My comment was a direct response to:
It's pretty clear this isn't really the case. I can't speak about the WBC, but the unnamed church I mentioned was growing last I heard. Then you have all these huge mega churches that are ran solely to profit off the people, hardly the will of God. As I recall, Christ was royally pissed by the pharisees doing exactly what these churches do today. So pissed, in fact, that he committed vandalism.
He wrecked the place! These churches wont keep true believers, followers of Christ for very long.
Gentle Jesus meek and mild.
I was taught that Jesus was gentle, meek and mild while being bashed every day by little sisters of mercy and black robed marist brothers. We were taught to recite this prayer every day. We had no idea who the true Jesus was. All we knew was that He was someone who was meek, gentle as a lamb, wouldn't hurt a fly.
Gentle Jesus.
Gentle Jesus, meek and mild,
Look upon a little child
Make me gentle as Thou art,
Come and live within my heart.
Take my childish hand in Thine,
Guide these little feet of mine.
So shall all my happy days,
Sing their pleasant song of praise
And the world shall always see
Christ, the Holy Child, in me.
According to these last few words Jesus is still Baby Jesus, the Holy Child.
Catholic churches have statues of baby Jesus in a manger surrounded by sheep, cows, Mary, Joseph and three wise men. They also have statues of baby Jesus in His mothers arms. They also portray Him hanging dead on a cross as if he was still nailed there and with only a drop or two of blood ozzing out of the wounds in His hands, feet and side, and a few drops from the crown of thorns! Still got His beard as well. The fake shroud of Turin also shows Jesus as having a full beard and LONG HAIR!
Its a pity because many people have no idea what Jesus went through as a man before He was crucified.
His body was so marred He was unrecognisable as a man! People were shocked when they saw Him.
"As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:" (Isa. 52:14).
They physically tore His beard off His face and spat in His face!
"I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting." (Isa. 50:6).
When I, as an adult purchased and read my own Bible, I found a man of great strength, a carpenter, a builder of things, one who overthrew very heavy solid wooden tables. A man who took the time to deliberately plait a whip and drove the money lenders out of the temple, (John 2:15).
A man who delt with the liers and teachers of false doctrins, "verbally" in no uncertain and very unpleasent terms.
"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, (Matt. 23:27-29).
"Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? (Matt. 23:33).
"ye outwardly appear righteous unto men, hypocrites, whited sepulchres, full of dead men's bones, full of all uncleanness, full of hypocrisy and iniquity" (Matt. 23:28).
He called the FOOLS! "Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?" (Matt. 23:19),
He called the BLIND GUIDES, "Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel." (Matt. 23:24).
They HATED HIM, DESPISED HIM, PLANNED TO UTTERLY DESTROY HIM!
He plainly told them "Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God." (Matt. 22:29). They were very displeased, "And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the son of David; they were sore displeased,"(Matt. 21:15). "Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him." (Matt. 12:14).
They accused Jesus of doing His works by the power of the devil; "But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils."(Matt. 12;22).
Imagine publicly saying these words to ministers, priests, bishops, popes, sisters or mercy, marist brothers in their black robes? How would they react? Jesus said it exactly as it was. He spoke the truth. He never pulled any punches regardless of who they were. The scribes and Pharisees were the chief priests of Christs day and they didnt like what Christ called them.
Jesus called them Vipers, Serpents, Blind Guides, Whitened Sepulchers full of dead mens bones, and Hypocrits! Wow, hows that for hurting religious pompus holier than thou people, who think they * and are on the right track, feelings?
Jesus never said to Himself, I better not call a spade a spade in case people down the track accuse me of being un-Christ like? Or If I say how I feel, I may hurt someones feelings? He gave it to them both barrels, no holding back. In His day they were fighting words!
Not many teachers of false doctrins like it and if some people disagree with them and maybe call them liers, hypocrits, even bastards of false ministries and false churches and such they get all defensive, holier than though, how dare you use such language, call your self Christian? In fact I believe if they were legally able to they would even go so far as murder to shut one up.
Buy the way, did you know that the word "bastard is in Scripture? Well it is mentioned two times.
"A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the LORD."(Deut 23:2).
"And a bastard shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines." (Zech. 9:6). I dont think its a bad word after all! It just means somethings illegitimate.
