Fables

FABLES

By Pastor Jim May

2 Peter 1:13-21, "Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance; Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me. Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance. For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."

A Fable is defined as nothing more than a falsehood, or a lie. You may read many fables in many places such as in the world of literature and think of them only as cute stories, or something that demonstrates a truth, like those that have a moral at the end. And some that are not so cute like those contained in Grimm’s Fairy Tales or some of our modern fantasy and occult based films. But there are some fables that are very dangerous, especially to the souls of men.

Today I want to talk about a few of these fables that are nothing but lies, perpetrated upon gullible people, who are willing to accept just about anything in lieu of the Truth of God’s Word. In the Scriptures that we read a moment ago, Peter referred to them as “cunningly devised fables”; lies made up in the demented, unholy, unsanctified and satanically influenced mind of a man or a woman, that are very deceptive in their nature because there is a little bit of truth mixed in with the lie. There are untold numbers of souls, burning right now in Hell’s flames, and multitudes of deceived people will soon be joining them because of these fables.

How many of you know that when you base your entire belief system on a lie, then that system itself becomes a lie, your life becomes a lie, you become a liar by continuing to support it and teach it, either by word or deeds?

The Word of God still says in Revelation 21:8 that “…all liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death?"

There isn’t one of us this morning that haven’t heard of a group of people who claim to be Christian but who have fallen prey to believing the lie of the Jehovah’s Witness Church founded upon the teachings and beliefs of Charles Taze Russell.

Russell was active in the Christian Congregationalist church in Pennsylvania, but broke off and formed an independent congregation in 1880. Russell wrote and lectured on Biblical prophesy, preaching that the return of the invisible spirit of Jesus Christ actually happened in 1874. Russell began publishing his journal, "The Watch Tower and Herald of Christ’s Presence", in 1879, and in 1884 he formed "The Watch Tower Bible And Tract Society". He traveled the world and finally relocated to Brooklyn, New York, earning followers across the globe.

Russell did not claim divinity himself, nor did he declare any special revelations, but he did have a strict interpretation of the Bible and his leadership caused some to call him a messenger chosen by God. After his death his followers split, with some following Judge Joseph F. Rutherford, who coined the term "Jehovah’s Witnesses" in the 1930s.

Today the religion claims 6,000,000 members worldwide.

This whole movement began because of the demented mind of a man who had a “private interpretation” of the scriptures that he read. He decided to teach what he believed even if it wasn’t what the scriptures really taught.

Russell first sold his Men’s Furnishing Store and then set out to condemn the translators of the Bible and ministers for what they taught. He taught that the church belongs to the ecclesiastical wing of Satan’s organization. He condemns the teaching of the church of all ages believing that only he and his followers know the real truth.