We’re now living in the time Paul said would come, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables [mythos 3454]” (2Ti 4:3-4). The Greek mythos is where the English “myths” is derived. The myths being taught today that the one true God is a Trinity of co-equal persons, that man is an immortal spirit living inside a body that goes to heaven or hell after death, and that salvation is by faith, didn’t come from Jesus Christ. But people have been turned to such myths and don’t want to hear the truth. They won’t listen to Jesus!
Everything the Son said is the truth: “grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (Jhn 1:17); “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (Jhn 8:32); “And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?” (Jhn 8:46); “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (Jhn 14:6); “Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice” (Jhn 18:37); “the truth is in Jesus” (Eph 4:21).
Jesus claimed He was begotten of God, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son … because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (Jhn 3:16,18). His begetting, before the beginning, was His beginning. Several times He called Himself the Son of God, and twice from heaven His Father called Him “My beloved Son.” However, He never called Himself “God,” and His Father never called Him “God.” Before His death, after His resurrection, and after being seating at God’s right hand, He called His Father “My God.” That God is three persons is simply a myth people want to hear. They won’t listen to Jesus!
Jesus never taught that people leave their bodies at death and go to heaven or a spiritual place of fire called hell. He taught the resurrection of the physical body, “And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation” (Jhn 5:29). And He taught that the resurrected body goes to geenna, the physical place of the lake of fire, “thy whole body should be cast into hell [geenna 1067]” (Mat 5:29); “having two eyes to be cast into hell [geenna 1067] fire” (Mat 18:9); “having two hands to go into hell [geenna 1067], into the fire that never shall be quenched” (Mar 9:43). But people want to hear the myth of going to heaven. They won’t listen to Jesus!
Jesus said that we must live according to the standard of righteousness He taught in His Sermon on the Mount or we won’t be entering His Kingdom, “For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Mat 5:20). That “in no case enter” is that there absolutely will be no exceptions. We must live righteously. But people have been taught that they’re saved by faith.
Jesus also said that if we hear and do what He commanded, we’ll be like a house built upon a foundation that won’t fall, “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock” (Mat 7:24-25). But if we hear and won’t do what He commanded, then we’ll be like a house built upon sand that will be destroyed, “And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it” (Mat 7:26-27). People want to hear the myth that we simply need to believe to be saved. They won’t listen to Jesus!
After having been seated at the Father’s right hand, the Son gave messages to seven churches and concluded each by calling Himself “the breath” figuratively seven times, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit [breath] saith unto the churches” (Rev 2:7,11,17,29, 3:6,13,22). These warnings were as if saying, “You had better listen to what I’m telling you because I’m the one that makes the final decision whether or not God will raise you to eternal life by His breath!” Eternal life is by God breathing life back into our bodies in resurrection. And since this determination was given to the Son, we must listen to Him.
Being saved by the Savior is contingent upon listening to Him—agreeing with all He claimed, living by all He taught, and submitting to all He commanded. But if we won’t listen to Him, we have no hope of salvation. We’re utterly hopeless and can’t be helped. Paul prophesied of the situation today, “And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables [mythos].” People are listening to myths. They won’t listen to Jesus!
Understanding Scripture 