{"id":1863,"date":"2016-04-25T07:47:42","date_gmt":"2016-04-25T12:47:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thewaywesee.com\/religiondetoxnetwork\/?page_id=1863"},"modified":"2025-08-18T07:11:08","modified_gmt":"2025-08-18T12:11:08","slug":"gods-written-word-and-gods-spoken-voice","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/thewaywesee.com\/religiondetoxnetwork\/mystery\/gods-written-word-and-gods-spoken-voice","title":{"rendered":"God’s Written Word and God’s Spoken Voice Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

GOD’S WRITTEN WORD AND HIS VOICE ARE NOT THE SAME\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>
\nJews and Christians have a long history of believing that God’s written word (i.e. the Bible) has the same spiritual value as his spoken voice. This wrong thinking is the root problem of their religions. It orients people to using their minds for intellectual understanding instead of using their hearts to hear God’s spoken voice.<\/a><\/p>\n

STUDY TIPS: See Bible History<\/a> and How to Hear God\u2019s Spoken Voice.<\/a><\/p>\n

When religious leaders say, or write, “hear the word of the Lord”, they are equating the power of their spoken voice or their written words with God’s voice spoken to the heart. This is sheer arrogance in which religious leaders lift themselves up to be equal to God<\/a>. It can also be said of religious leaders that they are false<\/a> prophets who boldly represent themselves to be true prophets<\/a>. As the Bible puts it, they are impostors<\/a> who, disguised as angels of light<\/a>, deceive people into believing that faith and religion are identical. They couldn’t be more wrong. Faith and religion are not the same<\/a>.<\/p>\n

STUDY TIP: See Serpent, Devil, Satan, Adversary, Demons, Evil Spirits and Anti-Christs<\/a> for more about people who claim to be equal to God.<\/p>\n

When anyone says “I have a word from God for you”, or says anything else that implies that they have wisdom and authority to speak on God’s behalf, they, in effect, say that whatever you hear from me has the same accuracy, power and value as words spoken by God’s mouth. This too is sheer arrogance<\/a> that places the speaker on a spiritual par with God.<\/p>\n

COMMENTARY ON SPEAKING FOR GOD: It must be said that there are\u00a0 people who do speak for God. Those who do reliably speak for God are true prophets\/messiahs<\/a> who are sent by God<\/a> and anointed by God to speak for him. Jesus is the premier example of what it means to be a New Covenant disciple who is sent by God to speak for him. <\/a><\/p>\n

People who believe that God exists and that he rewards those who seek him<\/a> must know how to discern the difference between those who only claim to speak for God and those who do, in fact, speak with God’s authority<\/a>. Much of the Bible is devoted to understanding these differences. Failure to discern between those who do have Godly authority to speak and those who do not have that authority results in deception<\/a> and religion<\/a>. See\u00a0Bread, Food and Wine<\/a>,\u00a0FALSE PROPHETS<\/a> and TRUE PROPHETS<\/a> and COVENANT COMPARISONS: PURE RELIGION AND DEFILED RELIGION<\/a> for insights on discerning who speaks for God and who doesn’t.<\/p>\n

Religious leaders with and without titles (e.g. rabbi, pastor, etc.)<\/a> and degrees who presume to speak for God are usurpers and imposters<\/a> who represent that what they speak is equal to God’s spoken voice. They are, in their eyes, like God.<\/p>\n

In God’s eyes, however, they are other gods<\/a>, idols, evil angels<\/a>, false prophets and\u00a0Trees of Knowledge of Good and Evil whose words seem good for food but yield forbidden fruit that causes death for those who eat it.<\/a><\/p>\n

STUDY TIP: See Bread, Food and Wine <\/a>and\u00a0Wood (trees), Gold, Silver, Stone<\/a> for more about Trees of Knowledge of Good and Evil.<\/p>\n

Religious leaders are free to speak and write in this way, of course, just as people are free to listen to them and read what they write<\/a>. In Biblical symbolism, people are free to eat<\/a> (i.e. listen to and read) the words (i.e. evil, soulish food<\/a>) of religious leaders just as they are free to eat (i.e. hear) God’s spoken words which are good, spiritual food from trees of life <\/a>(e.g. true prophets<\/a>, angels<\/a>,\u00a0messiahs<\/a>, high priests<\/a>, warriors).<\/a><\/p>\n

Being free to choose, however, does not protect people from the wrong belief that their religious leaders (i.e. gods, idols, evil angels, false prophets, Trees of Knowledge of Good and Evil) speak for God. Having a religious title or a degree or a name brand ministry is actually a sign that a religious leader is a false prophet — not someone who can be trusted to speak for God. The truth is that religious leaders speak out of the evil imaginations of their hearts —<\/a>\u00a0not for God. People who listen to religious leaders fail the test\u00a0(i.e. temptation) that God has set up for them. In Biblical language, people who fall into such deception yield to temptation to sin. Consider the following study tip about temptation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
STUDY TIP: UNDERSTANDING TEMPTATION<\/a><\/p>\n

Matthew 4:1-11:<\/a> Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. <\/span> 2<\/span> And he fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was hungry. <\/span> 3<\/span> And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” <\/span> 4<\/span> But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'” <\/span> 5<\/span> Then the devil took him to the holy city, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, <\/span> 6<\/span> and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will give his angels charge of you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'” <\/span> 7<\/span> Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'” <\/span> 8<\/span> Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them; <\/span> 9<\/span> and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” <\/span> 10<\/span> Then Jesus said to him, “Begone, Satan! for it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.'” <\/span> 11<\/span> Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and ministered to him. <\/span><\/p>\n

COMMENTARY: This story directly follows Jesus’ baptism which represents his anointing as a messiah.<\/a> This event changed everything about Jesus’ relationship with religion. Up to this point, Jesus a member in good standing within the Jewish religious community<\/a>. He was a son of man biologically and he was a son of man in terms of his religion (i.e. he learned how to be religious from his parents and religious leaders.)<\/p>\n

After his baptism he spent a period of time (symbolically represented as 40 days and 40 nights) fasting from religion. This<\/a> is exactly what God commanded in the Fourth Commandment. <\/a>In other words, everyone around him was practicing religion but he did not and could not practice religion because he knew religion is sin<\/a>. Symbolically speaking, the baptism in water had cleansed him from religion.<\/a><\/p>\n

The story begins with Jesus going into the wilderness<\/a> community of Judaism. Being in the wilderness is a way of saying Jesus lived in the world of religion but not a member of the world of religion<\/a>. It is important to note that Jews, Christians and Muslims live in the world of religion<\/a> and are members of the world of religion. It does not matter which religion people practice, they are all in the world of religion. And so, they are members of the world of religion, but they are not like Jesus.<\/p>\n

Next, we find a religious leader (i.e., the devil) <\/a>from the world of religion<\/a> meeting with Jesus. The goal of the religious leader is to convince Jesus that he should return to religion. He does this by quoting several literal scriptures to tempt Jesus to become religious again.<\/p>\n

In each temptation, the religious leader (i.e. devil<\/a>) implies that Jesus would receive a reward<\/a> if he would interpret scripture literally and apply it literally in religious beliefs and practices. Because Jesus had practiced religion for the first thirty years of his life<\/a>, he understood the temptations to become religious again and to make a name for himself<\/a> through religion. But, because he was washed clean from religion<\/a>, and because he was anointed by God’s spirit<\/a>, he cannot be tempted to be religious again. In his “born again<\/a>” condition he is now on a mission<\/a> to destroy religion<\/a>. To return to religion after being washed clean from it would be like a dog returning to its vomit.<\/a><\/p>\n

Because Jesus understood that religion is based on the literal words of the Bible, he counters the religious leader’s temptations to interpret\u00a0 scripture literally with the spiritual meanings of scripture revealed to him by God’s voice. He always listens to God’s voice and never yields to the temptation to apply scripture literally<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In the first temptation, the devil does not quote a specific scripture but makes a general reference to Jesus as the Son of God with the suggestion that he, being a son of God, has the same creative ability and power that God has. Jesus of course rejects this argument because he did not think of himself as being equal to God<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Jesus also knows that God is very comfortable being invisible (i.e. spiritual) and has no need or desire to display his power through physical miracles that appeal to man’s desire to see physical signs and wonders.\u00a0<\/a>Jesus, therefore, will not perform a miracle that would bring glory to himself. <\/a>Religious leaders always do things that will attract people to them<\/a>.\u00a0 Jesus would never show off like that.<\/p>\n

Jesus only did what he saw the father doing. <\/a>That means Jesus does not do what the father does not do. Because the father would not do a physical miracle just to show off his power, Jesus also could not be tempted to do a miracle just to prove that he could do it. He therefore resists the temptation to do what the religious leader suggests.<\/p>\n

The temptation do the miracle of turning a stone into bread agrees with Christian beliefs based on the literal Bible stories that God performs physical miracles (i.e. signs and wonders.)<\/a> Jesus knew that the only miracle God performs is changing hearts<\/a>. And Jesus understood that stories of physical miracles are only parables of the miracle of changed hearts. Therefore, he uses another scripture that makes clear the truth that God’s word is the only power that can create new life.<\/a><\/p>\n

Jesus would not try to perform any kind of miracle (physical or spiritual). First, he does not consider that equality with God is something he can grasped.<\/a> He understood clearly that he was only a servant sent by God,<\/a> and anointed by God<\/a> to speak for God<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Jesus knows that God does not alter his natural laws<\/a> to do miracles that show how powerful he is. He knows that God’s power is only evident in the power of his voice to change hearts.<\/a> To do a physical miracle would be against God’s character and his laws which do not change<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, Jesus knows that the devil’s oblique<\/a> reference to creation as a physical event is a deceptive temptation to be religious. Jesus knows that the creation story is a symbolic representation of spiritual re-creation<\/a> — not physical creation.<\/p>\n

In the third temptation, the religious leader<\/a> (i.e. devil<\/a>) demonstrates his authority over religious kingdoms<\/a>. If he did not have that authority, he could not promise to give that authority to Jesus. The devil does not quote a particular scripture in this temptation, but he is challenging Jesus to violate the First Commandment regarding worship of other gods.<\/a><\/p>\n

In all three temptations Jesus counters literal scripture with his paraphrased interpretations of Deuteronomy 6:13-18:<\/a><\/p>\n

You shall fear the LORD your God; you shall serve him, and swear by his name. <\/span> 14<\/span> You shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the peoples who are round about you; <\/span> 15<\/span> for the LORD your God in the midst of you is a jealous God; lest the anger of the LORD your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth. <\/span> 16<\/span> “You shall not put the LORD your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah. <\/span> 17<\/span> You shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he has commanded you. <\/span> 18<\/span> And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the LORD, that it may go well with you, and that you may go in and take possession of the good land which the LORD swore to give to your father.<\/span><\/p>\n

In his responses to the devil and his quoting of Deuteronomy 6:13-18<\/a>, Jesus makes two important points about interpreting scripture:<\/p>\n

First, he does not agree with the devil’s literal interpretation. Second he interprets the written word with the correct spiritual understanding. He does this by introducing subtleties and nuances that cannot be found in the literal words. These subtleties and nuances can be understood only when the law is written on the hearts of New Covenant disciples. They are spiritually discerned<\/a>. They are possible only when there is a level of intimacy<\/a> that allows knowing God face to face (i.e. spirit to spirit, his mouth to our ear, because God does not have a physical face). This is the essence of knowing God<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In making these interpretations, Jesus shows the serious problems people face when they listen to religious leaders and interpret the law literally. Basically, what happens is that they end up idolizing religious leaders<\/a> who have tempted them to adopt literal interpretations of the written word of the Bible instead of listening to God’s spoken voice<\/a>. In practical terms, they end up following religious laws<\/a> based on the literal words of the Bible.<\/p>\n

The story of Jesus’ temptation is a parable for how people become religious. The devil is a type of religious leader<\/a> who insists on interpreting the Bible literally. <\/a>The devil is an example of a Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil <\/a>who leads people to sin. Jesus is an example of a New Covenant disciple<\/a> who resists the temptation to sin because he\u00a0listens to God’s spoken voice<\/a> and is not deceived<\/a> by false prophets who promise rewards to people who follow their teachings.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

This understanding of temptation leads us to the definition of sin. To understand this definition, it is necessary to first understand that, in God’s view, there are two kinds of food: Good spiritual food<\/a>, and evil, soulish food.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>STUDY TIP: DEFINITION OF SIN<\/p>\n

Eating (i.e. taking into your heart and mind) the spoken or written words of anyone other than God or his anointed spokespersons (i.e. true prophets<\/a>, angels<\/a>,\u00a0messiahs<\/a>, high priests<\/a>, warriors<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Instead of listening to and obeying God’s voice, Adam and Eve listened to the voice of the serpent<\/a>. This story is a simple picture of the introduction to the sin of religion:<\/p>\n

Eating fruit from the trees of knowledge of good and evil<\/a> instead of eating fruit from the trees of life.<\/a><\/p>\n

In this definition of sin, we also have the justification for calling religion sin<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Religion always involves consuming (i.e. reading and\/or listening to) the words of religious leaders (e.g.\u00a0false prophets<\/a>,\u00a0Serpent, Devil, Satan, Adversary, Demons, Evil Spirits and Anti-Christs)<\/a> who always interpret the Bible literally and never listen to God’s spoken voice which interprets (i.e. explains) the symbolic\/spiritual meanings of\u00a0mysteries<\/a>, Symbols, Signs, Types, Parables, Copies, and Shadows found in <\/a>scripture.<\/p>\n

With these understandings, it can be said that eating (i.e. consuming) the written or spoken words of Old\/First Covenant<\/a> religious leaders constitutes sin in God’s eyes. These leaders\/teachers are also called idols,<\/a> False Prophets,\u00a0<\/a>Judas,<\/a>\u00a0Kings, Queens and Princes,\u00a0<\/a>Pharisees and Scribes<\/a>, Serpent, Devil, Satan, Adversary, Demons, Evil Spirits and Anti-Christs,<\/a> foolish, worthless, stupid shepherds.<\/a> In modern times they are called\u00a0Pastors, Priests, Rabbis, Apostles, Bishops, Elders, Deacons, Overseers, Rabbis, Popes, Missionaries and Evangelists<\/a><\/p>\n

People who listen to these false prophets practice idolatry<\/a> because they listen to and obey religious leaders instead of listening to and obeying God’s voice.<\/a><\/p>\n

Listening to false prophets is the sin of idolatry. Since\u00a0Religion is Idolatry<\/a>, religion is sin.<\/a><\/p>\n

This condition is contrast with\u00a0New Covenant<\/a> disciples who are anointed<\/a> by God to speak on his behalf through the power and influence of his spirit<\/a>. These are called\u00a0True Prophets<\/a>, high priests<\/a>,\u00a0messiahs<\/a>,\u00a0angels<\/a>, witnesses<\/a> and Warriors<\/a>.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

Because religious leaders (i.e. idols)<\/a> do not speak for him, God will tear down the high places from which these self-proclaimed authorities speak and write.<\/a>\u00a0He considers these religious leaders to be his enemies<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Moreover God will not listen to anyone who listens to these other gods and false prophets<\/a>. He is emphatic that he wants his people to listen to his voice spoken<\/a> through his chosen true prophets<\/a>, angels<\/a>,\u00a0messiahs<\/a>, high priests<\/a>, warriors.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

AUTHOR’S NOTE: We are well aware that throughout this website we have presumed to speak for God by interpreting the spiritual meanings of scripture. But, there are several major differences between what people will read here compared to typical religious teaching:<\/p>\n