Born Again believers have been grafted into the vine and the Olive Tree. The vine is Christ and the Olive tree is the Spirit, but we have not been grafted into the fig tree. The fig tree is symbolic of the nation of Israel.
Matthew 25:1-4 "25 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the groom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent. 3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they did not take (extra) oil with them; 4 but the prudent ones took oil in flasks with their lamps." Notice the word "extra" referring to the oil, this word was added and not in the original language. Because the virgins did not remain I am convinced they had no oil at all, they had lamps without oil. The Oil was representative of the Holy Spirit. The five foolish virgins knew of the Oil but were not indwelt by Him, that is the Holy Spirit. They did not endure to the end because they were never born again by the Spirit of God. They had only "religion" without substance and according to their own unsaved mindset.
Christ is not important to those who attend churches but do not have the Holy Spirit. He is a "feeling" of safety and protection but not any One Who should direct their lives. They want a "sugar daddy" for His perks but they have no desire for His wisdom, nor do they care about obeying Him.
Many claim to be waiting for Christ's return but since they do not have the Holy Spirit they are merely using words to fit into the culture of their gathering. Sadly those in the gathering never correct them out of fear of losing them so the pretenders remain watering down the thinking of the weaker believers who love their comfort and happiness more than they love Christ.
I met a man in the parking lot of a hardware store a couple of years ago who believed he was going up in the rapture. I asked him if we loved the Lord Jesus Christ and I was met with a blank stare as though he didn't know what I was talking about.
I told him no one would go in the rapture who was not changed into a new creation by Christ. His downcast look told me that he was a "conspiracy theorist" who knew of the rapture but nothing of salvation. I gave him a snapshot of trusting in Christ but he did not inquire more information so we parted ways friendly but there was no indication he wanted to know more.
My point is that many who think they are safe because they "say" they believe in God and believe they will be raptured have never been born again and will hear these fateful words from God at the judgement if they do not repent before they die.
Matthew 7:21-23
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’
23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; leave Me, you who practice lawlessness.’"
There will even be those who cast out demons in the name of Jesus Who themselves are not saved.
Now we are beginning to see the lingo change within the Catholic church to match those of believers. It has been confusing many weak and unlearned Christians to believe Catholics who remain in that system may actually be saved. This is the devil's playground, to cause those who are pretenders in the church and even weak undiscerning believers to embrace Catholicism and refrain from speaking the gospel to Catholics.
As a former Catholic who has contact with relatives who are Catholic, I can see the change in verbiage that has occurred over the years to distract the born-again believer from all the other heresies within the Catholic church.
When a Catholic says they are saved by grace they mean they earn more graces from doing good works and if they have enough they will make it to heaven but they never know for sure if they have done enough. It is about their own efforts and piling up graces in the form of good works, it is Christ plus works that saves them in their minds.
When a born again believer says they are saved by grace they know they placed their trust in Christ because He paid their debt on the cross and it is only faith in Him that saves us by His grace. It is all about Christ and nothing of ourselves.
The Catholic church teaches that the host and wine in the eucharist actually turn into the body and blood of Christ, a form of cannibalism called transubstantiation. This is monstrous heresy and condemned by God.
They claim when Christ said: "this is my body and this is my blood", it was a change that occurred when the priest blesses the eucharist. The problem with this is that the priest is the power to change a wafer into Christ.
Christ was speaking figuratively when He said; "this is my body and this is my blood." Just as He was speaking figuratively and Spiritually when He said; "I am the door" and "I am the path (way)."
Within the Catholic system, the priest is the mediator between the people and God the opposite of what Christ said.
Timothy 2:5
"5 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus,"
There are entire books written containing all the heresies within the Catholic church that give the scriptures that prove the lies that have been told.
Sadly many Pentecostal and Charismatic groups believe that a Catholic who remains in the Catholic system but uses all the Protestant language must be saved merely for using the language but never questioning their meaning in the use.
I am convinced this was a deliberate deception of the Catholic church to confuse born-again believers to entice them back to the Catholic system. Sadly far too many believers don't know their Bible well enough nor do they ask the Holy Spirit to show them the truth, so they walk in darkness and acceptance of a demonic paganistic church system. Some are even leaving authentic fellowships to join with Catholicism.
These are the days of grotesque deceptions that are blinding those who are not seeking Christ but are drawn to rituals that make them "feel" good about having done something. Christ's name is used but His Word and the Holy Spirit are ignored in favor of acceptance into these systems.
I wrote this today to warn those who are enticed by Catholicism to remember just because they have the language of Protestantism does not mean they are saved.
Those who love the Lord with all their heart must come out from among "Protestantism and Catholicism" to walk with Christ. Both systems are full of lies and deceptions that sound right but defy Christ.
Matthew 16:24-26
Discipleship Is Costly
24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.
25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
26 For what good will it do a person if he gains the whole world, but forfeits his soul? Or what will a person give in exchange for his soul?"
Christ never told us to label ourselves anything but "Followers of Christ"
Matthew 10:38
"and anyone who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me."
Luke 14:27
"And whoever does not carry his cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple."
We cannot follow a system devised by man and Christ too, we must choose whom we will follow, either Christ or a manmade system.
Mark 8:34
"And when he had called the people unto Him with his disciples also, He said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."
I see no hierarchy or system here at all, I see only Christ with His principles and commands in His Word the Bible. Anything more than that or anyone who claims to be above Him as an authority is promoting heresy, idol worship, and deception.
