The Verse Trap

Date:   Category: faith
Peter, Jesus on both sides and the True Christ in the middle image by DALL-E AI
Peter, Jesus on both sides and the True Christ in the middle image by DALL-E AI

The idiom states: “The devil is in the details” is true when you do not know the high-level or abstract level of the context and simply dive into those details. For example, let us examine this verse details in this post and why it is a verse trap. Can you spot what is the problem with the verse below?

Matthew 16:24 (NRSVCE)
Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

Looking at the first person in the picture (Peter, the first Pope) is crucified on an upside-down cross. They will reason that Peter find himself not worthy to be crucified the same way as Jesus. It implies that not all people are worthy because even the first Pope was not worthy, considering that Jesus chose him as the rock of their church. For me, it is not a solid rock because even with the simple instruction to follow Jesus, anyone must carry his cross, not an upside-down cross. If that is the concept that Peter is not worthy, the point of Jesus dying on the cross for the sins of Peter and all people becomes useless because even Peter, in his actions, did not believe that Jesus died for his sins and found himself unworthy. Even if they reason that is about the concept of dying on the cross, the instruction of Jesus is that if someone wants to follow him, he should carry his cross. I think dying on the cross for Peter is his cross. Why would he not follow the instructions of Jesus to carry his cross (i.e., to die on the cross)? Jesus never instructed if someone wanted to follow him, let him take his cross upside-down. It simply is not following the instruction with the scapegoat of being unworthy. You might find my comment strong, but I sincerely think that a rock should have a solid foundation for following the instructions because if the rock is not following the instructions, what will happen to the members? The foundation will collapse because the members will have their alibis or scapegoats. Let us look at the second point:

Time Scope

One businessman met a farmer. The businessman made a contract with the farmer. It states that the farmer should provide him with potatoes. In return, the businessman will pay for the potatoes. The farmer immediately signed the contract. Two years had passed, the contract went well, and it was a win-win for both. One day, the farmer got tired of planting potatoes and told the businessman that he would not supply potatoes to his business. The businessman told the farmer that he signed that contract and that his action would hurt his business. The farmer complained that he could not make it for the third year but realized there was no time scope in their contract, so he must fulfill it. The missing aspect is the time scope of that contract because if time is specified, there's an option to continue (i.e., renew the contract) or end the contract. The farmer continues to supply the businessman. Otherwise, the farmer will have to pay more than he can afford.

With the verse of Jesus, regardless of literal or metaphor interpretation, are you willing to follow Jesus and carry your cross forever? Remember that Jesus did not specify the time scope, i.e., until when you have to carry your cross. Now, let us look at the third point: In The Real Christ 2, we have discussed The Dead Candidate Analogy. which focuses on the dead Candidate given the title Mr. President even he died before the election and have not won the election and not officially inaugurated as Mr. President (i.e., in our language, not officially anointed as Christ). If needed, please review The Real Christ 1, The Real Christ 2, The Real Christ 3, and The Real Christ 4 to understand what I meant as Jesus not officially anointed as Christ. Let us focus our perspective on the Party List and its members.

The Party List

The Commission on Election existed before any Party List existed. The Commission initiated a National Election. A set of people created their Party List. Their Presidential candidate is "considered" miraculous because he can do things surprising to many, like suddenly having funds to do something. The Party List members also love their Presidential candidates.

Months before the election, the Party List Presidential candidate died. The organizers of the Party List are worried because they have no other candidates to replace him. The three highest organizers formulated that their dead candidate would come back again and would run during the election. They call that formulation as "Three-nity". Then they indoctrinated all the Party List members with their formulation. They call their dead candidate as Mr. President.

The day for candidacy filing arrived, and the Commission of Election officials awaited their submission. One organizer of the Party List told the officials that they would submit the requirements of their dead candidate. The official said that they are not accepting their candidate. The Party List organizer said that their candidate is Mr. President. The official said that they could only call someone Mr. President if that someone has successfully submitted all requirements, and run for the election, and the most important thing is that someone must be alive.

The members of the Party List protested and told the officials that they had the scriptures within their Party List that showed that a dead person could run the election and be called Mr. President, which they called the "Three-nity." They mentioned the verses in their by-laws and their scriptures. The Commission of Election officials replied that long before their Party List existed, the Commission of Election already existed along with its laws and regulations. If some Party List claims that their by-laws come from the Top High Ranking Power, then it is not true because the Commission of Election Laws comes first. Their laws would create inconsistencies with Election Laws, and the scapegoat that the Highest Power changes its mind to allow dead people to come back, i.e., "Second Coming" is a false law created by their Party List to cross-fit their dead candidate. They told the members that what they know is "Only" what is inside the box of their Party List and not the original by-laws. They should not call their dead candidate Mr. President because he did not win the election and was not even inaugurated as the President.

The Moral lesson is that we should know the original, authentic, genuine prophecy. And just because someone creates a doctrine that claims that it is from GOD but is contrary to what GOD had given to the prophets, it does not automatically mean it is the right one, where it is the false doctrine. Yes, many claim that Jesus is the Christ, but that is within the box of their Party List and not from the Original, Authentic, Genuine, Unchanged Prophecy. I added “unchanged” because GOD can see the future, so if GOD changed His mind, GOD would have foreseen it and given the prophets a dead and resurrected Messiah/Christ. Please note that Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Isaiah span “across” different generations. It is unlikely if changes were supposed to implemented, GOD would have given it to any of these prophets. The notion that GOD changed His mind and sent His son for salvation is out of the picture of the True Prophecy.

To wrap up this post, we have three points:

  1. Upside-down Cross of Peter
  2. Jesus based on the verse Matthew 16:24 (NRSVCE)
  3. Party List Analogy

To argue for point 1 and point 2 becomes useless because they put you in a Verse Trap (just like the Party List members, no matter how they articulate, synthesize, or formulate). It is pointless to argue because, at the high level, Jesus is not Christ in the first place. They will jargon you down with verses that (i.e., tackling in detail, where dealing at the high level is just their formulation, and Jesus is not the Real Christ. We must know the high level first before drilling down into the details, and the problem is, sadly, many people fall into the details because they got fed with verses in their scriptures, a Verse Trap, without even knowing the truth at the high level. That is how they trick people into believing in their formulation by pushing their formulation down from the lower level enforcing it to the high level, a Verse Trap.

Please read Chapter 2 Messiah Origin and Chapter 14 Misconceptions of the FREE Book Save Our Souls.

Reference

  1. https://ahavahpublisher.com/book/ “Save Our Souls. Fritz Jeran Velasco, 2024”