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The True Gospel and the Ezekiel Warning |
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BOOK INTRODUCTION
What is the true gospel? You might think you know. You might think you have heard, understood, and believed the true gospel. But do you really know what it is? Millions think they know the true gospel. But millions also believe the traditions of the families they have been raised in, and those traditions often conflict in major ways with the religious traditions of other families who also believe they know the true gospel. The true gospel is the gospel Jesus Christ preached. It is the good news of the kingdom of God. Yet there can be false gospels. Notice the words of the apostle Paul: "I marvel that you are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ to another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel to you than that you have received, let him be accursed." (Galatians 1:6-9). How do you know that the gospel you have heard is the same gospel preached by Jesus Christ almost 2,000 years ago? There is a way to know. But there is also a price to pay. "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like to a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it." (Matthew 13:45). "Enter you in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads to life, and few there be that find it." (Matthew 7:13-14). There is only one way to know the true gospel, and that is by the Bible. The Bible claims to be inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16), and God cannot lie (Titus 1:2, Hebrews 6:18). Jesus Christ said that scripture cannot be broken (John 10:34-35). For many people, the price to be paid for knowing the true gospel is a willingness to give up the traditions they were raised in and to learn knew truth from the Bible. Would you be willing to pay that price? Are you willing to give up your traditions and your personal preferences to believe what God says in the Bible, even when that is hard? Don't underestimate how hard it is for a person to give up his human traditions. Millions today believe what they believe because they were taught it growing up by their parents and others. They in turn teach their children, and their children teach their children, from generation to generation. Tradition can be a very powerful force in religious beliefs and practices. Beliefs acquired as children can be very hard to give up when people become adults. That is why traditional beliefs endure across centuries in many religions and churches, with each religion or church believing something different from the others. Jesus rebuked many of the Jews of His day for holding to the traditions of men, the traditions they grew up with, rather than the Word of God (Mark 7:5-13). At one time, the force of tradition made it so difficult for even Jesus’ disciples to learn new knowledge that many of His own disciples left Him (John 6:60-66). This book shows how to prove from fulfilled prophecy that the Bible is inspired by a God who is able to know and predict the future thousands of years ahead of time. For there has been fulfillment in the last couple of centuries of prophecies that were recorded thousands of years ago, fulfillment that is difficult or impossible to explain as coincidence. With the proof of the inspiration of the Bible as a foundation, this book explains what the true gospel is, and it explains the truth of many important and basic doctrines from the Bible. I also show what Bible prophecy predicts for the United States, Great Britain, and other nations in the world in the years just ahead, probably in the lifetimes of most people alive today. This book is about the true gospel. It offers proof that the Bible is the word of God and can be trusted as the primary source of belief in all doctrine. It also explains the Ezekiel warning message, a message that is a warning for the English speaking nations today such as the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. There is a major theme that runs throughout this book. It is that the Bible is God's word and that the principle of faith requires that we believe the Bible more than any other source for our beliefs about religious doctrine. This means that we must believe the Bible more than any minister, more than tradition, and more than our own opinions and preferences if we want to know the truth. The true gospel includes a message of repentance. I have never been ordained as a minister, or a deacon, or had any official standing in any church. I have no special training as a writer or teacher. I am a computer software developer by profession. I have tried to give the relevant scriptures, history, and other reasons to support the positions I take so that the reader can judge for himself or herself the merits of what I say. Since I am "nobody," I feel there is no risk anyone will believe what I say because I say it. I give all my reasons for what I believe, and what I have written can stand or fall on its own merits. Any reader who believes what God says in the Bible can check up on what I am saying, or what any writer says, and separate truth from error. That is the way it should be. I also hope to receive, via email, constructive criticism, feedback, suggestions, and where I am wrong according to the Bible, according to other facts I relate, or according to logic, correction. Bible prophecy indicates that the United States, Canada, and Great Britain will soon go through the most intense and greatest time of trouble, suffering, and death that the world has ever seen or will see. No one knows exact dates, but I think a good estimate is that this time of trouble will begin during the lifetimes of most people alive today, maybe in the next ten to twenty-five years, maybe sooner. I believe the Bible indicates that once it begins it will last two-and-a-half to three-and-a-half years. By the time it is over, about nine out of ten people or more will be dead, and most of the ten percent or less left alive will have gone through suffering most of us cannot imagine. This death and suffering will come as punishment for our national and individual sins, but there is a way that some may be spared. That is why there is a need for a warning.
Here is a preview of what is covered in each chapter:
Chapter 1 - The United States and Britain in prophecy. This chapter shows you how to prove the existence of God and the inspiration of the Bible. It points out the flaws in the theory of evolution, and it shows how the design of the universe, and even life, proves the existence of a Creator. It proves that God inspired the Bible by showing how prophecies written thousands of years ago have been fulfilled in the last two hundred years with an accuracy that cannot be reasonably explained as coincidence. It also shows what Bible prophecy says is just ahead for the world, especially the English-speaking nations of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand.
Chapter 2 - What is the True Gospel? This chapter explains from the Bible what the true gospel is. It explains the kingdom of God and God's plan for the salvation of mankind through Jesus Christ. It explains in detail the meaning of each of the seven annual feast and holy days of God.
Chapter 3 - Is Observance of the Weekly Sabbath and Annual Feast Days Required? What does the Bible really teach about the weekly Sabbath and annual holy days and feasts given in the Old Testament? Are these days only part of the Old Covenant and obsolete, or should they be kept today? This chapter explains the answer from the Bible.
Chapter 4 - The Name of God Is God's name "Jehovah"? Is "God" a name or a title only? Is Jesus Christ God, and has He existed forever, or was He created? Is God more than one person? Is it correct to use "Lord" as God's name? These are some of the questions that will be answered from the Bible in this chapter.
Chapter 5 - How to Know the Truth Seventh Day Adventists regard Helen White as a prophet. Mormons believe Joseph Smith was a prophet and that the Book of Mormon is inspired by God. Bible prophecy predicts both true and false prophets to appear between now and the return of Christ. It is important to know therefore how to tell if a man is a true prophet of God, or not. This short chapter covers the basics of the signs of a true prophet and what to look for in evaluating if a man or woman is a true prophet of God. It also discusses the issue of which is the higher authority for belief and doctrine, the Bible or the Church.
Chapter 6 - The Theory of Evolution and the Creation of Species. This chapter shows that the physical evidence in fossils and genetics is entirely consistent with a literal understanding of Genesis. It also proves that evolution is a faith and that the scientific method itself prevents science from proving that evolution occurred. It also shows from the Bible how God views our materialistic society, a society that is dominated more and more by atheistic evolution.
Chapter 7 - The Ezekiel Warning The Ezekiel warning is a warning of punishment upon the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia, and other nations for our sins. This chapter shows where to find that warning in the Bible, what our sins are, and what the punishment will be like.
I intend to continue to revise this book over time to improve it and to address new issues as they come up. The latest version can be found on the website for this book at http://www.originalgospel.org. Bible quotes, unless otherwise indicated, are from the American King James Version of the Bible. The American King James Version of the Bible is a public domain version based on the King James Version. It is virtually identical to the King James Version except that archaic words are replaced with their modern equivalents. In some cases I quote from the King James Version. Quotes from the King James Version are indicated with the initials KJV or the words "King James Version." In the Bible quotes, I have retained the italics as they are in the text of whatever version I am quoting. I have also preserved the "all caps" rendering of God's name where it appears that way in the original text. I refer the reader to the Preface to the New King James Version or to whatever version I am quoting for an explanation of the meaning of text in italics and putting God's name in all caps. I have also retained the capitalization of words as they are in the text I am quoting, even when the capitalization is for words that are the first word of a line in a poetic passage but not the first word in a sentence. I encourage readers to look up important passages in a modern literal version of the Bible, such as the New King James Version. Although I do not quote it in this book, the New King James Version is the version I use for personal Bible study. It is a literal translation like the King James Version, so it is close to the original inspired text, yet it is in modern English and corrects some of the mistakes of the King James Version. I have not written this book to make money. As author of this book, in order to encourage the widest distribution and use of my material, I have this book in the public domain. No permission is required to copy or use material in the public domain. Material in the public domain may be freely copied, transmitted, published, posted on the Internet, and incorporated in whole or in part in other works of writings and speaking. I am dedicating this book to the public domain as of October 1, 2009 or the date I first publish this book on the Internet, whichever is earlier. All subsequent revisions I make to this book are also in the public domain. This is version 1.26 of this book, published May 2015. Comments are welcome. I can be reached by email at The permanent website for this book is: You can read the latest version of this book online at this site and download it in .pdf format - click here for the download page. Click on the NEXT > link below or a chapter title in the top, right-hand links to continue reading this book.
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