Just the Facts

Alright, let's go to the message today, which is a little different, but hopefully you can understand. I want to talk about famous trios. Do you know famous trios? Yes? You know quite a few? See if you know these. How about these three guys? Three stooges. Yes, you know them, but do you know their names? You guys spent too much time watching TV, obviously. How about these three? You know their names? What are they known for? Yeah, see? You're beginning to get that. How about these three singers? They got their names down. So you should know what they are. Everybody remember those? No, you have to have gray hair. No, I see. How about these three? You know their names? What are their names? Barry, Robin, and Maurice. See, my wife's been doing something while she's staying home reading or watching something else instead of watching me, I guess. She remembers that 80 music. You know that? How about these three?

Yeah, who's the supreme? What are their names? Do you know? Diana? I don't know. But I wouldn't, if everybody forgot my name but said he's supreme, I'd take that. But Diana Ross and the Supremes. How about this one for a younger set?

Everybody knows the middle one. I think the poor girl on the end had her shirt torn off or something. I don't know their names.

Okay, you guys do. How about these three guys?

No? They're baseball players. They played baseball and started their career in 1910, over 100 years ago. So bad that when I played baseball, we remembered these players because they were famous for turning double plays. Tinkers to Evers to Chance, a short stop to the second baseman to the first baseman.

Most people don't even know. How about this one? Miami's big three, right? Everybody should know that. Even Adam knows that, right? You know who they were? Yes. His name's not messy.

And then, ah, you've been pretty good so far. How about these three?

Do they have a name? Oh, ho, ho. You might want to look it up. Somebody gave them names. The Bible didn't. Does the Bible mention these three wise men?

We don't know that there was three. It's not in the Bible, is it? These three are not mentioned in the Bible. How about the next one?

Three thrones, right? Maybe you're one of them, right? No. What's the Bible say? There are thrones up in heaven, but it doesn't say there are three, does it?

How many of them is mentioned in the Bible? Two. Who sits on those thrones?

That's what the Bible says, right? And anybody that's ever been to my service knows I teach from the Bible. And I think it's important. What is it? Deuteronomy 4, verse 2 says, Do not add nor take away. Deuteronomy 12, verses 32 somewhere says, Do not add nor take away the Scripture. Revelation 22, verses 18 and 19, Do not add or take away. So I want to talk about addition today. Addition that the world believes in, but the Bible does not teach. I want to teach this because I think it's very, very important that we know this. So as the three wise men are not mentioned in the Bible, neither is the Trinity. Neither is the Trinity. Most religions today, I actually looked it up, and of the major religions, almost all of them believe in a Trinity. It's from the Bible. I have had quite a few calls about attending our service, and someone, one or two, actually said, Is it true you do not believe in a Trinity? Someone's already getting excited back there.

To my answer is, I can't find it in Scripture.

I said, Can you point it out to me? I'm a pastor, I'm a minister, that's what I'm trained to do. And I have looked for years trying to find a Trinity because I only teach what's in the Bible. It's not in there, I don't teach it. Don't add or take away, because in Revelation 22 it says, All the plagues that are in that book, I get to get on me. I have the opportunity to have all those plagues put on me if I add to or take away. So I'm not into that. But I also have to deal with, as I've had in the past, some ministers, other ministers from other faiths, it's not my job to correct them.

It's not my job to be antagonistic. I've had one, I remember well, we had a sit-down conversation, as many of you might, also at times. He had two doctorates in theology, one from Vanderbilt University, and I forget where the other one was from, and this subject came up because I was doing some work for him. And I had to just ask him simple questions. Scholarly man, really nice guy. And I enjoyed our conversation, and so it all came around to the Trinity, to which he instructed me on some things that I did not know. And he also said, well, it's not in Scripture, but it's tradition. It's tradition. And I said, okay, but I just, I want to see if it's that big and that's important. He said, well, it's just so large that you can't really explain it. And he said, that's why I don't explain it to my church. Cheers. He had more than one. And so from that point on, I started diving into the study of Scripture that took place over 20 years ago before I became a pastor, but I also thought, wow, I didn't know that I was very well armed. And many times, as I see now, I explain Scripture when I don't have my Bible. So that's one of the things that I want to do today. I want to give you seven facts, okay? Seven facts about the Scripture, in Scripture, containing Scripture, about the Trinity, and how you would explain it to someone if someone asked you, do you believe in the Trinity? No, then why not? Because the majority of religions do. And I want you to be able to not only be able to show them, tell them, but I want you to believe what the Scriptures say, because we can add all kinds of books to everything, and you can have all the theology you want, but if you're not obeying what God says, there's a problem, not only now, but in the future. But you never want to mislead anyone, and that's not... that's my purpose here today, is to make sure that you are equipped. Equipped. So I'd like to look at one Scripture that, of course, is brought out.

Don't spank that child yet.

I want to... I want to go to a Scripture, if you will. Join me. And that Scripture is 1 John 5, verse 7 and 8. It is the main Scripture that everyone will show you that there is proof of the Trinity, God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. I want to go there, because that is the main Scripture. So let's turn there. I'll turn in my Bible and go back to 1 John 5. So if you don't... if you do not have this mark, it might do you good, because this is the main Scripture. This is the whole teaching of everything, and it came from John. John 1 John 5, verse 7, says, For there are three who hear witness in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit. And these three are one. Done. Everybody go home. Because that's exactly what it says. I'm reading directly from Scripture. And let's finish verse 8, And there are three that bear witness on earth, the Spirit, the water, the blood, and these three agree as one. Isn't that enough? And this is a Scripture that I went and said, Wow! That's it. This is it. So why do I have a margin in my Bible?

I have a margin in my Bible, and people made this Bible didn't have an agenda. They just put a margin. And then the margin of my Bible, if you have a New King James and you see a margin in the middle, it will have, down under verse 7, in you, which is Nestle's United, which is a biblical Greek society that translates. M is also there, which means the majority of texts, all those thousands of texts that the Bible was made up of. It says, they omit. The NU and majority omit the rest of verse 7 and through on through earth of verse 8. So what they really omit is part of this verse. And I'd like to read to you, if you happen to have, does anybody of, Maurice was just using the New Living Translation. Yes. People have New Living, right? Some of you. If you happen to read from the New Living, which is a linguistic Bible, they go to the actual script. There's nothing, and this is what the Greek or Hebrew says. If you look in that newer, because it's a newer translation, those verses are left out. It's not in there because it wasn't in the original Greek. So they leave it out. So, the ending of verse 7 and the beginning of verse 8 did not appear in any of the hundreds of the most ancient Greek texts. Didn't. That that said starts with the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit. These are one. These are three that bear witness it wasn't in there. Any of them. So, of course, mind being, inquiring minds, I wanted to know. Where? Where'd it come from? Then I find, through scholarship by reading, and it doesn't take much with Google today, but it did back when I had to look it up in books, it says this edition appears around 500 AD, 500 years, in the margin, marginal notes of the Latin Vulgate. Okay, that's the Latin translation of the Greek. But not in the words of the actual Vulgate. So, this first appeared, these sentences about it, first appeared in the notes of the Bible, not in the Bible, not in the scripture. And just as one text said the insertion was an attempt to bolster the controversial dogma of the Trinity. If you go back to history, there was a big argument about that because it wasn't in anywhere in the scripture, we can't find it anywhere. And so, that's what this big argument was really about. The original verse in the hundreds of Greek text, and if you want to spend your time, go check out the original Greek text, says, in fact, there are three witnesses. This is what it says. The Spirit, which we believe in the Holy Spirit, the water, which we believe in you, used to be baptized, and the blood, the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed for the remission of sins. And these three are in agreement, as I agree to. No Greek manuscript up to the year 1300 AD contained the expanded text. So, it was added, which then made me go back and go, that's very interesting, because it wasn't really in scripture. And there were plenty of notes. There's notes in your Bible. If you want to Google it, go Google it. You can check out, make sure that I'm telling you the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. But you can do that when you have scripture. So, today, being you are so good at all the trios, I'm going to take away one of your trios that you might think, and that's the Trinity. Because the Bible tends to have the Father and the Son, God and Jesus Christ.

God and the Word. So, let's jump into this, since I want to get you on time. There's a lot of food sitting over there. It's smelling awfully good. There's Chloe's big cake over there, that I don't know. I can't see too far whether he took some of that or not. He always sits near the dessert. So, you're going to see, if not, you can blame it on the Holy Spirit. It's a person that may have eaten it. But that's the part of this, is we believe in the Holy Spirit. The Bible teaches the Holy Spirit, but it's not a person. That's what the Trinity is all about, that there's God, there's a Father, and there's the Holy Spirit. And they're all the God realm right there. And then outside of that are the angels, and then outside of that are we puny humans.

We know that God teaches through this Word that He's in the family, and He wants a family. And we are actually called sons of God in here. So, the two are saying, we want more. We want a bigger family. So, let's go, as I'll give you seven facts containing Trinity teachings, that you can know. You can either write these down, or you can just think about them, and you can probably come up with them later. Because it's not that hard. I am giving you seven. I could give you 70. There's that many. If not, a hundred different ones. And I'll give you the opportunity to learn more of that later. Okay, let's go. The first one.

There's no greetings. No greetings. How does that teach that there's not a Trinity? How does that teach that? Well, if you look at the scriptures, you look at the books of the Bible, the New Testament, you have Romans 1 verse 7, 1 Corinthians 1 verse 3, 2 Corinthians 1 verse 2, Galatians 1 verse 3, Ephesians 1 verse 2. I'm just giving you some of Paul's writings. Every book that Paul wrote, 13, whether you want to say Hebrews or not, we don't know, but we know the 13 that he wrote. Every single book or letter he wrote, he starts out the same way with a greeting from God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son. That's 13 of the 27. But then you go into more. Peter does it. Jude does it. Almost every writer does it. And they say the same thing.

Greetings. Greetings. Greetings. So, if we're saying that the Holy Spirit was a person and that three thrones we set up there, and they are all equal because that's what the Trinity teaches, Trinity doctrine teaches, that they're all the same, but they're all in one. And then where's the third throne? Paul would be so dismissive of the third God, because that's what you're talking about. He's not even there. And so he greets all these churches, and there's only... How in disrespect is that? If it's actually part of the Godhead, as they say. Is that an important part? I think so. It's one proof, isn't it? It's seven facts. What disrespect? That all these writers of the New Testament all miss the point.

All say the same thing. Fact? I think so.

Number two. There's a problem with misgendering. We have a lot of issues with misgendering today, don't we? Didn't have when I was growing up. Everybody knew what a man was. Everybody knew what a woman was. Nobody got those confused. But today, we have a little confusion. So people don't know this misgendering.

Well, we have an issue with misgendering in the Bible, and with the Trinity. Because so many scriptures use the pronoun, He, for the Holy Spirit. Well, wait a minute. If it's not a person, why would they put He? Huh. So is that another proof that this Holy Spirit is a person? Well, those who speak Spanish here, who speak Greek, French, they in almost every language, they assign a masculine or feminine pronoun with the verb.

And here, the Greeks, when they were using, when they were translating the Greek, they found that the Greek didn't use the masculine pronoun in the Greek. They used the neuter. Wow! Why didn't they use it? They didn't use He, they used it. Maybe that's not important to you, but it is when you read the original translation and it's not there. You read the original Greek and it's neuter. But yet, when it's translated in the Bible, it's e. Where did that come from? It's interesting because in the Hebrew, when it talks about the Spirit, remember the word ruach that you used? Ruach is a word used in the Hebrew for Spirit.

Do you know that's feminine? In their language, yes, feminine. So we see in the Greek, the word is pneuma. P-N-E-U-M-A. And it is neuter. It's not masculine or feminine. It's like an it. So where did it change? How did that all come about? Well, it was never in any of the translations. I know some people don't like translating Greek and Hebrew. They don't really like all this stuff. But to prove this, all you have to go back is where did it first?

You read the Greek, you read the Greek, and you go back. When did it change? And when was it no longer an it? It became a he. The Latin voget. The same one we talked about before. The Latin translation of the Bible started translating it. He instead of it. And put a masculine as he. Because the translators of the Latin thought, well, they believed in the Trinity. And they were trying to teach that because there was a big controversy at the time. So, misgendering? Yes. Yes. And all you have to do is search your history to find that out.

Because I always wondered when I would be reading these scriptures. So, is it a fact? Absolutely. It is a fact that they changed it. Let's go to number three. Number three. Something's missing. Something's missing. One of my favorite chapters and first few chapters of the Bible is in Revelation. And most people like to, oh, let's stay away from that. That's just weird stuff. There's weird stuff in it. And people don't want to go there. Let's stay away from them.

Let's go there. Let's go there. Because I think we'll see something really fantastic. And in the book of Revelation, John is getting a miraculous view. He's been given a vision of what's up there at God's throne. He's given this vision and then his job is to try to explain it to all of us. So, let's read this because he has this view that nobody else has ever had to.

Nobody else has ever had this view of what's going on and then to describe it. So, Revelation 1, verse 1, the Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave him to show his servants things which must shortly take place. And he sent and signified it to his angel, to his servant John. So, it went from God to Christ to the angel to John.

They were all there. Who's missing? Okay, let's go down. Verse 2, who bore witness to the Word of God and to the testimony of just Jesus Christ? What do you mean? There's supposed to be three. Where's something's missing? Because he's seeing it but he's only seeing two here. And to all the things that he saw. Bless his EU who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy and keep these things which are written in it for the time is near.

John in verse 4, to the seven churches which are in Asia, grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come. God the Father.

And from the seven spirits, whoa, wait a minute, are we talking here? Not until one but who are the seven spirits? Seven angels. There's angels over each of these churches. That's explained later you can read about. So, they're there. God's there. Who are before his throne. These are the angels who appear before God's throne. And then verse 5, and we had God the Father. There's some angels around him. And then from Jesus Christ.

The faithful witness of firstborn from the dead. So, where is the Holy Spirit God? Where is the Spirit God? They can't find him. So, I challenge you if you're interested in a subject, because some people aren't, if you're interested in a subject, read chapter 4 and see all the freakish things that go on at the throne of God. And you see these strange looking creatures and they're up there and you see this. And you see, chapter 4 is dedicated to God. And the whole chapter is made talking about God and tells you everything that's going on at that big throne up there. No matter how strange it may appear to us, it's not strange to God. And John has his, and he gets deceived. And so, then chapter 4 ends, and then chapter 5 begins, and chapter 4 is God's chapter. Chapter 5 is where the Lamb of Judah comes in, Jesus Christ. And then it describes all about Christ. And it takes up the entire chapter, just like chapter 4 did. Except, there's no chapter for the Spirit God, if you want to call it that. The Holy Spirit doesn't get his chapter. Is that strange? I think so. Because here is the opportunity to see, to see if there is a third person in this Godhead, and it's not there. And it goes into great detail. It even tells about kings and priests. Ah, verse 6, and has made us kings and priests to his God and Father. To him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Something's missing. The Holy Spirit as a person. Fact? Think so. Think so. Let's go to point number 4. We have Matthew, Mark, Luke, and then we have John. And John writes way after, 20 years after. He writes the book of John, 20 years after the other disciples right there. So here is a chance, because if you read John, the Gospel of John, John is trying to show everybody that Jesus Christ was God. It's God the Father, Jesus Christ, they're God. They all think as one. If you've seen one, you've seen both of us. So let's go, very quickly, to the Gospel of John, chapter 1. John chapter 1. Just have three verses.

John chapter 1, verse 1 says, in the beginning was the Word. Okay, spokesman. Logos. And the Word was with God. Okay, how many do we have? Pretty simple. And the Word was God. Now, it doesn't say that it doesn't use the definite article, the, with the Word. In the beginning was the Word, right? Because it was the Word. But did it say, did it say, in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was the God? No, it doesn't. He was with God, showing too distinct.

Personages, if I could say that. Too distinct.

In verse 2, he says, he was in the beginning with God. So there's two. Where's the Holy Spirit?

Where is it? If from the beginning there were only two, where is it? Where is He? Be official. Verse 3, all things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. So, where is the Holy Spirit? It wasn't there at the beginning, as John is describing. It's not there. Not there. That's a fact.

Number five. Number five.

The deep things of God. Do you know deep things of God? Anybody? No. You don't know any deep things of God. He says he does in a bag. See, they're all looking back who you are now to see the deep things of God.

What's interesting is what the theologian told me and what you could read about is that you can't really explain the Trinity doctrine because it's a mystery, and it's so complicated that we can't even understand it. I actually said that. Now, theologians will teach that and say, well, we think it fits like this, but we can't.

You can't really understand it. You don't believe me? Ask one. To explain it to you. I can explain, well, there's God the Father, there's Jesus Christ, and there's the Holy Spirit, and these three work as three as one. But then show it to me from the Bible, and they go back to 1 John 5, 7, and 8. It's all the God. But 1 Corinthians 2.9, one of my favorite scriptures in the entire Bible, says, I has not seen nor ear heard nor has entered the heart of man. The things that God has planned for those who do what love Him. That's a beautiful scripture, but it really doesn't end there. Go with me. 1 Corinthians 2, verse 10. Because there's a but.

A big but. After the scripture I just told you, verse 10 says, but God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit, not the Spirit God, the pneuma, but the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. So do you think God made something so hard and bizarre that we puny little humans could never understand who God really is?

When it was made plain in the sermon, as 1 John even talks about, for God is what? Love.

Doesn't necessarily define Him. It defines what He does, what His motivation is. So we can understand. Jesus Christ even said that the Holy Spirit is like the wind.

Check out the definition of pneuma in the Greek. Breath, wind, blow. It's these various things. There's no human attachment to it. So is that a fact? I think so. It's a Scripture to look at.

Number six. Number six. Go back to Genesis. Number six is the Spirit of God. So let's go to Genesis 1. Genesis 1, verse 2. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was on the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the water. The Spirit of God was hovering, not Spirit God. Spirit of God. It's what He's made up of. It's His very essence is of Spirit, not physical. We're made in His physical image, and that's why He's creating in us the Spirit mind so that we can begin to think like Him, not just look like Him. But here, at the very beginning, it's the Spirit of God. This was the perfect chance for God to explain that there was the Spirit God, but it's not there. It's not there. Don't you find it interesting that Jesus Christ is called God?

We saw in the Nine Bibles study how people came and worshiped Him. They fell down at His feet. Worship means to go down to one's knees. It's a sign of worship. That's what it means. People would come up and fall down before Him, whether it was a ruler or whether it was a woman, whether it was a man. They would fall down and worship Him. Did He ever go, no, no, no! Don't do that. No. They could worship Him because He was what? God. He was God. So there's no problem. When it came to worshiping the Father, what did He say?

You're going to worship God? No problem there.

Where does it ever say, worship the Spirit? Where does it ever say that the Spirit is God?

But the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ.

I will send my Spirit.

Explain that away. You really can't, can you? You really cannot.

Is that a fact? I think so. Finally, the last one.

The last one.

Point number seven. Who's missing? Who is missing? These are just some points that I want you to think because my job isn't just to teach you, it's to let you think. If you don't agree with some of this stuff, whose job is it to come to me, yours, and prove me wrong? That's what God wants us to do. That's why He gives us His Spirit, that essence, that power, that energy to do, to learn more about this. Go with me to Matthew 11.

This is my last point. I want to make sure I get you guys somewhat out of time. I don't have to leave today, which is wonderful. And head north.

Matthew 11.

And verse 25.

At that time, Jesus answered, and said, I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and never revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, so it seemed good in your sight, all things have been delivered to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. And wait a minute. The Spirit God? Didn't say it, did He? The only one knows the Father is the Son.

Except the Father, nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and He to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. That is important. So important that His last night on earth, He wanted to explain this to His disciples that though I go away, I'm going to send an helper. Let's go there. Last scripture. But I do like John 10. Like John 10 and verse 30. I won't go there. But in that verse, you can look at it later. It says, I came to reveal the Father.

Me and my Father are one. Did He lie?

So to keep Christ from lying, you better find a way it works.

And adding another God in there doesn't really work. Let's go to John 14. John 14.

John 14 and verse 8. Here Philip has a question. Philip said to him, Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.

Jesus said to him, Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known me? Philip, have you seen me? He who has seen me has seen the Father. So how can you say, show us the Father? Because they were one. Me and my Father are one. Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you, I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does the works. Why does he say that? Because he's human.

Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me, or else believe me for the sake of the works themselves. Verse 26. The Helper, Pericletos, that's the Greek word. The Helper, Pericletos. The Pericletos, the Holy Spirit, which the Father will send in my name, He, remember the pronoun? This was changed. Originally it was it. It will teach you all things and bring you to remembrance of all things that I have. What does Pericletos mean? Something that assists on the side. I think that's amazing. Something that assists on the side. Not this entity, but something that assists, which would eliminate the God part of this.

What I've done today is probably made you go, huh? Because is it simple to understand God? Absolutely. It is simple to understand God and understand Jesus Christ. He said, he called the simple, you know, that you could bring it to the...

It's people who have made it hard. Because what does it say? Don't add or take away. Because then it becomes very difficult for us to understand. So, just the facts. That's what I want you to understand about the Trinity. Now, I did all this stuff, study, because I've had it in my mind, but I also, and I very seldom do this, I brought along 50 of our booklets as God of Trinity. Now, I don't usually push booklets, do I? I never have. Never have, because I believe you need to spend time in your Bibles, not in booklets.

But I'm asking those who are serious about it because I just went through this because I just got 50 of them in. And I had one, but I hadn't read it in a long time. Most of everything I did was my own study. And then I started going through this booklet, and I found at least 100 other explanations of how it's not a Trinity. So if you are interested, I have a booklet. If you're not, good, just read your Bible because there's enough in there to help you to explain, because you're not here. You're not here just to listen to somebody. You're here to learn. You're here to teach. You're here to prepare for the coming Kingdom of God. And you're also here for when somebody comes up to you and says, I looked on your, as I had to do, for church halls when I was looking for one because we got turned down for two or three because we did not believe in a Trinity. And it was against them. And they said, how could you not believe it? And I said, can you show it to me? Well, that's for our preacher to do. No, it's for all of you to know the way of God, to know how God is. And it's for that little girl back there that in the future, she will grow up. She will be taught God's Word. So don't add or take away, right, Naughty? So add or take away from God's Word. And that little child will be preserved by God, just like we are if we stick to his Word.