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Jesus' Criticisms of Hypocritical Religious Leaders
George Fox is often criticized by modern Quakers for being too judgmental.
We provide these quotes from Jesus to show that judgment of those who teach in error is mandatory.
Such judgments have always been made by the true prophets:
including Jesus, the prophets of old, and the Apostles of the Early Church.
Fox only follows in the tradition of trampling deceit.
- Luke 6:26
Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their forefathers to the false prophets.
- Matthew 23:33-34
You serpents, you offspring of vipers, how can you escape the damnation of hell? Therefore, behold, I send to you prophets, and wise men, and scribes; and some of them you will kill and crucify; and some of them you will flog in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city.
- John 8:43-44
Why do you not understand my speech? Because you cannot hear [with the ears of your soul] my word [spoken from the Spirit of God].
You are of your father the devil, and you follow and yield to the lusts of your father..
He was a murderer from the beginning, and did not remain in the truth, because there is no truth in him.
When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own; for he is a liar, and the father of all lies.
[Every man's spirit is the offspring of Satan; and until that spirit is slain by the Lord, and the Lord rules in that man's heart, he is of his father the devil. The Lord only rules a purified heart and soul. In his Journal George Fox wrote that God did not even create the devil: "I had come into the power of God, the seed Christ, which was before the devil was, and bruises his head; and he became a devil by going out of truth; and so became a murderer and a destroyer. So I showed them, that God did not make him a devil; for God is a God of truth, and made all things good, and blessed them; but God did not bless the devil. And the devil is bad and was a liar and a murderer from the beginning, and spoke from himself, and not from God."]
- Matthew 7:15-20
15Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
[The false prophets are self-appointed ministers posing as authorized by Christ who solicit your money and Lord it over you. Christendom's ministers are the false prophets Jesus warns about. Deceiving billions, they promise heaven to anyone who believes, ignoring salvation's stated exclusions, requirements, and qualifying conditions. When you see how Christendom is nothing but Babylon, you will be both sad and angry: Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy out of their own imagination, 'Hear the word of the LORD,' Because they have seduced my people saying, 'Peace!' when there is no peace... you have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad, and have strengthened the hands of the wicked, so that he does not return from his wicked way, by (falsely) promising him life. ]
16You shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?
17Even so, every good tree brings forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit.
18A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19Every tree that does not bring forth good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20Therefore by their fruits you shall know them.
- John 5:37-42
37And the Father himself, who has sent me, has testified concerning me. You have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his form.
[You can memorize the entire Bible, but you won't know God or Jesus. Jesus has just told us the criteria of a person who knows God: they have heard his voice and seen his form. God is only known by revelation: God is only known by what you hear and see in your heart. . From the word of the Lord within: "Christianity has no idea what I am or for what I stand. There are those who profess to know truth, only having knowledge of the Bible. It is no value to me to know truths and not know the Lord. Do you know him or just pretend to know him. to know him is to have met him and listened to him. Seek the meeting." True understanding of the scriptures only comes by listening to and obeying the Voice of the Lord. Listen, hear, incline your ear, give ear, heed, attend, come to me, obey — the scriptures are full of these critical advisories, and now the Christians refuse them .]
38And you do not have his word abiding in you; for you do not believe him whom he has sent.
[In this verse and the next verse Jesus makes a clear distinction between the word, and the scriptures. From the Word of the Lord within: "Why would He contrast them if He didn't want to distinguish them? Calling the Bible 'the word' is the most evil lie of Christendom. Woe be to them, for they have coupled an external form between the love of God to man. Ten words from Him are better than ten copied letters." Do not be confused; every reference to the word in the New Testament comes from the original Greek words, either logos or rhema, both of which refer to words spoken by a living voice. See the Word of God References (not being the Bible) for the details and links to every New Testament verse in Greek that contains the word.]
39You search the scriptures; for in them you think you have eternal life: and they are those that testify of me.
[From the Word of the Lord within: "He is not telling them to repeat what they are doing," but Christendom today incorrectly looks to find salvation searching the Bible's scriptures, thinking that if they believe some few verses, ignoring all the rest, they have eternal life of God; but the scriptures only point to, and testify about, Jesus. The only assurance of eternal life is to experience Jesus bring eternal life to you. You must hate your life, and you must lose your fleshly life to gain the eternal life of God, which is the full possession of Christ that rules your heart, supplying your thoughts, words, and deeds.]
40But you will not come to me, that you might have life.
41I do not receive honor from men.
42But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you.
- Matthew 23:13
But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.
- Matthew 23:24
You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel.
[The Pharisees were following the insignificant rules and ignoring the really important laws.
Was not your preacher perfected by Christ? Then according to Jesus' parable below in Luke 6:39-45, your preacher is a blind guide.
39Then he spoke a parable to them, "Can the blind lead the blind? Shall they not both fall into a ditch?
40The disciple is not above his master, but everyone who is perfect [purified, restored to the spiritual image of God, specifically authorized, and perfected] will be like his master.
41Why do you look at the spec that is in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the log that is in your own eye?]
42Or how can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take out the spec that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, [by getting perfect like the master] and then you will see clearly to remove the spec that is in your brother's eye.5
43For a good tree does not bring forth corrupt fruit; neither does a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
44For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorn bushes, nor do men gather grapes from a bramble bush.
45A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth that which is evil. For out of the overflow of the heart his mouth speaks.]
- Matthew 15:14
Leave them alone and disregard them; they are blind guides and teachers. And if a blind man leads a blind man, they both will fall into a ditch.
[The ministers of Christianity are the blind guides the Lord warned us about, not taught by the Lord's voice and light, not perfected by the Lord, not gifted with an authorized ministry, not sent by the Lord, and not speaking words from the Spirit of the Lord; rather, they speak from their carnal minds, the nature of death, and preach their vain opinions from the imagination of their evil hearts. In Christianity today there are millions of blind-guide preachers and blind-guide teachers in the ditch, along with their billions of captive followers, whom they have led into the ditch; the blind guides' lies have been preached by so many for so long, their lies have become pervasive in all of Christianity. By fair speaking and captivating language they deceive the hearts of the simple. . They are self-appointed, unperfected, ministers posing as authorized by Christ who solicit your money and lord it over you; they are wolves in sheep's clothing, promising liberty when they themselves are slaves of corruption. From the Word of the Lord within: "Just like Judaism was taken over by the enemy, so has Christianity, which is corrupt through and through. There is no church in the world that Christ set up specifically. I work with the blind; but if you think you can see, and you are not with me in heaven, I will make you a laughingstock."]
- Luke 20:46-47
Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and love greetings in the markets and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows' houses, and for a show make long prayers.
They will receive the greater punishment.
- Luke 12:1-2
Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed; or hidden that will not be known.
[Hypocrisy is talking, not walking — pretending to be a godly person, while practicing greed, lying, pornography, drunkenness, slander, rage, lusts, theft, dishonesty, etc. He tells us that any hypocrisy will be exposed and shamed.]
- Luke 11:52
Woe to you, religious lawyers! For you have taken away the key to knowledge. You do not enter in yourselves, and you are hindering those who were entering.
- Matthew 5:20
For I say that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
[In the next verses, Jesus redefines the laws to a higher standard, which exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees.
- He made murder, not just the act, but the anger and hate in your heart, .
- He made adultery, not just the act, but the thought in the heart and divorce, .
- He changed performing your oaths to the Lord to become do not swear, let your yes be yes and your no be no, .
- He changed an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth to become do not resist evil, turn the other cheek if struck on the right cheek; if you are sued and lose your shirt, let him have your coat also; if asked to go one mile, go two; and give to who asks and do not turn away from him who would borrow, .
- He changed hate your enemies to become bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you, .
- And finally He tell us to be perfect, as the Father is perfect, .]
- Matthew 23:25-28
25Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
26You blind Pharisee! First cleanse what is within the cup and platter, so that the outside of them may be clean also.
27Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which indeed appear beautiful on the outside, but within are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.
28Even so, you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity [sin].
[Dressing up in your Sunday-best makes a fine show of outward appearance, but that does not cleanse your heart that is full of sin: lust, sexual immorality, covetousness, anger, greed, pride, envy, etc. Ministers with their robes, stages, pulpits, choirs, and accompanying music, make fine staged entertainment; but in their ministerial performances, the ministers of Christendom teach that sin is excused because they themselves are full of covetousness, sexual immorality, anger, and pride — hypocrisy and iniquity.]
- Matthew 23:16-19
16Woe to you, you blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple it is nothing;
but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath!'
17You blind fools; which is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifies the gold?
18And you say, 'Whoever swears by the altar it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is upon the altar, he is bound by his oath.'
19You blind fools; which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift?
- Luke 11:43
Woe to you, Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the markets.
- Matthew 21:31-32
Jesus said to them, [the Pharisees]
"I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.3
[The Pharisees did not repent because they thought they were righteous. The prostitutes and tax collectors did not think they were righteous, so they responded to Jesus' calls to repent. Christians of today also think they have no need to repent; they presume that they are excused by grace from all the Bible's stated exclusions, requirements, and qualifying conditions of salvation; they also overlook that every man will be judged on his works and words. When today's Christians listen to the words of the scriptures, they hear them like a beautiful song that is sweet to their ears, but they fail to apply the commands to themselves — always thinking the warnings and commands apply to bad people, not righteous believing people like themselves; so they do not obey the commands of repentance from sin that they hear or read, remaining slaves to sin; and so they are banned from heaven when they die.
Now, if you are one who claims to be a Christian, are you resting on your having been baptized, calling Jesus Lord, eating bread and grape juice at you sect's ceremony, paying tithes, studying the Bible? Do you think you are righteous because you believe? Do you think you have a free pass to heaven, excusing all your past, present, and future sins? If so, you are exactly like the Pharisees, whom Jesus severely warned and criticized. The Lord said he would reject many who thought they were Christians, because they still sinned. Your hearts must be purified by faith, your souls must be purified by obedience to the truth, before you can have any place in heaven. Jesus is the source of salvation to all who obey him. Mark! obey.
I have come into the world for judgment, that the blind might see; and that those who see might be made blind... If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, 'We see.' Therefore your sin remains. . Understand that if one claims he 'can see,' he is claiming that he is righteous; and then he has no hope of attaining sight or righteousness; the Lord will deliberately blind him even further. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. . From the Word of the Lord within: "I work with the blind; but if you think you can see, and you are not with me in heaven, I will make you a laughingstock. Don't ever be a blind guide."]
For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him,
but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. But you, after you had seen it, (the way to righteousness by repentance), you did not repent and believe him.
- Matthew 21:42-45
Then Jesus said to them: "Have you not read in the scriptures, where it is said: 'The stone which the builders rejected, the same has become the cornerstone; this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?'
Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a people who will bring forth the fruits of it.
And whoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken; but on whomever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder."
And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spoke of them.
- Matthew 23:1-5
1Then spoke Jesus to the multitude and to his disciples,
2Saying, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat.
3Therefore, do whatever they command you, but do not imitate their works; for they talk of what is required, but they fail to practice what they preach.
4For they bind heavy burdens which are grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not lift one of their little fingers to help them.
5They do all their works to be seen by men. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels on their garments.
[Many wear robes to look holy. The Catholics even wear strange looking hats with their robes. Some wear large crosses around their necks. Others only dress up in their finest clothes. All is done to make an impression on men, appearing holy.]
- Matthew 23:14-15
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayers. Therefore you will receive the greater damnation.
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make one convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.
[He who does not gather with me scatters. (To gather with him, is by his direction).
When you witness, teach, or preach for him, not with him, you are scattering the sheep.
To gather with him, is to gather with his specific promptings, and words supplied at that moment.
If you lead someone to the Lord without his specific instructions, your convert is twice as much a child of hell as yourself.
Because you have not been completely perfected, you don't know how to help your convert grow; so your convert will be spiritually weaker than yourself.
But since you have told him he is going to heaven, he remains comfortable with his sinful life and is therefore twice as fit for Hell as yourself.
Now if your convert goes out to witness and preach, those he reaches are twice as fit for Hell as himself; and so each generation becomes weaker and weaker in truth, but stronger and stronger in sin. This is exactly how the Catholics and the denominations of Protestants have become more and more tolerant of sin with time. Every generation becomes more involved in evil, and the sects become more and more tolerant of sin over time.]
- Luke 11:44
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like unmarked graves,
and the men that walk over them are not aware of them.
- Matthew 23:23
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law: judgment, mercy, and faith. You ought to have done these without neglecting the others.
- Matthew 23:29-31
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous,
And say, 'If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would not have been partakers with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.'
Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves, that you are the children of those who killed the prophets.
- Luke 11:46
And he said, "Woe to you also, you lawyers! For you load men with burdens grievous to be borne, and you yourselves do not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers."
- Luke 11:42
But woe to you, Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and neglect justice and the love of God. These you should have done and not left the other undone.
And then there was John the Baptist:
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Matthew 3:7
But when he saw that many of the Pharisees and Sadducees had come to his baptism, he said to them, "O generation of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?"
- Luke 3:8
Bring forth fruits worthy of repentance, and do not say within yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones.
This web site's purpose is to show how to become
free from sin
by benefiting from the changing power of God through the cross,
which leads to union with God in his Kingdom.
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