1 00:00:00,600 --> 00:00:03,900 As you can see, on the screen, the title of our lesson is the 2 00:00:03,900 --> 00:00:08,500 doctrines of gnosticism. And the question is, what does 3 00:00:08,500 --> 00:00:10,700 that mean? What is the doctrines or what 4 00:00:10,700 --> 00:00:15,300 are the doctrines of gnosticism? And why does it matter as an 5 00:00:15,300 --> 00:00:17,200 introductory text? I want to invite you to a 6 00:00:17,200 --> 00:00:20,800 passage found in the book of Jude and Jude only has one 7 00:00:20,800 --> 00:00:25,500 chapter, but beginning in verse 3, beloved while I was very 8 00:00:25,500 --> 00:00:29,300 diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation. 9 00:00:29,900 --> 00:00:33,400 I found it necessary to write to you exhorting, you to contend 10 00:00:33,400 --> 00:00:37,600 earnestly, for the faith, which was once for all delivered to 11 00:00:37,608 --> 00:00:40,500 the Saints for certain man have crept. 12 00:00:40,500 --> 00:00:44,300 In unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this 13 00:00:44,300 --> 00:00:47,900 condemnation. Ungodly men who turn the grace 14 00:00:47,900 --> 00:00:52,600 of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our 15 00:00:52,600 --> 00:00:56,800 Lord Jesus Christ. But I want to remind you though, 16 00:00:56,800 --> 00:01:00,700 you once knew this at the Lord having I saved the people out of 17 00:01:00,700 --> 00:01:05,099 the land of Egypt, afterward, destroyed, those who did not 18 00:01:05,099 --> 00:01:08,900 believe in this lesson. Today, I want to examine the 19 00:01:08,900 --> 00:01:13,200 doctrines of gnosticism as touted in the popular media. 20 00:01:13,700 --> 00:01:16,300 And you might remember these phrases or know what I'm talking 21 00:01:16,300 --> 00:01:18,400 about. I'm talking about The DaVinci 22 00:01:18,400 --> 00:01:25,100 Code and also the doctrine or the Gospel of Judas and others 23 00:01:25,700 --> 00:01:28,400 and we want to do this so that we might all understand what 24 00:01:28,400 --> 00:01:32,400 gnosticism. And how the New Testament deals 25 00:01:32,400 --> 00:01:37,000 with those doctrines and why popular culture gets it wrong. 26 00:01:37,500 --> 00:01:41,100 Well, first of all, about the text before us, this passage 27 00:01:41,100 --> 00:01:43,900 along with several others. In the New Testament, allude to 28 00:01:43,900 --> 00:01:46,800 the doctrines and practices of a religion. 29 00:01:46,800 --> 00:01:51,900 Today that is commonly referred to as gnosticism, but what is 30 00:01:51,900 --> 00:01:53,800 it? And what's the word actually? 31 00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:59,100 Even me, the word gnosticism comes from a Greek word gnosis 32 00:01:59,100 --> 00:02:01,800 and it Literally means knowledge. 33 00:02:02,700 --> 00:02:06,500 Now, gnostics were concerned with knowledge because they 34 00:02:06,500 --> 00:02:10,900 believed that salvation was predicated upon obtaining 35 00:02:10,900 --> 00:02:15,800 special Enlightenment for or through their Mysteries. 36 00:02:16,300 --> 00:02:21,800 Now gnosticism did not originate with Christianity, in fact it 37 00:02:21,800 --> 00:02:26,700 had its origins in paganism and it was primarily pantheistic, 38 00:02:26,700 --> 00:02:29,500 meaning many gods, you know, paganism. 39 00:02:29,600 --> 00:02:34,200 Was pantheistic because they observed or recognized, many 40 00:02:34,200 --> 00:02:37,300 different or multiple gods on the flip side. 41 00:02:37,300 --> 00:02:42,000 For example, a religion that is monotheistic is a religion that 42 00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:44,800 recognizes only one God. And that's all of us. 43 00:02:44,800 --> 00:02:48,100 Today, Christians, we recognize one, God. 44 00:02:48,500 --> 00:02:54,700 So gnosticism was pantheistic, meaning many gods, but there's 45 00:02:54,700 --> 00:02:57,800 so much more and I'll get back to that in just a little bit. 46 00:02:58,700 --> 00:03:02,400 As Christianity though, expanded into the Gentile world. 47 00:03:02,600 --> 00:03:06,400 Gnostics were quick to fuse the two religions together. 48 00:03:07,600 --> 00:03:11,100 Added to that was modern-day philosophy. 49 00:03:11,300 --> 00:03:15,700 And the idea was this, they emphasize personal or spiritual 50 00:03:15,700 --> 00:03:20,400 knowledge over Orthodox or traditional teachings. 51 00:03:20,700 --> 00:03:25,100 I want to notice a definition of very long, wordy definition or 52 00:03:25,100 --> 00:03:28,100 description of gnosticism and we're not going to read the 53 00:03:28,100 --> 00:03:30,700 whole thing because it is very, very worthy. 54 00:03:30,700 --> 00:03:34,300 I want to highlight a couple of things though, to understand 55 00:03:34,300 --> 00:03:40,000 what gnosticism is I want. To just say this as a general 56 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:44,500 principle of this definition, it is a collective name. 57 00:03:44,500 --> 00:03:50,500 Gnosticism is for a large number of greatly varying pantheistic 58 00:03:50,500 --> 00:03:56,100 idealistic sex borrowing the phraseology and some of the 59 00:03:56,100 --> 00:04:00,100 tenants of the chief religions of the day and especially of 60 00:04:00,100 --> 00:04:05,200 Christianity, held matter to be a deterioration of Spirit and 61 00:04:05,200 --> 00:04:09,800 the whole universe. A Privation of the deity. 62 00:04:10,400 --> 00:04:14,100 Now, with philosophy, added all of this. 63 00:04:14,600 --> 00:04:19,200 These things were fused together and what is known as or referred 64 00:04:19,200 --> 00:04:24,600 to as gnosticism. Now, I got to say in the past. 65 00:04:25,800 --> 00:04:29,500 In the past, perhaps the study of the subject of gnosticism 66 00:04:29,500 --> 00:04:32,000 would be extremely dry. And I got to tell you, this is a 67 00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:35,000 challenge for me. Because we're going to talk 68 00:04:35,000 --> 00:04:38,000 about something that is and can be very dry. 69 00:04:38,000 --> 00:04:42,400 I don't want it to be boring. I don't want it to be dry but 70 00:04:42,400 --> 00:04:45,900 also on the very same subject, we look at this idea and we want 71 00:04:45,900 --> 00:04:48,700 it to be interesting to understand what it is and really 72 00:04:48,700 --> 00:04:53,400 how some of these beliefs have trickled over into our society. 73 00:04:53,400 --> 00:04:57,600 For example, there are people for example, that perhaps 74 00:04:57,600 --> 00:05:01,600 believe certain things that were taught under the religion of 75 00:05:01,600 --> 00:05:04,300 gnosticism. That wouldn't Consider 76 00:05:04,300 --> 00:05:08,700 themselves to be Gnostic but these are things that have and 77 00:05:08,700 --> 00:05:12,900 theories that have drifted over. Well, I'll tell you a dry 78 00:05:12,900 --> 00:05:17,700 subject like this was revived when the recently released 79 00:05:17,700 --> 00:05:21,700 ancient documents and popular works of fiction became in our 80 00:05:21,700 --> 00:05:25,800 society. One of which is The DaVinci Code 81 00:05:26,900 --> 00:05:31,000 Now The DaVinci Code is a popular work that presumes 82 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:33,700 certain Gnostic teachings to be true. 83 00:05:34,400 --> 00:05:39,700 Now and basis the fictional story upon these things. 84 00:05:40,000 --> 00:05:42,300 In fact, you also remember something else. 85 00:05:42,900 --> 00:05:47,400 You remember this, the Gospel of Judas and you heard of that the 86 00:05:47,400 --> 00:05:51,300 Gospel of Judas, Why is it important? 87 00:05:51,600 --> 00:05:53,400 Why do we have to pay attention to that? 88 00:05:53,400 --> 00:05:55,600 And why does it matter? Why does it matter today? 89 00:05:55,600 --> 00:05:58,700 That we noticed, what the Gospel of Judas actually was, and why 90 00:05:58,700 --> 00:06:02,000 it's wrong, or The DaVinci Code or gnosticism. 91 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:06,200 Why is it important? I'll tell you why, it's because 92 00:06:06,200 --> 00:06:11,300 of people's responses to varying interpretations of things, or 93 00:06:11,300 --> 00:06:15,200 varying accounts of things and they conflict each other. 94 00:06:15,300 --> 00:06:19,400 So people do one of two things. Number one, people, They say 95 00:06:19,400 --> 00:06:23,600 sometimes when there's all kinds of varying opinions so just pick 96 00:06:23,600 --> 00:06:26,200 the one you want. And that's good enough. 97 00:06:26,900 --> 00:06:30,100 And everything is okay because there's all different opinions, 98 00:06:30,100 --> 00:06:31,700 just choose the one that you want. 99 00:06:31,800 --> 00:06:35,800 That's number one, number two, people say because there's a 100 00:06:35,800 --> 00:06:41,000 conflict and there's a division, or a conflict between two things 101 00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:45,500 like the word of God and things, like the Gospel of Judas and 102 00:06:45,500 --> 00:06:49,000 other Gnostic Gospels that people say. 103 00:06:49,200 --> 00:06:51,200 You know what? You can't know what's, right? 104 00:06:51,200 --> 00:06:53,800 Nothing is reliable. Throw it all out. 105 00:06:54,500 --> 00:06:58,300 You can't know what's true. You know, I think that that kind 106 00:06:58,300 --> 00:07:02,800 of philosophy trickles over to people today years and years 107 00:07:02,800 --> 00:07:06,100 ago. There was a softball coach that 108 00:07:06,100 --> 00:07:09,800 I knew and I was talking to him about church and he said, you 109 00:07:09,800 --> 00:07:14,500 know, I mean I believe in God but I am against organized 110 00:07:14,500 --> 00:07:17,700 religion and I said, why is that he said because there's so many 111 00:07:17,700 --> 00:07:21,700 differing opinions. It's impossible to know what's 112 00:07:21,700 --> 00:07:23,700 right? Well, I know that there's 113 00:07:23,700 --> 00:07:26,700 various opinions about a lot of things, but when you talk about 114 00:07:26,700 --> 00:07:29,800 the word of God and you talk about what God wants, there's 115 00:07:29,800 --> 00:07:32,000 only one standard. So that's what we want to 116 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:34,200 emphasize. We want to notice what these 117 00:07:34,300 --> 00:07:40,500 Things were in gnosticism number one gnosticism and I told you 118 00:07:40,500 --> 00:07:47,400 we'd get back to this gnosticism is pantheism now that's a fancy 119 00:07:47,400 --> 00:07:51,000 word one of the definitions of pantheism and we're going to 120 00:07:51,008 --> 00:07:54,300 notice this from a two-fold perspective, one of the 121 00:07:54,300 --> 00:07:59,200 definitions of this is a doctrine that identifies god 122 00:07:59,300 --> 00:08:04,700 with the universe. Sound familiar, it identifies 123 00:08:04,700 --> 00:08:10,400 god with the universe or regards the universe as a manifestation 124 00:08:10,400 --> 00:08:14,700 of God. In other words, God is not a 125 00:08:14,707 --> 00:08:18,200 person. God is not someone that can be 126 00:08:18,200 --> 00:08:22,100 reached. You know, brother Wade, prayed 127 00:08:22,100 --> 00:08:26,600 to God on our behalf, we prayed together, we all said, amen, and 128 00:08:26,600 --> 00:08:30,600 agreement with that prayer talking about reaching God 129 00:08:30,600 --> 00:08:34,000 specifically, brother. Darren prayed to God 130 00:08:34,000 --> 00:08:39,200 specifically, because, you know why, God can be reached, he is 131 00:08:39,200 --> 00:08:42,900 our heavenly father and when the Bible talks about Abba, Father, 132 00:08:42,900 --> 00:08:46,300 it refers to God himself. But the relationship that we 133 00:08:46,300 --> 00:08:49,800 also have with him. Wouldn't it be awful? 134 00:08:49,800 --> 00:08:53,600 If you could not reach the Creator and have a relationship 135 00:08:53,600 --> 00:08:56,600 with him, you know, Albert Einstein. 136 00:08:57,800 --> 00:09:00,600 One of the most brilliant men that ever lived, you know, he 137 00:09:00,600 --> 00:09:03,900 said he didn't buy into evolution by the way, never did 138 00:09:04,400 --> 00:09:08,900 what Einstein said is the idea of creation or the world, or the 139 00:09:08,900 --> 00:09:12,600 universe that exists was the result of cause and effect. 140 00:09:12,700 --> 00:09:17,000 So what we live in is the effect and if there's the effect there 141 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:20,400 has to have a cause and if there has to have a cause it's got to 142 00:09:20,400 --> 00:09:22,600 be God, it's got to be a higher power. 143 00:09:23,700 --> 00:09:28,500 Albert, Einstein raised in a home of Judaism believed in the 144 00:09:28,500 --> 00:09:31,600 god of Judaism. At one point in time, and said 145 00:09:31,600 --> 00:09:33,900 there had to be a God, no problem at all. 146 00:09:34,000 --> 00:09:35,000 You know what happened to Albert. 147 00:09:35,000 --> 00:09:38,700 Einstein as brilliant as he was, I'll tell you what happened. 148 00:09:39,000 --> 00:09:42,500 He started looking out at all. The things that happen in the 149 00:09:42,500 --> 00:09:45,900 world. And he couldn't put together the 150 00:09:45,900 --> 00:09:51,200 idea in his mind that if God were so good and God were so 151 00:09:51,200 --> 00:09:53,800 great. Then why does he allow bad 152 00:09:53,800 --> 00:09:57,400 things to happen to good people? Albert, Einstein couldn't wrap 153 00:09:57,400 --> 00:10:00,700 His Brilliant mind around that. So you know what he said, he 154 00:10:00,700 --> 00:10:05,400 said this, oh, they're still a God but he cannot be reached. 155 00:10:05,500 --> 00:10:08,200 He cannot be touched. We don't really have a 156 00:10:08,200 --> 00:10:12,600 relationship with him. It is just a cosmic mind that 157 00:10:12,600 --> 00:10:18,300 spoke everything into it. Existence know, God can be 158 00:10:18,300 --> 00:10:21,600 reached now. What about this right here? 159 00:10:22,300 --> 00:10:25,500 What about the universe? We give you two examples, okay? 160 00:10:25,700 --> 00:10:28,700 When I had cancer, you know what people said to me that I come in 161 00:10:28,700 --> 00:10:32,000 contact with? They would say this all the 162 00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:35,200 time. You're in my prayers people. 163 00:10:35,200 --> 00:10:38,600 I did business with people that I associated with members, of 164 00:10:38,600 --> 00:10:44,600 the Lord's Church, Christians would say I'm praying for you. 165 00:10:44,700 --> 00:10:48,800 You're in my prayers. Then there were other people 166 00:10:48,800 --> 00:10:53,400 that said this, I'll keep a good thought out for you. 167 00:10:53,600 --> 00:10:56,100 You know, why? It's the principal just like 168 00:10:56,100 --> 00:10:59,900 this just like gnosticism if I have enough good thoughts going 169 00:10:59,900 --> 00:11:04,200 on about me in the universe and I turn it over to the universe. 170 00:11:04,500 --> 00:11:07,100 Then guess what? Good will happen. 171 00:11:07,300 --> 00:11:10,300 That's not the god that we serve, but understand this. 172 00:11:10,600 --> 00:11:16,000 It is pantheistic in nature. Gnosticism is first perspective, 173 00:11:16,000 --> 00:11:19,900 is that That it regards the universe as the manifestation of 174 00:11:19,900 --> 00:11:22,500 God and we can't reach him personally. 175 00:11:22,500 --> 00:11:28,800 But number two, it's a worship that admits are tolerates all 176 00:11:28,900 --> 00:11:32,600 God's plural e. And by the way, interesting 177 00:11:32,600 --> 00:11:37,000 about this gnosticism teaches that there are multiple gods, 178 00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:41,200 small G, multiple gods in existence and they are called 179 00:11:41,300 --> 00:11:43,700 Ian's. And what is that? 180 00:11:44,200 --> 00:11:48,500 These gods in these Ian's formed a hierarchy of deities. 181 00:11:49,200 --> 00:11:53,300 And from that all things happened, the higher order of 182 00:11:53,400 --> 00:11:57,000 deities were thought of to be a spiritual and the lower were 183 00:11:57,000 --> 00:12:02,400 thought up to be physical. And it just easier to open up 184 00:12:02,400 --> 00:12:04,400 the word of God and say in the beginning, God created the 185 00:12:04,400 --> 00:12:05,800 heavens and the Earth and leave it at that. 186 00:12:07,800 --> 00:12:10,600 Would it be easier? Instead of having a concept of 187 00:12:10,600 --> 00:12:14,200 believing in a concept that there's a hierarchy of gods that 188 00:12:14,200 --> 00:12:17,800 created everything and all the good stuff was paid for by the 189 00:12:17,800 --> 00:12:22,200 or created by the spiritual and all the bad things were created 190 00:12:22,200 --> 00:12:28,100 by the physical. It's the doctrines of gnosticism 191 00:12:28,100 --> 00:12:32,000 in that. Now, here's the problem to the 192 00:12:32,000 --> 00:12:34,200 spiritual. They believed is good. 193 00:12:34,200 --> 00:12:38,600 And the physical is inherently evil, that distinction, 194 00:12:38,600 --> 00:12:41,600 ultimately affected the practices of those who believed 195 00:12:41,600 --> 00:12:44,100 in gnosticism. But the Bible teaches, there's 196 00:12:44,100 --> 00:12:47,400 only one God, let me give you some Bible for that. 197 00:12:47,400 --> 00:12:51,100 Several passages of scripture. First, we begin in Deuteronomy 198 00:12:51,100 --> 00:12:54,500 chapter 6 and verse 4, where the Bible says. 199 00:12:54,600 --> 00:13:01,000 Hear o Israel the Lord our God is one Lord. 200 00:13:03,300 --> 00:13:06,800 That's it right there. How many just one? 201 00:13:07,700 --> 00:13:10,500 What else it's going to the New Testament in John chapter 17 and 202 00:13:10,500 --> 00:13:14,200 verse 3. And this is eternal life that 203 00:13:14,200 --> 00:13:19,100 they may know you. The only true God and Jesus 204 00:13:19,100 --> 00:13:23,400 Christ whom you have sent. Here's another passage the words 205 00:13:23,400 --> 00:13:26,900 of the Apostle Paul in First Corinthians chapter, 8, verses 206 00:13:26,900 --> 00:13:31,800 five and six for even if there are so called God's whether in 207 00:13:31,800 --> 00:13:35,000 heaven or on Earth, Earth or there are many gods and many 208 00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:39,800 lords yet for us. There's one God, the father of 209 00:13:39,800 --> 00:13:45,000 whom are all things, and we for him and one, Lord Jesus Christ 210 00:13:45,000 --> 00:13:50,300 through whom are all things. And through whom we live, so 211 00:13:50,300 --> 00:13:54,600 there is one God. One final passage though, in 212 00:13:54,600 --> 00:13:58,700 Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 6, Paul said this. 213 00:14:00,200 --> 00:14:05,500 He said, one God and Father of all, who is above all and 214 00:14:05,500 --> 00:14:13,100 through all and in you all. So gnosticism is pantheism which 215 00:14:13,100 --> 00:14:17,200 believes that God is nothing more than the manifestation of 216 00:14:17,200 --> 00:14:21,400 the universe and the forces around us, and you can't contact 217 00:14:21,400 --> 00:14:24,600 him directly at all. Number two, it is the 218 00:14:24,600 --> 00:14:28,200 recognition of multiple Ian's or multiple gods. 219 00:14:28,400 --> 00:14:31,800 Therefore, it is not One God that we serve. 220 00:14:31,800 --> 00:14:36,100 But all of these others are enforce, the word of God says 221 00:14:36,100 --> 00:14:41,500 though there's only one God. Number two, another reason why 222 00:14:41,500 --> 00:14:45,500 gnosticism is false teaching and false Doctrine is because 223 00:14:45,500 --> 00:14:50,400 gnosticism denies the deity and Humanity of Jesus Christ. 224 00:14:52,400 --> 00:14:55,000 You know, part of the teaching of gnosticism is that Jesus 225 00:14:55,000 --> 00:15:00,300 Christ was a created being And by the way, there are religious 226 00:15:00,300 --> 00:15:03,400 affiliations today, that believe that Jesus was created. 227 00:15:05,100 --> 00:15:09,100 Jesus was not created. In fact, the Bible says that in 228 00:15:09,100 --> 00:15:13,500 the beginning, Jesus was there. And in Genesis chapter 1 and 229 00:15:13,508 --> 00:15:19,100 verse 26, when it says, let us make man in our image, that 230 00:15:19,100 --> 00:15:23,700 means this when God created everything, he also did. 231 00:15:23,700 --> 00:15:28,100 So at the very same time with Jesus Christ, and the Holy 232 00:15:28,100 --> 00:15:32,800 Spirit and they were all there at the very beginning, in other 233 00:15:32,800 --> 00:15:36,000 words, all things were created by them. 234 00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:38,000 We have one God that we serve Serve. 235 00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:40,100 But Jesus Christ was not created. 236 00:15:40,100 --> 00:15:43,700 He was there in the beginning. Somebody asked me one time. 237 00:15:43,800 --> 00:15:46,300 Well, when was what happened before the beginning. 238 00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:53,400 Let's not get too smart, doesn't matter in the beginning, that's 239 00:15:53,400 --> 00:15:56,400 it. In the beginning, that means 240 00:15:56,400 --> 00:15:58,700 that whatever happened before the beginning. 241 00:15:58,800 --> 00:16:01,600 I don't know what happened before Genesis 1:1, I don't 242 00:16:01,600 --> 00:16:04,700 care. All I know is, Jesus has always 243 00:16:04,700 --> 00:16:08,800 existed. He was not created but the 244 00:16:08,800 --> 00:16:13,500 doctrine of gnosticism denied, the deity of Jesus Christ. 245 00:16:13,500 --> 00:16:18,000 And also at the same time, the humanity of Jesus Christ. 246 00:16:18,600 --> 00:16:24,400 Now, some gnostics even believe that Jesus Christ came and to 247 00:16:24,400 --> 00:16:27,300 set man on the path of Enlightenment. 248 00:16:27,300 --> 00:16:30,300 And I'll tell you something, I appreciated the songs and some 249 00:16:30,300 --> 00:16:33,100 of the songs. We sung this morning, talking 250 00:16:33,100 --> 00:16:36,800 about Jesus Christ, being risen talking about the things that 251 00:16:36,800 --> 00:16:41,200 Jesus Christ has done. I'm so grateful for that, I know 252 00:16:41,200 --> 00:16:43,700 you're grateful for that. These are wonderful words of 253 00:16:43,700 --> 00:16:45,900 praise and honor to the Lord for them. 254 00:16:46,300 --> 00:16:50,700 Okay. gnosticism didn't believe in any of that, they believed 255 00:16:50,700 --> 00:16:55,100 that Jesus was really a person created and he came to this 256 00:16:55,100 --> 00:17:00,300 earth to put man on a path of Enlightenment, and that's why he 257 00:17:00,300 --> 00:17:05,900 came Now, the enlightenment was this, by the way, to put man on 258 00:17:05,900 --> 00:17:08,500 a different path. That was separate and, and 259 00:17:08,500 --> 00:17:12,000 separate and different from the god of the Old Testament. 260 00:17:12,099 --> 00:17:15,700 And that's why Jesus came. And by the way, this is affirmed 261 00:17:15,700 --> 00:17:20,900 in The DaVinci Code, it is stated and I will read in the in 262 00:17:20,900 --> 00:17:24,700 that book that it wasn't until the time of Constantine that 263 00:17:24,700 --> 00:17:29,000 Jesus Christ was set forth as divine. 264 00:17:30,100 --> 00:17:32,700 We know that to be false, we know that not to be true 265 00:17:33,400 --> 00:17:35,400 gnostics. Also denied, the humanity of 266 00:17:35,400 --> 00:17:39,900 Jesus Christ, but the Bible teaches the Divinity of Jesus. 267 00:17:40,400 --> 00:17:43,800 In John chapter 1 and verse 1 would be a scathing rebuke of 268 00:17:43,800 --> 00:17:46,700 gnosticism notice. This right here. 269 00:17:47,100 --> 00:17:55,600 Jesus was both Divine and human. Incidentally. if Jesus were not 270 00:17:55,600 --> 00:18:01,300 human, he could not have been the sacrificial lamb to pay the 271 00:18:01,300 --> 00:18:05,200 price, the blood sacrifice the price for the sins of the world. 272 00:18:06,000 --> 00:18:10,900 Not created in the beginning. I didn't make that up in John 273 00:18:10,900 --> 00:18:14,900 chapter 1 beginning in verse 1. It said in the beginning was the 274 00:18:14,900 --> 00:18:21,900 word and the Word was with God and the Word was God, he was in 275 00:18:21,900 --> 00:18:25,000 the beginning with God. All things were made through him 276 00:18:25,000 --> 00:18:29,900 and without him nothing was made, that was made in verse 14 277 00:18:29,900 --> 00:18:33,700 of John chapter 1. It says, and the word became 278 00:18:33,700 --> 00:18:38,300 flesh and dwelt among among us and we beheld, his glory, the 279 00:18:38,300 --> 00:18:41,700 glory, as of the only begotten of the father full of grace and 280 00:18:41,700 --> 00:18:49,500 truth, who's that as Jesus Christ, the word Was in the 281 00:18:49,500 --> 00:18:52,500 beginning. The Word was God. 282 00:18:52,500 --> 00:18:56,900 Meaning deity, the word became flesh and dwelt Among Us. 283 00:18:57,100 --> 00:19:02,700 Meaning he was fully human. This was a doctrine that the 284 00:19:02,700 --> 00:19:04,500 gnostics would not have tolerated. 285 00:19:05,100 --> 00:19:08,700 Notice more, though, Colossians chapter 2 and verse 9, for in 286 00:19:08,700 --> 00:19:13,100 him, dwells all the fullness of the godhead bodily. 287 00:19:13,300 --> 00:19:18,300 That's Jesus Christ. Remember this to, in order for 288 00:19:18,300 --> 00:19:21,400 Jesus Christ fulfilling prophecy, he had to be the Son 289 00:19:21,400 --> 00:19:27,200 of God and he also had to be the son of David now that shows the 290 00:19:27,500 --> 00:19:31,700 fleshly lineage of Jesus Christ and he was the only one And by 291 00:19:31,700 --> 00:19:35,200 the way, that could have been the seed of David and also be 292 00:19:35,200 --> 00:19:38,500 the Son of God, the only one now, there were many that could 293 00:19:38,500 --> 00:19:42,100 be fall into the category of the seed of David or the son of 294 00:19:42,100 --> 00:19:46,700 David, but nobody else could be the son of David and also be the 295 00:19:46,700 --> 00:19:49,400 Son of God. It's the idea of this is the 296 00:19:49,400 --> 00:19:53,300 same thing as saying Jesus is the son of God, meaning fully 297 00:19:53,300 --> 00:19:57,000 Divine, and Son of Man, meaningful human. 298 00:19:57,200 --> 00:20:01,300 That was our Messiah and in him, dwells all the fullness of the 299 00:20:01,400 --> 00:20:04,800 Ahead bodily. Another passage in Titus Chapter 300 00:20:04,800 --> 00:20:08,300 2 and verse 13. Looking for the Blessed, hope 301 00:20:08,300 --> 00:20:10,700 and glorious appearing of our great God. 302 00:20:10,900 --> 00:20:17,700 And our Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus is divine. 303 00:20:18,100 --> 00:20:22,100 He is also human again. Son of man. 304 00:20:22,300 --> 00:20:24,200 In first, John chapter 4 and verse 2. 305 00:20:25,600 --> 00:20:30,200 By this, you know, the spirit of God, every spirit that confesses 306 00:20:30,200 --> 00:20:32,400 Jesus Christ is come in. The flesh is of God. 307 00:20:32,400 --> 00:20:36,600 Now, interesting, this is one test of Fellowship, one test of 308 00:20:36,608 --> 00:20:41,000 Fellowship. We read that again by this, you 309 00:20:41,000 --> 00:20:44,100 know, the spirit of God, every spirit that confesses that Jesus 310 00:20:44,100 --> 00:20:45,700 Christ is come in, the flesh is of God. 311 00:20:45,900 --> 00:20:50,100 And every spirit, that does not confess, that Jesus Christ is 312 00:20:50,100 --> 00:20:54,600 come in the flesh, he is not of God, and this is the spirit of 313 00:20:54,600 --> 00:20:57,500 the Eddie. Christ, which you have heard was 314 00:20:57,500 --> 00:21:00,700 coming and is now already in the world. 315 00:21:01,300 --> 00:21:05,300 This is one test of Fellowship, not all one. 316 00:21:06,100 --> 00:21:10,300 If a person rejects that Jesus Christ came in the flesh, he's 317 00:21:10,300 --> 00:21:14,600 not of God, if a person teaches against that, guess what? 318 00:21:15,500 --> 00:21:18,500 It's the Antichrist. The spirit of the Antichrist. 319 00:21:19,000 --> 00:21:23,900 Jesus did come in the flesh. Jesus Christ was and is deity. 320 00:21:23,900 --> 00:21:28,900 Here's another one. Gnosticism stresses knowledge as 321 00:21:28,900 --> 00:21:32,800 the path to Salvation. Now what kind of knowledge we 322 00:21:32,800 --> 00:21:35,500 talking about? By the way, you have to have 323 00:21:35,500 --> 00:21:37,500 knowledge, I have to have knowledge. 324 00:21:38,900 --> 00:21:42,000 Anytime that you study something and learn something you gain 325 00:21:42,000 --> 00:21:45,800 knowledge. When we pray to God, we ask God 326 00:21:45,800 --> 00:21:47,900 for wisdom and gives it liberally but we have to study 327 00:21:47,900 --> 00:21:50,400 for knowledge. So there's nothing wrong with 328 00:21:50,400 --> 00:21:52,000 knowledge. It's not what I'm saying. 329 00:21:52,200 --> 00:21:57,200 What gnosticism top though, is it stressed knowledge, as a path 330 00:21:57,200 --> 00:22:00,100 to Salvation, what kind of knowledge here it is. 331 00:22:02,000 --> 00:22:06,600 Gnosticism believed. That there was one special 332 00:22:06,600 --> 00:22:12,200 secret knowledge that could lead a person to Salvation this 333 00:22:12,200 --> 00:22:15,000 knowledge consisted of their pantheism that we already 334 00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:18,700 noticed and also the condemnation of the physical, 335 00:22:19,300 --> 00:22:23,300 some gnostics held that, there was no such thing as Sin since 336 00:22:23,300 --> 00:22:28,000 all flesh is sinful and the only sin is ignorance of their 337 00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:32,400 special knowledge. Now the Bible teaches that 338 00:22:32,400 --> 00:22:38,700 knowledge isn't special oil. Why would you teach a doctrine 339 00:22:38,700 --> 00:22:41,600 that says knowledge is special and only a few can get it. 340 00:22:43,100 --> 00:22:48,100 If Jesus died for the sins of the world and he did and those 341 00:22:48,100 --> 00:22:51,200 things are revealed to us in the gospel of the death, burial and 342 00:22:51,200 --> 00:22:55,300 resurrection of Jesus. Why would only a select few 343 00:22:55,300 --> 00:23:00,100 understand the specific special knowledge that a person had to 344 00:23:00,100 --> 00:23:03,600 know to be saved In fact, you know, the Bible teaches against 345 00:23:03,600 --> 00:23:06,800 that, you know, I love this in the book of First John, the word 346 00:23:06,800 --> 00:23:12,000 no. now there's varying definitions about the word no in 347 00:23:12,000 --> 00:23:15,500 the English language, but this word comes from a Greek word 348 00:23:15,500 --> 00:23:21,500 that is found 26 times in the book of First John and it means 349 00:23:21,500 --> 00:23:27,000 to know for certain It means to know in the here and now it 350 00:23:27,000 --> 00:23:32,600 means to know right now for certain 26 x, that is found. 351 00:23:32,600 --> 00:23:35,900 Let's notice a few of those passages in first, John chapter 352 00:23:35,900 --> 00:23:41,900 2 and verse 3. Now, by this, we know, That we 353 00:23:41,900 --> 00:23:48,200 know him. I think that's pretty 354 00:23:48,200 --> 00:23:54,500 encouraging, don't you? Now, by this, we know, That's to 355 00:23:54,500 --> 00:23:57,500 know for certain that we know him. 356 00:23:57,700 --> 00:24:01,800 That means have a relationship with There's a lot of folks that 357 00:24:01,800 --> 00:24:03,300 would love to have a relationship with God. 358 00:24:03,400 --> 00:24:07,400 Notice what John said by this, you know, for certain that you 359 00:24:07,400 --> 00:24:10,300 have a relationship with him. If you do want, if you keep his 360 00:24:10,300 --> 00:24:14,300 Commandments. Anybody can understand that 361 00:24:14,400 --> 00:24:16,300 first John, chapter 2 and verse 21. 362 00:24:17,800 --> 00:24:20,600 I have not written to you, because you do not know the 363 00:24:20,600 --> 00:24:24,800 truth. But because, you know, it then 364 00:24:24,800 --> 00:24:26,400 sell, like, special knowledge to me. 365 00:24:27,000 --> 00:24:28,800 Sounds like something we can all understand. 366 00:24:29,100 --> 00:24:33,200 And that is the No Lie. Is of the truth. 367 00:24:33,200 --> 00:24:36,300 Hears, another passage these things. 368 00:24:36,300 --> 00:24:38,300 I have written to you, who believe in the name of the son 369 00:24:38,300 --> 00:24:41,800 of God, that you may know that you have eternal life and that 370 00:24:41,800 --> 00:24:44,400 you may continue to believe in the name of the son of God. 371 00:24:44,400 --> 00:24:46,100 Have to make this point though, okay. 372 00:24:46,400 --> 00:24:51,200 This does not mean by audacity or irreverence, or it doesn't 373 00:24:51,200 --> 00:24:54,400 mean that because we feel as though we have earned it, we 374 00:24:54,400 --> 00:24:56,000 have salvation, that's not what that means. 375 00:24:56,000 --> 00:24:59,100 And it doesn't mean once saved always saved. 376 00:24:59,100 --> 00:25:01,700 I saved it doesn't mean that either and it doesn't mean that 377 00:25:01,700 --> 00:25:04,400 a person cannot fall from grace, it doesn't mean that either. 378 00:25:04,500 --> 00:25:08,700 What it's saying is we can have an assurance that we have 379 00:25:08,700 --> 00:25:11,700 eternal life and continue in that. 380 00:25:11,700 --> 00:25:15,400 And we've already noticed, John said, if you keep his 381 00:25:15,500 --> 00:25:22,100 Commandments, Then sound like, special sounds like anybody can 382 00:25:22,100 --> 00:25:23,900 understand. It sounds like great stuff to 383 00:25:23,900 --> 00:25:25,600 me, 1st. Timothy 6 and 20 though. 384 00:25:26,700 --> 00:25:30,000 Paul said oh Timothy guard, what is committed to your trust? 385 00:25:30,600 --> 00:25:34,900 Avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of 386 00:25:34,900 --> 00:25:40,000 what is falsely called knowledge sometimes especially 387 00:25:40,000 --> 00:25:43,900 institutions of Higher Learning There's a lot of people that 388 00:25:43,900 --> 00:25:48,400 went to explain away the basic Foundation of Christianity and 389 00:25:48,400 --> 00:25:51,200 explain away with the word of God says and things that we can 390 00:25:51,200 --> 00:25:55,900 easily understand and explain it away all based upon what that 391 00:25:55,900 --> 00:25:59,200 which is falsely called knowledge. 392 00:26:00,800 --> 00:26:04,500 In other words, a greater Enlightenment, you know, there's 393 00:26:04,500 --> 00:26:06,500 another Point here I want to make and I would be very brief 394 00:26:06,500 --> 00:26:08,800 about this one because we need to get to The DaVinci Code. 395 00:26:09,600 --> 00:26:12,100 So I want to talk about this one very briefly and that is that 396 00:26:12,100 --> 00:26:16,800 gnosticism draws a false distinction between the physical 397 00:26:16,800 --> 00:26:20,200 and the spiritual. Now, we have seen the 398 00:26:20,200 --> 00:26:24,100 distinction made in their Doctrine regarding how the 399 00:26:24,100 --> 00:26:26,400 physical things were created and so forth. 400 00:26:26,800 --> 00:26:29,800 But they continued such distinctions on a practical 401 00:26:29,800 --> 00:26:33,900 level in two schools of thought. Number one, there were the 402 00:26:33,900 --> 00:26:37,900 ascetics and the Aesthetics practiced thorough denial of the 403 00:26:37,900 --> 00:26:41,000 physical body. They believe that to overcome 404 00:26:41,000 --> 00:26:44,100 sinfulness of the physical state, you had to refuse 405 00:26:44,100 --> 00:26:46,700 yourself of any pleasure whatsoever. 406 00:26:46,800 --> 00:26:50,200 In other words, the physical is corrupt and it's rotten. 407 00:26:50,300 --> 00:26:55,600 So the only way to have a strong hold over, that is to deny every 408 00:26:55,600 --> 00:27:00,400 bit of things in life that are pleasing to the physical. 409 00:27:00,800 --> 00:27:03,700 And I'm not just talking about Sin, I'm talking about anything 410 00:27:04,100 --> 00:27:06,900 beating the body up on the other hand. 411 00:27:08,100 --> 00:27:12,600 There were the antinomian sense and they believed that since the 412 00:27:12,600 --> 00:27:16,700 flesh was sinful, and the spirit was wholly, that nothing could 413 00:27:16,700 --> 00:27:18,600 be done in the flesh to corrupt the spirits. 414 00:27:18,600 --> 00:27:20,900 You know what they said, do anything you want. 415 00:27:21,200 --> 00:27:24,000 Indulge in everything doesn't really matter. 416 00:27:25,400 --> 00:27:29,700 This said, deny yourself of all physical enjoyment. 417 00:27:29,800 --> 00:27:31,900 This said it doesn't really make any difference. 418 00:27:31,900 --> 00:27:34,700 Do whatever you want to, because there's nothing really you can 419 00:27:34,700 --> 00:27:38,900 do and it doesn't really matter and give in and indulge in all 420 00:27:38,900 --> 00:27:41,700 sorts of fleshly Delights in carnal appetites. 421 00:27:41,900 --> 00:27:44,600 But you know, folks really briefly the Bible refute to both 422 00:27:44,600 --> 00:27:47,100 of these. The former is refuted in 423 00:27:47,100 --> 00:27:52,300 Colossians 2 verses 16 through 23 and the latter is refute as 424 00:27:52,300 --> 00:27:55,100 refuted in first John. Second Peter. 425 00:27:55,200 --> 00:27:58,000 And also Jude. All right? 426 00:27:58,200 --> 00:28:02,600 What about this? What about The DaVinci Code? 427 00:28:04,100 --> 00:28:08,000 The Gospel of Judas. And all the others. 428 00:28:09,400 --> 00:28:12,600 First of all, understand The DaVinci Code is nothing more 429 00:28:12,600 --> 00:28:18,400 than a work of fiction. It is not true, the premise, by 430 00:28:18,400 --> 00:28:19,700 the way, I haven't seen the movie. 431 00:28:19,700 --> 00:28:21,900 These are excerpts from the book. 432 00:28:22,000 --> 00:28:23,800 I haven't seen the movie, but there is a movie. 433 00:28:24,700 --> 00:28:27,900 Maybe you've seen the movie, I don't know what the movie says, 434 00:28:27,900 --> 00:28:30,000 but this is what the book. Says, the major premise of the 435 00:28:30,000 --> 00:28:36,300 book was this That Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and 436 00:28:36,300 --> 00:28:40,400 they had children. And you know, that violates 437 00:28:40,400 --> 00:28:42,200 everything we read about the word of God. 438 00:28:43,300 --> 00:28:47,500 But interestingly, in The DaVinci Code in the book, these 439 00:28:47,500 --> 00:28:51,300 children quote-unquote were purrs, are preserved today by a 440 00:28:51,300 --> 00:28:56,400 secret society, known as The Priory of Sion. 441 00:28:56,900 --> 00:29:01,700 And by the way, the Priory of Sion is a fraternal organization 442 00:29:01,700 --> 00:29:05,500 that was put together by a man by the name of Pierre plantard 443 00:29:05,500 --> 00:29:08,600 in 1956. Do you know what he said? 444 00:29:08,700 --> 00:29:13,000 He said at one point in time, he said that he had evidence 445 00:29:13,200 --> 00:29:18,000 geological evidence that he was a direct descendant of Jesus 446 00:29:18,000 --> 00:29:21,100 Christ. And by the way, you can Google 447 00:29:21,100 --> 00:29:22,600 it, I did it this morning. Don't do it. 448 00:29:22,600 --> 00:29:26,600 Now, do it later on your phone. I Googled it this morning and it 449 00:29:26,600 --> 00:29:28,700 said exactly the point I'm going to make right now. 450 00:29:28,900 --> 00:29:35,600 It was an elaborate hoax that he recanted and admitted was a lie 451 00:29:35,600 --> 00:29:39,600 before he died in the year 2000. And he did it in front of a 452 00:29:39,600 --> 00:29:42,400 French Court, this man, Pierre plantard. 453 00:29:46,800 --> 00:29:56,000 Now, here's the problem, he's dead. but many claim today that 454 00:29:56,000 --> 00:30:01,600 this fraternal organization still exists, it is supported by 455 00:30:01,600 --> 00:30:06,900 gnosticism and in the book The DaVinci Code Dan Brown was the 456 00:30:06,900 --> 00:30:10,700 author and he said, he went on record as saying that he 457 00:30:10,700 --> 00:30:12,900 believes all of. This is true based upon a 458 00:30:12,900 --> 00:30:20,600 passage found in the Gnostic Gospel of Philip Okay, I'm going 459 00:30:20,600 --> 00:30:24,000 to, I'm going to put on the screen, the exact passage that 460 00:30:24,000 --> 00:30:28,500 has been written down as in part of the Gnostic Gospels. 461 00:30:28,500 --> 00:30:30,700 One of which is the Gospel of Philip. 462 00:30:30,800 --> 00:30:36,100 This is the actual passage the companion of the savior is Mary 463 00:30:36,100 --> 00:30:40,600 Magdalene but Christ loved her more than all the disciples and 464 00:30:40,600 --> 00:30:44,600 used to kiss her often, the rest of the disciples were offended. 465 00:30:44,600 --> 00:30:48,200 They said to him, why do you love her more than all of us? 466 00:30:48,300 --> 00:30:53,300 The Savior and Jordan said to them, why do I not love you as I 467 00:30:53,300 --> 00:30:59,100 love her. As false teaching, folks. 468 00:31:00,400 --> 00:31:04,900 That's a lie. These writings are not in the 469 00:31:04,900 --> 00:31:08,100 New Testament. They're not. 470 00:31:09,400 --> 00:31:15,200 It's one of those Gnostic texts that is not reliable, and we 471 00:31:15,200 --> 00:31:18,800 cannot use it as a reliable source of History. 472 00:31:18,800 --> 00:31:21,700 Me give you another one. How about this? 473 00:31:22,300 --> 00:31:25,900 The Gospel of Thomas a Gnostic Gospel. 474 00:31:26,500 --> 00:31:29,500 Now I'm going to tell you I'm gonna tell you what the Gnostic 475 00:31:29,500 --> 00:31:34,000 Gospel of Thomas taught. And by the way, this is the 476 00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:37,000 proof of what I said. I don't know about 15-20 minutes 477 00:31:37,000 --> 00:31:40,000 ago. Okay, in this Gnostic Gospel it 478 00:31:40,000 --> 00:31:42,200 says this this would be terrible. 479 00:31:42,200 --> 00:31:46,300 Why would you believe this? Jesus was not Our Redeemer. 480 00:31:47,300 --> 00:31:52,400 He was only a revealer. We sang again, we sang about 481 00:31:52,400 --> 00:31:57,000 Jesus being Our Redeemer. They believe that Jesus was not 482 00:31:57,000 --> 00:31:59,700 resurrected in fact they didn't care about the resurrection. 483 00:31:59,800 --> 00:32:01,500 What does the Bible say about that? 484 00:32:01,600 --> 00:32:06,200 If Jesus was not raised, we are all men most miserable. 485 00:32:08,700 --> 00:32:10,500 Be terrible way to believe by the way. 486 00:32:13,000 --> 00:32:16,100 This taught that Christianity is all about self-discovery, and 487 00:32:16,100 --> 00:32:18,800 self-revelation. He ever known somebody that's on 488 00:32:18,800 --> 00:32:24,700 some sort of a quest, some sort of a quest for self-discovery. 489 00:32:26,700 --> 00:32:28,800 Self Revelation. Oh, I got it. 490 00:32:30,700 --> 00:32:33,000 People fall in that trap today, don't they? 491 00:32:33,600 --> 00:32:37,400 By the way, the message here is really anti-women. 492 00:32:38,500 --> 00:32:41,700 It really is because the gnostics had an agenda. 493 00:32:42,700 --> 00:32:44,500 They didn't care about the resurrection. 494 00:32:44,500 --> 00:32:48,400 As I've said they only cared about the Lord's secret 495 00:32:48,400 --> 00:32:52,900 knowledge followed this. Now, his secret knowledge that 496 00:32:52,900 --> 00:32:56,800 he was imparting and that message was for those who were 497 00:32:56,800 --> 00:33:01,700 smart enough to get it and the only I'm smart enough to get. 498 00:33:01,700 --> 00:33:08,500 It was a man. Come on. 499 00:33:11,700 --> 00:33:15,700 Anti-women Gospel of Thomas, it's go to another one. 500 00:33:15,700 --> 00:33:20,200 How about this one? But the Gospel of Judas Now, the 501 00:33:20,200 --> 00:33:23,400 Gospel of Judas and the rest of the NOG hammadi. 502 00:33:23,500 --> 00:33:26,600 Documents goes along with the teachings of gnosticism and not 503 00:33:26,600 --> 00:33:28,100 the Bible. But first of all, what is a 504 00:33:28,108 --> 00:33:31,800 nagpur mati document? They were a collection of 505 00:33:31,800 --> 00:33:36,200 Gnostic texts, discovered near the upper Egyptian town of naga, 506 00:33:36,200 --> 00:33:40,700 hamadi in the year, 1945, and all of these documents. 507 00:33:40,700 --> 00:33:44,600 By the way, the Gospel of Judas and all the other non commodity 508 00:33:44,600 --> 00:33:48,000 documents, all they do is, they don't support Christianity. 509 00:33:48,100 --> 00:33:50,800 They don't support what God wants they support. 510 00:33:50,800 --> 00:33:56,400 Not Gnostic teachings that's it. They don't fall in line with the 511 00:33:56,400 --> 00:34:02,100 Bible at all. Now, in the Gospel of Judas are 512 00:34:02,100 --> 00:34:05,600 the Gnostic Works claiming that Jesus entrusted to Judas, 513 00:34:06,200 --> 00:34:08,100 special knowledge regarding his death. 514 00:34:09,400 --> 00:34:12,199 I heard somebody talking about this one time and I don't know 515 00:34:12,199 --> 00:34:15,400 if they really understood what was actually supposedly 516 00:34:15,699 --> 00:34:17,400 described in the Gospel of Judas. 517 00:34:17,400 --> 00:34:19,800 But really the whole deal was he was talking about. 518 00:34:19,800 --> 00:34:22,500 The idea was to just really wasn't that bad of a guy. 519 00:34:23,400 --> 00:34:25,900 In fact, he was in there. He was in cahoots with the Lord. 520 00:34:25,900 --> 00:34:29,199 The Lord was in cahoots with him and so forth. 521 00:34:30,000 --> 00:34:35,000 No, the word of God says that Judas by transgression fell. 522 00:34:35,400 --> 00:34:38,500 The Bible says he was the betrayer, he sold the Lord for 523 00:34:38,500 --> 00:34:40,900 30 pieces. Of silver when it was done. 524 00:34:40,900 --> 00:34:45,000 The Bible says he hung himself his bowels gushed out, and then 525 00:34:45,000 --> 00:34:47,900 it said he went to his own place. 526 00:34:48,000 --> 00:34:50,199 You know what that means. It means he wasn't saved. 527 00:34:52,600 --> 00:34:56,300 But the Gospel of Judas has all this other stuff. 528 00:34:57,600 --> 00:35:00,300 Once again, it goes along with gnosticism not the Bible. 529 00:35:01,300 --> 00:35:06,400 And also, by the way, Gnostic texts were dated in the second 530 00:35:06,400 --> 00:35:09,600 half of the second century or later. 531 00:35:10,900 --> 00:35:14,400 Now, Common Sense would tell us that cannot be reliable, the 532 00:35:14,400 --> 00:35:18,200 gospels of Matthew Mark. Luke and John are reliable. 533 00:35:18,400 --> 00:35:21,000 They're unreliable because they're in the inspired word of 534 00:35:21,000 --> 00:35:24,300 God, but they're also reliable because they were written close 535 00:35:24,300 --> 00:35:29,100 to the time that the events actually happened, all right? 536 00:35:30,000 --> 00:35:33,000 So you might be wondering where did these Gnostic texts come 537 00:35:33,000 --> 00:35:34,700 from? And why do they exist? 538 00:35:34,800 --> 00:35:39,100 I think it's very simple. Any time you have something? 539 00:35:40,900 --> 00:35:45,200 That is valuable, there is bound to be a counterfeit. 540 00:35:47,500 --> 00:35:50,800 I'm not an expert on paintings but you can go to some, I don't 541 00:35:50,800 --> 00:35:53,700 know, Rembrandt. Picasso. 542 00:35:55,200 --> 00:35:58,600 I wouldn't know what I want. No either one of those. 543 00:35:59,800 --> 00:36:03,200 Their works. But some people know. 544 00:36:04,900 --> 00:36:09,900 But there are counterfeits that are cheap knockoffs if you will 545 00:36:09,900 --> 00:36:14,100 of those very same things and any time you have something that 546 00:36:14,100 --> 00:36:16,900 is extremely valuable and you want to bring in your own 547 00:36:16,900 --> 00:36:20,300 agenda, then the counterfeit scum and that's exactly what 548 00:36:20,300 --> 00:36:25,600 these Gnostic Gospels were they were merely texts. 549 00:36:26,600 --> 00:36:33,100 That supported a counterfeit gospel or counterfeit teaching 550 00:36:34,000 --> 00:36:39,400 and they were said to be written by an apostle or a disciple for 551 00:36:39,400 --> 00:36:44,200 advancing their Gnostic views. And I'll tell you, if that's not 552 00:36:44,200 --> 00:36:47,900 the perfect definition of a heretic, I don't know what it 553 00:36:47,900 --> 00:36:51,000 is. Because a heretic is somebody 554 00:36:51,000 --> 00:36:55,800 that does this, a heretic has knowledge of truth. 555 00:36:57,000 --> 00:37:02,500 But instead of obeying truth or teaching truth, they teach 556 00:37:02,500 --> 00:37:05,600 something that is erroneous on purpose or false. 557 00:37:06,300 --> 00:37:10,700 All for the offer, the idea of drawing a party or a faction 558 00:37:10,700 --> 00:37:15,400 under themself when they do that and make that choice, the Bible 559 00:37:15,400 --> 00:37:20,400 calls them a heretic. I'm going to tell you something, 560 00:37:20,400 --> 00:37:24,500 the Gnostic Gospels that knocks not the Gnostic texts are 561 00:37:24,500 --> 00:37:28,200 counterfeit. They are false, they are lives. 562 00:37:28,500 --> 00:37:35,700 So in conclusion, The doctrines of gnosticism are clearly 563 00:37:35,700 --> 00:37:39,900 non-Christian. They deny the Divinity and 564 00:37:39,900 --> 00:37:44,700 Humanity of Jesus Christ. They are non-Christian in their 565 00:37:44,700 --> 00:37:49,600 religious practices too. Those who support these 566 00:37:49,600 --> 00:37:53,800 doctrines in modern day culture, our intent upon destroying 567 00:37:54,000 --> 00:37:56,400 Christianity, but I'm going to tell you right now, they can't 568 00:37:56,400 --> 00:37:59,400 get it done. They cannot destroy 569 00:37:59,400 --> 00:38:02,400 Christianity. They can't destroy Christianity. 570 00:38:02,400 --> 00:38:05,100 In your heart. You know what the truth is? 571 00:38:05,900 --> 00:38:08,000 So what are we going to do? What are we going to do? 572 00:38:08,000 --> 00:38:09,400 What does the Bible say about that? 573 00:38:09,500 --> 00:38:11,500 Because sometimes people say, well, what about these other 574 00:38:11,500 --> 00:38:14,000 books that they found other writings that they found what 575 00:38:14,000 --> 00:38:16,700 about them? Galatians 1. 576 00:38:18,300 --> 00:38:22,400 Beginning in verse 6. I Marvel that you are turning 577 00:38:22,400 --> 00:38:24,300 away. So soon from him who called you 578 00:38:24,300 --> 00:38:28,500 into the grace of Christ to a different gospel, which is not 579 00:38:28,500 --> 00:38:31,900 another, but there are some who trouble you and would want to 580 00:38:31,900 --> 00:38:36,000 pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from 581 00:38:36,000 --> 00:38:39,500 heaven, preach any other gospel to you than that, which we have 582 00:38:39,500 --> 00:38:43,100 preached to you, let him be accursed as we said before. 583 00:38:43,100 --> 00:38:46,700 So, say I now again, if anyone preaches, any other gospel to 584 00:38:46,700 --> 00:38:49,800 you than what you have received, let him be. 585 00:38:49,900 --> 00:38:52,700 Be accursed. So let me just say, finally. 586 00:38:54,300 --> 00:38:56,300 We have the inspired written, word of God. 587 00:38:56,700 --> 00:39:00,700 It's the original. If anything has ever taught, 588 00:39:00,700 --> 00:39:04,600 please get this. That violates the standard the 589 00:39:04,600 --> 00:39:06,900 scripture, it's counterfeit, every time. 590 00:39:08,200 --> 00:39:10,500 We don't have to go out and search after all the different 591 00:39:10,500 --> 00:39:12,800 beliefs in the world focused on the original. 592 00:39:12,800 --> 00:39:16,000 Like, my father used to preach focus on the original. 593 00:39:16,100 --> 00:39:23,100 It automatically eliminates the counterfeits and gnosticism is 594 00:39:23,100 --> 00:39:25,800 false Doctrine. It is counterfeit. 595 00:39:27,500 --> 00:39:30,200 We thank you for listening to our podcast, put on by the 596 00:39:30,200 --> 00:39:35,900 Church of Christ at 22:15 plans. Road in Bakersfield, if you 597 00:39:35,900 --> 00:39:39,000 would like any additional information, or you would like 598 00:39:39,000 --> 00:39:42,200 to receive a free Bible correspondence, course by mail. 599 00:39:42,800 --> 00:39:46,600 Please email us at info at her Church of Christ 600 00:39:46,600 --> 00:39:50,600 Bakersfield.com. Our service times are on Sundays 601 00:39:50,600 --> 00:39:56,200 at 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. and Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. 602 00:39:56,900 --> 00:40:00,400 Please make plans to join us. We would love for you to be our 603 00:40:00,400 --> 00:40:01,300 honored guest.