Cunningly Devised Fables by Frederick Hoehn, copyright 2016, all rights reserved. Chapter 1 "For we haven't followed cunningly devised fables..." (2 Pet 1:16) Christianity is not cunningly devised fables. The Bible is not cunningly devised fables. "For the prophecy didn't come in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." (2 Pet 1:21) 16 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 So that the man of God will be perfect, thoroughly furnished to all good works." (from 2 Tim chapt 3) Did some really clever men get together and invent a religion called Christianity? No, the inventor of Christianity is God. Christianity started with Judaism, and the Old Testament part of the Bible, the books from Genesis through Malachi. You had your laws of Moses, who received the Mosaic laws from God, and wrote them down. Laws including the Ten Commandments in Exo chapt 20. Moses told the children of Israel,-- "The Lord your God will raise up to you a Prophet from among you, of your brothers, like me, you shall listen to him..." (Deut 18:15) Moses said, "LISTEN TO HIM." That Prophet that Moses said would come is Jesus. I told a Jewish couple, sitting across the table from me in an Amtrak train dining car, that Jesus is the Prophet that Moses had predicted would come. It was clear from the distressed look on her face that the woman was not at all happy to hear that. She was displeased to be told that. Why would you be displeased to learn that the Prophet promised by Moses had come, and that his name is Jesus? Do you remember the historical account about Dr. Livingston? An Englishman, apparently, and trained in the Medical Profession, but who spent a great deal of time in Africa. Seems like I heard that he was a Christian. Wasn't it Livingston who was quoted as saying that when he died, he wanted to be buried in Africa, because that's where his heart was? After Livingston had been gone a long time, and people back home hadn't heard from him, someone was sent to go and find Dr. Livingston. Someone who looked, and looked, and looked, and then looked some more. Africa is a rather large continent. But back then, decades ago, there weren't so many white men roaming around Africa. Finally, the seeker found Dr. Livingston, and then uttered these famous words: "Dr. Livingston, I presume." But now, if you're the person who was doing all that seeking, after finding Dr. Livingston, now what do you do? Do you keep on looking for Dr. Livingston? Of course not. You already found him. Mission accomplished. Now it's on to the next task, whatever that might be. Better communicate back home with the person who sent you to find Livingston. But the Jews are still looking for the Prophet, the Messiah. A MESSIAH WHO WON'T BE COMING. Why won't he be coming? Because he already did that. Mission accomplished. Livingston has been found. The Prophet has already come, and lived out his life on Earth of about thirty three years. He won't be coming, at least, not in the way that the Jews would expect. Moses told the Jews to "Listen to him." (to the Prophet, to the Messiah) But they really can't listen to him at what we call the Rapture. (However, they can read what he has said in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the four books immediately following Malachi in the Holy Bible.) Jesus is coming back for the Rapture, as in 1 Thess chapt 4-- 15 "For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain at the coming of the Lord won't go ahead of those who have died. 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first, 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we always be with the Lord. 18 So, comfort each other with these words." In vs 15, Paul says, "by the word of the Lord," meaning that this is a revelation from God. But you see, that takes place in an instant. So, at that time, you don't gather chairs together to listen to a sermon from Jesus. He's here in a flash, and gone in a flash. The Jews will probably not even be aware that the Rapture has taken place until it begins to be noticed that various people, all over the world, are missing. People who were Christians. But for the Jews who are still looking for the Prophet, the Messiah, someone will come along. A counterfeit Messiah, called "The Beast" in the book of the Prophet Daniel, and called the Antichrist in the New Testament. But at first, the Jews won't realize that he is a counterfeit Messiah. The Antichrist will rule the world for seven years during a period of time called, "The Great Tribulation." (see the book of Revelation, last book in the Bible, and the book of the Prophet Daniel, among the Old Testament Prophets.) It is most unfortunate that many of the Jews reject Jesus as that Prophet and as their Messiah (Savior.) I guess one of the main problems for the Jews is that they had the idea that when the Messiah came, he would set up an earthly kingdom. But Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world." (Jhn 18:36) But there are some Christian Jews, and there's an organization called, "Jews for Jesus." They're on the Internet. Jesus is the promised Prophet. Jesus is the promised Messiah (Savior). We Gentile Christians have Jesus. But the Jews, generally, have let Him slip away, even though, while Jesus was on earth, it was his main mission to reach the Jews, more so than the Gentiles. In fact, Jesus said,-- "I am not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." (Matt 15:24) Jesus was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, taught the people, healed the sick, raised the dead, and cast out demons from people. But wicked men envied Jesus. Jesus had not climbed their same ladder of success. He was not one of them. (Thank God.) Even the Jewish High Priest thought it was best that Jesus die for the sake of the nation of Israel. The Jewish leaders went to the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate, and persuaded him, who reluctantly condemned Jesus to be crucified. Jesus died on the cross, and his body was taken down and put into a tomb. On the third day, God raised Jesus from the dead. He was seen by his eleven disciples. (The twelfth disciple, Judas Iscariot, the betrayer, had hung himself.) Jesus was seen by more than five hundred Christians. Jesus went back up to heaven in a cloud. Which part of all of this is a cunningly devised fable? None of it. This all happened, as reported to us in the Bible. Chapter 2 But there's another religion called Islam. People who have Islam as their religion are Muslims. The Muslims say that Jesus is good man, and a Prophet, but not the Son of God. What is this saying? That's a cunningly devised fable. It's a lie. When I lived in Houston, TX, one of my neighbors was a Muslim man. He and I played a few games of chess. I said to that Muslim man, "You people (the Muslims) contradict yourselves. You say that Jesus was a good man, and a Prophet, but not the Son of God. But Jesus said that he's the Son of God. So then, if you people are right that Jesus is not the Son of God, then Jesus is not a good man, but a liar; not a Prophet, but a false prophet." The Muslim man surprised me with his answer. He said, "Jesus didn't say that." (meaning that Jesus didn't say he's the Son of God.) No, that's very much wrong. Jesus surely did say he's the Son of God. Jesus was brought before the Jewish high priest. Again the high priest asked him, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?" And Jesus said, "I am, and you'll see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven." (Mark 14:61,62) On another occasion, Jesus was talking with his disciples. 13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Whom do men say that I, the Son of man, am?" 14 And they said, "Some say you're John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah, or one of the prophets." 15 He said to them, "But whom do you say that I am?" 16 And Simon Peter answered, "You're the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood haven't revealed it to you, but my Father who is in heaven." (from Matt chapt 16) So, those are two passages of scripture where Jesus said he's the Son of God. Why then did the Muslim man think Jesus had not said he's the Son of God? Because the Muslim man reads the wrong book. If you want to know what the Prophet Jesus said, read the Holy Bible. In fact, any religion that says that Jesus is not the Son of God is cunningly devised fables. There are some who think that Mary Baker Eddy was an important person. They are mistaken. She invented the false religion, "Christian Science," which is neither Christian nor scientific, as Evangelist Willard Cantelon has pointed out. The Christian Science religion says that if you're sick, it's because of wrong thinking, and that if you get your thinking straightened out, the sickness will go away. No, that's wrong. Jesus said that you can't even make yourself eighteen inches taller by thinking. (Matt 6:27) So then, when Mary Baker Eddy died, where did she go? She went to hell, where there's crying and gnashing of teeth, where their worms don't die, and where the fire is never quenched (says Jesus). But Fred, how do you know she went to hell? Because the Bible says that whoever digs a pit shall fall into it. (Prov 26:27) If you spend your life helping other people go to hell, then you go there, too. Then there was this guy, Ernest, who invented the Church of Religious Science. Cunningly devised fables. They don't believe the Bible, and they don't believe Jesus. No, you can't invent a religion and have it get you to heaven. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man gets to the Father (in heaven) except through Jesus. (Jhn 14:6) The Jehovah's Witnesses also have cunningly devised fables. If you look at a Jehovah's Witness Bible, they've removed the whole verse of John 5:4 But over in the book of Revelation, it says that if you take anything out of this book, your name will be taken out of the Lamb's Book of Life (in heaven). (Rev chapt 22) But you have to have your name in that book to go to heaven. (Rev 13:8, Rev 17:8, Rev 20:15) And if you don't go to heaven, then you do go to hell, Jesus taught. Also compare the Jehovah's Witness Bible's 1 John 5:7 with the same verse in the King James Bible. Again, they've removed words. The Jehovah's Witnesses say that there's no hell. But Jesus said there is a fiery hell that MOST people will go to. (Matt chapt 7) So then, either Jesus is lying or the Jehovah's Witnesses are lying, and I know that Jesus is not lying. So then, we have a choice. We can choose cunningly devised fables, or we can choose the truths of the Holy Bible. Jesus said, "You MUST be born again." (John chapt 3) To become a born again Christian, obey Romans 10:9,10-- "That if you confess the Lord Jesus with your mouth, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you're saved. For with the heart man believes for righteousness, and with the mouth, confession is made for salvation." ___James chapter 1 1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes that are dispersed around, greetings. 2 My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into various temptations, 3 Knowing this, that the testing of your faith works patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, so you'll be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God for it, who gives to all men liberally, and won't find fault, and it shall be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven by the wind and tossed. 7 For let that man not think that he'll receive anything from the Lord. 8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. 9 Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted, 10 But the rich, in that he is made low, because as the flower of the grass he'll pass away. 11 For the sun has no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withers the grass, and the flower of it falls, and the grace of the fashion of it perishes, so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways. 12 Blessed is the man that endures temptation, for after he's been tested, he'll receive the crown of life, that the Lord has promised to those who love him. 13 Let no man say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God," for God can't be tempted with evil, nor does he tempt any man, 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust has conceived, it produces sin, and sin when it's finished, produces death. 16 Do not err, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, nor shadow of turning. 18 He chose to father us with the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits of his creatures. 19 So, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, 20 For the anger of man doesn't accomplish the righteousness of God. 21 So, lay apart all filthiness and the unnecessary naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like a man seeing his natural face in a mirror, 24 For he sees himself, and goes his way, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But whoever looks into the perfect law of liberty, and continues in it, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. 26 If any man among you seems to be religious, and doesn't bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is for nothing. 27 Pure religion and undefiled before God the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. ___James chapter 2 1 My brothers, don't have the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. 2 For if a man with a gold ring comes to your assembly in fancy clothes, and a poor man in dirty clothes comes in also, 3 And you have respect to him that wears the fancy clothes, and say to him, "Sit here in a good place," and say to the poor, "Stand there, or sit here under my footstool," 4 Aren't you then partial in yourselves, and have become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brothers, hasn't God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? 6 But you have despised the poor. Don't rich men oppress you, and bring you before the judgment seats? 7 Don't they blaspheme that worthy name by which you're called? 8 If you fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, "You shall love your neighbor like yourself," you do well, 9 But if you have respect of persons, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as sinners. 10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. 11 For he that said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not kill." Now if you don't commit adultery, yet if you kill, you've become a breaker of the law. 12 Speak in such a way, and do, as those who'll be judged by the law of liberty. 13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that has shown no mercy, and mercy rejoices against judgment. 14 What does it profit, my brothers, though a man says he has faith, and doesn't have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister needs clothes, and lacks daily food, 16 And one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you don't give them the things that are needed for the body, what good is that? 17 Even so faith, if it doesn't have works, is dead, being alone. 18 Yes, a man could say, "You have faith, and I have works, show me your faith without your works, and I'll show you my faith by my works." 19 You believe that there is one God, you do well, the devils also believe, and tremble. 20 But don't you know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Wasn't Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see how faith worked with his deeds, and by works faith was made perfect? 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness, and he was called the friend of God." 24 You see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. 25 Likewise also wasn't Rahab the prostitute justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? 26 For like the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. ___James chapter 3 1 My brothers, don't be many masters, knowing that we'll receive the greater condemnation. 2 For in many things we offend all. If any man doesn't offend in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. 3 See, we put bits in the horses' mouths, so they'll obey us, and we turn around their whole bodies. 4 Look also at the ships, which though they're so large, and are driven by fierce winds, yet they're turned around by a very small helm, wherever the captain wants. 5 Even so, the tongue is a little member, and boasts great things. See how great a matter a little fire kindles! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of sin, so is the tongue among our members that it makes dirty the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature, and it is set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of animals, and of birds, and of snakes, and of things in the sea, gets tamed, and has been tamed by mankind, 8 But no man can tame the tongue, it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless God, the Father, and with it we curse men, who are made after the likeness of God. 10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be. 11 Does a fountain send out at the same place sweet water and bitter? 12 Can the fig tree, my brothers, produce olive berries? Or a vine, figs? So no fountain can yield both salt water and fresh. 13 Who is a wise man, possessing knowledge among you? Let him show out of a good lifestyle his works with meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, don't glory, and don't lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom doesn't descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. 16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be reasoned with, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. 18 And the fruit of righteousness is planted in peace by those who make peace. ___James chapter 4 1 Where do wars and fightings among you come from? Don't they come from your lusts that war in your members? 2 You lust, and don't have, you kill, and desire to have, and can't obtain, you fight and war, yet you don't have, because you don't ask. 3 You ask, and don't receive, because you ask wrongly, so you can consume it on your lusts. 4 You adulterers and adulteresses, don't you know that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world is an enemy of God. 5 Do you think that the scripture says for nothing, "The spirit that lives in us lusts to envy?" 6 But he gives more grace. So he says, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he'll run away from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double minded. 9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and cry, let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he'll lift you up. 11 Don't speak evil about each other, brothers. He that speaks evil about his brother, and judges his brother, speaks evil about the law, and judges the law, but if you judge the law, you're not a doer of the law, but a judge. 12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy, who are you that judges someone else? 13 Go on now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we'll go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and make a profit," 14 Actually, you don't know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is a puff of steam, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away. 15 For you ought to say, "Lord willing, we'll live, and do this, or that." 16 But now you rejoice in your boastings, all such rejoicing is evil. 17 Therefore to him that knows to do good, and doesn't do it, to him it is sin. ___James chapter 5 1 Go on now, you rich men, cry and howl for your miseries that shall come on you. 2 Your riches are corrupted, and your clothes are moth eaten. 3 Your gold and silver are rusted, and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh like fire. You've heaped treasure together for the last days. 4 See, the wages of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which you've kept back by fraud, shouts, and the shouts of those who've reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabbath. 5 You've lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton, you've nourished your hearts, like in a day of slaughter. 6 You've condemned and killed the just, and he doesn't resist you. 7 Be patient therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, and has long patience for it, until he receives the early and latter rain. 8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is getting near. 9 Don't grudge against each other, brothers, so you won't be condemned, see, the judge stands at the door. 10 Take, my brothers, the prophets, who've spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. 11 See, we count them happy that endure. You've heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy. 12 But above all things, my brothers, don't swear, not by heaven, nor by the earth, nor by any other oath, but let your yes be yes, and your no, no, so that you don't fall into condemnation. 13 Is anyone among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is anyone merry? Let him sing psalms. 14 Is anyone sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord, 15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up, and if he has committed sins, he'll be forgiven. 16 Confess your faults to each other, and pray for each other so you'll be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man is does a lot of good. 17 Elijah was a man subject to the same kind of passions that we are, and he prayed earnestly that it wouldn't rain, and it didn't rain on the earth for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. 19 Brothers, if any of you strays from the truth, and someone converts him, 20 Let him know, that he that converts the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.