The Truth About The Scriptures

A Study On The Apocrypha & Lost Books

by Matthew Coover

CHAPTER TWO:

OBJECTIONS WHICH YOU MAY HEAR

1. There are many old books supposing to be inspired.

2. The "Lost Books of Eden", which is like a bad novel and borderline blasphemy.

3. There is some ridiculous stuff, like in Tobit, which speaks of cooking fish to keep demons away.

4. The present Scriptures are quite enough to study without adding additional "inspired" writings.  When your new found scriptures conflict, stick to the “old” book.

ANSWERS TO SUCH OBJECTIONS

 There are two sides to every story. We must not base our beliefs on whether or not the books themselves claim to be inspired but rather what is revealed to us through Yahweh’s spirit.  We must use discernment. These volumes have been compiled by man; many times he indiscriminately includes the good along with the bad.  However, this failure to use discernment just as easily may surface through the hasty decision to delete a book before it has been given a fair trial.

 Throughout what is termed as the “Lost Books” there are many which obviously contradict Yahweh’s commands.  The ways in which they depict the Messiah is contrary to His nature, not to mention the fact that many appear to be very Catholic in nature.  However, no matter what the majority of the “lost books” may be like,  we must remember that this whole work (The Lost Books) has been compiled together by man, originally written by different writers, thus it is not necessarily all wrong.  The basis by which men determined  canonical scripture throughout the New Testament was apostolic authorship, or the authority an apostle behind a book’s writing.  For such ridiculous reasons as these, books such as “The Shepherd Of Hermas” were not permitted entrance into the scriptures, and the result has been a world which is completely unaware of the hidden treasure which lies buried between their covers.

 There is a common misunderstanding of the word "Inspired". In American culture, it is generally taken to mean, "of Yahweh" but this is not necessarily the case. ALL writings are inspired by one of two forces. These two forces are Yahweh Elohim, versus Lucifer, the prince of demons. It is a BIG contrast and our heavenly father has given us discernment that we may judge from which force certain literature comes from. We cannot say that a book is inspired of the devil unless it contains error.  To decide this, we must read the book for ourselves, and compare it to the attributes and commands of Yahweh which we already know to exist.   If a certain piece of literature does not contain error, agreeing with Yahweh's commands, it is inspired of Yahweh, for there is no other alternative for it’s origin.

 Human nature is to base ones’ opinions upon that which you have heard from others.  This is because man does not want to be alone.  However, doing so causes your picture to be incomplete, for those which have been your source of information have done the same as you.  The result is an opinion which is absent of truth, for truth is never chosen by a majority.

 At a Tabernacles site, Mr. Pinkston once said that the Apocrypha was not inspired (of Yahweh), but was only good for historical reference. However, he then told us that he had NEVER read them! Now what is that to base your conclusions on?

 I was once told by a subscriber that it is ridiculous to burn a fish to chase demons away, as Tobit speaks of.  Whether this opinion was based on experience, or what he had heard, that I do not know.  However, I do know that I have read the same book and found nothing ridiculous about the afore mentioned passage.  Tobit 6 verse 17 and 18 says, "When you enter into the bridal chamber take some of the fishes liver and heart and put them on the embers of the incense. An odor will be given off, the demon will smell it and flee, and will never be seen near her any more." This in it's self is not odd at all.  It is no different from the old covenant sacrifices of animals which made atonement for sin, which the Levitical priests performed?  Quite simply, the demon is the sin that the offering wipes out of the picture.

 Today we have a clouded idea of what demons really are and when we hear the word most of us run away. Although I am not going to go into this subject now, many of the people we meet every day in passing house demons (the influence of the master demon, being Lucifer himself) in their souls.

 But back to the sacrifices... This is not all. The "sacrifice" alone was not what caused the demon to flee the scene. Raphael (the angel) then told Tobias to pray to Yahweh that safety would be granted to him and that the devil would not take his life as he had the other men before him. PRAYING TO YAHWEH IS WHAT CHASED THE DEMON AWAY. Demons CAN NOT stand prayer or the name of Yahshua!  We cannot look at only half the picture and say it is foolishness. The Messiah himself took dirt, spit on it, smeared the mud on a blind man's eyes, and told him to wash it off. Afterwards, the blind man could see! A leper was told to wash 7 times in the muddy Jordan river and then the disease left him. This is all in the part of the scriptures which you accept... how is it any different?

 Too many times we look for excuses to get out of what we do not want to accept, I'm afraid.  The book of Tobit is really a beautiful story, and though some argue as to whether or not it is an account of a real happening or a "parable" this does not matter as it shows the providence and love of Yahweh Elohim in the way he plans our everyday lives contrary to our knowledge.

 If we only look at a small portion of the over-all picture, our view can be greatly distorted. If we were to only read the scriptures which speak of Adam and Eve being “naked” in the garden of Eden, King David dancing “naked” before the women, the prophet Isaiah walking “naked and barefoot”, and the apostle Peter being “naked” on a fishing boat and jumping into the water to meet Yahshua, we could quickly come to the false conclusion that the scriptures are merely the account of an ancient nudist colony! Now sure, none of us do this (hopefully not at least!) but that is what many do with these ignored books which were once considered scripture. They pick out several little things from books which are not inspired of Yahweh, or for that matter, even just things that they don't understand from those that are inspired of the true Elohim, and use them for the basis of their opinion of all these writings.

 It has been said by some that the Lost Books are a bad novel and borderline blasphemy. For a large percentage, I must agree that this is true!   Some of these are those you will find in the beginning of the Lost Books are the supposed epistles of Ignatious which speak of giving the pastor or bishop equal esteem to the Messiah in Trallians 1:8-9 and Smyrneans 3:4,5 or keeping the "Lord's Day" and abolishing the Sabbath and Feast-day observances in Magnesians chapter 3:1-18, all of which are very anti-semetic.  However we must also consider such books as the Psalms and Odes of Solomon, which are of very much like the Psalms of David which the believers embrace today.  The 12 Patriarchs are filled with wisdom, and Yahshua and his apostles quoted directly from them numerous times. The Wisdom Of Solomon, Sirach, and many others resemble the Proverbs, and teach valuable truths.  Look into the matter thoroughly before you attempt to form a conclusion.   Go ahead and give the trash a toss into the fire, but don’t throw out the baby with the bath water unless you want to spend eternity regretting it.

 If the average man had lived 100 years ago he would have accepted the Apocrypha as scripture, for everyone else did back then.  For the average man today, the old testament is obsolete, for this is what he is told by the entity known as the “church” and society in general.   Likewise, if the average man lived 100 years from now, he would accept only the book of John, for the nature of man is to go with the flow.   The motto of the world is “majority rules”, but always keep in mind that “Yahweh + 1 = a majority”.  Dear reader, if you cannot step out of the rut which mainstream “christianity” has deposited you in today, you will remain in that depression for eternity.  Today is the day of salvation; today is when you must accept truth.

Continued In Chapter 2: Thoughts From A Fellow Believer