Marcion

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Marcion

In the middle of the second century AD, Marcion left the church and started the Gnostic Marcionites. Marcion was a
native of Sinope on the Black Sea. He first studied with the Stoics, then became a Christian. According to Epiphanius,
as he began to apostatize, he seduced a young girl, and was excommunicated. Marcion then traveled to Rome in
hopes of being readmitted to the church. Later he joined Cerdon and another Gnostic, preaching in Rome, hoping to
create a schism in the church. Marcion’s most famous disciples were Apelles, Lucanus, Basilus, Potitus, and Blastus.
This same Blastus later caused a schism in Rome. Marcionites continued until the sixth century, principally in Egypt,
Israel, and Syria.

Marcion rejected the Old Testament and used cut up versions of Luke and some of Paul’s epistles, for Scripture. He
used the Gospel of Luke but eliminated the first four chapters and removed all references to Jesus’ divinity or any
connection with the God of the Old Testament. His canon of Scripture also contained Romans, 1st & 2nd
Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1st & 2nd Thessalonians, Philemon, and Laodiceans. All of
these were tailored to fit Marcion’s teachings. In Paul’s Epistles, he removed all references to God creating the
world, and to Jesus being God’s Son, and any predictions of Jesus’ birth. He taught the God of the Old Testament
and His prophets were evil and would be destroyed because that god was the author of sin. He also taught there are
two equal and opposite gods, one good and one evil. He taught the Law and the Gospel were so strongly different, it
proves there were two different gods. Marcion insisted there is no resurrection and removed all references in his
gospel showing Christ was the creator and the God of the Old Testament was Jesus’ father. He also removed the
genealogy of Jesus. He said Jesus was a phantom having no physical body. Marcion forbade marriage and said it was
evil. Married people could not be baptized unless they got a divorce and practiced celibacy. The Marcionites were
strongly addicted to astrology.

Other Doctrines of the Marcionites were that Jesus came to overthrow the dominion of the evil creator. Followers
needed to be baptized in order to remove sins recently committed, and women were allowed to baptize other
women. Followers must be single, widowed, or divorced before they could be baptized. They denied Christ came in
the flesh and claimed there was no salvation or resurrection of the flesh, only of the spirit. Some Marcionites
believed in the transmigration of souls. We know this teaching as reincarnation. Some Marcionites sought
martyrdom in order to escape this evil world. It was well known that Marcion tried to publish a Gospel he wrote
himself in the name of Paul.

Church teachings contrasted:

Tertullian, AD 200
Against Marcion 4.8 – Jesus was not a phantom, but had a real body.
Against Marcion 4.37 – Christ saves both body and soul. Only heretics say the body is not saved
[resurrected].
Against Marcion 5.11 – Heretics try to say the epistle to the Ephesians is the epistle to the Laodeceans.

References:

1. Irenaeus Against Heresies 1.27 6. Against Marcion 1.24
2. Against Heresies 4.29 7. Against Marcion 2.17
3. Tertullian Against Marcion 1.2 8. Against Marcion 3.8, 4.8
4. Against Marcion 1.18 9. Against Marcion 1.29
5. Against Marcion 1.19-20
Nicolaitans

taken from Biblefacts.org

Encratites

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Encratites

Tatian started off being orthodox. He wrote a harmony of the gospels called the Diatessaron. Later, he became very
violent and apostatized from the church. After he apostatized, he founded the Gnostic sect of the Encratites. The
name in Greek means “self-perfected ones.” It the 12th century the name of Encratites was applied to the Bogomils.
Tatian then started removing passages from the Diatessaron that referred to Jesus’ divinity and other non-Gnostic
thoughts. Copies of both the original Diatessaron and the perverted Diatessaron still exist. (The eastern church used
the Diatessaron for years before going back to the four Gospels.)

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Nicolaitans

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In Revelation, John wrote that the Ephesus church hated the Nicolaitans and got rid of the false apostles who started
the Gnostic cults; but in the process, they lost their first love. The ancient church fathers taught Nicolaitan
characteristics included: the practice of fornication (both heterosexual and homosexual forms of adultery and
chambering), Then in a confession ritual on a weekly basis they were forgiven. (on the eighth day). Nicolaitans used
idols and participated in pagan rituals, which also means they tolerated ungodly things. This form of idolatry was
also practiced by the Carpocratian Gnostics. The idea that food had to be exorcised before it was eaten was based
on the idea that a Christian could be demon-possessed. The ancient church fathers taught Nicolaitans had a special
way of exorcizing meat offered to idols so that if Christians ate it they would not become demon-possessed. The
belief that Christians can be possessed by demons, is an error.

“So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate. Repent; or else I will come
unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.” Revelation 2:15-16

Taken from a work on Bible-facts.org

Ark of the Covenant

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Ark of the Covenant
David Cox’s Topical Bible Concordance

Ark of the Covenant.
Dimensions, &c of Ex 25:10; 37:1
Entirely covered with gold Ex 25:11; 37:2
Surrounded with a crown of gold Ex 25:11
Furnished with rings and staves Ex 25:12-15; 37:3-5
Tables of testimony alone placed in Ex 25:16,21; 1Ki 8:9,21; 2Ch 5:10; Heb 9:4
Mercy-seat laid upon Ex 25:21; 26:34
Placed in the Holy of Holies Ex 26:33; 40:21; Heb 9:3,4
The pot of manna and Aaron’s rod laid up before Heb 9:4; Ex 16:33,34; Nu 17:10
A copy of the law laid in the side of De 31:26
Anointed with sacred oil Ex 30:26
Covered with the vail by the priests before removal Nu 4:5,6
Was called the
Ark of God. 1Sa 3:3
Ark of God’s strength. 2Ch 6:41; Ps 132:8
Ark of the covenant of the Lord. Nu 10:33
Ark of the testimony. Ex 30:6; Nu 7:89
A symbol of the presence and glory of God Nu 14:43,44; Jos 1:6; 1Sa 14:18,19; Ps 132:8
Esteemed the glory of Israel 1Sa 4:21,22
Was holy 2Ch 35:3
Sanctified its resting place 2Ch 8:11
The Israelites enquired of the Lord before Jos 7:6-9; Jdj 20:27; 1Ch 13:3
Was carried
By priests of Levites alone. De 10:8; Jos 3:14; 2Sa 15:24; 1Ch 15:2
Before the Israelites in their journeys. Nu 10:33; Jos 3:6
Sometimes to the camp in war. 1Sa 4:4,5
Profanation of, punished Nu 4:5,15; 1Sa 6:19; 1Ch 15:13
Protecting of, rewarded 1Ch 13:14
Captured by the Philistines 1Sa 4:11
Miracles connected with
Jordan divided. Jos 4:7
Fall of the walls of Jericho. Jos 6:6-20
Fall of Dagon. 1Sa 5:1-4
Philistines plagued. 1Sa 5:6-12
Manner of its restoration. 1Sa 6:1-18
At Kirjath-jearim twenty years 1Sa 7:1,2
Removed from Kirjath-jearim to the house of Obed-edom 2Sa 6:1-11
David made a tent for 2Sa 6:17; 1Ch 15:1
Brought into the city of David 2Sa 6:12-15; 1Ch 15:25-28
Brought by Solomon into the temple with great solemnity 1Ki 8:1-6; 2Ch 5:2-9
A type of Christ Ps 40:8; Re 11:19

Apostates

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Apostates
David Cox’s Topical Bible Concordance

Apostates.
Described De 13:13; Heb 3:12
Persecution tends to make Mt 24:9,10; Lu 8:13
A worldly spirit tends to make 2Ti 4:10
Never belonged to Christ 1Jo 2:19
Saints do not become Ps 44:18,19; Heb 6:9; 10:39
It is impossible to restore Heb 6:4-6
Guilt and punishment of Zep 1:4-6; Heb 10:25-31,39; 2Pe 2:17,20-22
Cautions against becoming Heb 3:12; 2Pe 3:17
Shall abound in the latter days Mt 24:12; 2Th 2:3; 1Ti 4:1-3
Exemplified
Amaziah. 2Ch 25:14,27
Professed disciples. Joh 6:66
Hymenaeus and Alexander. 1Ti 1:19,20

Abana

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made of stone; a building

Geography: Abana and Pharpar – two rivers of Damascus in Syria 2Ki 5:12.

ABANA, AND PHARPAR

Rivers of Damascus, 2Ki 5:12. The Abana, (or, Amana), was undoubtedly the present Barada, the Chrysorrhoas of the Greeks. It is a clear, cold, and swift mountain stream, rising in Anti-Lebanon, north east of Hermon, flowing south east into the plain, and near Damascus turning eastward, skirting the northern wall of the city, and terminating 20 miles east in one of three large lakes. It is a perennial river, and so copious, that though no less than nine or ten branches or canals are drawn off from it to irrigate the plain and supply the city and the villages around it, the stream is a large one to the end.
The only other independent river of any size in the territory of Damascus is the Awaj, which crosses the plain south of Damascus, and enters the southernmost of the three lakes above referred to. This is supposed to be the Pharpar of the Bible. As these rivers of Damascus were never dry, but made the region they watered like the Garden of Eden for fertility and beauty, Naaman might well contrast them with most of “the waters of Israel,” which dry up under the summer sun.

[Amtrac]

Moth

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Moth. Moths are mentioned several times in the Bible as a symbol of destructiveness and the perishable nature of all earthly goods. In (Hosea 5:12), God says, “I will be to Ephraim like a moth.” Just as the damage caused by moths takes place slowly and undetected, so God would quietly, but inevitably, bring judgment upon His backsliding people.

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