Table of Content
Title Page
Revelation Chapter Four 101
The Valley Of Dry Bones 104
The Valley Wherein Ezekiel Was 107
His Feet Shall Stand In That Day Upon
The Mount Of Olives 112
And The Mount Of Olives Shall Clave
In The Midst 115
Paradise And Hell 118
The Blood Of The Old And New Testaments 123
In Adam All Died 127
They Shall Not Hurt Nor Destroy
In My Holy Mountain 129
That Man Of Sin 132
REVELATION CHAPTER FOUR
May 4, 2001
Page 101
John the Revelator wrote: "After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter." Revelation 4:1
I believe that the door that was opened in Heaven unto John opens to you and me each and every time we are made to set in Heavenly places.
Paul said: [5] "Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved) [6] And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:" Ephesians 2:5-6
The door that John saw open had been closed to all saving Jesus until He dealt with the sin issue of the Old Testament that the blood of bulls of goats and ashes of heifers had covered.
Jesus said of Himself: “And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.” John 3:13
Jesus spring Heaven’s door wide open by “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.” Col. 2:14
Jesus said in the Old Testament: “… I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.” Zechariah 3:9
John also saw Jesus setting on the throne of God.
According to Zechariah, He is seated on His throne as king and High Priest. Here is that prophecy: "Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord: [13] Even he shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both." Zechariah 6:12b-13
"And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white Raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold." Revelation 4:4
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It is my understanding that the four-and-twenty elders are the holy Apostles and prophets, while the four and twenty seats wherein they are seated are twenty-four thrones and they are thrones of judgment.
Jesus told His disciples: “Ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” Matthew 19:28
Now the testimonials of the Apostles and Prophets; are compacted into sixty six books and the Twelve tribes of Israel are being judged during the new dispensation.
That dispensation began at Pentecost. Since that time the twelve tribes, of Israel, has includes the saved Gentiles. God removed Israel’s unbelievers from the kingdom when they Killed Jesus and replaced them with the saved Gentiles.
Paul explained that with his brilliance through the use of two olive trees, in Romans, the eleventh Chapter.
I believe that John understood that at a future time he, himself would be seated as one of the twelve Apostles, for the angel told him, “I will shew thee things which must be hereafter." Revelation 4:1
The reason the apostle John would not be seated at that time his testimonial was still being written.
One might say that there were more than twelve Apostles and prophets. That is true but there were never more than twenty-four positions, twelve for the Apostles and twelve for the Prophets.
"And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God." Revelation 4:5
It is my understanding that when God sends forth His Gospel, it reveals His wrath to the children of wrath while at the same time it conveys a comforting message to the saints that are walking upright in His sight. Paul said amen to that.
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He wrote: "Now we know that what things so ever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law:" For the Gospel conveys both the message of the law and the message of Grace. Romans 3:19a
The writer of Hebrews assured that we (His saints) are no longer subject to His wrathful voice, He wrote: "For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest. And sound of a trumpet, and voices of words; which voice they that heard entreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more."
And so terrible was the sight, I exceedingly fear and quake.
Then He spoke encouragement to the Redeemed on this wise:
“But ye are come unto Mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God' the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the first born, which are written in heaven, and to GOD the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect. And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant." Hebrews 12:18-24b
"And there were seven lamps of fire and burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of GOD." Revelation 4:5
That is self-explaining, however, Isaiah named the seven spirits of God when he prophesied that they would rest upon Jesus during his earthly ministry.
Here is what he said, "And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD." Isaiah 11:2
John also said: "And before the throne was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind." Revelation 4:6
"And before the throne was a sea of glass like unto crystal."
The angel that carried John away in the spirit showed him that crystal clear gem and what it stood for.
John said, he: "Showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descend out of heaven from God, having the glory of GOD: and her light was liken unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal." Revelation 21:10b-11 There is transparency in the Church for Christ and is seen in her as though they were looking at Christ Himself. (Now that is clear!) Amen!
THE VALLEY OF DRY BONES
January 14, 2004
Page 104
Such doctrine as “The Valley of Dry Bones,” first you read the prophecy in the Old Testament then you look for its fulfillment in the New Testament.
Even though the scenes in this prophecy were ultra dramatic, none of it was visible to the natural eye.
It starts off with where Ezekiel wrote: "The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry." Ezekiel 37:1-2
The Lord identified those bones.
He told Ezekiel; “These bones are the whole house of Israel." Ezekiel 37:11
I repeat, The Lord said, "These bones are the whole house of Israel."
Now what the house of Israel had done that wrought about this horrific scene was that they, along with the Gentiles conspired then killed the Son of God.
Zechariah described God’s retaliatory action in a dramatic way. He wrote:
"And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem:
First: Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet.
Second: Their eyes shall consume away in their holes.
Third: Their tongue shall consume away in their mouth." Zechariah 14:12
The fight, in Zechariah's prophecy was not brother against brother, but it was the elders of Jerusalem warring against the principles that Jerusalem was originally founded upon.
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Doesn’t that sound familiar?
The wicked of D.C. are fighting against what our nation was founded upon even at this present time. Remember how Jerusalem's High Priest and elders forsook several of God's good commandments in order to justify putting Jesus to death?
Yes, because Israel killed God’s only Son Jesus “their flesh consumed away while they stood on their feet,” even as they spat on Jesus and mocked him, and smote him, and spitefully entreated Him.
During the Old Testament, Israel was a holy nation. No, not because they were good, but to the contrary. Yet, God imputed holiness (not righteousness) to them because they were the children of Abraham.
Oft times God called Israel on the carpet for committing detestable things.
On one such occasion God asked: "What hath my beloved to do in mine house, seeing she hath wrought lewdness with many, and the holy flesh is passed from thee? When thou doest evil, then thou rejoicest." Jeremiah 11:15
In case you find the words holy flesh offensive, well don’t. Just remember that God said it first.
God reckoned Israel’s flesh to be holy because they were the children of Abraham. When they committed an unholy act, their flesh as it were, “Passed from them.” Such holiness could be restored to purity though the sacrificial law. But not after they killed the Son of God, for when they killed Him they committed the abominable and unpardonable act, and their flesh consumed away as they stood on their feet, never to be restored, regardless of how often they repented and how many animals they sacrificed:
The Lord also prophesied: "And I will bring distress upon men, and they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord; and their blood shall be poured out as dust and their flesh as the dung " Zephaniah 1:17
"And their eyes shall consume away in their holes." Zechariah 14:12
Isaiah described the blindness that would prevail on the day that Israel kill the Son of God. His prophecy read; "We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night: we are in desolate places as dead men." Isaiah 59:10
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God’s retaliatory Judgment was a great loss to Israel's unbelievers for they were blinded and God placed them in the same category, as were the Gentiles during the time of the Old Testament.
However, Israel’s believers were much better off than before, they became flesh of Jesus flesh and bone of His bone at Pentecost.
Paul said as much, Listen to what he had to say on their behalf. He wrote; “For we are members of Jesus’ body, of his flesh, and of his bones.” Ephesians 5:30
"And their tongue shall consume away in their mouth."
The nature of that prophecy might have been somewhat retaliatory, but it was without doubt, about the spiritual hungers that prevailed between the crucifixion and Pentecost.
Here is the Prophecy of that hunger and thirst.
The Lord said: “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord:” Amos 8:11
He also said: “Mischief shall come upon mischief, and rumour shall be upon rumour; then shall they seek a vision of the prophet; but the law shall perish from the priest, and counsel from the ancients.” Ezekiel 7:26
Then He told the prophets: “Therefore night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision; and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine; and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them.”
Micah 3:6
After Jesus came to earth the prophets that foretold of His coming lost their vision.
“Bless the Lord O my soul for all His benefits!” Amen!
THE VALLEY WHEREIN EZEKIEL WAS
Page 107
Even as Ezekiel’s vision was not about things seen with natural eyes, nor was the valley wherein he was.
As you are aware, a valley is the real estate between two Mountains. In the case of Ezekiel's valley, it was allegoric. The mountains that formed that valley were Mount Sinai (The Law Covenant) and Mount Sion, (The better Grace Covenant.)
That valley floor begin to expand the Day of Jesus’ death and it grew wider day by day until Pentecost. Therefore the composition of Ezekiel’s valley was not soil, gravel, nor earth, but its consistency was the element of time. Therefore the valley between the two mountains, Mount Sinai and Mount Sion was about fifty days in breadth.
In that valley Ezekiel was given the grand tour. There he saw a multitude of bones whose flesh had been utterly consumed. Ezekiel's own words: "They were very dry."
Remember that in the previous document we learned that when Israel Killed the Son of God that their flesh consumed away while they stood on their feet?
Well such flesh was of a spiritual nature and when Israel committed the abdominal thing that flesh passed from them and it had to be restored through sacrifice, but not that time. Such flesh was only visible to God, however others could see it through the eyes of their understanding. Ephesians 1:18
The Lord prophesied through the pen of Zechariah of the day that He would put an end to the law kingdom. He wrote: "But it shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light." Zechariah 14:7
The day it became light at evening time, was on the day of the crucifixion.
Remember? Matthew said: "Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour." Matthew 27:45
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Since there was darkness from the six to the ninth hour of necessity it would have become light at evening time, even from three O'clock PM until the sun went down.
Israel paid the ultimate price for killing Jesus.
Amos, saw through a vision how Israel should pay. The Lord questioned Amos: "Amos, What seest thou? And I said A basket of summer fruit. Then said the Lord unto me, The end is come upon my people of Israel; I will not again pass by them any more." Amos 8:2
The Lord gave a sign as to when He would destroy Israel. He said: "And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord God, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day." Amos 8:9
And God did destroy Israel on the day the sun went down at noon. He caused the sun to go down at noon on the clear day, even on the day of our Lord’s crucifixion.
Matthew said: “Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.” Matthew 27:45
Zephaniah gave an omen as to when the crucifixion would take place and when the destroying of the people would be.
He wrote: "The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly." Zephaniah 1:14
Yea, on the great day, our Lord’s crucifixion, "The Mighty man, Jesus," did cry there bitterly; "My God, My God why hast thou forsaken me?" Each and every charge that God bade Ezekiel do, It was first and foremost address to Jesus.
I believe that my best argument is that both Jesus and Ezekiel answered to the name: "Son of Man." The Spirit of Christ that was in Ezekiel heard every command The Lord God gave to the prophet. Therefore, both Jesus Christ and Ezekiel carried out what they were commanded to do, respectively.
In the thirty-seventh chapter of Ezekiel, God showed Ezekiel that those bones were in dire need of flesh, sinew, and breath.
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I believe the following conversation between Jesus and the Heavenly Father was recorded for our understanding.
I believe that, simply because Jesus referred to other dialogue between Himself and His Father. He told those that stood by at the tomb of Lazarus that when He told Lazarus to come forth, it was for their benefit. John 11:42
I believe that the following conversation might have been likewise. Ezekiel wrote: “And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest.”
Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.
So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above. Ezekiel 37:8
What Ezekiel saw in his vision was Jesus, the, Son of man,, restoring all that the redeemed had lost on the day of Jesus’ sacrificial death.
All of such action took place in the valley that was between mount Sinai and Mount Sion. That restoration made the small remnant flesh of Jesus' flesh and bone of His bone.
The great apostle Paul speaking of God’s redeemed, he wrote: "For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones." Ephesians 5:30
But there was no breath in them.
Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. Ezekiel 37:3-10
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Now the breath that the great army received was the Holy Ghost of God. This is an obvious fact; when Jesus breathed on His disciples He saith unto them. Receive ye the Holy Ghost." John 20:21-22
Then God said: "Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land." Ezekiel 37:21.
Their land, as it were, was ‘the land of the living’. Psalm 69:28
And their Kingdom, as it turned out, was the kingdom that Israel at large had occupied during the Old Testament.
In His parable Jesus told, Israel that when they killed him (God’s Son) that the kingdom would be taken from them and given to others that would bring forth fruit in due season. Mark 12:7
Jesus had already given the kingdom to the small remnant. He told them: "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." Luke 12:32.
Therefore God did give the kingdom to Israel's small saved remnant. And from the day that the Holy Ghost came and baptized them back into the land from which they were ousted, they have owned and operated the kingdom according to their King's wishes. Amen!
Therefore the Kingdom was taken from Israel at large and given to Israel's small, redeemed remnant.
Judah and Israel were divided into two different nations during the time of the reign of Jeroboam. The Lord prophesied that He would take Israel and Judah and make them one nation again. Here is that prophecy. The Lord said:
"And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all." Ezekiel 37:22
Ever let it be said that this promise only applied to the saints of those two nations and not the nations at large. The saints receive the promises that God made to Israel.
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Paul said it like this: “What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded.” Romans 11:7
Jesus united Judah and Israel on the Day of Pentecost. Henceforth they have been one nation, with One king ruling over them, The King of kings; and Lord of lords, Jesus Christ, the Righteous.
The Lord kept His promise that He made to His redeemed: He told them; "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions." Joel 2:29
To the fulfillment, that your sons and Daughters shall Prophesy, the writer wrote: "…And we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him. And the same man had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy. Acts 21:8-9
Then the prophet said: "Your old men shall dream dreams."
The author of Acts shows this prophecy fulfilled in the dream Peter had at the house of the tanner. Acts 10:17
Then before Paul was shipwreck, he fore warned the owner that due to unfavorable weather that lie ahead, not to embark at that time for the journey, said he, would be hazardous. However after the ship was broken up Paul told him: “And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship. [23] For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, [24] Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. [25] Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me. [26] Howbeit we must be cast upon a certain island.” Acts 27:19-26
May the God of Heaven be blessed forever,
Amen!
HIS FEET SHALL STAND IN THAT DAY UPON THE Mount of Olives
(Which is before Jerusalem on the east)
January 11, 2009
Page 112
Zechariah prophesied: “Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east.”
Zechariah 14:3-4a
“In that day”
That day was not a twenty-four day. It began with the Sermon on the
Mount, and at that mount was where His disciples joined Him. Matthew 4:1
It ended when He ascended back into heaven. Acts 1:12
It’s obvious that, that day was no ordinary day, it was about forty-two-months in length. It started the day he was baptized and ended the day He ascended back into Heaven.
The nations the Lord fought against (AND WON) were the nations of the world.
After He got the victory, He told His disciples: “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
Jesus made that statement just before He made His intercessory prayer to God the Father. John 17:1-26
Luke explained how Jesus went about conquering those nations. He wrote: “And in the day time he was teaching in the temple; and at night he went out, and abode in the mount that is called the mount of Olives. And all the people came early in the morning to him in the temple, for to hear him.” Luke 21:37-38
Now that is humbling, especially, since Luke said that “at night Jesus went out, and abode in the mount that is called the Mount of Olives.”
Jesus would say later: “… Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.” Luke 9:58
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Numerous times Jesus’ feet stood on “The Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east.” (as our title suggests)
From time to time, Jesus’ disciple joined Him on the Mount of Olives to received their daily assignments. Luke 19:29
Toward the end of His ministry, Matthew said: “And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me.” Matthew 21:1-2
They brought Jesus the colt and set Him upon it.
Luke said: “And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen;” Luke 19:37
After Jesus had prophesied many things concerning the fate of Jerusalem and the end of the world. Mark said: “And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceives you.
For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many…” Matthew 24:3-5
Not long after that concourse, Jesus and His disciple’s came together to eat “The Lord’s Passover.” Mark said: “And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body. And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. And he said unto them, This is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many. Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God. And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the Mount of Olives.” Mark 14:22-26
Next Jesus took His disciples into the Mount of Olives. As they proceeded they came to a garden. The name of that garden was Gethsemane. (Gethsemane was a garden within the Mount of Olives complex.) It was in that garden that Jesus prayed until His sweat become as great drops of blood. Luke 22:44
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In that garden is where Peter cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant.
I suppose that it would not be consistent with the prophecy unless the crucifixion burial and Resurrection took place in the Mount of Olives.
John said: “Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid. There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews' preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.” John 19:41-42
That garden in all probability was one of the gardens in the Mount of Olives; the bible doesn’t say.
When the writer described Jesus’ ascension into Heaven, he wrote: “And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.” Acts 1:4
“And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.” Acts 1:9
“Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey.” Acts 1:12
*A Sabbath days Journey differs from the distant they were allowed to travel on other days. That distance was approximately three thousand feet, or a little more than half a mile.
May God richly bless. AMEN!
THE Mount of Olives SHALL CLAVE IN THE MIDST
Page 115 February 2, 2009
Zechariah prophesied: “And his feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east.” Zechariah 14: 4-a
The preceding document was about “part a” of verse four of Zechariah 14.
Now let’s take a look at “part b,” where it reads:
“And the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.” Zechariah 14:4-b
The former document was entitled “HIS FEET SHALL STAND IN THAT DAY UPON THE Mount of Olives” was for most part natural, whereas “The Mount of Olives shall Cleave in the Midst Thereof” is supernatural.
What makes this doctrine spiritual is that God chose to convey it through the use of symbols. Even though this is spiritual, it still pertains to Jesus’ feet and the Mount of Olives as it did in the former document. (That is the doing of our wonderful God and “He does all things well.”) Amen!
In the following, the Psalmist depicted the feet of Jesus as weapons of war. No, not carnal weapons but spiritual weapons since His warfare was spiritual.
His feet in that prophecy was the Gospel that He would preach at the time He began His Ministry. The psalmist prophesied by saying to our wonderful Savior: “Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.” Psalm 91:13
That writer spoke of spiritual things. He wrote: “Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him.” Hebrews 2:8
It’s obvious that Jesus’ feet was symbolic of His Gospel.
One thing that makes that believable is when Jesus sent His apostles forth to preach the Gospel, He told them: “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” Luke 10:19
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The serpents and scorpions in Jesus’ charge were the evil spirits that inhabited those same depraved men that He would later address as: “Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?” Matthew 23:33
When the Apostle Paul said: “As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!”
Romans 10:15
He spoke of the Gospel. It is obvious that the feet is the symbol for the Word of those that brings good tidings.
Since that is true, we need to find out what the Mount of Olives portrays in this later document, and this we’ll do, God permitting.
In the Old Testament the Lord called the nation Israel an olive tree and her members, olives. One such case is where Jeremiah told Israel:
“The Lord called thy name, A green olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit: with the noise of a great tumult he hath kindled fire upon it, and the branches of it are broken.” Jeremiah 11:16
Then Isaiah used the Olive Tree to prophesy of the calamity that should befall Israel in the later days.
He wrote: “When thus it shall be in the midst of the land among the people, there shall be as the shaking of an olive tree.” Isaiah 24:13a
Paul compared both Israel and the Gentiles to olive trees, respectively.
He wrote: “And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;” Romans 11:17
“And the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof”
The Mount of Olives in this later document was Israel.”
What caused them to “cleave in the midst toward the east and toward the west… Was Jesus Christ with His doctrine. He questioned them with a prediction. He ask
“Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division: For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.
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The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.” Luke 12:51-53
When the disciples preached about Jesus’ resurrection, it caused a great chasm among the people. According to the scribe who said: ”And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said We would hear thee again of this matter.” Acts 17:32
Even until this very day that division exists among the descendants of Abraham. It has been said that when one of a Jewish family gets saved that its remaining members count him/her as being dead.
Divisions were rampant during the time of spreading the Gospel, especially by the early Church. When Paul and Barnabas preached to a mixed crowd the writer said: “And Some believed the things that were spoken, and some believed not.” Acts 28:24
“And the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.”
Zechariah 14:4b
In that passage the writer stressed the fact that the Mount of Olives would separate in all directions, East, West, North and South. All cleavages that Jesus caused were not bad.
Such dispersal was most apparent after Jesus charged His disciples: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Mark 16:15
In his first epistle, Peter addressed those whom had gone into the world to preach the Gospel, He wrote, “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,” 1 Peter 1:1
Paul verified that those ministers dispersed in all directions, East, West, North and South. He wrote: “But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.”
Romans 10:18
May God Bless,
Amen and Amen!
PARADISE AND HELL
October 1, 2003
Page 118
During the Old Testament, Paradise and Hell were both in the heart of the earth. Scriptural? You bet!
I believe that most Bible scholars, thought even as I, that when Jesus commended His Spirit into the hand of His Father that He and his new convert ascended into Paradise. Ah, but no! Rather than ascending into Paradise, they descended into Paradise, for Paradise was in the heart of the earth from Adam until after the Resurrection.
Paul, with his superb understanding of such things, wrote: "Now that He ascended, what is it but that He also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?" Ephesians 4:10
(That could not have been the tomb in which he was buried for it was not in the lower parts of the earth but His soul/Spirit was.)
According to our blessed Savior's own words He was not with The Heavenly Father during the first three days of His departure from earth. Proof of that was that On the third day He told Mary, “Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to My Father." John 20:17
(It was obvious from what Jesus told Mary, that when He commended His Spirit into the hands of the Father, He and His new convert went to Paradise instead of Heaven.) Yes, there was a difference; bare with me and I will, in all probability, convince you that they were two different places.
During the Old Testament the dead was kept in the heart of the earth. The saints occupied the segment that was called Paradise while the sinners were kept in the section that the Bible called Hell.
Remember? Jesus taught that: "As Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." Matthew 12:40
Yea, Jesus Christ descended into Hell all right for the Spirit of Christ that was in King David made this profound prophecy. He wrote: "For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Psalm 16:10
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Peter quoted David as saying: "Seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption."
Acts 2:24-27
Remember? Lazarus and the rich-man were both there. The rich-man could see Lazarus afar off. That meant that they both descended instead of Lazarus ascending.
Both were aware of their state of being.
While Lazarus was comforted the rich-man was being tormented. Luke 16:2
Father Abraham told the rich-man: "Between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence." Luke 16:26
I suppose Paradise and hell could be compared to Egypt and Goshen. Egypt was a nation, and Goshen was a nation within that nation. Exodus 10:21-22
Therefore, I believe that in like manner that Goshen was a part of Egypt, Paradise was a part of hell.
Now here is a good description of Hell during the Old Testament:
The prophet taught that the heart of the earth was a place of rejoicing while the Psalmist said it was a place of retribution.
First: Isaiah said that it was a place of rejoicing. He encouraged; "Sing O ye heavens for the LORD hath done it: shout, ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing." Isaiah 44:22
Second: In his adoration for The LORD, The Sweet Psalmist declared it to be a place of retribution. He said: "My soul followeth hard after thee: Thy right hand upholdeth me, But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth." Psalms 63:92
Yea, hell was in the heart of the earth and so was Paradise. It was the place where GOD sent the souls of the dead, during the time of the Older Testament, both saint and sinner alike. They remained there until Jesus took away their sins that had been cover by the blood of bulls and goats etc. And according to Paul, He nailed those sins to His cross.
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A good example that Paradise was in the lower part of the earth is confirmed
Through the discussion that took place between King Saul, his servants, the witch of Endor, and the prophet Samuel.
Samuel had died sometime prior to the following conversation.
It commenced when Saul said unto his servants, seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit that I may go to her, and enquiry of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor
. [8] And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, I pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee." 1 Samuel 28:7 and 8
[11] Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, bring me up Samuel. [12] And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying why hast thou deceived me? For thou art Saul. [13] And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth. [14] And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself. [15] And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the Lord is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy?
1 Samuel 28:9-15
"Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the Lord, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the Lord done this thing unto thee this day. [19] Moreover the Lord will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me."
1 Samuel 28:18-19a
Without controversy it was the profit Samuel that prophesied, because the writer said that Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me? Then the writer confirmed that what Samuel’s prophesied came true.
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He said: "So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armour bearer, and all his men, that same day together." 1 Samuel 31:6
I perceive that the following conversation took place while in Paradise while Jesus was in the heart of the earth with His redeemed. Zechariah said: "And one shall say unto him,
What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. Zechariah 13:6
During the Old Testament when a saint died he or she didn’t go directly to Heaven but instead they were escorted by the angels to Paradise and kept there until Jesus paid off their sin debt of the flesh, even the sins that they committed during their pilgrimage.
Though the blood of bulls and goats and ashes of heifer’s etcetera covered those sins, the task of purging them was left to Jesus.
God said through the pen of Zechariah that Jesus would remove that unfathomable mountain of sin that had accumulated from Adam to Jesus Christ.
He wrote: “…I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.”
Paul said the way that God took away those sins was by: “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;” Colossians 2:14
Then after His resurrection Jesus ascended into Heaven and offered up his blood to God in the Holiest of all.
Through His Sacrificial death and Resurrection Jesus sprang open Heaven’s door that had been closed against the saints of God because of the sin issue.
John said that the door to heaven had been opened, he said: “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither.”
Revelation 4:1
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“A door was opened in heaven:”
*** This is so important and you don’t dare to miss it.
It is not my policy to correct other men’s doctrine, but the Pre’s contend that the opening of the door in Heaven is future and it is for the saints (they say) that shall arise at the first resurrection.
But I believe the door of Heaven was opened for the saints that arose after Jesus’ resurrection.
From all indications the souls/spirits of the Saints in paradise, were reunited with their body at the gravesites.
Matthew described the rising of those saints. He wrote: “and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, [53] And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city.” Matthew 27:51-53
Jesus removed the occupants of Paradise and Hell.
He took His redeemed, such as Lazarus to Heaven, and the sinners such as the rich man, and other sinners were thrust into the lake of fire.
Paul quoted the psalmist that said in Psalms 68:18, “Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.” Ephesians 4:8
May the God of the whole universe be blessed forever, Amen!
THE BLOOD OF THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT
February 5, 2009
Page 123
Let me start this document by saying that Jesus Christ died once for all, and for all people. Our God’s resolve was that Jesus’ shed blood would redeem all sinners that would believe, and call on His Name. That promise was valid from the foundation of the world, and, continue unto the end of the same.
Though God gave the law to Moses to mediate between Himself and Israel, the Old Testament was brought into being after the fall of our first parents.
At that time the Lord God killed animals. He covered the nakedness of Adam and Eve with their skins, and covered their sins with the shed blood of those animals.
That ordinance sufficed until Jesus wrought a better Testament.
Now the blood of those animals covered their sins but it did not purge them. The writer assured: “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.” Hebrews 10:4
The Lord provided an ordinance that delt with the sins of Israel; He called it, “The Lord’s Passover.” Exodus 12:11
The Lord’s Passover constituted a lamb of the sheep or the goats of the first year. The Passover lamb was killed on the fourteenth day of the month Abib then eaten during the night of the fifteenth day of the month. (Israel’s day started at six PM in the evening and ended the next day at six o’clock PM.) The Passover was an annual event, thus it had to be repeated the following year. For “… in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every Year.” Hebrews 10:3
The sacrifices of the Old Testament did not, I repeat it did not take away sin but it did hide them from the pure eyes of Jehovah God, while at the same time it silenced the hysteria that sin brought to their conscience.
That ordinance was still in force during Jesus’ ministry.
Mark said that after Jesus healed the leper He told him: “…See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, Shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.” Mark 1:44
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I believe the reason Jesus told the leper to tell no man was that being a leper he was unclean and thus his conscience was defiled.
An Israelite was not to give a testimonial until after his flesh was cleansed through the sacrificial law. In the case of a leper his sacrificial duty was to bring two turtledoves to the priest who would sacrifice then on his behalf
Yea, Jesus did say that the offering was for a testimonial.”
The Older Testament had absolutely nothing to do with the salvation of the souls of mankind; however it did serve as the cleansing agent to purify the flesh or the outward man of those Israelites that ministered for God, both saint and sinner alike.
The Gentiles were not ministers of God during the Old Testament, therefore they were not included in that cleansing process.
Now the provision that the Lord God made for the redeemed of the New Testament is that: “if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 1 John 1:7
Don’t spurn the idea that: “The blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh.” Hebrews 9:13-14
(It is a biblical term and I know one that scoffed at the idea.
Both Israel and the Gentiles alike need cleansing inwardly by the Blood of Jesus in order to be saved.
Our outward man needs to be cleansed for the purpose of ministering to and for God. The blood of Jesus cleanses both the inner man and the outward man.
The morning sacrifice pointed to the fact that Jesus’ sacrifice had already been in full force from the foundation of the world for the purpose of saving the souls of mankind.
Thus saith the writer: “For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.” Hebrews 4:3
Then John said that Jesus is: “The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Revelation 13:8
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I believe God counted Jesus as dead before the world was for the purpose of saving souls even from Adam unto the end of the world.
The evening sacrificial lamb foretold of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, while at the same time it covered the sins of Israel in a way that permitted them to minister in the things of God.
The Lord prophesied that He would remove that unfathomable mountain of sin in one day. He said: “…I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.” Zechariah 3:9b
The Lord fulfilled that promise. Paul explained. He said: “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.” Col. 2:14
And to the redeemed of the Grace Covenant, the writer said, “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.” Hebrews 10:22
The author of Hebrews described the proceedings that took place during the Old Testament. He wrote:
“… The blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh.” Hebrews 9:13
While commenting on those ordinances he said in another place: “He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.” Hebrews 10:9 Then he testified of the work of Jesus, by saying: “But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.” Hebrews 8:6
The reason the writer said that Jesus obtain a better ministry rather than saying that He attained a better salvation, was that Jesus’ shed blood was valid for saving souls before the foundation of the world. That meant that Salvation was available to all including the Gentiles.
If you are to rightly divide the Word of truth, it is of utter importance that you understand the things that I have put on paper.
While the Old Testament was about “The blood of bulls and goats and ashes of an heifer,” the New Testament’s consistency is of the precious blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, verbatim.
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The writer of Hebrews enlarges on that fact.
He wrote: “For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” Hebrews 9:13 &14
Notice (in the above) when the writer referred to the blood of the Old Testament He said that it “Sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:”
On the other hand he said that the blood of Jesus Christ, purges our conscience from dead works. Amen!
Then speaking compassionately of the blood of the New Testament, the writer said: “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who Through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" Hebrews 9:14
He also said of that Old Testament economy: “And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:” Hebrews 10:11
God said of the law of commandments of the Old Testament: “And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. [9] And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.” Deuteronomy 6:8-9
But, He prophesied that during the New Grace Covenant; “ …I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.” Hebrews 10:16-17
After those days meant that after Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament and replaced it with His own sacrificial death. His blood continues to save souls, as it had from the foundation of the world. And it cleanses and purifies our flesh, as the Old Testament cleansed and purified the flesh of Israel.
And Our Lord’s blood purges, instead of being a temporal covering as was; “The blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh.”
The Newer and better testament became valid on the day of Pentecost. Amen!
IN ADAM ALL DIE
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Paul said: “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” Corinthians 15:22
According to Moses, after Adam sinned He begot a son in his own (fallen) image. Genesis 5:3 Thus Adam’s children begot children in their fallen image as well. Therefore in Adam we all die because we are of his posterity.
As a child of God we are the posterity of The Heavenly Father inwardly, while outwardly, we remain as children of Adam.
Here is the way it all started.
The Lord told Adam, the day you eat of the fruit in the midst of the garden you shall surely die. Adam did eat, and he died. The pronouncement upon Adam was of a two-fold nature. The day Adam ate of the forbidden fruit, as God promised his soul died, yet his body lived to be nine hundred plus years, then he died physically.
It is the Father that passes on the original sin to his children. The Psalmist wrote: “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” Psalm 51:5
That didn’t apply to Jesus, He had God for His Father, and therefore he was not conceived in sin, as were the rest of us. Matthew explained why Jesus wasn’t borne with the Adamic sin.
He wrote: “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.” Matthew 1:18
The reason a child can die from day one of it’s birth, is that Adam passed on the original sin to all his posterity; however the soul of that child is safe until they are accountable for sin.
Paul explains when he and the rest of us lost that innocence, He said: “What shall we say then? Is the law sin?” Then his answer was:
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“God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. [8] But sin, taking occasion by the
commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. [9] For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.” Romans 7:7-9
“Without the law sin was dead.” (Because that indwelling sin is revived by the law. Paul said that until the law came sin was dead.) Romans 7:8
In the process of God saving us, “…our old man was crucified with Christ, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.” Romans 6:6
The body of sin is the original or the Adamic sin, plus the sins that the sinner committed after the original sin was revived.
It took many names and phrases to describe the process God used in saving us. Just to name a few: Born again, crucified with Christ, Baptized in the name of Jesus buried with Him in Baptism, Resurrected with Him, we had part in the first resurrection, and more.
When the Spirit of God beckoned us to repent, we walked the aisle, knelt at the altar, and confessed our sins. These were visible and audible acts.
There were multitudes of things that took place during the time that the Lord save us.
When Jesus came aboard he removed the Devil and the world from our heart and replaced it with Himself and the kingdom of God. Jesus brought with Him a Peace that passes all understanding. Is that Bible? You bet. And it all happened in a moment and a twinkling of an eye.
May the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob be blessed forever.
Amen!
THEY SHALL NOT HURT NOR DESTROY IN ALL MY HOLY MOUNTAIN (Isaiah 11)
August 17, 2010
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In Isaiah eleven, the LORD prophesied: “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” Isaiah 11:6-9
Jesus named God’s Holy Mountain, His Church. While another called her The Heavenly Jerusalem, John called her New Jerusalem, and Paul referred to her as The Israel of God. Galatians 6:16
All such testimonies were of one kingdom that has one King and His name is King JESUS the Righteous.
I have found that in the case of Bible prophecy, the creation offers the best available help for its interpretation, especially when it involves animals. The Apostle said that the creation testifies to the fact that God is, and that He is its creator.
Here is what he said about those that deny the existence of God.
He wrote: "Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:"
Romans 1:19-20.
Now since nature testifies to God’s eternal power and Godhead, we are depending on it heavily for the interpretation were the LORD GOD said: “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatting together;”
Don’t miss the following:
Just as God created man in His own image; He also created the animals to portray
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men, whether they are at their best or on their very worst behavior.
In other words when you hear the word sheep you think of a non-violent animal but you think the opposite when you hear the word wolf. (You get the idea.)
Jesus left us a good example on how to judge such things. He told His disciples: “Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.” Luke 10:3
In His admonition we see both the Good, and the Evil represented through the use of animals, and He did it according to the animals that best described the disposition of the men of the two groups.
As we’ve witnessed, Jesus called the small saved remnant His sheep, while he referred to those rebellious blasphemers as wolves.
Now let’s continue our pursuit on the meaning of the prophecy where the LORD said: “The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fattling together; and a little child shall lead them.”
Just suppose the Lord saved one of those whom He had earlier called a dog. Would He still call her a dog?
Yes, He did in the case of the woman of Canaan.
Yea, He called the woman’s daughter a dog, while at the same time He was granting her petition. Her petition was that He should cast the devil out of her daughter.
We don’t doubt that the woman was saved because Jesus told her, “O woman great is thy faith.” After that He granted her partition and saved her daughter. (Matthew 15:21-28)
Another thing that was witnessed during the course of that woman’s request was that Jesus told her: “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Matthew 15:24
In other words, even as the Lord had called the Gentiles dogs’ wolves, leopards, and bears, before and after He saved them, likewise He called the Israelites sheep even while they were sinners. Do you get the idea?
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Paul said something that helps us to understand why the Gentiles were not immediately called sheep even after the Lord saved them.
With his brilliance, Paul told the saved Gentiles: “For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?” Romans 11:24
The Gentiles being taken from among a people that Paul deemed to be wild by nature helps us to understand why the saved Gentiles were still symbolized by wild animals even after they were in the kingdom, that Jesus called His Church.
It’s obvious that that was what the LORD was telling us when He prophesied, “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain:”
Yea, though many of the Gentiles were saved before Pentecost yet they were not united with the saved Israelites until much later.
I believe that the reason the Gentiles were symbolized as wild animals was due to their crudeness and not their viciousness, else the Lord wouldn’t have prophesied: “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together and a little child shall lead them.”
In that statement, our God prophesied of the tranquility that should exist after her sinners were ejected from the kingdom then replaced by the saved Gentiles.
And a little child shall lead them.”
Paul made himself of no reputation and declared that he was the least in the kingdom and the least of the apostles. What do you think? Didn’t that qualify the Apostle Paul as being that little child and capable of leading those gentile people that God portrayed as wolves’ leopards and young lions? I say with you, Yes.
And Amen!
May God Bless.
THAT MAN OF SIN
(The son of perdition)
October 21 2008
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Unless you think that what Paul said applies to the “Last Days,” you should have no problem with this doctrine.
When Paul was at the church of Thessalonica, he touched on a subject that really sparked an interest in some or someone. They wished to know more concerning the matter. Paul’s response was: "Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? "
Then he wrote: "Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand." 2 Thessalonians 2:1 emphatic
My understanding is that Paul’s suggestion was as David decreed, where He said emphatically: ”To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, Today is the day of salvation.“ Psalm 95:7-8
From the many scriptures Paul used in his response to those at Thessalonica, in all probability they had asked; What about our children, when should we challenge them to be saved?
If that wasn’t the case, the answers he gave would be suitable answers for such questions.
I suppose that when he was with them he told them that before their children could be saved, they must first become accountable for sin. He said: "That day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition."
I believe the phrase, "a falling away," is in alliance with the fall of Adam. Paul gave us an account on his own personal falling away. In doing so he reveals what is typical for the rest of us. In our day we tend to say, in truth, that a child has to be lost before he can be saved. Therefore, I believe that to be the essence of what Paul had written in his response to the Thessalonians questions.
See if you don’t agree that it is the essence of what Paul told the Thessalonians. Where he wrote: "We beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and by our gathering together unto him. Let no man deceive you by any
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means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.” 2 Thessalonians 2:3
(That man of sin is the Devil)
I realize that some assume that Paul was referring to church members forsaking to assemble them selves as some had. But nay, when the Lord saved us He gathered us unto Himself into what Paul, and others, called the Church or the Body of Christ.
In the following Paul described his situation after the Word of God had entered his heart. He wrote: "Now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way."
Then he described the struggling that takes place within the heart of a sinner while he is being badgered by the Devil.
He wrote: "And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved."
Ah, but those that do not receive the Truth. "For this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
That they all might be damned who believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12
Then he said that after the Devil takes over a sinner’s life, through manipulation, that he "opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God." 2 Thessalonians 2:4
Isn’t the Devil in control of those of the world? Our body is the temple of God and when we were lost the Devil was enthroned on the throne of God’s temple, which is to say our body.
As children of God, Paul identifies our body as the temple of God: He wrote; "If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are."
1 Corinthians 3:17
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When the Lord bound the Devil, and cast him out of our heart into our flesh, Jesus took up his abode in our heart, and at that very second Christ begin His reign with us as our protector, Amen!
Only Jesus can overthrow that man of sin, whom He called the strong man, and himself the stronger of the two. Here’s what He said: "No man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house." Mark 3:27
For those who need more proof to verify that the devil is the man of sin, Paul wrote: "Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin." Romans 6:6 and Ephesians 4:22 then Col. 3:9
In closing, Judas was called both “the son of perdition and a devil.”
Jesus said to His Apostles: “Have not I chosen you twelve and one of you is a devil?" John 6:70
May the Good Lord Be Blessed forever, Amen!
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