Post by iris89 on May 24, 2023 19:37:57 GMT -5
[/fontHERE IS VOL 610B – COMBINATION OF [1] THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND A VIDEO ON AN INTRODUCTION TO 1 CHRONICLES, [2] DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MONOTHEIST AND POLYTHEIST IS IN WHO THEY WORSHIP:
ALSO, VIDEO ON WAS THE EARTH CREATED, :CLICK OR POST IN ADDRESS:
www.jw.org/en/library/videos/#en/mediaitems/VODBibleTeachings/pub-ebtv_1_VIDEO
[1] SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [610B]
A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the LORD will hasten it in his time. Isaiah 60:22, [authorized King James Bible; AV]
The Apostle John in a vision saw as recorded at Revelation 7:9 – 10, [AV] “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; 10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.” But the meaning of this vision has only come to light in this time of the end just as the Prophet Habakkuk stated at Habakkuk 2:3, [AV] “For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.”
VIEW THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND A VIDEO ON AN INTRODUCTION TO 1 CHRONICLES, CLICK OR POST IN ADDRESS: www.jw.org/en/library/videos/books-of-bible-intros/book-of-1-chronicles/
[2] DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MONOTHEIST AND POLYTHEIST IS IN WHO THEY WORSHIP:
INTRODUCTION:
Many truly are ignorant and have a misconception between the difference between a Monotheist and a Polytheist and do NOT realize the difference is with respect whom they worship and NOT who is or is NOT a god or god(s). Let's get an accurate understanding with respect the meaning of these two words so the remainder of this article will have real meaning.
The standard dictionary definition for monotheism is confusing as it really embraces that which is really polytheist, i.e., the Trinity. This biased definition, which is refuted by both genuine (true) Christians and members of Islam in that both groups define monotheism as the worship of one supreme god whom both say is the creator in the singular tense. Of course, these two groups differ with respect to whom they consider is the creator.
Genuine (true) Christians believe the creator is the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael, creator of all there is; whereas, members of Islam believe in another, a mythical god, Al-Ilah, the god [al-, the + 'ilah, god], where some of them claim Ilah means the 'only one' in Arabic, they commonly call this mythical god, Allah, and wrongly claim he is the creator.
Many religions have many gods that they worship such as the Hindus and apostate (counterfeit) so called Christians, but herein lies the confusion. Both the Hindus and apostate (counterfeit) so called Christians have so called Trinities of gods.
In Hinduism this triad of gods consist of Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer as the three highest manifestations of the one ultimate reality. The last part where it is said that the three are one ultimate reality or three separate gods make one god is what causes confusion with respect who is a Monotheist and who is a Polytheist.
In apostate (counterfeit) Christianity this triad of gods consist Jehovah (YHWH) - Almighty God; his only begotten Son, Jesus (Yeshua) Christ ; and the Holy Spirit - the active force and/or power of Jehovah (YHWH) as shown by the ancient Hebrew word which came from 'ru'ach' meaning "breath; wind; spirit."
This fact with respect the Holy Spirit in Koine Greek is the ancient Greek word for spirit (pneu'ma) is used, the neuter pronoun "it" is properly employed. This fact is conveniently over looked or hidden by most Trinitarian translators as admitted in the "New American Bible Catholic Bible," regarding John 14:17: "The Greek word for 'Spirit' is neuter, and while we use personal pronouns in English ('he,' 'his,' 'him'), most Greek MSS [manuscripts] employ 'it.'" So when the Bible uses masculine personal pronouns in connection with pa·ra'kle·tos at John 16:7, 8, it is conforming to rules of grammar, not expressing a doctrine. This causes a lot of confusion and many are mislead by it.
The common, but erroneous, definition of Monotheism is as follows: <<<"Belief in the existence of one god. It is distinguished from polytheism. The earliest known instance of monotheism dates to the reign of Akhenaton of Egypt in the 14th century BC. Monotheism is characteristic of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, all of which view God as the creator of the world, who oversees and intervenes in human events, and as a beneficent and holy being, the source of the highest good. The monotheism that characterizes Judaism began in ancient Israel with the adoption of Yahweh as the single object of worship and the rejection of the gods of other tribes and nations without, initially, denying their existence. Islam is clear in confessing one, eternal, unbegotten, unequaled God, while Christianity holds that a single God is reflected in the three persons of the Holy Trinity." [source - the Britannica Concise Encyclopedia].
But in reality Monotheist worship only one single entity god, and one can be a Monotheist and worship a false god as long as he/she only worships one god and no more.
In reality one is a Polytheist if he/she worships more than one god even if he/she claims a triad is just one god. This fact has been highlighted by many Islamic and Genuine (true) Christian writers. One Francis David pointedly made this point in his book, "De falsa et vera unius Dei Patris, Filii, et Spiritus Sancti cognitione," (The False and True Knowledge of the Unity of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit), he co-authored with Georgio Biandrata.
WHO WORSHIP IS DIRECTED TO IS DIFFERENTIATOR BETWEEN MONOTHEISM AND POLYTHEISM:
As shown in the introduction, the real differentiating feature between Monotheism and Polytheism is to whom worship is directed.
Monotheism:
Both members of Islam and Genuine (true) Christians direct worship exclusively only to one god; therefore, they are Monotheist.
In the case of Islam, this is a mythical god, as previously pointed out, a false god. Nevertheless, they direct worship only to one god, even though this is of course a false god, it does NOT change their status as Monotheist.
In the case of Genuine (true) Christians, the real footstep followers of Jesus (Yeshua), the Son of the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael, creator of all there is, this is to his Father, and not him. This is clearly testified to by his Son, Jesus (Yeshua), at Matthew 4:9-10, "And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." (Authorized King James Bible; AV); and at Luke 4:7-8, "If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. 8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." (AV). In these two scriptures and many others, Jesus (Yeshua) Christ, the only begotten Son of the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael, creator of all there is, made it clear that his genuine followers were only to worship his Father, the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael, creator of all there is, Almighty God, and no other including himself.
In the case of Jews, they too, like Genuine (true) Christians only direct their worship to the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael, creator of all there is, and no other. They fail to recognize that the long awaited prophet, Jesus (Yeshua) Christ, the only begotten Son of the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael, creator of all there is, has already arrived and been resurrected by his Father as testified to at Acts 10:38-40, "Jesus of Nazareth: how God anointed him with the Holy Ghost and with power, who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39 And we are witnesses of all things that he did in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem: whom they killed, hanging him upon a tree. 40 Him God raised up the third day and gave him to be made manifest," (Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible; DRCB). The "Encyclopaedia Judaica says: <<<"The Jews of the Roman period believed [the Messiah] would be raised up by God to break the yoke of the heathen and to reign over a restored kingdom of Israel" [source - the Encyclopaedia Judaica, Jerusalem, 1971, Vol. 11, Col. 1407]>>>. In other words they failed to recognize Jesus (Yeshua) Christ as the Messia because he did NOT liberate them from the yoke of Rome.
Polytheist:
Both Hindus and apostate (counterfeit) so called Christians are polytheist because they worship more than one god in their respective triad of gods.
In Hinduism the members of this religion direct worship to all three members of their triad of gods. That is to of Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer which make up their peculiar triad of gods or Trinity of gods. The fact that they direct worship to more than one god makes Hindus Polytheist.
With regard to apostate (counterfeit) so called Christians, they direct their worship to all three members of their triad of gods. That is to Jehovah (YHWH) - Almighty God; his only begotten Son, Jesus (Yeshua) Christ ; and the Holy Spirit - the active force and/or power of Jehovah (YHWH) as shown by the ancient Hebrew word which came from 'ru'ach' meaning "breath; wind; spirit." The fact that they direct worship to more than one god makes apostate (counterfeit) so called Christians Polytheist.
MEMBERS OF ISLAM MAKE FALSE CHARGES:
Some members of Islam try and claim that Jesus (Yeshua) Christ is another creator; whereas, the truth is that only his Father, the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael, creator of all there is, is a creator. Let's look at the fact that the only begotten Son of the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael, creator of all there is, is not a creator as is his Father.
Jesus (Yeshua) took part with respect the creative works, but this did NOT make him a co-Creator along with his Father (YHWH). Why not? Because all the power for creation came from God through his Holy Spirit, or active force as shown by Genesis 1:1-2, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 And the earth was waste and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep: and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." (American Standard Version; ASV); And at Psalms 33:6, "By the word of Jehovah were the heavens made, And all the host of them by the breath of his mouth." (ASV). Of course some may object and have different views with regard to what the Holy Spirit is, but let's look at the facts. The "New American Bible Catholic Bible," says in a footnote regarding John 14:17: "The Greek word for 'Spirit' is neuter, and while we use personal pronouns in English ('he,' 'his,' 'him'), most Greek MSS [manuscripts] employ 'it.'" So when the Bible uses masculine personal pronouns in connection with pa·ra'kle·tos at John 16:7, 8, it is conforming to rules of grammar, not expressing a doctrine. And in Ancient Hebrew the word here rendered Holy Ghost, Holy Spirit, or Spirit which is translated from 'ru'ach' meaning "breath; wind; spirit." In Latin, it is spiritus, and in Sanskrit, 'prana' which means both "breath" and "spirit." Thus God (YHWH) is the source of all life, all animate creation, both visible and invisible, as shown at Psalms 36:9, "For with thee is the fountain of life: In thy light shall we see light." (ASV). Thus all of creation including his only begotten Son owes their lives to him. Thus, rather than being a co-Creator with his Father (YHWH), Jesus (Yeshua) was the agent or instrumentality through whom God (YHWH), the Creator, worked using him as his 'master worker.' Jesus (Yeshua) himself gave credit to his Father (YHWH) for all of creation, see Matthew 19:4-6, "And he answered and said, Have ye not read, that he who made [them] from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh? 6 So that they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." (ASV).
Also, only the Father, the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael, creator of all there is, is called Almighty God in the inspired word of the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael, creator of all there is, the Bible. Here are some scriptures that show this fact, [all taken from Authorized King James Bible; (AV) ]
Genesis 17:1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.
Genesis 28:3 And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people;
Genesis 35:11 And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;
Genesis 43:14 And God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may send away your other brother, and Benjamin. If I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.
Genesis 48:3 And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me,
Genesis 49:25 Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:
Exodus 6:3 And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.
Whereas, no where does the Bible call Jesus (Yeshua) Christ, Almighty God.
These members of Islam make false charges against Genuine (true) Christians who ONLY RENDER WORSHIP to the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael, creator of all there is, and NOT his only begotten Son, Jesus (Yeshua) Christ, that they are Polytheist, an outright lie. Let's look at one example of their false charges,
<<<" Why are you posting as a Christian when you are actually a polytheist? Why do you call Jesus (PBUH) a "lesser God" ****? And why do you say Jews believe Jesus is the son of God ****?">>>
Yet the fact is that Genuine (true) Christians only worship the Father, the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael, creator of all there is, in keeping with Jesus (Yeshua) specific instructions which are, per Matthew 4:9-10, "And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." (Authorized King James Bible; AV); and at Luke 4:7-8, "If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. 8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." (AV). Clearly this shows that his, Jesus' (Yeshua's), true followers are NOT TO WORSHIP HIM, but only his Father, Almighty God, the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael, creator of all there is.
So the distinguishing feature of Genuine (true) followers of Jesus (Yeshua) Christ would be their Monotheist practice of worshipping only the Father of Jesus (Yeshua) Christ, the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael, creator of all there is. And NOT also worshipping his only begotten Son, Jesus (Yeshua) or his Father's active force and/or power commonly known as the Holy Spirit or some saint or charismatic leader such as Father Divine.
WRONG WORSHIP BY FALSE RELIGIONS:
Interestingly neither, Islam or apostate (counterfeit) so called Christians, worships the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael, the creator of all there is as the only God. One, apostate (counterfeit) Christians claims to, but in actuality does NOT; whereas, Islam believe in and worships another, a mythical god, Al-Ilah, the god [al-, the + 'ilah, god], where some of them claim Ilah means the 'only one' in Arabic, they commonly call this mythical god, Allah, and wrongly claim he is the creator.
Let's first look at so called Christianity who falsely claim to worship the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael, but actually worships a hybrid three-in-one god known as the Trinity - no where mentioned in the Bible. To try and 'prove' this none Biblical god, Trinitarians use questionable translations of John 1:1, but conveniently miss the point that this is "a singular anarthrous predicate noun preceding the verb," that is, not just that the noun theos lacks the Greek definite article. Similar Greek construction such as,
Mark 6:49, Mark 11:32, John 4:19, John 6:70, John 8:44a, John 8:44b, John 9:17, John 10:1,
John 10:13, John 10:33, John 12:6 as usually have an inserted either an "a" or "an" there in most translations.
But we need not get so technical as a quick application of logic to the usual questionable translational construct for John 1:1 quickly shows that it can in no way support a trinity god. Let's look at why. John 1:1, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.) (AV) - now to have a trinity of anything, one must have THREE like items and only two spirit creatures are mentioned, not three, hence no trinity. In addition, someone can NOT be with someone and be that person also.
Now how did this false god get into so called Christianity? Well it came about in 325 AD when a pagan Roman Emperor, Constantine, a wordhipper of the Unconquered Sun, wanted religious unity in his empire and called a church conference with the view of getting them to accept some pagan doctrines so he could bring about a fusion of so called Christianity with paganism. This council went on a very long time and through coercion and political skull drudgery he finally got most of the attendees, bishops, to go along with what he wanted. This amounted to most of the so called Christian church going apostate.[Reference sources - Payne, Robert, "The Holy Fire: The Story of the Early Centuries of the Christian Churches in the Near East" (1957); BETHUNE-BAKER, J,F. "An Introduction to the Early History of Christian Doctrine". Methuen; 5th Ed., 1933 and ENCYLOPEDIA BRITANNICA, 11th Edition, Vol. 3, (page 366); David, Francis and Blandrata, Georgio, "De falsa et vera unius Dei Patris, Filii, et Spiritus Sancti cognitone" [Latin](The False and True Knowledge of the Unity of God the Father, Son, and Holy spirit), 1566 A.D.; Eklof, Todd F., "David's Francis Tower, Strength through Peace," (06-16-02); The New Encyclopedia Britannica: " Micropædia, Vol. X, p. 126. (1976); Parkes, James, "The Foundation of Judaism and Christianity," 1960; Durant, Will. "Caesar and Christ." New York: Simon. 1944. Vol. 3 of The Story of Civilization. 11 vols. 1935-75.].
Let's next look at Islam who falsely claim to worship the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael, but actually worship the old middle eastern celestial Moon god, "Allah."
Dr. Arthur Jeffery, one of the foremost Western Islamic scholars in modern times and professor of Islamic and Middle East Studies at Columbia University, notes:
<<"The name Allah, as the Quran itself is witness, was well known in pre-Islamic Arabia. Indeed, both it and its feminine form, Allat, are found not infrequently among the theophorous names in inscriptions from North Africa"[source - Islam: Muhammad, and His Religion, New York: The Liberal Arts Press, 1958, p. 85.">>>.
The Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, states, <<<"The origin of this (Allah) goes back to pre-Muslim times. Allah is not a common name meaning "God" (or a "god"), and the Muslim must use another word or form if he wishes to indicate any other than his own peculiar deity"[source - Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, I:326, Hastings]>>>.
The Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend, states, <<"The name Allah goes back before Muhammad"[ Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend, I:41, Anthony Mercatante, New York, The Facts on File, 1983]>>>.
And, <<<"The word "Allah" comes from the compound Arabic word, al-ilah. Al is the definite article "the" and ilah is an Arabic word for "god." It is not a foreign word. It is not even the Syriac word for God. It is pure Arabic."[reference - There is an interesting discussion of the origins of Allah, in "Arabic Lexicographical Miscellanies" by J. Blau in the Journal of Semitic Studies, Vol. XVII, #2, 1972, pp. 173-190.]>>>.
And, Neither is Allah a Hebrew or Greek word for God as found in the Bible. Allah is a purely Arabic term used in reference to an Arabian deity.
Hastings' Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics I:326, T & T Clark, states:
<<<"Allah" is a proper name, applicable only to their [Arabs'] peculiar God."[source - Hastings' Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics I:326]>>>.
<<"Pre-Islamic Arabia also had its stone deities. They were stone statues of shapeless volcanic or meteoric stones found in the deserts and believed to have been sent by astral deities. The most prominent deities were Hubal, the male god of the Ka'ba, and the three sister goddesses al-Lat, al-Manat, and al-Uzza; Muhammad's tribe, the Quraysh, thought these three goddesses to be the daughters of Allah. Hubal was the chief god of the Ka'ba among 360 other deities. He was a man-like statue whose body was made of red precious stone and whose arms were of solid gold." [sources - George W. Braswell, Jr., Islam Its Prophets, Peoples, Politics and Power" [Broadman & Holman Publishers, Nashville, TN; July, 1996], p. 44]>>>.
CONCLUSION:
Monotheist are those who worship but one god whether it be a false mythical god such as that worshipped by Islam or the genuine true God worshipped by Genuine (true) followers of the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael, creator of all there is, only begotten Son, Jesus (Yeshua) Christ, and also by Jews, the descendents of Abraham's son, Isaac.
Polytheist are those who worship more than one god, often as members of a triad of gods such as the Hindu triad of gods that consist of Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer as the three highest manifestations of the one ultimate reality. Or apostate (counterfeit) so called Christians that worship a triad of gods that consist of Jehovah (YHWH) - Almighty God; his only begotten Son, Jesus (Yeshua) Christ ; and the Holy Spirit - the active force and/or power of Jehovah (YHWH) as shown by the ancient Hebrew word which came from 'ru'ach' meaning "breath; wind; spirit."
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BIBLE AND RELIGION – BOTH TRUE AND FALSE – AT WWW.JW.ORG
]
ALSO, VIDEO ON WAS THE EARTH CREATED, :CLICK OR POST IN ADDRESS:
www.jw.org/en/library/videos/#en/mediaitems/VODBibleTeachings/pub-ebtv_1_VIDEO
[1] SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [610B]
A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the LORD will hasten it in his time. Isaiah 60:22, [authorized King James Bible; AV]
The Apostle John in a vision saw as recorded at Revelation 7:9 – 10, [AV] “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; 10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.” But the meaning of this vision has only come to light in this time of the end just as the Prophet Habakkuk stated at Habakkuk 2:3, [AV] “For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.”
VIEW THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND A VIDEO ON AN INTRODUCTION TO 1 CHRONICLES, CLICK OR POST IN ADDRESS: www.jw.org/en/library/videos/books-of-bible-intros/book-of-1-chronicles/
[2] DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MONOTHEIST AND POLYTHEIST IS IN WHO THEY WORSHIP:
INTRODUCTION:
Many truly are ignorant and have a misconception between the difference between a Monotheist and a Polytheist and do NOT realize the difference is with respect whom they worship and NOT who is or is NOT a god or god(s). Let's get an accurate understanding with respect the meaning of these two words so the remainder of this article will have real meaning.
The standard dictionary definition for monotheism is confusing as it really embraces that which is really polytheist, i.e., the Trinity. This biased definition, which is refuted by both genuine (true) Christians and members of Islam in that both groups define monotheism as the worship of one supreme god whom both say is the creator in the singular tense. Of course, these two groups differ with respect to whom they consider is the creator.
Genuine (true) Christians believe the creator is the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael, creator of all there is; whereas, members of Islam believe in another, a mythical god, Al-Ilah, the god [al-, the + 'ilah, god], where some of them claim Ilah means the 'only one' in Arabic, they commonly call this mythical god, Allah, and wrongly claim he is the creator.
Many religions have many gods that they worship such as the Hindus and apostate (counterfeit) so called Christians, but herein lies the confusion. Both the Hindus and apostate (counterfeit) so called Christians have so called Trinities of gods.
In Hinduism this triad of gods consist of Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer as the three highest manifestations of the one ultimate reality. The last part where it is said that the three are one ultimate reality or three separate gods make one god is what causes confusion with respect who is a Monotheist and who is a Polytheist.
In apostate (counterfeit) Christianity this triad of gods consist Jehovah (YHWH) - Almighty God; his only begotten Son, Jesus (Yeshua) Christ ; and the Holy Spirit - the active force and/or power of Jehovah (YHWH) as shown by the ancient Hebrew word which came from 'ru'ach' meaning "breath; wind; spirit."
This fact with respect the Holy Spirit in Koine Greek is the ancient Greek word for spirit (pneu'ma) is used, the neuter pronoun "it" is properly employed. This fact is conveniently over looked or hidden by most Trinitarian translators as admitted in the "New American Bible Catholic Bible," regarding John 14:17: "The Greek word for 'Spirit' is neuter, and while we use personal pronouns in English ('he,' 'his,' 'him'), most Greek MSS [manuscripts] employ 'it.'" So when the Bible uses masculine personal pronouns in connection with pa·ra'kle·tos at John 16:7, 8, it is conforming to rules of grammar, not expressing a doctrine. This causes a lot of confusion and many are mislead by it.
The common, but erroneous, definition of Monotheism is as follows: <<<"Belief in the existence of one god. It is distinguished from polytheism. The earliest known instance of monotheism dates to the reign of Akhenaton of Egypt in the 14th century BC. Monotheism is characteristic of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, all of which view God as the creator of the world, who oversees and intervenes in human events, and as a beneficent and holy being, the source of the highest good. The monotheism that characterizes Judaism began in ancient Israel with the adoption of Yahweh as the single object of worship and the rejection of the gods of other tribes and nations without, initially, denying their existence. Islam is clear in confessing one, eternal, unbegotten, unequaled God, while Christianity holds that a single God is reflected in the three persons of the Holy Trinity." [source - the Britannica Concise Encyclopedia].
But in reality Monotheist worship only one single entity god, and one can be a Monotheist and worship a false god as long as he/she only worships one god and no more.
In reality one is a Polytheist if he/she worships more than one god even if he/she claims a triad is just one god. This fact has been highlighted by many Islamic and Genuine (true) Christian writers. One Francis David pointedly made this point in his book, "De falsa et vera unius Dei Patris, Filii, et Spiritus Sancti cognitione," (The False and True Knowledge of the Unity of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit), he co-authored with Georgio Biandrata.
WHO WORSHIP IS DIRECTED TO IS DIFFERENTIATOR BETWEEN MONOTHEISM AND POLYTHEISM:
As shown in the introduction, the real differentiating feature between Monotheism and Polytheism is to whom worship is directed.
Monotheism:
Both members of Islam and Genuine (true) Christians direct worship exclusively only to one god; therefore, they are Monotheist.
In the case of Islam, this is a mythical god, as previously pointed out, a false god. Nevertheless, they direct worship only to one god, even though this is of course a false god, it does NOT change their status as Monotheist.
In the case of Genuine (true) Christians, the real footstep followers of Jesus (Yeshua), the Son of the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael, creator of all there is, this is to his Father, and not him. This is clearly testified to by his Son, Jesus (Yeshua), at Matthew 4:9-10, "And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." (Authorized King James Bible; AV); and at Luke 4:7-8, "If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. 8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." (AV). In these two scriptures and many others, Jesus (Yeshua) Christ, the only begotten Son of the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael, creator of all there is, made it clear that his genuine followers were only to worship his Father, the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael, creator of all there is, Almighty God, and no other including himself.
In the case of Jews, they too, like Genuine (true) Christians only direct their worship to the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael, creator of all there is, and no other. They fail to recognize that the long awaited prophet, Jesus (Yeshua) Christ, the only begotten Son of the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael, creator of all there is, has already arrived and been resurrected by his Father as testified to at Acts 10:38-40, "Jesus of Nazareth: how God anointed him with the Holy Ghost and with power, who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39 And we are witnesses of all things that he did in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem: whom they killed, hanging him upon a tree. 40 Him God raised up the third day and gave him to be made manifest," (Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible; DRCB). The "Encyclopaedia Judaica says: <<<"The Jews of the Roman period believed [the Messiah] would be raised up by God to break the yoke of the heathen and to reign over a restored kingdom of Israel" [source - the Encyclopaedia Judaica, Jerusalem, 1971, Vol. 11, Col. 1407]>>>. In other words they failed to recognize Jesus (Yeshua) Christ as the Messia because he did NOT liberate them from the yoke of Rome.
Polytheist:
Both Hindus and apostate (counterfeit) so called Christians are polytheist because they worship more than one god in their respective triad of gods.
In Hinduism the members of this religion direct worship to all three members of their triad of gods. That is to of Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer which make up their peculiar triad of gods or Trinity of gods. The fact that they direct worship to more than one god makes Hindus Polytheist.
With regard to apostate (counterfeit) so called Christians, they direct their worship to all three members of their triad of gods. That is to Jehovah (YHWH) - Almighty God; his only begotten Son, Jesus (Yeshua) Christ ; and the Holy Spirit - the active force and/or power of Jehovah (YHWH) as shown by the ancient Hebrew word which came from 'ru'ach' meaning "breath; wind; spirit." The fact that they direct worship to more than one god makes apostate (counterfeit) so called Christians Polytheist.
MEMBERS OF ISLAM MAKE FALSE CHARGES:
Some members of Islam try and claim that Jesus (Yeshua) Christ is another creator; whereas, the truth is that only his Father, the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael, creator of all there is, is a creator. Let's look at the fact that the only begotten Son of the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael, creator of all there is, is not a creator as is his Father.
Jesus (Yeshua) took part with respect the creative works, but this did NOT make him a co-Creator along with his Father (YHWH). Why not? Because all the power for creation came from God through his Holy Spirit, or active force as shown by Genesis 1:1-2, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 And the earth was waste and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep: and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." (American Standard Version; ASV); And at Psalms 33:6, "By the word of Jehovah were the heavens made, And all the host of them by the breath of his mouth." (ASV). Of course some may object and have different views with regard to what the Holy Spirit is, but let's look at the facts. The "New American Bible Catholic Bible," says in a footnote regarding John 14:17: "The Greek word for 'Spirit' is neuter, and while we use personal pronouns in English ('he,' 'his,' 'him'), most Greek MSS [manuscripts] employ 'it.'" So when the Bible uses masculine personal pronouns in connection with pa·ra'kle·tos at John 16:7, 8, it is conforming to rules of grammar, not expressing a doctrine. And in Ancient Hebrew the word here rendered Holy Ghost, Holy Spirit, or Spirit which is translated from 'ru'ach' meaning "breath; wind; spirit." In Latin, it is spiritus, and in Sanskrit, 'prana' which means both "breath" and "spirit." Thus God (YHWH) is the source of all life, all animate creation, both visible and invisible, as shown at Psalms 36:9, "For with thee is the fountain of life: In thy light shall we see light." (ASV). Thus all of creation including his only begotten Son owes their lives to him. Thus, rather than being a co-Creator with his Father (YHWH), Jesus (Yeshua) was the agent or instrumentality through whom God (YHWH), the Creator, worked using him as his 'master worker.' Jesus (Yeshua) himself gave credit to his Father (YHWH) for all of creation, see Matthew 19:4-6, "And he answered and said, Have ye not read, that he who made [them] from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh? 6 So that they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." (ASV).
Also, only the Father, the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael, creator of all there is, is called Almighty God in the inspired word of the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael, creator of all there is, the Bible. Here are some scriptures that show this fact, [all taken from Authorized King James Bible; (AV) ]
Genesis 17:1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.
Genesis 28:3 And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people;
Genesis 35:11 And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;
Genesis 43:14 And God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may send away your other brother, and Benjamin. If I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.
Genesis 48:3 And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me,
Genesis 49:25 Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:
Exodus 6:3 And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.
Whereas, no where does the Bible call Jesus (Yeshua) Christ, Almighty God.
These members of Islam make false charges against Genuine (true) Christians who ONLY RENDER WORSHIP to the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael, creator of all there is, and NOT his only begotten Son, Jesus (Yeshua) Christ, that they are Polytheist, an outright lie. Let's look at one example of their false charges,
<<<" Why are you posting as a Christian when you are actually a polytheist? Why do you call Jesus (PBUH) a "lesser God" ****? And why do you say Jews believe Jesus is the son of God ****?">>>
Yet the fact is that Genuine (true) Christians only worship the Father, the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael, creator of all there is, in keeping with Jesus (Yeshua) specific instructions which are, per Matthew 4:9-10, "And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." (Authorized King James Bible; AV); and at Luke 4:7-8, "If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. 8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." (AV). Clearly this shows that his, Jesus' (Yeshua's), true followers are NOT TO WORSHIP HIM, but only his Father, Almighty God, the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael, creator of all there is.
So the distinguishing feature of Genuine (true) followers of Jesus (Yeshua) Christ would be their Monotheist practice of worshipping only the Father of Jesus (Yeshua) Christ, the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael, creator of all there is. And NOT also worshipping his only begotten Son, Jesus (Yeshua) or his Father's active force and/or power commonly known as the Holy Spirit or some saint or charismatic leader such as Father Divine.
WRONG WORSHIP BY FALSE RELIGIONS:
Interestingly neither, Islam or apostate (counterfeit) so called Christians, worships the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael, the creator of all there is as the only God. One, apostate (counterfeit) Christians claims to, but in actuality does NOT; whereas, Islam believe in and worships another, a mythical god, Al-Ilah, the god [al-, the + 'ilah, god], where some of them claim Ilah means the 'only one' in Arabic, they commonly call this mythical god, Allah, and wrongly claim he is the creator.
Let's first look at so called Christianity who falsely claim to worship the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael, but actually worships a hybrid three-in-one god known as the Trinity - no where mentioned in the Bible. To try and 'prove' this none Biblical god, Trinitarians use questionable translations of John 1:1, but conveniently miss the point that this is "a singular anarthrous predicate noun preceding the verb," that is, not just that the noun theos lacks the Greek definite article. Similar Greek construction such as,
Mark 6:49, Mark 11:32, John 4:19, John 6:70, John 8:44a, John 8:44b, John 9:17, John 10:1,
John 10:13, John 10:33, John 12:6 as usually have an inserted either an "a" or "an" there in most translations.
But we need not get so technical as a quick application of logic to the usual questionable translational construct for John 1:1 quickly shows that it can in no way support a trinity god. Let's look at why. John 1:1, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.) (AV) - now to have a trinity of anything, one must have THREE like items and only two spirit creatures are mentioned, not three, hence no trinity. In addition, someone can NOT be with someone and be that person also.
Now how did this false god get into so called Christianity? Well it came about in 325 AD when a pagan Roman Emperor, Constantine, a wordhipper of the Unconquered Sun, wanted religious unity in his empire and called a church conference with the view of getting them to accept some pagan doctrines so he could bring about a fusion of so called Christianity with paganism. This council went on a very long time and through coercion and political skull drudgery he finally got most of the attendees, bishops, to go along with what he wanted. This amounted to most of the so called Christian church going apostate.[Reference sources - Payne, Robert, "The Holy Fire: The Story of the Early Centuries of the Christian Churches in the Near East" (1957); BETHUNE-BAKER, J,F. "An Introduction to the Early History of Christian Doctrine". Methuen; 5th Ed., 1933 and ENCYLOPEDIA BRITANNICA, 11th Edition, Vol. 3, (page 366); David, Francis and Blandrata, Georgio, "De falsa et vera unius Dei Patris, Filii, et Spiritus Sancti cognitone" [Latin](The False and True Knowledge of the Unity of God the Father, Son, and Holy spirit), 1566 A.D.; Eklof, Todd F., "David's Francis Tower, Strength through Peace," (06-16-02); The New Encyclopedia Britannica: " Micropædia, Vol. X, p. 126. (1976); Parkes, James, "The Foundation of Judaism and Christianity," 1960; Durant, Will. "Caesar and Christ." New York: Simon. 1944. Vol. 3 of The Story of Civilization. 11 vols. 1935-75.].
Let's next look at Islam who falsely claim to worship the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael, but actually worship the old middle eastern celestial Moon god, "Allah."
Dr. Arthur Jeffery, one of the foremost Western Islamic scholars in modern times and professor of Islamic and Middle East Studies at Columbia University, notes:
<<"The name Allah, as the Quran itself is witness, was well known in pre-Islamic Arabia. Indeed, both it and its feminine form, Allat, are found not infrequently among the theophorous names in inscriptions from North Africa"[source - Islam: Muhammad, and His Religion, New York: The Liberal Arts Press, 1958, p. 85.">>>.
The Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, states, <<<"The origin of this (Allah) goes back to pre-Muslim times. Allah is not a common name meaning "God" (or a "god"), and the Muslim must use another word or form if he wishes to indicate any other than his own peculiar deity"[source - Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, I:326, Hastings]>>>.
The Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend, states, <<"The name Allah goes back before Muhammad"[ Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend, I:41, Anthony Mercatante, New York, The Facts on File, 1983]>>>.
And, <<<"The word "Allah" comes from the compound Arabic word, al-ilah. Al is the definite article "the" and ilah is an Arabic word for "god." It is not a foreign word. It is not even the Syriac word for God. It is pure Arabic."[reference - There is an interesting discussion of the origins of Allah, in "Arabic Lexicographical Miscellanies" by J. Blau in the Journal of Semitic Studies, Vol. XVII, #2, 1972, pp. 173-190.]>>>.
And, Neither is Allah a Hebrew or Greek word for God as found in the Bible. Allah is a purely Arabic term used in reference to an Arabian deity.
Hastings' Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics I:326, T & T Clark, states:
<<<"Allah" is a proper name, applicable only to their [Arabs'] peculiar God."[source - Hastings' Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics I:326]>>>.
<<"Pre-Islamic Arabia also had its stone deities. They were stone statues of shapeless volcanic or meteoric stones found in the deserts and believed to have been sent by astral deities. The most prominent deities were Hubal, the male god of the Ka'ba, and the three sister goddesses al-Lat, al-Manat, and al-Uzza; Muhammad's tribe, the Quraysh, thought these three goddesses to be the daughters of Allah. Hubal was the chief god of the Ka'ba among 360 other deities. He was a man-like statue whose body was made of red precious stone and whose arms were of solid gold." [sources - George W. Braswell, Jr., Islam Its Prophets, Peoples, Politics and Power" [Broadman & Holman Publishers, Nashville, TN; July, 1996], p. 44]>>>.
CONCLUSION:
Monotheist are those who worship but one god whether it be a false mythical god such as that worshipped by Islam or the genuine true God worshipped by Genuine (true) followers of the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael, creator of all there is, only begotten Son, Jesus (Yeshua) Christ, and also by Jews, the descendents of Abraham's son, Isaac.
Polytheist are those who worship more than one god, often as members of a triad of gods such as the Hindu triad of gods that consist of Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer as the three highest manifestations of the one ultimate reality. Or apostate (counterfeit) so called Christians that worship a triad of gods that consist of Jehovah (YHWH) - Almighty God; his only begotten Son, Jesus (Yeshua) Christ ; and the Holy Spirit - the active force and/or power of Jehovah (YHWH) as shown by the ancient Hebrew word which came from 'ru'ach' meaning "breath; wind; spirit."
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