"It is Written"* - Download PDF Article

The very foundation of an orderly society is the written word. The United States Constitution is the bedrock upon which the U.S.A. lives. In like manner, the written Word of Yahweh is the solid rock upon which all order, justice and truth is derived. Anarchy and confusion result when the written Words of Yahweh are no longer our foundation. Our beliefs should always begin with the three words, 'It is Written.' If we can not do so, our beliefs are not part of the foundation of the Word of Yahweh but rather are like icebergs ever adrift on the seas of uncertainties. With no rock beneath our feet, we drift with the never-ending doctrines of men. Their visions and revelations steer our lives away from our Rock of Salvation. As messengers of light, these individuals actually become the blind leading the blind as we both fall into the ditch. Their apparently innocent, sincere, corrupting, revelations lead us away from the truth of Yahweh into the lies of the adversary. We then become their disciples, such as were Jews of the Pharisees and Sadducees. We become disciples of men; disciples of Jeroboam, Athanasius, Basil, the Pope, Luther, Joseph Smith or Joyce Meyers, rather than the disciples of Yahweh. We are adrift because our anchor is not the Word of Yahweh, as "It is Written."

When tempted by the slanderer, the first thing Yahshua said was, "It is Written!" 'It is Written' is to be our absolute anchor in this world of deception. It will keep us fastened to the Rock. Yahshua, as the rock from which comes the spiritual drink, only spoke the Words of Yahweh, the words the Rock gave him. He did not speak of himself. Yahshua said, "…I, out of myself, spake not, but, the Father who sent me, hath, himself, given me commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak" (Jn. 12:49). He was not drawing disciples after himself but rather drawing people to the Father through himself. The Apostle Paul, in like manner, did not speak of himself but rather said, "For I make known unto you, brethren, as to the glad–message which was announced by me, that it is not after man; For neither, from man, did I accept it, nor was taught it, ––but through a revealing of Yahshua Christ" (Gal. 1:11-12). We are encouraged to be imitators of Paul because he was an imitator of Christ who was an imitator of Yahweh. Paul warned us saying, "I, know, that there will enter, after my departure, grievous [violent, cruel, unsparing] wolves into your midst, not sparing the little flock; and, from among your own selves, will arise men speaking distorted things, to draw away the disciples after themselves" (Acts 20:29-30). We have been warned that 'from among your own selves, will arise men speaking distorted [to turn aside from the right path] things, to draw [tear away] away the disciples after themselves.' This can only occur to individuals who are not anchored to the written Word of Yahweh.

The phrase, "It is Written in the Law," is used twelve times throughout the Word of Yahweh. The phrase 'It is Written,' is used thirty times in the epistles of Paul, twenty-five times in the Gospels and five times in the book of Acts (See Appendix A). Once we abandon the parameter of, 'It is Written,' the doors are opened wide allowing in seducing ruahs (spirits), and the teachings of demons. For example, the Apostle Creed states that I believe, that Jesus Christ "…descended into hell" and in "the resurrection of the body." These statements are 'Not Written' in the Word of Yawheh. There are no verses that say such things. The phrase, "resurrection of the dead" is used ten times but nowhere is the phrase, "resurrection of the body" used. These statements do not pass the "It is Written" test but never-the-less they are widely excepted by Christians.

Doctrines of Men
The Catholic Church states in their catechism, "Finally the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, so that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords and conqueror of sin and death." The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is a singular participation in her Son's Resurrection and an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians: In giving birth you kept your virginity; in your Dormition you did not leave the world, O Mother of God, but were joined to the source of Life. You conceived the living God and, by your prayers, will deliver our souls from death...We believe that the Holy Mother of God, the new Eve, Mother of the Church, continues in heaven to exercise her maternal role on behalf of the members of Christ." This statement is 'Not Written;' it has no foundation in the Word of Yahweh yet all Catholics believe it. Why? Their foundation is not the Word of Yahweh but rather the teachings of men.

The Nicene Creed states, "I believe…in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made." We must ask ourselves, "Where is It Written:"

begotten of the Father before all worlds;
God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God;
begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father?

The above statements are 'Not Written;' they are not in the Word of Yahweh; they are not part of the Rock but rather they are the creations of men. People who build their house upon these creations are building their foundation upon sand.

The Constantinopolitan Creed states, "We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father [and the Son], who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified." We must ask ourselves, "Where is It Written:"

That the Holy Spirit is the Lord and the giver of life;
That the Holy Spirit is to be worshiped and glorified?

The above statements are 'Not Written,' in the Word of Yahweh but rather are the creations of men. Other such examples would be, "Is there a God the Son or God the Holy Spirit" and if so, "Where is it Written in the Word of Yahweh?" Is there a Trinity or an Incarnation and if so, "Where is it Written?"

If we can say, 'God the Son,' which is 'not written,' then why can't a Catholic say that Mary is the, "Holy Mother of God, the new Eve, Mother of the Church?" If we can say, 'Christ is fully God and fully man,' which is not written, then why can't a Mormon say his Book of Mormon is the truth? Are we allowed to leave Yahweh's parameter, 'It is Written,' but they are not? All beliefs should only come, word for word, from the written Word of Yahweh.

New Revelations
The Word of Yahweh is a complete work. Any new doctrines that are not present in the Word of Yahweh are not from Yahweh. Paul said, "I marvel that, thus quickly, ye are moving away from him that called you in the favour of Christ, unto a different glad–message,––Which is not, another, only there are, some, that are troubling you, and wishing to change the glad–message of the Christ. But, even if, we, or, a messenger out of heaven, announce a glad–message aside from that which we announced unto you, accursed, let him be" (Gal. 1:6-8)! Mohammed, the prophet of Islam and the founder of Mohammedanism said he received a revelation from God. He wrote the Quran and said it is the Word of God. Joseph Smith, founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, recounts his new revelation; "While I was thus in the act of calling upon God, I discovered a light appearing in my room, which continued to increase until the room was lighter than at noonday, when immediately a personage appeared at my bedside, standing in the air, for his feet did not touch the floor. He had on a loose robe of most exquisite whiteness. It was a whiteness beyond anything earthly I had ever seen; nor do I believe that any earthly thing could be made to appear so exceedingly white and brilliant. His hands were naked, and his arms also, a little above the wrist; so, also, were his feet naked, as were his legs, a little above the ankles. His head and neck were also bare. I could discover that he had no other clothing on but this robe, as it was open, so that I could see into his bosom. Not only was his robe exceedingly white, but his whole person was glorious beyond description, and his countenance truly like lightning. The room was exceedingly light, but not so very bright as immediately around his person. When I first looked upon him, I was afraid; but the fear soon left me. He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was Moroni; that God had a work for me to do; and that my name should be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, or that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people. He said there was a book deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent, and the source from whence they sprang. He also said that the fulness of the everlasting Gospel was contained in it, as delivered by the Savior to the ancient inhabitants." His testimony sounds wonderful but is it true?

There are many Christian ministers and lay people who, like Joseph Smith, say they have had supernatural experiences. Kenneth E. Hagin says he went to Hell a couple of times. Jesse Duplantis says he went to Heaven in 1988. His new revelation, which is 'Not Written,' answers such questions as: What is Paradise? Are their children in Heaven? Will I recognize family members? Will I really have my own mansion in Heaven? What is God's great Throne Room like? These people write books describing their experience (a new revelation) of these places and the people they have seen and talked to. The problem with these testimonies is that the Word of Yahweh says there are no human beings in heaven, except for Christ, the first born from among the dead. All human beings who have died are asleep, awaiting the resurrection of the dead or awaiting the Parousia of the Lord. Also there are no such places as hell or purgatory in the Word of Yahweh. These testimonies and books are contradicting as well as adding information to the already complete Word of Yahweh. These testimonies are no different than the testimonies of Mohammed or Joseph Smith, who both said they were also visited by a messenger of God. The above individuals have added information to the already complete Word of Yahweh. We must remember that Paul said, "…But, even if, we, or, a messenger out of heaven, announce a glad–message aside from that which we announced unto you, accursed, let him be." Can we agree upon the fact that the above examples are a glad-message aside from that which Paul announced to us? Yes we can!

These people may have had good intentions but never-the-less they are disobeying the commandment of Yahweh. They might have even experienced supernatural events but these events were not from Yahweh because they contradict His Word. These leaders may be fruitful Christians but they have been deceived. Why can we say this? Because:

It is Written, "even if, we, or, a messenger out of heaven, announce a glad–message aside from that which we announced unto you, accursed, let him be (Gal. 1:8);"
It is Written, "Ye shall not add unto the word which, I, am commanding you, neither shall ye take away therefrom,––that ye may keep the commandments of Yahweh your Elohim, which, I, am commanding you" (Deu. 4:2).
It is Written, "And, if anyone shall take away from the words of this prophetic scroll, Yahweh, will take away his part,––from the tree of life, and out of the holy city,––from the things written in this scroll" (Rev. 22:19).

Experiences are no guarantee for truth. Truth issues forth from the already completed written Word of Yahweh, which begins in Genesis and ends in Revelations. Any additional information such as the doctrines of, the God-man, Trinity, Incarnation, God-bearer, Moroni, Allah and adventures in Purgatory, Hell and Heaven are all additions to the Word of Yahweh inferring that the Word of Yahweh was not a complete work but rather is a compilation of never ending experiences and teachings of men.

The slanderer sphere of influence
The written Word of Yahweh has always been the focal point of the slanderer's attack upon Yahweh. "The temptation of "the first man Adam" began with the question "Hath Elohim said?" The temptation of "the second man, the Lord from heaven" began with the similar question "If thou be the Son of Yahweh," when the voice of the Father had scarcely died away, which said "This IS My beloved Son". All turned on the truth of what Yahweh had said. The Word of Yahweh being questioned, led Eve, in her reply:

(1) to omit the word "freely" (#Ge 3:2), compare (#Ge 2:16); then
(2) to add the words "neither shalt thou touch it" (#Ge 3:3), compare (#Ge 2:17); and finally
(3) to alter a certainty into a contingency by changing "thou SHALT SURELY die" (#Ge 2:17) into "LEST ye die" (#Ge 3:3).

It is not without significance that the first Ministerial words of "the second Man" were "It is Written," three times repeated; and that His last Ministerial words contained a similar threefold reference to the written Word of Yahweh. The former temptation succeeded because the Word of Yahweh was three times misrepresented; the latter temptation was successfully defeated because the same Word was faithfully repeated.

The history of Genesis 3 is intended to teach us the fact that Satan's sphere of activities is in the religious sphere, and not the spheres of crime or immorality; that his battlefield is not the sins arising from human depravity, but the unbelief of the human heart. We are not to look for Satan's activities to-day in the newspaper press, or the police courts; but in the pulpit, and in professors' chairs. Wherever the Word of Yahweh is called in question, there we see the trail of "that old serpent, which is the slanderer, and adversary"…The slanderer himself could say "It is Written" (#Mt 4:6) so long…as it is misquoted or misapplied."

When the slanderer say, "It is Written"
Can the slanderer quote scripture; use scripture out of context; use difficult scriptures to create doctrines that contradict clear scriptures? Absolutely! The slanderer tempted Yahshua by saying, "It is Written;" "If thou art Yahweh's, Son, cast thyself down,––for it is written, To his messengers, will he give charge concerning thee; and, on hands, will they bear thee up, lest once thou strike, against a stone, thy foot" (Mt. 4:4-7). We must always remember that he is "…more crafty than any living thing of the field which Yahweh Elohim had made…" (Gen. 3:1). He is so crafty that he had many of Yahweh's deceived servants murder their own Redeemer, Yahweh's only-begotten Son.

Enemies of righteousness and deceived believers will say, "It is Written," and they are right but like the slanderer, they are also absolutely wrong. For example, most Bibles translate Psalm 116:15 as, "Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints." The Rotherham Emphasized Bible translates this verse as "Costly in the eyes of Yahweh, is, death, for his men of lovingkindness." As you can see, the translation of this verse makes a huge difference in what it actually means. This article is not meant to deal with the above issue, which has been handled previously in the article, "Difficult Verses of Scripture Used to Produce Doctrines That Men Want to Believe." The lesson being taught by Yahshua in Matthew four is that when someone says, "It is Written," and quotes a difficult verse, implying an incorrect doctrine or a verse out of context we must imitate Yahshua by saying, "Again, it is written, (Mt. 4:6-7)," and quote the verse in context or quote many clear verses that establish the correct doctrine. Truth is always our pursuit and not the vain glory of winning an argument.

"It is Written" should always be the prerequisite for any of our beliefs. Our Statement of Beliefs should never contain words that are not clearly written in the Word of Yahweh, such as the phrase Triune God, resurrection of the body, etc. The written Words of Yahweh, which were written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, are our complete foundation and not the doctrines of men. Visions, new revelations, experiences, Ecumenical Councils, Modern Bible Translations, etc. can not add to, take away from or change any Word of Yahweh. People who do so are accursed. The slanderer's primary objective is to destroy the Word of Yahweh but when he cannot do so, he will contaminate it. He does this by having men add their own doctrines, visions and revelations to our Father's sacred Word. We must make it our rule to avoid or shun such topics that are 'Not Written,' in the Word of Yahweh, such as the doctrine of Christ being 'fully God and fully man,' Mary as the 'God-bearer' or someone's experience in heaven or hell. Paul instructed Timothy, "If anyone doth otherwise teach, and doth not adhere to healthful discourses––those of our Lord Yahshua Christ, and to the teaching that is, according to godliness, He is beclouded, knowing, nothing, rightly, but is diseased about questionings, and word–battles––out of which spring envy, strife, defamations, wicked surmising, incessant quarrellings of men wholly corrupt in their mind and bereft of the truth,––supposing godliness to be, a means of gain" (1Ti.6:3-5)! If people would only adhere to the written Word of Yahweh rather than the teachings of men, our divisions as believers would diminish considerably. We must anchor our lives, only, to the already completed Word of Yahweh and not to the never-ending words and doctrines of men, as "It is Written!"

For who is a El, save Yahweh? And who is a Rock, save our Elohim? (Ps. 18:31)

(*When quoting scriptures, from the Rotherham Emphasized Bible New Testament, I will substitute the Hebrew word Yahshua for Jesus, Yahweh and Elohim for God and the LORD and Anointed for Christ.)