Hidden Bible Truths in Plain View

By Windell Gillis

Jesus Christ and the apostles, along with Polycarp, Ignatius, and Hermes, carried the true Word of God deep into the first church age. Yet Satan attempted to infiltrate the true path of the Word with help from unbelievers who were more than willing to do his dirty work. Because of this, the structural religious imprints left by ancient pagan civilization began to take a toll on the religious denominational world in such a subtle manner that it has gone unnoticed.

In Hidden Bible Truths in Plain View, author Windell Gillis explains how since the Bible is the only real and perfect truth, Christian history can only be real and true if it agrees completely with the Bible. This history does! Messengers to the seven church ages, who are revealed here, were able to turn the people back to God in each age, if only for a season.

With Philo having perverted the definition of the Logos, which changed the way people worshipped with respect to the Godhead, and with so much confusion in the religious world—as proven by the forty thousand different denominational groups today—something must happen! And it did! The revelation of Malachi 4 and Revelation 10:7 concerning the mystery of God is unveiled in Hidden Bible Truths in Plain View—to the shock of Christians worldwide.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jan 22, 2019
• ISBN: 9781973650331

Windell Gillis

Windell Gillis resides with his wife, Lawanda, on their Angus cattle farm in Dodge County, Georgia. They have been married for forty-nine years and have three sons and eight grandchildren. Windell was raised in a Christian home but had questions about God’s nature; by studying the direct Word of God in the Bible, Windell was able to have God’s Word become clear to him, changing his life forever.

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Copyright © 2019 Windell Gillis.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture is taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture taken from the Geneva Bible.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission. www.Lockman.org

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ISBN: 978-1-9736-5034-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-5035-5 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-5033-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019900097

WestBow Press rev. date: 01/17/2019

Acknowledgement

There were many people who were instrumental in my search for God’s truth, which was laying hidden in the Bible all the time, without my knowledge.

Roy Abbott, my longtime friend, was the first to help me with these Bible truths. Roy had an understanding of hidden Bible truths long before I even knew they were hidden.

Michael Sanders was the witness I mentioned in the introduction who challenged my friends and myself.

Richard Smith was a neighbor for several years. Richard is a quiet, humble man who never tried to force his opinion on another, but he believed God’s Word.

Joe Ivey, who is now residing with Jesus, was my supervisor years ago and a huge help to me.

Reverend David Yancey, a longtime friend and coworker, answered numerous questions, helping me to better understand God’s Word for this day. Rev. Yancey has been my pastor for the past three years.

Daniel Evans who has such tremendous knowledge of the church age message and messenger.

Deanna George from Westbow Press convinced me that a cattle farmer from Georgia could, indeed, write a book.

I would also like to thank my wife, Lawanda, for helping get this project into manuscript form, and my three sons, Brian, Bret, and Brannon, for their encouraging words when the work became so consuming.

I would certainly like to thank the forty-five pastors who were so kind as to give of their time in answering questions concerning God and his nature.

Above all, I thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for calling me as one of his sons; for placing all the above-mentioned people in my path or putting me in their path; for leading me into this challenge; for waking me at night to give me new ideas for the book; and for guiding me to the completion of this journey.

Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1   Ancient Pagan Beliefs and

Trinitarian Development

The Unknowable God

The Trinity Doctrine Used for Evil

Greek Philosophy

Chapter 2   Two Bible Paths

The Two Bible Manuscript Paths

The True Bible Path

Editions of the King James Bible

Chapter 3   The Corrupt Bible Path

Codex Sinaiticus (Codex A)

Codex Vaticanus (Codex B)

Westcott and Hort: Fathers of Modern Bible Versions

Westcott and Hort’s Beliefs

Chart of Bible Version Scripture Comparisons

Lockman Foundation’s Official Response to Claims about Frank Logsdon

Chapter 4   Denominations

Denominations of Christianity

Chapter 5   The Ten Most Influential Christians of the

Twentieth Century

Chapter 6   Biblical Trinitarian Exposition

Bible Verses That May Hint at a Trinity or Three Persons in the Godhead

Scripture Verses that Identify God Is One God Alone

Jesus Is God

Scriptures Verses that Align to Show That Jesus and God Are One and the Same

Chapter 7   The Significance of the Name Jesus Christ

What Is Sin?

Chapter 8   Is Baptism by Water Essential for Salvation?

The Didache

Scriptural Evidence for the Only Correct Baptismal Method that Promises the Gift of the Holy Ghost for Those Who Obey and Follow in Baptism

Chapter 9   The Seven Church Ages

Messengers to the Seven Church Ages

The First Church Age: Ephesus, 53–170

The Second Church Age: Smyrna, 170–312

The Third Church Age: Pergamos, 312–606

Fourth Church Age: Thyatira, 606–1520

The Fifth Church Age: Sardis, 1520–1750

Sixth Church Age: Philadelphia, 1750–1906

The Seventh Church Age: Laodicea, 1906–Present

Crippled Girl Supernaturally Healed during Early William Branham Healing Campaign

The Miracle of Georgie Carter

Deranged Maniac Falls across William   Branham’s Feet

Miracles Performed and Unfaithfulness Exposed through William Branham’s Ministry

William Branham Photographed with Pillar of Fire Halo, Houston, Texas, 1950

William Branham Gives Assurance That Well Water Would Be Made Sweet

William Branham and the Healing of Florence Nightingale

Raising the Dead: The Case of William Branham and Scandinavian Boy Kari Holma

References

About the Author

Introduction

The great Abraham Lincoln was asked while he was yet a senator, To what church do you belong? His answer was, None. When asked why, he replied that he could not understand their creeds. Because he did not sign up and have his name on the roll in the Protestant church where he and his wife attended, it caused some to believe that he was not a Christian. However, there were many events as president that would show his love of God. He struggled to decide which side he should pray for in the Civil War when his country was so torn apart. History shows that he was continually seeking God’s guidance through those times.

In December 1863, Lincoln’s secretary of treasury decided that a new motto, In God We Trust, would be engraved on United States coins. When a pious minister told President Lincoln that he hoped the Lord is on our side, President Lincoln responded, I am not at all concerned about that … but it is my constant anxiety and prayer that I and this nation should be on the Lord’s side. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have those words coming from our nation’s leader today?

This book is about God, not Lincoln. However, when you finish reading this book, you may understand how President Lincoln felt when he was asked, To what church do you belong?

Something happened that changed my life forever. This book is a direct result of this incident, coupled with what I learned through hours and hours of research and study in an attempt to disprove something I found disconcerting at the time.

During a lunch break at work, a young man approached a group of men and asked if we were Christians. We all responded in the affirmative. He then began to ask us how we were baptized, how many gods we serve, who was Jesus’s father, and how to know if you have the Holy Spirit. Each one of us thought that we knew the answers to these simple questions. As soon as he asked who the father of Jesus was, my reply was, God, and another gentleman responded, The Holy Spirit. This is where the conversation began to get interesting.

The witness then asked us, Does Jesus have two fathers?

At this point, we realized that there was more to the idea of the Trinity than we had been taught. The four of us (three were Baptist, and one was a member of the Church of God) were being challenged on our beliefs. The young man posing these challenging questions explained to us that baptism should be in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. He also stated that the Trinity formula was not valid since there is only one God, and that the Trinity formula was never used until the fourth century.

My friends and I believed this would be simple to prove by scripture and history. Originally, we searched scripture together, finding some scriptures that appeared to support the trinitarian belief. As we would take our proof back to our witness, we soon realized that he knew his Bible better than any of us. We then realized that our research was going to consume much more time than we originally thought and decided to research independently and meet weekly to compare notes. Week after week, we compared notes and, with each note-comparing session, became more convinced that we could not prove our witness friend wrong. We were actually finding more and more evidence in scripture and in history that supported his claims.

Then something happened that caused even more questions concerning what we had been taught in our denominational churches. While researching the history of religious documents, we discovered an actual record of a baptism that was published in the December 5, 1955, edition of Time magazine. The baptism took place in Rome, in AD 100.

The deacon raised his hand, and Publius Decius stepped through the baptistery door. Standing waist-deep in the pool was Marcus Vasca, the wood seller. He was smiling as Publius waded into the pool beside him. Credis? he asked. Credo, responded Publius. I believe that my salvation comes from Jesus the Christ, who was crucified under Pontius Pilate. With Him I died that with Him I may have eternal life! Then he felt strong arms supporting him as he let himself fall backward into the pool, and heard Marcus voice in his ear, I baptize you in the Name of the Lord Jesus, as the cold water closed over him.

This record is the only actual account to be found of exactly how a baptism was carried out and the actual words used during baptism in this time period. There is no account in the first, second, or third centuries to show baptism in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Remember, by AD 100, the apostles had met terrible fates and were no longer living.

After exhausting the possibility of disproving our witness friend according to history, we turned back to the Bible for the possibility of missed scriptures to support trinitarian baptism. We also began to survey pastors for assistance. In every conversation with pastors, we received the same explanation: The Trinity is not explainable. We just have to accept it.

Several things came to memory for me. All the preachers I had heard seemed to always say they believed in one God, not three. Secondly, Jesus told the disciples in Matthew 28:19 to baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. However, a number of scriptures say the disciples baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, while never giving an account of the disciples baptizing in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

I had been in church all my life. Surely, I had not been taught incorrectly. I decided to continue interviewing pastors. First I asked, If the Lord should tell you in a dream, or vision, or however the Lord talks to you that he was coming to have dinner with you on Sunday, how many seats would you reserve for him? The first pastor I asked answered three. After individually asking the same question to forty-five pastors, of whom all but six had graduated from seminary, twenty-four pastors responded with one seat for Jesus. Twenty pastors would reserve three seats, one each for the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. One pastor said that he would reserve two seats, explaining that the Holy Ghost would not need a seat because He is a spirit.

The second question I presented to each of the forty-five pastors was, Why was it that even though Jesus, in Matthew 28:19, told the disciples to baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, the disciples baptized only in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ? The first question that I asked was a multiple choice question with only three possible answers (one, two, or three seats). This question, however, was wide open for any answer they could imagine, and this is exactly what happened. Two pastors said that it did not matter, explaining that both ways of baptism are correct. Two pastors explained that they did not know why the disciples did not follow with the same words as Jesus said in Matthew 28:19. Fourteen pastors responded that they would take the words of Jesus any day over the words of the disciples. Twenty-five pastors believed that the disciples were confused and did not understand and baptized incorrectly. One pastor explained even further by saying that he did not believe that the disciples actually baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. One of the above pastors explained that the disciples had no authority to change the baptism (Acts 2:38), and one pastor simply responded by saying that I was making a mountain out of a molehill. During these interviews, no debates occurred, as none of the pastors expressed interest in the questioner’s ideas.

The answers that I was given were beyond belief. How could pastors, most of whom were Baptist and all but six with formal theological training, have such different views of our God and just who and what he is? The two who said that it made no difference, both ways of baptism were correct, showed explicitly that they just wanted to appease the questioner. There is no way these Baptist ministers would ever baptize in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Their church would not allow it. The ministers who said that they would take the words of Jesus over the apostles might have sounded logical, but I knew that that response did not pass the Word test. Paul said that if any man, or even an angel from heaven, comes with any other gospel than what I preach, let him be accursed (Galatians 1:8). This same verse also counters the idea that the disciples were confused. Tell me, if the leaders of our churches believe like this on two very simple questions, what in the world does their congregations believe? The most honest were the two who said that they did not know. I thanked them for their honesty. The other pastors either knowingly, or unknowingly, denied the Word of God, since the scriptures are so plain on each subject.

After hearing these answers and realizing how fragile our knowledge of scripture really is, I became motivated to learn all that I could about these issues, both scripturally and historically. I began my research, which I will now share with you.

Please check every resource and every scripture for yourself and be assured that if you start at the beginning and study in its entirety, comparing all information with scripture, you will absolutely have a better understanding, not only of the truth concerning our Lord, but also of how and why you may never have heard these truths before.

Note: All Bible verses quoted or referenced in this book are from the King James Version. Any exceptions are so noted within the text.

Chapter 1

Ancient Pagan Beliefs and

Trinitarian Development

Although erroneously, it is generally supposed that the idea of three distinct persons in the Godhead is of Christian origin. The truth, however, is that most, if not all, ancient civilizations possessed the idea of divine beings existing as triads or a trinity centuries before the birth of Jesus Christ.

The early Catholic theologian St. Jerome often declared that all ancient nations believed in a trinity. The earliest Babylonians as well as the other ancient civilizations had at one time acknowledged that there was only one infinite and almighty creator who reigned supreme over all. As time passed, they all eventually apostatized and developed creeds requiring devotion to a trinity of mythical gods.

Many historians believe the trinitarian idea actually began in Babylon. The characters making up this trinity of gods were Nimrod, Semiramis, and Tammuz. Nimrod was a great-grandson of Noah and is credited in Genesis 10:8–12 as the founder of the first world empire at Babel, later known as Babylon. Verse 10 clearly shows Nimrod as king. Semiramis, wife of Nimrod, promoted the belief that Nimrod was a god. After Nimrod’s death, Semiramis claimed she had been visited by the spirit of Nimrod, who left her pregnant with Tammuz. Tammuz, she declared, was Nimrod reincarnated. She would then be known as the mother of god as her son was both father and son.

Nimrod, Semiramis, and Tammuz appear to be the first historical trinity to be worshipped as gods. The concept of a mother, father, and son Godhead was difficult for many to grasp, so Semiramis told them that it was a divine mystery that was not comprehendible. The name Nimrod, in Hebrew, literally means the rebel. The entire family of Nimrod was involved in this rebellion against God. Nimrod became god, the father; Tammuz became god, the son; and Semiramis became the dove or spirit that held this ungodly union together. When the Babylonians were scattered abroad at the Tower of Babel, the trinitarian idea spread around the world. Semiramis and Nimrod reborn was the beginning of mother and child worship.

The Babylonian trinity was the trinity that inspired the Catholic worship of Mary (aka Mariolatry). A significant change occurred in the Babylonian triune god. The three persons became the eternal Father, the Spirit of God incarnate in a human mother, and a divine son, the fruit of the incarnation. The pagan doctrine of the trinity from the Babylonians involved father, mother, and son. The pagan mother of the child was characterized by gentleness and mercy, as centered in her. Death, however, ended her career, causing her to become deified and changed into a pigeon to express the gentleness of her nature. She later would become known as the dove. This mother was worshipped by the Babylonians in the form of a dove. This dove was symbolized with an olive branch in her mouth, as she was seen in her human form holding an olive branch. Given to her was the name Zemir-amit, which means the branch-bearer (Layard 1867. Ninevah and Babylon, p. 25). There is no doubt that the story of the flood must have had an influence on these pagan beliefs. Remember Noah’s dove returned with an olive branch. A branch was the symbol of the deified son in paganism.

In Egypt, there were many combinations of trinities. One group included Osiris, the Egyptian name for Nimrod; Isis, the Egyptian name for Semiramis; and Horus, Egyptian for Tammuz.

The Sumerian (southern Iraq) version consisted of the universe being divided into three regions, each of which became the domain of a god. Anu’s share was the sky. The earth was given to Enlil. Ea/Enki became the ruler of the waters. Together they made up the triad of the great gods (Graves 1994, 54–55).

The following passage is found in one of the Hindu bibles of India known as the Puranas:

O ye three lords! Know that I recognize only one god. Inform me, therefore, which of you is the true divinity, that I may address to him alone my adorations. The three gods, Vishnu, Brahma, Shiva, replied, Learn O devotee, that there is no real distinction between us. What to you appears such is only the semblance. The single being appears under three forms by the acts of creation, preservation and destruction, but he is one.

In Greece, the divine trinity was comprised of Zeus, the sky and thunder god; Poseidon, the sea god and brother of Zeus; and Adonis, god of beauty and desire. The Phoenicians worshipped Ulomus, Ulosoros, and Elivin. Rome’s most famous trio of gods were Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto. The Germanic nations worshipped Wodan, Thor, and Frieco. The Viking trinity included Odin, who was more feared than loved. His son, Thor, assumed the position of favored deity, with a huge hammer. Thor offered protection against evil. And Frey was the fertility god. In the fourth century BC, Aristotle wrote,

All things are three and thrice is all: and let us use this number in the worship of gods; For as the Pythagoreans say, everything and all things are bounded by threes, fore the end, the middle and the beginning have this number in everything, and these compose the number of the trinity." (Weigall 1928, 197–198)

Each of the pagan religions had two common traits: a trinity of gods and form of human gods. The more that people crept away from faith in the one true God, the more elaborate the concoctions became regarding their view of God,