Church Care?") The Rotherham Emphasized Bible labels this chapter as, "The Light and the Darkness in Conflict," to which I give an, Amen! I will substitute the word Pharisees, which does not apply to us today with our present term of Church leaders. We must ask ourselves, if Christ appeared today as an ordinary man teaching against the doctrine of the Trinity, Incarnation and Mary being the God-bearer (Theotokos), which are not in the Word of Yahweh and was commanding people to speak in tongues, prophesy etc., which are in the Word of Yahweh, how would he be received by today's seminaries and Church denominations?  I believe he would be received in much the same way as the Pharisees received Yahshua in John chapter eight.

In John chapter eight there are four classifications of believers. There are those who are false believers, who are actually children of the slanderer. There are believers such as Nicodemus who know the truth but are in hiding because they cherish their position in life. There are believers who are deceived or ignorant and finally there are believers who will receive the truth and will be excommunicated for Christ sake, such as the man who was born blind in chapter nine. These same classifications exist today. A pastor of a Church is either an enemy of Christ in disguise; a person who knows the truth but will not teach it because he seeks the glory of men over the glory of Yahweh; a person who is deceived or ignorant of the scriptures or a person who knows and teaches the truth regardless of what men of the Church or men of the world, say. These latter individuals are seeking the glory of Yahweh over the glory of men. Their stand upon the Word of Yahweh can generally result in them being excommunicated from the Church for Christ sake or even murdered.

Yahshua begins this chapter by saying, "I am the light of the world" (vs. 12).  The Church leaders confronted him by saying, "Thy witness is not true."  The slanderer is called satan or adversary because he withstands the truth. This is the same technique used by the serpent in Genesis chapter three, when the serpent said to Eve, "Ye shall not, die" after Elohim had told Adam, "thou shalt, die."

Yahshua identifies the slanderer as a murderer. The slanderer murders through the hands of his children and deceived believers and unbelievers. The end of chapter eight states, "They took up stones, therefore, that they might cast at him…" (Jn. 8:59). This is the slanderer's method of silencing believers who will not be silenced. In the book of Acts, the Church leaders told Peter and James, "…not to be sounding aloud, nor even to be teaching, upon the name of Yahshua" (Acts 4:18). The Apostle James was murdered by King Herod because it pleased the Jews (Acts 12:1-3). The Pharisees, who could not do signs and wonders, seized Stephen, who was doing great wonders and signs, and had him murdered.

There have been times when Church leaders have had individuals murdered because they would not submit to their man-made theology. For instance, John Calvin had Michael Servetus burned at the stake because he did not believe in the Trinity. John Calvin could have been a child of the slanderer or he was at least used as an agent of the slanderer; the slanderer being a murderer from the beginning. There have been many believers murdered throughout history, not by the unbelievers but rather by the so called Christian Church. Throughout the Gospel of John, the lesson we learn is that the enemies of Christ were not the unbelievers but rather the religious community, the High Priest, the Pharisees, the Scribes, the Sadducees and their followers who all appeared as ministers of righteousness.

Yahshua identifies the slanderer as a father. The word, 'father,' is extremely important in this chapter because it is used twenty times. The Church leaders and Yahshua are both claiming that Yahweh or Abraham is their father. The Church leaders said in verse 41, "One father, have we, Yahweh" but Yahshua said in verse 54, "It is, my Father, that glorifieth me,––of whom, ye, say––He is, your Elohim!" Yahshua corrects the Church leaders by stating, "Ye, are, of your father––the diabolos (slanderer)." The slanderer, as a father, has placed his children, as darnels amongst the wheat in the Church.

Yahshua identifies the slanderer as a liar.  The truth and the lie are continually being presented in this chapter. To slander means, "The utterance or dissemination of false statements or reports concerning a person, or malicious misrepresentation of his actions, in order to defame or injure him." The Church leaders, who were the children of the slanderer, slandered Yahshua by saying:

Thou, concerning thyself, bearest witness: thy witness, is not true (vs. 13)
We, of fornication, were not born: One father, have we––Yahweh. (vs. 41)
Do, we, not, well, say: Thou, art, a Samaritan, and hast a demon? (vs. 48)
Now, we know that, a demon, thou hast (vs. 52)

So-called, 'Bible Translations,' have also been important vehicles used to disseminate false statements by removing, changing and altering the Words of Yahweh. (Read the article, "Divine Inspiration, Does the Church Care?") Individuals who teach the truth and apply the Word of Yahweh will be slandered by Church leaders and the world for the sole purpose of silencing truth.

For instance, the Church uses the term, 'Pentecostal' to refer to a small minority of believers who speak in tongues, prophesy, believe in gifts of healings, etc,. Isn't it odd that when people obey the scriptures rather than the doctrines of men they are called 'Unorthodox,' while those who follow the doctrine of men and disobey the scriptures are called, 'Orthodox?' These believers who follow the scriptures are then corralled by the Church into a pen separated from themselves as quarantined madmen? The Word of Yahweh plainly says:

1.) "Pursue love; nevertheless be envious of the spiritual,––and, rather, that ye may be prophesying" (1 Cor. 14:1)
2.) "Howbeit I wish you all to speak with tongues, but, rather, that ye may prophesy" (1 Cor. 14:5)
3.) "So, then, my brethren,––be zealous to prophesy, and do not forbid, to be speaking with tongues;" (1 Cor. 14:39)

Today, the Church would say they are followers of the Apostles but they refuse to obey the above scriptures. The Apostles all spoke in tongues but these seminary teachers would not call the Apostles, 'Pentecostals.'

The Dallas Theological Seminary's Statement of Beliefs reads, "We believe that some gifts of the Holy Spirit such as speaking in tongues and miraculous healings were temporary. We believe that speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism nor of the filling of the Spirit, and that the deliverance of the body from sickness or death awaits the consummation of our salvation in the resurrection." Their statement of belief rejects the scriptures. This appears to be the work of our enemy in the same style as when the enemy said Yahshua had a demon while the Church leaders (the children of the slanderer), in contrast, were children of Abraham and followers of Moses!

The so-called 'Orthodox Church,' is void of power, as illustrated above, as were the Church leaders in the days of Yahshua. Romans 8:29-30 states, "For, whom he fore–approved, he also fore–appointed to be conformed unto the image of his Son, that he might be firstborn among many brethren,–– And, whom he fore–appointed, the same, he also called, and, whom he called, the same, he also declared righteous, and, whom he declared righteous, the same, he also made glorious." The Son of Yahweh walked in power and ruah (spirit) and if we have been conformed unto the image of His Son, then we also have been clothed upon with power from on high, if we but believe and act. The above seminary teaches just the opposite of scripture by professing, as did the Pharisees that believers are powerless.  

Silencing the Word of Yahweh is always the objective of the slanderer. He withstands truth. His silencing methods are intimidation, excommunication, imprisonment and finally death. These methods are used throughout the Church and throughout the world, as they were in the Gospel of John. The Words of Yahweh are life to the doers. The slanderer, if he can not destroy the Word of Yahweh, such as with a Communist or Socialist government, has Church leaders add to, change and delete Yahweh's Words of Life, thereby robbing the Church, in part, of power and life. This was his method when he was first observed in Genesis chapter three and is still his method today. His children, as 'Messengers of Light' and Ministers of Righteousness' have infiltrated our seminaries and Churches as they infiltrated the Temple and the synagogues in Christ's time. These darnels were called High Priests, Pharisees and Scribes in the days of Christ but are today called Bible translators, Doctors of Theology, Bishops and Pastors. How are they identified? You shall know them by their fruits.

(For footnotes, see PDF article)

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