Apostates...
If you wish to save your soul, you do not wish to become one.




What is an Apostate?

As a noun:
a disloyal person who betrays or deserts his cause or religion or political party or friend.

As an adjective: not faithful to religion or party or cause.

Synonym: deserter, recreant, renegade, backslider, turncoat.




Holy Scripture has many verses which mention apostates, sometimes using other words such as rebellious or uncontrolled, but with the same meaning.
Here is a very good example:


Isaiah 30:1, "Woe to you, apostate children, saith the Lord, that you would take counsel, and not of me: and would begin a web, and not by my spirit, that you might add sin upon sin:" Douay (DR)

Elucidation:
1. Throughout Holy Scripture dire consequences will be bestowed upon those to whom GOD addressed with the phrase "Woe to you".
2. GOD said, "that you would take counsel, and not of me:" Those same persons listen to mere human creatures and not to the word of GOD Himself.
3. GOD added, "and would begin a web". What does that mean to you?
    Well a web reminds me of a spiders web, and a spiders web is essentially a trap for the unwary, is it not?
    Some other bibles use the  words 'alliance', 'league', 'covenant', 'treaty', or 'agreement', instead of 'web'.
    The Latin Vulgate, the official bible of the Catholic Church for over a thousand years, uses the word 'telam' which translates to 'web'.
4. GOD then added, "and not by my spirit". Whoa! Apostates are not guided by the Holy Spirit.
5. GOD finished the verse with, "that you might add sin upon sin:" That sounds like a dire warning of a gloomy ending for the apostate does it not?
6. That verse of Isaiah is so simple and yet so clear. How could anyone misinterpret it?



What about those who fail to pass this little one verse Psalms test?

Psalms 127:1,
"Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain."

Elucidation:
1. How many houses does the Lord have? He has but one. Notice that He said 'house' and not 'houses'.
   Matthew 16:18, "Thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church..."
   Jesus did say 'church' (singular) and not 'churches' (multiple) didn't He?
2. "Those who build it labor in vain", means what?
    Those who build it are not GOD but mere human creatures.
    Consequently, since GOD did not build the house, how then can it be called the house of GOD?



"The simple fact of the matter is, that it is not possible to put together any selection of words
in which some ingenious person may not find a meaning not meant by the writer of the verse."
Frank Sheed.

"Only a public authority, divinely guided,
can spell out without error, a public message divinely revealed."
Fr. Pere Benoit...




©
Written by Bob Stanley, March 4, 2010



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