PERVERTING CHRIST
Jan Griffith, September 2007
Just
the
other day, I made the comment that Mother Teresa was an “occultist.” I made that statement for the shock value,
hoping to make readers contemplate why I would say such a thing.
While
there
are many definitions of the word “occult,” the word itself is derived
from the
Latin word “occultus” which means “hidden.”
Some
of the
more common definitions of “occult” are:
1)
It is
esoteric (employs knowledge that is not known to the general public,
but which
is only revealed gradually to a selected few in training)
2)
It
depends upon talents which lie beyond the five senses
3)
It
engages with the supernatural
How
do the
above three definitions jive with God’s Word?
1)
It is esoteric (known
only to a
selected few in training)
“Then the disciples came
and said unto him, Why speakest
thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because
it is
given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to
them
it is not given.” (Matthew 13:8-9)
2)
It depends upon talents
beyond the
five senses
“And again I speak unto
you, who deny the revelations of
God, and say that they are done away, that there are no revelations,
nor
prophecies, nor gifts, nor healing, nor speaking
with tongues,
and the interpretation of tongues. Behold I say unto you, He that
denieth these
things, knoweth not the gospel of Christ; yea, he has not read the
scriptures;
if so, he does not understand them.” (Mormon 4:66-67)
3)
It engages with the
supernatural
“Have angels ceased to
appear unto the children of men? Or
has he withheld the power of the Holy Ghost from them? Or will he, so
long as
time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man
upon the
face thereof to be saved? Behold I say to you, Nay, for it is by faith
that
miracles are wrought; and it is by faith that angels appear and
minister
unto men” (
The
above
scripture quotes could be used by any Pagan, Wiccan, Spiritualist,
Theosophist,
Universalist, Kabbalist, and every other esoteric believer who believes
they
are seeking the mysteries of God’s kingdom.
Hence, I’ll use the word “Occultists” to describe them.
There
are
those who seek to serve God, and there are those who seek to serve
themselves. Both can use the same
scripture to justify
what they believe and do. But the
difference is enormous – it is “oppositional.”
Love can be interpreted as hate, and hate as love.
This fact – that we could so easily have
things “backward,” should put the fear of God into our hearts,
especially since
Isaiah said that we would in fact have all things “backward” in the
last days.
“Ah sinful nation, a
people laden
with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters; they
have
forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of
What
makes
the difference between a correct interpretation and a perverted
interpretation
of scripture? The Holy Ghost makes the
difference.
“But the natural man
receiveth not
the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him;
neither can
he know them, because they are
spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things,
yet he
himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord,
that he
may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.”
(1 Corinthians 2:14-16)
“For the natural man is
an enemy to
God, and has been, from the fall of Adam, and will be, for ever and
ever; But if he yields to the enticings of the
Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man, and becometh a saint,
through
the atonement of Christ, the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive,
meek,
humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which
the Lord
seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his
father.”
(Mosiah 1:119-120)
“And now behold, my
brethren, what
natural man is there, that knoweth these things? I say unto you, there is none that knoweth these things,
save it be the penitent; Yea, he that repenteth and exerciseth
faith, and
bringeth forth good works, and prayeth continually without ceasing:
unto such
it is given to know the mysteries of God; yea, unto such it shall be
given to
reveal things which never have been revealed.” (
Today,
the
world and its counterfeit religions would have us believe that every
human
being possesses this Holy Ghost (they use the word “Spirit,” and more
times
than not, they rightly do not include the word “Holy”).
The
world would
also have us believe that just by “tapping into that Spirit” (in a
supernatural
way), we can possess the powers of God on earth. This
is often referred to as a spiritual awakening, or endowment. In the future, it may become (incorrectly)
known as being “born again” as a form of counterfeit for the
resurrection.
While
the
world leads us to believe that “everyone” possesses God’s Spirit, Alma
tells us
that “the Lord does not dwell in
unholy temples, but only in the hearts of the
righteous” (
Jesus
said
the same thing in places like 2 Corinthians:
“And what concord hath
Christ with
Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the
The
Bible
isn’t as plain and precious on this subject as is the Book of Mormon,
but this
should be expected. We were told that
the Great and
“Wherefore, thou seest
that after
the book hath gone forth through the hands of the great and abominable
church
that there are many plain and precious
things taken away from the book, which is the book of the Lamb of
God” (1
Nephi 3:171).
In
all of
Nephi’s dissertation, he mentions nothing about the “addition” of words. For this reason and more, I am thus far of
the opinion that the Great and Abominable did not add words to the
Bible, but
only “took words away from the book” [the Bible] and that the Book of
Mormon
“restored” those plain and precious missing parts.
Together, the Bible and the Book of Mormon are the “fullness of
the Lord’s gospel.” Together, they
witness the same Lord, and each are in harmony with his perfect law.
“And again, the elders,
priests, and
teachers of this church shall teach the principles of my gospel which
are in the Bible and the Book of Mormon, in which
is the fullness of the gospel” (Section 42:5a).
Why
did the
Great and
“And all this have they
[the Great
and
There
is
truth, and then there is everything else (which I call the Occult, or
Mystery
Babylon the Great). The Occult is not
just some harmless minority who use Tarot Cards and Voo Doo Dolls. The Occult is God’s Word perverted. The reason that the Great and Abominable is
so great is that she has used God’s words to exalt herself.
“How much she
hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much
torment and sorrow give her; for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen,
and am
no widow, and shall see no sorrow.” (Revelation 18:7)
We
were warned
that Satan will go after the elect. The
only way he can deceive the elect is with God’s Word – the Word
perverted by
the precepts of men. If it was God’s
Word that created the heavens and the earth, then what else is there? There is nothing to “pervert,” nothing to
“corrupt” except for God’s Word. Again,
Occultism, or the “esoteric,” is God’s Word perverted.
Paul
warned
of those who would preach “another Jesus” or “another gospel” or
“another
spirit:”
“But I fear, lest by any
means, as the
serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be
corrupted
from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not
preached, or if ye receive another
spirit, which ye have not received, or another
gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with me.” (2 Corinthians 11:3-4)
We
learn a
little more about this “other gospel” in Paul’s writings to the
Galatians:
“I marvel that ye are so
soon
removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel; Which is not another;
but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of
Christ.”
Paul
described it as “another gospel which is not another.” Again, if God’s Word created the heavens and
earth, then there is no other Word or Gospel.
Paul continued:
But though
we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto
you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As
we said
before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you
than
that ye have received, let him be accursed. For do I now please men, or
God? or
do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the
servant
of Christ. But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was
preached of
me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I
taught it,
but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (Galatians 1:6-12)
Now
why
would Paul say “though we...preach any other gospel” as though “we”
would mean
himself. Why would Paul ever preach
another gospel? Could Isaiah offer us a
clue about this strange statement Paul made?
Isaiah spoke of a people who
would be given for signs and wonders.
In the context of this passage, Isaiah tells us to “wait upon
the Lord,”
and that when we see “familiar spirits” (recognizable spirits), we will
know
their words are true only if they speak in accordance to God’s law and
testimony. In other words, they had
better speak the truth of God’s words, not a perverted form of his
words.
“Behold, I
and the children whom the Lord hath given me are for signs
and for wonders in
Many
have
claimed to have received visitations from heavenly personages and
messengers,
many of them familiar. Yet
recall the warning given by Paul –
“though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel.” Even angels from heaven can be sent to
preach “another gospel.” This shows
just how important it is that we understand God’s Word.
Scary, isn’t it?
The
“other”
Jesus, or “other” spirit, or “other” gospel is the same as what we will
find in
God’s Word, only perverted and backward.
As Paul said, a “perverted” gospel is not another gospel, it is
Christ’s
gospel “perverted,” which of course identifies it as “another gospel.”
I
just read
about a new book titled, The Yoga Jesus, Understanding the Hidden
Teachings
of the Gospels. The book explains
the “transcendental way of divine union through meditation.” In other words, the author is using God’s
Word to preach “another Jesus.” The
divine union which he encourages his readers to discover is “another
spirit.” The gospel he preaches “is not
another gospel,” yet it is.
In
several
places of scripture, we learn that lawyers are specially trained in the
art of
“cunning devices,” meaning that they are trained how to “catch” someone
in
their words. There is little difference
in how lawyers are trained, and how many others are now trained in the
usage of
words. Today’s higher education
affords many persons the opportunity to be proficient in the fine art
of
communication, an art which is being used to pervert God’s words. Here is what the Lord has to say about such
ones:
“And he was learned, that he had a perfect knowledge of the language of the people; wherefore, he could use much flattery, and much power of speech, according to the power of the devil. And he had hope to shake me from the faith, notwithstanding the many revelations, and the many things which I had seen concerning these things; for I truly had seen angels, and they had ministered unto me. And also, I had heard the voice of the Lord speaking unto me in very word, from time to time; wherefore, I could not be shaken. And it came to pass that he came unto me; and on this wise did he speak unto me, saying: Brother Jacob, I have sought much opportunity that I might speak unto you: for I have heard and also know, that thou goest about much, preaching that which ye call the gospel, or the doctrine of Christ; And ye have led away much of this people, that they pervert the right way of God.” (Jacob 5:6-10)
“O the wise, and the learned, and the rich, that are puffed up in the pride of their hearts, and all those who preach false doctrines, and all those who commit whoredoms, and pervert the right way of the Lord; wo, wo, wo be unto them, saith the Lord God Almighty, for they shall be thrust down to hell.” (2 Nephi 12:18)
Now
just to
be clear, there is nothing wrong with being “learned,” so long as we
are not
like the majority who are learned. God
considers it a “good” thing for men to be learned, but only if they
commit
themselves to obey his counsels.
“But to be learned is
good, if they
hearken unto the counsels of God” (2 Nephi 6:61).
Consider
the “learned” form of knowledge that God commanded of our restored
forefathers:
“And I give unto you a
commandment,
that you shall teach one another the doctrine of the kingdom; teach ye
diligently and my grace shall attend you, that you may be instructed
more
perfectly in theory, in principle, in doctrine, in the law of the
gospel, in
all things that pertain unto the kingdom of God, that is expedient for
you to
understand; of things both in heaven, and in earth, and under the
earth; things
which have been; things which are; things which must shortly come to
pass;
things which are at home; things which are abroad; the wars and the
perplexities of the nations; and the judgments which are on the land;
and a
knowledge also of countries, and of kingdoms, that ye may be prepared
in all
things when I shall send you again, to magnify the calling whereunto I
have
called you, and the mission with which I have commissioned you.” (Section 85:21)
Unfortunately,
the vast majority of the learned are in error, perverting the ways of
the Lord.
“For ye see your calling,
brethren,
how that not many wise men after
the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are chosen” (1 Corinthians 1:26).
Woe
to
those who are learned who think they are wise, and who pervert the
truth of
God’s words. In most cases, it is the
“learned” who stand accused of “laying
plans to pervert the ways of
righteousness” (
We
are told
that in ancient times,
“Surely as a wife
treacherously
departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O
house of
Mormon
also
wrote of how the Lord’s children on this land had perverted their way. Their wickedness had even exceeded the
wickedness of the Lamanites.
“Come out in judgment, O God, and hide their sins, and wickedness, and abominations from before thy face. And again, my son, there are many widows and their daughters who remain in Sherrizah; and that part of the provisions which the Lamanites did not carry away, behold, the army of Zenephi has carried away, and left them to wander whithersoever they can for food; and many old women do faint by the way and die. And the army which is with me, is weak; and the armies of the Lamanites are betwixt Sherrizah and me; and as many as have fled to the army of Aaron, have fallen victims to their awful brutality. O the depravity of my people! they are without order and without mercy. Behold, I am but a man, and I have but the strength of a man, and I can not any longer enforce my commands; and they have become strong in their perversion; And they are alike brutal, sparing none, neither old nor young; and they delight in everything save that which is good; and the sufferings of our women and our children upon all the face of this land, doth exceed everything; yea, tongue can not tell, neither can it be written. And now my son, I dwell no longer upon this horrible scene. Behold, thou knowest the wickedness of this people; thou knowest that they are without principle, and past feeling; and their wickedness doth exceed that of the Lamanites.” (Mormon 9:14-21)
Another
of
the Lord’s people called the Zoramites had also perverted God’s Word.
”But they had fallen into great errors…in
fine, they did pervert the ways of the Lord in very many
instances”
(
The
Zoramites preached God’s Word in a perverted way. They
had concluded that God was a spirit, and would forever be
nothing more than a spirit. In other
words, they were denying God’s promises of salvation, his resurrection,
and the
resurrection of all mankind – that’s pretty serious perversion. Yet it is not unlike certain perverted
doctrines being taught today, like the idea that Jesus Christ was “just
a man”
like the rest of us. The evolution to
this mindset is that “as Jesus became God, growing from grace to grace,
we too
can become God as we grow from grace to grace.” There is actually some
truth to
this statement, and also much potential for perversion.
Finally,
there are those among the Lord’s people who pervert the sacred covenant
of
baptism:
“Behold, baptism is unto
repentance to
the fulfilling the commandments unto the remission of sins. But little
children
are alive in Christ, even from the foundation of the world; if not so,
God is a
partial God, and also a changeable God, and a respecter to persons; for
how
many little children have died without baptism. Wherefore, if little
children
could not be saved without baptism, these must have gone to an endless
hell.
Behold I say unto you, that he that supposeth that little children need
baptism, is in the gall of bitterness, and in the bonds of iniquity;
for he
hath neither faith, hope, nor charity; wherefore, should he be cut off
while in
the thought, he must go down to hell. For awful is the wickedness to
suppose
that God saveth one child because of baptism, and the other must perish
because
he hath no baptism. Wo be unto him that shall pervert the ways
of the
Lord after this manner, for they shall perish, except they
repent.” (
These
are not encouraging reports about the Lord’s
people, are they? What causes his people
to fall into such errors of perversion?
What makes judgment turn “backward” as Isaiah foretold?
“And judgment
is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar
off; for truth is fallen in the
street, and equity cannot enter. Yea, truth faileth; and he that
departeth from
evil maketh himself a prey; and the Lord saw it, and it displeased him
that
there was no judgment.” (Isaiah 59:14-15)
There
are
many ways that judgment can become perverted.
One way is through strong drink.
“Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted” (Proverbs 31:5).
Another
is
when we accept offerings, rewards, or bribes.
“Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift; for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.” (Deuteronomy 16:19)
“A wicked man taketh a
gift out of
the bosom to pervert the
ways of
judgment.” (Proverbs 17:23)
Still
another way is to be the followers of an unrighteous king.
“And thus an unrighteous
king doth pervert the ways
of all righteousness” (Mosiah 13:32).
Because
things were “backward” in his day too, Jesus was accused of perverting
the
truth.
“And the whole multitude
of them
arose, and led him unto Pilate. And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this man perverting the nation,
and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying, that he himself is
Christ, a
king.”
(Luke
23:1-2)
As
disciples of Jesus, we too should be accused of perverting the truth.
“They shall put you out
of the
synagogues; yea, the time cometh, that whosoever
killeth you will think that he doeth God service.” (John 16:2)
The Greatest Perverts of
All
Perhaps
more than any other warning given in scripture, God’s Word warns us
about false
teachers who pervert his gospel. Who
else could be more persuasive, and more lethal, in perverting the
gospel of
Jesus Christ, than those who profess authority in his name?
They
who
represented God’s words were the very ones who crucified their God. Before they killed him, Jesus said to their
faces that they were “perverting his way.”
“O fools! for you have
said in your
hearts, There is no God. And you pervert the right way;
and
the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence of you; and you persecute the
meek;
and in your violence you seek to destroy the kingdom; and ye take the
children
of the kingdom by force. Woe unto you, ye adulterers!” (Luke 16:21)
It
is a
“pattern” for God’s shepherds to “pervert” the gospel they represent. Not all shepherds pervert his words, but
the vast majority certainly do, and if history truly repeats itself, it
is only
a sliver of a remnant who do not.
Jeremiah,
for example, spoke of those who would prophesy of false dreams,
perverting God’s
words by their false testimonies. (And
don’t the Lord’s people just love it when someone shares a dream or
vision?)
“Behold, I am against
them that
prophesy false dreams, saith the Lord, and do tell them, and cause my
people to
err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor
commanded
them; therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the
Lord. And
when this people or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee, saying,
What is
the burden of the Lord? thou shalt then say unto them, What burden? I
will even
forsake you, saith the Lord. And as for the prophet, and the priest,
and the
people, that shall say, The burden of the Lord, I will even punish that
man and
his house. Thus shall ye say everyone to his neighbor, and everyone to
his
brother, What hath the Lord answered? and, What hath the Lord spoken?
And the
burden of the Lord shall ye mention no more; for every man's word shall
be his
burden; for ye have perverted the words of the living God,
of
the Lord of hosts our God. Thus shalt thou say to the prophet, What
hath the
Lord answered thee? and, What hath the Lord spoken? But since ye say,
The
burden of the Lord; therefore thus saith the Lord; Because ye say this
word,
The burden of the Lord, and I have sent unto you, saying, Ye shall not
say, The
burden of the Lord; Therefore, behold, I, even I, will utterly forget
you, and
I will forsake you, and the city that I gave you and your fathers, and
cast you
out of my presence; And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you,
and a
perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.” (Jeremiah 23:32-40)
Abinadi
went so far as to accuse God’s priests of “pretending to teach” their
people.
“And now Abinadi said
unto them, Are
you priests, and pretend to teach this people, and to understand the
spirit of
prophesying, and yet desire to know of me what these things mean? I say
unto
you, Wo be unto you for perverting the ways of the Lord.
For
if ye understand these things, ye have not taught them; therefore ye
have
perverted the ways of the Lord.” (Mosiah 7:81-82)
Even
Saul,
who became the famous Apostle Paul, was once known to have perverted
the Lord’s
words:
“Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?” (Acts 13:9-10)
Perhaps
this is why Paul was extra keen about those who perverted the Lord’s
words. He also told us that among the
strongest of believers, wolves would arise, perverting the gospel in
order to
draw in their own disciples.
“Also of your own selves
shall men
arise, speaking perverse things, to
draw away disciples after them.” (Acts 20:30)
Who
perverts
the ways of the Lord? The answer is
greater than eye can see. It is Mystery
Babylon, the Great Whore. She is far
more than any “church” or “denomination.”
She is everyone who speaks for Christ in ways inconsistent with
his
truths.
“And all that fight
against
The
sad
truth is that those who should know the most – whether shepherds or
sheep –
more often than not tend to be the very ones who corrupt God’s words. There is a very scary prophecy in the Book
of Mormon which speaks of God’s people “transfiguring” his Word in the
last
days – meaning they have changed or perverted it.
“Why have ye transfigured
the holy
word of God, that ye might bring damnation upon your souls?” (Mormon 4:43)
Isaiah talked about this
too, speaking in a metaphor about
his people whom he called “daughter of
“Come down, and sit in
the dust, O
virgin daughter of
Do
we
suppose that Spiritism, Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, Wicca, and
other
religions are “harmless,” because they are “obviously wrong?” Think again. Each
one of them is merely perversions of God’s Word, and each
one of them was created from the foundation of a Great and
History
repeats itself.
“The thing that hath
been, it is that
which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done; and
there
is no new thing under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1:9)
Who
was
worse? The pagan Romans whose beliefs
were perversions of the Lord’s words, or the Jews who had full access
to God’s
words, just as we today (who are identified as Gentiles) have access to
the
“fullness” of God’s words?
“For the Lord worketh not
in secret
combinations, neither doth he will that man should shed blood, but in
all
things hath forbidden it, from the beginning of man. And now I, Moroni,
do not
write the manner of their oaths and combinations, for it hath been made
known
unto me that they are had among all people, and they are had among the
Lamanites, and they have caused the destruction of this people of whom
I am now
speaking, and also the destruction of the people of Nephi; And
whatsoever
nation shall uphold such secret combinations, to get power and gain,
until they
shall spread over the nation, behold, they shall be destroyed, for the
Lord
will not suffer that the blood of his saints, which shall be shed by
them,
shall always cry unto him from the ground for vengeance upon them, and
yet he
avenge them not; Wherefore, O ye
Gentiles, it is wisdom in God that these things should be shewn unto
you, that
thereby ye may repent of your sins, and suffer not that these
murderous
combinations shall get above you, which are built up to get power and
gain, and
the work, yea, even the work of destruction come upon you; Yea, even
the sword
of the justice of the eternal God, shall fall upon you, to your
overthrow and
destruction, if ye shall suffer these things to be; Wherefore the Lord
commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you, that ye
shall
awake to a sense of your awful situation, because of this secret
combination
which shall be among you, or wo be unto it, because of the blood of
them who
have been slain; for they cry from the dust for vengeance upon it, and
also
upon those who build it up. For it cometh to pass that whoso buildeth
it up,
seeketh to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations and countries;
And it
bringeth to pass the destruction of all people; for it is
built up by the devil, who is the father of all lies; even
that same liar who beguiled our first parents; Yea, even that same liar
who
hath caused man to commit murder from the beginning; who hath hardened
the
hearts of men, that they have murdered the prophets, and stoned them,
and cast
them out from the beginning.” (Ether 3:93-101)
The
above
warnings are for the Christians of today.
Those voices are warning of something being “built up of the
devil.” What is being built up? Babylon is being built, from her head to her
ten toes; the great persecutor of the church, the apostate, the whore,
that
makes all nations drink of her cup, in whom the enemy, Even Satan, sits
to
reign (Section 84). The Great and
“But it is
the kingdom of the devil which shall be built up among the
children of men, which kingdom is established
among them which are in the flesh: For the time speedily shall
come,
that all churches which are built up
to get gain, and all those who are built up to get power over the
flesh, and
those who are built up to become
popular in the eyes of the world, and those who seek the lusts of the
flesh and
the things of the world, and to do all manner of iniquity; Yea, in
fine, all
those who belong to the kingdom of the devil, are they who need fear,
and
tremble, and quake; They are those who must be brought low in the dust;
They
are those who must be consumed as stubble: And this is according to the
words
of the prophet.” (1
Nephi 7:49-54)
It
is she –
the Great and Abominable Harlot – who has perverted Christ’s words, and
filled
the whole earth with a counterfeit gospel and the desire for a
counterfeit
kingdom upon the earth.
It
is all
of us, if we do not “plant the seeds” in accordance to God’s
instruction (
God’s
latter day children were called to establish the “cause” of
“Then Pilate entered into
the
judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the
King of
the Jews? Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did
others
tell it thee of me? Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and
the chief
priests have delivered thee unto me; what hast thou done? Jesus
answered, My
kingdom is not of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, then
would my
servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now is
my
kingdom not from hence.” (John 18:33-36)