Quest for Truth Always Meet Persecution from False Worshippers

INTRODUCTION:

Interestingly all who go on a quest for truth always meet persecution from false worshippers, but of course this was foretold at 2 Timothy 3:11-14, "Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.
12  Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.  13  But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.  14  But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;" (Authorized King James Bible; AV).   This is not only true today as proven by the case of Abdul Rahman who was put on trial for converting to Christianity in Afghanistan.    This was also the case with Michael Servetus who was born in 1511 in the village of Villanueava de Sijena in Spain.   He was exceptionally intelligent and by the age of 14, he had learned Greek, Latin, and Hebrew, and had an excellent knowledge of philosophy, mathematics, and theology.    He too, was to receive extreme persecution when he went on a quest for truth and found that the prevailing doctrine of the day, the Trinity, was a false God (YHWH) dishonoring creedal doctrine.   

Both of these men had one thing in common, a quest for truth, and both received persecution of an extreme nature.   This however is to be expected as the bible says at John 15:20, "Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also." (AV).

REASON FOR PERSECUTION:

Many wonder why individuals on a quest for truth are persecuted by those in the world, but the reason is found at John 15:19-25, "If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.  20  Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.  21  But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me.  22  If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin.  23  He that hateth me hateth my Father also.
24  If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.  25  But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause." (AV).

In fact, the persecutors have been so deceived by the unseen ruler of this system that they actually feel they are doing right when they are NOT.   2 Corinthians 4:4 says, "In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." (AV).   This fact is echoed at John 16:1-3, "These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended.  2  They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.  3  And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me." (AV).   This persecution may take many forms including mob violence as shown by Luke 4:28-29, "And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,  29  And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong." (AV).

QUEST FOR TRUTH OF MICHAEL SERVETUS:

In Michael Servetus's day, the Roman Catholic strictly forbid the reading of the Bible much as religious fanatics in some countries such as Saudi Arabia do today; however Michael Servectus managed to obtain a copy of the Bible.   After reading it once, he vowed to read it "a thousand times more."    Now the Bible that he was reading was probably the Complutensian Polygot, a version that enabled him to read the scriptures in the original languages - Hebrew and Greek, as well as the Latin translation.   

His reading of the Bible along with the moral degeneracy of the clergy in Spain, shook his faith in the Catholic religion.   These doubts of his were reinforced when he attended the coronation of Charles V.   The Pope, Clement VII, crowned him emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.   The pope, seated on his portable throne received the king, who kissed his feet.   Of this Servetus later wrote, "I have seen with my own eyes how the pope was carried on the shoulders of the princes, with all the pomp, being adored in the streets by the surrounding people."   Servetus could not reconcile the pomp he witnessed with the simplicity of the Gospels.   

Servetus' historical and Biblical studies led him to the conclusion that most of Christianity had become corrupted during the first three centuries of the Common Era.  He quickly uncovered the fact that the Roman Emperor, Constantine, a worshipper of the Unconquered Sun, "Sol Invictus," and his successors had promoted false teachings for political advantage, the fusing of heathenism and Christianity in order to strengthen the empire by having unity of religion.  This wrong course by the pagan Roman Emperors and also by some that claimed to be Christian eventually led to the adoption of the heathen pagan doctrine of the trinity as an official doctrine by most who called themselves Christian, i.e., apostate ones, that is.

MICHAEL SERVETUS EXPOSES THE FALSE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY:

Michael Servetus researched the subject of the trinity extensively and in-depth and at the age of 20, he published his book "On the Errors of the Trinity."  This made him a principal target of the Inquisition.  He saw things quite clearly and made the point that there is no mention of the trinity in the Bible and noted that we get to know the true God (YHWH) of Abraham through an open minded study of the Bible and NOT through our proud philosophical concepts, but through Christ.  Likewise, he also came to the conclusion that the Holy Spirit is not a spirit person, but, rather, God's (YHWH's) active force or power in action.

This fact is clearly shown by Jesus (Yeshua) when he referred to what the helper would do, and used the masculine personal pronouns as shown at John 16:7- 8, "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.  8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment." (AV).   On the other hand, when the neuter Greek word for spirit (pneu'ma) is used, the neuter pronoun "it" is properly employed.   This fact is conveniently over looked or hidden by most Trinitarian translators as admitted in the  "New American Bible Catholic Bible,"  regarding John 14:17: "The Greek word for 'Spirit' is neuter, and while we use personal pronouns in English ('he,' 'his,' 'him'), most Greek MSS [manuscripts] employ 'it.'"   So when the Bible uses masculine personal pronouns in connection with pa·ra'kle·tos at John 16:7, 8, it is conforming to rules of grammar, not expressing a doctrine.   

In fact, the Hebrew word here rendered Holy Ghost, Holy Spirit, or Spirit which is translated from 'ru'ach' meaning "breath; wind; spirit."  Thus the idea that the Holy Spirit is the third person of a Trinity, when in fact the Bible does not support the Holy Ghost or Spirit as being a being at all, is absurd.   For example, "The Catholic Encyclopedia:" states,  "Nowhere in the Old Testament do we find any clear indication of a Third Person."   And Catholic theologian Fortman states, "The Jews never regarded the spirit as a person; nor is there any solid evidence that any Old Testament writer held this view. . . . The Holy Spirit is usually presented in the Synoptics [Gospels] and in Acts as a divine force or power."   Whereas, "The New Catholic Encyclopedia" states, "The O[ld] T[estament] clearly does not envisage God's spirit as a person . . . God's spirit is simply God's power.  If it is sometimes represented as being distinct from God, it is because the breath of Yahweh acts exteriorly."  It also states, "The majority of N[ew] T[estament] texts reveal God's spirit as something, not someone; this is especially seen in the parallelism between the spirit and the power of God."   And "A Catholic Dictionary," states, "On the whole, the New Testament, like the Old, speaks of the spirit as a divine energy or power."

Hence as can readily be seen, neither the Jews nor the early Christians viewed the Holy Spirit as part of a Trinity.   That teaching came centuries later. As "A Catholic Dictionary," notes: "The third Person was asserted at a Council of Alexandria in 362 . . . and finally by the Council of Constantinople of 381."   Interestingly this being approximately three and a half centuries after Holy Spirit filled the disciples at Pentecost!   No, the Holy Spirit is not a person and it is not part of a Trinity. The Holy Spirit is God's active force that he uses to accomplish his will. It is not equal to God but is always at his disposition and subordinate to him as clearly shown by scripture and by historical reference, so Michael Servetus had it right.

THE STUDY OF THE BIBLE ALSO LED SERVETUS TO REJECT OTHER CHURCH DOCTRINES:

Michael Servetus in his quest for the truth rejected the use of images as unscriptural; therefore shortly after publishing his "On the Errors of the Trinity," he said with respect to both Catholic and Protestants, "I do not agree or disagree in everything with either one party or the other.   Because all seem to me to have some truth and some error, but everyone recognizes the other's error and nobody discerns his own." 

While on his quest for truth, he was forced to flee from persecutors.  He even changed his name to Villanovanus and settled in Paris for awhile.  There he obtained a degree in art and medicine and he did extensive research on the pulmonary circulation of blood, and wrote a book on his findings incorporating his findings on this and on Biblical truths, "The Restitution of Christianity."   He also did extensive research on Geography and ethnography.  He would use this information as part of his defense later at his trial in Geneva.

Of course he had formidable opposition, but seekers of the truth have always had many opponents per Luke 21:15, "For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist." (AV).   One of his many adversaries was John Calvin, who had established an authoritarian Protestant state in Geneva, and according to historian Will Durant (Catholic), Calvin's "dictatorship was one not of law or force but of will and character."    John Calvin was as thorough as any pope in rejecting individualism of belief.

As it turned out, Calvin became Servetus' most implacable enemy.   Although Calvin was a leader of the Protestant Reformation, he denounced Servetus to the Catholic Inquisition.   Servetus barely succeeded in escaping from France, where he was burned in effigy. 

However, he was recognized and imprisoned in Geneva, where Calvin's word was law.   In prison, Calvin meted out cruel treatment to Servetus.   Nevertheless, in his debate with Calvin, during his trial, Servetus offered to modify his views, provided that Calvin his opponent gave scriptural argument to convince him.   However Calvin proved unable to do so.   After the trial Servetus was condemned to be burned at the stake.   Interestingly some historians claim that Servetus was the only religious dissenter who was both burned in effigy by the Catholics and burned alive by the Protestants.

CONCLUSION:

Although John Calvin eliminated his personal rival, he lost his own moral authority.   The unjustified execution of Servetus outraged thinking people throughout Europe, much as the unjustified attempt to murder Abdul Rahman in Afghanistan by the fanatical religious hierarchy because in his quest for truth in religion he switched from Islam to Christianity.  In fact, In an interview published Sunday in the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, Rahman said he was at peace and prepared to die for his beliefs.

"I have full awareness of what I have chosen. If I must die, I will die," Rahman said in response to questions that the Rome-based newspaper passed to him through a human rights worker.

Rahman's trial laid bare the tension surrounding the role of religion in society here after the fall of the Taliban and its hard-line policies. Islam continues to dominate daily life, and on many social matters, such as the drinking of alcohol, its teachings remain the rule.

Many Afghans say that Rahman must pay the ultimate price for his renunciation of Islam, and have vowed to kill him themselves if he is released.  So we see the same warped mentality with against individuals on a quest for truth today as we saw in the Middle Ages against Michael Servetus.  It clearly shows that individuals who seek to worship in spirit and truth will be per Matthew 10:22, "And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved." (AV); And as Matthew 24:9-13 reveals, "Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.  10  And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.  11  And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.  12  And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." (AV).